Defending the 12th century since the 14th; blogging since the 21st.

Catholicism, Conservatism, the Middle Ages, Opera, and Historical and Literary Objets d'Art blogged by a suburban dad who teaches law and writes stuff.


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Who was Cacciaguida? See Dante's PARADISO, Cantos XV, XVI, & XVII.


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Models for Umbridge? A Daily Telegraph columnist, interviewing Imelda "Umbridge" Staunton says:

Staunton's performance, in which, tight-mouthed, apple-cheeked and clad in pink, she smiles sweetly as she makes dull ministerial announcements, or burns detention lines into the hands of miscreant pupils, reminded me of nothing so much as a certain vintage of female Blairite politicians - Hazel Blears, Margaret Hodge et al - whose dedication to the righteousness of their leader's cause has etched a permanent smug grin upon their faces.

Staunton is from good Old Labour stock (she went on the anti-war demonstration); did this new breed of Labour enforcer influence her performance?

And Staunton partially concedes:

'Well, she's written that, and the whole thing about the children not being allowed to use spells - just read about them - the whole bloody health-and-safety aspect of our world today, which is so terrible for children, you know, "Don't touch it, don't move it, don't have any experience because I'm telling you what to think." It's just yuck.'

Emphasis added. Good for you, Ms. Staunton.

posted by Cacciaguida at 12:27 PM