Free Republic

Fascinating interview of Stephen Church by John Batchelor. Discussion of the political and military events which led to the Magna Carta and border divisions within the kingdoms of France.

Wessex Archeology says it has in recent years found remains from World War II mess kitchens in the area.Archeologists say they have unearthed several tins filled with U.S. Army bacon and sunscreen at Salisbury Plain, England, home of the famous Stonehenge ruins. Wessex Archeology shared the find on its website in celebration of American Independence Day. Salisbury Plain has been a British military training ground since the early 20th century, but U.S. military forces staged there in preparation for the 1944 invasion of Nazi-occupied France during World War II. "The military has been on Salisbury Plain for decades so it's...

Anti-gay comments could ‘trigger a thought’ in teachers’ minds about possible radicalisation says Nicky Morgan as she outlines anti-terror plans. Mrs Morgan said comments by children that they consider homosexuality to be “wrong” or “evil” could “trigger” concerns from teachers under guidance designed to help schools detect possible radicalisation. Traditionalist Christians said Mrs Morgan’s remarks implied that anyone who raised their children in line with conservative religious teaching on sexuality would now be viewed with suspicion. It follows moves to close two Christian schools after they were judged to have failed the Government’s new “British Values” tests introduced in the...

At least 300 possible suspects have been identified by investigators probing the Rotherham child sex exploitation scandal. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said most of the potential suspects were Asian men, while the vast majority of victims were young British girls. The NCA launched a major investigation into the scandal after a damning report by Professor Alex Jay last year, revealed that as many as 1,400 children had been raped, trafficked and groomed by mainly Asian gangs in the South Yorkshire town between 1997 and 2013. Following the revelations South Yorkshire police, which was criticised for its handling of abuse...

Last week I was writing about Magna Carta and how the Catholic Church’s role has been written out, in particular the part of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton. But the same could also be said about much of English history from 600AD to 1600; from the very first law code written in English, which begins with a clause protecting Church property, to the intellectual flourishing of the 13th century, led by churchmen such as Roger Bacon, the Franciscan friar who foresaw air travel. However, the whitewashing of English Catholic history is mainly seen in three areas: political liberty, economic...

Except that there's something rather different about this rural corner of England. These riverside fields at Runnymede are reputed to be the setting for one of the most significant moments in UK democratic and constitutional history. The National Trust labels it "the birthplace of modern democracy," while an impressive monument commemorates a "symbol of freedom under law." It was here, of course, that the Magna Carta is said to have been sealed on June 15, 1215 under the title of the "Great Charter."

Christopher Columbus wrote that he sailed in February 1477 to an island a hundred miles beyond Tile (Iceland). This trip, which would have led him to Greenland according to the distance he mentioned, was questioned many times in the 20th century. Arguments against accepting his claim have been that ice and snow would not have allowed him to make an expedition to the North in winter, and that the details he had given about the size of the tides (26 braccia) were far too overstated to be taken seriously. Taking into consideration new research concerning the change of climate at...

A boy of 14 is being hunted by police after a teacher was stabbed at a school. The 50-year-old man was taken to hospital from the Dixons Kings Academy, in Bradford, for treatment to a stab wound to his body on Thursday morning. His condition was described as stable. The teenager is described as Asian, with short dark hair. Police said he was last seen wearing a blue uniform blazer.

Brides for Sale: European Women Lured for Sham Marriages May 25, 2015, SYLVIA HUI and KAREL JANICEK Klara Balogova was 18, penniless and heavily pregnant when she rode thousands of miles from Slovakia to England to marry a man she had never met. She knew he did not want her, or her child. He wanted her European identity card. The marriage was arranged so the 23-year-old Pakistani groom could gain the right to live and work in Europe. Balogova was promised a clean place to stay in Britain and maybe even some money. But she says within days of arrival,...

Police and council bosses are to apply to the Government to have protest marches by extremist groups in Rotherham outlawed. Rotherham Council’s commissioners have written to Home Secretary Theresa May advising her they are planning to make a joint submission with South Yorkshire Police asking to be allowed the special powers. ... They want to be granted powers under the Public Order Act that would allow for the banning of public marches of an initial period of up to three months. ... The most expensive and high-profile operations followed the publication of the Jay report in August, which revealed South...

In Heaven + Earth (Global Warming: The Missing Science), Ian Plimer, Professor of Mining Geology at The University of Adelaide, Australia, asks us to embrace big-picture science views; for to recognize our limits is a sign of maturity. "Climate science lacks scientific discipline," says the pro-amalgamation Professor, and in order to see more clearly we need to adopt an interdisciplinary approach. This requires humbleness. In Chapter 2: History, Plimer travels back in time, thousands of years, in fact, to debunk Gore's catastrophic global warming myths. I particularly like his research on the ancient Greeks. For Plato (427-347 BC) advanced the...

KENT has been hit by an earthquake measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale which shook homes for 10 seconds and woke up scores of residents.The east of the county was hit by tremors just before 3am. The epicentre was said to be two miles west of Ramsgate, with the tremors felt as far as Canvey Island, Essex. Local resident Simon Moores told Express.co.uk: "At just after 3am there was a dramatic violent jarring and jolting of the house for about 10 seconds. "The seagulls launched into air with tremendous noise outside, dogs started barking, crockery moving, furniture jarring about a...

The Conservatives have emerged as the dominant force in English politics after a string of surprising wins in key constituencies. Significant gains in the marginal "killing fields" helped the party to a comfortable majority. In a night of upheaval, seats previously considered Labour and Lib Dem strongholds turned blue as results trickled in. Several high-profile names including Ed Balls and Vince Cable lost their seats. Failure to win key marginals, combined with Labour losses in Scotland, prompted Ed Miliband to stand down. Meanwhile, Nick Clegg resigned as Liberal Democrat leader after his party suffered heavy losses and UKIP leader Nigel...

Resurgent right. Conservatives in Britain are quite a bit less conservative than U.S. Republicans, which I suppose is quite the caveat given what we’ve seen in the McConnell/Boehner era. But they’re still the center-right alternative to the very left-wing Labour Party, and British voters decided once again yesterday that they’d rather keep their government in the hands of those on the right side of the aisle. The Conservatives look to end up with 329 seats, which is three more than they need for an outright majority. Labour won only 228 seats. It wasn’t really that close, and much as we...

:: Follow the election results live on skynews.com, our mobile apps and on Sky News TV from 10pm. Voters are going to the polls across the country to decide who will form the next government. Polling stations opened at 7am and close at 10pm in the United Kingdom's 650 constituencies.

“Peace be upon all auspicious prophets of God, from Adam, Noah and Abraham to Moses, Jesus and Mohammed Mustafa..”

Via Breitbart, a reminder that Britain’s left remains a few steps ahead of America’s in legally sanctioning thoughtcrime. Here in the good ol’ free-market U.S.A., we still prefer economic sanctions for deviating from ruling-class orthodoxy. But give us time. As a much older nation, the UK’s had longer to make “progress.” There’s a parliamentary election set for 10 days for now so Miliband’s speaking here with an eye to that. I wonder which group he’s hoping to goose into turning out with these remarks — devout Muslims or Britain’s Social Justice Warriors? Frankly, apart from women’s issues and gay rights,...

Children as young as three are being asked to sign a contract pledging not to use transphobic language at school. The pledge is contained in a ‘home-school agreement’ which all children must sign before they start at Turnham Primary School in September. The infants must also promise to refrain from using homophobic and racist phrases and to be tolerant of people with different sexual orientations and lifestyles. Each child must print their name and provide a signature to confirm that they understand their ‘responsibilities’ while attending the school. It is understood that teachers at the South-East London school introduced the...

How To Make Pax Cakes, A Palm Sunday Tradition Mark Palm Sunday with your family by making pax cakes, a forgotten Herefordshire sweet treat Palm Sunday treat: Mary-Anne Boermans' lenten biscuits Photo: Mary-Anne Boermans By Leah Hyslop 29 Mar 2015 The Easter period is inextricably connected with certain foods – eggs, roast lamb and hot cross buns. But not many people in Britain today will enjoy a pax cake. These little treats, which seem to have originated in Herefordshire, were once handed out by churches after the service on Palm Sunday, the day which marks Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusaleum....