As an ex civil servant I am so appalled by Robbins' idea of how to conduct a fair and informed decision making process that I don't think I have the mental space to worry about Starmer's misdeeds any more. So I guess that's a win for the PM?

Surely the FO must have taken legal advice about disclosure and its vetting responsibilities at some point? This sort of basic issue should have been pinned down soon after the legislation was introduced, not left to the whim of whoever was currently in charge.

Afternoon! I'm reading the Slow Gods kindle sample, will probably buy the book. I'm a great fan of the samples

Having looked at Robbins' career history, it seems very likely that he would have known Mandelson fairly well. I do wonder how much of this was complacency at all levels about it being 'just Peter' that the decision was about.

Or there is a culture in both the civil service and no 10 of keeping awkward facts out of briefings to the PM so he has deniability for just such an occasion as this. That strikes me as most likely, assuming Starmer doesn't outright lie. It fits the Independent exchange.

Given Robbins' career history it seems very likely that he'd worked closely in the past with Mandelson. That should in a rational world have disqualified him from making the final vetting decision but I suspect it just made him overconfident about his judgement

And nobody in govt who knew about this thought it necessary or appropriate to brief Starmer, either at the time of the sacking or the later revelations? Even though he was repeatedly making incorrect statements to the House about this precise point?

Starmer not knowing actually makes it worse. The FO has apparently let him mislead the House for weeks about the vetting without briefing him on the facts, either then or earlier when he sacked Lord M. Only a deliberate attempt to give Starmer deniability explains his ignorance.

That's truly damning. If he wasn't a known risk he'd have passed the vetting. If the FO and Starmer chose to take that risk for political reasons they ought to be held fully responsible for the outcome.

I already have the e-books but this is one series that I really want to be able to lend out to unsuspecting friends and relatives so pre-order it is.

Also the implication that we should be able to defeat Russia (or the US) single handed. But that's why we have allies and international law. It's better, more effective and far cheaper than escalating arms races.

The perfect opportunity to revive the ambulatory interdict.

Circular Motion by Alex Foster, picked up entirely at random as a kindle bargain. It started as a vaguely unlikely straight SF premise and has turned into something rather bizarrely PK Dick-ish. I approve.

What does it actually mean to join the Green Party? 🌿

Ash from Young Greens breaks it down - what we stand for, what you’d be part of, and why it matters right now.

Watch. Share. Take the next step.
greenspartyni.org.uk/join

Also it was based on an essay written in 1967. If it's the only thing you know about lit theory you should probably be aware that it's really not the final word on the subject!

I Work Very Hard, And I Would Like To Try Cake By A Horse Hello. I am a horse. I work very hard at my job of being a horse. When humans say move the heavy thing, I move the heavy thing. When humans sit on top of me and pull on my head, I carry them where they want to go. The main food the humans give me is hay and oats. But I am thinking it would be nice to have a different food. I am thinking I would like to try cake. Yes, yes. Cake. I know all about it. When humans eat cake, it is in glad times. It is the food for a celebration, such as when a woman becomes 47. I have seen cake on the Fourth of July. When humans have a cake, they stand around it and clap hands and smile and say happy birthday at each other. Sometimes there are beautiful markings on a cake, such as balloons or a pink shape. Sometimes the top of a cake is on fire and a boy must blow on the fire with mouth wind. This is the scariest cake. I do not want this kind. But I will eat any other cake. Any cake that is not the fire cake that tries to kill the boy. Please understand: I do not get money for doing work. I do not get to go inside the house. All I am either doing my horse job or standing in my pen or eating food off the floor. I always do these things. But I have never once gotten cake and I would like it very much. I have noticed that human children get to eat cake. But I am bigger than the children. I am more helpful to the farm. Children do not move the heavy things like me or let anyone ride on them. And yet they get cake. Maybe the humans will realize this. Maybe they will say, "You know who deserves cake? That horse. That horse whose back we are always on." Every day I dream about what it will be like if I get to eat cake. Here is what will happen. First, I will walk to the cake and putt my nose at it like hrrfff to make and stomping my hooves to make sure it is not a snake. Then I will trot in a circle to show that I am a horse and I am large. After that, I will nuzzle the cake to …

The horse op-ed is an instant classic. I can't tell you how much joy this piece gives me.

It should be taught in every introductory writing class in no small part because the horse arguments are so compelling. "I have noticed that human children get to eat cake. But I am bigger than the children."

Finished the 'politics-free' Project Hail Mary and finishing the definitely not politics-free Newton's Wake (McLeod), listening to the politics-adjacent Sherlock Holmes stories on BBC Sounds.

I have noticed that the automatic AI results for Google searches are very good at generating likely answers to fact based crossword clues. (This is really not sufficient to justify its existence.)

Quote this post with your AO3 fic with the most kudos:

Oddly enough, the final part of a rather long Cabin Pressure Martin/Douglas fic. Why that one in particular got the most kudos I couldn't guess, though I did feel it had a fairly satisfying conclusion.

archiveofourown.org/works/270694

Good evening. Still enjoying Project Hail Mary on audio. Sticking with the SF- I’m reading Newton’s Wake (Ken McLeod) which is as always from him excellent.

The Bear by Marian Engel, I was about 12 and scouring the adult library for books about animals. A story about a bear and a librarian sounded just the sort of thing I was looking for. It was... edifying.

To be fair it's not claimed to be a list of MPs of foreign descent. It's explicitly a list of MPs of foreign descent who oppose Nick Timothy's particular brand of racism. The ones who keep quiet or support him aren't the targets, this time.

In the UK the centre left told us that despite their refusing to campaign or make promises to help minorities, those groups would naturally do better under any sort of Labour govt because they are Nice People Who Care. Turns out not so much.

Am enjoying!

Morning. Reading The Folded Sky (Bear) and listening to Project Hail Mary (Weir). Good solid SF is a particular joy.

So was the pilot non-binary, or did the journalist and editor just fail to cope with female pronouns in a military context? Bet you'd have used 'he' without a second thought.

I'm not convinced by this 'but it acts like a human' stuff. If a human invents nonsense you correct them, and if they do the same thing again regardless you give up on them as a reliable source. If it's their job to get things right then they will probably get sacked.

I love Murdoch's characters too.

Morning! Started The Folded Sky (Bear). Not sure why it's been so long since I read her work. About to give up on Dungeon Crawler Carl on audio :-( There were things I liked about it but I really can't take any more comical massacring of random monsters.

Two ways to look at the same facts;
a) Greens bribed Muslims with sectarian policies
b) Labour lost voter support over its Palestine policies.

a) conveniently absolves Starmer but teaches the party nothing.
b) requires a bit of soulsearching and better communication, and is therefore unthinkable.