Is this getting much traction in the broadcast media? Let me know if you’ve heard or seen anything folks. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Let's hope the boss doesn't mandate that all of us have to start doing stunts!

Take care if you're heading out this morning.

Pleased the government have finally published their response to the 2020 Pavement Parking Consultation. However, it's disappointingly backwards facing. Rather than a blanket ban and allow Local Authorities to apply for exceptions in specific circumstances, Cont. www.gov.uk/government/c...

We welcome this step, but disappointingly the proposal falls short of the consistent, nationwide solution blind and partially sighted people need.

In 2024, more than 1,600 people died on UK roads. Yet a major new road safety strategy has passed largely unnoticed. This reflects media acceptance of road danger and a societal complacency—an “it won’t happen to me” mindset. Sadly, it can, and by then it is too late. How do we change this?

Yet again Labour bottle the big decisions, caving in to the car lobby. If you’re not going to govern for the wider benefit of the country, then step aside and let a real party do it properly. www.gov.uk/government/n...

No doubt @ofcom.bsky.social and Starmer will spring into action like an arthritic snail. Happy to use the Online Safety Act to destroy hobby and small business forums that never hosted a dodgy JPEG in their 20 year existence. To gutless to tackle the US TechBros. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Nigel Farage's stunning list of VIP freebies while 'ignoring' Clacton locals

They're doing this so they can call any government program that isn't ICE or the military "rife with fraud" and thus illegitimate. They are trying to manufacture consent to say any entitlement — from Medicare to social security — must be canceled because of extreme edge cases. Don't fall for it.

72% of British voters said we now have less, not more, control over our affairs than before 66% said Brexit has hurt the economy www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Might a more honest headline be "The new retail scheme could displace 100 retail jobs from the City Centre, further reducing footfall and spend there"?

Denmark’s PM Mette Frederiksen is blunt: If the U.S. attacks a NATO ally, the post-WWII order dies and America becomes the threat NATO was built to stop.👀

Reform's Wales director kicked off town council for non-attendance

wait we can just do this? no impact studies? no community consultation meetings? no council votes? we can make a little bit of bike infrastructure nicer? gosh..

Again, great news for public transport in the North East. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Again, it shows how long projects take to develop, and the cost of lost opportunity. We lost out on Getting Building Funding and Levelling Up Funding because of the time taken. cont.

Great news from this local business to start the New Year. I had the pleasure of doing some work for British Engines back in 2013 and they seemed a really great team. I hope that this leads to more, good engineering jobs on Tyneside. Chronicle Live share.google/BMkZRpaO85r7... Cont.

On his first day in office, the Mayor of New York toured the crumbling apartment of one of his constituents. On his 348th day in office, the President of the United States shops for marble and onyx for a ballroom nobody wants.

Im in my late 40s, and im just flashing back to every ‘justified’ regime change and invasion for decades, every ‘weapons of mass destruction’ lie, every ‘evil communists’ trope bought and sold by politicians, journalists and people, and all the incredible suffering that followed

Amazing record for the FIFA

Starmer must condemn Trump’s illegal actions in Venezuela

The weird thing about getting old, is seeing the same things happen, again and again. I remember the last time the good ole US of A invaded a South American country to stop the drugs.... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_... Strange that the supply of drugs just moves around, and the demand remains..

Reminder that Reform UK featured a notorious antivaxxer as a keynote speaker at their recent conference. The UK is not immune from this weaponized idiocy.

In answer to the question, #recycling tomorrow morning. (Tomorrow is Friday BTW)

🚨🚨🚨 2025 finished in the top 10 for warmest year on record in the Contiguous U.S. (1895-present). For most of the areas from the Rocky Mountains westward, it was a top 5 warmest year. No areas had a historically cool year.

Install #renewables, save money, cut co2 emissions. Win, win.

Are you ready for Reform UK Controlled Councils’, 2026 Council Tax hikes? Durham: 4.9% Worcestershire: 5-10% Warwickshire: ~5% Leicestershire: 2.99%* Kent: 5% Lincolnshire: 2.9-4.9% Staffordshire: ~5% West Northamptonshire: 5% Derbyshire: 4.99%

Elon Musk promised a lot of things by 2025 - colonists arriving on Mars - xAI achieving AGI - Tesla robotaxis serving half the U.S. - completely driverless robotaxis - a Tesla Roadster demo - DOGE cutting trillions none of them happened mashable.com/article/elon-mus...

E-cargo bikes sound pretty amazing in this new UK study: "Parents’ and children’s enjoyment, curiosity, and sense of adventure encouraged additional travel, transforming routine journeys into playful and memorable family experiences." doi.org/10.1016/j.tb...

Whilst the future is unclear, what we can be sure of is that the SEND system is currently broken, and that a Reform government is unlikely to fix it | Peter Sagar

Sharing this because everyone I’ve told about it had never heard of it! No council tree collections in your area? Don’t want needles all over your car taking it to the tip? This charity organises tree collections, & volunteers will collect & recycle it in return for a donation: just-helping.org.uk

Delighted to be able to work with these, and many, many more people to help keep Ouseburn vibrant and diverse.

Only took 9 years to get this puddle fixed, on a tight 90 degree bend on the cycle route into town. Only took me 2 years of asking as a Member of the Public, 3 years as part of the Reference Group, 1 year to get elected, and 3 years of asking as Ward Councillor. Simplez.

This is the 15th year of #DuvetKnowItsChristmas, which is preposterous. Rules: if you find yourself dealing with unusual / claustrophobic / gaudy sleeping arrangements this Christmas Eve, share a picture with the world. Use the hashtag (with capitalisation) and cc me if you can be bothered.

For those who actually care about evidence-based city-making, there’s a ton of evidence that decongestion pricing has been a massive success in New York City, by every measure of success, and many ways that can’t be measured.

Britain (and Labour, incredibly) cancelling #transport schemes outside the capital is a national obsession. Leading to our provincial cities being among least productive in #Europe. How does the #Chancellor sleep whilst « delaying » this in her own constituency? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I see there’s a post about microplastics going around with a photo of drinking straws, so here is my semi-regular reminder that the 3 biggest sources of microplastics are tires (45%), synthetic clothing particles (35%) and paint (~10%). Lay article attached:

I’ve just watched Wes Streeting say on Sky how proud he is that Kier Starmer personally negotiated to save jobs in the steel & car industries. So, we know there are some jobs he cares about. Just not the thousands & thousands of university jobs lost under (because of) his leadership.

That's only going to work if the new fleet turns out to be 100% reliable and fault free?

UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme

Great! Now do a Customs Union!

Just so I'm clear on this, computer memory has tripled in price because a bunch of it that hasn't been produced yet has been ordered to populate GPUs that aren't installed in data centers that aren't built yet in order to service a demand that doesn't exist to make profits that don't happen.

The @libdems.org.uk need to start talking about national renewal. An upgrading of our crumbling undemocratic constitution. Electoral reform, upper house reform, upgrading antiquated commons procedures, devolving money and power to the nations, regions and communities, removing Brexit barriers. 👍

Not looking for sympathy, but just to clarify something this Christmas. A close relative is undergoing chemotherapy, so I'm trying really hard not to catch the cold or flu. So if I seem standoffish or leave somewhere where there are people showing the signs of being ill, it's nothing personal!

Businesses face a triple hit from this govt: higher minimum wages, increased employer NICs and soaring business rates. Across Harrogate & Knaresborough, firms say this is unsustainable. Govt must change course now - cut business rates, scrap the NI hike & back local business, before it’s too late.

Reverence

More than half of Toronto drivers in a Universtiy of Toronto study didn't look for people walking or on bikes before turning right. Study used eye-tracking tech. Increasingly deadly vehicles, dumb laws, and irresponsible driving equal people being injured and killed. www.utoronto.ca/news/more-ha...

if elected leaders want to subsidize more roads to enable more driving, and do not want to allow more housing in order to avoid more residents, then it seems they perceive their real constituents to be cars rather than people

The ECHR was set up after WWII to ensure that fascism never again arose in Europe. Why do the right want to curb/limit/leave/abolish the ECHR? Because it does what it was intended to do, that's why...