Astonishing figures and a mind-blowing act of national self-harm.

Wild pansy seen in an arable field now left to do its own thing near Barham, Kent #wildflowerhour

📚 Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, Curtis Yarvin… Ces milliardaires «techno-fascistes» qui programment la fin de la démocratie Dans «Apocalypse Nerds», Nastasia Hadjadji et Olivier Tesquet analysent le projet autoritaire des patrons de la Tech, entre haine de l’Etat et délires transhumanistes 👇

Some good news from America.

More small scabious. This time on the Wouldham to Detling Escarpment SSSI, Kent, on 30th October #wildflowerhour

Small scabious on the downs outside Lewes, East Sussex. #wildflowerhour

So Bugsy got something in his eye and due to excess wriggling the vet couldn't remove it 🙄. Cue synthetic morphine to chill him out, here he is as it kicked in, result: totally baked dachshund, no wriggling, foreign object duly removed.

Breaking news: María Corina Machado has been awarded the prize for ‘keeping the flame of democracy burning amidst a growing darkness’ . The win dashes the hopes of US President Donald Trump. on.ft.com/4ocHAKY

Lunchtime pint, Basketmakers, Brighton.

President Macron: “We were very naive to leave our public space to social media networks controlled by US or Chinese companies that don’t share our interests and not interested in survival of our democracies.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=MggN...

A wonderful week visiting old haunts in Aix and Marseille.

#flyday Canada geese heading to Arlington Reservoir, Sussex.

Hats off to Jamie Raskin. Telling it like it is to the POS that is Nigel Farage. This should be on every UK news channel and perhaps worth a mention tomorrow @mrjamesob.bsky.social

This is how it’s done.

Goat's beard with a supporting cast of common knapweed at Fore Down, East Sussex. #wildflowerhour #daisyfamily @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Sussex looking just fine.

"Alaska stands with Ukraine" and "Zelenskyy should be here" #3E #StandWithUkraine #AlaskaWithUkraine

Much like in the US, in the UK it's fashionable (especially in the conservative media) to dump on cities, specifically London. Crime-ridden, declining, etc. etc. All the same shit they say about NYC or DC. Here's Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, saying "fuck off, cities rule."

🧵🧵🧵 In this thread, I lay out more than a dozen facts about Trump and his child-molester friends Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. I challenge you to read the whole thread and then decide what the odds are that Trump did not abuse girls or tolerate his pals Epstein and Maxwell doing so.

How true.

Is Mexican coke really better? The president’s son thinks so.

#hairyplants you say, here's a nettle-leaved bellflower with hairy petals seen on a road verge near Lewes,East Sussex #wildflowerhour

This is really worth a read.

Round-headed rampion, The Pride of Sussex, growing on the chalk downs near Folkington @bsbibotany.bsky.social #wildflower #sussex

Trump team axes contract with reality, evidence. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Betony at Lullington Heath NNR #wildflowerhour

A small percentage tax increase on the super-wealthy would benefit us all yet governments continually find excuses to prevent them from implementing such a simple, straightforward policy. Time for a mindset change.

Beautiful marsh helleborine seen today at Greywell Fen, Hampshire. @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Knapweed broomrape (Orabanche elatior) seen near Cliddesden, Hampshire #wildflowerhour

I still can’t believe the UK did this to itself. Most importantly - to its youth and their opportunities, chances and aspirations.

This monologue 🔥

A wonderful few days in Paris. The Canal St Martin and surrounding area was a real revelation. Already planning the next trip. #paris

According to AP, the typical pay package for S&P 500 CEOs rose to $17M last year — an increase of 9.7%. At half of the companies surveyed, it would take the median worker 192 years to make what the CEO did in one year.  This is what I mean when I say the system is rigged.

30 year Treasury above 5%. Also, I successfully used AI to do a Trump/Truss crossover, putting a Trump wig on a lettuce paulkrugman.substack.com/p/a-liz-trus...

Al Gore ripped the Trump administration to shreds in a speech Monday at a climate week event in San Francisco.

Ahh Brexit...the gift that keeps on giving. www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

A really important thread at a time when what comes from the White House needs to be checked more than ever before.

Harvard has set an example for other higher-ed institutions - rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking steps to make sure students can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect. Let’s hope others follow suit.

With so much news from the US being downbeat a night with Kamasi Washington and his amazing band is a great reminder of all the wonderful things that can come from that country #jazz #kamasiwashington #brighton

Canada is ready to step up.

Trump : dealer de krachs. C'est la une de Libération mardi. Hongkong, Paris, New York... Les marchés boursiers ont poursuivi leur chute lundi après la déclaration de guerre commerciale de la Maison Blanche. Et pendant ce temps-là, le président américain jouait au golf.

Every. Word.

It’s 9am TFT time here, and citizens are already gathering to protest Tariffs by the United States. Our plain clothes Officer Penguins are attempting to maintain calm, but unfortunately we keep losing them in the crowd.

Morning walk. Many of the ducks have moved on but still a few gadwall and shoveler. Hopefully house martins arriving soon, followed by swifts who all made good use of this new wetland last year.

Carney: "The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over."

Obvious really

EXCLUSIVE: This just happened onstage in front of 6,000 Bostonians at the Dropkick Murphys concert. "This is America, no kings here!" @dropkickmurphys.com nails it again!!

Threatened by Putin and Trump, how can Europe defend itself? By Churchillo-Gaullism. My latest commentary: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...