🚨🚨 This is obviously true @eleanorrylance.bsky.social but regrettable that so few people seem to realise this. I did write a smaller piece in @eastangliabylines.co.uk two years ago on the quite meagre prospects for the UK to again accede as a member to the EU: eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/brexit/...

in this week's newsletter! I offer to you the Superhero Movie Theory of why both Labour and the Tories have become unable to govern: youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/all-my-hob...

Ah the 1970s. Stagflation, three day weeks, collapsing infrastructure. Civil War in Northern Ireland. In yer face racism and bigotry everywhere. Bin strikes. Strikes in general. Blackouts. Industrial decline. Wage inequality. Dog crap everywhere. And households spent 25% of their income on food.

Daily Telegraph trying to rewrite history with the photo to accompany this article. Harold Wilson (Labour) was Prime Minister in 1975, followed by James Callaghan (Labour) in 1976. Thatcher did not become PM until 1979 @mrjamesob.bsky.social www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...

Christina's full post is available here: christinapagel.substack.com/p/informatio...

🚨🚨 " The BBC is far from perfect but it remains the most trusted news source in the world. To live up to its promises, it needs more independence, not less. More secure funding, not less. It needs to be set free, not shackled; defended, not attacked." Great stuff by @chrischirp.bsky.social

Worryingly, families told the Eye, the county councillor responsible co-owns a private care company and they fear he may benefit from closure plans. 🧵2/3

Reform in Lancashire threatens closing five day centres and five care homes, with “reprovision” forcing disabled or older adults (including a 106-year-old) into alternative support.  🧵1/3

Gemini, show me a good example of why the Americans need a decent healthcare system...

Sustainability initiative Theatre Green Book has become an independent not-for-profit organisation as it moves into a new, "ambitious phase". Read more 👉 www.thestage.co.uk/news/the...

BBC5: The new BBC channel devoted solely to programmes about the BBC

*Me quietly cheering on Lauren Boebert* [record scratch/freeze frame] "Yep, thats me. You're probably wondering how I ended up here"

Mark Wolf, a federal judge appointed by Reagan, is resigning after 40 years on the bench. In an essay published by The Atlantic this week, he wrote, “The White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out. Silence, for me, is now intolerable.”

This is Carl. He was just woken up from a nap. Hopes for your sake the house is on fire. 12/10 (IG: grumpus.steve.carl)

“Climate action is non-negotiable Pushing families further into sprawl with car-commuting, and pushing city dwellers into carbon-intense shoeboxes cannot be justified” @thejournal.ie #Housing #Speirgorm www.thejournal.ie/experts-reac...

Host: A new poll shows only 33% of Americans approve of the way Trump is managing the government. Those numbers driven in part by a steady drop in approval among Republicans, down 13 points since March

Recently saw Divine Comedy perform Invisible Thread live in Glasgow, and I officially LOVE this song. And yes, that is Ardal O’Hanlon in the video. 🫶🍂🎶 www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VXS...

Unregulated AI and Brexit red tape ‘threaten’ UK music sector amid slowing growth. Via @ArtsPro - www.artsprofessional.co.uk/news/unregul... #FreelancersMakeTheatreWork

I so want to see these. Thank you @channel5bluesky.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...

This is a fantastically important and timely initiative from Channel 5 and one I hope will be emulated by the other UK channels. New stories and fresh voices are so needed right now - and so are opportunities to enable people to survive in a crumbling industry. www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...

Today is #RLSDay which marks the birthday of the Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson who would have been 175 today. It's also a good day to remember that it is NOT actually his birthday because in 1891 he gave it away to a young girl because she didn't like her birthday. 🧵

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One for the Brits. Epstein wrote a list of names for Steve Bannon. The first one on it is Mandelson

@barbaratheband.bsky.social are the best. Playing Audio in #Glasgow tonight they were true gents to our 13 yr old, who’s a fan. Let him sit in on their get-in and soundcheck and were charm itself. We left before the gig started, as the license required, but THANK YOU 🪜🕰🪩💐🎤🎹🥁🎸🎶✨🎩👏👏👏👏👏

Really loved #GRAVITY @playpiepint.bsky.social today. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 @kevinpgilday.bsky.social - funny, quick, moving line-writing that your brilliant actors gobbled up.

Loved this, @royboywilliams.bsky.social. www.thestage.co.uk/my-favourite...

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the obsession with how history remembers…leaving the “record” to time insinuates the future record has a “neutral” author that won’t censor, distort, or willfully ignore the truth. “history” & willful remembering is the responsibility of us all, not for unnamed people for a under-regarded future.

"Bullaun Press, founded by Bridget Farrell in 2021, is the first Irish publisher to focus exclusively on literature in translation, and their selections are already making waves".

Robbie Gibb was appointed to the BBC Board by Boris Johnson, was an editorial advisor for GB News, and worked as Theresa May's Director of Comms. He is not impartial or neutral. The government should remove him from the Board immediately to protect the BBC's independence.

London and environs: benefit gig for Medical Aid for Palestinians at Comedy Store 19th Nov. Amazing bill. We need to make sure it sells out so come along! london.thecomedystore.co.uk/event/stand-...

They edited out the whole section where Clarence shows him what Bedford Falls would have been like if he’d never been born

If you ever want to see the most 2025 thing, the abridged version of It’s A Wonderful Life is on Amazon Prime. It’s the story of a man who has a really bad day and decides to kill himself, and then for no reason at all has a change of heart and wants to live

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Genuinely saddened to hear of the death of Tatsuya Nakadai - a remarkable actor with an incredible career. One of the finest screen actors of the 20th century with an incomparable filmography.

The silver lining to the surrender by 8 Dems is that the House GOP must return to vote on it. Johnson must swear in Grijalva, and the discharge petition on the Epstein files must force a full floor vote. Stay tuned.

I present the UK’s one and only TV show about books. We feature readers & writers from across Scotland, around the UK and all over the world. It’s commissioned by BBC Scotland & made by IWC. Public broadcasting is a shared space for sharing stories & building bridges. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Brilliant idea - when you're a tiny community group it can be so hard to cover those boring but essential costs like insurance!

Look at this great fund. £200 for really small charities to spend on boring things. Easy, quick to apply. Link below. Please share :)

Thank you Artcena, Institut Francais London, & @sacdparis.bsky.social - for making over 20 years of theatre translations of contemporary Francophone plays into English possible. So proud to see extracts of 2 of my recent translations, LUNE and LEVIATHAN, in there. 🎉 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Was really struck by what a lovely inspiring exercise this is, like a primary school version of Mary Oliver’s Instructions for living a life Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it

Gary Lineker: "This is the mistake the BBC makes. The BBC tries to appease the people that hate the BBC, rather than worrying about the people that love the BBC."

So you can do a bicycle kick goal, huh? That’s nice. Can you do one in a snowstorm? #CPL #Canada

Once every 20 years or so, the director-general of the BBC is forced to resign for being insufficiently rightwing. Alastair Milne in 1987. Greg Dyke in 2004. Tim Davie in 2025. The great irony is that the BBC was in all cases profoundly biased towards established power. But just not biased enough …

📢 Exciting news! Our Custodian, @sorchadallas.bsky.social, has been awarded a British Art Network Connect Bursary 🎉 This August she’ll visit the International Anthony Burgess Foundation to explore the creative ties between Alasdair Gray & Anthony Burgess. #alasdairgray #thealasdairgrayarchive