Tom Bromley

Let’s begin this week with a quick thank you. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the plight of the Rocketship Bookshop, Salisbury’s independent children’s bookstore and asked readers to help. Turns out that some people do read this column after all, as the shop went on to have a good week and avert their immediate crisis. So to all of those who went in to buy a book, thank you! The power of traditional media, it seems, is still alive. 

If you build it, they will come. So goes the famous misquoted line from the 1989 Kevin Costner movie. But if, like me, you’ve grown up taking your life philosophy from middling eighties films, it’s hard not to hear that voiceover in your head whenever you try to create something.

A tale of two tweets, this week. The first is from Salisbury MP John Glen, writing in glowing terms about how well the country is doing. ‘Businesses are the backbone of our economy,’ he writes, ‘in challenging times they’ve shown enormous resilience and creativity, like so many of those I’ve visited in Salisbury. Great news that the highest number of businesses were incorporated in Q1 this year since records began.’

In the spirit of the classic sixties slogan, Make Love Not War, let’s turn our attention briefly away from ever increasing global conflict and focus instead on more amorous matters closer to home.

Among the claim and counterclaim in the campaigns for next month’s local elections, I was particularly struck by one social media post from the Conservatives.

AND so to politics and the forthcoming general election (for those rolling their eyes, may I quickly wish you a Happy Easter before you turn the page?)

The 1970 World Cup in Mexico is often seen as the greatest tournament in football history. It was the tournament when Pelé won the trophy for a record third time, when Gordon Banks made the save of the century, and when Brazil routed Italy 4-1 in a final for the ages.

Last weekend I went up to London to watch jazz funk band the Brand New Heavies perform alongside the London Concert Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall.

Let’s begin this week with some Read the Room news, and the revelation that former Science Minister George Freeman was forced to quit Rishi Sunak’s government last November for financial reasons.

And so to nominative determinism news and the curious case that made its way to court last week between crisp manufacturer Walkers and the taxman.