Battle for Trouser Pockets

A controversial statue has been reinstated outside of BBC’s London HQ, because it was built by an early 20th century sculptor and paedophile, Eric Gill,

ALISTER: Keeping these statues in the public eye is like placing a pedestal under a crime scene. They become rallying cries for harmful ideologies. Look at the Colston statue in Bristol, where thousands protested the glorification of a slave trader.

MERIDYTH: But removing them just whitewashes the past. They’re supposed to remind us of the history we shouldn’t repeat. Even academics argue they’re invaluable for education and public discourse. If we just hide them away, we lose the opportunity to confront our past openly.

ALISTER: Confronting history doesn’t mean celebrating it. Not all of academia agrees with you, one even calls it 'palpable nonsense'. Keeping them only validates the very people who caused harm. Museums can still teach without forcing people to walk past tributes to oppression.

MERIDYTH: Who’s celebrating these statues? Context matters - like how Oxford’s vice-chancellor believes placing a plaque with context from their time can offer better guidance.

ALISTER: Better guidance? The government’s 'retain and explain' policy, what you’re referring to, has been criticised as underfunded and ineffective. So without it, they remain silent endorsements of injustice.

MERIDYTH: But think about it. We’re debating and discussing these statues right now… and not forgetting about the past injustices. That’s the whole point!

🍼 1st in the UK. A woman gave birth to a healthy girl, who became the first UK baby born from a womb transplant. The woman’s sister had donated her womb. Talk about sisterly love! 🥰

✄ Maybe get a new barber? Police across the country raided 265 shops - think barbers, vapes, American-sweets, and car washers. Operation Machinize (yes, spelled with a “z”) seeks to curb criminal gangs from laundering money through cash businesses.

🚄 End of Eurostar dominance? Six companies are vying to provide train services between the UK and the continent. A new Italian rival is looking to launch a new route from London to Paris and even Milan in 2029. Hello cheaper fares!

🎢 Britain’s £50bn bet. What do Hollywood, Orlando, Beijing, Osaka, Singapore and Texas all have in common with Bedford? Correct, it’s a Universal theme park! Set to open in 2031. We’re very excited.

📺️ More cow bell! Saturday Night Live (SNL) is finally coming to the UK. A British version of the long-running US sketch show will air on Sky starting next year. From the same producer… Live from London, it’s Saturday Night!!!

Good news… for keeping it in the famiglia, as Versace who’s been losing money looks to be bought by fellow Italian brand Prada. Bad news… for having different views, as the U.S. military base chief in Greenland was fired for not supporting Trump’s agenda there. Really sad news… for friends & relatives of the pilot and a Spanish family, who died when a helicopter crashed in the Hudson River in NYC.

💸 Where’d my money go? The whiplash of U.S. tariffs starting and pausing has put global stock markets on a roller coaster ride. So much so, Democrats are urging the SEC to investigate Trump’s family and friends for insider trading.

🍏 Stocking up. Apple flew 1.5 million iPhones from China to the US ahead of Liberation Day - to avoid tripling the cost of its phones! But in another turnaround, smartphones (and other electronics) are now excluded from the reciprocal tariffs. (I’m getting a headache trying to keep up.)

🇫🇷 Well that’s new. In a bold move, French President Emmanuel Macron will push for a two-state solution by recognising a Palestine state, as early as this summer. Israel has criticised it for being a “reward for terrorism.”

🥛 Ban on meat and dairy. If you’ve been on an EU holiday for half-term, make sure you don’t bring back any meat or dairy as a personal food item/souvenir. The UK wants to protect its livestock from Foot & Mouth Disease currently rampant in Hungary, but has already spread to other EU nations.

🏴‍☠️ Shiver me timbers! Robbie Williams was diagnosed with scurvy. By not eating properly whilst on an Ozempic-like drug, there was a lack of vitamin C in his diet - leading to his ‘17th-century pirate disease’ quipped Williams.

☕️ Too much time on their hands. Scientists have published a 10pg report on making the perfect coffee. In short, it uses the arduous pour-over method with the right amount of pour height, water velocity, and water flow. (I’ll stick with my Oat Flat White, thank you.)

🥊 They were feuding??? Madonna and Elton John have finally buried the hatchet in their two decades-long feud. It apparently started when Elton criticised her theme song for the Bond film, “Die Another Day.” Now, they may even express themselves with a little hakuna matata collab.

🥕 When you don’t have a flute… Play a carrot! That’s exactly what King Charles did, joining other carrot musicians from the London Vegetable Orchestra to play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

🎴 Pikachu saved my life! After hearing gunfire in the night, one individual awoke to find their deck of Pokémon cards had stopped a 9mm bullet! Not sure they’ll replace bulletproof vests any time soon, but nice to know there is an economic alternative.

By Alister - 🚨 Nerd Alert!

I know I’m supposed to be the hip, cool, tech savvy one between us (Meridyth: 🙄), but I admit, I used to be awful at using secure passwords. It’s great having two-factor account security, but that doesn’t mean you should let your passwords slide.

iPhone and Google provide password managers, but they lack cross-platform flexibility and then there’s trust. Do you really trust the tech giants with your passwords?

So, I highly recommend LastPass. It’s affordable (starting at £2.60/mo), has a simple setup, and works across all devices. As someone with a lot of gadgets (yes, I know I have too many), it’s been easy to secure and access my passwords with a single tap.

Another advantage, upon my demise (slightly depressing to think about), I have included my LastPass master password in my will for my family to access my digital life and finances.

(Meridyth: “Tech savvy”? Uh-huh. I use Bitwarden, whose free version should satisfy most people’s needs.)

A Scottish farm has hit the spotlight with their latest woolly sensation.

A baby lamb was born squashed by its brother, resulting in a wobbly frame and slightly crushed body. After being nursed back to health the owners have grown attached, as have the fans of “Wonky” the lamb.

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Given this is a working farm, the lambs aren’t bred as pets, but they’ll be making an exception for Wonky 🥹 

Whew, you made it!

By the time you read this, we’ll both be on our holidays! We hope you are having a relaxing time and making the most of the sun. See you next week for an extra special Easter Monday edition! 🤫 

Alister & Meridyth