We really do need to underline this for people - because somehow the prevaling myth seems to be Russia is winning: the invasion of Ukraine has been the largest political, military and strategic blunder by a state since the Franco-Prussian war. Maybe greater Russia has lost on every concievable axis

Introduced my now wife to Sheep in the Big City at uni andI still remember the bleary eyed disbelief at what was on the screen

"Dissolving the Fermi Paradox" Sandberg, Drexler and Ord of the Future of Humanity Institute, Oxford University (2018).

This is my most deeply held low status opinion: extraterrestrial intelligence probably exists in the vastness of space. It’s just the distances involved mean we are unlikely to meet any in my lifetime

Minister to government lawyer: "Can we with legal safety cancel local elections using secondary legislation?" Government lawyer to minister: "Almost certainly not." ~ a former government lawyer

This is a slightly curious way to frame, 'Millions of people are currently not exercising their right to vote, and this is disproportionately an issue in poorer and urban areas.'

Commander Shepard: Do you know why I called you to my office? Tali: No. Commander Shepard: I got a HR complaint from Legion. He said you called him, and I quote, “A bitch ass clanker ChatGPT knockoff.” Tali: First of all, I’m not human and he’s just a resource…

I think it's wrong to describe the World Service as "soft power". It's actually "info power". And these days that's a very hard form of power indeed.

The problem is Labour has governed largely left on economy, v right on immigration, been dragged by the backbenches to be good on welfare, and done a bit of rhetorical and gratuitous hippy punching for the love of the game. It also has cultivated a very skin-deep pro-business aesthetic

At one point going for a long run today I wondered about the wisdom of it; and decided to do it anyway. Ditchling Beacon lovely as always!

Current mood

We bought Article II of the United Nations Charter with the blood of a hundred million human beings, and less than a century later, it's being sold for nothing by people who don't even understand what they're doing.

i often think about this review

The muddiest #parkrun I’ve ever done but the weather was spectacular and the wife and I wandered round Lewes afterwards, which was v cool. If you ever want to do a Tough Mudder sim…

Rare to get an actual vox pop with a pothole

At the start of the Russian invasion, there was a debate about whether to deny asylum (Tom Tugendhat called for it iirc). Obviously, vet everyone properly. But if they’re willing to switch sides, take the best and the brightest. Shining city on a hill! That way victory lies!

Sorry this has stuck in my mind. UK & EU oil and gas lobby: „is the speed of transition appropriate? Should we focus on our resources ahead of importing energy while building battery capacity?” US „think-tanker” but really republican politician: „but what if world most _toasty_ good?!?!”

One think that *does* always strike me is that the posher these interviewees sound, the stupider they are. „Some people like it warmer”

I’m sorry but #r4today is currently interviewing someone sanewashing the anti-climate change moves by Trump (Diana Furchtgott-Roth, I think?) who is a *longstanding politician* and naming her as if she was a thinktanker and not really pushing back on lines like „a lot of people like it warmer”

This is what makes us a great country, right here.

Ah yes, The Witcher

Tbf not quite as stupid as the Polish equivalent, which is „licence fee but only 35% of TV users pay it but also the public broadcaster does ads”

Tbf not quite as stupid as the Polish equivalent, which is „licence fee but only 35% of TV users pay it but also the public broadcaster does ads”

Do we reckon it’s ever going to stop raining or nah

Passed this so sadly can’t blame SKSQC for failure

If Starmer wants a reset - and not yet another U-turn when the parliamentary party balks at a policy - here is his chance.

Nvm just one more tightening of ILR and the Starmer premiership’s legacy is saved

Listening to Matt Chorley's show and Patrick Maguire on there hit it right - none of the contenders are ready and organised. All a bit dramatic today but I reckon Starmer stays for now.

Okay, yeah, I may have got a bit overexcited in claiming I was 99% certain he'll be gone by Wednesday

I’d settle for warmed-up Milibandism with a side dose of social liberalism tbqh, but I am a Labour member

The by-election in Holborn and St Pancras will be fascinating

I have a (not major but still) professional qualification exam tomorrow, could they hit pause till like 2PM tomorrow

Lads what if it’s all just long term thinking and Shabana “Tough as nails on immigration” Mahmood is going to be elected by the Labour membership to stamp out uber-woke rejoinerism

Make this the new Rumsfeld 'known knowns' thing please.

The resignations will continue until morale improves.

The remarkable thing is Labour have basically made 'anti-child poverty' and 'climate change' the two core missions or this Government and... ... basically refuse to talk about one or them. Genuinely bizarre.

I’m sorry but “the Prime Minister has not spoken to the minister going on the morning round to take the flak for a major scandal from a decision by the Prime Minister” is BoJo behaviour and Keir was elected, apart from anything else, to not be BoJo

The government is spending tens of billions of pounds on net zero! The government is softening Brexit! The government is consulting on getting every business to do ethnicity pay gap reporting!

Again, why do our MPs hate our electoral coalition *so much*

Perhaps one of these might, in their Wesdom, go for Chx instead (I have no knowledge just really been wanting to make that particular bad joke for days)

Same rule as PRs, publicists, spokespeople etc. If you’re the story there’s a problem

people on here will tweet anything. "Al Carns is a potential Labour leadership dark horse". No he isn't. That isn't true.

I find it astonishing no one has gone “is the Labour membership gonna vote for this”. Morgan McS’s experience of the 4.5% liz for leader result at least led to Keir’s 2020… shall we say liberality with the connection between pledges and later policy?

Built 2day might dismantle l8r

My old man yells at cloud view is that the British *don’t* talk about the weather enough. My work mates were _surprised_ when I said it’s been a month of nonstop rain. The weather’s been shit! Why aren’t we complaining more!

"Of course I'm frustrated that the front pages of tomorrow's papers aren't going to be about the Pride in Place Project" diva the front pages were never going to be about the Pride in Place Project

I too believe this is the moment senior politicians should stand up and say how the Labour Party needs to change

As a devotee of the Lynton Crosby school of dark arts (go Roos), what Keir needs now is a dead cat to distract from the Mandelson "unpleasantness". I'd suggest he sets up a brand new government department, say for instance one dedicated to supporting UK culture, media and sport.