Albert Weale
@albertpweale.bsky.social
Emeritus Professor of Political Theory and Public Policy, UCL. Brighton born and bred. No longer resident, but still liberal. Expressed views mine only.
Reposted by Albert Weale
every provocateur who wangs on all the time about Britain being “broken” should be sent to an actual failed state or autocracy for a month as a learning experience, there’s no shortage of them
January 17, 2026 at 3:12 PM
every provocateur who wangs on all the time about Britain being “broken” should be sent to an actual failed state or autocracy for a month as a learning experience, there’s no shortage of them
Reposted by Albert Weale
Summer: woman of ripe fruits & vegetables, symbol of fecundity, from Four Seasons series, 1563, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, (1526-1593), Italian Mannerist artist working at Habsburg court in Vienna, & patronised by Rudolf II in Prague. He inspired surrealist Salvador Dalí.
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien
January 17, 2026 at 5:59 AM
Summer: woman of ripe fruits & vegetables, symbol of fecundity, from Four Seasons series, 1563, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, (1526-1593), Italian Mannerist artist working at Habsburg court in Vienna, & patronised by Rudolf II in Prague. He inspired surrealist Salvador Dalí.
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien
Reposted by Albert Weale
The Disrobing of Christ, c.1577, acclaimed altarpiece by El Greco (1541-1614) Greek artist of Spanish Renaissance, pupil of Titian, humanist & scholar, whose work foreshadowed Expressionism and Cubism, died #OTD 1614; influenced Degas, Manet, Cézanne and Picasso.
Toledo Cathedral
Toledo Cathedral
January 17, 2026 at 6:00 AM
The Disrobing of Christ, c.1577, acclaimed altarpiece by El Greco (1541-1614) Greek artist of Spanish Renaissance, pupil of Titian, humanist & scholar, whose work foreshadowed Expressionism and Cubism, died #OTD 1614; influenced Degas, Manet, Cézanne and Picasso.
Toledo Cathedral
Toledo Cathedral
Reposted by Albert Weale
Peter Scheemakers, Flemish sculptor (1691-1781), who worked most of his life in London, completed Kent-designed memorial of Shakespeare, 1740, in Poets’ Corner at Westminster Abbey and 14 busts, including Shakespeare’s, in Long Room at Trinity College Library Dublin.
January 17, 2026 at 6:01 AM
Peter Scheemakers, Flemish sculptor (1691-1781), who worked most of his life in London, completed Kent-designed memorial of Shakespeare, 1740, in Poets’ Corner at Westminster Abbey and 14 busts, including Shakespeare’s, in Long Room at Trinity College Library Dublin.
Reposted by Albert Weale
Archive content from the Political Data Yearbook is now available on Cambridge Core -
https://cup.org/45kDFok
https://cup.org/45kDFok
January 16, 2026 at 5:30 AM
Archive content from the Political Data Yearbook is now available on Cambridge Core -
https://cup.org/45kDFok
https://cup.org/45kDFok
Reposted by Albert Weale
The Knight of the Doleful Countenance: Don Quixote de La Mancha, most influential work of Spanish literature and first modern novel, by Miguel de Cervantes, Vol 1, published #OTD 1605.
Don Quixote, oil on canvas by Honoré Daumier c. 1868, Neue Pinakothek, München
Don Quixote, oil on canvas by Honoré Daumier c. 1868, Neue Pinakothek, München
January 16, 2026 at 5:45 AM
The Knight of the Doleful Countenance: Don Quixote de La Mancha, most influential work of Spanish literature and first modern novel, by Miguel de Cervantes, Vol 1, published #OTD 1605.
Don Quixote, oil on canvas by Honoré Daumier c. 1868, Neue Pinakothek, München
Don Quixote, oil on canvas by Honoré Daumier c. 1868, Neue Pinakothek, München
Reposted by Albert Weale
France’s most famous memoirist, Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint Simon, born #OTD 1675; his vivid, often scandalous accounts of the reigns of Louis XIV & Régent, were suppressed & published posthumously after 1828.
Portrait c.1685 by Hyacinthe Rigaud | View of his Château c. 1750 by Van Blarenberge
Portrait c.1685 by Hyacinthe Rigaud | View of his Château c. 1750 by Van Blarenberge
January 16, 2026 at 5:50 AM
France’s most famous memoirist, Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint Simon, born #OTD 1675; his vivid, often scandalous accounts of the reigns of Louis XIV & Régent, were suppressed & published posthumously after 1828.
Portrait c.1685 by Hyacinthe Rigaud | View of his Château c. 1750 by Van Blarenberge
Portrait c.1685 by Hyacinthe Rigaud | View of his Château c. 1750 by Van Blarenberge
Reposted by Albert Weale
“History...is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind...”
Edward Gibbon, historian, author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, published 1776-1789; Gibbon died #OTD 1794.
Edward Gibbon, historian, author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, published 1776-1789; Gibbon died #OTD 1794.
January 16, 2026 at 5:51 AM
“History...is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind...”
Edward Gibbon, historian, author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, published 1776-1789; Gibbon died #OTD 1794.
Edward Gibbon, historian, author of The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, published 1776-1789; Gibbon died #OTD 1794.
Reposted by Albert Weale
Llyn-y-Cau, lake near summit of Cader Idris, North Wales, oil on canvas, 1774, by ‘the Welsh Claude’, Richard Wilson 1714-1782; inspired by travel to Italy & Claude Lorraine’s landscapes, he returned to Wales to paint sublime scenery; later influenced Constable, Crome & Turner.
Tate Britain
Tate Britain
January 16, 2026 at 5:52 AM
Llyn-y-Cau, lake near summit of Cader Idris, North Wales, oil on canvas, 1774, by ‘the Welsh Claude’, Richard Wilson 1714-1782; inspired by travel to Italy & Claude Lorraine’s landscapes, he returned to Wales to paint sublime scenery; later influenced Constable, Crome & Turner.
Tate Britain
Tate Britain
Reposted by Albert Weale
Planting trees is easy. Replacing ecosystems isn’t. With all the talk of National Forests & Forest Cities, it’s worth remembering that felling is quick, creation takes decades, and species already in decline can’t wait for new habitats to establish. Protect what we have first 🌳
January 15, 2026 at 7:27 PM
Planting trees is easy. Replacing ecosystems isn’t. With all the talk of National Forests & Forest Cities, it’s worth remembering that felling is quick, creation takes decades, and species already in decline can’t wait for new habitats to establish. Protect what we have first 🌳
Reposted by Albert Weale
La langue de Molière: 'ce grand peintre de l'homme, tel qu'il est.'
Molière, great French dramatist, author of Tartuffe, Le Misanthrope, L’Avare, Les Femmes Savantes; baptised in Paris #OTD 1622.
Portrait by Pierre Mignard c. 1658
Musée Condé, Château de Chantilly
Molière, great French dramatist, author of Tartuffe, Le Misanthrope, L’Avare, Les Femmes Savantes; baptised in Paris #OTD 1622.
Portrait by Pierre Mignard c. 1658
Musée Condé, Château de Chantilly
January 15, 2026 at 6:13 AM
La langue de Molière: 'ce grand peintre de l'homme, tel qu'il est.'
Molière, great French dramatist, author of Tartuffe, Le Misanthrope, L’Avare, Les Femmes Savantes; baptised in Paris #OTD 1622.
Portrait by Pierre Mignard c. 1658
Musée Condé, Château de Chantilly
Molière, great French dramatist, author of Tartuffe, Le Misanthrope, L’Avare, Les Femmes Savantes; baptised in Paris #OTD 1622.
Portrait by Pierre Mignard c. 1658
Musée Condé, Château de Chantilly
Reposted by Albert Weale
Ralph Vaughan Williams set up the RVW Trust in 1956 with the intention that all future income from the performing rights in his music be used for the benefit of his fellow composers and those who came after him.
Find out about the support we offer composers via our website.
Find out about the support we offer composers via our website.
January 14, 2026 at 9:13 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams set up the RVW Trust in 1956 with the intention that all future income from the performing rights in his music be used for the benefit of his fellow composers and those who came after him.
Find out about the support we offer composers via our website.
Find out about the support we offer composers via our website.
Reposted by Albert Weale
Vase of flowers, c 1620, with rare, fragrant pink Rosa Centifolia, by Jan ‘Flower’ Brueghel the Elder, Flemish artist, friend & collaborator of Rubens, died in Antwerp #OTD 1625.
Rosa Centifolia featured in Vigée-Lebrun’s Marie-Antoinette à la Rose, 1783.
Museo del Prado | Château de Versailles
Rosa Centifolia featured in Vigée-Lebrun’s Marie-Antoinette à la Rose, 1783.
Museo del Prado | Château de Versailles
January 13, 2026 at 6:06 AM
Vase of flowers, c 1620, with rare, fragrant pink Rosa Centifolia, by Jan ‘Flower’ Brueghel the Elder, Flemish artist, friend & collaborator of Rubens, died in Antwerp #OTD 1625.
Rosa Centifolia featured in Vigée-Lebrun’s Marie-Antoinette à la Rose, 1783.
Museo del Prado | Château de Versailles
Rosa Centifolia featured in Vigée-Lebrun’s Marie-Antoinette à la Rose, 1783.
Museo del Prado | Château de Versailles
Reposted by Albert Weale
Ralph Vaughan Williams' letters to his friends, family, pupils and fellow musicians are often frank and full of fascinating insights which give a glimpse of the man himself.
Read them online here: vaughanwilliamsfoundation.org/discover/let...
Read them online here: vaughanwilliamsfoundation.org/discover/let...
January 13, 2026 at 9:13 AM
Ralph Vaughan Williams' letters to his friends, family, pupils and fellow musicians are often frank and full of fascinating insights which give a glimpse of the man himself.
Read them online here: vaughanwilliamsfoundation.org/discover/let...
Read them online here: vaughanwilliamsfoundation.org/discover/let...
Reposted by Albert Weale
Coming up Sunday, Jan 25, 2026 -
Art in the Evening:
Sofonisba Anguissola, Portraiture, and the Art of the Gesture
A talk by Bronwen Wilson at the Timken Museum of Art
www.timkenmuseum.org/calendar/eve...
Art in the Evening:
Sofonisba Anguissola, Portraiture, and the Art of the Gesture
A talk by Bronwen Wilson at the Timken Museum of Art
www.timkenmuseum.org/calendar/eve...
January 12, 2026 at 12:11 AM
Coming up Sunday, Jan 25, 2026 -
Art in the Evening:
Sofonisba Anguissola, Portraiture, and the Art of the Gesture
A talk by Bronwen Wilson at the Timken Museum of Art
www.timkenmuseum.org/calendar/eve...
Art in the Evening:
Sofonisba Anguissola, Portraiture, and the Art of the Gesture
A talk by Bronwen Wilson at the Timken Museum of Art
www.timkenmuseum.org/calendar/eve...
Reposted by Albert Weale
Il était une fois...Charles Perrault, French poet, writer, author of Mother Goose fairy tales including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard; born #OTD 1628.
Portrait by Lallemand (1671) after 1665 painting by Le Brun.
Château de Versailles
Portrait by Lallemand (1671) after 1665 painting by Le Brun.
Château de Versailles
January 12, 2026 at 5:59 AM
Il était une fois...Charles Perrault, French poet, writer, author of Mother Goose fairy tales including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Bluebeard; born #OTD 1628.
Portrait by Lallemand (1671) after 1665 painting by Le Brun.
Château de Versailles
Portrait by Lallemand (1671) after 1665 painting by Le Brun.
Château de Versailles
Reposted by Albert Weale
Rosalba Carriera, Venetian Rococo artist, born #OTD 1673, perfected medium of pastel, known for delicate portraits of young women & children of European royalty & nobility.
Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Habsburg (aged 13) 1730
Louis XV as Dauphin (aged 10) c. 1720
Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Habsburg (aged 13) 1730
Louis XV as Dauphin (aged 10) c. 1720
Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
January 12, 2026 at 5:59 AM
Rosalba Carriera, Venetian Rococo artist, born #OTD 1673, perfected medium of pastel, known for delicate portraits of young women & children of European royalty & nobility.
Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Habsburg (aged 13) 1730
Louis XV as Dauphin (aged 10) c. 1720
Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
Maria Theresa, Archduchess of Habsburg (aged 13) 1730
Louis XV as Dauphin (aged 10) c. 1720
Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
Reposted by Albert Weale
Mona Lisa of the Met: portrait of Madame X, painted in 1884 by John Singer Sargent, American artist, born #OTD 1856.
Sargent was photographed beside the portrait in his Paris studio in 1885: “I suppose it is the best thing I have ever done."
Met Museum | NPG London
Sargent was photographed beside the portrait in his Paris studio in 1885: “I suppose it is the best thing I have ever done."
Met Museum | NPG London
January 12, 2026 at 6:04 AM
Mona Lisa of the Met: portrait of Madame X, painted in 1884 by John Singer Sargent, American artist, born #OTD 1856.
Sargent was photographed beside the portrait in his Paris studio in 1885: “I suppose it is the best thing I have ever done."
Met Museum | NPG London
Sargent was photographed beside the portrait in his Paris studio in 1885: “I suppose it is the best thing I have ever done."
Met Museum | NPG London
Reposted by Albert Weale
ICE THUGS arrested a pastor & kept asking him "Are you afraid?" numerous occasions. The pastor said NO. Eventually the THUGS let him go stating that "You're WHITE, you're no fun to us!!"
This is how sick & deranged these THUGS are, thanks to this REGIME‼️
youtu.be/lcSOyVrc5HM?...
This is how sick & deranged these THUGS are, thanks to this REGIME‼️
youtu.be/lcSOyVrc5HM?...
Minneapolis pastor: ICE 'pointed a gun at me' and 'put me in the back of an SUV'
YouTube video by MS NOW
youtu.be
January 10, 2026 at 6:04 PM
ICE THUGS arrested a pastor & kept asking him "Are you afraid?" numerous occasions. The pastor said NO. Eventually the THUGS let him go stating that "You're WHITE, you're no fun to us!!"
This is how sick & deranged these THUGS are, thanks to this REGIME‼️
youtu.be/lcSOyVrc5HM?...
This is how sick & deranged these THUGS are, thanks to this REGIME‼️
youtu.be/lcSOyVrc5HM?...
Reposted by Albert Weale
Yes, that does say it all.
January 11, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Yes, that does say it all.
Reposted by Albert Weale
Zelenskyy: Right now, Russian losses amount to no less than 1,000 killed per day – and this has been the case since December.
January 11, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Zelenskyy: Right now, Russian losses amount to no less than 1,000 killed per day – and this has been the case since December.
Reposted by Albert Weale
Sir Hans Sloane, physician, botanist, Chelsea gardener, died #OTD 1753; benefactor of Chelsea Physic Garden, his collection founded British Museum.
Portrait by Slaughter 1736, National Portrait Gallery London | Hans Sloane Chelsea plate c.1755 Met Museum
Portrait by Slaughter 1736, National Portrait Gallery London | Hans Sloane Chelsea plate c.1755 Met Museum
January 11, 2026 at 5:46 AM
Sir Hans Sloane, physician, botanist, Chelsea gardener, died #OTD 1753; benefactor of Chelsea Physic Garden, his collection founded British Museum.
Portrait by Slaughter 1736, National Portrait Gallery London | Hans Sloane Chelsea plate c.1755 Met Museum
Portrait by Slaughter 1736, National Portrait Gallery London | Hans Sloane Chelsea plate c.1755 Met Museum
Reposted by Albert Weale
Brighton and Hove Albion dump Man United out of FA Cup
Brighton and Hove Albion dump Man United out of FA Cup
Danny Welbeck scored the pick of the goals to dump out managerless Manchester United as Brighton won 2-1 at Old Trafford. Brajan Gruda nodded in the opener 12 minutes in, and Welbeck rifled a left-footed strike into the top corner after the hour. Benjamin Sesko pulled one back but United youngster Shea Lacey was sent off for […]
dlvr.it
January 11, 2026 at 6:51 PM
Brighton and Hove Albion dump Man United out of FA Cup
Reposted by Albert Weale
Reposted by Albert Weale
There are many ways of course Congress could limit or regulate ICE. For example, a law could require approval of the mayor or local authorities for any deployment of ICE or CBP to any community.
January 11, 2026 at 7:34 PM
There are many ways of course Congress could limit or regulate ICE. For example, a law could require approval of the mayor or local authorities for any deployment of ICE or CBP to any community.