How to recognise fascism when you see it, by the the Italian humanist and author Umberto Eco. This 14-point guide is taken from Eco's 1995 essay 'Ur-Fascism' – informed by his own experiences of Nazism in the 20th century.

Ah, Venice!

A while back Historic England asked for my opinion on which was the oldest pub in London. The result is a new online article that outlines the variables, busts some myths, and points to a couple of genuinely ancient pubs in and around the city... heritagecalling.com/2025/09/25/w...

If so, it means that our relationship with alcohol began before we were human. The red part of the tree, down on the lower right, is after the ADH4 mutation. Gorillas, chimps, bonobos, and humans have it, orangutans, baboons and gibbons don't.

'The Concerto', Queen's Hall, Langham Place (c.1935) by Cyril Power

Americans I am begging you to sort this out. Your mad racist uncle has shat himself in public again.

What on Earth is this? An "in depth" BBC article about free speech in the UK that only cites examples of right-wing/ 'anti-woke' speech being suppressed. How can you mention Lucy Connolly but completely ignore Palestine Action / Just Stop Oil? Gob-smacking. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

@museumbums.bsky.social I expect you are familiar with the cheeky window display in the City & Guilds of London Arse School in Kennington, London. www.cityandguildsartschool.ac.uk

The daily outrages naturally occupy our attention, but keep in mind that the overall objective of the Trumpists and their allies elsewhere in the world is to erase every Enlightenment principle and ideal, and every bit of social and political progress based on them in the last few hundred years.

Two fantastic #BMHS events this October! 🎭 📚 Archive on Show @ Lambeth Archives – Thu 9 Oct, 2pm 🎤 Kirsty Roberts Talk @ The Water Rats – Tue 21 Oct, 7pm (celebrating Black performers in Morecambe’s history) 📖 Book here: britishmusichallsociety.com/events

Yesterday’s UK statement on Paracetamol (Tylenol) www.gov.uk/government/n...

UK medicine regulator confirms there is no evidence paracetamol causes autism in children www.gov.uk/government/n...

Okay, I think I have my final list for this. Thank you to everyone who commented on the original post. I'm still open to new suggestions! Here they are in chronological order: 1. Pierrette's Escapades (Alice Guy, 1900) 2. The Dumb Girl of Portici (Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley, 1916)

What’s the opposite of anti-fascism?

Saturday: Musk declares a nascent civil war on a giant screen in front of 100,000+ people. No action taken. Tuesday: Imagery of Trump and Epstein is projected on a wall. Police make 4 arrests on suspicion of "malicious communication." Oh yes Peter Kyle, free speech is "alive and well". For some.

The new free exhibition at Lambeth Archives looks at the ambitious world of Ted Hollamby's Department of Architecture and Planning, 1965-1980. Modernism, the future and architectural merit, open until the 26th.

Sir Nicholas Winton was a British humanist who organised the Kindertransport humanitarian rescue of hundreds of children from Nazi-occupied Europe. His life demonstrated his belief: that people did not need religion to live good, ethical lives. He exemplified 'Think for yourself, act for everyone.'

Written by a doctor at St Thomas' Hospital, London after the Tommy Robinson march on 13/9.

Our very first 'archive on show' morning was such a success back in August that we are running it again, on the afternoon of Thursday 9 October 2025, 2pm at Lambeth Archives. Booking details here: www.ticketsource.co.uk/britishmusic...

British artist Cyril Power’s colour linocuts of sporting pursuits display an extraordinary blend of grace, rhythm, power and speed (1930s) ~ here, a rowing eight / hockey players / relay runners

Both sides

“The current attrition rate of senior figures from the government is running at one a week” - WAIT FOR IT! - “this autumn.” Filed eleven days into autumn. I’m running out of pejoratives for Mason. How can someone this mediocre end up in a position meant for the best political journalist in the UK?

NEW | a look at how a ‘new’ think-tank got coverage… THE BBC, THE NHS, AND A ‘NEW’ THINK-TANK A case study in how vested interests rebrand themselves as "think-tanks". brokenbottleboy.substack.com/p/the-bbc-th...

Good service on all Limes. 🫡

I find the website for news more like Take a Break magazine, than News. Given up on it.

Vox pops are the lowest form of journalism because they allow news organisations to editorialise through selective interviews without even the spurious science of polling data. This is leading the website of the BBC which must think it’s the most important news happening today.

This frontispiece in my book just made me laugh a lot. Is this Buddhist reincarnation, or some other form of afterlife?

Banksy sums up the feeling

The wonderful and free California Digital Newspaper Collection which had been such a huge help with my researches into Japanese acrobats touring the world in the 19th century is no longer accessible, as a result of Trump cutting the funds for the Institute for Museum and Library Services 😥

If Farage wins the next election, it will be down to one person. His name is Keir Starmer. This thread explains why. 1. Destroying faith in democracy. The UK decisively voted out the Tories, only for Starmer to give us a Continuity Tory government, shamefully beholden to economic power. 🧵

Labour, Tories and Reform are talking about trying to shrink the UK’s working age population by curtailing immigration. Here’s an excellent summary of why this approach is catastrophic even solely on economic grounds. www.bearlypolitics.co.uk/p/nans-not-b...

Here's something a bit different. We've been reporting from Edinburgh to try to get to the bottom of a mystery in London. Princes Street is the Scottish capital's most famous shopping street — and it's gaining the *exact same* tatty gift shops as London. www.londoncentric.media/p/edinburgh-...

Love London. Waterloo, SE1

Angela Rayner accidentally pays less tax than she should have, resigns, and the media gives her hell. Nigel Farage deliberately pays less tax than he should have, and the media gives him a free pass. That, right there, is the problem.

Our Archive page now features a guide to using the BMHS Archive and our Collections Policy for potential donations. We constantly update ARCHIVES HUB - you can explore more at: britishmusichallsociety.com/archives britishmusichallsociety.com/archives

Read about the National Fairground and Circus Archive's first online exhibition, 'Sanger 200', in our new APAC blog post! ⬇️⬇️ performingartscollections.org.uk/stories/p/sa...

Totally forgot about this great line in Billy Bragg's "Accident Waiting to Happen": riffing on the Kinks' "dedicated follower of fashion" by calling someone a "dedicated swallower of fascism."

Good morning and here is your thread of FT Weekend highlights/gift links. The Weekend Essay is historian Fania Oz-Salzberger on the battle for the soul of Israel. Moderates are not giving up the struggle against their government, and progressives elsewhere must not give up on them on.ft.com/4lNCNxR

Glasgow pals, check out my new exhibition at the Mitchell Library on c19 theatre, empire, and celebrity! On display thru October. I'm also giving a talk at the Mitchell on race and c19 theatre on October 4 😊 www.glasgowlife.org.uk/event/1/exhi...

the juxtaposition of 'let's enjoy Paddington bear!' and 'let's deport human migrants to the Taliban!' is too perfect

Reform leader of Nottinghamshire council bans all communication, including by officials, with the main local paper. Nottingham Post/Nottingham Live ban also includes BBC-funded local democracy reporters. www.nottinghampost.com/news/news-op...

The fact that an anti-migrant politician, who tells us every single day that he doesn't like immigration, is saying it once again, is not in any way news

It’s genuinely hard to see how Labour’s response could be worse. The racists don’t just want hotels closed, they want refugees chased out of town. They need to be told *by the fucking government* that that is not legitimate. How are we to have a civilised country if the govt won’t defend refugees?

what the fuck is this headline from the BBC, I feel like I'm losing my mind www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

YPLAC applies to Lime riders as well as motorists. TIL that unlike motorists you can do something about it personally by reporting to lime. (And then moving the bike yourself so it is no longer causing an obstruction, obviously. Pick up bike at back of saddle & roll on front wheel).

The NFCA is delighted to announce the launch of its new online exhibition - Sanger 200. 2025 marks 200 years since the birth of ‘Lord’ George Sanger, one of the most significant circus proprietors of all time. Take a look inside tinyurl.com/Sanger200

It’s World Lion Day. To find your amateur lion tamer name, take your regular name and prefix it with “The late”.

Édouard Vuillard Stylish Woman at the Moulin Rouge (1909)

'Jockey Jack': a talented C18th horse-rider & groom who fell on hard times & ended life as a pauper in Nottinghamshire. He was found, after his death, to have been born a woman Love little snippets like these... #18c