Me wrapping presents:

It is rather pathetic that in 2025 we still have, if not outright homophobia, then attitudes that aren't wholly welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community.

So many candidates for dumbest fit-fluencer videos. But my personal fav. is the lass who made a video claiming there are specific exercises to do in order to build muscles as a lesbian. When it was pointed out that sexual preference has no impact on exercise effectiveness she claimed homophobia.

10/10. No notes.

Community Christmas dinner at the Henry Barron centre in Gipton for people in the community who are lonely or just need a little extra help

A place of welcome: how Northallerton in Yorkshire is rallying around to help asylum seekers (FT) www.ft.com/content/1d11...

I generally dislike other people will be on my epitaph. Side note, though don't know if it's an apocryphal fact or not but a phrase used in Finnish to describe your significant other is Mulkvisti which supposedly means 'the one I don't hate as much as the others'.

Currently reading Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies. Almost instant-regret that I haven't read the chap's works sooner. Apropos of the administration across the pond, as well as Putin's, Lukashenko's, and Orban's autocracies. The following quote feels rather apt.

I've been aware for a while of the work by faith and other community groups to support people seeking asylum. So I asked the @refugeecouncil.bsky.social where there was really vigorous community support. They said Northallerton. Here's what I found when I went there: as.ft.com/r/b3449fbd-3...

Final paragraph here is brutally astute.

Oh, this is actually really good.

The US is doing little to challenge the bad actor allegations.

This is very good news.

Grim that so many folks have directly contributed to a fascist regime in the US for personal gain. Doubly so given they're already quite rich. Morally bankrupt, and beneath contempt.

Taps the sign. bsky.app/profile/ngoo...

This is the content I'm here for 10/10 'would recommend'.

I do do find it wild that people are still using their faith as cover for blatantly misogynistic, sexist, and homophobic views. You sure you've read and understand the bible, mate? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Weird, I don't remember such concern from the far right when our heavy industry collapsed and working class communities were thrown into turmoil. Probably also worth noting both my dogs (a Staffy and a bulldog) no longer partake in the sports they were bred for.

A particular failure of our housing ecosystem has been the wilful residulisation of social housing at the same time as a reduction in welfare support for private renters. All the while cost of living erodes the spending power of lower income households. 4D chess lads, well done.

Slaanesh is licking their lips at 2029. Chaos reigns.

At some point this government is going to need to upset people other than those who would normally want to vote for it.

The M6 holds a special place of hate in my heart. No redeemable features whatsoever. The services suck, the road is awful and the traffic always bad.

If this sounds familiar it's because it's copied and pasted from Trump's playbook.

Remarkable, we put up a load of barriers with our biggest trading partner and it gets harder to do business with them. More on this breaking news as it develops.

The US really is a useful reminder of the fragility of a democracy's checks and balances. Traditional media over there is falling over itself to placate the administration.

I wander what it is about Putin invading Ukraine, butchering civilians and kidnaping thousands of Ukrainian children that caused Zelenskyy to hate him? Real puzzle that one.

It is a rather infuriating quirk that cat mess isn't defacto treated like dog poo. I am (rightly) required to clean up after my dogs. Cat owners should, likewise, be made to do the same. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Reform hates your gran is an interesting electoral strategy.

Fundamentally, I'd rather a left wing geezer selling promises of progress they might fall short on than a right wing geezer delivering on the racism they campaigned for.

Very conscious of selection bias in news from Ukraine but the propaganda (believed it must be said by the US) coming from Russia versus their operational reality is vastly different. Yes Ukraine are in the fight of their lives. But Russia simply isn't making any kind of meaningful progress.

The Trump Equation: a= b x c a= stories about an item the administration doesn't want you to hear is in the news cycle b= dead cat stories c= the frequency and intensity by which B is deployed

Remigration is racism personified. It is deeply concerning that mainstream parties are even considering it as a legitimate policy endeavour. The disintegration of the centre right in the UK and its metamorphosis into a ethno-nationalist entity should be challenged far more than it is.

Yes, this is very much the logical end point. And for many is the ultimate aim. Our inability to have an actual grown up conversation on the trade offs with immigration has allowed the overton window to shift to some very dark places.

Some really good stuff in here. A reminder that Labour is capable of doing the right thing, when it chooses to. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

After Big Issue's reporting, minister Louise Sandher-Jones writes that the government believes veteran homelessness is a 'national shame'.

As someone who has seen one of their nearest and dearest have a nervous breakdown by working themselves into the ground I cannot explain how deeply unhelpful this kind of article is. fortune.com/article/will...

Belatedly discovered a fully forced Q further down the Michael Ashcroft poll: 40% of people currently intending to vote Con would rather have Starmer as PM than Farage lordashcroftpolls.com/2025/12/daft...

I wonder how Nicki feels about Turning Point's attitude to, among other things: women, immigrants and non white folk.

Actual good stuff from Labour. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Discourse on the professional photos taken of Trump's team misses the point. It's excellent photo-journalism but also highlights - go fash, look like shit. No sympathy for those who willingly chose power and autocracy over moral good.

Live women's rugby on the BBC - Celtic Challenge for those who are interested. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-...

Another item to add for 'the strategy isn't working, lads' list.

Great interview this: Milburn talking a lot of sense about his review, and about what went wrong with welfare reform earlier this year:

Me, looking at my emails on a Monday morning.

Minimum wages are precisely that. A minimum. You can always pay more experienced staff members a higher amount.

Jake Paul getting a double jaw break from Anthony Joshua is objectively hilarious. The latter being past his peak doesn't negate the massive gap between elite level and OK for YouTube.

Like, these guys realise the redactions make this a whole lot worse, right?

Oh this level of redaction is hilariously poor. Guilty as fuck, lad.

Et tu, MJ?