England’s wildlife watchdog ‘has stopped designating special sites for protection’
Excellent report by @wildjustice.bsky.social on how Natural England has frozen its SSSI designation programme - covered by @patrickbarkham.bsky.social:
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
OMFG I had to go and check that this ACTUALLY happened.
Since when does the BBC ever do chyrons with a political party's branding, rather than their own? Not to mention this is during a pre-election campaign purdah.
(h/t @iainsol.bsky.social)
"Fascism cannot be appeased; this is a core assertion of resistance liberalism."
Good overview here of the new anti-Trump counter-mobilization and the deeper forces driving it:
📚 New review 📚
Sad boys are not my kink by the brilliant @galiamelon.bsky.social
"the effect of Galia’s work is in the accumulation, the 3am logics that spiral from one piece to the next"
Read it over at victoriaspires.substack.com
These are astonishing
Of all the things Starmer could have done with that majority, he chose to piss it away on Mandelson 😭.
Suppose, at least a broad sweep of UK media reporting on this - a certain other leader does worse by the hour and it’s largely met with a shrug.
Guardian Headline about Kier Starmer’s reaction to Mandelson vetting news.
Suspect many would agree. Perhaps though not in the way KS thinks.
🤔
Stylish liars and petrol-pumps in pools of light: digressions on re-reading The Great Gatsby. richlyevocative.net/2026/04/15/s...
This sign appeared when Nigel Farage paid a flying visit to Shetland recently.
Apparently it was put up by the Tourist Board.
Shop sign that reads “The Jerk Valley of London”. Yes, jerk cooking is delicious.
Clapham rebranding just dropped.
So pleased to be supporting the Poetry Prize and to have our interns able to sit in on some of the the judging.
Wonderful shortlists across all three prizes. Congratulations to all!
#JhalakPrizeat10
Photograph of a shrouded figure manifesting near a thick brick wall. It is artist Ieva Rubeze’s Ghost, which can be found near the Swedish Gate in Riga’s Old Town. What a city.
Artist Ieva Rubeze’s Ghost, which can be found near the Swedish Gate in Riga’s Old Town. What a city.
Viz via Mark Granier
This is absolutely nuts
Viz 355
🚀Launch Night🚀
Friday 1st May 7pm
🎟️ Tickets: shorturl.at/wHqzy
Join me and a stellar lineup of poets as we celebrate the launch of Unwhispered Legacy
Children Of The Stones image. The titles in light grey against a very pale green tinted photograph of a huge stone and a small house.
'A potent blend of science fiction, the occult, folk tradition, this is a fantastic work of “cosmic horror” that sits on a continuum with the writing of M.R. James.'
Low Culture Podcast: Children Of The Stones
buff.ly/zKAzKw7
Cover of Cherry Blossom at Nightbreak by Rishi Dastidar.
Sometimes a poem is serious but not po faced. The odd one makes you laugh out loud. Occasionally others make you wish you’d written them.
Several in @betarish.bsky.social ‘s new collection do all of the above to me. Others may make you recall the poem about the friend whose poem won a competition.
For #promptcombo and theme - #allowed - a poem about shedding worry on the wheelroad of life and duties.
#poetry #writing
Enjoy a Good Friday with some excellent poetry, harp, artwork and a Q&A with the tremendously talented @eleanorholmes.bsky.social
Will poets and children ever stop trying to capture light? Not any time soon ✨
Another poem from my Silver Branch feature, with thanks to @blackboughpoetry.bsky.social 🫶🏼
🤣
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026... “MBR is majority-owned by the investment company Enic, which also has strong financial links to Tottenham Hotspur football club…MBR disclosed that it had entered into an option arrangement with Spurs to buy the lease on the Toby Carvery site in Whitewebbs Park.”
