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jamesofwalsh

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  • In the belly of the beast

    Armed police. Checkpoints. Barriers everywhere. The security for Conservative Party Conference is, if unused to how the elites cocoon themselves, overwhelming. It’s not quite the Green Zone. Protestors are allowed to make their presence felt, which means these windswept plazas echo with the sound of the Benny Hill theme tune. Whether you’re here representing a… Read more

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  • Brighton to Lewes

    “Sorry, this has been ordered for the Lewes Argos, not the Lewes Road Argos”. Oh. “Don’t worry, happens all the time.” Down the Sainsbury’s travelator I travellated, weighing up this sudden necessity to cycle to Lewes. It’s not a pretty or fun journey, at any point. The Lewes Road has a cycle lane – good.… Read more

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  • Cycling London to Edinburgh: Fringe or bust (part one)

    Day 1: London Victoria to Market Harborough Travelodge London is a difficult place to escape. It always takes longer than you expect. Ian Nairn drove out of London on the Edgware Road, on his way to being charmed by Northampton, horrified by the M1, and bemused by urban clearance on the edge of Man For… Read more

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  • Balfron Tower: then and now

    A short, insomniac post from me, on this grey Wednesday morning, to note that flats for the refurbished Balfron Tower are finally on sale. Oliver Wainwright has all the grim details here. And here’s what I wrote about it back in 2015. And on a related, entertaining-timing note, here is an investigation into the landlord… Read more

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  • Horse Passports at Extra Topping

    “Wow, so we’ve both changed our names since we last performed together.” Not quite, Selena Mersey, fabulous musical comedian and stage name of the lovely Hel MacCormack. What had actually happened was: on Friday evening myself, Paul Creasy and Nadine Bailey made our debut performance as Horse Passports, a sketch comedy trio from the Next… Read more

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  • Maybe semi is pushing it

    I’m a semi-professional pet sitter. Every so often I pack up my more useful possessions, go to some London dwelling, and spend a week or two pottering around, as though I could afford to live there.[1] I’m quite proud of my 100% pets not dying on my watch record. Not all pet sitters can say… Read more

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  • Ramen 2013

    In a ramen restaurant near Tottenham Court Road, with Bella.  Nine years before. In a Korean restaurant a few metres away, now long demolished for Crossrail. I don’t remember what we talked about but I remember how I felt. This has been a summer of hauntology. A job cycling around London, memories bursting from every… Read more

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  • I’ve started writing regularly about comedy for the Morning Star. Back in the day I had a culture column for them, writing about everything from books to video games. I seem to remember having a very earnest byline photo and a pun-based column title – “Culture Matters”, I believe. I remember being super pleased when… Read more

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  • Cycling up Ditchling Beacon

    “Be careful”. Usually I ignore it. But this time, I bite: “Do you say that to all your friends heading out, or just the ones cycling? Do you like my new cycle cap?” “Why a cap and not a helmet?” Cyclists like me head out on their rides knowing that if someone in a few… Read more

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  • Next Level Sketch with Daniel Willis and Just These Please

    I can’t take too much credit for this one. Distracted by writing and learning a song to perform at my sister’s impending wedding, approximately 95% of the organisation, preparation and planning was done by my fabulous co-producers Paul Creasy and Nadine Bailey, pictured here, as everyone should be, on the far left. I had also… Read more

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