Luke's Notes

Continued from My World Cups: Introduction I've spent my life regretting that I missed the iconic one and only time England won the world cup - 4-2 in 1966 at London's Wembley stadium against West Germany.

Shortly before the 2026 World Cup I bought Jonathan Wilson's new book The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup.

The eleventh post of My Top Tracks When I was doing A levels at my local college in the early '80s the were two groups of students that hung out in the common room.

On the book Half-Earth Socialism, an advocacy of a utopian ecological society that can stop the catastrophe of climate change.

These are some of my favourite albums I listened to in 2025; not all I listened to, just some highlights for me.

The tenth post on My Top Tracks I hated my very conservative school.

On two books I read in 2025 by Fenner Brockway, pacifist, socialist, and anti-colonialist.

Continued from Books I Read in 2025 Part 1 Fenner Brockway, Towards Tomorrow See separate post on this book.

Spies, detectives, and terrorists; westerns and Native American life; war and violence; gangs and prisoners; animals and humans; rebels and resistance; women and feminism; autobiography and memoir; racism and sectarianism; music and pop stars; football and

Communism and leftists; change and alternatives; colonialism and development; spies and terrorists; psychoanalysis and grief; crime and heroes; climate and sustainability; poverty and survival; football and footballers. 2021?

The 9th post of My Top Tracks I was depressed as a teenager.

This is the 8th post on My Top 100 Tracks I had an oud.

This is the seventh post of My Top 100 Tracks When Patti Smith has come up in conversations in the past and people have said 'Oh, yeah, Because the Night, I love that song', I've always felt superior and sneery.

The sixth post of My Top 100 Tracks I swim 3 times a week.

I first went to see Reading play football in the 1972-3 season aged just 8.

Here is what Ina wrote about her Auntie Edie who she stayed with in summers in Newburgh in her childhood.

My mum, Ina, when she was about 60, wrote an account of her childhood, 'Ina's Story' which I have posted here.

The fifth post on My 100 Top Tracks I listen to jazz more than any genre.

The fourth post on My 100 Top Tracks.

Separately from her notebook containing 'Ina's Story' about her childhood, including one part on Newburgh where she spent her summer holidays as a child, my mum wrote, much later I think, about Newburgh again, specifically 37 High Street.

Continued from Part 8 In this final part 9 Ina talks about the golden moments and kindness she experienced in the summer holidays she spent in Newburgh in Fife with Auntie Edie and Uncle George in the many years her parents were abroad.

Continued from Part 7 In this part Ina goes on to talk about books and music.

Continued from Part 6 In this part Ina goes on to talk about politics and social issues.

Continued from Part 5.

Continued from Post 4 After discussing her family in the last part Ina goes back to talking about Swansea and boarding school.

Continued from Part 3 on Swansea and Boarding school.

Continued from Part 2 Going to Britain.

This is an introduction and contents to the story of my mum's childhood as told by her.

See Introduction and Contents.

Continued from Part 1 Peru.

The third post on My Top 100 Tracks.

Watching your team score a winning goal in the last minute of a match is great.

The second post on My Top 100 Tracks.

Introduction to My Top Tracks and, further down, outline of Alternatives to Spotify I listen to music about 3 or 4 hours a day and a lot of that time not in the background, but listening to it only and doing nothing else.

The first post on My Top 100 Tracks.

Race and gender identity; racism and colonialism; family and outsiders; social dislocation; police and thieves; environment and nature; war, violence, and survival; spies, footballers, and ordinary lives.

Pessimism need not be a block to action and change.

I joined my local library when I moved to Brighton (UK) in 1987.

About 40 years ago, as an undergraduate student, I wrote some dissertations that were probably better than anything I wrote as a professional academic, admittedly a low bar.

On communism in theory, attempts at communism in practice, and the implications for socialism.

In 2024 I retired from being a university lecturer.

Continued from Alternative Email 1 which focused on criteria for alternative email.

Continued from Alternative Email 2.

This is the first of 3 posts on alternative email; alternative to big tech email like Gmail, Hotmail etc.

Continued from Sussex Stories 6 More time I've always felt on the borders of mainstream capitalist and bureaucratic society, able to have one foot inside but unable to avoid one foot outside too.

Continued from Sussex Stories 7 This is the 8th and final part of these Sussex Stories 1990-2024.

Continued from Sussex Stories 5 So, when you're near me, darling, can't you hear me, S.O.S Many universities were following Universities UK (UUK) guidance and rewriting staff statutes in their constitutions, and Sussex followed suit.

Continued from Sussex Stories 4 The dream is over The interdisciplinary structures had gone.

Continued from Sussex Stories 3 New appointments and equal opportunities: this is the real world I said the university I arrived at was 'beautiful' in the early years.

Continued from Sussex Stories 2 New Labour, New Britain In May 1994 the Labour leader John Smith died.