Tomorrow night! —->

Find it utterly bizarre that politicians on the left continue to use X, lining the post of Elon Musk a little bit more with every tweet and every spat.

Eating one of the many bags of crisps that LNER off loaded onto me on my last trip while being studiously ignored by all the catering crew on this (late) Deutsche Bahn train.

Good column this. Ultimately the UK's problems are 'need to spend a bit more money' - big and important questions on what the right mix of public and private that should be, but no, we don't need a 'Meiji Restoration' level of upheaval!

Last chance! Our extended deadline of 28 July is fast approaching - feel free to message me to find out more.

If you go down to the woods today you’re sure of a big surprise. The woods are gone. There’s a road called ‘The Woods’ there instead, containing a load of fucking ghastly overpriced executive houses with identical shiny light grey interiors and pointless giant clocks in their living rooms.

If only there were half the outrage over Israeli soldiers shooting starving people queuing for food as there has been towards some rappers mouthing off at Glastonbury, we'd be in a very different place

british fan chat

All governments are imperfect but they are NOT "all the same". The lazy trope that "it doesn't matter who you vote for" isn't just false; it feeds the nihilism on which the radical right prey. It's like a burning tyre, coating everything in acrid smoke, choking off any meaningful democratic choice

I’ve discovered incredible new music and artists during my short time as Chair of @nonclsscl.bsky.social - being on the board is massively fulfilling, and we’re currently recruiting a number of trustees - details below.

A reminder that more people are employed in the yoga industry than there are registered fishers working in the UK.

Achievement unlocked, rode the @lner.co.uk Eleanor train today 😍

Just the official account for the US government portraying a convicted fraudster, rapist and sex predator as God's representative on Earth. Americans must be so proud.

Now there’s a policy I can get behind…

It’s literally impossible to get wine served in an actual glass @southbankcentre.bsky.social - why would I want to over spend on a glass of wine only to have it in plastic? Upstairs to Skylon it is…

VERY excited that @nonclsscl.bsky.social is coming to Glasgow next month with a gig at the brilliant @thegladcafe.bsky.social. See you there? Tickets: www.nonclassical.co.uk/events/harry...

Happy Easter

Copywriting means the annual depressing attempt to find something, anything, interesting to say about artists. 99% of biogs tell me nothing other what country they’re from and that they trained with someone I’ve never heard of. Sigh.

Not bad views from my @lner.co.uk journey today.

Yet another punctual, pleasant and reasonably priced journey on Britain’s broken railways.

It staggers me how bad donor care is with many arts companies. I give one what for me is a substantial sum. On renewal I ask if I can pay monthly. They’re unable to take new direct debits, apologise and leave it at that. No options presented, no ask to just renew the whole year. (1/2)

It staggers me how bad donor care is with many arts companies. I give one what for me is a substantial sum. On renewal I ask if I can pay monthly. They’re unable to take new direct debits, apologise and leave it at that. No options presented, no ask to just renew the whole year. (1/2)

Something that’s not tariffs.

You set the house on fire, watched it burn, and then lost your nerve and put it out. You now have a partially burned house. Great job.

A great feat! 22% raised of our crowdfunder for 2025. There is no time to lose! It's the bi-annual time of year when we ask our extended family of music lovers and musicians to help as we do some express fundraising for the series. edge.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

This is what you call two different readouts of the same meeting. Go Denmark, Go Greenland!

Charts That Basically Go Vertical, an occasional series

Bafflingly there are still people out there in the world who think being passionate about nature is “kind of weird”. or “a niche interest”. These people have it all wrong. Nature isn’t some quirky sideline to the main business. It IS the main business. Nature is us.

Lenin discovering Alexander Kerensky has accidentally added him to the Provisional Government group chat.

"OK but that's worse. You do see how that's worse right?"

So you know how on Japanese trains there’s an assumption that delays are so frowned upon you get compensated for even being a tiny bit late? Turns out the minimum delay for any compensation is two hours and then you only get a portion back. Another urban myth!

Us Brits often seem to actively enjoy talking about how bad our trains are but I’m fairly certain other countries systems aren’t the utopia we portray them as. I’m currently stood (for 2 hours) on a Shinkansen delayed by 75minutes following the cancellation of two other trains.

It's only the fact that we share a common language that's makes us think we are the same culturally as the Americans, we are nothing like them, British attitudes to life, religion, money, politics, society, morality etc are as far distant from the US as they are from China.

beaver's return

Trudeau is absolute class.

If you're struggling, please be aware that the world's most massive and most wholesome social media account is on Bsky.

6 MARCH, 7PM | Smith Square Hall OLIVER LEITH JOCELYN CAMPBELL INTI FIGGIS-VIZUETA HARRY GÓRSKI-BROWN NWAKKE NNEKA CUMMINS electronics, orchestra, movement, vocals, fiddle, fishing reels, improvisation + more tickets from £8 👉 www.sinfoniasmithsq.org.uk/event/x-nonc...

Sunday’s @thetimes.com cartoon times.newsprints.co.uk/morten-morla...

Perfect, just perfect. 👏 @mortenmorland.bsky.social

Reality check. Thank you, Financial Times.

There's a rumour that Nigel Farage is keeping his head down because he's off to a Trump cheerleading conference over the weekend. I’m afraid I’m being proved right- Farage is far more interested in Trump's success than British security. He is a bootlicker and a plastic patriot.

Putin says Trump must go further before he’ll even agree to meet. Putin is entirely in the driving seat. The US has alienated its own allies, given Russia nearly all of what it wanted, bought Putin’s warped view of reality, and can’t even guarantee a meeting. The art of the deal, indeed.

Vladimir Putin announces his new Secretary of State for Propaganda.

Pres Trump: ‘I think Europe has given $100bn [to Ukraine] and we’ve given, let’s say, $300bn plus.’ The most reliable figures show the EU has given $138bn to Ukraine, while the US has given $114bn. In 2024 Europe and Canada provided nearly 60% of NATO’s security aid to Ukraine.

All of these people saying “oh but America was never an ally” or “this is just how America has always behaved” are letting Trump/Vance off the hook with their cynicism. The horrific betrayal and utter shamelessness needs to be called out loudly and repeatedly.

Vance’s grotesqueness aside, the whole thing is one of the most horrific acts of betrayal ever committed by a democratic state against another. Just a moral abomination and a permanent stain on everyone who supports it

Calling Zelensky a “Dictator” must be where the line is drawn. It is my sincere hope that the whole political spectrum in the United Kingdom will speak with one voice in opposition to Trump’s lies.