Titter and Twitter Ye Not

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Hortoris

‘Why not settle all outstanding payments for Windrush, Post Office and Infected Blood scandals immediately. It would save a lot of unnecessary cost and pain (except for Lawyers).’  Why do independent public statutory Inquiry’s take so long and settlements become so protracted.

This was my first post on X since ‘twitter ye not’ as X may not be around next Xmas the way it is going.

Frankie Howerd of ‘titter ye not’ fame was born in York 1n 1917 and was famed as Lurcio in up Pompeii. He appeared in  Carry on Doctor but for some reason they never go around to filming Carry on Tyke where he would be a shoe-in for a big part.

In March 1999 The Dead Comics’ Society  and former colleagues and friends  attended a fund-raising weekend in York. Blue plaque was placed on the Cumberland Street entrance to the Grand Opera House where it was thought that the general public was more likely to see it, with the inscription: “Frankie Howerd OBE 1917-1992. Son of York”. On 26 July 2016, a York Civic Trust plaque was unveiled at at the house where he was born 53, Hartoft Street,


Thanks to CC and wikipedia

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Who are the Greatest Yorkshiremen?

Posted on December 21, 2023 by tejvan

Fred Trueman and Alan Titchmarsh fail to reach the top ten.

Book Cover

In his book Yorkshire Greats Bernard Ingham provides a fascinating selection of 50 great Yorkshiremen and Yorkshirewomen.

From Captain Cook to William Wilberforce, from John Wycliffe to Fred Trueman, Yorkshire has produced a surprisingly large array of people who have left a lasting mark on the world.

To view the 50 see: Great Yorkshire People at Biography Online.

To view the book review at amazon see :

Who would your choice be for the greatest Yorkshireman of all time?

Our Top 10 Yorkshiremen

  1. William Wilberforce
  2. Captain James Cook
  3. John Wycliffe
  4. Geoffrey Boycott
  5. Joseph Priestly
  6. Sir Titus Salt
  7. PM Asquith
  8. Brian Clough
  9. Alan Bennett
  10. David Hockney

Room for another on to the list? What about that Great and Fiery Yorkshireman. You guessed it Frederick Sewards Trueman

Book Cover

All Yorkshiremen have a favourite Fred Trueman story and mine goes something like this: Opening the bowling as usual from the Kirkstall Lane End Fred’s first ball rapped the openers pads and Fred bellowed Owzat only to get a firm shake of the head from the umpire, the next ball created an audible snick and firmly Fred appealed to get an even firmer ‘Not Out’, on the third ball Trueman flattened the middle stump and remarked to the umpire ‘Well umpire we nearly had him that time!’

Fred was a great raconteur and after dinner speaker amongst his sporting talents and this CD brings back many memories and the dulcet tones of a great Yorkshire personality and character.

Yorkshire Women!

  • Mothers of Yorkshire men obviously.
  • Hannah Hauxwell
  • Dame Janet Baker
  • Emily & Charlotte Bronte
  • Betty Boothroyd
  • Amy Johnson

Not in the Running
Alan Titchmarsh

Book Cover

The clever gardeners at Gardeners tips a Yorkshire based website have picked up on Alan Titchmarsh’s new ‘How to Garden’ books. Of course the former Ilkley Parks gardener (who else planted all that heather on the moors), Alan has many more strings to his bow nowadays including classical music. He also writes books of fiction although some of his garden exploits will remain fiction to me.

 

Barbara Castle the redoubtable labour politician fails to make the grade. Despite being educated at Bradford Girls Grammar school unfortunately she was born in Derbyshire and took on the title Baroness of Blackburn. It can be tough being a non-Yorkshire politician

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MPs We Voted In

Posted on December 12, 2023 by Hortoris

To calm the Rwanda crisis  down we need an anti-inflamaTory? Chance would be a fine thing.

Yorkshire return 54 members of Parliament  and unless there have been any ‘overnight’ changes to party allegiances 24 are represented by Conservative MPs and 30 by Labour MPs. 

Lib Dems, Greens even SNP and Plaid Cymru fail to register a Yorkshire member -no surprise there. However more concerning is the lack of any ‘Independent’ MP. I am not advocating the Yorkshire Monster Ravers party but an MP without vested interests in anything other than serving our communities and Yorkshire interests would be a better bet.

We don’t get much of a say in who our MP’s will be!  Candidates are generally chosen from party faithfuls, committees or the Westminster select. Options are foisted on us under party banners, no wonder fewer people are choosing to vote.

“Politicians are like nappies. They should be changed frequently…..and for the same reason.”  Barry Crier

Posted in Political Yorkshire, Uncategorized | Comments Off on MPs We Voted In

Shout-Out for Towns of Yorkshire

Posted on April 13, 2023 by Hortoris

A shout out should draw critical attention to someone’s unacceptable actions or behaviour.  At God’s Own County Yorkshire’s version we want to hold someone accountable for failure to acknowledge, promote and support our great towns. We don’t need regional mayors to tell us what is good and worthwhile. Get out and about to see for yourself.

Southern Yorkshire pilgrimages to these selected hot spots would be a good start for a shout out about day trips from the three original county ridings (towns in North East and West will feature nextmonth).

Stocksbridge.
Brodsworth.
Anston.
Rotherham.
Mexborough.
Barnsley.
Thurlstone.
Pennistone

Yorkshire definitely has something to shout out so add your voice and support to out southern towns. I confess I have never visited a couple of these towns!

Posted in Yorkshire Trips and Places | Comments Off on Shout-Out for Towns of Yorkshire

Global Yorkshire

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Hortoris

Global HQ

In Yorkshire we don’t give false praise or butter up the none believers. Take us as you find us in God’s Own County.

On the Global Web

Our reputation and international presence goes before us but Yorkshire folk are also semi-social media gurus.

  1. Find us on spoof domains such as Tykes.com, Tykes.global, Texan Tykes, Irish-Tykes.ie, and most importantly of course GOC.co.uk.
  2. Snap-chat is what you do over a sarnie. Long before T’internet was invented What-app was Yorkshire dialect for what is causing you concern. Off your facebook was caused by too much Tetleys Bitter, pin your ‘ear’oles back if your interested but Ticktock it’s pasttime you Reddit.
  3. Ee-by gum has been approved by Sensativity readers in Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Hieroglyphics (only joking about that bit). We regret ‘ya daft hapeth’ has been excluded from Roald Dahl books as it may offend Lancastrians.
  4. The mega Meta global event is launching a TransOceanic Yacht Race from Hull to Hobart featuring boats from Holland, Hong Kong, Honduras, Haiti and even land locked Hungary.
  5. Click bait your grouse and pheasant for moorland shooting

Global TV From Yorkshire

It is impossible to single out any one TV series set in Yorkshire as there are so many internationally renown programmes to choose from.

  1. A top 10 would include old standards like : -Downton Abbey
  2. All  Creatures Great and Small.
  3. Heartbeat
  4. Gentleman Jack
  5. Last of the Summer Wine
  6. Emmerdale
  7. A Touch of Frost
  8. Last Tango in Halifax
  9. Happy Valley
  10. Ackley Bridge

What a Yorkshire boxed set that would make. Are you watching ITV Yorkshire aka (YTV)

Posted in overseas, Yorkshire Arts & Music | Comments Off on Global Yorkshire

Gaudi In Yorkshire

Posted on March 2, 2023 by Hortoris

Earlier this year GOC threatened to start a series of chimney photographs. Little did we know that Antoni Gaudi the Spanish designer and architect had left his mark on Yorkshire with his chimneys.We didn’t know because in all probability he hadn’t! In fact Yorkshire left our mark on his chimney designs during the industrial revolution.

Chimneys  after a night on the sangria.                         CC BY-SA 2.5 wikimedia commons

a forge Work-a-Day Sheffield Jotter R Tucks yorkshire - PICRYL - Public Domain Media Search Engine Public Domain Image

Sheffield forge chimneys with appropriate smoke. I bet the workers were ready for pints of Wards (Vaux), Stones, (Bass)  and Tennant’s not necessarily or exclusively in that order. 30 Sheffield breweries used to exist to slake the thirst of steel town workers. Visiting pubs run by them was called forging a pub crawl.

Smoke gets in your Ey by Gum

NHS Smokefree Locations in Yorkshire

  • Barnsley
  • Calderdale
  • Doncaster
  • Sheffield
  • Wakefield
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Nostalgia is Bigger Than It Used To Be

Posted on March 2, 2023 by Hortoris

Reposted on World Book Day 2023  School Children can dress up as a character from a book. Lenny Henry, L.D Lapinski, Adam Kay and Joe Wicks join the line-up offering interesting books for £1 World Book Day 2023. Alan Titchmarch is unlikely to feature at many schools or fancy dress events but this book is available at many charity shops for less than £1.

Book Cover

Nostalgia is big business and isn’t going to disappear anytime soon. Alan Titchmarsh has latched on to the trend with his BBC book ‘When I was a Nipper’ available from amazon as paperback or hardback.

Why Nostalgia is Getting Bigger

  • The baby boomers are enjoying life and there are a lot of them around. Long may that continue despite the torrid time currently being experienced due to corona virus corvid-19
  • Old music acts from the 60’s and 70’s are touring and performing in ever growing numbers. I saw one of the Dubliners on a zimmer frame at St Georges Hall Bradford last year!
  • Discretionary spending on nostalgia increases year on year. Collecting memorabilia, old pottery, and modern antiques has been promoted by lifestyle programmes on TV.
  • Family tree compilation and ancestor research has joined the list of popular hobbies.
  • Themed holidays and a greater number of museums and local attractions based on nostalgia proliferate.
  • There is a demand for nostalgia because times were good. The supply of nostalgia based products, services and media is aimed at satisfying the demand.

Yorkshire Nostalgia

    • The Railway Children is running again in a live performance at Waterloo Station
  • Heartbeat of Aidensfield fame may have ceased production but it is still running on digital TV channels and dvds. How long before we are nostalgic for analogue TV?
  • Another show that runs and runs is the Last of the Summer Wine. I can even get nostalgic for the reruns!
  • If you want to keep up with nostalgia you can do a lot worse than read The Dalesman

original posted 15.2.17

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Identity Politics None Woke Version

Posted on February 18, 2023 by Hortoris

What \can Sigmund Freud Teach Our Politicians

  • The id is the unconscious primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives etc. Many politicians spring to mind if you consider this.
  • The super-ego brings lots more politicians to mind. It is supposed to operate as a moral conscience: are you following Boris?
  • In Yorkshire ‘e-ego on then’ encourages politicians to stand for election again and again and again.

Vote in Yorkshire’s May Local Government Elections

Before you will be allowed to exercise your universal suffrage right to vote you will need to prove your identity or have a registered postal vote.  Voters wishing to apply to their council for free ID should first make sure they are registered to vote. The rules are new and Kirklees MDC  explain  ‘Accepted forms of ID include a UK, European Economic Area  or Commonwealth passport; a UK, EEA or Commonwealth drivers’ licence; and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or an Oyster 60+ card’ (in Kirklees I should coco). Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo. I am not recognisable even from any current photograph.

Muddying the waters still further, to get a Voter Authority Certificate you must be registered to vote and register online at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.

No more being ticked off a list at a polling station more likely an officious third degree from yet more civil?public servants. Will the rule change work to  stimulate electors to generate more or fewer votes. I know what I think.

 

Posted in Political Yorkshire | Comments Off on Identity Politics None Woke Version

Self Identification as a Tyke

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Hortoris

It will not come as a surprise that I identify as a Tyke and always have done. From mothers milk, with no foreign formulas, through trusted Yorkshire tea and Tetley’s, I was a proper baby Tyke. I graduated at an early age to revere some of the best beers any country could offer.

Then along came a party from north of the border which had the idea that anyone could self identify as what ever they chose. They passed a contentious act in the SNP parliament virtually to that effect. Could Nicola Sturgeon seriously think someone could replace their kilt with a flat cap and become a self professed Tyke on a whim? Not on your Nellie as she found out.

Vintage Tea Towel: Tetley Tea Bags new unused advertising image 1creative commons

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Commission Police Commissioners,

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Hortoris

The New English Dictionary has many definitions for ‘commission’ but number 5 on page 271 states . ‘ an act of committing something: the commission of a crime.’  So have I stumbled on the Yorkshire comma.  Are we to have a body of commissioners seeking out police committing crime called Commission Police, Commissioners. This may be laudable or even necessary for the Met in London where strangely there is no Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC).  Commission Police with or without a comma are not wanted in God’s Own County.

The role of a PCC is to be the voice of the people and hold the police to account. They are responsible for the totality of policing. We elect them, currently in Yorkshire, one Labour, one Conservative and West Yorkshire’s Mayor  . The aim of PCCs is to ‘cut crime and deliver an effective and efficient police service within their police force area’. They are elected by the public to hold Chief Constables and the force to account, making the police answerable to the communities they serve’. West Yorkshire – police governance falls under the remit of the Elected Mayor a pseudo PCC.

Annual salaries for a PCC is South Yorkshire £ 88,600 and North Yorkshire £76,300 and additionally all PCCs must employ a Chief Executive (CEO) and a Chief Finance Officer. PCCs also receive cash from the Government to commission other organisations and groups to improving community safety.

In this post, doubtless, I will have committed many errors, which,  will attract attention from the comma police so I intend referring myself to the Police, Comma, Commissioners but don’t ‘quote’ me on that.

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