The Critical Commentator

  On a bright summer's day recently I found myself facing a quandary. Choosing a top and trousers to wear wasn't a problem, but my whole outfit was in danger of being derailed by a mis-step: the wrong socks. Portrait of a Young Girl with Tartan Socks William Ewart (c.1816 - after 1863) Photo Credit: Berwick Museum & Art Gallery   Should it be a pair that matched the rest of my outfit, or with a pattern that stood out? Did a frill look fussy, or bring just the right amount of detail? Was the fact they didn't have a four-letter word on them going to expose me as woefully out of touch? The only thing I was certain of is that they should be on show. Yes the young and the fashionable have known this for a while but for the rest of us it's taken time to notice the sock's shift to centre stage... My Guardian colleague Jess Carter-Morley says socks are fashion's "hottest topic of the decade", while Lynne Hugill, senior lecturer for the BA in fashion at Tee...

  Every dog has its day but so do cats, rabbits, parrots, hamsters and guinea pigs, according to new research which reveals that Britons are spending big on their pets' birthdays. Dog and Mallard Richard Ansdell (1815-1885) Photo Credit: Fylde Council Town Hall. [CC BY-NC-ND]  Almost two thirds of Britain's 22 million pet owners celebrate their animal's birthday or adoption day, the study found, spending an average of £121 to reach a combined £1.7 billion. The research found that new toys and gourmet food were the most popular presents, chosen by two thirds of owners, followed by a new bed or blanket. Half of owners bought a new collar, leash or other practical gift, and a similar proportion bought a personalised gift. Owners can, for example, have their cat's picture printed on a plush grey cushion for £25.95 or have their dog's face on a four-piece coaster set for £14.95. Those happy to pay a bit more can buy a custom portrait of their pet in military dress for £6...

  There was delight fro m observers as white smoke billowed out of the famous Vatican chimney, showing that the conclave of cardinals had finally made its decision and elected a new pope. But, within minutes of the result, there was uproar as their selection was challenged on Gospel Truth Social. A furious Donald Trump denounced the result as fake pews, claiming that the election had been "stolen" by crooked cardinals. "This is the biggest fraud in the history of pope-voting. The election was rigged! As it was last time when I was robbed by Sleepy Francis, the worst pope on record. Ever. Fact!" The Sleeping Congregation William Hogarth  (1697-1764) Photo Credit: Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery [Public Domain] There was pandemonium as Trump supporters stormed the Vatican, smashing stained glass windows and taking selfies of themselves sitting on the papal throne. One wore a cardinal's hat with bison horns and charged at the Swiss Guards, another st...

 "Papers please!" Those words spell terror in a thousand war movies. Stasi or Gestapo officers are a breed apart from the unarmed plod who demands no ID [Identity] cards from free British people. So when a government contemplates a universal ID, it sends instinctive twitches down some spines. Though not many. Times and public attitudes have changed. And so have the political imperatives, for it seems that, for a Labour government struggling to seize the narrative after a difficult year in power, digital ID cards, and the sense of national belonging they could strengthen, may just be the weapon to fight off the ever rising threat of Nigel Farage's Reform UK... Irish Immigrant s John Joseph Barker (1824-1904) Photo Credit: Victoria Art Gallery [CC BY-NC-ND] The driving political motive behind this is immigration - Labour wants to make it easier to identify people with no right to live here or claim public services here. The policies behind the "stop the boats" and...