Snippets and gleanings: ho bloody ho!

BM-BP
Behind the curve as ever the British Museum announces a £50m sponsorship deal with BP. Meanwhile, The Tate, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Shakespeare Company, Scottish Ballet and Royal Opera House have all severed their links to the fossil fuel (sorry, integrated energy) company. The deal apparently includes a new Energy Centre to phase out the museum's reliance on fossil fuels and reduce its carbon footprint. Hmm, for some inexplicable reason the word greenwash springs to mind.

Losing its marbles
There is, however, a potentially unforeseen opportunity in the deal. BP's 50m quid is also going towards refurbishment and remodelling of the museum's Western Range, which includes the Duveen Gallery, home since 1939 to the display of the Parthenon Sculptures. To avoid any unfortunate mishaps with scaffolding poles and dropped spanners during the works might this not be an opportune moment to relinquish the classical marbles into the safekeeping of the Acropolis Museum in Athens, where a purpose-built modern gallery awaits their return? Just a thought.

Moning on
You have to feel sorry for poor Baroness Michelle Mone. Having brokered a dodgy backroom deal with Michael Gove (what could possibly go wrong?) for her husband's company, PPE Medpro, to supply protective equipment to the NHS during the Covid pandemic, none of the resulting 60 million quid profit is hers she assures the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg (with a more-or-less straight face). No, it all belongs to hubby, Doug Barrowman, honest, guv. Hmm, with respect, Your Ladyship, I think the clue is in the word 'husband'. Or maybe she signed a uniquely disadvantageous pre-nup?

Gob smacking
In a mission to spread some Christmas cheer, respected health think-tank, the Nuffield Trust, publishes a report into the lamentable state of NHS dentistry. Co-authors of Bold action or slow decay? Wilf Williams, Elizabeth Fisher and Nigel Edwards, examine the state of NHS dentistry and explore future policy actions. It's certainly something to chew on. Suffice to say, you might want to swerve the stuffing, purée the sprouts, mash the spuds - and avoid the nuts entirely. Enjoy!

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