Welcome to British Isles Friday! British Isles Friday is a weekly event for sharing all things British and Irish - reviews, photos, opinions, trip reports, guides, links, resources, personal stories, interviews, and research posts. Join us each Friday to link your British and Irish themed content and to see what others have to share. The link list is at the bottom of this post. Pour a cup of tea or lift a pint and join our link party!
Last week, I reviewed the film Denial about a famous case where an American historian defended herself against a Holocaust denier in British court. Jean brought us an amusing look at James Bond and how the franchise reflects the British mood of the 1960s. Sim showed the encouraging 'thought of the day' signs that showed up in Tube stations the day after the tragic attack at Westminster Palace last week. Becky reviewed Neil Gaiman's latest: Norse Mythology.
I've been tracking the Brexit story for those of us in the US:
- The referendum to Leave or Remain
- The forms that Brexit might take
- The court decision that said the Parliament gets to weigh in - Brexit isn't the sole purview of the Prime Minister
So, the Parliament voted earlier this month and the big news this week is that the UK triggered Article 50 to begin the two-year process that will separate the United Kingdom from the European Union. What is Article 50? The Telegraph says it has the only article that you need to read on it (with a nifty video at the top). This is going to be a very complicated process! If you're a lawyer who knows British law and international trade, I suspect you could get a job in London right now.
One of the fun parts of listening to the world's longest-running soap opera, The Archers (available as a podcast from BBC Radio 4), is that late-breaking news shows up immediately. That's a startling level of in-the-minute programming when you hear the day's news show up in your favorite soap!
For controversial subjects, The Archers manages a balanced, to the point of boring, approach. One farmer is worried that Brexit will mean the end of exporting sheep and dairy to other European countries. Another farmer is convinced that high-quality, local products can flourish in a British market unhampered by European regulations. The Archers got a last laugh, though. The final joke of Wednesday's program was that the government might think it's got its hands full with Brexit negotiations, but that's nothing compared to running the village cricket team for Ambridge (the fictional village where The Archers is set).
About Joy Weese Moll
a librarian writing about books
