I dreamt last night that Trump valued my counsel. From foreign policy to climate to immigration to his abuse victims, he listened carefully to my advice. Except... If I were to say a single thing that went against his own views, he would cast me out instantly, forever. So I said almost nothing.

- “Is there anything that myself or colleagues could reasonably say or do that would make you cooperate with us in putting the signs away?” - “Come and join us!”

Such a great playwright

Ed and Emma showing classic signs of being victims of domestic abuse. “He didn’t mean it! And he said he’s sorry…” #TheArchers

Finally getting some theological clarity on the ethics of reclining in one’s plane seat

#TheArchers Ed, get that wrist checked out! If it's a scaphoid fracture, there's a risk it might not heal properly, leading to chronic pain, wrist instability, and osteoarthritis. How's that going to affect Ed's ability to wield a chainsaw for his job?

#TheArchers Emma & Ed are deluding themselves. George pushing Ed down the stairs might have been an accident, but George pushing Ed because George couldn't control his anger is a serious issue.

#TheArchers At least Ed is telling Emma the whole truth.

#TheArchers JUSTIN: "Damn it all, Kirsty, I'm a businessman, not a beaver lover"

“I am asking everyone to make a contribution” sounds like Reeves is conducting a voluntary whip-round. The Chancellor doesn’t need political advice from me but it may be inexpedient to draw attention to the fact that there is a degree to which the tax system is partly voluntary at the top end.

Today we’ll get latest net immigration figures - They’ll show immigration for work is plummeting. Why is this not part of the discussion on Rachel Reeves balancing her books & stalled growth? For every 100,000 drop in net immigration, the OBR adds £7bn to the deficit. #r4today

- A 100,000 drop in net migration costs us £7bn - Scrapping the two-child benefit cap costs us £3bn What gets more attention? James O’Brien says 'we have become a ludicrous country'.

ICYMI // St Petrock’s launches fundraising appeal as number of people sleeping rough in Exeter continues to rise Campaign film underscores dedicated homelessness charity mission as demand for its support services grows. exeterobserver.org/2025/11/17/s...

Oof. The first film was top notch: witty, exciting, intriguing, poignant, and funny. I might have to pretend this sequel doesn't exist www.theguardian.com/film/2025/no...

I was racially abused almost daily at school. People called it “teasing” in those days. That was over forty years ago. I haven’t forgotten it.

Report by @exeterobserver.org on how Exeter responded brilliantly to the far right trying to spread their hate in the city. #ExeterIsForEveryone exeterobserver.org/2025/11/25/e...

Glad it's not just me www.thepoke.com/2025/10/29/w...

#TheArchers Diary of Amber Gordon, Sunday ====> Wow! Just wow! I thought it couldn't get any worse, but now... Brad is SOOO not George. Sensitive, thoughtful, smart, hardworking, caring... To think my head was turned by a dishy unavailable six-packed bad boy! I am SHALLOW with a capital S 😭😭😭

Huge numbers at the Exeter is for Everyone rally to show that Exeter stands for hope not hate. Lovely to bump into friends, including Cllr Kevin Mitchell. #Exeter #refugeesarewelcomehere #antiracist #antifascist

Can't tell whether I'm at that stage of life where new things often seem outlandish or whether it is actually bizarre that a significant new public policy concern is safeguards on artificial intelligence being thwarted by "adversarial poetry".

Very useful summary of yesterday's Parliamentary Debate on ME/CFS, courtesy of Polly West

Please finish the joke. A man walks into a police station, clutching a copy of "Five Held on Suspicion of Murder" and says...

Council Leader Phil Bialyk has spoken out in support of Exeter’s diverse communities ahead of planned demonstrations in the city centre this Saturday. More: news.exeter.gov.uk/council-lead...

Forget jam-first vs jam-on-top. This is one of the bigger questions of our time...

I swear meteorologists make up a sexy technical term every now and again just for attention. (Not saying they're unique in that!)

Reminds me of a former academic colleague who used the same flawed research method, except with good intentions (to explore potential discrimination).

Cold but beautiful day. Ayla is wearing her best fleece

Tessa Munt MP calls for the government to fund research into ME (including CFS and related Long Covid conditions). "Don't think of this as a sunk cost but as investment in a group of people who are *desperate* to contribute to society"

#TheArchers Natasha said "I will get another tattoo one day..." What are we thinking she's got at the moment? (Boring answer is the matching hiraeth tattoo she and Tom got)

A great video about the vital work that St Petrock's does for those who are homeless in Exeter. If you're in a position to donate money or your time, please consider St Petrock's. youtu.be/i4Z3moucVDQ

#TheArchers We've had wild beavers back in Devon for a few years now. Now wildcats might return. Could Borsetshire be next? I can't imagine Ambridge's shooting fraternity would approve of the threat to their birds. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

#TheArchers TONY: "What a lovely chap!" HELEN: "Yes, I can't imagine anyone would think Finlay is some kind of traitor"

#TheArchers Is anyone filling in the details of the logistics of everyone's movements for this holiday on some kind of planning tool? I feel there must be some kind of inner meaning we're missing...

My Dad escaped the Nazis in 1939 on the Kindertransport. He went to night school then University, trained as a physicist. Married my mum, brought up 3 kids, all work in public sector. Under these proposed rules, he would have been deported. 100% 'performatively cruel' @stellacreasy.bsky.social

The insensitivity of this Labour Government to history still has the power to shock, and that's even after the Prime Minister deployed the phrase "island of strangers"

I think you can get the measure of the deadness of someone's soul from the fact they kick up a stink about [checks notes] autistic kids wearing ear defenders

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.

Kate will be an absolute nightmare for poor Phoebe. #TheArchers

"KEEP THE !@#$%* OFF MY FRIES!" 🤬 A vital new research finding in *the* major issue of our times.‡ ‡ other major issues are available. newatlas.com/biology/seag...

Don't look up 😞 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

It sounds a bit like the end of a John Le Carré or a Graham Greene, depending on whether being a spy or an adulterer weighed more heavily on the conscience www.theguardian.com/film/2025/no...

It’s not just pets that are distressed by all these sodding fireworks ALL week. Wild life should have a right to live in peace too.

I absolutely love this. I do optimistic, central, and pessimistic forecasts for a living. Sometimes you can draw the spread nice and tight, sometimes uncertainty means it needs to be wide. This is … quite wide.

I am completely Team Susan on this. George is a dick but an ex-offender volunteering in a community shop is surely the best example of community payback he could do, isn't it? #TheArchers

FEATURES // Exeter homeless death rate highest among English cities featured in annual Museum of Homelessness campaign charity report 21 people died while homeless in Exeter in 2024, nearly three times as many as previous year. exeterobserver.org/2025/11/06/e...

Exebridges snarls up a lot, but it's not helped by drivers who don't think yellow box rules apply to them. They held up not just the bus full of passengers, and not just every car heading into the centre, but also possibly themselves by making it hard for gridlock to disperse. 🙄

Peaceful day on Exeter quay

#TheArchers Memories of family fireworks in the 1970s being a safety nightmare. Nobody reading instructions... rockets in muddy soil... shoddy nailing of Catherine Wheels... a little plastic lighter... returning to fireworks after 2 seconds... kids waving dark metal sparklers near other eyes...

#TheArchers CHRIS: "Can I press you to some jelly?" CARLY: (coyly) "Ooh you can definitely do that, Chris..."