I am very much saddened to report that my friend, @nearlylegal.co.uk passed away this weekend.

nearlylegal.co.uk/2026/04/gile...

There is something interesting though in that with internet banking the more tech savvy people tended to see it as safe, while the less were suspicious of it, whereas with AI I suspect it's a more complex split. The biggest proponents of AI I know are either very tech savvy or towards the lower end.

I suspect it may depend on whether you had to use a computer for your job. Both my parents (68† and 75) are/were pretty tech savvy but were also both academics and bought a PC in 1996. My partner's grandfather (92) meanwhile has a man who comes in once a week to use his laptop for him.

Wouldn't 'severe curtailment of migrants' rights in Britain' be a more accurate framing here?

Not keen on this framing. 'Severe crackdown" rather makes it sound like they've done something wrong and other parties aren't making it a priority.

Interesting view.

Clinically Studied Ingredient

This @xkcd.com strip feels somewhat relevant to the Foreign Office's vetting of Mandelson. xkcd.com/1096/

You know what would be great, and sane? If the government had got in this much trouble for covering up a report by its own defence chiefs on the catastrophic impacts of climate change for the UK. What will matter more in 20 years' time?

YOU BROUGHT A HOME NEXT TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE. THAT IS NOT A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBOURHOOD. HEAVEN HAS BEEN THERE SINCE 1979

astonishing levels of Nimby

Exactly one year ago today:

by no means the main take to be had here (indeed takes 1 to 25 should be along the lines of "fucking hell Keir"), but worth noting just how quickly moral rot can spread - all of this obviously happened because Trump won and the government needed someone morally rotten to step in to help them

The Notifications tab of Bluesky showing me a "Forbidden" message in white text on a red background.

Slightly alarming:

Feel like someone needs to send this to Starmer with the loss to the Greens circled in red ink and labelled "what are we doing?!"

Arts organisations - especially those supporting mental health like Arts Network in Deptford - provide vital healthcare for many people, not just enjoyment.

Kate & Ishwari say these same orgs are struggling with funding and need actual permanent spaces. I will be taking this back to Parliament.

Those interested in our Council Tax Trap campaign - to improve Council Tax debt collection would be well advised to turn on Good Morning Britain around now. 👀

Orban defeated: Good morning and goddamn it's a beautiful day All of a sudden, after months of total darkness, there is hope.

Good morning and goddamn it's a beautiful day iandunt.substack.com/p/orban-defe...

I wonder if Orban's relatively gracious concession is strategic: He expects to come back in the future and will want allies on the world stage. Trump will not be there and it's possible the world will have lost patience with corrupt authoritarians (in democracies anyway).

Ok, this is the sort of thing that causes other big powers to join the conflict. What happens if China decides to confront the American blockade?

My concern is that Trump has not shown much inclination to take advice before acting so far...

Discworld QOTD, from Night Watch

Trump may not carry out the threat.

But the fact he even made such a threat means he should immediately be removed from office.

For that is the purpose of a constitution with checks and balances.

The American President just threatened genocide in very blatant terms.

"i have two Microsoft Outlooks, and neither one of those are working."

The Astronauts truly representing us all up there.

It's me, I'm nobody! Massively agree about not fetishising books or being weird about using them for decor, but e.g. I found this excellent 1930s political encyclopedia in a decor bookshelf. I think it's produced by the Labour Party/movement in some way and is touchingly optimistic about Lansbury.

photo of Billy Bragg looking weirdly like Jeremy Corbyn - same white beard, same dark rimmed glasses, same facial look and expression, similar flatcap

the left is so factional that even Jeremy Corbyn has split into two Jeremy Corbyns

Yes I think! Maybe self-serving as an example think tanker, but Westminster think tanks are much smaller and lower capacity than I expect many people imagine.

And the Greens especially poorly served relative to their potential influence.

Matt Goodwin has written a new book: Suicide of a Nation

Andy Twelves has suggested some of the direct quotes appear hard to verify, or do not exist, and so may come from AI hallucinations

x.com/andytwelves/...

Hi, I’m the constructive conversations witch.

A screenshot of a Truth Social post by Donald Trump. It includes the phrase ...witch will continue throughout the week, with witch mistakenly spelt with a t.

Why is there a witch involved in these negotiations? What will she continue doing?