Why is the NHS conversation always about efficiency, but defence is just splash more money at it - despite defence spending corrupt, incompetent and grossly out of date.

The PSNI is now advising ethnic minority health care workers to comply with white supremacist check points claiming to “verify immigration status” (against what?) this is despicable. Another way the police entirely facilitates the pogroms.

“Some well-known paramilitary figures were seen on the streets during the unrest, but sources say they mainly stayed back and watched as dozens of largely young men, masked and with hoods up, went door to door smashing windows and burning homes.” They were there. Headline is terribly misleading

The news this morning is so fucking grim. An absolutely shameful morning for Northern Ireland. We all saw the text messages flying about before the protests. We all knew this was coming and somehow, because the lads involved have weapons, it all happened anyway.

If you don’t have time to read what I wrote today about the Far Right — and particularly Loyalist — exploitation of the Belfast knife attack, just keep this section in mind when you consume media coverage… brokenbottleboy.substack.com/p/radio-elon...

There are, in my view, 25 things everyone needs to understand in light of recent events: 1) Those out in our communities last night were not protestors, but organised far right extremists. 2) Their actions align with fascist ideologies. 3) So yes: these are fascist practices on our streets. 🧵

Post-doctoral Research Associate in Computational Linguistics. King's College London. Salary: £45,031 to £47,379 www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRU560/p...

This will go down as a major stain on FIFA and its World Cup before a ball has even been kicked. Infantino has been banging on about the most inclusive World Cup and Africa’s top referee can’t even get into the country. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/08/w...

FIFA has decided to be complicit in the US regime's display of performative racism. Nobody should support this vile organisation. Boycott the World Cup

Guardian should ask mathematicians to rank the best 100 numbers. This idea occurred to me as a piss take but it could potentially be good.

Hello! I'm on the lookout for Welsh arts journalists. Yes, I know a few well, and a few not so well, but who am I missing? People interested in classical music are a plus. Thanks!

Et tu, Marty? 😢

💥SCOOP: Rumors intensifying that Viktor Orbán's MAGA allies want to throw him a lifeline: a top UN job, with diplomatic immunity attached, to shield him from prosecution back home in Hungary. 🔗More in @vsquare.bsky.social's latest Goulash newsletter: vsquare.org/goulash-orba...

If you want to know how and why we've ended up in a situation where tens of thousands of people rally in support of a far-right influencer, backed by wealthy North American fascists, I just wrote a book about it. uk.bookshop.org/p/books/if-w...

Happy World Goth Day

Zoe Williams asks why we "never talk about the triple lock", which in actuality is a subject of constant debate www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The FT has a sensible article pointing out that none of the AI industry’s sums add up. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... The impossible maths of the AI boom

V interesting thread

Meet the new boss Same as the old boss

Not just lobbying! our new paper maps 27 mechanisms of regulatory capture used by Big AI + 11 narrative framings that rationalise capture. “Big AI’s Regulatory Capture: Mapping Industry Interference and Government Complicity” will be presented at #FAccT2026 next month arxiv.org/abs/2605.068... 1/

Best thing I've seen on the Brighton Fringe: Jonathan Sidgwick's one man adaptation of The Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka www.brightonfringe.org/events/the-h...

Happened to be in Traf Sq when Peter Tatchell took the stage for Republic Day. Thought his rousing speech missed a key point that the institution of monarchy includes the Royal Prerogative, which is exercised in practice by the govt of the day, enabling them to bypass parliamentary accountability

The day has finally arrived. You can now *officially* watch puffins live from the Farne Islands, 24 hours a day: bit.ly/4tRz72T Please enjoy these puffins kissing in celebration of this momentous event.

Slightly diminish a book Special military operation and Cessation of hostilities

Meanwhile in other news

You read it here first

Today in TACO Tuesday

The average American family paid $1,700 in tariffs last year, according to the bipartisan Congressional Joint Economic Committee. Few will ever see any of that money back. The refunds will go to companies, if doled out at all. What a joke.

Also 1984, year of the miners' strike and Robin of Sherwood

Mail is running a poll on whether the UK should rejoin the EU. Takes seconds to vote and it's going hilariously well... www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Moya Brennan, best known as the lead singer of Grammy and BAFTA-winning group Clannad, has died aged 73

Many people are saying this.

ORBÁN CONCEDED

A musical/visual pun (Only the Woodstock generation will get this)

Peak Guardian? www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Well this is unfortunate. An account calling itself "NASA | ESA Space Updates" (@nasaupdates.bsky.social), not apparently affiliated w/ either, has been posting NASA images without alt-text & blocked me when I said the images should include it. (NASA itself is usually pretty good on accessibility.)

Iran’s Fars News Agency says all tankers passing through Hormuz have been stopped after Israel’s ‘ceasefire breach’.

This week's charity shop find - turns out to be the original 1972 edition, published simultaneously by Bogle-l'Ouverture Publications, London and Tanzania Publishing House, Dar-es-Salaam

Applications for the Lyra McKee Bursary Scheme 2026 close on April 6. It has the aim to "train and mentor people from underrepresented backgrounds" (UK and Ireland residents). tcij.org/initiative/l...

I guess you only find out who your real friends are when you launch an illegal war of aggression with no clear objectives

The mad emporer has triggered chaos he cannot control open.substack.com/pub/iandunt/...

The buck starts here

Philosophy for the People w/Ben Burgis || In Defense of the Fowkes Translation of Marx's Capital https://benburgis.substack.com/p/in-defense-of-the-fowkes-translation

Trump's threat to destroy Iran's power plants was made after the markets closed on Friday. He backed down and announced a potential deal before markets reopened on Monday... and said this was a 5-day pause. So until the markets close again next Friday. Hmm.

6 months before bombing Iran and closing the Strait of Hormuz, the Trump admin fired the State Dept. oil and gas experts. The people who modeled exactly this scenario. The ones with contacts at Gulf energy ministries. Now nobody knows who to call. You can't make this up.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

What fresh hell is this

mill's dedication: this is a jointly authored work a century & a half of male editors: mill exaggerated out of a sentimental fondness for his wife mill's letters: no, really, most of "my" work was partly by her, i really could not be clearer on this

The moment Israel bombed South Pars they briefed that the US had agreed on the attack. US officials briefed throughout the day that this was effectively a joint action. Trump is either lying or he forgot.

Ray Bradbury: In my novel Fahrenheit 451 I described the Mechanical Hound as a cautionary tale Tech industry: At last we have created the Mechanical Hound from Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451