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19 July 2023

This England: The silence of the horns

This column – which, though named after a line in Shakespeare’s “Richard II”, refers to the whole of Britain – has run in the NS since 1934.

By New Statesman

The captains of cruise ships departing from Invergordon have been asked to sail quietly, following a complaint from a resident. Vessels moving away from the Highland port have been told not to blow their horns when leaving the Cromarty Firth.

Local resident Laura Thompson said hearing the ship’s horns has never irritated her. She said: “I don’t mind the horn. I heard one the other day that was playing a tune, which was quite funny.”
Aberdeen Press and Journal
(Ron Grant)

Voice your complaints

The organiser of an inaugural performance from a newly formed “complaints choir” in Northampton has said he hoped it would give “the town a voice”. It will take to the stage at Northampton’s Central Library.

Joseph Kohlmaier, who is behind the choir, said it was “broader” than complaints about Northampton. The lyrics included “hope, wishes and being open to what we want the town to be like”, he said.
BBC East of England
(Kate McIntosh)

Keeping it real

A mother who developed stretch marks while pregnant has painted some on her daughter’s Barbie “so she can grow up knowing they are normal”.  Kate Claxton had postnatal anxiety and insecurities about her body after giving birth.

“I decided to paint the stretch marks on with nail varnish,” she said. “I would love the manufacturers to make some Barbies with stretch marks to spread the message that they are nothing to worry about.”

Mattel, the company that manufactures Barbies, has been asked to comment.
BBC Northamptonshire
(Steve Morley)

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This article appears in the 19 Jul 2023 issue of the New Statesman, How Saudi Arabia is buying the world