Daily catch-up: Old London Bridge; how to fight UKIP; and wolves

Half a dozen nuggets seived from the great river of data in the sky

1. Another of Sir William Davenant’s stunning paintings of historical London: this is Old London Bridge from the west as it looked about 1650. A bridge with buildings on it is one of the most enchanting monuments of our past.

2. Ed Miliband sacked Emily Thornberry for patronising the working class, and then did the same himself. My column for The Independent on Sunday.

Also in The Independent on Sunday I have listed the Top 10 Abbreviations. A couple of late nominations from William French, who added WYSIWYG (pronounced wizziwig): what you see is what you get, and from Solly, who mentioned ‏Sinbad: Single Income, No Boyfriend, Absolutely Desperate.

3. Hopi Sen, one of the best political analysts, has a new pamphlet out for Policy Network about how centrist gradualism can compete with the “radical” populism of UKIP, the SNP, the Greens and the so-called left. There is a summary at Progress Online, of which this is the best bit:

“Given the low esteem in which politics is held, it is likely that the change you can believe in, to borrow a phrase, will be limited, rather than extensive.

“Think of a politician as an unfaithful spouse trying to convince their partner they have changed. What is more likely to convince: the grandiose gesture and a promise of total fidelity, or the simple act of being where you are supposed to be, doing what you are supposed to do?

“Seen in this light, what the populist is offering the electorate is simply ‘more politics’ in a world where such politics is unlikely to function well.”

4. “We live in times of great continuity”: a fine counter-intuitive mini-rant by Henry Mintzberg. Thanks to Stefan Stern.

5. Pavlov had a buzzer, not a bell. As Philip Cowley said, the things you learn, huh...?

More things I learned about dogs from this short four and a half minute video by George Monbiot: how the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone national park changed the physical geography. Thanks to Ian Leslie.

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Monbiot says he is now working on a similar video about how whales change the climate.

6. And finally, thanks to Louisa Heaton for this, via Chris Heaton-Harris:

“The guy who invented predictive text has died. His funfair is next week.”