From a walk this morning. In a street with ample space, a selfish driver has entirely blocked the footway for people using mobility aids, guide dogs, or with children in prams. The pavement is just over 2m wide, and just 2ft is left.

A conversation between a "Raise the Colours" flag-hanger, & a "lefty vicar". The "vicar" is an Elim Pentecostal Pastor, which is a white-led Pentecostal church in the UK. It's a contrast to the majority of 'white evangelicals' in the USA & is a typical UK view. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDxt...

Not at all an "unfortunate" photograph. #Smut us.v-cdn.net/cdn-cgi/imag...

Bomp ... bomp ... bomp. Barnet Con group leader moved house to Wales in 2022. Stayed as Councillor. Left Con for RefUK in May/June. Resigned from Council last week, leaving his seat unoccupied until elections in May. What IS going on ? barnetpost.co.uk/2026/01/01/f... @markpackuk.bsky.social

Offered without comment: "A remarkable proportion of OnlyFans pages are AI. My (18 year old) daughter tells me that one of her classmates has a Snapchat account where they pretend to be a 21 year old Korean student in San Francisco, and sell AI generated feet images to people for $50/time."

why did they redact this

Palestine Action are working hard to justify their Terrorism Act designation. freedomnews.org.uk/2025/01/13/g...

New net migration figures at 930am. Net migration fell half a million to 344,000 in 2024 from 848k in 2023 56% of people think it went up last year 17% think stayed the same 14% think it went down 2025 figure to be lower again 16% expect that 38% think it will be up 31% about the same

Who did this? Go on - own up ! ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard...

Unapologetically "borrowed": Mediums the world over are getting fed up with Epstein contacting them from the other side to protest he wasn’t friends with Trump, in order to avoid further damage to his reputation.

So what's the latest at Kent County Council? (It's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, but I'm not yet sure where the erotic novelist suing for defamation fits in.) www.youtube.com/watch?t=12&v...

It's not worth more than a quibble, but why is James Buchan not number 37 in the Reform Defenestrato List? I only need a couple more for my Eastern Orthodox Defenestrato Advent Calendar to run through to 7 January. ( @markpackuk.bsky.social )

An aspect of the Great Collapsing RefUK Disaster to watch - the Kent County Council majority has gone from 33 (57 vs 24) to 9 (45 vs 36) since May. One hell of a drop & potentially existential for control of the Council, especially with the budget process about to happen. @markpackuk.bsky.social

@markpackuk.bsky.social I see we are up to 32 Reform UK Defenestratos. If we reach 38 by the end of November I can make an Advent Calendar that will reach Orthodox Christmas in early January.

The German company that makes the mechanical ladder used in the Louvre heist has used the image to advertise, with the text 'When you need to move fast' 10/10 response, no notes

Reese Witherspoon clearly did not know very much about James Bond when young ! Solving crime ... what? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

On Trump's invasions: The places with terrorist uprisings tend to have relatively low crime rates. Sorry to pop the bubble: San Fran: 7 per 100,000 (murder rate) St Louis: 88 New Orleans: 52 Memphis: 48 Chicago: 20 Portland: 13 Sadiq Khan's London: 1 (Trump, a career criminal, does not see it.)

Droll ...

Nobel Peace Prize announcement due in 26 minutes. USA to declare war on Sweden in 27 minutes, if Mr Trump does not get one.

President Chump is setting himself up to be handed his arse on a plate again: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Reform Councillor James Petter of West Northamptonshire needs to be on Only Fans not Tik Tok. The good Councillor was trying to be Churchillian, and doing politics whilst in the bath. Unfortunately, unlike Churchill, he had a video feed from his tub ... oops. www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_NG...

And another one ... (The Reform Exit Portal should be running the Royal Mail.) www.cornish-times.co.uk/news/cornwal... @markpackuk.bsky.social

From Paul Keeley) on Twitter .. very good. “GOTTLE OF GEER! GOTTLE OF GEER!” Credit: x.com/drcrouchback

@markpackuk.bsky.social Bomp.. bomp ... bomp ... www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/politic... (Beat you this time !)

@markpackuk.bsky.social A really interesting analysis of the YouGov MRP poll data on PB this morning, looking at the solidity of seats by stratified projected majority and party. Vert much worth a look, and perhaps a mention in you week in polls. www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/ar... eg

This is REALLY good news on #Huntingdons Disease: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

@markpackuk.bsky.social Bomp .. bomp .. bomp .. number 20. (I think) www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/politic...

Comment from a friend ... "I would love to comment on the Charlie Kirk and free speech debate, but I have to fly to the US next week, so I can't."

@markpackuk.bsky.social Bomp .. Bomp ... Bomp www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... (More on the way, I hear)

😀 Battenburg cake !

What a strange article about Hen Nights. WHY feel a pressure to spend £1000? (This is guests not the person getting hitched.) ISTM that a real friend won't abuse guests like this. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Quote of the morning: "A project I worked on is on display in the Science Museum. In fact, there's a photo of me and the team as an Easter Egg on the device - I've still got the original photos. I know tech moves quickly, but I didn't expect to have something in the Science Museum..."

Today's politicians' dilemma. (There's always a clip from Yes Minister) www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg-U...

Reform led Derbyshire County Council flying by the seat of his pants to the extent that they broke the law, whilst closing down Adult Education Centres. Followed by an apology. www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-n...

There's an intriguing take on PB, about whether @KemiBadenoch is "the new IDS". vf.politicalbetting.com/discussion/1... My thoughts are that it is a tricky comparison, as IDS is a Tory defenestrato and Kemi has not been hoofed out yet (real soon now...) (1/n)

Amateur hour at Taunton Town Council. Can't even follow national guidelines. This is on a blind bend. What's Health & Safety? For FUCK'S sake. See the similar in Worcester last March that killed Jim Pantall when his trike mobility aid rear wheel hit it. www.worcesternews.co.uk/news/2538182...

On that Death of Trump story. (From a friend)

@markpackuk.bsky.social Mark, as far as I can see, your latest Reform UK defenestrato James Regan is a Town Councillor not a District Councillor. ie not listed here: rds.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/mgMemberInde...

What I learned today (from a friend who has sprogs): "Your Dad shouts at Hotels" seems to be an increasingly popular expression in our school playgrounds...

youtu.be/YIyVawMiocY Since the media won't approach this with any degree of proportion or intelligence...

I cannot recommend this episode enough; especially given the current UK political discourse.

Strange reporting by the BBC. Dylan Green kills a pensioner whilst riding an Electric Motorcycle at speed. BBC starts talking about "e-bikes". And the daughter calls for "... electric motorbike licences to be introduced. Er ... motorcycles ALREADY need a licence. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Excellent analysis.

This is how Reform UK will sink themselves: routine, ignorantly abusive behaviour. Labour Councillor given non-personal attendance at meetings during cancer treatment. RefUK Councillor attacks her after reading a minute & not checking cause. Refuses to apologise. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ze Metropolitan Police need to work a bit harder on Ze Detailz: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

My obscure photo for the day. A plaque mentioning the birth of Pentecostalism in the UK in 1907, animated by the then Vicar of Monkwearmouth - the Revd Alexander Boddy, 120 Fulwood Road, Roker, Sunderland: maps.app.goo.gl/3YXnGm2BE22c... Explanation in the alt text. Ref: Revival Library website.

From a reliable source: One of my proudest moments was when my firm was in a dispute with another, there were many emails & threats from them; we were right. Their lawyer sent a 9,000 word letter via email. I read it & replied 'noted'. There came a very unprofessional reply; they never recovered.

My @davewalker.bsky.social Venn Diagram of the Day. "What on earth" and "Are you talking about?" A great illustration of how miscommunication happens, to reflect upon.

There's something in this (paraphrased from an unnamed colleague): "In my view Starmer’s biggest failure is being a big f*cking fanny, rather than any of the things the Tories complain about."

My piece on the new proposals for updating driving laws: TLDR: I think this one is won - the Telegraph commenters have howled the journos down, and even Kemikaze Badenoch says she approves. We now ask for Scandi not Scottish DD limits. www1.politicalbetting.com/index.php/ar...