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15 September 2021

This England: Hounds of love

This column – which, though named after a line in Shakespeare’s “Richard II”, refers to the whole of Britain – has run in the NS since 1934.

By New Statesman

Hounds of love

Basset hound Gumbo was an early visitor to the “lick ’n’ mix” station inside Drool, the world’s first food hall just for dogs, which has been opened in the former Debenhams department store building in Bournemouth, Dorset.

The food hall features a cake shop and a tuck shop, alongside a centre for the recycling of used dog balls.
Morning Star (Amanda Welles)

Back to the books

Students from the University of Manchester mistook Barrow for Kendal during a recent question on University Challenge. The BBC quiz show saw the students presented with a map with three locations pinpointed on it.

They were asked to name the three towns with significant working shipyards, the first being Barrow. After a lengthy debate where the students deliberated between Kendal and Lancaster, they settled on Kendal.
Westmoreland Gazette
(Dominic Hipkins)

Don’t call us, we’ll call you

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A man hoping to become a police officer dialled 999 to check if his job application had been successful, while a woman called emergency services after finding a spider on her bed.

People have been using the emergency line for “ridiculous reasons” and the North Wales Police control room has now urged people to stop doing this. Chief Inspector Mark Williams said there was “absolutely no excuse” for the man to call to follow up about his police officer application.  “Clearly [he is] not cut out for the job,” added Williams. 
Metro (Daragh Brady)

Each printed entry receives a £5 book token. Entries to comp@newstatesman.co.uk or on a postcard to This England.

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This article appears in the 15 Sep 2021 issue of the New Statesman, The Fateful Chancellor