always the bridesmaid, never the sea hag luring sailors to a watery grave

It's almost as if that referendum a decade ago broke the country for ever - as.ft.com/r/c6fa85f9-2...

I'm sorry, what? In writing my first monograph, I spent six weeks trying to track down a citation in TWO languages I didn't know. And good thing too, because the citation was wrong. That's scholarship. That's research. You know, the thing we're trained to do?!?

My husband volunteers at St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, and tomorrow he’s running the Hackney Half Marathon for them – on his 40th birthday! He’s ever so close to his fundraising target, in case anyone feels like chucking him a few quid. It’s a very good cause 💛 www.justgiving.com/page/mike-wi...

"This is the clown porn I was telling you about.."

Madam I guarantee you will be within 20ft of a nonce throughout the entire march

He’s offended because The Odyssey is about something near and dear to him: being an absent father while chasing vanity for 20 years

Dreadful defending by Celtic - woohoo

Matt Goodwin should run in every Manchester by-election until he wins a seat.

More on young carers in Enfield. Such important work.

Illegal electric motorbikes - as in “e-bikes” with throttle control/high speeds/massive engine power 1 are essentially decriminalised aren’t they? It’s not just sketchy teens or delivery riders zooming past at 25mph+. People in work gear or even with child seats on the back.

Bond yields are by definition long term so should we actually give a ceal about really short term rections to anything? Not that they’re irrelevant but surely we need to pay attention to the longer short term and medium term reaction not the immediate? Genuine Q

Not actually sure Burnham should want the Greens to stand aside. He'd squeeze their vote to nothing anyway and if they back him, Reform can tar him with their policies by association.

A better hearing. Not a great deal more though that may be enough

You are all massively overstating the personal appeal of Andy B if he wins this by-election. If he wins it’s because he has specifically delivered noticeable change to people’s lives in an area. The whole reason people voted against Labour in the locals is they haven’t delivered noticeable change.

Indeed. Ultimately the only one of the five who you can even faintly say was hard done by is Theresa May, and we live in a parliamentary democracy and she no longer had the confidence of her MPs.

And which Zack Polanski is going to turn up? The Lib Dem who wanted a seat at the end of austerity? Or the nouveau leftist?

@srfantasyclub.bsky.social I could have sworn I saw you promote a date with @rjbarker.bsky.social but now can’t see it? Am I losing my mind? (The answer is yes but hopefully unrelated to this)

That's right (in the absence of Tom Hamilton)

In April, Crispin Odey dropped his £79mn #libel claim against us. This is the inside story of how Odey’s battle to reclaim his reputation backfired. It's about the brave women who spoke out against him — and the new allegations the two-year legal saga unearthed. www.ft.com/content/edbe...

The second best thing about sitting in the front seat on the top deck is watching people round the corner ahead, spot the bus and start to run but definitely too late to get it. Brilliant* *this is a route with many many buses, I’m not a total monster** **this is a lie

Easily my best ever www.maptap.gg May 15 98🎯 98🎯 99🎯 99🎯 95🏆 Final score: 976

Don't forget what Reform promised the crypto industry after Farage took the cash: Farage....took an undisclosed £5mn personal gift from a crypto billionaire in 2024, months before pledging to slash tax and regulation on the digital assets industry if he becomes PM www.ft.com/content/6a56...

One more thought. If Burnham agets over the hurdles and wins Makerfield then the decision to block him in Gorton and Denton looks even worse. Its only lasting consequence was to give real momentum to the Greens they might otherwise have been denied.

Makerfield is a fitting seat. If Burnham really is the guy to stop Reform he will be able to stop them in Makerfield. If he can't then he probably isn't

@stephenkb.bsky.social did you work out where the middle of the Labour Party is?

What is the 'soft left' anyway? - after months of us all trying to define it, mostly as what it isn't, this is a wholehearted effort ...

It’s like he just wrote down a Keir speech

"If she has her own house, what will she need me for?" I don't know, dude, maybe be cool and fun to be around and be happy for her success instead being whiny little sad-ass troll about it? www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

"How do we build support for facial recognition among liberal types, boss?" "How about we use it to lift a chunk of the Tommy Robinson rally people for unrelated offences." www.thetimes.com/uk/article/m...

we only know about the £5m Harborne donation thanks to journalists at the Guardian, but sure trash the MSM for clicks

Data centers will only expedite the depletion of your water supply. The water wars are coming...

I don't know how many different ways I can say this but I'm not stepping aside for Andy Burnham, and it's both very tedious for me and very demoralising for my staff to keep seeing it reported that I might be about to go when there's never even been so much as a conversation with Andy about doing so

For further context: almost everyone in the Faculty of Arts is at risk of redundancy. Music, Modern Languages & American & Canadian Studies courses to close completely. History will not close but staff numbers will be significantly reduced. This is what 'right-sizing' looks like, apparently.

BAN THE PERVERT GLASSES

Minor pet hate. Multi-choice quizzes where one of the options is “all are correct” If that is the case then clicking on any of the options should be marked correct as it is demonstrably not wrong

Lots of interesting stuff on energy from the Labour Growth Group. Uses some similar language to the controversial Tony Blair Institute reports, but is more robust on decarbonisation being non-negotiable and clearer on its policy prescriptions. www.labourgrowth.co.uk

I glazed mugs all day. Would you like to adopt one? littleedenpottery.etsy.com #pottery #art #ceramics #bsnm

And this all feeds into the UK - 40% of film and tv workers out of work at any one time. It’s why the BBC is so important - not just for news but for uniquely British creative output and to support workers in what is one of our most successful industries

Here's my Resignation letter

Andy Burnham making a lowkey return to Westminster

I understand where Labour MPs on the “it’s too soon, best thing is for Keir to govern well and go in 2028” train are coming from. I used to think that myself. But the core problem is Keir won’t and can’t govern well.

money mistakes and politicians is interesting - why don’t farage voters feel incensed as.ft.com/r/553d2b67-e... Zack Polanski admits ‘mistake’ over houseboat council tax

It’s simple, we just make Galba Emperor then he can hand over to Otho in an orderly fashion in due course.

Breaking: cabinet minister arrives for Cabinet meeting. Get a grip

Indeed - and also the self-importance of the “I unfollow” - oh nos please don’t unfollow me, whatever shall I do

Labour MP Patrick Hurley just said the U.K. faces worse domestic problems than at any time in 100 years. The Battle of Britain might like a word.

I hope the person who made this fitted sheet always has a perfectly ripe avocado exactly when they need it

This place sells honey "straight from the beekeeper" but I'd rather have the kind that comes from bees

Hey. Don't be sad. Little ghost pendants. (No, they're not on the site yet. They will be later today.)