Good spot by @matthewholehouse.bsky.social

Looking at Starmer's 2025 civil service reform speech in the context of the present discontents is instructive. www.gov.uk/government/n...

This week marks the start of the @refugeeweek.bsky.social ‘Simple Acts’ countdown, and we’re encouraging you to Have a Courageous Conversation.

All together now: "We used to be confident about the arbitrariness of the sign, but now we're not Saussure..."

A sign from within a toilet cubical in Vancouver, depicting a person squating on top of a toilet pan, there is a circle around it with a strike diagonally across the circle on red.

Heres an example.
I'm not saussure why anyone would be tempted to leap off a toilet pan, or commence skiing from there.

Hoo boy, that was a tough listen. Two women in a department store, browsing racks right next to me, discussing 'immigrants'. I had to walk away when one said '...and you know what? We'll never get them all out of here either'.

There's just no helping some people. 🙄 #Its2026

Lots of noise from Labour about their renter's rights act for England. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘕𝘗 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝟤𝟢𝟣𝟩.

And The SNP proposes to go 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 - with the right to first refusal to purchase the home they live in, at a fair market rate, if the owner decides to sell 👏

Olly Robbins refuses to discuss what was in Mandelsons vetting (the DV), or even say whether there was anything in the vetting that wasn't in the public domain.

Olly Robins is asked, what would have happened if clearance had been denied.

Robbins acknowledges "[it] would have been a very difficult problem, & a difficult problem I would have been landing the foreign secretary with & the PM with"

Robbins said no.10 put pressure on the foreign office to give Matthew Doyle a job & not tell the foreign secretary!

Doyle is the man Starmer subsequently gave a peerage to despite the fact he'd campaigned for someone who'd been charged with possessing indecent images of children

Sounds like a big fat "NO".

"The PM was asked.. did the PM ask him why he overruled the verdict.. the PM replied, I did ask him and I did not accept his explanation. Did the PM ask you?"

Robbins: ".. I must remain quiet on that.."

"Is it fair to say he did ask you?"

"I must reserve my position on that.."

At least your half way there, I'm just in awe! 😆

I wish I was able to communicate my thoughts this way as I find the graphics help me digest the information easier.
It's a wonderful talent to have.

This is a graphic recording of an online co-design workshop for BEYOND, a peace game project. It shows a mind map of two main categories, the PURPOSE of the workshop and the BRAINSTORM strategies. There are five main themes: Family Separation (in conflict zones); The Dynamic of Recruitment (of children into illegal economies); Childcare; Training; and "No Easy Wins". Family Separation has the following subthemes: Mandatory evaluations; one parent must be present with their children. Psychological pressure due to family separation. Parents joining armed forces. Feeling of inequality not having both parents. Threats of conscription. Experiencing displacement. Ill-equipped bomb shelters; lacking needs for mothers and children. Mine safety; briefings in schools. Constant drone and missile strikes. The Dynamic of Recruitment has the following subthemes: What are the socio-economic contexts in which children are raised? How does this situation push children into illegal economies? Not only armed foces but child labour including being an assistant, cooking, cleaning, deliveries, etc. Modality of recruitment including social media platforms like TikTok... Understanding the vulnerabilities in urban warfare. False promised of wealth, expensive goods, glamourous lifestyle... Indigenous organisations providing protective and preventative education programmes to challenge to 'social messaging'. Healing, reintegration and re-harmonization of children who have returned. Strengthening roles of families in avoiding dangerous dynamics with collective approach. Childcare has the following subthemes: Gendered experiences e.g. boy perceived as security risk. Lack of access to pediatric care impacting physical and mental health. Those with sensory impairments not able to notice warning signs/alerts. No Easy Win has the following subthemes: Less legal approach is more effective. Who are the different actors? Civil society, church, religious groups. [truncated]

This is a graphic recording of a co-design workshop on BEYOND, a peace game project I worked on with Prof Rebecca Sutton. See alt text for a full description of the themes identified.

#peace #GBL #IHL #conflict #gamesForGood

You can lead the Daily Telegraph to an NHS story, but you can't make them report it accurately.

Master's Scholarships programme 2026-27: supporting groups underrepresented in academic history - RHS Each year the Society awards Scholarships to support students who will study for a Master's degree in history at a UK university. Master's Scholarships, each of £5000, seek to support students from gr...

Today we also open the call for applications to our 2026-27 Master's Scholarships programme: bit.ly/4dTHmXe

Scholarships of £5000 are for students from groups currently underrepresented in academic history to study for an MA in history or a related subject. Closing date: Friday 5 June #Skystorians

Which leads to the question, why bother vetting at all?

The govt announced that Mandelson was the new ambassador to the US before security vetting had been done

Olly Robbins explains that at no point did the government stipulate the appointment was subject to vetting.

We can’t trust Palantir with our NHS data Is this really the company we should be entrusting with our health service’s digital architecture?

"Palantir is not just a problem of profiteering from our national healthcare system— it's a fundamental threat to the democratic control of our public infrastructure + the privacy of every citizen. By giving our taxes to this company, we are aiding their operations everywhere."

tinyurl.com/3ejuyv89

I'm sure they feature annually during the Glasgow Doors Open event, which is happening between 17-20 Sept this year!!

The house was demolished in 1972, and after being damaged by a fire in 1994, the stables lay abandoned for over a decade. However, in 2005 they were renovated and converted into a multi-purpose community building by Elder and Cannon for the Glasgow Building Preservation Trust.

#glasgow

The octagonal tower of the Castlemilk House Stables in the south of Glasgow. Attributed to David Hamilton, they were built around 1800.

Cont./

#glasgow #architecture #castlemilk #glasgowbuildings #architecturephotography

Stealing a Lebanese families home grown vegetables, they take photos and proudly post themselves. The IDF arrogance & indifference of other humans is beyond words. Just as we saw in Gaza, we see in Lebanon.

'When the killer cooks': Viral image shows Israeli soldier cooking in southern Lebanese home Lebanese journalist says picture of Israeli female soldier in Bint Jbeil home is 'insult to people’s memory and dignity'

“Violation in its full ‘elegance’,” the publisher captioned the picture on Instagram. “When the killer and occupier cook in the kitchen of the land’s people.” #Lebanon

Disgusting.

www.middleeasteye.net/trending/vir...

Make that make sense 🤷‍♀️

Ridge "Starmer knew this stuff before.."

Miliband "So you're saying he should never have been appointed?"

"Yes"

"I agree with you"

"Thats Starmers fault.. look whose lost their jobs.. should Starmer lose his job, because he's the one who made the error"

"I dont think so, no"

Catherine had opportunity to visit Nikki and the community garden at #Fallin Stirlingshire last week great to see the former Polmaise (3, 4 & 5) Colliery site repurposed and brought back into production. Much more on this black to green story to follow….
#MiningLandscapes

Just a thought: How about we stop shaming the poor for buying things that may not be essential, and start shaming the rich for making a profit off things that are essential?

The co-presenter of #GMB, who happens to be married to the foreign secretary:

"This moment in the house of commons where Keir Starmer was saying what he thought was a serious point and was jeered. You can see it in his face, the shock when he realises, they're laughing at me"

There's an agenda.