In my glossary of #weaponised words I collect slurs, lies and avoidances used particularly by politicians and mainstream media, also key terms deployed in bad faith to whitewash or exculpate. Nigel Farage’s behaviour in latest interviews was described as ‘testy’.

this is the happiest day of Chris Mason's life

BBC Radio 3 Unwind The Sleeping Forecast: Restful waves on the sea of tranquility Now Playing Steven Poole Softer Snows

i do think a "professional foul" to shut down a breakaway where you literally put your arm around the other guy's neck to stop him should be a straight red card

here i am in the Graun on UTOPIA www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...

anyone who thinks "AI" is "incredibly valuable" for their writing is ipso facto a terrible writer and a terrible reader

surely the book that almost no one is able to finish is Finnegans Wake not Ulysses

Most of the letters: "Even as an avid reader, I was dismayed to see your list featured Ulysses & Proust which only pointyheaded wankers & poofs pretend to read. Couldn't the Guardian have given the Best Novel prize to something everyone enjoys, like a nice pint or a packet of cheese & onion crisps"

awesome nerdery here

There are days when I miss being an editor. I loved writing headlines. Whoever did this, I hope they took the rest of the day off.

this might be true if the public had always religiously consumed the output of journalists-who-do-their-job-properly, which of course they haven't and don't and never will

here i am in the Graun on SHAKESPEARE www.theguardian.com/books/2026/m...

we've got Cesc Fabregas

so 61% of members would like Starmer to stay on at least for a couple of years, but nearly the same number would vote for Burnham over him 🤷🏻‍♂️

Moldova, UK or Sweden ftw

France: c'est un peu too much

Pick a Bond from the photos you already have in your phone.

Why do people hate Arsenal? www.theguardian.com/football/202...

oh no, how can the country possibly carry on without three ministerial aides

A web page just told me everything it learned about me without asking. It knew my city, my device, my GPU, and how long I hesitated before scrolling. sinceyouarrived.world/taken Thank you, @levparikian.bsky.social

i mean, ok some random freelance book reviewer, but why would an actual staffer for the NYT also be so fucking lazy and dumb

turns out VAR is awesome

if the Labour Party were bursting with young talent on the intellectual level of Gordon Brown, then the appointment of the latter would seem strange; very obviously, however, the Labour Party is not bursting with young talent on the intellectual level of Gordon Brown

here i am in the WSJ on RANSOMWARE www.wsj.com/arts-culture...

Me (Everton sufferer) to the kids (arsenal fans) on the family WhatsApp group

Foyles book shop in the evening rain, Charing Cross Road, London, c. 1935, by the great Wolfgang Suschitzky.

(I make a "mouth" with the side of my hand and draw little eyes above it) Richard Dawkins: hmmmm (I put lipstick around the "mouth") Richard Dawkins, suavely: well hello

New substack: Westminster politics is something which no intelligent person can look upon with anything other than revulsion. chrisdillow.substack.com/p/the-stupid...

a treat: the great @ryangilbey.bsky.social on Al Pacino www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ap...

*Cyprus hill voice* In Seine from the bus lane

Hot take into the void: "ultra-processed food" is basically the antivaxx conspiracy theory for people who think they're far too well informed to get hooked into anything like antivaxx.

has the new york times ever thought about doing a focus group with someone who has read a book

J. H. Prynne wrote a guide to reading works of literature for Cambridge students. This was the postscript:

R.I.P. the great J.H. Prynne 🖤

i read a novel and it was good (and particularly amusing for those who have been in or around the TLS over the years)

Hi I wrote about the making of classic platformerChuckie Egg and talked to its creator Nigel Alderton. Please give it a read as I want to show there’s an audience for this gaming history stuff 🙏 www.theguardian.com/games/2026/a...

Prince

has anyone in our very serious press corps addressed the question of whether Mandelson was a good or bad ambassador

here i am in the WSJ on PINBALL www.wsj.com/arts-culture...

here i am in the Graun on THE BLACK DEATH www.theguardian.com/books/2026/a...

Forget euphemism, Trump is using unabashed viciousness in his language against Iran Steven Poole @stevenpoole.bsky.social @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

The Onion, 2003, evergreen

Shout-out to every other Gen Xer that was holding their breath the entire time for the first five mintues of the launch For r e a s o n s

i'm sorry but what is Microsoft Outlook doing on a spaceship

haha the last line of this report is brilliant

so, since the Iran war started, have any leftist westerners been spotted chanting "Death to the USAF"?

Well, I am not sure what my analysis here is worth, but here is my 7,500 word primal scream of a military historian's take on the War in Iran. My best summary: this war is dumb as hell. acoup.blog/2026/03/25/m...