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  Politics

  Evening Standard

  George Osborne: Ignore the blockheads, as lockdown lifts there are reasons to be cheerful

  When Ian Dury and the Blockheads released Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3 on July 20 1979, they gave the nation 39 things to smile about: from equal voting rights and a cure for smallpox to Elvis, claret and sex.The dire state of the economy at the time and the recent election of a Conservative government somehow didn’t make the cut. On July 8 2020, this Wednesday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak will be announcing his own list of measures to make people happy.

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  Entertainment

  The Guardian

  The 100 greatest UK No 1s: No 18, Ian Dury and the Blockheads – Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick

  The 100 greatest UK No 1s: No 18, Ian Dury and the Blockheads – Hit Me With Your Rhythm StickThe band’s signature hit throws in funk and disco to create an oddly disorienting, almost stoned groove * Read our 100 greatest list as it counts down

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  Entertainment

  The Guardian

  The greatest banned songs of all time – ranked!

  A nervy BBC banned the Human League splinter group’s funky debut single for potentially libelling the US’s new president Ronald Reagan as a “fascist god in motion”. Reagan probably had bigger problems, given that he survived an assassination attempt later that March. By declaring that he “ain’t singing” for Pepsi, Young is effectively doing its bidding for free.

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  Entertainment

  The Independent

  Bohemian Rhapsody: Hollywood biopics of era-defining musicians, from Ray to Straight Outta Compton

  Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody is finally released on 24 October and Rami Malek‘s central performance as frontman Freddie Mercury is set to be a major talking point. Impersonating so eccentric and larger-than-life a character as Mercury is no easy feat for any actor and Malek certainly has a job on his hands. Biopics of era-defining musicians have been a part of cinema since at least James Stewart in The Glenn Miller Story (1954), with some interesting recent examples including Andy Serkis as

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  Entertainment

  The Independent

  Album reviews: Slaves, Jake Shears, Tomberlin, The Proclaimers and The Magpie Salute

  The spirit of Ian Dury lives on in their witty observations of 21st century living, not to mention their irresistibly rough swagger: Holman’s darker mutterings on first single ‘Cut and Run” contrast against Vincent’s lighter tones.

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  News

  The Independent

  Peter Willsman has given Corbyn yet another opportunity to tackle antisemitism – if he can't work this one out, how could he ever work out Brexit?

  A long time ago on a South Bank Show, Melvyn Bragg asked Ian Dury if the worst thing about being disabled was being patronised. It wouldn’t satisfy the requirements of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism that Labour has foolishly rejected.

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  News

  The Independent

  Omar Sharif: Five things you didn't know about the Doctor Zhivago actor

  Omar Sharif, the Egyptian actor best known for starring in films such as Doctor Zhivago, is celebrated in the latest Google Doodle on what would have been his 86th birthday. After beginning his screen career as a teenager in his native country, he was catapulted to international fame by a Golden Globe-winning turn in David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia in 1962. Here are five things you might know about Sharif.

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  News

  The Guardian

  From Bow to Barking: the songs that champion unglamorous London

  Mitcham rapper Ramz has been stealthily creeping up the Top 40 over the last seven weeks with Barking, his melodious tribute to the perks of travelling across the city for a long-distance hook-up. Last Friday, the single finally ascended to No 2 in the charts (behind Eminem’s River) and Ramz is happily taking credit for putting the London suburb on the map. “I don’t think a lot of people knew where Barking was before,” he told the BBC, before offering a helpful clarification: “It’s actually in

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