Phew, was worried I'd been wrong my entire life.

Must know is the wheels on the bus "all through the town" vs "all day long" a Anglo-American schism or was my family/school just wrong?

How did you get a bollard?? I worked at an national trust property in London we had a car cross the pavement and smash into our front wall twice in the space of 13 months. I tried the council, TFL. Eventually got told a bollard would not prevent vehicles, which struck me as the key USP of a bollard!

Exactly! But just thought it was so fascinating how baked in the deference was from such an early stage, to the extent that it permeated the outsourced L&D. It hits my other hobby horse of if CO ministers who are interested in CS reform are ever curious enough to audit civil service learning.

I think some of it is specifically civil service culture, though. I remember being on a fast stream training where we roleplayed briefing a minister. The facilitator played the minister as a proper bully. When I pushed back, I was chastised and basically told your job is to be obsequious.

interested to know the finances of if you switched to a fee charged on every new phone, computer, TV etc at the point of purchase. Has the added benefits of households with more devices pay more (a proxy for progressivity), incentivises second hand markets and holding on to devices longer.

God it's been a mad few years. Luckily by that point my team was doing the fun stuff re Russia (impounding superyachts...)

Having worked at DfT on supply chain security over the pandemic will say that the vibe feel very similar to Feb 2020 where those of us working on it could see the tidal wave coming, but everyone else was still wishful thinking that it wouldn't be that bad/reach us!

tears, literal tears, streaming down my face at that final. Never underestimate the power of a mum and her fawning gay colleague!

Aux barricades, boomers! The rise of the revolutionary retiree

Bagehot was good on this back in the summer, www.economist.com/britain/2025... Do think it has a longlineage in posh sponsors in and around the arts, Alan Hollinghurst's latest Our evenings has a fictional family of the sort.

Extra points if it's the backing for a shower scene

the legacy Meredith has. Surely we're getting Tegan and Sara soon!

Episode kicked off with another Feist needle drop, ended with a t.a.t.u. remix, get ready the 00s are back. it's high camp

The online review analogy is brilliant, such a clear way of describing why old-school triangulation is dead. I've been talking about it in all our sessions on comms, narrative and campaigning since reading it!

The education system is failing too many working-class pupils, but we can turn it around.

Jonathan Slater, Former Perm Sect at the Department for Education on BBC Radio 4 Today, discussing a new report from the UCL Policy Lab on how we can improve standards for poorer pupils.

Meanwhile as an abundance/Yimby-curious speccy nerd, honestly interested to know if you have good examples of advocates trying to convince the public not just political elites?

Steve Reed’s Yimbyism can’t win To connect to voters, politics needs to be rooted in place and community

Really interesting piece by James Baggaley on the dangers of policy without people - and the real divide within Labour:

www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

As a card-carrying speccy nerd, I think its probably on all of us to acknowledge that the public are very frustrated with politics as an 'inside game'. Seems to be more than just a stylistic concern but one of how you build trust in democracy.

We were joined by leaders from across Britain for a celebration of what brings us together.

In partnership with @citizensuk.org @moreincommonuk.bsky.social and @belongnetwork.bsky.social. Thank you to all those who came along.

Anyone at labour conference, come down to camp and furnace for Campaign Lab Fringe @campaignlabscrape.bsky.social to learn from some of the best campaigners in the game!

What's Nigel Farage's problem with solar panels?

We're hiring 🚨

Join the team as our new Project Network Coordinator (Community-led Public Service Reform).

Help us build the movement for putting communities at the centre of public service innovation!

You can read more about the role and apply here 👉

www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...

We also have Harringay Green Lanes home of the best Turkish food in London. Also frankly if Tottenham is good enough for Beyonce then it's good enough for any Londoner. (I say hardened by years of battle with smug hackneyites)

my knowledge of the correct times to use MS Access vs MS Excel has been revolutionary for the productivity of every team I've ever joined!

Summer Hype

If you want to find out more about the brilliant summer hype, you can here, it's one of the greatest joys of my life to have been a small part of building this youth programme.

Last year we were so excited to have our first cohort of leaders who grew up on summer hype lead out residential camp. Your money will help us keep going and build the next generation of young leaders.

Summer Hype - Hackney Half Runners Help Molly Mittelman raise money to support Summer Hype

I am raising money for an incredibly important charity Summer Hype, which provides brilliant summer experiences and leadership training opportunities for disadvantaged kids in Hackney.

Even just a fiver would mean the world and really help to spur me on for 18 May! You can sponsor us here

I am running the Hackney Half for Summer Hype in just 1 week! I know there are lots of requests for sponsoring atm but I would be so appreciative if you could spare just a little bit - this will be the best money you spend all month!

Listening to one interview after another, capsized by the subject of who can use which public toilet. This question is purpose-built to wrong-foot trans allies, but the anti-trans position is absurd. For the love of God, please, someone make them spell out what they want