Reform led Nottinghamshire Council has blacklisted a local paper for asking questions about what councillors were doing. Farage says he welcomes free speech, that should apply to freedom of the press too. Sign the petition to get them to reverse the decision: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/re...

Started reading the JD Kirk (Barry Hutchison's adult crime novel pen name) series of DCI Logan books. Very entertaining read, with some lovely plot twists. Looking forward to more.

Someone got a really crap Xmas present last year!

Trump is up to something, he's been barricading the White House and US treasury overnight.

The US has pretty much the full house now.

Clever!

The new black (black dye is cheaper) British passport sums up Brexit perfectly, made by a French Company in Poland and shipped from Germany. That's your sovereignty.

Hard to argue with that.

This is Scotland.

Bet he calls himself "pro-life" ...

LAPD not exactly sounding like a police department expecting imminent insurrection ...

105 riders make their way up O'Connell Street, Hawick, led by the pipe band, at the start of the ride to Denholm. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdzP...

Last rideout of HCR2025, and the Principals stop at the Hornshole Memorial on the way to Denholm, to pay their respects 511 years after the battle which led to the Common Riding tradition in Hawick.

A large majority (82%) of Israelis support the total ethnic cleansing of Gaza. A majority (56%) support the expulsion of all Israeli Arabs. A plurality (47%) support the total extermination of the Gazan population. www.newarab.com/news/poll-hu... This Israeli survey was also reported by Haaretz.

From the Birgham/Carham line, downstream of Kelso, on to just below Paxton House, the border between England and Scotland follows the southern channel of the River Tweed, except for a single 3 acre field on the south bank just outside Coldstream, which is "forever Scotland"; the Ba' Green.

This Nazi anthem is going viral and inspiring global dance parties of hate. Meta and X aren’t stopping it. Let’s force them to follow their own rules and act. action.eko.org/a/instagram-...

Not what should happen under a "Labour" government.

Bunting's up for HCR 2025. Kirkin' Sunday next Sunday, and then it's Common Riding Week, with the actual Common Riding on Friday the 6th. Safe oot, safe in.

But don’t let facts get in the way.

Marina Purkiss, "We have a declining birthrate, an aging population, we either have immigrants and have NHS and social care, or we don't" "I can't believe Labour are making it more difficult for the social care sector to hire people. We have 131,000 vacancies"

Joseph Stiglitz suggests Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer have got in wrong "To promote growth, the UK can raise taxes on capital gains" "If you raise taxes on the wealthy and expand government spending, that will stimulate the economy"

Putin says that he wants direct talks "to remove the root causes of the conflict". That should take about 30 seconds: the root cause is that Russian soldiers are in Ukraine, where they have no right to be. Withdraw to the internationally-recognised 1991 border and the conflict is over.

Trump has absolutely no clue about trade.

Agatha Christie's "4.50 From Paddington" ia devilish piece of crime writing. I can fairly often guess the murderer in her novels, occasionally early on, but this had me in at least 3 different minds right up until the reveal, and it was a really entertaining read, too. One of the best Marple books.

So, why has Putin declared his 3 day ceasefire around the May 9th Victory Day? It seems fairly clear to me that he is afraid of being embarrassed by Ukrainian drone attacks, and is looking to protect himself, his guests, the parade, and the preparations for it. It would make a very nice target.

Ukraine: "We propose a 30 day unconditional ceasefire" Russia: "We have many conditions and only want a 3 day ceasefire" Trolls: "It is clear Ukraine wants to keep the war going"

Looking like Polievre has not just lost the Canadian election, but his seat as well. The Conservatives have held that seat at every election since the 1867 founding of the Canadian Parliament, with the exception of the 1963 election, when it was in Liberal hands for just over 2 years.

"Destination Unknown" is one of Agatha Christie's thrillers, with a suitably plucky heroine. Mind you, that heroine had been on the verge of killing herself, until a most unusual proposal put a stop to that. An oasis for idealistic scientists forging a new world order? Sounds too good to be true?

"A Pocket Full Of Rye" by Agatha Christie. A crooked businessman dies suddenly, and suspicion is immediately cast on his family, who all had reasons to want him dead. The police can make no headway, until the arrival of a little old lady. The killer's mistake? Unwittingly summoning Miss Jane Marple.

"After The Funeral" by Agatha Christie sees Hercule Poirot called on to help an old friend make sense of a senseless killing, and to unravel a family mystery. Poirot undertakes some rather unlikely undercover work to untangle it all. Red herrings galore, and some daring plot twists. Vintage stuff!

"Deep Fear": DI Kelly Porter 2, by Rachel Lynch. More polished than the first book, Kelly is chasing a killer with a love of Lakes poetry and scenery, and a burning sense of injustice. Faced with a seemingly impenetrable maze of clues, Kelly begins to doubt herself. Then the killer's aim turns ...

"Dark Game" is the first of the DI Kelly Porter series by Rachel Lynch. Kelly is returning to her native Lake District, disillusioned with policing in London, to take charge of the North Lakes Serious Crimes Unit, based in Penrith. Returning home brings a mix of pleasure and some old baggage.

Yep, they only ever focus on trans women, and forget the flip side impacts of their prejudice.

"They Do It With Mirrors" by Agatha Christie. The weakest Miss Marple I've read, and not up to Agatha's usual standard. I had, unfortunately, guessed the killer and the motive pretty soon after the murder. Indeed, I had an inclination of what was coming before that. Still has a certain charm, though

"Good As Dead" by Mark Billingham. Another where Mark let's the pace drop, after a promising start, insisting on dotting the "i"s and crossing the "t"s, but then comes back for a edgy finale. It was a bit of a slog in the middle, and the central, against-the-clock, premise is quite absurd.

"Wild Fire" by Ann Cleeves. Sadly, the final book in the Shetland series, though I understand her reasons for that. What a great read, though! Read it pretty much straight through, with a meal break. 398 pages which I did not want to put down or end.

My husband has taught human reproduction and development to the Cambridge medics for over three decades. When people start banging on about "only two biological sexes" he starts with "which sex: genetic, hormonal, or gonadal"? Biological sex is not binary. www.scientificamerican.com/article/sex-...

Just a reminder that this all started because Scotland passed a simple bill, supported by every party and meeting international standards, to make it easier and more dignified for trans people to get their gender recognition certificates. 1/2

As has so often been warned about, this does not just impact trans women.

Starmer told UK must repeal hate speech laws to protect LGBT+ people or lose Trump trade deal. Plus sacrifice the NHS, food and environmental standards, worker rights. Who governs? No thank you. Don't want to be the 51st state, or US slaves. Better to join the EU and Single Market.

This is something we can all do.👇🏼 File a complaint with the FL and DC Bar to have Pam Bondi disbarred for not complying with the 9-0 Supreme Court ruling to return Mr. Garcia from El Salvador.

Geez that's FUCKED UP!

Holy shit. Video posted by President Bukele’s team on X shows the moments before his press conference with Trump in which Trump tells him: “We want to do homegrown criminals next. You gotta build about five more places.” (h/t @titonka.bsky.social @michelekelemen.bsky.social)

"Mrs McGinty's Dead" ~ Agatha Christie. Poirot is not just looking for a murderer, but trying to save a convicted man from the gallows. Sometimes the evidence is just a little too damning! I read this pretty much in a oner; it was that gripping. Very cleverly plotted, and with a lot of humour, too.

The kind of story I love to come across. A retired academic tracked down the original of the last scene photo from the film "The Shining". Far from being taken in a remote US mountain resort, the photo is of the 1921 St Valentine's Day Ball at the Empress Rooms, Royal Palce Hotel, Kensington, London

"They Came To Baghdad" ~ Agatha Christie. This is essentially a spy thriller, featuring favoured Christie themes; a plucky, resourceful heroine, eccentric archaeologists, nebulous conspiracies and secret societies, staunch Englishmen, and misplaced love. Fun, well-placed yarn, of the "Jane" variety.