Author: Purple Brolly

My aim is to give a flavour of these precious islands we call 'the UK'. All research is based on a minimum of two public domain sources, usually more.

Politics

Chancellor of the Exchequer

The role of the Chancellor of the Exchequer (the Treasury) is to raise revenue by taxation, duties and borrowing, control how that […]

The role of the Chancellor of the Exchequer (the Treasury) is to raise revenue by taxation, duties and borrowing, control how that is spent and set the government’s monetary policies. Such a big responsibility requires a big personality, able to withstand criticism and the stress of continual requests for funding from the other government departments and a multitude of lobbyists. Many Chancellors are sacked or resign under the pressure.

The Chancellor’s official residence is at 11 Downing Street, next door to the Prime Minister, with connecting doors to number 10 on each floor. It is highly desirable that there is a good relationship between these two neighbours, as their decisions must be supported by each other. The correct financial and economic policies are major factors in how successful a government is judged to be.

Once a year the Chancellor presents The Budget to Parliament, which can take hours and is the only time alcoholic drinks are permitted for someone making a speech! It includes an assessment of current fiscal health and plans for the next twelve months, some of which can take effect immediately. It is a Chancellor’s spot in the limelight and inevitably determines his level of popularity with the public.

(Image: Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

12/04/2019
3 min
6 years
212 words

Sport

Football

Football is the most popular sport in the UK to play and watch. It began in the English public schools along with […]

Football is the most popular sport in the UK to play and watch. It began in the English public schools along with rugby. After the establishment of the Football Association (FA) in 1863 it became a separate sport with its own distinct rules ~ no holding the ball and no kicking the opponents’ shins, for instance. The alternative name, ‘soccer’ (not generally used in Britain), comes from ‘Association’.

The FA was the world’s first football governing body and the oldest football club is Notts County. Scottish clubs decided to have their own Association in 1873, the Welsh in 1876 and the Irish in 1880, largely due to travel costs. The first professional Football League began in England in 1888 but it had no clubs from southern England until Arsenal joined in 1893.

The game spread to other countries and in 1904 the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in Paris. This was snubbed at first by the country regarded as football’s birthplace and it was not until 1950 that England entered the FIFA World Cup competition for the first time. Money from television rights and advertising has now changed the sport out of all recognition from its roots and professional players are amongst the nation’s highest earners.

(Image: Martin Addison at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

11/04/2019
3 min
6 years
214 words

The King James Bible

The King James Bible is also known as the ‘King James Version‘, as it is one of many attempts at translating, editing […]

The King James Bible is also known as the ‘King James Version‘, as it is one of many attempts at translating, editing and interpreting selected religious texts. It was often the only book in a Christian household and would be passed down as a treasured family heirloom. Many English sayings were derived from it ~ ‘out of the mouth of babes’, ‘a law unto themselves’ and ‘how are the mighty fallen’, for example.

King James VI & I commissioned the work in 1604 and by 1611 forty-seven scholars had completed the task. They worked separately on their own pages and then convened to agree on the amalgamation. They used Greek, Hebrew and Latin documents, as well as previous English translations. Their knowledge of Hebrew was said to be inadequate and later revisions sought to address this.

With continual publication after 1611, printers’ errors and modifications abounded, particularly before Johnson’s Dictionary standardised the language in 1755. Cambridge University therefore produced a version in 1760 and Oxford University in 1769, both of which versions contained many thousands of corrections, plus additional interpretations of their own. In 1982 a ‘New King James Bible’ was published and there are even versions of this, such as a study version and a women’s version.

(Image: Jeremylinvip at Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0)

10/04/2019
3 min
6 years
208 words

Entertainment

Dire Straits

To be ‘in dire straits’ means to be in a poor state, but many people would instead think of the massively successful […]

To be ‘in dire straits’ means to be in a poor state, but many people would instead think of the massively successful blues-rock group called Dire Straits, active from 1977 to 1988 and 1991 to 1995. They may have been in dire straits at the beginning, but their very first single, ‘Sultans of Swing’ was a big hit, initially in Europe, then the USA and the UK. This was the time of teenage punk rock and the well-crafted, warm, atmospheric style of Dire Straits was a breath of fresh air for the older audience.

Original group members were brothers Mark and David Knopfler, John Illsley and Pick Withers. Mark Knopfler was the front man, with his own laid-back singing style and brilliant guitar technique. Their biggest album was the 1985 classic ‘Brothers in Arms’, the first album to sell at least a million copies in the CD format. It actually sold thirty million copies in all. The group were keen to try digital technology and were among the first to put out music videos.

With over one hundred million record sales to their name, Dire Straits provided us with the enduring musical genius of Mark Knopfler and a sound that conjures up a decade.

(Image: Heinrich Klaffs at Flickr.com / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

09/04/2019
3 min
6 years
207 words

Law

Bobbies

Prior to the formation of professional police forces in the UK, law and order was dealt with at a local community level […]

Prior to the formation of professional police forces in the UK, law and order was dealt with at a local community level by a few trusted volunteers and some paid nightwatchmen. With the increase in the population during the Industrial Revolution, this became inadequate.

The City of Glasgow Police, established in 1800, was the first organised police body in the UK. Following this, Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850), who was Home Secretary twice and Prime Minister twice, assisted with the setting up of the Irish Constabulary in 1816 and, most famously, the Metropolitan Police in London in 1829. This is the origin of the first slang terms for the police ~ ‘the Peelers’ or ‘Bobbies‘ ~ both derived from his name.

Peel ensured that the aim of the police was to reduce incidents of crime, rather than to reach a target number of arrests. By the middle of the 19th century, there were police forces all over the UK. Today, there are thirty-nine in England, four in Wales, one in Northern Ireland and one in Scotland, plus four specialist forces. There are also many other nicknames for the police, including: coppers, the cops, the fuzz, old Bill, the rozzers, the boys in blue and Mr. Plod.

(Image: Richard Croft at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

08/04/2019
3 min
6 years
209 words

Religion

The Church of Scotland

The Protestant Church of Scotland (CofS) is the largest religion in Scotland and was formed in 1560, after The Reformation. It follows […]

The Protestant Church of Scotland (CofS) is the largest religion in Scotland and was formed in 1560, after The Reformation. It follows the Christian Bible and a 1647 document known as the ‘Westminster Confession of Faith’, although many members see this as outdated and would like to discard it. It has no bishops, but there is a hierarchy of Moderator, Principal Clerk, General Treasurer, councils, courts, committees, elders and ministers.

The Queen attends CofS services when she is in Scotland, but she is not the head of it. However, she and her representative, the Lord High Commissioner, are entitled to attend the CofS General Assembly conference each May. In the face of declining numbers in church (kirk) congregations, today there is more collaboration with the other Anglican churches in the UK than in the past. However, some kirks are being closed through lack of funds and ministers.

Nevertheless, the CofS continues its community projects which offer caring, nursing, befriending, sheltering and group-work opportunities. Its ‘Go For It Fund’ accepts grant applications from CofS-partnered community initiatives aimed at making a positive difference to people’s lives.

(Image: Bill Henderson at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

08/04/2019
3 min
6 years
192 words

Discoveries

Prince Madoc

It is said that the Welsh Prince Madoc went on a voyage of discovery and found North America, either in 1170 or […]

It is said that the Welsh Prince Madoc went on a voyage of discovery and found North America, either in 1170 or 562. There is no hard evidence for the later date but a few historians maintain that the earlier date can be verified by inscriptions and writings they have found on both sides of the Atlantic.

Either way, Prince Madoc’s story is impressive. In the 1170 version, he and one of his brothers (he was one of nineteen children) took to the sea to escape sibling rivalry after their father’s death. They took ten ships, landed somewhere on the east coast of North America and were thrilled to see such an expanse of land with so few inhabitants. Madoc returned to Wales to pick up more emigrants and they never came back again.

In the 562 version, Madoc was already at sea when a huge storm pushed him off course. After ten years of living in Kentucky, he returned in 572. In 574 he persuaded King Arthur II to return with him and seventy thousand emigrants, plus animals, in seven hundred boats. Welsh-speaking native Americans using Welsh-style coracles are an extraordinary addition to the story, but sadly have not yet been located.

(Image: liliy2025 at pixabay.com)

06/04/2019
3 min
6 years
204 words

Geography & Environment

March winds, April showers

Planet Earth’s climate changeability has seen at least five Ice Ages come and go up to now, but in the current interval […]

Planet Earth’s climate changeability has seen at least five Ice Ages come and go up to now, but in the current interval the UK’s springtime can be summed up in the old saying:

March winds and April showers,
Bring forth May flowers.

Andrew Lang included this in his 1897 collection of folk tales and rhymes entitled ‘The Nursery Rhyme Book’ and the weather conditions it describes are as true today as they were then.

They can be explained scientifically when one considers the seasonal movements of the jet streams and the gulf streams, along with the increasing hours of sunshine during springtime. The clash of air rising from warmer land with that from the cold seas causes windy weather in March, especially in the west, and rain showers quickly followed by outbreaks of sun in April.

The UK’s position off the north-west of the European continent subjects it to a whole variety of weather phenomena. Snow is not unknown in springtime, but usually there are cold, not quite freezing nights, with warm days. After this, in May the plants are ready to display their beautiful flowers.

(Image: Kenneth Mallard at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

06/04/2019
3 min
6 years
197 words

Celebrations & Holidays

Christmas Day

Christmas Day, on 25th December, is perhaps the biggest celebration of them all. It is one of only two days in the […]

Christmas Day, on 25th December, is perhaps the biggest celebration of them all. It is one of only two days in the UK when all shops are closed and it is coupled with Boxing Day as a two-day Bank Holiday. Although Christianity commandeered it as a remembrance of Jesus’s birthday and gave it their own name, it is fundamentally a secular holiday with ancient roots.

Saturnalia was the Roman Empire’s winter solstice festival, lasting a week and comprising drunkenness and general unruliness, while Yule was the British pagan equivalent. This lasted twelve days and was a fire festival in gratitude for the ‘re-birth’ of the sun. Pagan elements of Christmas include bringing a tree indoors and decorating it, hanging up mistletoe and holly, feasting, lighting candles, outdoor singing and gift-giving.

St. Nicholas (Santa Claus), who helped produce the New Testament in 325, was merged with the pagan god Woden, but his red suit and chubby red cheeks are entirely thanks to the advertising team at Coca Cola in 1931. Christmas today is a strange assortment of ancient and modern rituals, not least of which is the little white lie that otherwise honest parents feel compelled to tell their children about… shhh!

(Image: Karen Warfel at pixabay.com)

05/04/2019
3 min
6 years
207 words

Inventions

Television

Two Scotsmen played significant roles in the invention of the television, albeit in opposite directions. The route taken by the older of […]

Two Scotsmen played significant roles in the invention of the television, albeit in opposite directions. The route taken by the older of the two, Alan Campbell Swinton, FRS (1863-1930), proved to be the most productive. However, the younger man, John Logie Baird, FRSE (1888-1946), is more famous, even though his mechanical televisions soon became obsolete.

Campbell Swinton set out his ideas for constructing an electronic television using cathode ray tubes, in a letter entitled ‘Distant Electric Vision’ published in 1908. He gave more details in a lecture in 1911. Several engineers had been looking into developing a device for transmitting still and moving images, without much success, and Campbell Swinton gave them the way forward, omitting to patent any of his proposals.

He recognised the disadvantages of mechanical sets and advised the BBC against their use. Nevertheless, Baird was pioneering their production and was the first to demonstrate a working television, in 1926, on the basis of which he formed a manufacturing company. Two years later it was the first to broadcast to a ship and to New York. It also demonstrated the first colour and stereo images, but Philo Farnsworth in the USA was quickly overtaking the field with his Campbell Swinton-inspired electronic TV.

(Image: maxpixel.net)

05/04/2019
3 min
6 years
205 words

Sport

Real Tennis

Real tennis, or just ‘tennis’ to its aficionados, came long before lawn tennis, but is a rather niche sport today. It is […]

Real tennis, or just ‘tennis’ to its aficionados, came long before lawn tennis, but is a rather niche sport today. It is played in Britain, Australia, the USA and France and there are fewer than fifty professional courts, twenty-seven of which are in Britain. The world’s oldest tennis club still in operation is The Leamington Tennis Court Club, which opened in 1846 and offers real tennis amongst its exclusive facilities.

Real tennis is very different to lawn tennis..

Played indoors with handmade solid balls and wonky wooden rackets, the score words are the same as in lawn tennis ~ love, 15, 30, 40, deuce, advantage ~ and there is a net in the middle, but it requires more agility than its younger off-shoot. It also has a handicap system which rates ability so that players at different levels can still play each other.

Tennis was popular in the 16th century and King Henry VIII (1491-1547) was renowned as a skilled player, with courts built at Hampton Court Palace. It declined in the era of the Puritans but there was a revival in the 19th century. This was halted, however, by the invention of lawn tennis in the 1870s. This is when it became ‘real’.

(Image: Dani Lurie at Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

03/04/2019
3 min
6 years
207 words

Culture

Curry houses

In the 1970s/80s, going out for a meal in the evening became very popular and ‘going for an Indian’ meant that you […]

In the 1970s/80s, going out for a meal in the evening became very popular and ‘going for an Indian’ meant that you were going to a curry house. As most curry houses (restaurants) opened until quite late, it was the destination of choice for any group of people finishing off a night on the town, rather drunk and competing with each other to consume the spiciest curry on the menu!

The British who lived in India from the eighteenth century onwards developed a taste for the cuisine and wanted to reproduce it on their return home. Not all of the spices were available in Britain and the first published curry recipe, in 1747, only included pepper corns and coriander seeds. Author Hannah Glasse later added more spices to her instructions ~ “To make a Currey, the India Way” ~ in her best-selling book, ‘The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy’.

The first curry houses appeared at the beginning of the 1800s, but it was a century later that their number multiplied, firstly in London and then in other areas where immigrants from South Asia settled. The oldest curry house still in business today is the Veeraswamy in London, which opened in 1926.

*Many curry dishes have been devised specially for the British market, along with the all-encompassing ‘curry powder’. Image: Rosemary Potter at cookipedia.co.uk / CC BY 4.0*

(Top image: Chan Walrus at pexels.com)

02/04/2019
3 min
6 years
233 words

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Quoting Neil Oliver...

I love Britain more than anywhere else in the world. With all my heart I declare that those of us born here, or who have made a home here by choice, are the luckiest, most blessed of all people. I am British. I will always be British.