Simon Briercliffe

I had no idea as a kid that The Flintstones was a parody of The Honeymooners, or that Top Cat was parodying the Phil Silvers Shows. Were there any others?

Cold Comfort Farm is a parody of long-forgotten Victorian melodramatists like Mary Webb. Obviously this has been going on for a while!

My book on the history of British South Asian political activism is out this September!

Available to pre-order now from all good bookshops and online.

Definitely all over the West mids...

Photo from the early 1970s of a man on horseback negotiating the Birmingham inner ring road at Holloway Head

I’m searching for the original and/or rights owner of this fabulous picture of Birmingham in the early 1970s. It popped up on my Instagram feed, but I’ve been unable to track it down.

Any leads? I’m really hoping to use it in a book.

(And would much appreciate a RT please)

Very legit

Just wanting to relive the fever dream over and over?

You can either suspend all cynicism or treat it as a historical source, there's no middle ground.

I'm jealous of anyone getting to watch Highlander for the first time in 2026.

Walsall – Cannock Walk from the centre of Walsall into former mining country along the McClean Way greenway, and across the remarkable surivivals that are Pelsall and Pelsall North Common, before crossing the Staffo…

This week's new walking route is:

Walsall - Cannock

9.8 miles via Pelsall's two commons, Pelsall Common and Pelsall North Common, exceptionally rare survivals of common land on the edge of West Midlands county

Check it out👇

walkmidlands.co.uk/2026/03/05/w...

Ooh would love to know more, thank you!

Finally getting round to a talk on these with my linguist pal Esther Asprey, at University of Birmingham next Weds. Still keen to hear any thoughts about this kind of source!

They're generally very apolitical, but occasionally a bit creeps through. I really like "Not you Mosely, sit down."

Finally getting round to a talk on these with my linguist pal Esther Asprey, at University of Birmingham next Weds. Still keen to hear any thoughts about this kind of source!

They're generally very apolitical, but occasionally a bit creeps through. I really like "Not you Mosely, sit down."

People like Goodwin hate Britain. They want to drag it to antiquity because a backwards, discriminatory society is the only society they can thrive in. Without discrimination and disadvantage for others, they are nobodies

'It takes more then a piece of paper to make someone British' well yes it does. It takes years and years, lengthty piss taking application forms, a test, qualifications, employment and £££££££. What did Goodwin do other than be born here?

Fully in favour. I used to work admin on a golf management degree and can confirm that golfers are the worst.

Green area with green sign stating "no golf"

I'm hoping for an upcoming chapter specifically on "no golf" signs

Dr. Kwoba will be in Birmingham to give a talk about this important book on 16 March.

Free to attend. All welcome!

A large, decorated house with a garden and path in front. A small black dog is playing in the puddles.

Maude playing in the puddles at Gregynog.

Black and white photo of young people in a protest crowd in West Bromwich, 1979 Young black man in the centre with a short afro with bleach streaks is holding a large sign on a long stick which reads "NO TO NAZIS IN WEST BROMWICH 28 APRIL 4PM HARDWARE ST MASS PICKET OF NF" (National Front) Young white man with close cropped hair has his arm protectively around the sign holder and a defiant grimace on his face Anti-Nazi Demo, West Bromwich, 1979. Photo © Virginia Turbett, all rights reserved https://britishculturearchive.co.uk/virginia-turbett-uk-protests-1970s/

British Culture: Anti-Nazi Demo, West Bromwich, 1979.

Photo © Virginia Turbett

via @britcultarchive.bsky.social
britishculturearchive.co.uk/archive-gall...

Not to mention you could subtract all the Workers Party votes from 2024 and the Greens would still have won, and Labour still have come third.

This feels like implied racism to me. He knows that Galloway has polled high with Muslim voters in the past, so he's insinuating it's their fault. Grossly entitled too, but talk about dividing and encouraging sectarianism...

I suppose you Could consider the Greens “divisive“ in that they’re the only major party not buying in to the establishment’s normalisation of right wing bigotry and hypercapitalism

a lonely Matt Goodwin texting on his phone

‘hi, grandma? can u come pick me up from my rap battle? it's over. no, i lost. he saw u drop me off & did a pretty devastating rhyme about it’

We had it donated along with umpteen variations of retrospectives of George V, mostly in gold.

A book cover, 'These Tremendous Years'

A photo of a book page, showing Princess Margaret Rose and The Cecil Demolished

Photo of a book page showing The Year Of The Flapper Vote

A photo of a book page showing the Zinoviev Letter

Think I've found the most @tricksterprince.bsky.social -coded book ever.

These will keep on coming to me, but my instinctive reaction is "Over to Arnie Pie with Arnie In The Sky"

"An introduction to Dudley Canal and Caverns". A talk focusing on the canal network within Dudley, its heritage and its industry. Presented by Rhi Edwards, Programme and Events Manager at DCTT.
Dudley Canal and Caverns, Wednesday 25th February at 7.30pm.

oh yeah, how much did that cost you?

We called our garage a carhold.