Deeper and down with Keir Starmer | Brief letters
Rafael Behr says many voters see Keir Starmer as “the archetypal status quo politician” (Keir Starmer is the bandage that Labour can’t rip off for fear of opening old wounds, 11 February).They could be on to something, since the band of that name is renowned for its dull, predictable output, which has included Accident Prone and, more optimistically, Come On You Reds and The Party Ain’t Over Yet.Mike HineKingston upon Thames, London You published a number of letters critical of Keir Starmer, but let us be thankful that he has not inflicted as much damage as Margaret Thatcher or David Cameron.Richard BartholomewColchester I understand “spad” at Westminster means special adviser.I spent my career working for British Rail.
We also used the acronym “spad” – signal passed at danger.It seems they have both the same outcome – a train crash.David CarterWakefield The “large wire cage with an infrared lightbulb in the centre” (Letters, 15 February) was a Glow Baby.It was invented by my uncle, John Chew, and was sold in the 1960s and 70s before electric blankets became popular.We sold them in our ironmonger’s shop and my mother used one for years.
We still have it tucked away in the loft.Cal WeatheraldBelper, Derbyshire I was pleased that Gwyneth Lewis (Country diary, 14 February) took expert advice and found that her overgrown tree was not the infamous leylandii but a western red cedar (Thuja plicata).It is also favoured for beehives – bees appear to love its aroma, and unpainted hives survive outdoors for decades.John EdmondsonHolywell, Flintshire Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
From Wuthering Heights to Mario Tennis Fever: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead
Emerald Fennell’s film brings the raunch to Brontë’s romance, while Nintendo’s beloved plumber stars in a colourful, family-friendly sports gameWuthering HeightsOut now Out on the wily, windy moors, writer-director Emerald Fennell has constructed a new interpretation of the Emily Brontë classic. Margot Robbie is Cathy while Jacob Elordi takes on Heathcliff, and as you might expect from the film-maker behind Saltburn, the passionate pair are set to leave no height unwuthered.It’s Never Over, Jeff BuckleyOut now Very few musicians have the impact that Jeff Buckley had during such a short space of time. This documentary from Amy Berg explores the success of his only album, Grace, and his death at a young age by accidental drowning, through previously unseen archive materials and the perspectives of the people in his life.WhistleOut now Whistling is easy – as Lauren Bacall advised Humphrey Bogart: just put your lips together and blow … or maybe don’t, if the whistle in question is an ancient Aztec death whistle that has the power to summon dark and deadly forces to your local high school
The Southbank Centre is striking, polarising and now protected | Letters
Fiona Twycross, the heritage minister, is to be congratulated for finally giving London’s Southbank Centre Grade II listing (Campaigners welcome ‘long overdue’ listing of brutalist Southbank Centre, 10 February).I remember being shocked when I first saw it in the 1960s, but it has become a remarkable symbol of the zeitgeist.Its grey concrete and its childlike composition together express the fatalism and despair of a nation in economic and political decline.Such a prominent display of ugliness on the banks of the Thames needs protection, for more optimistic future generations will surely wish to see it demolished.Francis BownLondon The news about the Southbank Centre reminded me of a mystery coach trip I joined in 1972 as a first-year university student
Jimmy Kimmel on the US justice department’s handling of the Epstein files: ‘A brazen cover-up’
Late-night hosts recapped US attorney general Pam Bondi’s contentious congressional hearing as she faced tough questions over the justice department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.Jimmy Kimmel opened Wednesday’s monologue with a begrudging acknowledgement that Donald Trump won the one and only “Undisputed Champion of Coal Award” from an organization called “the Washington Coal Club”. The prize “brings his real award total to zero”, he joked.“All he wants is awards and for everything to be named after him,” he continued. “The Kennedy Center, Dulles airport, Penn Station – I mean, if that’s the way to keep him happy, I have another suggestion for something we could name after him
Fantastic. Great move. Well done Angus: the story of one of Australia’s favourite political memes
OK, Josh, so there’s a leadership challenge incoming, but everyone is talking about this “Fantastic. Great move. Well done Angus” meme, so where did it come from?It’s one of the great memes of Australian political history, Krishani. Let’s go back to May 2019, when Taylor was the minister for energy in the Morrison government. Just weeks before then PM Scott Morrison would win “the unwinnable election” against Bill Shorten, Taylor was in the midst of local politicking, posting on Facebook about transport projects in his electorate of Hume
Comedians pick on me for my loud laugh – but nothing will make me stop | Jane Howard
I thought Daniel Kitson was just about ready to kick me out of the comedy room. He had already picked on me several times for laughing too loud, too readily (“that wasn’t even a joke”, he chastised me at one point). I was trying hard to suppress my laughter – to hold it in, to hold it back, to not fully express the joy I was feeling. I was being somewhat successful. And then I wasn’t
Jimmy Kimmel on Trump: ‘A code orange de-mental emergency going on here right now’
Late-night hosts unpacked the Trump administration’s continued attempts to distract from and underplay the Epstein files.It took barely a glance at Donald Trump’s social media posts on Tuesday for Jimmy Kimmel to know: “We’ve got a code orange de-mental emergency going on here right now. I mean, he’s gone. He’s totally gone.”The host focused in particular on the US president’s meltdown over the $4
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