Brighton hotel bombing

The Brighton hotel bombing occurred on 12 October 1984 at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England. A long-delay time bomb was planted in the hotel by Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) member Patrick Magee, with the purpose of killing Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet, who were staying at the hotel for the Conservative Party conference. Although Thatcher narrowly escaped injury, five people were killed, including two high-profile members of the Conservative Party, and 31 were injured.

Preparation

Patrick Magee had stayed in the hotel under the pseudonym Roy Walsh during the weekend of 14–17 September 1984. During his stay, he planted the bomb under the bath in his room, number 629. The device was fitted with a long-delay timer made from video recorder components and a Memo Park Timer safety device. IRA mole Sean O'Callaghan claimed that 20 lb (9 kg) of Frangex (gelignite) was used. The device was described as a 'small bomb by IRA standards' by a contemporary news report, and may have avoided detection by sniffer dogs by being wrapped in cling film to mask the smell of the explosive.

Brighton

Brighton i/ˈbrtən/ is a seaside resort and the largest part of the City of Brighton and Hove situated in East Sussex, England. Historically in the Rape of Lewes in Sussex, Brighton forms a part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. Brighton is at the heart of the Greater Brighton City Region, a partnership of local authorities and other organisations that signifies Brighton's wider regional economic significance.

Over half of the city's area is open downland, most of which lies within the South Downs National Park and forms part of the UNESCO-recognised Brighton and Lewes Downs biosphere reserve.

Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age, Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The ancient settlement of "Brighthelmstone" was documented in the Domesday Book (1086). The town's importance grew during the Middle Ages as the Old Town developed, but it languished in the early modern period, affected by foreign attacks, storms, a suffering economy and a declining population. During the modern period, Brighton began to attract more visitors following improved road transport to London and becoming a boarding point for boats travelling to France. The town also developed in popularity as a health resort for sea bathing as a purported cure for illnesses.

Brighton (UK Parliament constituency)

Brighton was a parliamentary constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 until it was divided into single-member seats from the United Kingdom general election, 1950. Covering the seaside towns of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, it elected two Member of Parliament (MP) by the bloc vote system of election.

History

The constituency was created by the Reform Act 1832 for the 1832 general election. The constituency was based on the south coast seaside resort town of Brighton.

When it was proposed to enfranchise Brighton a Tory observed in Parliament that it would represent merely "toffy (sic), lemonade and jelly shops". Charles Seymour suggests he "obviously feared the Whig proclivities of the numerous tradespeople established there".

The first representatives of the constituency were of radical opinions. Isaac Newton Wigney (MP 1832–1839 and 1841–1842) was described as being of "Whig opinions inclining to radicalism, in favour of the ballot, and pledged himself to resign his seat whenever his constituents called upon him so to do". His colleague, the Nonconformist preacher and attorney George Faithfull (MP 1832–1835), went much further. He advocated "the immediate abolition of slavery, of all unmerited pensions and sinecures, the standing army, all useless expense, the Corn Laws, and every other monopoly. He said that if the extent of suffrage at that time was not found efficient he would vote for universal suffrage: and if triennial Parliaments did not succeed, would vote for having them annually; he was an advocate of the ballot".

Brighton Collectibles

Brighton Collectibles (Brighton) is an accessories manufacturer and retailer, with over 180retail stores in the United States. Brighton products are also sold in more than 5,000 boutiques nationwide.

The concept for Brighton began when Terri Kravitz and Jerry Kohl, high school sweethearts, opened a specialty retail store. In 1991, Terri and Jerry launched Brighton Collectibles with a single collection of belts. Over the years, Brighton has expanded their products to include a line of coordinating accessories and footwear. A customer might choose a lipstick case that matches a wallet, earrings that match a pair of sunglasses, a handbag that matches footwear, or an entire coordinating collection consisting of multiple accessories. Luggage and home accessories are included in Brighton's home line.

Brighton is headquartered in the City of Industry, California, and is a division of Leegin Creative Leather Products, also based in City of Industry, CA. For more than 30 years, Leegin has been manufacturing belts and other leather accessories at a California factory that has expanded from a shop with five employees to a plant employing more than 600 people. Components for some of the products are manufactured in countries such as France, Italy, Spain, China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan.

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Profile in Courage: Trump’s Gaza Proposal

The American Spectator 05 Feb 2025
Just over 40 years ago, the Irish Republican Army attempted to blow up Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her key cabinet members as they assembled for a conference at a hotel in Brighton. The bomb detonated, but Thatcher was uninjured ... James H ... .
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