21st December

This was the day in 1978 when Denis Healey famously described Geoffrey Howe's attack on his budget proposals as 'like being savaged by a dead sheep'.

Howe had the last laugh, however. When he was made a member of the House of Lords, his crest was a vicious-looking wolf in sheep's clothing.

Nice one.

In other news ...
Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarves appeared on American cinema screens today in 1935 ushering in a brilliant new era of cartooning. Today's techniques have eclipsed it but it's still a marvellous film and the old crone with her poisonous apple is still every child's nightmare, even today.

The porn version - Snow White and the Seven Perverts - failed to make much of an impact.

And, of course, the End of the World is no longer nigh - again. I was out shopping in Leighford High Street this morning at 11.11 and it was eerie .... everything went on exactly as normal. So, all you girls of Ten Pea Zed, come out from under your duvets and stop sobbing and texting each other - it was only a story. Perhaps you'll listen to me next time ... now that would be the end of the world!

I suppose I should write tomorrow's blog, now we are still here!

16th June

Today in 1835 William Lovett set up the London Working Men's Association which segued into the Chartist movement some months later. For the record, the 6 points of the Peoples' Charter were:

1. Universal male suffrage
2. Equal Electoral Districts
3. Payment for MPs
4. Abolition of property qualification for MPs
5. Secret Ballot
6. Annual Parliaments 

(not necessarily in that order). What Lovett was trying to do was to establish a true democracy (but note, he dropped women from the equation fairly early as being unworkable). The government of the day found all this far too subversive and the movement failed. Yet today, all of it is law except Annual Parliaments (on the practical grounds of expense and upheaval). So let's have a People's Charter for 2012:

1. No Old Etonians in government
2. No coalitions
3. No involvement in politics by the Lib-Dems
4. Compulsory retirement age in House of Lords of 65
5. No House of Lords.

That makes a lot more sense!

In other news ...
Charles Sturt, who discovered most of Australia died today in 1869. He went to Australia because he was tired of people thinking he was Charles Stuart and being the butt of various unpleasant decapitation jokes.