In the wake of the UK and EU elections...

...this assessment of the outcome made me feel better.

Compare this to the BBC's highlights of the results.

It's like BBC want to focus on the most damaging party rather than focus on the results in the local elections, which will have the most effect on most people's lives.

Part of the reason UKIP got seats in EU is that EU, unlike UK, US and Canada who are still stuck in the 18th century, use proportional representation, so they reflect the opinions of people who really vote. And angry people vote.

If UK residents understood how PR worked, they'd vote in droves, but they're so used to their vote feeling meaningless that they don't bother.

Intriguing assessment of books about the Middle Ages

I'm unlikely to ever do first hand research on theories of medieval history, so I rely on professional historians to explain it to me.

I find it fascinating to hear historians argue about theories. This is a nice summary of ten books, several of which I knew of, particularly Norman Cantor's one at the top - it had come out just as I joined the Society.

I hadn't realised 'the stirrup theory' had been discredited: I thought the stirrup was an important advancement in horseriding, and thus mattered a lot. But perhaps it's the 8th c 'introduction' that's in question, b/c I thought I'd seen a Roman stirrup at the MoL. jpgsawyer, do you know?