There is a special parliamentary election going on in the Corby and East Northants Constitutency. I spent around eighteen years of my life there, my brother and sister live there, and many of my friends and family are there. I feel as though I should mention that at the start of this post since everyone is now an expert on Corby in particular and the constituency in general. The Daily Telegraph sent one middle class hack down there on a train for a couple of hours a few weeks ago, one of its columnists is attempting to tilt against ‘windmills’ at the election, and Labour has more or less set up shop in the town. The problem is, Corby confuses them all. There has been something in the area—a settlement or hamlet or call it what you will—since the Domesday Book (I know that because it was one of the first things I did when I arrived in Oxford twenty one years ago). That, however, is the Old Village and Weldon, which is now a very small part of the town. It’s where my...
This is a collection of personal and largely unedited observations covering the years from 2006 to now; I assert my copyright but am fine with links and footnotes. Some posts are obviously much more researched than others, and any errors are wholly mine except where I have innocently disseminated or linked to other bloggers or commentators.