#ben bradley

[doyelikehaggis]

TREVOR ROYLE & BEN BRADLEY in HOLLYOAKS | 12.10.15

[cinemaocd]

Genuinely love Jason Robards in that movie. He just swans in with a general air of having just come from a fancy dinner that cost more than a reporter makes in a week, puts his expensive shoes up on the desk, reads three sentences, attacks the article with his red pen, swears and leaves. And then: I'm gonna stand with our boys. Boss of all time, I'm telling ya.

[scavengedluxury]

Very relieved Ben Bradley isn’t my mayor.

[100gayicons]

LEM BILLINGS

Although it is not widely known, John Kennedy’s life long friend was gay.

Kirk LeMoyne "Lem" Billings, a 16-year-old third-year student, and Kennedy, a 15-year-old second-year student, met at Coates Hall, an elite prep school in Connecticut, in the fall of 1933.

They became fast friends, drawn to each other by their mutual distaste for their strict school.

Joseph Kennedy Sr. called Lem "my second son”.

Billings repeated his senior year so that he and Kennedy could graduate together in 1935.

The duo took a summer trip through Europe in the summer of 1937... two and a half months and solidified their friendship.

Billings was an usher at the wedding of Kennedy and Jacqueline Lee Bouvier in 1953, and usher at the wedding of Kennedy's sister Jean to Stephen Edward Smith in 1956.

He worked on Kennedy's presidential campaign in 1960.

In 1961, Billings declined Kennedy's offer to appoint him the first head of the Peace Corps or ambassador to Denmark. He later said: "I realized that I did not want to work for the president — because I felt it would change our relationship."

Lem visited the White House for most weekends during the Kennedy Administration. When a butler commented on the fact that Billings was leaving his belongings in one of the third-floor guest rooms, the First Lady replied: "He's been my house guest since I was married.”

When the First Lady was away, Billings organized White House dinner parties for the President and old friends.

And when the President traveled he kept the First Lady company.

Billings' role as "first friend" was assessed by many observers at the time and since. Ted Sorensen called him "an admirer — almost a fawning admirer — of his friend."

Billings saw the President for the last time when they dined at the White House with Greta Garbo on November 13, 1963,

Friends from the 1970s confirmed that Billings was gay, but not open to discussing it.

In 2006, looking back to the Kennedy Administration, Ben Bradlee (executive editor for the Washington Post) said: "I suppose it's known that Lem was gay....It impressed me that Jack had gay friends.

Jack made a big difference in my life," Billings said. "Because of him, I was never lonely. He may have been the reason I never got married."

This sign photo from Kennedy to Billings sold at auction in 2021 for $15,500.

Dear Lemmer, The gayest soul I know. In memory of the two tense years and in hopes of many more. Your old pal and supporter!

Ken (Kennedy’s nickname at the time)

[politicalsci]

[generalelectionmusings]

Tory MP forced to deny he said free school meal vouchers 'spent on crack dens'

Mansfield MP Ben Bradley tweeted his opposition to Marcus Rashford’s free school meals campaign, which he voted against this week

[unknownpoliticalobject]

Theresa May Hit By More Resignations As Tories Fight Against Her Brexit Plan

The resignations come after those of Boris Johnson and David Davis

The rats are leaving the ship.

[jeremycorbynnews]

Senior Tory apologises for libellous tweet about Jeremy Corbyn... Full statement here:

Conservative Party Vice Chair Ben Bradley has apologised unreservedly for a libellous tweet about Jeremy Corbyn, pledged to never repeat the claims in any form, agreed to make a substantial donation to charities of the Labour Leader’s choosing and meet his legal costs. Jeremy will be splitting the funds between a homeless charity and a foodbank in Mr Bradley’s constituency of Mansfield.

Mr Bradley’s apology, which he will also tweet and ask followers to retweet, says:

“On 19 February 2018 I made a seriously defamatory statement on my Twitter account, ‘Ben Bradley MP (@bbradleymp)’, about Jeremy Corbyn, alleging he sold British secrets to communist spies. I have since deleted the defamatory tweet. I have agreed to pay an undisclosed substantial sum of money to a charity of his choice, and I will also pay his legal costs.

“I fully accept that my statement was wholly untrue and false. I accept that I caused distress and upset to Jeremy Corbyn by my untrue and false allegations, suggesting he had betrayed his country by collaborating with foreign spies.

“I am very sorry for publishing this untrue and false statement and I have no hesitation in offering my unreserved and unconditional apology to Jeremy Corbyn for the distress I have caused him.”

A spokesperson for Jeremy Corbyn said:

“We are pleased Ben Bradley has admitted what he said was entirely untrue and apologised, and that charities in Mansfield will benefit.

“Following the botched smear campaign against Jeremy, this case shows we are not going to let dangerous lies go unchallenged.”