Destined to be forgotten

 

A cold, foggy day here in our limited-visibility patch of Derbyshire. Mrs H and I nipped into town this afternoon as early dusk brought with it that curiously evocative atmosphere of times gone by. Shops brightly lit by 3pm, car headlights carving their way through murk, exhausts hanging like ghostly washing in thick damp air.

Weather which ought to be unpleasant but isn't. Ought to be avoided by staying inside, but we went out and didn't regret it. The murky atmosphere brought with it a sense of anticipation, of coffee back home, of shutting out the cold and lighting the fire.

An atmosphere with a warming drop something more nebulous too. A Dickensian something which long ago wormed its way into what we are - but is destined to be forgotten.

As near the handle as possible

 

In every form of government, it is better to be with the governors than with the governed, and in this case, when the broom is wielded from above and applied so vigorously and with such meticulousness to everybody and everything, it is well to be as near the handle as possible.

Hippolyte Taine - The Modern Regime (1890-93)

A costume elites wear to pretend they care

 

It's why they clapped

 

The lad he employed in his office was run over by a cab one slippery day, and all but killed. Piers visited him in the hospital, thus seeing for the first time the interior of one of those houses of pain, which he always disliked even to pass. The experience did not help to brighten his mood; he lacked that fortunate temper of the average man, which embraces as a positive good the less of two evils.

 George Gissing - The Crown of Life (1899)

The battle we aren't winning

Monkeypox given new name by World Health Organisation - disease will now be called 'mpox'

Last month leading infectious disease expert Professor Neil Ferguson said the UK looked to be winning the battle against the disease as case numbers were dropping - but he warned against complacency and highlighted the risk of a resurgence.

Monkeypox has been rebranded 'mpox' by the World Health Organisation (WHO) after receiving complaints that the current name for the disease is "racist and stigmatising".

The battle we aren't winning is the battle against worse than useless 'experts'.

Dear me - first Brexit and now this

Riots erupt in Brussels after Morocco pull off World Cup upset beating Belgium

Philippe Close, the mayor of Brussels, urged football fans to stay away from the city centre and said authorities were doing their utmost to keep order in the streets.

Riots have broken out in Brussels after Morocco shocked Belgium by winning 2-0 during a World Cup clash in Qatar.

Police were forced to seal off parts of Brussels as they tried to disperse crowds.

Officers deployed water cannons and fired tear gas to halt dozens of rioters.

Cars were pelted with bricks and steps were set on fire, while one person suffered facial injuries, according to Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere.

No ladies here

Camilla ends centuries-old ladies-in-waiting tradition as she unveils 'Queen's Companions'

Queen consort Camilla, who recently paid tribute to the late Queen, has recruited some of her closest friends to act as her official companions as she goes about her stately duties.

Buckingham Palace has announced the six women who will accompany and support Queen Consort Camilla as she attends charity events, formal ceremonies and state visits, but they won’t be called ladies-in-waiting.

Sounds like a pre-emptive move. They certainly don't want a big hairy bloke asking why he can't be a lady-in-waiting, especially if Sir Keir becomes PM. Maybe both possibilities are thought likely enough to do something about it.