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17 February 2021

This England: Snow place like home

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

An igloo was listed on a property website, on sale for a cool £250,000. The advert, which was later taken down, said the “one-bedroom house” was on the fictional “North Pole Road” in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex.

It would be a “great first home” according to the listing, but was “showing signs of damp”. Brady Rackham from estate agents Palmer & Partners said: “We have actually had a few viewing requests.”

BBC Essex (Daragh Brady)

[See also: This England: Don’t get the small stuff]

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Mum knows best

A teenager who filmed himself harassing Professor Chris Whitty in the street has been ordered to apologise by his furious mother.

The 15-year-old was branded “pathetic” by ministers after footage shared on TikTok showed him accusing England’s chief medical officer of “lying” about Covid-19. Now he has been reprimanded by his mum, who told him to make a new video saying sorry to Mr Whitty.

“I was horrified when I saw how rude my son was,” the 47-year-old said. “I have taken away his PlayStation, the thing he loves the most.”
Metro (Amanda Welles)

[See also: 

This England: Pota-toe]

Image is everything

The owner of a digital photo gallery has had pictures of wildlife and buildings blocked by Facebook for supposedly containing “overtly sexual” content.

Examples include a photo of the England cricket team in a huddle and one of a cow standing in a field. Mr Hall said there was “nothing risqué” about any of the 400 images on his business page. Facebook told the BBC it was investigating the issue.
BBC South (James Shepherd)

[See also: This England: Men who Zoom with goats]

Each printed entry receives a £5 book token. Entries to comp@newstatesman.co.uk or on a postcard to This England.

This article appears in the 17 Feb 2021 issue of the New Statesman, War against truth