I’ve been lucky enough to see a Nobel Prize in person. It’s a fairly small metal plaque in a simple presentation box. Very understated. The fact that An Actual Nobel Prize has to be blinged up tells you a lot about the current situation.

Every so often I worry that algorithms know way too much about who I am and how I think and I should do more to maintain my privacy. Then I get a personalised ad in Gmail suggesting I might want to join the British Army - an impressive level of mistargeting. I think we'll be alright, folks.

Popped into my local cafe in Walthamstow for a coffee and a croissant and - I kid you not - they’re playing Nine Inch Nails. Specifically - they’re playing Closer. And it’s amazing.

A strong immigration system doesn't need to be a cruel one. It shouldn't need saying - but refugees & asylum seekers are real people, fleeing war and persecution. This daughter of an immigrant is proud of our British and Labour values of respect and not turning our backs on people in real need.

I was idly looking at apartments to rent in the Barbican (a girl can dream, right?) and came across... well, this. I have absolutely no idea why someone would turn a Barbican flat into a weird characterless white cube. www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/1...

I’m not a parent (not by choice) so feel free to disregard, but gentle parenting seems a recipe for disaster. Just been smacked several times by a four-year-old with a plastic sword in my local bakery queue. The kid wasn’t told off by his parent. The dog in the queue he also hit was less patient.

Manchán Magan 1970 - 2025 💔 Craoltóir, scríbhneoir agus Gael. Ní bheidh a leithéid arís ann. Thar na blianta, chruthaigh sé & chuir sé i láthair an t-uafás cláracha do TnaG & TG4. Tá oidhreacht shaibhir fágtha aige dúinn a thabharfaidh inspioráid don chéad ghlúin eile 🕯️ 🔗 www.tg4.ie

Terrific piece this - will tell you more about why the government is unpopular than anything you’ll read about politics this week:

I’ve just heard my first Christmas song of the year. It’s September 27th.

This is horrifying. Nobody chooses to take this risk for themselves and their children unless there is no better option. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Very concerning altogether. Glad that nobody was hurt, but thinking of @sharonhodgsonmp.bsky.social and her staff.

This. Political violence is always bad, and that really isn’t complicated.

I’m sorry - is UK political discourse now about putting people in camps? Relatively recent European history suggests that the people who put people in camps tend to be the bad people. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Walking home from the station at about 8:15 this evening. It’s cold and wet and I’m carrying several bags. I am tired and I look it. So when a large man who looked drunk / stoned tried to stop me to talk to him, I shook my head and tried to walk on. But of course…

Haven't been posting here much, but horrified at the 'women's safety' rhetoric being used to justify mass deportation plans by Reform. One in four women in England and Wales have been raped or sexually assaulted, according to Rape Crisis UK. This isn't an immigration issue. It's a misogyny issue.

If you, or someone you know, happens to be in Helsinki tomorrow evening (Sunday 24th) and would like my spare ticket to see @smashingpumpkins.bsky.social, please get in touch!

if I ever go properly "screaming about nothing in particular in the street" mad it will be due to having spent too much time having read about the opinions of men who have absolutely never cared about women's rights for one moment in their lives but decided to pretend just for the sake of racism

I found this a really interesting and thought-provoking read. Definitely worth your time.

With obvious apologies for the swearing, this is absolutely fascinating.

I have called for the UK to immediately recognise the state of Palestine, and to press for the unhindered resumption of humanitarian aid. #Palestine #Gaza

A week ago I knew nothing about Zohran Mamdani, and now he is literally everywhere on my social feeds. To the point I really want a “Hot girls for Zohran” T-shirt.

Nine Inch Nails were incredible last night, but one of my favourite parts of the evening was sitting on the Tube from Bond Street to the O2 and watching the Jubilee Line get progressively more goth with every stop. By the end I and everyone else in my section of the carriage was wearing all black.

Folks! I've got a spare ticket to see Nine Inch Nails at the O2 in London this evening. Free to a good home - give me a shout if interested.

PSA for UK news outlets covering the Mo Chara magistrates' court appearance today - his name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh. The accents are important; it's pronounced differently without them, and the Óg bit isn't part of his surname.

Great coverage of the Philomena's Law campaign ahead of the Westminster Hall debate led by @liamconlon.bsky.social this afternoon.

If you don't believe in creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive society in your community and the country, I'm not entirely sure why you would join the Labour Party...

That Brexit dividend is going well, then…

There can be no moral or ethical justification for this - absolutely none. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

If you read one thing today, it should be @padraigreidy.bsky.social’s excellent piece on Kneecap, free speech and legal literalism. padraigreidy.substack.com/p/on-kneecap...

This has made me absolutely snort laughing.

Love #IrishLondonHistory? Love Hackney? Love the census? I'll be answering the question "Who were the Irish in Hackney & Stoke Newington in 1851?" ☘️on Sat 10 May @ 10 am in the glorious setting of Clapton's Round Chapel #HackneyHistoryFestival Tix only £3 😀 www.tickettailor.com/events/hackn...

Apropos of nothing - trans women are women. Trans men are men.

Pope Francis obituary: Outsider pope who championed those at the margins

If you are interested in Dublin / revolutionary history / fish and chips, this Three Castles Burning podcast episode is a fascinating listen. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

I’m in this 👇

Very grateful for both @theguardian.com and @irishtimes.com liveblogs on the Trump-Martin meeting this afternoon. What a rollercoaster.

Anyone know of any pro-Ukraine rallies tomorrow in London? I imagine quite a lot of people here will want to call for stronger European action.

The Ukrainian government has a list of places where you can donate to the war effort here. I personally just donated $100: war.ukraine.ua/donate/ Slava Ukraini.

Finally saw the Trump-Zelenskyy exchange. Absolutely shameful behaviour from the Americans. Slava Ukraini 🇺🇦

Someone in CCHQ has bought a thesaurus.

This is lovely from @london.gov.uk. I’ve been telling my British friends for years that St Brigid’s Day / Imbolc is the start of spring. Highly recommend adopting this - it’s good for your head during the long January!

+1

Excited about the prospect of this series. Sounds genuinely entertaining, and as an Irish speaker am interested in how much of the Gàidhlig I’ll be able to parse.

Another ludicrous journey through Blackhorse Road this morning, with all passengers funnelled down a narrow concrete staircase. Unbelievable that TfL gave a fortnight’s notice (over Christmas!) that the down escalator is out of action for six months.

Since when did people’s behaviour in cinemas get so bad? Just out of @curzoncinemas.bsky.social Victoria and the two people beside me didn’t just talk and have phones out through the whole film, they also brought in and ate an entire barbecue meal.

Just booked tickets to see an 80th anniversary showing of Brief Encounter at the gorgeous @curzoncinemas.bsky.social Mayfair on Valentine’s Day. My husband misheard and thinks we’re going to see Close Encounters (of the Third Kind). When do I tell him?

I travel to work via Blackhorse Road and it was pretty awful this morning. Totally understand the need to repair the old escalator, but six months of this feels totally unreasonable.

Chatted to @prweekuk.bsky.social this week in a work capacity about predictions for public affairs in 2025: www.prweek.co.uk/article/1900...

I am 100% sure that this is a spam WhatsApp message (not least because I haven’t applied for any jobs), but I will now sign off all correspondence in 2025 in this manner.

First cinema trip of the year this afternoon to see We Live in Time. Had high hopes for this, and Garfield and Pugh give great performances, but the story is not good. It’s a low bar for a weepy romance to make me blub, but not a tear was shed.