So if anyone knows how to get in touch with her, please let me know.

News of BBC jobs cuts ‘real concern‘, says UK’s culture secretary Lisa Nandy says staff have been strongly affected as some express frustration that high-paid presenters and executives likely to be safe

I have written to UK culture minister Lisa Nandy three times regarding the BBC funding situation and how it is affecting its ability to function as a news organisation. Three times because I have had no reply. I sent them from Oct 2024-Jul 2025. www.theguardian.com/media/2026/a...

Future of the NHS, saviour of the high street? High hopes for health hub in a Barnsley shopping centre Transfer of medical services from hospital to former Wilko store is improving healthcare access and boosting footfall

Good example of what architect/urbanist Jan Kattein and I discussed at the Urban Future Better Cities Event in Ljubljana. Itself a city that could do a bit more of this with its existing, decrepit shopping centres rather than opening another new, massive mall. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

As I've written, the message is fair enough. But have you ever seen a campaign targeting the dangerous drivers who make getting around Ljubljana far more dangerous and stressful than it needs to be? I've seen police targeting cyclists and even pedestrians. But never police targeting motorists.

Cycling and walking both have a decent modal share of transport here. But the traffic volume and driver behaviour are both appalling. Ljubljana authorities need to target that first.

Ljubljana is the only city where a driver has deliberately used their car against me as a weapon. Multiple times, to boot. And I've lived in London, Belgrade, Phnom Penh, Tokyo and a few other cities beside. But the messaging is always for pedestrians to "take care", not for drivers to obey the law.

Billboard warning careless cyclists in Ljubljana that they face an €80 fine.

This billboard in Ljubljana threatens an €80 fine for cyclists who don't look out for pedestrians. Which is fair enough. But as a pedestrian (and cyclist), the biggest threat comes from motorists. Where's the billboard warning them to be on their best behaviour?

Vučić will be watching in Serbia as well. Different paradigm - no matter what some might think - but the two have certainly been allies on many issues.

I did a full programme for The Urbanist on Monocle Radio last week. All about the Urban Future Better Cities Event in Ljubljana, and the interesting people - and ideas - gathered there. As a committed city dweller, cyclist, walker and non-car owner, this sort of urbanism is very close to my heart.

I want this to be real...

Ha ha! No worries.

Sure, understood. I simply thought you posted a very good example of how the UK position within the EU was never the one portrayed by certain media and politicians. I also don't believe the airports issue is spite. But I do think it's daft.

That's funny. A good example that "Brussels" never forced any rules on the UK. But rather the UK was in full agreement - if not one of the main drivers - of EU regulations.

O'Leary is trying to justify the UK leaving the EU? OK. To clarify, and as posted elsewhere, the roots of the ongoing fiasco can be traced to the initial emotional reaction (on both sides). It has damaged all parties and continues to do so. It need not have been so.

You've missed the point. It's an EU business, run by an EU citizen, which is making the complaint in this instance. The pretence that the EU and its constituent member states, citizens and businesses are unaffected is a not inconsiderable part of the ongoing fiasco.

This is not just coming off the top of my head. It's coming from interviewing EU heads of state and government on 24 June 2016. Rationality had left the building that day.

Have to disagree on that. The rational reaction (to the UK vote) would have been to say: hang on a minute. Let's take a pause before we do anything rash. Instead of which it was very much: "well if that's what you want, then off you go". All the legal/biometric infrastructure followed that.

That's a great point.

With a name like Aaron Funk, why use a pseudonym?

Sounds extremely tedious. Hopefully that changes soon.

Understandable - we've not been short on details, have we? And the sooner the EU adopts QMV, the better. Not just for e-gates either.

Boost for travelers and businesses as Germany opens up eGates UK and Germany agree to phased opening of German eGates for UK travellers

You're ahead of me on the details. But these things are usually done on a reciprocal basis. I believe the use of e-gates for UK citizens at EU airports is being rolled out. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Worth noting that O'Leary is an EU citizen and his business is based in the EU. And his point is valid. For all the idiocy of the UK choosing to leave the EU, the way the EU 27 reacted was emotional rather than rational. Also, UK airports don't make EU citizens use the "naughty queue".

I'll take that and raise you David James. Or if we're doing strictly Evans signings, is it unfair to pick on Bjorn Tore Kvarme, who had perhaps the most catastrophic collapse in confidence (and competence) I've ever seen? But at least he came on a free, unlike Paul Ince.

You don't want to go back. Your constitution couldn't stand it. If not the Hooch, that Evans era team would do for you.

On the other hand, apparently not. That red alert is a false alarm it would seem. That's not a great debut run for the system. bsky.app/profile/loga...

It's first time I have received a message from Slovenia's emergency system. It seems I'd better take in the garden furniture.

Funnily enough, Arm might still have been British (owned and listed), if not for the UK vote to leave the EU. The precipitous drop in the exchange rate made it an irresistible bargain for SoftBank. Also, Arm is a direct descendant of the company that made the BBC Micro. The "A" is for "Acorn".

Slovenia has a patriotic problem: The centre left held out but it shouldn’t be proud - Monocle Following recent victories in The Netherlands and the Paris municipal elections, Europe's centre-left is gaining ground. But Slovenia's leftist win...

A post-election take on what's just happened in Slovenia. People kept saying healthcare was the issue, but everything from dog-whistling accordions to naked xenophobia played a role in the campaign. And quite possibly, the outcome. monocle.com/affairs/slov...

Ha ha... The Boss has always mystified me. But This is The Day by The The, Last Boat Leaving by Elvis Costello, Cold Cold Ground by Tom Waits... Just a few great accordion-augmented tracks that spring to mind. It does not have to be evil.