The Electric Pitchfork

The Shady Origins of Fine Gael written by  Barney Doherty   June 25, 2018 Leo Varadkar wants to portray Fine Gael as the face of liberalism in Irish politics. But as Barney Doherty explains, he would rather you didn’t know about his party’s shady origins on the far-right of the political spectrum. Fine Gael’s new leadership have invested heavily trying to rebrand as the liberal face of Irish politics. The calculation—formulated by Leo Varadkar and his team of well-paid spin doctors—is that Fine Gael must now present itself as a modern and compassionate party, in order to better align with changing opinions in society, particularly amongst young people. This makeover was most obvious during the Repeal referendum, and in Varadkar’s subsequent push for further changes to the constitution—with Fine Gael rushing to catch-up with the mass protests for Repeal, suddenly discovering it’s sequestered liberalism after years of obstructing women’s rights. This about turn...

OBITUARY Peter Wilmot-Sitwell obituary Self-deprecating gentleman banker and international fencer whose clipped Eton-and-Oxford tones once held sway in the City June 28 2018, 12:01am,  The Times Peter Wilmot-Sitwell with his Jack Russells Zara and Zucci near Port Quin in Cornwall On the first weekend of 1974, Peter Wilmot-Sitwell was shooting with the royal family at Sandringham. Shares had fallen to their lowest for 20 years as a sudden rise in the oil price dislocated the British economy, generating real fears for the future of capitalism. The Queen Mother, one of Wilmot-Sitwell’s stockbroking clients, asked his opinion of the economic climate. With his customary understatement, he said: “Worrying.” At lunch on the Sunday, the Queen Mother announced that she had prayed in church that morning for an “improvement” in the stock market. Despite the royal intervention, shares fell again the next day. For Wilmot-Sitwell, as for many other upper-class...

Photography special: how single dads celebrate Father’s Day, and the footballer Rio Ferdinand on losing his wife The photographer Harry Borden pays tribute to single fathers who raise their children alone The Sunday Times,  June 17 2018 Rick Tune and his daughter, Holly The year that followed my divorce was the most difficult of my life. Overwhelmed by panic, despair and confusion, the hardest thing for me was the possibility of it having a corrosive effect on my children. However, through acceptance, forgiveness and love, my ex and I found a way to celebrate our time together and truly become friends. Although involved in my children’s lives, I am not their main carer — this project aims to celebrate the men who are. My intention is to stage an exhibition and ultimately produce a book. If you’re a single dad and interested in being photographed, please get in touch at  harry@harryborden.com . Rick Tune and his daughter, Holly, 4  (main image) ...

DRIVING Jeremy Clarkson  The Clarkson Review: Mini 1499 GT Lads, let’s leave it in the Italian sewers The Sunday Times,  June 17 2018,  When the Mini 1499 GT arrived at my office with its snazzy stripes, big black wheels and John Player Special Union Jack door mirrors, I was very excited. I knew nothing about what BMW had done to create this tremendous-looking car; only that it was tickling the small boy that still lives in my creaking outer shell of fat and hopelessness. Plainly this car had been designed to hark back to the old Mini 1275 GT, which was not well received by the pipe-smoking motoring helmsmen of the time. They didn’t like the single carburettor that was being used to feed the engine, whereas back then I didn’t know what a single carburettor was. I just liked the way it looked. And I’d always liked  Minis because of how well they handled the sewers of Turin. Yes, the Cooper was probably a better car, because it had al...

EUROPE Europe’s secret villages: holidays without the hordes Even in the busiest regions, there’s always a quiet corner the tourists haven’t found. From Provence to the Greek islands, Julia Buckley finds seven spots you won’t have to share On top of the world: the medieval village of Sorano, Tuscany GETTY The Sunday Times,  June 17 2018 Sorano, Tuscany Flirting with Lazio across the unmarked border, and an hour south of the Val d’Orcia — textbook Tuscany — are the hilltop towns of the Maremma. They are as impressive as Pienza and Montepulciano, only without the crowds, pecorino shops and overzealous restoration projects. Pretty Pitigliano gets some visitors, but Sorano is blissfully spared. That means you’ll have a fortified medieval town tottering along a limestone outcrop, with canyons gnawing through the tufa stone below, pretty much to yourself. Life here revolves around the Fortezza Orsini — a 14th-century fortress equipped with grain mills to wait ...