Japanese Wagtail on Lotus Plant, by Ohara Koson, 1925-1936

I would like to go to a New Year’s Eve party at Restaurant Varna in the early 1970’s please! In Aarhus, designed by Verner Panton

The shades, the bomber jacket, the whole vibe. Elon makes us cool" Nigel Farage claims of Elon Musk to Tim Stanley. In reality, Musk is close to Donald Trump as one of the least popular public figures in Britain, across every age group, becoming much more toxic, 2022-24

There are several languages and three separate legal systems in the United Kingdom. Which specific language and laws did you have in mind?

The most depressing aspect of this H1B debate is the amount of people who haven’t seen Tropic Thunder. Call yourselves educated.

47,571 pupils took GCSE (O-Level) Latin in 1959; in 2024, with 17 million more people living in England, only 5,169 did. And this month a scheme teaching 5,000 people Latin in English state schools has been axed. The politics of envy is ugly. #latingate

I did actually read some Homer in Greek many years ago but concept of the ‘best’ translation is contingent - how are you balancing accuracy, lyricism, vibe, narrative? All suggest different translations - of something that was adapted from storyteller to storyteller anyhow.

Misinformation account Inevitable West appears unfamiliar with the polling on UK attitudes to Israel-Palestine - IpsosUK YouGov More in Common have variously shown ambivalence, more sympathy with Palestinians than Israelis, and high levels of sympathy for Palestinian civilians

Harlaxton Manor is a stunning 19th-century stately home located in Harlaxton, Lincolnshire, England. Built between 1837 and 1855 by Gregory Gregory, it is an extraordinary example of Victorian-era architecture, combining Jacobean, Elizabethan, and Baroque styles.

Big news from Transport for West Midlands. You can travel for free across the West Midlands on 1 January by bus. Why not have an adventure on New Year's Day? Check routes and times before you travel at buff.ly/49dlmSA

Drafting my piece on Puck of Pook's Hill today. Such a wonderful book, it's hard to get everything I want to say into a mere 1,600 words.

Pity serious-minded local politicians, professionals, entrepreneurs, charity workers, teachers, doctors and the rest based in the inner cities, faced with this kind of gross ignorance, intolerance and fatalism

Never let it be said that Twitter has cheapened

As a conservative myself, I welcome conservative students’ views on all manner of things, but my anecdotal sense is that 18-22 year olds trend very strongly leftwing (they’re idealists) and there’s a lot of self-censorship. I/we definitely don’t have a “line”.

“Dozens of towns that bear the scars of Pakistani grooming gangs” writes Sam Bidwell in this long post There may indeed be “dozens”. Can Bidwell name 24+ British towns where grooming gangs operated and in every case justify it is accurate to label them as “Pakistani” gangs?

“Barry Blazzer” (joined X in December 2024) thinks journalism is about writing any bombastic nonsense you like, and how dare anyone challenge you to justify it

Thank you - 4 more please to justify “dozens” What about the breakdown of the national origins of men convicted of sex offences in these gangs to justify “Pakistani” - you wrote this, not for example “predominantly Pakistani”