When did people stop taking their backpacks off when standing on the Tube at rush hour? Do they not know that a special place in hell awaits them?

Every time I see the justifications for the curtailment of jury trials, it includes this estimate that trials will be 20% faster without juries. Maybe that’s true. The thing is, it’s like telling me that raising the speed limit to 90mph will make journeys on the motorway faster. Maybe that’s true:

Does anyone else find it weird that when you’re flying in Europe (the mainland), the airport staff always ask if you can remove your Kara and always sigh or roll their eyes when you say no? Is it just outright lack of familiarity?

The thing with painting over zebra crossings to make St George’s Crosses that I don’t understand at all is: isn’t it super disrespectful to your flag to paint it somewhere people will literally trample on it?! 🤷🏾‍♂️

Like many bookworms, I have a (bad?) habit of buying more books than I can realistically read since my last trip to the bookstore. So it is that over 6 years have passed with “The Luminaries” sitting on my shelf. Having just finished Part 1 - it’s beautifully written. Delicate as the night sky.

God bless the Piccadilly Line train driver who held the northbound train at Finsbury Park for changers from the Victoria when there are severe delays and it was 12 minutes until the next one. #notallheroeswearcapes

Listed for PTPH at 10am. D is serving prisoner. D had his first appearance by CVP. For no discernible reason, listed for all parties to attend. D is serving in the Midlands. Matter listed in Kent. Informed by the cells that the ETA is 15:30. This could have been avoided by producing D by CVP.

I did not have scores level as my prediction for the end of the first innings there…

So what do we call that then? The Bumrah Blast? The Bumrah Burst? Whatever you call it, that folks, is how you bowl on a flat pitch 😍😍

I’m only being semi facetious when I say this. Never mind intermediate courts and all that jazz. Let’s hold criminal trials in the Tower of London. There’s cells, it’s a military base so security is sorted, there’s room. It’s open to the public. What barrister wouldn’t want to appear there?

Is the real subplot of the Lords Test just Bumrah v Archer? If so, looks like Reddy is gearing up to defang that narrative

Brave of Gill to not chuck in the declaration after his 150. I’d back the bowlers to finish the job with a 592 run lead…

@vuelingairlines.bsky.social. Out of interest Vueling, what’s the point of wheeling my parents to the gate then leaving them there. Then asking us to leave them and sit in another area. How were they supposed to use the bathroom if they needed? Both flights, just terrible service.

@vuelingairlines.bsky.social - thanks for sending me from queue to queue despite being told my parents need wheelchair assistance. Thanks for making them stand in queues for over 85 mins only for the check in lady to tell us that you should have processed us first. Stay classy! 🤷🏾‍♂️👏🏾🤦🏾‍♂️

What a month of music already! Watched the inimitable Kailash Kher at the Royal Festival Hall to start the month, and have the legendary Gurdas Maan in the middle. All I need now is an equally exceptional act to close the month...

The thing about people losing their minds over Starmer’s pivot is that this is Labour through and through. The changes to British and Commonwealth Nationality were done by a Labour government. The Liverpool trade union colour bar was Labour etc etc. Plus ça change some might say 🤷🏾‍♂️

Fewer things grate on my soul more than hearing Urdu pronounced “err-doo”.

this is not true either legally or in a colloquial sense, but an NYT reporter says it like he's telling you the weather.

Finding it more amusing than I probably should that the MAGA crew are only now just discovering that the head of something called The *Roman* Catholic Church, that has its own Nation City State isn’t “America First”. Who might have guessed this would be so? 😂

Is there any delivery company more unapologetically crappy than Evri? My heart sinks every time I see that’s the courier any retailer chooses…

Is there anything more annoying than companies that use automated option services that loop to "Have you heard of the internet? Goodbye." Firstly: If I could solve the problem online, I'd not be calling (it's obvs quicker). Secondly: Why can't there be an option to stay on to speak to a human?

On Friday, the European Commission issued a proposal that would make it easier to hunt wolves in Europe. The proposal would align European Union laws with the Bern Convention, which decreased the status of wolves from "strictly protected" to "protected."

Who else but Virat Kohli would do that eh? 🎉🎉🎉

Another Simpsons prediction I guess.

I’ve often used the Indian experience of the East India Company as a cautionary tale about unfettered corporate power. After 1857, the State taking over was partial recognition of the problems. But now we have the new “nabobs” who have just bought the US Empire, and people are cheering it 🤷🏾‍♂️🤯

When I was a student (2005-2010), the London nightlife was fully exceptional. A wide range of nights to choose from and some top clubs. Almost all of which are gone. London’s nightlife will never recover at this rate… www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...

I agree, the current Labour rhetoric on migration (and the EU for that matter) offers nothing to anyone out of step with jingoistic nationalists. However, people who keep saying they're a "minority" or try to minimise them are not paying attention. If we didn't have FPTP elections, they'd see that

Away from home on an inquest in the West Country, so staying Bath. Found the most divine Nepali restaurant. Getting Tharu and Maithil flavours with every bite. If anyone is going to Bath, try Yak Yeti Yak, you won’t regret it.

Really? People who brought you concepts like “flood the zone” aren’t good faith actors?! And in other news, the Pope has been confirmed to be Catholic… www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

I can see why Potter might feel aggrieved with that game. But… he didn’t win at the Bridge when he was the home manager, it’s just not his stadium 😂😂. I’ll take a lucky win though.

I bet a poll would find that the majority of people also support better public services and lower taxes too 🤷🏾‍♂️

It’s been a while, but last night I had a dream that was fully in Hindi. Usually I dream in Hinglish. A full Hindi dream is rare but welcome :).

Is it just me, or does every Chelsea fan’s heart leap into their throats when the ball goes near Sanchez?

It is incoherent to point out that the threat from Reform comes mostly from immigration policy and then to suggest public contemplation of Single Market membership for Britain. The forces of Brexit-Trumpism etc asre not going away. The old ways cannot combat them. www.economist.com/leaders/2025...

People with the 3 network - can any of you make or receive calls?

I remember being in primary school and being asked to name countries with deserts. I said “India” and the teacher told me I was wrong. Considering I’d seen the Rajasthani desert with my own eyes, that was when I learned that teachers were wholly fallible.

It was the reverse fixture of Chelsea v Wolves this season that gave me hope for this squad. Here’s to hoping this win at the Bridge turns the corner on that torrid festive period of games… 🤞🏾🤞🏾

Reece James!!!! That’s the Captain!!! ❤️❤️❤️

In every long trial I have away from home, I will collect (on average) 4 new belts because I forget to pack one. Any tips for avoiding the world record for number of belts owned?

Back in 2016, I started “A Brief History of Seven Killings”. Then someone stole my half read copy. I bought it again recently and started again. My God I’d forgotten how beautifully written it is…

Hah! Not long after claiming that all of Thomas Hardy’s novels could be titled “Kill Me Now”, Amazon informs me that I can get the complete anthology of Hardy on kindle for 99p. Depression and misery never came so cheap 😂😂😂

Run the world - LOL… it never fails to amaze me how few people grasp this one very basic concept. Europe is *not* the world. 🤷🏾‍♂️

I find it super strange that black and brown people are always called “[continent/sub-continent] diaspora” but Americans and Australians etc aren’t called the “European diaspora”.

I remember when I first went to the US everyone told me that food was cheap there. That was, to an extent, true. If you want to eat out, or eat garbage foods, then it is very cheap. However, fresh fruit and veg was far more expensive. You can't buy a loaf of bread from a supermarket etc...

I had “Hard Times” as one of my A-Level texts which created a view that Dickens is wholly overrated. He has one readable book. One. Hardy’s books could all be titled “Kill Me Now”. I loved “Vanity Fair”, Gaskell and Austen though.

Not long until [2025] UKSC 1 now. Exciting times ahead.

Farage to Musk right now

So, Farage gets a softball interview from Laura Kuenssberg (quelle surprise!!) who asks not a single question re Brexit accountability (quelle surprise). He then claims that he would “never sell out his principles,” and she didn’t ask “You have principles’?” (quelle surprise!) *sighhhh*

They’re obviously not perfect; but, talk of the abolition of jury trials always chills me. Juries do act as a good pressure valve for society. If you want to understand what “case hardening” is, go to your local Magistrates’ Court and watch some either way offences tried. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Let’s be honest, since the Perth test, this has just been Australia v Jasprit Bumrah. But that delivery to scalp Labuschagne was a thing of beauty.