Responding to a Pass notes article, Michael Meadowcroft writes on how a bad bivalve changed political history in the early 20th centuryThe article on oysters (The £1 oyster: cut-price shellfish is all the rage – but is eating it advisable?, 27 October)( brought to mind the significant role that a single oyster played historically in the decline of the Liberal party.In December 1914, Percy Illingworth, the universally respected Liberal chief whip, ate what turned out to be a bad oyster and died soon after from typhoid, aged only 45. Continue reading...
Friday 31 October 2025
theguardian - 17 hours ago
How one bad oyster did for the Liberal party | Letter
Latest News
Win Butler and Régine Chassagne of Arcade Fire announce separation – but band will continue
- theguardian Trump is toying with a third term. Don’t expect the constitution to stop him | Moira Donegan
- theguardian Horror movies have an ableism problem. Isn’t it time we found new ‘monsters’? | Kathryn Bromwich
- theguardian Ukraine reports fresh Russian attacks amid reports Moscow used ‘secret’ missile in recent months – Europe live
- theguardian The nature extinction crisis is mirrored by one in our own bodies. Both have huge implications for health
- theguardian Alpha Maid: Is This a Queue review – Mica Levi collaborator pairs scuffed production with superb songwriting
- theguardian Snocaps: Snocaps review – Katie and Allison Crutchfield reunite with a little help from MJ Lenderman
- theguardian UK housing market ‘resilient’ in O Asian stocks mixed after bumper tech earnings – business live
- theguardian Having a ball-player is important but England also need a bit of beef, and that’s Freeman | Ugo Monye
- theguardian Standing on their own: Cricket World Cup highlights drive to reclaim public space for Indian women | Emma John
- theguardian Lily Allen’s new album shows the pain behind the ‘cool girl’ myth – that’s why women are obsessed with it | Gaby Hinsliff
- theguardian ‘I’ve played a lot of sneery bastards’: Roger Allam on bad singing, big paydays and Elgar’s level of ‘gitacity’
- theguardian The Royal formerly known as Prince : UK newspapers react to the removal of Andrew s title
- thejournal ‘You don’t have to hurtle down slopes or dance like crazy at après parties’: readers’ favourite winter mountain holidays in Europe
- theguardian What would you do if democracy was being dismantled before your eyes? Whatever you’re doing right now | Andy Beckett
- theguardian ‘We stick two fingers up at Henry VIII’: can the riotous all-Japanese Six out-Tudor-queen the original?
- theguardian Head of UK government’s anti-Islamophobia partner ‘refused service in shop for being Muslim’
- theguardian ‘The nuns were convinced they were possessed by demons’: goth and metal stars select the scariest music ever made
- theguardian Ukraine war briefing: British ex-soldier arrested in Kyiv and accused of spying for Russia
- theguardian Florence + the Machine: Everybody Scream review – alt-rock survivor surveys her kingdom with swagger
- theguardian Paint me cool: scientists reveal roof coating that can reduce surface temperatures up to 6C on hot days
- theguardian Family should be allowed home to Kerry after being moved 140km away, community leaders say
- thejournal ‘You got some pants on, officer?’: video from Detroit virtual court hearing goes viral
- theguardian Ciaran Whelan Shares Brutal Moment That Summed Up Pain Of Missing Out On Dublin s 2011 Triumph
- balls Billie Eilish accepts award from Wall Street Journal and tells billionaires: Give your money away
- thejournal The Guardian view on deprived neighbourhoods: incomes as well as places need a boost | Editorial
- theguardian The Guardian view on Trump and China: stepping back from the brink, but not solving problems | Editorial
- theguardian Cairn Homes submits revised planning permission with fewer apartments for RTÉ Montrose site
- thejournal Trump administration to cap number of refugees at 7,500 and prioritise white South Africans
- thejournal
Jimmy Carr’s Am I the A**hole? review – the idea for this comedy panel show is one of TV’s laziest
- theguardian‘Dangerously outdated’: high court overturns ruling implying domestic violence would not affect children
- theguardian‘A good moment in time for us’: Firefox head on AI browsers and what’s next for the web
- theguardianBallymun attack leaves man in serious condition as Gardaí urge public not to share video
- thejournalInside Áras an Uachtaráin: Here s a look at where Catherine Connolly will soon call home
- thejournalChainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review – gore-soaked demonic anime squats in the manopshere
- theguardianRukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for beetroot, apple and feta fritters | Quick and easy
- theguardianWhy young women are having facelifts: ‘I couldn’t even open my eyes. That’s how swollen I was’
- theguardian‘DeepSeek is humane. Doctors are more like machines’: my mother’s worrying reliance on AI for health advice
- theguardian‘A medical miracle’: is period blood ‘the most overlooked opportunity’ in women’s health?
- theguardian
‘It’s dark in the US right now. But I turn on a light, you know?’: Mavis Staples on Prince, Martin Luther King and her 75-year singing career
- theguardian The Last Call: Despite The Heartbreak, Niall Quinn Had Incredible Perspective On Final Ireland Cap
- balls Palestinian journalist in Ireland: My brother returned to our home in Gaza. He found a ghost city.
- thejournal Lebanese president orders army to confront Israeli soldiers after municipal worker killed in raid
- theguardian Doctor Who lives on! But who will be the new Time Lord – and is it goodbye to Russell T Davies?
- theguardian No 10 refuses to say it has seen evidence to show Reeves did not break ministerial code
- theguardian How do I break up with a kind and generous man who leaves me feeling cold and irritated? | Leading questions
- theguardian Wexford woman who faked her own death in “deliberate scheme” to avoid trial is jailed for three years
- thejournal ‘Tom Cruise was not happy’: Colin Farrell was so drunk on Minority Report he needed 46 takes for a single line
- theguardian The luxury effect: why you’ll find more wildlife in wealthy areas – and what it means for your health
- theguardian ‘We are both freedom fighters’: Africa exhibition at war-damaged Kyiv gallery strikes a chord
- theguardian ‘She called me a silly boy! Lovely lady!’ Your most beloved memories of Prunella Scales
- theguardian German dentists hold memorial recognising sadistic practices of profession under Nazis
- theguardian A single match cost me thousands of dollars at 2026’s World Cup of the 1% | Leander Schaerlaeckens
- theguardian Irish rail works to impact Heuston routes and and Dun Laoghaire to Greystones this weekend
- thejournal This isn’t a real ceasefire in Gaza – it’s a holding pattern before war returns | Sanam Vakil
- theguardian Is it OK to talk at the cinema? How about if it’s just during the trailers? | Polly Hudson
- theguardian Russian army chiefs torturing and executing soldiers who refuse to fight in Ukraine, report says
- theguardian When the rains don’t come: how drought and endless dry seasons are changing life in Puntland – in pictures
- theguardian Halloween is no ungodly American import – just ask the medieval monks and nuns who marketed it | Michael Carter
- theguardian Wife of British journalist ‘abducted by ICE’ speaks out: ‘We’re being kept in the dark’
- theguardian Arts organisations still in ‘funding limbo’ after crash of Arts Council England online portal
- theguardian Tories call for Reeves to quit after breaking home rental rules but PM rules out investigation – UK politics live
- theguardian Dutch election results: far-right and centrist parties in tight race to top as vote count continues – Europe live
- theguardian Trey Lance has cost $7m per start. Is there any hope of reclaiming a once hyped prospect?
- theguardian Shell’s profits surpass $43bn after production hits new highs in Brazil and Gulf of Mexico
- theguardian ‘Bats out for Benny’: teenager killed by cricket ball honoured amid debate over neck guards
- theguardian ‘The town is devastated’: the mayor picking up the pieces at Hurricane Melissa’s ‘ground zero’
- theguardian Wet and windy day ahead, with Status Yellow warnings for six counties set to take effect
- thejournal Choreographer Sharon Eyal: ‘I don’t like it when a dancer is comfortable – I want to see the struggle’
- theguardian Sources