Another #FestiveFriday offering, and this time we’re heading to Cornwall, to the St Just area to find some ‘merriment holes’! These were drilled into stones by miners and quarrymen in the 19th century.

NEW: Chris Parry, the Reform mayoral candidate who said David Lammy should “go home to the Caribbean”, also suggested at least eight other politicians from minority ethnic backgrounds do not have a primary loyalty towards the UK. Reform have not disowned him. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

This advert for a Locked Coil Rope featured in the March 1951 edition of Mine & Quarry Engineering. It also includes a fascinating insight into the draining levels of Wirksworth lead mines, in ‘The Soughs of Dove Gang’ by Nellie Kirkham. Find a copy in our #LocalStudies library.

A reminder that Nigel Farage has pocketed more than £400,000 this year from GB News. No wonder Farage is cheering Trump on in his attacks on the BBC.

So is this Trump Derangement Syndrome something he's overheard the people doing his MRIs saying?

Have you heard of the Popish Plot? For mysterious archival reasons, we hold the original evidence used to convict some so-called plotters. Find out more in our latest blog: https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/2025/12/12/the-horrid-popish-plott-letters/ #archives #17thCentury

I know the shameless hypocrisy is the whole point but seeing maybe one of the single most socially conservative MPs currently in the House of Commons welcome a pornstar into his party isn't not making me feel fucking mental

Some experts expressed disagreement about whether the President can fly by flapping his arms very fast

The KING has commanded that from next year, the 50p coin shall be minted with the image of Feathers McGraw on it. GOD SAVE THE KING! (but... will he be depicted as a penguin, or a chicken?) www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/5008535

"He was reputed to be the first person in the country to receive a football banning order when they were introduced, and spent several spells in prison in his younger days for football-related violence."

One for @threadinburgh.scot

The algorithms are making it a lot harder to spread the word about these online talks. Although numbers are still reasonable, it would be a great help if folk were able to give the 30 December event a quick share 🙂 Booking available here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/buildings-...

I obviously favour the comparison with Farage. Like Farage, Polanski has explicitly embraced populism as a strategy, and that's the domain of cranks and shallow egotists. Trouble is it works.

Do even Tories think that Brexit was a disaster? My SKETCH of a surprising admission from Kemi Badenoch. thecritic.co.uk/regr...

Ok, one MP (@stellacreasy.bsky.social) might be listening to the frustrated ramblings of the few UK-EU experts still going...

People should note that Voloshyn tried to disguise Gill’s bribes as ‘media payments’ Do we know how much Farage received for his regular appearance on RT/Russia Today around the time of Brexit?

Probably best that we don’t let the IEA and its outriders anywhere near power

For my last Sunday Scribblings of 2025, back to one of my recurring themes, the future relationship between the UK and the EU. It is not going anywhere, anytime soon. hayest.substack.com/p/sunday-scr...

So ReFUK has suspended this councillor, Tom Pickup, for being in this WhatsApp group. Was it the racist sentiment? The call for Muslim genocide? The mass deportations? Shooting the PM? Stockpiling weapons to attack “lefties & immigrants” Where’s the line?

I think we need to go from antifa to antififa.

“Crime Anglaise” they call that in Spain.

A new element in this anecdote. You don’t ‘banter’ with a 9 year old at 17. This is racism + cowardly bullying.

Nobody has a chance to vote for a Customs Union next week. They could once again declare themselves in favour of a fantasy UK-EU relationship. bsky.app/profile/edda...

Agree with @jomichell.bsky.social here. My earlier piece: "The claim that that MMT means that a future government can dodge hard choices about how to pay for decent public services is just plain nonsense." www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/econom...

FDA Approves New Drug  That Reverses Effects Of Narcan

It's all bad but hadn't seen the bit where Farage says: "The European Union is the prototype for the New World Order." That is a seriously, deeply problematic term that taps into Illuminati and antisemitic conspiracy theories. How the fuck did this man direct the course of our politics?

I remember watching the pro-Brexit Grace Blakeley describe EU free movement of people as "combating the demographic problems of northern Europe by exporting and extracting fertility from the periphery of Europe", because "most of those emigrants [from Poland] are young people of child bearing age"

Lee Anderson, who makes nearly £200,000 a year, repeatedly calls for benefit clampdowns, and described Britain as a “food bank for the world”... ...claims more in taxpayer-funded hotel bills than any other MP in England, billing the taxpayer for £22.5k in 2024/25 www.bigissue.com/news/politic...

Compare the YouTube thumbnail with the actual scene in the video.

As Jonathan Gullis joins Reform UK, it's only fair to remind people of this. All forgotten, is it, Dickie? ~AA

It is just incredible that the people who always go on about immigration and muslims and sharia law in Britain are the first to promote British immigration into a muslim country with sharia law.

One for @columnist.bsky.social

So much whingeing about the budget, so little acceptance that there is not a single easy solution to the challenges that are primarily demographic.

I'm not sure a squeezed middle isn't an almost inevitable consequence of demographics. There are 13 million pensioners in the UK. Compared to 25 million full time workers. Do the maths, it won't be pretty however you cut it.

This is a direct consequence of Jenrick's attacks. He needs to be held responsible.

I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture. They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1

This is *amazing*. This goes straight to Deceptive Design Hall of Shame. They made a "take a break" nudge that has no obvious "ok, I'll take a break" affordance. Its three affordances are: 1) Keep chatting (default, highlighted) 2) x out — keeps chatting 3) "This was helpful" — what is this? 🧵

Still can't quite believe that "I only said 'gas the Jews' in a non-hurtful way" was the strategy Nigel Farage opted to go for

When I was in govt we used to prep ministers for select committees by doing trial sessions. And we were so much better at it than MPs. They almost never ask the difficult questions.

What a way to advertise a piece about a man who is killing people by spreading lies about the efficacy of vaccines.

Only the best people!

An investigation into Russian interference in our politics is long overdue. And we all know who should be questioned first.

Donald Trump expects Ukrainians to be ‘grateful’ as he prepares a carve-up of the country with Putin. We can’t let that happen - Starmer must work with our European allies to stop this stitch-up in its tracks.

Pretty predictable that the generation of Centrist politicians that underestimated Farage's populist gut appeal from the Right will also underestimate Polanski's populist gut appeal from the Left

I have read Zack Polanski's interview with Laura K. Good grief docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Guy who claimed he could make boobs grow with the power of his mind says he can also perform magic with the economy. This is completely unsurprising, why are people acting shocked.

With help from the media, millions of gullible people voted for this awful grifting chancer and his mates and they’ll do exactly the same again for Farage and Reform. Fool me once, etc, etc… www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

It's infuriating to see so much of the media give Kruger the same kid gloves treatment that Rees-Mogg used to get because he is posh and polite and able to wrap his bigotry in enough intellectual tissue paper to make it seem like a political philosophy rather than an expression of white supremacy.