#siân reynolds

[booksandwords]

The Library of Unrequited Love by Sophie Divry. Translated by Siân Reynolds

Read time: 3 Days Rating: 4/5

The quote: Actually, modern history can be summed up in three major events that altered our view of the world for good: the French Revolution, the bloodbath of the Great War, and the invention of the contraceptive pill.

I really recommend reading this in one sitting if you can. The librarian's perspective and take on the library changes throughout. From the glossy paraprofessional to near brutal honesty that will hit home for many in the industry. That said it is accessible to the non-librarian and to a lesser extent the casual reader but the topic is definitely pointed with lots of references and comments about the systems and policies of libraries. For the casual reader, the unusual writing style and some of the librarian’s opinions could be quite confronting.

But I do think this is worth reading even if just for the style. The whole book is a one-way conversation (a combination of a monologue and soliloquy) that takes place over 2 hours in the morning as the library is preparing to open. It is quite unlike anything I have ever read before. The one-way conversation with no breaks and many, many topic changes takes some serious getting used to as you read.

Just some of the topics covered by Divry in her book through her librarian protagonist. Dewey and his system, a bit of French history, a bit of library history, the library hierarchy, the type of person who never that never comes into the library, censorship is its softest form, the forcing of class onto readers and the traditional reserve shelves. As someone trained in the industry it all hit so close to home. Like reserve shelves are just awful, they are great for saving space but they are so intimidating for readers. The classics debate is horrendous but I am firmly of the opinion that let people read what they want and eventually that will likely include some classics. Forcing them upon readers just alienates them from reading period. I just enjoyed the Frend history section I’ve never looked at French history much. All the Dewey info is brilliant I couldn’t get over how well executed that was.

It feels like there are words from the reader we don't know. The librarian responds to unknown statements at times. But it's si effective because there is enough feedback to guess what was said. There is a smart reading choice to provide little to no background on the readers’ character, though there is some implication that they are on the younger side and are definitely a regular. After I reread the blurb we do know he is male. It is worth remembering the book is a translation of Divry’s French original. I’m guessing the gender comes through in French via the grammatical gender it uses.

The unrequited love of the title feels like it is twofold. The librarians’ non-relationship with Martin is told so well. The reader is drip-fed information and it all really only comes together at the end. There also seems to be something of an unrequited love for the library itself which more than seeps through by the end. She just wants to be acknowledged and respected by colleagues and patrons alike.

There really isn’t much more I can say about this other than to say it was an experience and I’m so glad I read it. It took weeks of waiting to get my hands on it (due to covid related issues) but the wait was worth it. Think this is a rather unique experience, particularly for those in the industry.

[wankerwatch]

Commons Vote

On: Opposition day: Winter Fuel Payment

Ayes: 214 (51.6% Con, 32.4% LD, 4.2% SNP, 2.3% Ind, 2.3% DUP, 1.9% PC, 1.9% RUK, 1.9% Green, 0.5% APNI, 0.5% UUP, 0.5% TUV) Noes: 335 (99.7% Lab, 0.3% Ind) Absent: ~101

Day's business papers: 2024-09-10

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Conservative (110 votes)

Alan Mak Alberto Costa Alec Shelbrooke Alex Burghart Alicia Kearns Alison Griffiths Andrew Bowie Andrew Griffith Andrew Mitchell Andrew Murrison Andrew Snowden Aphra Brandreth Ashley Fox Ben Obese-Jecty Ben Spencer Bernard Jenkin Blake Stephenson Bob Blackman Bradley Thomas Caroline Dinenage Caroline Johnson Charlie Dewhirst Chris Philp Christopher Chope Claire Coutinho Damian Hinds Danny Kruger David Davis David Mundell David Reed David Simmonds Desmond Swayne Edward Argar Edward Leigh Gagan Mohindra Gareth Bacon Gavin Williamson Geoffrey Clifton-Brown George Freeman Graham Stuart Greg Smith Gregory Stafford Harriet Cross Harriett Baldwin Helen Grant Helen Whately Iain Duncan Smith Jack Rankin James Cartlidge James Cleverly James Wild Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Wright Jerome Mayhew Jesse Norman Joe Robertson John Cooper John Glen John Hayes John Lamont John Whittingdale Joy Morrissey Julia Lopez Julian Lewis Karen Bradley Katie Lam Kemi Badenoch Kevin Hollinrake Kieran Mullan Kit Malthouse Laura Trott Lewis Cocking Lincoln Jopp Luke Evans Mark Francois Mark Garnier Matt Vickers Mel Stride Mike Wood Mims Davies Neil Hudson Neil O'Brien Neil Shastri-Hurst Nick Timothy Nigel Huddleston Oliver Dowden Patrick Spencer Paul Holmes Peter Bedford Peter Fortune Priti Patel Rebecca Paul Rebecca Smith Richard Fuller Richard Holden Rishi Sunak Robbie Moore Robert Jenrick Roger Gale Saqib Bhatti Sarah Bool Shivani Raja Simon Hoare Steve Barclay Stuart Anderson Stuart Andrew Suella Braverman Tom Tugendhat Victoria Atkins Wendy Morton

Liberal Democrat (69 votes)

Adam Dance Al Pinkerton Alex Brewer Alison Bennett Alistair Carmichael Andrew George Angus MacDonald Anna Sabine Ben Maguire Bobby Dean Brian Mathew Calum Miller Cameron Thomas Caroline Voaden Charlie Maynard Charlotte Cane Chris Coghlan Christine Jardine Claire Young Clive Jones Daisy Cooper Danny Chambers David Chadwick Ed Davey Edward Morello Freddie van Mierlo Gideon Amos Helen Maguire Helen Morgan Ian Roome Ian Sollom James MacCleary Jamie Stone Jess Brown-Fuller John Milne Josh Babarinde Joshua Reynolds Layla Moran Lee Dillon Lisa Smart Liz Jarvis Luke Taylor Manuela Perteghella Marie Goldman Martin Wrigley Max Wilkinson Mike Martin Monica Harding Munira Wilson Olly Glover Paul Kohler Pippa Heylings Rachel Gilmour Richard Foord Roz Savage Sarah Dyke Sarah Gibson Sarah Green Sarah Olney Steff Aquarone Susan Murray Tessa Munt Tom Gordon Tom Morrison Victoria Collins Vikki Slade Wera Hobhouse Will Forster Zöe Franklin

Scottish National Party (9 votes)

Brendan O'Hara Chris Law Dave Doogan Graham Leadbitter Kirsty Blackman Pete Wishart Seamus Logan Stephen Flynn Stephen Gethins

Independent (5 votes)

Adnan Hussain Ayoub Khan Iqbal Mohamed Jeremy Corbyn Shockat Adam

Democratic Unionist Party (5 votes)

Carla Lockhart Gavin Robinson Gregory Campbell Jim Shannon Sammy Wilson

Plaid Cymru (4 votes)

Ann Davies Ben Lake Liz Saville Roberts Llinos Medi

Reform UK (4 votes)

James McMurdock Lee Anderson Richard Tice Rupert Lowe

Green Party (4 votes)

Adrian Ramsay Carla Denyer Ellie Chowns Siân Berry

Alliance (1 vote)

Sorcha Eastwood

Ulster Unionist Party (1 vote)

Robin Swann

Traditional Unionist Voice (1 vote)

Jim Allister

Noes

Labour (335 votes)

Abena Oppong-Asare Adam Jogee Adam Thompson Afzal Khan Al Carns Alan Campbell Alan Gemmell Alan Strickland Alex Baker Alex Ballinger Alex Barros-Curtis Alex Davies-Jones Alex Mayer Alex McIntyre Alex Norris Alex Sobel Alice Macdonald Alison Hume Alison Taylor Alistair Strathern Allison Gardner Amanda Hack Andrew Cooper Andrew Gwynne Andrew Lewin Andrew Pakes Andrew Ranger Andrew Western Andy MacNae Andy Slaughter Angela Eagle Angela Rayner Anna Dixon Anna Gelderd Anna Turley Anneliese Dodds Anneliese Midgley Antonia Bance Ashley Dalton Baggy Shanker Bambos Charalambous Barry Gardiner Becky Gittins Ben Coleman Ben Goldsborough Bill Esterson Blair McDougall Brian Leishman Bridget Phillipson Callum Anderson Calvin Bailey Carolyn Harris Catherine Atkinson Catherine Fookes Catherine McKinnell Catherine West Charlotte Nichols Chi Onwurah Chris Bloore Chris Bryant Chris Curtis Chris Elmore Chris Evans Chris Hinchliff Chris Kane Chris McDonald Chris Murray Chris Vince Chris Ward Claire Hazelgrove Claire Hughes Clive Betts Connor Naismith Connor Rand Damien Egan Dan Aldridge Dan Carden Dan Jarvis Dan Norris Dan Tomlinson Daniel Francis Danny Beales Darren Jones Darren Paffey Dave Robertson David Baines David Burton-Sampson David Pinto-Duschinsky David Smith David Taylor David Williams Debbie Abrahams Deirdre Costigan Derek Twigg Douglas Alexander Douglas McAllister Ed Miliband Elaine Stewart Ellie Reeves Emily Darlington Emily Thornberry Emma Foody Emma Hardy Emma Reynolds Fabian Hamilton Feryal Clark Florence Eshalomi Frank McNally Fred Thomas Gareth Snell Gareth Thomas Georgia Gould Gerald Jones Gill German Gordon McKee Graeme Downie Graham Stringer Gregor Poynton Gurinder Singh Josan Hamish Falconer Harpreet Uppal Heidi Alexander Helen Hayes Helena Dollimore Henry Tufnell Ian Murray Imogen Walker Irene Campbell Jack Abbott Jacob Collier Jade Botterill Jake Richards James Asser James Frith James Murray James Naish Janet Daby Jas Athwal Jayne Kirkham Jeevun Sandher Jeff Smith Jen Craft Jess Asato Jessica Morden Jessica Toale Jim Dickson Jim McMahon Jo Platt Jo Stevens Jo White Joani Reid Jodie Gosling Joe Morris Joe Powell Johanna Baxter John Grady John Slinger John Whitby Jon Pearce Jonathan Brash Jonathan Davies Jonathan Hinder Jonathan Reynolds Josh Dean Josh MacAlister Josh Newbury Josh Simons Julie Minns Juliet Campbell Justin Madders Kanishka Narayan Karin Smyth Karl Turner Kate Dearden Katie White Katrina Murray Keir Mather Kerry McCarthy Kevin Bonavia Kevin McKenna Kim Leadbeater Kirith Entwistle Kirsteen Sullivan Kirsty McNeill Laura Kyrke-Smith Lauren Edwards Lauren Sullivan Laurence Turner Lee Barron Lee Pitcher Lewis Atkinson Liam Byrne Liam Conlon Lilian Greenwood Lillian Jones Linsey Farnsworth Lisa Nandy Liz Kendall Liz Twist Lizzi Collinge Lloyd Hatton Lola McEvoy Louise Haigh Louise Jones Lucy Powell Lucy Rigby Luke Akehurst Luke Charters Luke Murphy Luke Myer Luke Pollard Margaret Mullane Marie Tidball Mark Ferguson Mark Hendrick Mark Sewards Mark Tami Markus Campbell-Savours Martin McCluskey Martin Rhodes Mary Creagh Mary Glindon Matt Rodda Matt Turmaine Matt Western Matthew Patrick Matthew Pennycook Maureen Burke Maya Ellis Meg Hillier Melanie Onn Melanie Ward Michael Payne Michael Shanks Michael Wheeler Michelle Scrogham Michelle Welsh Mike Amesbury Mike Kane Mike Reader Mike Tapp Natalie Fleet Natasha Irons Navendu Mishra Neil Coyle Nesil Caliskan Nia Griffith Nicholas Dakin Nick Smith Noah Law Oliver Ryan Olivia Bailey Olivia Blake Pam Cox Pamela Nash Pat McFadden Patricia Ferguson Patrick Hurley Paul Davies Paul Foster Paul Waugh Perran Moon Peter Dowd Peter Kyle Peter Lamb Peter Prinsley Peter Swallow Polly Billington Preet Kaur Gill Rachel Blake Rachel Hopkins Rachel Taylor Richard Baker Richard Quigley Rosie Wrighting Rupa Huq Rushanara Ali Ruth Cadbury Ruth Jones Sadik Al-Hassan Sally Jameson Sam Carling Sam Rushworth Samantha Dixon Samantha Niblett Sarah Champion Sarah Coombes Sarah Hall Sarah Owen Sarah Russell Sarah Sackman Satvir Kaur Scott Arthur Sean Woodcock Seema Malhotra Shabana Mahmood

Shaun Davies Simon Lightwood Siobhain McDonagh Sojan Joseph Sonia Kumar Stella Creasy Stephanie Peacock Stephen Kinnock Stephen Morgan Stephen Timms Steve Race Steve Reed Steve Witherden Steve Yemm Sureena Brackenridge Taiwo Owatemi Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Terry Jermy Tim Roca Toby Perkins Tom Collins Tom Hayes Tom Rutland Tony Vaughan Torcuil Crichton Torsten Bell Tracy Gilbert Tristan Osborne Tulip Siddiq Uma Kumaran Valerie Vaz Vicky Foxcroft Warinder Juss Wes Streeting Will Stone Yasmin Qureshi Yuan Yang Yvette Cooper Zubir Ahmed

Independent (1 vote)

Rebecca Long Bailey

[mylifeincinema]

My Week in Reviews: November 21, 2021

King Richard (Reinaldo Marcus Green, 2021)

Wow. This was a tricky film, with a tricky lead role. Becoming Richard Williams very easily could’ve fallen into an SNL parody impersonation, but Will Smith never lets it. Smith instead brings to life Williams’ stubborn resolve and simple optimism with a lived-in sense of ingrained confidence. Because of this performance, a supporting cast that never allow it to drown them out, and Green’s balanced and well-paced direction, King Richard never falls victim to any of the serious biopic issues despite otherwise being a fairly straight-forward biopic. - 8.5/10

Belfast (Kenneth Branagh, 2021)

Beautiful. A powerful coming-of-age story about change and what home and family truly mean. Ciarán Hinds and Caitriona Balfe are magnificent, Judi Dench steals many a moment with brilliant delivery, and newcomer Jude Hill shines, giving us the rare child performance that goes beyond precociousness and cute line delivery. Branagh’s direction is his best since 1996′s Hamlet, mixing a sense of nostalgia with the warped point-of-view of childhood and the harsh acceptance of reality, all while beautifully utilizing the transformative production design. - 9/10

Red Notice (Rawson Marshall Thurber, 2021)

Embarrassingly awful. I don’t know what’s worse... the fact that our three leads have a deficit of chemistry, making just about every supposed-to-be-funny exchange downright cringe-worthy, or the fact that each set-piece in this nearly $200-million ‘action-comedy’ feels like it was filmed on a soundstage. Every single set feels like a set; from the museum to the prison to the bunker to the beach, everywhere we find these characters delivering their mind-numbingly stupid dialogue in this mind-numbingly stupid movie feels fake. And worse, cheap. Beyond the lack of chemistry, the performances are just straight-up bad. Dwayne Johnson is never once believable as an FBI profiler, and even less believable as what he’s eventually revealed to actually be. Ryan Reynolds delivers all of his lines like he’s making fun of Ryan Reynolds. And Gal Gadot is so blatantly only there to look good. I can’t really hold any of this against them (except maybe Johnson, who was a major player behind the scenes, as well), as the screenplay plays out like it was written by a dorky 13-year-old with the IQ of a banana. Thurber is like Michael Bay if Michael Bay didn’t have a single fucking clue was he was doing. This was an exceedingly excruciating two-hours that I’ll never get back. - 1/10

tick, tick... Boom! (Lin-Manuel Miranda, 2021)

I’m not a fan of Jonathan Larson. Granted, the only production of RENT that I’ve seen is the film and that’s probably not the best example of his most lauded work (y’know, since it’s awful). And I’m not a fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda. Hamilton is absurdly overrated and he’s insufferable in every other role I’ve seen him in, yet. But despite all that, I was drawn to this film from the get-go. I blame that on the underrated Andrew Garfield (and probably the bit of theatre-geek in me), who’s about as close to a revelation, here, as I could expect in a musical chock-full of mostly forgettable songs (though there are two or three that are amazing) and direction that’s too ‘theatrical’, and distracts more than anything else. The structure of it all, however, is refreshing. Plus, Miranda clearly loves the subject and, despite some of his other issues behind the camera, brings this story to life with a contagious energy and an over-flowing abundance of heart. - 7.5/10

Respect (Liesl Tommy, 2021)

The formulaic biopic storytelling quickly becomes tiring and - worse than that - annoying, but Jennifer Hudson’s performance and the scenes that find her on stage or (better yet!) in the studio are enough to save this one from itself. - 6/10

CODA (Siân Heder, 2021)

A crowd-pleasing indie drama?!? With a star-making lead performance?!? And a shit-ton of heart?!? Yes, please. - 7/10

Passing (Rebecca Hall, 2021)

Interesting, but Hall’s direction is sluggish, and it drains anything the two fantastic leads are delivering. That ending should’ve been a nuclear bomb. Instead, it was a firecracker. - 4/10

Finch (Miguel Sapochnik, 2021)

A man, his dog, and their robot. Tom Hanks is unsurprisingly great. Sapochnik does great work, never resorting to unnecessary conflict or overly-edited action sequences to drive home the danger of the world created, here. But it all really comes down to that moment. Is there an Oscar for dogs, yet? Damn. - 7/10

The Protégé (Martin Campbell, 2021)

An enjoyable revenge action movie. Maggie Q is great and Samuel L. Jackson is as solid as always, but Michael Keaton steals every scene he’s in. Campbell’s action sequences are as badass and assured as we’ve come to expect from the man behind both Casino Royale & GoldenEye. However, the final act doesn’t go nearly as hard as it should have. - 6/10

Enjoy!

-Timothy Patrick Boyer.

[whilereadingandwalking]

Apocalypse Baby by Virginie Despentes, translated from the French by Siân Reynolds, is a strange and fierce book, a novel about a quiet private eye who is tasked with finding a young teenage girl named Valentine who has disappeared. She enlists the help of the infamous Hyena, a lesbian in a leather jacket with a fiercely independent streak and an intense intuition that helps her solve the toughest of cases. Together, they dive into the case—which quickly becomes something more than either expected. 

I really loved getting the chapters from the different points of view—the missing girl's father, a misogynist, mediocre author; the Hyena herself; even, eventually the tortured, misguided Valentine. It's a dark novel about manipulation and dark, white nationalist forces, radicalization of youth, the influence of neglectful parents, the internal and twisting politics of France. At times, I definitely felt it was a little longer than it had to be; but the writing was superb and I enjoyed the turns of narrative and perspective, the way each person's biased and very pointed outlook came together to form one concept of the larger truth. 

Content warnings for rape, sexism, ableism, fatphobia, drug use, the 'R' slur, racism, radicalization.

[likopinina]

I was tagged by @brennisteinnexe to share what books I've read last year.

Unfortunately, I don't have a good recollection of the past. I remember there was a boat and it wasn't in a book, but in a canal.

Anyway, I thought I could share funny moments from a book I'm reading right now instead.

Meet the

Serious Crime Squad

Book: A Climate of Fear by Fred Vargas, 2015 (tr. Siân Reynolds, 2016)

[tiarnanabhfainni]

siân reynolds i am obsessed with you

[kwebtv]

Doctor Foster -  BBC One  -  September 9, 2015 - October 3, 2017

Drama (10 episodes)

Running Time:  60 minutes

Stars:

Suranne Jones as Gemma Foster

Bertie Carvel as Simon Foster

Clare-Hope Ashitey as Carly Williams

Cheryl Campbell as Helen Foster (episodes 1-3)

Jodie Comer as Kate Parks

Navin Chowdhry as Anwar (episodes 2–3, 5)

Victoria Hamilton as Anna Baker (episodes 1–3, 5)

Tom Taylor as Tom Foster

Martha Howe-Douglas as Becky Hughes

Adam James as Neil Baker (episodes 1–3, 5)

Thusitha Jayasundera as Ros Mahendra

Sara Stewart as Susie Parks (episodes 1–2, 4-5)

Neil Stuke as Chris Parks (episodes 1–2, 4-5)

Robert Pugh as Jack Reynolds (episodes 1–2, 4)

Ricky Nixon as Daniel Spencer (episodes 1,4)

Daniel Cerqueira as Gordon Ward

Megan Roberts as Isobel

Series two

Suranne Jones as Gemma Foster

Bertie Carvel as Simon Foster

Tom Taylor as Tom Foster

Jodie Comer as Kate Parks (episodes 1-4)

Victoria Hamilton as Anna Baker (episodes 1-4)

Adam James as Neil Baker (episodes 1-3)

Prasanna Puwanarajah as James (episodes 1–3, 5)

Sian Brooke as Siân Lambert (episodes 1–2, 4-5)

Hope Lloyd as Isobel (episodes 1, 3)

Frank Kauer as Max  (episodes 1-3)

Thusitha Jayasundera as Ros Mahendra (episodes 1–3, 5)

Joanie Kent as Amelie Foster (episodes 1-4)

Daniel Cerqueira as Gordon Ward (episodes 1-2)

Helena Lymbery as Mrs Walters (episodes 2-3)

Martha Howe-Douglas as Becky Hughes (episode 1)

Sara Stewart as Susie Parks (episodes 1, 4)

Neil Stuke as Chris Parks (episodes 1, 4)

Clare-Hope Ashitey as Carly Williams (episode 4)

Philip Wright as Connor (episodes 1, 3, 5)

[cymdeithasceredigion]

Y Noson Agoriadol

Wedi’r llacio diweddar ar y cyfyngiadau sy’n ymwneud â’r Cofid mae Pwyllgor y Gymdeithas wedi penderfynu ceisio cynnal cyfarfodydd wyneb yn wyneb yn ystod y tymor nesaf gan ddechrau gyda’r cyfarfod nos Sadwrn 4 Medi am 7:00 yng Nghaffi Emlyn, Tan-y-groes Yno byddwn ni’n trin a thrafod yr Eisteddfod Amgen a rhai o gyfansoddiadau buddugol, dathlu llwyddiant ein haelodau a chyfeillion eraill a fydd yn bresennol yn y cyfarfod a mwynhau peth lluniaeth wedyn (tua 9:00) yng nghwmni ein gilydd. Dyma drefn y noson: 1. Croeso (gan Gwyndaf Tomos, ein llywydd newydd) 2. Trafod y Cyfansoddiadau (dan ofal y Prifardd Ceri Wyn) Cystadleuaeth Enillydd Arweinydd y drafodaeth Y Gadair Gwenallt Llwyd Ifan Terwyn Tomos Y Goron Dyfan Lewis Glenys Roberts Yr Englyn Philippa Gibson Idris Reynolds Y Delyneg Terwyn Tomos Emyr Lewis Y Stori Fer Menna Machreth Siân Wyn Siencyn

3. Yr Eisteddfod Amgen: Carol Davies yn pwyso a mesur y manteision a‘r anfanteision 4. Lluniaeth ysgafn

Am fod yr haint yn dal o gwmpas (ac i dawelu nerfau) gofynnir i chi: · peidio â dod (wrth gwrs) os oes symptomau arnoch neu os ydych wedi cae l cyngor swyddogol i hunan-ynysu · ac os ydych yn bwriadu bod yn y Caffi - rhoi neges fach i Howard (erbyn 30 Awst os bosib) trwy e-bost neu drwy adael neges ar ei ffôn symudol - sicrhau eich bod wedi cael y ddau frechiad - gwisgo mwgwd os nad oes ’da chi resymau cryf am beidio - cadw pellter cymdeithasol rhesymol (fe fydd digon o le rhwng y cadeiriau ta beth) Mae braslun o’r rhaglen ar gyfer gweddill y tymor isod.

[weekendwarriorblog]

The Weekend Warrior 8/13/21 - CODA, FREE GUY, DON’T BREATHE 2, RESPECT, THE LOST LEONARDO, WHAT IF, and More!

Well, that was kind of a disappointing last weekend as James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad pretty much tanked at the box office, making less than Birds of Prey did back in February 2020 with all sorts of backseat analysis explaining why it didn’t do well as anyone, other than a scant, few thought. I mean, I’m still kind of stunned, even though COVID and the Delta variant seem to be losing steam as far as being news. It certainly didn’t help that HBO Max decided to release the movie concurrently on HBO Max on Thursday at 7pm.

The nice thing about this week is that we have three new movies, none of which are on streaming or On Demand at the exact same time, so if you want to see any of them, you’ll have to put on your N96 masks and get yourself to theaters. Two of the three movies are originals, while the third is a sequel to quite an original horror movie from about five years back. All of them are pretty good, actually. We’ll get to them soon...

But first, let’s start with this week’s “The Chosen One” and it’s gotta be Siân Heder’s CODA i.e. “Child of Deaf Adults,” which will play in select theaters and on Apple TV+ starting Friday. If you hadn’t heard, it was the belle of the ball at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, winning the Jury Prize and Audience Award alike. Heder previously directed Tallulah and is the showrunner on Apple’s Little America, but this really is a very special film that I’ve enjoyed on repeat viewings now.

It stars Emilia Jones as Ruby Rossi, the sole hearing person in her family of Gloucester fishermen, who are out every day on the sea making the latest catch in their nets. Ruby has other aspirations, and when she joins the school choir, the teacher, Mr. Villalobos (Eugene Derbez) sees talent in Ruby that he thinks might get her into the Berklee College of Music. Ruby has to weigh that with her family’s need to have her as an interpreter while dealing with the other fishermen of the town.

I didn’t know what to expect when I saw this at Sundance back in January, and it still surprised me when I rewatched it again, because it’s a movie that involves a lot of elements that shouldn’t necessarily work, between the fishing and the singing and all the ASL between the amazing ingenue, Ms. Jones, and the deaf actors playing her family, including the one and only Oscar-winning Marlee Matlin. If not for these disparate elements, Coda might be a fairly standard indie family drama, but Heder finds just the right balance of showing how these disparities in Ruby’s life make it hard for her to pursue her dreams.

Ferdia Walsh-Peelo from Sing Street plays the classmate who Ruby is set up with to perform a duet at their high school recital, and of course, he also becomes an unwitting love interest. Unfortunately that’s the aspect of the film that’s the weakest, because Jones’ scenes with Matlin and the other actors, including Derbez, as well as Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant, as Ruby’s father and brother, are just so powerful and moving even if they’re all in ASL with no dialogue or even incidental score.

Coda is Heder’s second film after Talllulah, a movie starring Elliot Page that never really connected with me, but Coda is such a strong and exceedingly crowd-pleasing film that I have to imagine that this would connect with everybody. I’m not sure if Apple’s gonna be able to get this movie all the way to Oscar night, but I do like its chances for Adapted (?) Screenplay, and maybe Matlin and Kotsur Supporting? I don’t know, because it’s so early and hard to tell, but hopefully the decision to wait so long after the virtual Sundance won’t hurt this movie as it hurt other Sundance award-winning films. Coda is just a joy that I’m sure will be many people’s favorite movie.

You can read my interview with Ms. Heder over at Below the Line.

Incidentally, in last week’s column, I talked about the 20th New York Asian Film Festival, but I didn’t realize that it was only running at Film at Lincoln Center for a week before going down to the SVA Theater on 23rd Street, and you can check out the schedule of movies playing there at the official site. And of course, there’s still the Virtual Festival that’s running through August 22. Also, Fantasia is still going on in Montreal, and I still haven’t had time to watch very much. What can I say? I suck.

Let’s get to some wide releases, shall we?

First up and probably the most likely to win the weekend is Ryan Reynolds’ new action-comedy, FREE GUY (20th Century Studios), directed by Shawn Levy and co-starring Jodie Comer from Killing Eve. The high-concept comedy has Reynolds playing Guy, a bank teller, who actually is a non-player character in a video game called “Free City” that’s kind of a cross between Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite. When he meets Comer’s character in the game, he falls mady in love and decides to do whatever it takes to get on her level. (Get it?) In doing so, Guy ends up becoming a hero for Free City, as well as a viral sensation across the globe as gamers thrill to Guy’s adventures.

Free Guy is Ryan Reynolds’ first live-action starring role theatrical release since…. Oh…. the action-comedy sequel The Hitman’s Bodyguard’s Wife a little under two months ago. Considering that barely made half of what its predecessor did, and that’s with Reynolds sharing the screen with Samuel L. Jackson and Salma Hayek, one wonders if his draw as an A-lister can be maintained during a pandemic. Before that, you’d have to go all the way back to 2018’s Deadpool 2 for a fully live Reynolds movie, because he wasn’t seen as himself for most of his role in and as Detective Pikachu. Of course, Reynolds’ unmistakable voice was back in DreamWorks Animation’s The Croods: A New Age, the sequel to the 2013 blockbuster that made the ballsy move to be one of the first movies to open during the pandemic. It grossed $58.6 million in theaters, which was slightly more than Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and even more than the Warner Bros. sequel, Wonder Woman 1984.

This is also a big movie for Jodie Comer, who won an Emmy and was nominated for two Golden Globes for Killing Eve, but hasn’t really been in too many movies, other than playing Rey’s Mum in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Later this year, she’ll star in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel and may possibly be back in the awards game again, we’ll see. The movie also stars Lil Rel Howery, who seems to be everywhere and in everything these days, as well as Taika Waititi who is super-hot right now due to 2019’s Jojo Rabbit, and his various television projects, as well as having a small role in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad last week.

In some ways, Free Guy is gonna be a test for a lot of things, the first one being whether Reynolds is a big enough draw when not playing Deadpool to get people into theaters, just as people are starting to get skittish again about going into movie theaters. More importantly, it will show whether not having a movie on streaming or VOD means that people who want to see it will put aside their fears and return to theaters… like they did with F9 and Black Widow and Godzilla vs. Kong. Is an original non-franchise movie like Free Guy enough to get people interested in getting their butts off the couch and into a far more comfortable movie theater seat? (I’m being facetious, if you didn’t guess.)

After The Suicide Squad last week, I’m really not sure whether I can trust my own instincts, but I also don’t want to lower my prediction to something ridiculous out of fear that the pandemic really is destroying any chance of the box office fully recovering. One thing working in Free Guy’s favor, besides its PG-13 rating is that it’s not available on streaming and VOD. Anyone who has been intrigued by the film’s great reviews will HAVE to go out to a movie theater to see it or else, they’ll have to wait 45 days.

Maybe if this opened last month, I could see it open in the $30 million to $40 million range, but with things being the way they are, I’d probably go with high $20 million, so close to $30 million but not quite.

You can read my review over at Below the Line, and I’ll have an interview with the film’s Production Designer, Ethan Tobman, fairly soon.

Also opening Friday is the horror sequel DON’T BREATHE 2 (Sony/Screen Gems), starring Stephen Lang as the blind former Navy Seal who terrorized a bunch of kids who broke into his house in 2016’s Don’t Breathe.

The original movie, which starred Jane Levy, reuniting with director Fede Alvarez after the two remade Evil Dead for producer Sam Raimi, opened in late August, on the fourth weekend of the original Suicide Squad, in fact, and it knocked the movie out of the #1 spot. Its $26 million opening in 3,000 theaters was impressive for the time, partially because late August has never been great. It stayed #1 for a second weekend, over Labor Day, and it ended up grossing $89.2 million in North America, which is great for an R-rated horror film.

Levy isn’t around for the sequel and Alvarez has moved into a co-writer/producer role for his creative partner, Rodo Sagayes, to take over the directing reins, but honestly, I’m not sure how many people will know or care, because Lang’s character and the film’s violence and chills are it’s real selling point. Like many horror movies, there isn’t much in terms of star power other than Lang, but that has never really hindered the success of a horror movie in the past.

As with every movie I cover in this column, there’s the pandemic in the room and whether that might hold people back from going to theaters. I wish there was a way to calculate the effect that’s had on moviegoing, because it seems to affect movies differently. For instance, the recent The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It was able to open with $24.1 million just two months ago, although that was down from the $40 million of the previous two chapters. So that’s about a 40% drop-off in a similar five-year gap between movies. (Actually, it’s kind of strange that 2021 is replicating 2021 with three sequels to movies from five years earlier.) There’s no denying that the number of Covid cases are way up since June and movie theaters are still being painted as the “enemy” even though no significant cases have been traced back to the movies.

We also have to look at Sony’s last horror sequel, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions, which I quite enjoyed, but it ended up opening with about $10 million less than the original movie a few years back. We can probably expect Don’t Breathe 2 to have a similar pandemic drop-off even if it’s another movie that won’t be on streaming or VOD this weekend.

I think Don’t Breathe 2 should be good for around $15 million this weekend since it’s catering towards a young audience that’s a bit more devil-may-care about going out to theaters. It will also probably appeal more to older single guys than something like Free Guy, which seems different enough to pull in a different audience.

My review will be posted over at Below the Line later on Thursday, plus I have a bunch of interviews coming, including this one with Rodo Sayagues and Fede Alvarez.

Next up is RESPECT (MGM), the long-awaited Aretha Franklin biopic (for those that didn’t see Genius, like me, I guess), starring Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson as the Queen of Soul. The movie directed by Liesl Tommmy was supposed to be released in January to take part in last year’s Oscars race, but I guess MGM wanted to make sure it got a proper theatrical release, which wasn’t possible since NYC and L.A. movie theaters didn’t reopen until March after the cut-off. But MGM had already decided to push the movie back to the summer in hopes of having more theaters able to play the movie, which is kind of true now?

It’s been a while since we’ve seen JHud in a high-profile theatrical release, and unfortunately, the last one was 2019’s Cats, a movie in which she probably was the best thing, although it still only grossed $27 million domestically, a flat-out bomb. Before that, she provided her voice for the animated blockbuster Sing in 2016, and then a bunch of smaller movies before that. She’s joined in the movie by the likes of Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Titus Burgess, Mary J. Blige, Marc Maron, and Audra MacDonald, quite an impressive array of talent that shows how many wanted to be involved with this project. Director Liesl Tommy is making her feature directorial debut after directing a ton of theater and TV shows like The Walking Dead and Jessica Jones.

Even so, it’s obviously that the ongoing popularity of Aretha Franklin, especially since her death in 2018, is going to go a long way into getting people into theaters, which includes a lot of older black women who really haven’t had much to get them out into theaters in recent months. Will this be enough?

Before Respect was delayed from its original January release, many thought that Hudson would receive another Oscar nomination for her performances. Having not seen the movie at the time of this writing, I can’t confirm or deny those chances. If that’s still the case, then releasing the movie towards the end of the summer (similar to The Help, successfully, and The Butler, not so much) is an odd decision rather than just holding the movie for festival season by holding until next month.

Either way, I think the love Aretha’s fans have for the Queen of Soul as well as Hudson’s fans, Respect should be good for between $8 and 10 million this weekend -- hard to pinpoint exactly without knowing how many theaters MGM is getting for it against the stronger summer movies.

Mini-Review: I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Respect, even after seeing the trailer a couple dozen times in front of other movies, but it’s a respectable biopic that cover 20 years in the life of the Queen of Soul from singing at a young age in her father’s church to returning to church for the gospel records as captured in the recently-released doc, Amazing Grace.

But first, we go back to 1952 where Aretha is a young girl (played by Skye Dakota Turner) is uncertain of her future as she’s being ordered about by her preacher father (Forrest Whitaker) and trying to find direction. The movie casually sets up the fact that young Aretha was sexually abused by a family friend, and maybe she got pregnant, too? It’s hard to tell and maybe a little odd since she would only have been 10 at the time, but it’s something that will be brought up (just as subtly) over the course of the film.

Jennifer Hudson takes over as Aretha as she turns 19 and goes to New York City to start recording, meets Marlon Wayans’ Ted White, makes him her manager and marries her, which basically has her going from one abusive man in her father to another one. It feels like the movie spends a long than normal time on the ‘60s, which is when Franklin’s career really took off with “Respect” and then a series of hits that took her all around the world. That whole time, she’s dealing with Ted’s abuses and jealousy while trying to write and record those hits, before her dark demons return and she starts drinking heavily.

As you might imagine, you go to see Respect to see how well Jennifer Hudson pulls off the Queen of Soul, and she’s an incredibly complex character that needs a nuanced performance, which Hudson tries to pull off by bringing different aspects of her life into different scenes.

There are some scenes that don’t work as well as others, and it feels like there’s a bit of time-crunching or futzing around so that at a certain point, her father seems to be de-aging, although I was just as impressed (possibly even moreso) with Forrest Whitaker, whose performance as Aretha’s father is more than just a full-on villain despite his violent treatment of his daughter. Wayans is also good and almost unrecognizable at first, and there are a few other nice performances in there as well, including Marc Maron as record label head Jerry Wexler.

But the performances Hudson gives as Franklin are goosebump-inducing, leading up to the recording of her record-selling gospel record as depicted in the aforementioned doc.

A fairly decent representation of Franklin’s little-known life leading up to her fame, Respect probably succeeds the most when Jennifer Hudson is performing as the Queen of Soul, but she’s also created a fairly moving portrait with strong dramatic moments that far outweigh any of the film’s issues. Rating: 8/10

With that in mind, this is how I see the weekend looking with two of the new movies bumping Suicide Squad down to third place where it will be facing off against Respect.

1. Free Guy (20th Century/Disney) - $28.5 million N/A

2. Don’t Breathe 2 (Sony/Screen Gems) - $15 million N/A

3. The Suicide Squad (Warner Bros.) - $10 million -62%

4. Respect (MGM) - $9.6 million N/A

5. Jungle Cruise (Walt Disney Pictures) - $8.7 million -55%

6. Old (Universal) - $2.5 million -36%

7. Black Widow (Marvel/Disney) - $2.4 million -39%

8. Stillwater (Focus) - $2 million -39%

9. Space Jam: A New Legacy (Warner Bros.) - $1.3 million -43%

10. The Green Knight (A24) - $1.1 million -56%

Donnie Yen stars in Bennie Chang’s RAGING FIRE (WELL GO USA), which premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival on Monday and at Fantasia in Montreal on Tuesday, and I’m not going to review this, because honestly, it’s such a cookie-cutter Hong Kong police action-thriller that I’m not sure I really have much to say about it, so I won’t.

On the other hand, I do have more to say about Andreas Koefoed’s documentary, THE LOST LEONARDO (Sony Pictures Classics), the Leonardo being Da Vinci, the master artist behind the Mona Lisa and many other works. Since I don’t really follow the world of art, I really didn’t know about the Salvator Mundi painting found about 10-12 years ago that was thought to be an original Da Vinci worth in the hundreds of millions, often dubbed “The Male Mona Lisa.” But it’s also a painting that was surrounded by controversy due to the 5-year restoring job that may have left very little of the original painting.

As the film began, I was groaning a little about sitting through another movie of art experts and historians talking about how important a find this is and why it’s either great or horrible, depending on who is being interviewed. Eventually, the film gets more interesting as it starts getting into the idea of selling it. After being sold to a wealthy Russian oligarch by an unscrupulous Swiss art dealer who made a nice profit on it, the painting ends up being auctioned by Christie’s, and the story just keeps getting more and more interesting as it goes along.

While I’m not one to go ga-ga over any painting by Da Vinci or otherwise, I do like a good mystery or suspense-thriller, so good on Koefoed for realizing about halfway through this movie that the talking heads will never be as interesting as actual footage. And that’s what happens here, too. I actually feel a little ignorant that I wasn’t aware this was going on as it was, maybe because I don’t really follow the art world in that respect. Maybe I just missed it, so it’s good that Sony Classics (who loves making movies about art) is giving this a fairly high-profile release following its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival a few months back. In that sense, The Lost Leonardo is quite a gem.

Heinz Brinkman’s USEDOM: A CLEAR VIEW OF THE SEA (Big World Pictures) is a somewhat intriguing doc about the Baltic island of Usedom, the location of a number of imperial German health resorts, beaches and such, and how the Jews were kicked out by the Nazis before Usedom was split into a German and Polish half after WWII. I wish I could get into this more, but I just have a limited mental capacity for a lot of German talking heads.

Which brings us to Michael Tucker and Petra Epperlein’s THE MEANING OF HITLER (IFC Films), the new doc from the team behind Gunner Palace, which looks at the cultural fascination with Hitler and Nazism and the recent rise in white supremacy, antisemitism and the “weaponization of history itself.” I don’t know what that last part means, because I got so swamped this week that I didn’t get to watch this, and like another recent doc on the subject of Naziism and the Holocaust, I just couldn’t get into the right head space to hit play on this doc. Maybe I’ll watch it sometime down the road.

Similarly, I didn’t get around to watching Dutch filmmaker Jim Taihuttu’s THE EAST (Magnet Releasing), which I may like as a fan of Paul Verhoeven’s Dutch WWII films, and I probably should give this a look, but I just ran out of time this week. It’s about a young Dutch soldier who joins an elite unit led by a mysterious captain called “The Turk,” and it takes place in the Indonesian War of Independence after World War II.

As far as TV goes, Wednesday sees the debut of Marvel Studios’ WHAT IF...? on Disney+. I’ve seen the first three episodes, and I was a pretty big fan of the comics in the ‘70s (sadly, part of the giant collection that I sold a few years back), and I guess this is okay. The first episode is the one with Haley Atwell voicing “Captain Carter” i.e. Peggy Carter gets the Super Soldier Serum, which is one of the more obvious What Ifs that could possibly done, so that we can get another “women are as good as men, and they need to be heard” storyline that’s in 90% of the Marvel movies already. On the other hand, the first episode does include the voices of Sebastian Stan and others, so it’s quite a coup in that sense, but whoever wrote it, clearly doesn’t understand that people spoke differently in the ‘40s. I liked the 2nd episode, a mash-up of Black Panther and Guardians of the Galaxy, which is a fun idea that brings together a lot of great characters -- including Chadwick Boseman’s last voice performance -- but again, hearing the voices just isn’t the same when the writing isn’t as good as the movie. I feel like the animation for the show is okay, maybe not quite on par with some of the great Batman or Superman cartoons we’ve gotten over the years. On the other hand, the entire series features the great voice of Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher, acting kind of like the Rod Serling for the series, much like the Watcher does in the comics. I also dug the music by Emmy winner Laura Karpman (Lovecraft Country), and I’ll watch the rest of the series as it debuts, but I’m not sure it’s as much a rush to see each episode to avoid spoilers as with Loki or WandaVision.

Hitting Netflix this week is the limited series, BRAND NEW CHERRY FLAVOR (Netflix), starring Rosa Salazar, Eric Lange, and Catherine Keener. The tagline is: “Lisa Nova (Rosa Salazar) comes to LA dead set on directing her first movie. But when she trusts the wrong person and gets stabbed in the back, everything goes sideways and a dream project turns into a nightmare. This particular nightmare has zombies, hit men, supernatural kittens, and a mysterious tattoo artist who likes to put curses on people. And Lisa’s going to have to figure out some secrets from her own past in order to get out alive.”

Also, TITANS Season 3 debuts on HBO Max, but since I haven’t watched seasons 1 or 2 yet, it might be some time before I get to it.

Next week looks like it could be a bit of a dog with four or five new wide releases but nothing that really jumps out, plus I’ll be in Atlantic City all next weekend, so who knows how much I’ll be able to watch or write about?

[news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog]

This 1 detail from the 'Detective Pikachu' trailer is enraging Pokémon fans

Who would have thought a trailer for a new Pokémon movie could be so divisive?

On Monday, the first trailer for a Ryan Reynolds-voiced Detective Pikachu movie dropped. At the time of writing the trailer has almost 12,000,000 views and over 475,000 likes on YouTube.

SEE ALSO: 'Pokémon Go' now has a bunch of new creatures and there's 1 runaway favourite

It hasn't all been plain sailing, though. There have been plenty of reactions on social media, and not all of them are from excited fans eager to see their favourite electric mouse fight crime.

The point of contention? Nope, it isn't the fact that Pikachu has the voice of a 42-year-old man. It's the aesthetic appearance of everyone's favourite pink puffball:

Bro this furry Jigglypuff is unforgivable pic.twitter.com/qb3j9edjDr

— WOLF IS FREE!!! (@shofu) November 12, 2018

Yep: furry Jigglypuff. Here's a close-up where you can literally see the individual fur strands protruding from Jigglypuff's ears.

I have a lot of questions about literally every single texturing decision being made in Detective Pikachu, but this one feels the most egregious. JIGGLYPUFF IS NOT FURRY!! pic.twitter.com/JEd8yxel7h

— Nick Bestor (@Bestorb) November 12, 2018

Quite a few people weren't big fans of Jigglypuff's new look.

I don’t really think “fur” when I think about a realistic Jigglypuff.. To me it’s more like Wendy’s frosty pic.twitter.com/q60TX5OJEl

— Nuri (@actionhankbeard) November 12, 2018

idk how a jigglypuff with hair makes me feel pic.twitter.com/Om43D475Of

— siân into mystery 🌠 (@sianofhel) November 12, 2018

Why is this whole concept of Pokemon with realistic hair so scary for me?

— soffel (@soffel__) November 12, 2018

In fairness, the voices haven't all been dissenting. Some people have leaped to live-action Jigglypuff's defence.

Why is everyone mad about this???? You know the alternative is just, flesh right? Did you think the curl on its head was just a swirl of flesh? Imagine just a big fleshy jigglypuff, why would you want that https://t.co/fhnS5Q6wWD

— Despacito O’Rourke (follow @ShippedMyGame pls) (@jubear720) November 12, 2018

Mostly, though, people are just happy to keep cracking jokes.

The years have not been kind to lounge singer jigglypuff pic.twitter.com/nxtzMkuK54

— Sara Sorrentino (@SaraSorrentino) November 12, 2018

Jigglypuff: "We don't take requests" Someone: "SING AFRICA BY TOTO!" Jigglypuff: pic.twitter.com/No3YLev6pB

— Andrien 🔜 PAX Unplugged (@EscoBlades) November 12, 2018

Oh, Jigglypuff. When did those big eyes lose their sparkle?

WATCH: This grandpa plays Pokemon Go with 11 phones attached to his bike

[wankerwatch]

Commons Vote

On: Social Fund Winter Fuel Payment Regulations 2024 (SI, 2024, No. 869): motion to annul

Ayes: 228 (49.3% Con, 31.7% LD, 4.4% Ind, 4.0% SNP, 2.2% DUP, 2.2% RUK, 1.8% PC, 1.8% Green, 0.9% SDLP, 0.4% Lab, 0.4% APNI, 0.4% UUP, 0.4% TUV) Noes: 348 (100.0% Lab) Absent: ~74

Day's business papers: 2024-09-10

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Conservative (112 votes)

Alan Mak Alberto Costa Alec Shelbrooke Alicia Kearns Alison Griffiths Andrew Bowie Andrew Griffith Andrew Mitchell Andrew Murrison Andrew Snowden Aphra Brandreth Ashley Fox Ben Obese-Jecty Ben Spencer Bernard Jenkin Blake Stephenson Bob Blackman Bradley Thomas Caroline Dinenage Caroline Johnson Charlie Dewhirst Chris Philp Christopher Chope Claire Coutinho Damian Hinds Danny Kruger David Davis David Mundell David Reed David Simmonds Desmond Swayne Edward Argar Edward Leigh Esther McVey Gagan Mohindra Gareth Bacon Gareth Davies Gavin Williamson Geoffrey Clifton-Brown George Freeman Graham Stuart Greg Smith Gregory Stafford Harriet Cross Harriett Baldwin Helen Grant Helen Whately Iain Duncan Smith Jack Rankin James Cartlidge James Cleverly James Wild Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Wright Jerome Mayhew Jesse Norman Joe Robertson John Cooper John Glen John Hayes John Lamont John Whittingdale Joy Morrissey Julia Lopez Julian Lewis Julian Smith Karen Bradley Katie Lam Kemi Badenoch Kevin Hollinrake Kieran Mullan Kit Malthouse Laura Trott Lewis Cocking Lincoln Jopp Luke Evans Mark Francois Mark Garnier Matt Vickers Mel Stride Mike Wood Mims Davies Neil Hudson Neil O'Brien Neil Shastri-Hurst Nick Timothy Nigel Huddleston Oliver Dowden Patrick Spencer Paul Holmes Peter Bedford Peter Fortune Priti Patel Rebecca Paul Rebecca Smith Richard Fuller Richard Holden Rishi Sunak Robbie Moore Robert Jenrick Roger Gale Saqib Bhatti Sarah Bool Shivani Raja Simon Hoare Steve Barclay Stuart Anderson Stuart Andrew Suella Braverman Tom Tugendhat Victoria Atkins Wendy Morton

Liberal Democrat (72 votes)

Adam Dance Al Pinkerton Alex Brewer Alison Bennett Alistair Carmichael Andrew George Angus MacDonald Anna Sabine Ben Maguire Bobby Dean Brian Mathew Calum Miller Cameron Thomas Caroline Voaden Charlie Maynard Charlotte Cane Chris Coghlan Christine Jardine Claire Young Clive Jones Daisy Cooper Danny Chambers David Chadwick Ed Davey Edward Morello Freddie van Mierlo Gideon Amos Helen Maguire Helen Morgan Ian Roome Ian Sollom James MacCleary Jamie Stone Jess Brown-Fuller John Milne Josh Babarinde Joshua Reynolds Layla Moran Lee Dillon Lisa Smart Liz Jarvis Luke Taylor Manuela Perteghella Marie Goldman Martin Wrigley Max Wilkinson Mike Martin Monica Harding Munira Wilson Olly Glover Paul Kohler Pippa Heylings Rachel Gilmour Richard Foord Roz Savage Sarah Dyke Sarah Gibson Sarah Green Sarah Olney Steff Aquarone Steve Darling Susan Murray Tessa Munt Tim Farron Tom Gordon Tom Morrison Victoria Collins Vikki Slade Wendy Chamberlain Wera Hobhouse Will Forster Zöe Franklin

Independent (10 votes)

Adnan Hussain Apsana Begum Ayoub Khan Ian Byrne Iqbal Mohamed Jeremy Corbyn John McDonnell Richard Burgon Shockat Adam Zarah Sultana

Scottish National Party (9 votes)

Brendan O'Hara Chris Law Dave Doogan Graham Leadbitter Kirsty Blackman Pete Wishart Seamus Logan Stephen Flynn Stephen Gethins

Democratic Unionist Party (5 votes)

Carla Lockhart Gavin Robinson Gregory Campbell Jim Shannon Sammy Wilson

Reform UK (5 votes)

James McMurdock Lee Anderson Nigel Farage Richard Tice Rupert Lowe

Plaid Cymru (4 votes)

Ann Davies Ben Lake Liz Saville Roberts Llinos Medi

Green Party (4 votes)

Adrian Ramsay Carla Denyer Ellie Chowns Siân Berry

Social Democratic & Labour Party (2 votes)

Claire Hanna Colum Eastwood

Labour (1 vote)

Jon Trickett

Alliance (1 vote)

Sorcha Eastwood

Ulster Unionist Party (1 vote)

Robin Swann

Traditional Unionist Voice (1 vote)

Jim Allister

Noes

Labour (348 votes)

Abena Oppong-Asare Abtisam Mohamed Adam Jogee Adam Thompson Afzal Khan Al Carns Alan Campbell Alan Gemmell Alan Strickland Alex Baker Alex Ballinger Alex Barros-Curtis Alex Davies-Jones Alex Mayer Alex McIntyre Alex Norris Alex Sobel Alice Macdonald Alison Hume Alison McGovern Alison Taylor Alistair Strathern Allison Gardner Amanda Hack Andrew Cooper Andrew Gwynne Andrew Lewin Andrew Pakes Andrew Ranger Andrew Western Andy MacNae Andy Slaughter Angela Eagle Angela Rayner Anna Dixon Anna Gelderd Anna Turley Anneliese Dodds Anneliese Midgley Antonia Bance Ashley Dalton Baggy Shanker Bambos Charalambous Barry Gardiner Bayo Alaba Becky Gittins Ben Coleman Ben Goldsborough Bill Esterson Blair McDougall Brian Leishman Bridget Phillipson Callum Anderson Calvin Bailey Carolyn Harris Catherine Atkinson Catherine Fookes Catherine McKinnell Catherine West Charlotte Nichols Chi Onwurah Chris Bloore Chris Bryant Chris Curtis Chris Elmore Chris Evans Chris Hinchliff Chris Kane Chris McDonald Chris Murray Chris Vince Chris Ward Claire Hazelgrove Claire Hughes Clive Betts Connor Naismith Connor Rand Damien Egan Dan Aldridge Dan Carden Dan Jarvis Dan Norris Dan Tomlinson Daniel Francis Danny Beales Darren Jones Darren Paffey Dave Robertson David Baines David Burton-Sampson David Lammy David Pinto-Duschinsky David Smith David Taylor David Williams Debbie Abrahams Deirdre Costigan Derek Twigg Douglas Alexander Douglas McAllister Ed Miliband Elaine Stewart Ellie Reeves Emily Darlington Emily Thornberry Emma Foody Emma Hardy Emma Reynolds Fabian Hamilton Feryal Clark Florence Eshalomi Frank McNally Fred Thomas Gareth Snell Gareth Thomas Gen Kitchen Georgia Gould Gerald Jones Gill German Gordon McKee Graeme Downie Graham Stringer Gregor Poynton Gurinder Singh Josan Hamish Falconer Harpreet Uppal Heidi Alexander Helen Hayes Helena Dollimore Henry Tufnell Ian Murray Imogen Walker Irene Campbell Jack Abbott Jacob Collier Jade Botterill Jake Richards James Asser James Frith James Murray James Naish Janet Daby Jas Athwal Jayne Kirkham Jeevun Sandher Jeff Smith Jen Craft Jess Asato Jess Phillips Jessica Morden Jessica Toale Jim Dickson Jim McMahon Jo Platt Jo Stevens Jo White Joani Reid Jodie Gosling Joe Morris Joe Powell Johanna Baxter John Grady John Healey John Slinger John Whitby Jon Pearce Jonathan Brash Jonathan Davies Jonathan Hinder Jonathan Reynolds Josh Dean Josh Fenton-Glynn Josh MacAlister Josh Newbury Josh Simons Julie Minns Juliet Campbell Justin Madders Kanishka Narayan Karin Smyth Karl Turner Kate Dearden Katie White Katrina Murray Keir Mather Keir Starmer Kerry McCarthy Kevin Bonavia Kevin McKenna Kim Leadbeater Kirith Entwistle Kirsteen Sullivan Kirsty McNeill Laura Kyrke-Smith Lauren Edwards Lauren Sullivan Laurence Turner Lee Barron Lee Pitcher Lewis Atkinson Liam Byrne Liam Conlon Lilian Greenwood Lillian Jones Linsey Farnsworth Lisa Nandy Liz Kendall Liz Twist Lizzi Collinge Lloyd Hatton Lola McEvoy Louise Haigh Louise Jones Lucy Powell Lucy Rigby Luke Akehurst Luke Charters Luke Murphy Luke Myer Luke Pollard Margaret Mullane Marie Tidball Mark Ferguson Mark Hendrick Mark Sewards Mark Tami Markus Campbell-Savours Martin McCluskey Martin Rhodes Mary Creagh Mary Glindon Matt Rodda Matt Turmaine Matt Western Matthew Patrick Matthew Pennycook Maureen Burke Maya Ellis Meg Hillier Melanie Onn Melanie Ward Miatta Fahnbulleh Michael Payne Michael Shanks Michael Wheeler Michelle Scrogham Michelle Welsh Mike Amesbury Mike Kane Mike Reader Mike Tapp Natalie Fleet Natasha Irons Navendu Mishra Neil Coyle Nesil Caliskan Nia Griffith Nicholas Dakin Nick Smith Noah Law Oliver Ryan Olivia Bailey Olivia Blake Pam Cox Pamela Nash Pat McFadden Patricia Ferguson Patrick Hurley Paul Davies Paul Foster Paul Waugh Perran Moon Peter Dowd Peter Kyle Peter Lamb Peter Prinsley Peter Swallow Polly Billington Preet Kaur Gill Rachel Blake Rachel Hopkins Rachel Reeves Rachel Taylor Richard Baker Richard Quigley Rosie Wrighting Rupa Huq Rushanara Ali Ruth Cadbury Ruth Jones Sadik Al-Hassan Sally Jameson Sam Carling Sam Rushworth Samantha Dixon

Samantha Niblett Sarah Champion Sarah Coombes Sarah Hall Sarah Jones Sarah Owen Sarah Russell Sarah Sackman Satvir Kaur Scott Arthur Sean Woodcock Seema Malhotra Shabana Mahmood Shaun Davies Simon Lightwood Simon Opher Siobhain McDonagh Sojan Joseph Sonia Kumar Stella Creasy Stephanie Peacock Stephen Kinnock Stephen Morgan Stephen Timms Steve Race Steve Reed Steve Witherden Steve Yemm Sureena Brackenridge Taiwo Owatemi Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Terry Jermy Tim Roca Toby Perkins Tom Collins Tom Hayes Tom Rutland Tony Vaughan Torcuil Crichton Torsten Bell Tracy Gilbert Tristan Osborne Tulip Siddiq Uma Kumaran Valerie Vaz Vicky Foxcroft Warinder Juss Wes Streeting Will Stone Yasmin Qureshi Yuan Yang Yvette Cooper Zubir Ahmed

[othersashas]

What's the spine of a book, if not its nape?

From The Library of Unrequited Love by Sophie Divry; translated from the French by Siân Reynolds.

[wankerwatch]

Commons Vote

On: King's Speech (Motion for an Address): Amendment (d)

Ayes: 103 (63.4% LD, 7.9% SNP, 6.9% Lab, 5.9% Ind, 4.0% DUP, 4.0% Green, 3.0% PC, 2.0% SDLP, 1.0% APNI, 1.0% UUP, 1.0% TUV) Noes: 363 (99.7% Lab, 0.3% Con) Absent: ~184

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Liberal Democrat (64 votes)

Adam Dance Al Pinkerton Alex Brewer Alison Bennett Andrew George Anna Sabine Ben Maguire Bobby Dean Brian Mathew Calum Miller Cameron Thomas Caroline Voaden Charlie Maynard Charlotte Cane Chris Coghlan Christine Jardine Claire Young Clive Jones Daisy Cooper Danny Chambers Ed Davey Edward Morello Freddie van Mierlo Gideon Amos Helen Maguire Ian Roome Ian Sollom James MacCleary Jamie Stone Jess Brown-Fuller John Milne Josh Babarinde Joshua Reynolds Layla Moran Lee Dillon Lisa Smart Liz Jarvis Luke Taylor Manuela Perteghella Marie Goldman Martin Wrigley Max Wilkinson Mike Martin Monica Harding Munira Wilson Olly Glover Paul Kohler Pippa Heylings Rachel Gilmour Roz Savage Sarah Gibson Sarah Green Sarah Olney Steff Aquarone Steve Darling Susan Murray Tessa Munt Tom Gordon Tom Morrison Victoria Collins Wendy Chamberlain Wera Hobhouse Will Forster Zöe Franklin

Scottish National Party (8 votes)

Brendan O'Hara Chris Law Dave Doogan Graham Leadbitter Pete Wishart Seamus Logan Stephen Flynn Stephen Gethins

Labour (7 votes)

Apsana Begum Ian Byrne Imran Hussain John McDonnell Rebecca Long Bailey Richard Burgon Zarah Sultana

Independent (6 votes)

Adnan Hussain Alex Easton Ayoub Khan Iqbal Mohamed Jeremy Corbyn Shockat Adam

Democratic Unionist Party (4 votes)

Carla Lockhart Gavin Robinson Jim Shannon Sammy Wilson

Green Party (4 votes)

Adrian Ramsay Carla Denyer Ellie Chowns Siân Berry

Plaid Cymru (3 votes)

Ann Davies Liz Saville Roberts Llinos Medi

Social Democratic & Labour Party (2 votes)

Claire Hanna Colum Eastwood

Alliance (1 vote)

Sorcha Eastwood

Ulster Unionist Party (1 vote)

Robin Swann

Traditional Unionist Voice (1 vote)

Jim Allister

Noes

Labour (361 votes)

Abena Oppong-Asare Abtisam Mohamed Adam Jogee Adam Thompson Afzal Khan Alan Campbell Alan Gemmell Alan Strickland Alex Baker Alex Ballinger Alex Barros-Curtis Alex Davies-Jones Alex Mayer Alex McIntyre Alex Norris Alice Macdonald Alison Hume Alison McGovern Alison Taylor Alistair Strathern Allison Gardner Amanda Hack Amanda Martin Andrew Cooper Andrew Gwynne Andrew Lewin Andrew Pakes Andrew Ranger Andrew Western Andy MacNae Andy Slaughter Angela Eagle Angela Rayner Anna Dixon Anna Gelderd Anna McMorrin Anna Turley Anneliese Midgley Baggy Shanker Bambos Charalambous Barry Gardiner Bayo Alaba Beccy Cooper Becky Gittins Ben Coleman Ben Goldsborough Bill Esterson Blair McDougall Brian Leishman Bridget Phillipson Callum Anderson Calvin Bailey Carolyn Harris Cat Eccles Cat Smith Catherine Atkinson Catherine Fookes Catherine McKinnell Catherine West Charlotte Nichols Chi Onwurah Chris Bloore Chris Bryant Chris Curtis Chris Elmore Chris Evans Chris Hinchliff Chris Kane Chris McDonald Chris Murray Chris Vince Chris Webb Claire Hazelgrove Claire Hughes Clive Betts Clive Lewis Connor Naismith Connor Rand Damien Egan Dan Aldridge Dan Jarvis Dan Tomlinson Daniel Francis Daniel Zeichner Danny Beales Darren Jones Darren Paffey Dave Robertson David Baines David Burton-Sampson David Pinto-Duschinsky David Smith David Taylor David Williams Dawn Butler Debbie Abrahams Deirdre Costigan Derek Twigg Diana Johnson Douglas Alexander Douglas McAllister Ed Miliband Elaine Stewart Ellie Reeves Elsie Blundell Emily Darlington Emily Thornberry Emma Foody Emma Hardy Emma Lewell-Buck Emma Reynolds Euan Stainbank Feryal Clark Fleur Anderson Florence Eshalomi Frank McNally Gareth Snell Gen Kitchen Georgia Gould Gerald Jones Gill German Gordon McKee Graeme Downie Graham Stringer Grahame Morris Gregor Poynton Gurinder Josan Hamish Falconer Harpreet Uppal Heidi Alexander Helen Hayes Helena Dollimore Henry Tufnell Hilary Benn Ian Murray Imogen Walker Irene Campbell Jack Abbott Jacob Collier Jade Botterill Jake Richards James Asser James Frith James Murray James Naish Janet Daby Jas Athwal Jayne Kirkham Jeevun Sandher Jeff Smith Jen Craft Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Jess Asato Jess Phillips Jessica Morden Jessica Toale Jim Dickson Jim McMahon Jo Platt Jo Stevens Jo White Joani Reid Jodie Gosling Joe Morris Joe Powell Johanna Baxter John Grady John Slinger John Whitby Jon Pearce Jonathan Brash Jonathan Davies Jonathan Hinder Jonathan Reynolds Josh Dean Josh Fenton-Glynn Josh MacAlister Josh Newbury Josh Simons Julia Buckley Julie Minns Juliet Campbell Justin Madders Kanishka Narayan Karin Smyth Karl Turner Kate Dearden Kate Osamor Kate Osborne Katie White Keir Mather Kenneth Stevenson Kerry McCarthy Kevin Bonavia Kevin McKenna Kim Leadbeater Kirith Entwistle Kirsteen Sullivan Kirsty McNeill Laura Kyrke-Smith Lauren Edwards Lauren Sullivan Lee Barron Lee Pitcher Leigh Ingham Lewis Atkinson Liam Byrne Liam Conlon Lilian Greenwood Lillian Jones Linsey Farnsworth Lisa Nandy Liz Kendall Liz Twist Lizzi Collinge Lloyd Hatton Lola McEvoy Lorraine Beavers Louise Haigh Louise Jones Lucy Powell Lucy Rigby Luke Akehurst Luke Charters Luke Murphy Luke Myer Luke Pollard Margaret Mullane Maria Eagle Marie Rimmer Marie Tidball Mark Ferguson Mark Hendrick Mark Sewards Mark Tami Markus Campbell-Savours Marsha De Cordova Martin McCluskey Martin Rhodes Mary Creagh Mary Glindon Matt Bishop Matt Rodda Matt Turmaine Matt Western Matthew Patrick Matthew Pennycook Maureen Burke Maya Ellis Meg Hillier Melanie Onn Melanie Ward Miatta Fahnbulleh Michael Payne Michael Shanks Michael Wheeler Michelle Welsh Mike Amesbury Mike Kane Mike Reader Mike Tapp Mohammad Yasin Natalie Fleet Natasha Irons Naushabah Khan Naz Shah Neil Coyle Neil Duncan-Jordan Nesil Caliskan Nicholas Dakin Nick Smith Nick Thomas-Symonds Oliver Ryan Olivia Bailey Olivia Blake Pam Cox Pamela Nash Pat McFadden Patricia Ferguson Patrick Hurley Paul Foster Paul Waugh Paula Barker Paulette Hamilton Perran Moon Peter Dowd Peter Kyle Peter Lamb Peter Prinsley Peter Swallow Phil Brickell Polly Billington Preet Kaur Gill

Rachael Maskell Rachel Blake Rachel Hopkins Rachel Taylor Richard Baker Richard Quigley Rupa Huq Rushanara Ali Ruth Cadbury Ruth Jones Sadik Al-Hassan Sally Jameson Sam Carling Sam Rushworth Samantha Dixon Samantha Niblett Sarah Champion Sarah Coombes Sarah Edwards Sarah Hall Sarah Russell Sarah Sackman Sarah Smith Satvir Kaur Scott Arthur Sean Woodcock Seema Malhotra Shabana Mahmood Sharon Hodgson Shaun Davies Simon Lightwood Simon Opher Sojan Joseph Sonia Kumar Stella Creasy Stephanie Peacock Stephen Doughty Stephen Morgan Stephen Timms Steve Race Steve Reed Steve Witherden Steve Yemm Sureena Brackenridge Tahir Ali Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Terry Jermy Tim Roca Toby Perkins Tom Collins Tom Hayes Tom Rutland Tonia Antoniazzi Tony Vaughan Torcuil Crichton Torsten Bell Tracy Gilbert Tristan Osborne Tulip Siddiq Uma Kumaran Valerie Vaz Vicky Foxcroft Warinder Juss Wes Streeting Will Stone Yuan Yang Yvette Cooper Zubir Ahmed

Conservative (1 vote)

John Hayes

[wankerwatch]

Commons Vote

On: King's Speech (Motion for an Address): Amendment (k)

Ayes: 85 (75.0% LD, 6.0% Ind, 6.0% RUK, 4.8% PC, 4.8% Green, 2.4% SDLP, 1.2% APNI) Noes: 382 (97.9% Lab, 1.0% DUP, 0.3% SDLP, 0.3% Ind, 0.3% UUP, 0.3% TUV) Absent: ~183

Individual Votes:

Ayes

Liberal Democrat (63 votes)

Adam Dance Al Pinkerton Alex Brewer Alison Bennett Andrew George Anna Sabine Ben Maguire Bobby Dean Brian Mathew Calum Miller Cameron Thomas Caroline Voaden Charlie Maynard Charlotte Cane Chris Coghlan Christine Jardine Claire Young Clive Jones Daisy Cooper Danny Chambers Ed Davey Edward Morello Freddie van Mierlo Gideon Amos Helen Maguire Ian Roome Ian Sollom James MacCleary Jess Brown-Fuller John Milne Josh Babarinde Joshua Reynolds Layla Moran Lee Dillon Lisa Smart Liz Jarvis Luke Taylor Manuela Perteghella Marie Goldman Martin Wrigley Max Wilkinson Mike Martin Monica Harding Olly Glover Paul Kohler Pippa Heylings Rachel Gilmour Richard Foord Roz Savage Sarah Dyke Sarah Gibson Sarah Green Sarah Olney Steff Aquarone Steve Darling Susan Murray Tessa Munt Tom Gordon Tom Morrison Victoria Collins Wera Hobhouse Will Forster Zöe Franklin

Independent (5 votes)

Adnan Hussain Ayoub Khan Iqbal Mohamed Jeremy Corbyn Shockat Adam

Reform UK (5 votes)

James McMurdock Lee Anderson Nigel Farage Richard Tice Rupert Lowe

Plaid Cymru (4 votes)

Ann Davies Ben Lake Liz Saville Roberts Llinos Medi

Green Party (4 votes)

Adrian Ramsay Carla Denyer Ellie Chowns Siân Berry

Social Democratic & Labour Party (2 votes)

Claire Hanna Colum Eastwood

Alliance (1 vote)

Sorcha Eastwood

Noes

Labour (373 votes)

Abena Oppong-Asare Abtisam Mohamed Adam Jogee Adam Thompson Afzal Khan Alan Campbell Alan Gemmell Alan Strickland Alex Baker Alex Ballinger Alex Barros-Curtis Alex Davies-Jones Alex Mayer Alex McIntyre Alex Norris Alice Macdonald Alison Hume Alison McGovern Alison Taylor Alistair Strathern Allison Gardner Amanda Hack Amanda Martin Andrew Cooper Andrew Gwynne Andrew Lewin Andrew Pakes Andrew Ranger Andrew Western Andy MacNae Andy Slaughter Angela Eagle Angela Rayner Anna Dixon Anna Gelderd Anna McMorrin Anna Turley Anneliese Midgley Apsana Begum Baggy Shanker Bambos Charalambous Barry Gardiner Bayo Alaba Beccy Cooper Becky Gittins Bell Ribeiro-Addy Ben Coleman Ben Goldsborough Bill Esterson Blair McDougall Brian Leishman Bridget Phillipson Callum Anderson Calvin Bailey Carolyn Harris Cat Eccles Cat Smith Catherine Atkinson Catherine Fookes Catherine McKinnell Catherine West Charlotte Nichols Chi Onwurah Chris Bloore Chris Bryant Chris Curtis Chris Elmore Chris Evans Chris Hinchliff Chris Kane Chris McDonald Chris Murray Chris Vince Chris Webb Claire Hazelgrove Claire Hughes Clive Betts Clive Lewis Connor Naismith Connor Rand Damien Egan Dan Aldridge Dan Jarvis Dan Tomlinson Daniel Francis Daniel Zeichner Danny Beales Darren Jones Darren Paffey Dave Robertson David Baines David Burton-Sampson David Pinto-Duschinsky David Smith David Taylor David Williams Dawn Butler Debbie Abrahams Deirdre Costigan Derek Twigg Diana Johnson Douglas Alexander Douglas McAllister Ed Miliband Elaine Stewart Ellie Reeves Elsie Blundell Emily Darlington Emily Thornberry Emma Foody Emma Hardy Emma Lewell-Buck Emma Reynolds Euan Stainbank Feryal Clark Fleur Anderson Florence Eshalomi Frank McNally Gareth Snell Gen Kitchen Georgia Gould Gerald Jones Gill German Gordon McKee Graeme Downie Graham Stringer Grahame Morris Gregor Poynton Gurinder Josan Hamish Falconer Harpreet Uppal Heidi Alexander Helen Hayes Helena Dollimore Henry Tufnell Hilary Benn Ian Byrne Ian Lavery Ian Murray Imogen Walker Imran Hussain Irene Campbell Jack Abbott Jacob Collier Jade Botterill Jake Richards James Asser James Frith James Murray James Naish Janet Daby Jas Athwal Jayne Kirkham Jeevun Sandher Jeff Smith Jen Craft Jenny Riddell-Carpenter Jess Asato Jess Phillips Jessica Morden Jessica Toale Jim Dickson Jim McMahon Jo Platt Jo Stevens Jo White Joani Reid Jodie Gosling Joe Morris Joe Powell Johanna Baxter John Grady John McDonnell John Slinger John Whitby Jon Pearce Jon Trickett Jonathan Brash Jonathan Davies Jonathan Hinder Jonathan Reynolds Josh Dean Josh Fenton-Glynn Josh MacAlister Josh Newbury Josh Simons Julia Buckley Julie Minns Juliet Campbell Justin Madders Kanishka Narayan Karin Smyth Karl Turner Kate Dearden Kate Osamor Kate Osborne Katie White Keir Mather Kenneth Stevenson Kerry McCarthy Kevin Bonavia Kevin McKenna Kim Johnson Kim Leadbeater Kirith Entwistle Kirsteen Sullivan Kirsty McNeill Laura Kyrke-Smith Lauren Edwards Lauren Sullivan Lee Barron Lee Pitcher Leigh Ingham Lewis Atkinson Liam Byrne Liam Conlon Lilian Greenwood Lillian Jones Linsey Farnsworth Lisa Nandy Liz Kendall Liz Twist Lizzi Collinge Lloyd Hatton Lola McEvoy Lorraine Beavers Louise Haigh Louise Jones Lucy Powell Lucy Rigby Luke Akehurst Luke Charters Luke Murphy Luke Myer Luke Pollard Margaret Mullane Maria Eagle Marie Rimmer Marie Tidball Mark Ferguson Mark Hendrick Mark Sewards Mark Tami Markus Campbell-Savours Marsha De Cordova Martin McCluskey Martin Rhodes Mary Creagh Mary Glindon Matt Bishop Matt Rodda Matt Turmaine Matt Western Matthew Patrick Matthew Pennycook Maureen Burke Maya Ellis Meg Hillier Melanie Onn Melanie Ward Miatta Fahnbulleh Michael Payne Michael Shanks Michael Wheeler Michelle Welsh Mike Amesbury Mike Kane Mike Reader Mike Tapp Mohammad Yasin Nadia Whittome Natalie Fleet Natasha Irons Naushabah Khan Naz Shah Neil Coyle Neil Duncan-Jordan Nicholas Dakin Nick Smith Nick Thomas-Symonds Noah Law Oliver Ryan Olivia Bailey Olivia Blake Pam Cox Pamela Nash Pat McFadden Patricia Ferguson Patrick Hurley Paul Foster Paul Waugh Paula Barker Paulette Hamilton Perran Moon

Peter Dowd Peter Kyle Peter Lamb Peter Prinsley Peter Swallow Phil Brickell Polly Billington Preet Kaur Gill Rachael Maskell Rachel Blake Rachel Hopkins Rachel Taylor Rebecca Long Bailey Richard Baker Richard Burgon Richard Quigley Rupa Huq Rushanara Ali Ruth Cadbury Ruth Jones Sadik Al-Hassan Sally Jameson Sam Carling Sam Rushworth Samantha Dixon Samantha Niblett Sarah Champion Sarah Coombes Sarah Edwards Sarah Hall Sarah Russell Sarah Sackman Sarah Smith Satvir Kaur Scott Arthur Sean Woodcock Seema Malhotra Shabana Mahmood Sharon Hodgson Shaun Davies Simon Lightwood Simon Opher Sojan Joseph Sonia Kumar Stella Creasy Stephanie Peacock Stephen Doughty Stephen Morgan Stephen Timms Steve Race Steve Reed Steve Witherden Steve Yemm Sureena Brackenridge Tahir Ali Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi Terry Jermy Tim Roca Toby Perkins Tom Collins Tom Hayes Tom Rutland Tonia Antoniazzi Tony Vaughan Torcuil Crichton Torsten Bell Tracy Gilbert Tristan Osborne Tulip Siddiq Uma Kumaran Valerie Vaz Vicky Foxcroft Warinder Juss Wes Streeting Will Stone Yuan Yang Yvette Cooper Zarah Sultana Zubir Ahmed

Democratic Unionist Party (4 votes)

Carla Lockhart Gavin Robinson Jim Shannon Sammy Wilson

Social Democratic & Labour Party (1 vote)

Colum Eastwood

Independent (1 vote)

Alex Easton

Ulster Unionist Party (1 vote)

Robin Swann

Traditional Unionist Voice (1 vote)

Jim Allister

[cymdeithasceredigion]

CYMDEITHAS CEREDIGION: CYFARFOD TACHWEDD

Cafodd aelodau dyfal Cymdeithas Ceredigion adloniant dwbl wrth fentro mas ar noson wyllt a glawog. Siaradodd Daniel Davies, yr awdur treiddgar a chrafog o Lanarth,  am y traddodiad llenyddol digrif yng Ngheredigion ac yn enwedig am gyfraniad Idwal Jones, Llambed (1895 -1937) ato.  Dyfynnwyd yn helaeth o waith Idwal Jones yn enwedig o’i gerddi digrif i ddangos pa mor dalentog ydoedd yn hyn o beth. Olrheiniwyd ei ddylanwad ar lenorion comig diweddarach o Geredigion megis Jacob Davies ac Eirwyn Pont-siân. Mwynhaodd y gynulleidfa’r sgwrs.  Yn y sesiwn holi wedyn datblygwyd trafodaeth frwd ac ehangach am wendidau’r traddodiad digrif yn llenyddiaeth Gymraeg yn gyffredinol gan esgor ar bynciau megis pam nad oedd awdl, gwirioneddol lon ei chywair, erioed wedi ennill y Gadair yn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol. 

Cawsom ragor o hwyl wedyn wrth i’r casgliad o farddoniaeth, Cerddi Dydd Mercher, gael ei lansio. Lluniwyd y cerddi gan fynychwyr dosbarth wythnosol y Prifardd Idris Reynolds, golygydd y llyfr, dros y blynyddoedd. Wrth farnu ar sail y cerddi a adroddwyd gan aelodau o’r dosbarth yn ystod y lansiad nid oedd y traddodiad digrif, o leiaf yno, mor farwaidd â hynny wedi’r cwbwl! Rhoddir yr elw o’r llyfr i goffrau’r Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2020 yn Nhregaron. 

[othersashas]

Reading is already an act of weakness.

From The Library of Unrequited Love by Sophie Divry; translated from the French by Siân Reynolds.