Thank you to Stephen Sexton and @poetryireland.bsky.social for publishing this itinerary poem.

Refs need to cut down on defensive players dragging the tackler forward after the tackle, it’s becoming increasingly used as a technique to turn the ball over. It’s not in the act of tackling it’s after the tackle is completed and the carrier is clearly on the ground.

Interesting—the oldest university in UK announces AI platform through open ai day after the ceo has dinner with the king.

Not to give them the commentator’s curse, but Canadian women might play the best rugby in the world men or women. An absolute joy to watch.

It’s been over a year since I stopped eating meat and has been so much easier than I thought it would be. Not certain I will but can see myself going vegan, because a lot of my meals already are. If anyone has been thinking of cutting meat from their diet give it a shot, it’s easier than you think 🌱

I know England are the better team here but come on, coming back for the upright tackle and not the tackle off the ball—Scotland player nowhere near engaging in that ruck surely.

I think today has demonstrated that, if anyone thinks the media is not the driving force behind the rise of fascism in the UK, they are either dishonest and culpable themselves or total deludinoids. 100,000 trans people: crickets 100,000 fascists: max publicity.

Far right protest today: 29 - police officers injured 9 - protestors arrested Proscribed group protests: 0 - police officers injured 1,600 - protestors arrested We have Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper to thank for this absurd anomaly

Not normally a big ‘acceptance’ announcer, but I somehow have a poem forthcoming in the London Review of Books. Miracles do happen, apparently, right out of the slush!

If Farage wins the next election, it will be down to one person. His name is Keir Starmer. This thread explains why. 1. Destroying faith in democracy. The UK decisively voted out the Tories, only for Starmer to give us a Continuity Tory government, shamefully beholden to economic power. 🧵

Women’s rugby, men’s rugby, sevens, fifteens, doesn’t matter… everybody loves some Fiji 🏉 🇫🇯

Scientists shocked. Humans shrug. Collapse ahead. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine have sued OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT contributed to their son’s suicide, including by advising him on methods and offering to write the first draft of his suicide note.

I don’t want to be too shrill about this but I think the BBC, ITV and Sky have disgraced themselves in their coverage of the anti-refugee protests. A massive failure of judgement. But now we know the next time a progressive protest “isn’t news” that it’s nothing to do with numbers

A reminder of how the nation’s broadcaster views calls to end genocide.

“He was asking what he had done wrong for this to happen to him and if the teachers don’t like him,” said his mother Anne. Jake said he was planning to avoid using the toilet at school by limiting the amount he drinks https://bit.ly/3JwjYBT

Good morning from Montreal and my mother’s balcony.

Reminder: striking workers ordered back to work by the government are STILL ON STRIKE. They are working under duress. I encourage Work to Rule tactics to resist their exploitation. TL;DR: This is bullshit.

Led by Donkeys, sent to me 22.7.25. "We’ve just turned the building opposite the Labour HQ into a street from Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza...ensuring Labour staffers will be forced to engage with this scene every time they look out the window. Police are on site.

As if high street runners weren’t bad enough, if you’re out for a run in the middle of Old Town Edinburgh at peak Fringe chaos you simply deserve to trip—not hurt yourself but just really embarrassingly trip in front of a huge crowd.

UK readers, if you can't afford to buy any of these books, order them from your local library. The authors will see your support through loan figures and PLR. You don't even have to finish reading them if you don't want!

Barely an hour ago, Palestinian journalist Anas Al-Sharif warned us all: “If this madness doesn’t end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased — and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.” Israel just killed him.

This arrived today. Poems by Palestinians. A publishing initiative by Alice Oswald, Robert Macfarlane, Zaffar Kunial and Max Porter. (My favourite poets and writers) A poem by 17 year old Saleh in Gaza.

"The man known by his sinister alias "Mr Peace", was once 2nd-in-command to the 83-year-old vicar who was given the death penalty for saying "genocide is wrong". The pair commanded a savage army of ageing women and disabled people who make forbidden signs." www.normalisland.co.uk/p/police-ide...

PM just thanking her for her positive impact is such poor leadership. You can’t let policy makers get away with a slap on the wrist and expect the rest of society to benevolently do the right thing. All this response demonstrates is to keep exploiting tenants just don’t get caught.

IRISH PAGES The current issue of Irish Pages edited by Kathleen Jamie & Don Paterson - the special Scotland edition the one that has generated much online debate - is available FREE in the Scottish Poetry Library. While stocks last. Form a disorderly queue, please.

Despite only being on the pitch together some 55 mins (albeit the best 55 mins the Lions played) Russell and Huwipulotu in the team of the series at 10-12-13 from the Rugby Union Weekly pod surely shows selection decisions for test 2 & 3 could’ve been a bit better.

These new images of the total obliteration of whole areas in Gaza are beyond words. You can see why Israel has prevented international journalists entering Gaza to report on these indefensible scenes. www.itv.com/news/2025-08...

Sorry but JGP is tossing it to forwards who are entirely isolated here way too much. I know he likes to mix it up but his own players don’t seem to understand what he’s trying to do right now.

I think that’s 4 times over the last two tests now that Finn has won a 5m line-out and they’ve been converted once.

Headed for Tiree to see the fam!

25 years since Like Water for Chocolate dropped 🤯

Finn ‘The Muscle’ Russell! observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...

Blair Kinghorn came in and absolutely changed the game—he ran riot through that Wallabies defence. Has to start third test.

The amount of crap Duhan would be taking if these kicks were going in behind him…

Incredible kick from Finn Russell made that try with a 50m pen to touch.

Having this poem out in the world is a little intimidating. But mostly I feel grateful for all this being & becoming, for my parts and my dear ones' and my therapist. And for the folks, especially Keetje Kuipers, who made room for this poem in Poetry Northwest.

#reform #farage pronounced Fa’idge

Ben White showing he deserves a chance in the big show!

All we’ve learned from this half is that Darcy is a game changer. No dynamism on the outside anymore and it shows. Hope he gets fit enough to be in contention for third test.

“this £85 billion represents a direct transfer of value from the public to private owners — a sum extracted while storm overflows proliferated, leakage targets were missed, and river health declined”

Hello friends, a new indie press has launched here in Edinburgh, with the aim to publish at least 6 books a year from writers from/residing within Scotland and southern Africa. www.bat.is/blog/batis-b...

It's performative. If Steve Reed were really "furious" about water bills, he wouldn't have ruled out renationalisation, or forbidden the Independent Water Commission to recommend it. He enables the filthiest, most parasitic capital to defeat the public interest. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Will go under the radar, but outside Russell kicking for pts has been poor for Lions, and had he not knocked through a couple of those conversions from out towards touch the end of that test would’ve been much tighter. Just saying because he was slated for it pre-tour off one bad day.

He won’t get it but Finn has been MOTM. Great kicking, brilliant line breaking passing, controlled the game phenomenally well.

My family are notorious nicknamers and my sister’s partner is named Austin, and he is now pretty much singularly referred to as City Limits in all family correspondence. It’s bad isn’t it?!

After almost 2 years of refusing to use the word “genocide” The NY Times publishes this now that the slaughter of Gaza is in its final stages. Get ready for loads of revisionist history from Corp News on the Gaza genocide just like with the invasion of Iraq. And coming soon, the climate emergency.

@squidgerugby.bsky.social going Huwipulotu for his starting #Lions test centre pairing. Things you love to see. Sadly not going to happen, because pretty sure them playing a total of 5 mins alongside Russell means Farrell has already made his mind up a while ago.

I watch and comment on here on things like The Rest is Politics because knowing where the neo-lib status quo sits is vital. When those two are saying “I think it’s impossible now not to call this genocide” protesters and those emailing reps and institutions need to know mindsets are changing.