The Independent. It is. Not part of the Daily Mail.

December 1, 2008

qpr5.jpg

First, there were the bizarre rumours. Then the leaks. And now the dreadful, sordid truth.

Yes, the Independent really is going to share premises with the Daily Mail.  Naturally, the move – which will see Indy and Sindy hacks (those who are left, anyway) decamp to Kensington this coming January – is just part of a cost-sharing deal under which both companies share back office resources, giving the liberal titles more cash to invest in journalism.

But, to those at the coal face in the Docklands, it must feel rather as if they are sworn football rivals who have had a ground-sharing arrangement foisted upon them by the bean-counters. The Mail titles are, after all, the antithesis of everything the Indy and Sindy stand for.

But Fleet Street is elastic, and journalists are a more adaptable breed than most. Perhaps, in time, the two sets of hacks will do more than merely share the canteen?

Pictured: Loftus Road, the stadium of Queen’s Park Rangers FC. Some years ago QPR fans vehemently opposed moves for the club to ground-share with a number of other contenders, including Fulham, Brentford and even, at one stage, Crystal Palace. QPR did in fact ground-share with Fulham, but at Loftus Road. Both clubs are now owned by multi-millionaires. Is there a moral here for long-suffering Indy hacks? We fear not.

 

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Supreme Court on Twitter

February 6, 2012

Something remarkable happened today. Yes, the Supreme Court launched its Twitter feed. It even has a Twitter policy, one of caveats, disclaimers and little by way of illumination but regardless: who would have thought that the successor body to the House of Lords would stoop to engage with the world of tweets, hashtags and retweets?

We look forward to the day when court business will be conducted via Twitter. Meantime, check out this link for an excellent blog on the Supreme Court.

Not so right said Fred

February 2, 2012
fred hat

So Farewell, then, Sir Fred Goodwin.

Now you are just Fred.

Not Right Said Fred, but plain Fred.

The Forfeiture Committee did for you.

No one had heard of it before,

But Dave said it had to act, and it did.

Trouble is that no one knows what to think.

Is it ‘Alas, poor Fred‘,

Or ‘Hurray! Sir Fred is dead!’?

We don’t know.

Do you?

By A. Mob, aged 1,378 and a half.

London Goes AWOL

January 31, 2012
CNN

STOP PRESS:

Fed up with being stuck on the Thames in south-east England, London yesterday decided to move. In a dramatic gesture which augurs ill for the Olympics, the city upped sticks and relocated to East Anglia.

Lawyers were not consulted about the move, and the city’s precise motivation remains unclear. However, financiers fear that London’s decision is a sign that it wishes to downsize. Moreover, a source from London said: “We no longer want to be Britain’s seat of power. If the Scots can deregulate, why can’t we? East Anglia is a nice place where nothing happens. It’s time for a quiet life. Please respect our right to privacy.”

Elsewhere, Birmingham did not do anything, but Manchester was seen to be packing its bags. “There’s an opportunity for us,” said Manchester. “We can become London.”

East Anglia said: “We don’t mind. It’ll be refreshing to be associated with something other than fens and flatness.”

A cartologist at CNN, which broke the extraordinary news, was later fired.