Explanation has been found:

I'd forgotten I mocked him for being dumb.

bsky.app/profile/zoew...

I am also blocked for some reason. Curious.

I'm watching the Jimmy Savile documentary on Netflix and it's remarkable how much it's actually about how Thatcherism hollowed out public institutions such as hospitals so that they came to rely on the largesse of private entrepreneurs who, now being indispensable, were able to act with impunity

More than 13 million living in poverty, government figures show The level rose slightly on the previous year while the number of children living in poverty has remained steady.

Ultimately, the size of the economy is a meaningless stat. We've just been trained to think it matters.

Real world impacts are more important.

Like this for example: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Why did BBC Breakfast give Reform UK a special graphic? A small detail in a brief report sparks some big questions about what the national broadcaster is doing during the run up to local and national elections.

NEW | On an odd choice…

WHY DID BBC BREAKFAST GIVE REFORM UK A SPECIAL GRAPHIC?

A small detail in a brief report sparks some big questions about what the national broadcaster is doing during the run up to local and national elections.

brokenbottleboy.substack.com/p/why-did-bb...

Keep Android Open Your phone is about to stop being yours. In September 2026, Google will block every Android app whose developer hasn't registered with them.

Ownership means control. If Google can block any app on your phone, you don't really own it. Join the 100,000+ people fighting to keep Android open. @keepandroidopen.bsky.social keepandroidopen.org

Save 75% on Paradise Killer on Steam Paradise Island, a world outside reality. There’s been a murder that only "investigation freak" Lady Love Dies can solve. Gather evidence and interrogate suspects in this open world adventur...

So it is! Good spot.

store.steampowered.com/app/1160220/...

That's Jesmond Dene in Newcastle. Lovely little park, hidden away almost.

Pet zoo nearby too. Also great.

Funny that Pete Walker hasn't read it (or is pretending it doesn't exist).

If only someone had published a recent book showing what lying sods Reed and his compatriots are.

Oh wait, Paul Holden did.

www.thefraud.info

As the Guardian you should know that if Steve Reed is saying something, it's likely to be a sticking pile of manure.

That you immediately dash to print whatever word salad Reed has uttered is embarrasing for you.

It's also not as if Mandelson was an angel even before all this.

Like, Starmer didn't put up a bastion of philanthropy and good vibes for a plummy job and was surprised by the history.

He nominated someone with the nickname "The Prince of Darkness".

I'm sorry to hear this. Awful. :(

The representative from Podcasting Is Praxis having a whale of a time in the thread.

Well, apart from having to watch the House of Commons.

Thread also includes a photo of a very good dog.

Screenshot of the game Paradise Killer on PC. Screenshot is looking over an island from a relative high point. Buildings and a hill can be seen in the background, trees dotted around the island and the sea on the right side of the frame and blue sky with wispy clouds in the background.

Spending Monday morning playing Paradise Killer on PC.

It's a little out of my usual comfort zone but the game exudes style and charm.

Have started it before but was distracted by other shiny things. Am determined to suss out the killer this time round.

I broke when the TV announcer said "And that was the last ever episode of Due South."

I adored that show, absolutely loved it.

My Mum did not understand my upset at all, told me to get a grip it was just TV.

Bet365 boss Denise Coates's pay package rises to £280m Denise Coates, the founder and chief executive of Bet365, is consistently one of Britain's highest-paid bosses.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Where's the £280 million a year that Coates lives off coming from?

It's ultimately coming from desperate, damaged people.

Telling that she has a CBE.

"The gambling industry brings positive benefits"?!?!?!

Is Nandy insane?

Apart from the ruined lives, of which there are far too many, the industry funnels money out of the country to Gibraltar, Cayman Islands and more.

Emily has uploaded a snippet of one of the songs from the album to her Instagram (emilyhenrymusic) The song is called Thank Me Later.

If you like it, please go help the album become a reality at the link in my quote post.

When they find mechanisms to remove trans right they can piggy back the removal of contraceptive rights and abortion which is exactly what has happened in many parts of America. Not that people should only care about trans rights when it starts to affect them, but I WISH people would understand this

BBCs coverage this week hasn't been about "revealing sham immigration advisers". Yes, they exist and should be combatted, but these deliberately create the misleading idea of people seeking asylum committing widespread fraud. It's been about paving the way for this. 1/
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

www.refugee-action.org.uk/lockedoutloc...

Then I presume @refugeeaction.bsky.social are just making up the horrific details in their most recent report?

Seeing as Starmer the Human Rights lawyer is so into migration...

Journalism job cuts in 2026 tracked: BBC to cut up to 2,000 jobs Press Gazette will update this page throughout 2026 with any journalism job cuts and redundancies announced in the UK or US.

The BBC is, seemingly, in a downward spiral. Currently they're looking at making 1 in 10 people redundant: pressgazette.co.uk/news/journal...

It's such a shame to see the BBC end up like this but you're better out of it Robin.

Best of luck to you.

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?

Giving money to poor people is simply not cricket.

Government exists to funny money to the well to do or well connected to make them rich, or to the already wealthy to keep them rich.

The rest of us just have to make do.

A stone cherub carved into the ceiling. The cherub has its pants down and is engaging in an...act...with a dopy expression on its face.

Oh you have reminded me of this absolute gem:

It's from the Weatherspoon Hotel in Ruthin, North Wales.

You don't have to shop direct, I got my recent Lenovo laptop from Argos: www.argos.co.uk/search/lenov...

Arrived within 2 days.

Tweet from Jeremey Vine on 5 Twitter account about Just Stop Oil protestors. Tweet says: "Should eco-protesters be denied bail? A top police chief wants the likes of Just Stop Oil to be remanded in custody until they're tried or sentenced to stop them from causing more chaos. Is that a step too far?" Tweet tags Ava Santina, Mike Parry and Jeremy Vine.

Tweet from Jeremy Vine on 5 account. 25 May 2023: "Is it time to crack down on jobless benefits. Nearly 4 million people in the UK are being supported by the state without ever having to look for a job. That's because they've been deemed too sick to work. Is it wrong for taxpayers to fund them indefinitely?" It got 5.1 million views at time of screenshot. The tweet was deleted.

This Jeremey Vine? Politically impartial?!?!

I think we know how 'impartial' he is.

I'm no programmer but I was a tinkerer with early HTML back in the day.

I remember at one point Microsoft updated MS Word to allow it to turn your document into a website.

You could do it but the code was...yikes!

Seems this is just that but for...everything.

Concerns Mandelson failed M16 vetting for US ambassador – but was appointed anyway The prime minister is facing serious questions after claims he ignored warnings from the security services to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

September 2025 by David Maddox.

There is no conceivable way Starmer did not know. None.