Graham Addison

On #HistoryWritersDay the true story of 'certainly the oddest archaeologists ever to visit Jerusalem' They came from Australia, Britain, Sweden, Finland and the Belgian Congo confident they knew where the Ark of the Covenant was hidden. 1/2

John Eric Bartholomew, AKA Eric Morecambe, was born 100 years ago today. Few people in history have made as many people laugh as Eric, and as someone whose life was dedicated to that purpose, I am sure it is an accolade he would have been incredibly proud of. For me, Eric’s brilliance lay not just in the laughter he created, but in the anticipation of the laughter to come. That gift was omnipresent, following him like a comedic halo. To see him was to smile instinctively, followed quickly by genuine laughter. His friend Tommy Cooper possessed that same rare quality, and I have many treasured memories of watching them both when I was young. Thanks to social media, Eric’s work continues to be enjoyed by millions worldwide every day, and appreciation for his immense talent only grows. Long may that continue. Here he is, with Ernie and Mr Preview, creating some 22 karat TV comedy gold. God bless Eric Morecambe x

In the name of public service, and as ex-economics editor of BBC Newsnight, I offer to do a zoom call, tonight, with any Labour MP who wants to understand why bond markets do not "fall into line" with governments. 1/

This is appalling and vile - hateful fantacism

Is there a progressive case for new North Sea exploration? In my first column for @ArguablyMag, I look at the case for and against. I argue that this could be Ed Miliband's "Nixon goes to China" moment: only he can credibly make the case that further extraction would not increase emissions. As has been argued by @CarbonBrief, importing LNG is 18% more carbon-emitting than extracting from the North Sea. Progressives should also care about where the money goes: instead of funding corrupt Gulf regimes, we could support jobs and investment in Scotland. Both left and right conflate increasing supply with increasing demand. We must cut demand for carbon by rapidly electrifying the economy. But that isn't inconsistent with securing our own supply. Restricting supply won't reduce UK demand – it just means we import gas from the US and Middle East instead. We must learn from other progressive governments like Norway and Canada. Even if we achieve Clean Power 2030, the UK will still use 35-40 million tonnes of gas each year, and a similar amount of oil for petrol. We should do we can to get demand for these fuels down, while building a resilient & cleaner supply chain. Read the full piece here: arguably.uk/p/the-progress… Thanks to @georgeeaton for editing, @watt_direction and @matthewg_stubbs for data, @pdmsero & @KaneEmerson for reviewing.

Britain absolutely has a lot to learn from France’s Gaullist focus on state capacity @GElefteriu. It gets better results. 🔵 Nuclear power: 🇫🇷65% vs 🇬🇧15% ⚡ Industrial electricity: 🇫🇷£69/MWh vs 🇬🇧£168/MWh 🛣️ Motorways: 🇫🇷11,882km vs 🇬🇧3,700km 🚄 High speed rail: 🇫🇷2,800km vs 🇬🇧109km ❤️ Life expectancy: 🇫🇷85.8/80 vs 🇬🇧82.6/78.6 (women/men) 🎗️ Lung cancer survival: 🇫🇷17.3% vs 🇬🇧13.3% 🚀 Space launch: 🇫🇷sovereign heavy-lift vs 🇬🇧none ☢️ Nuclear deterrent: 🇫🇷sovereign capacity vs 🇬🇧US dependence Would be TRISTE indeed to pretend these facts are not what they are.

On this day in 1892: Radar pioneer Robert Watson-Watt was born in Brechin. He is known for demonstrating that aircraft could be detected by bouncing radio waves off them. A breakthrough that proved crucial to the Allied victory in WWII. This brilliant statue is in his home town.

@DiariesEmpire From Wikipedia. He believed Wellington’s organisation of the Army could not be improved upon even 80 years later and famously rebuked a subordinate saying : "Brains? I don't believe in brains!

@DiariesEmpire Isn’t that the Duke of Cambridge Queen Victoria’s cousin? If so he was most definitely not a hero of the Empire. He helped create the terrible state of readiness of the British Army at the start of the Second Boer War

I have a thousand tabs open again. All awaiting self indulgent comments or minor research. So going to do a dump. First up. This Hero of the Empire. King/Queens bodyguard? the-saleroom.com/en-gb/auction-…

My original plan

“We’re dealing with a President who is a narcissist and a bully… a rebuke of some kind is necessary” Broadcaster and journalist David Dimbleby says a US State Visit by King Charles “is a misuse of the King” and the UK is “giving Trump more than he deserves”. #Newsnight

@simonmontefiore He has a history of crazy posts. His father, who made him a General, had to apologise when he said Uganda would invade Kenya a few years ago. bbc.co.uk/news/world-afr…

The idea of Uganda joining the war against Iran and on the side of Israel is the sort of counter intuitive geopolitical surprise that will increasingly characterize this era …. Post by the heir apparent to long reigning Ugandan president

@HackBlackburn @TimesDiary As is traditional in Hawaii all the guests were presented with floral garlands and Prince Philip’s was presented by a young and attractive Hawaiian girl who then kissed him. After this he turned to British scientist and said ‘Well that is the highest lay/lei I have ever had.’

@HackBlackburn @TimesDiary Another story of about Prince Philip’s quick and sharp wit. In 1987 he was in Hawaii opening the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope on the top of Mauna Kea mountain in Hawaii which is at an altitude of over 4,00 metres. My father was also there. 1/2

Particularly fond of this Prince Philip story in today’s @TimesDiary

@FraserNelson A well written article including calling out the cynicism of some politicians who claim to be defending Christianity but clearly know no little about the faith. What on earth is Psalm Sunday?

The row over the Trafalgar Square iftar has seen Jews and Christians coming to the defence of Muslims. My thoughts on a fascinating and important trend:- comment.press/iftar

Ireland were our greatest friend in the EU, which was one of the reasons for heartbreak when the UK left. Deeply impressive that its PM stands with us now. 🙏🇮🇪 @MosiniElisa

We need help to open the Strait that is already open to help protect it from the enemy we actually already defeated 100%

Britain’s politicians have pushed through a number of well-intentioned policies that have been ultimately disastrous. Another great column by @jburnmurdoch

Hebden Bridge, 1975, by Martin Parr.

The real sign British education has failed is the number of people responding to this chart with "that’s what happens when too many people go to university" HE has expanded in all of these countries, and in every one apart from UK that didn’t erode the graduate earnings premium.