This deserves to be circulated. A former Red Cross staff member got in touch. She testifies about @zackpolanski.bsky.social's role. For transparency: her name is Brea Thibodeau. The whole thing is a desperate smear.

The UKBiobank data leak is not unfortunate, its negligent. The doctor-knows-best approach to stewarding highly sensitive data led to this and many other leaks and the response of leadership is again disingenuous. I admire the research participants for their loyalty, but they have been let down.

What happens when a chief executive loses executive function?https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/21/executive-function-ceo-politician-leader-experts/

The legal basis for sharing Vaccination Progamme personal health data with the National Crime Agency seems to be a stretch. Anyone agree/disagree? Have the NHS considered unintended negative consequences, because I can think of a few.

Former military leader on Hegseth: The hair-gelled former Fox News host sometimes appears keener to wage culture wars than the one in Iran. “He’s a 12-year-old boy with a set of army action figures who likes to play war” www.economist.com/united-state...

Happy new year!

Republicans are pen testing the US governance infrastructure, again. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/02/u...

"(AI) adoption has fallen sharply in the largest companies. Three years into the generative-AI wave, demand for the technology looks surprisingly flimsy." www.economist.com/finance-and-...

Delighted for you @naomialderman.bsky.social! What an incredible community and game you have created, and of course @adrianhon.bsky.social. Onwards Runner 5!

Has anyone else noticed that the announcements at King's Cross seem to now be voiced by Jo Brand or a sound-a-like? Im loving it.

Tim Davie was one of the best D-Gs the BBC has had, and Deborah Turness was a brilliant head of news. Only the BBC’s enemies could possibly be glad they’ve resigned. We’ve now got a real fight on our hands to defend public service broadcasting, because that’s under threat too.

In case you haven't been following...

Absolute genius. AmPhiba. Amphibians Against Fascism. This is the level of mockery and response these thugs deserve.

FT reports this morning that HMRC have used the Connect system to increase tax collection by 35%, totally £4.6bn, but they have a 'blind spots' in relation to how much tax billionaires pay. Do we think that's a systems design problem, or a political one? ‘Big data’ helps HMRC on.ft.com/46LU5G4

"(Jane) Goodall’s methodology was an affront to academics and ethologists... (despite her astonishing discoveries) she was told she’d conducted the whole study wrong. But Goodall held firm in her beliefs". She was magnificent and heroic. RIP.

Horrified to see the attack in Manchester. Love to all of my Jewish friends.

Suspect this New Statesman deep dive into the Tony Blair Institute makes the case that the correct "Economist descriptor" for the TBI is now "Oracle dealership" rather than "think tank" www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

So delighted for you @rachelmillward.bsky.social!

Really pleased to announce Meeting the Moment on 26 Nov - a one day event for culture leaders about speaking up in troubled times www.watershed.co.uk/news/standin...

“They weren’t that receptive. Then they told me that it didn’t matter if I waited a few yesrs [sic] as I had waited 40 already.” Survey responses like that really hit home but also remind us of why we’re doing this. And why it matters so much. Please share: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Paul is a professor at a London University. Two years ago he became tetraplegic due to a climbing accident. I have been reading his blog avidly, which has been both bleak and revealing. Today, he wrote that he can see a future. Incredible writing. diaryofapunter.substack.com/p/exit-darkn...

Vote for Rachel. We need more empaths and people who get things done. She is that on steroids. #Rach4deputy

Many people were (rightly) furious that the British abandoned Afghans who supported our efforts in Afghanistan. We denied thousands of allies relocation and put their lives at serious risk. Many fled across borders or went into hiding. So, how 'accidental' was this data breach?

Immense generosity of indigenous Brazilian leaders in helping us to consider solutions to a crisis that has devastated their land and which they did not cause. With thanks to @kateraworth.bsky.social as the (flawed) Rational Economic Man.

Stunning

It's normal for humans to display emotions. No correlation exists between the emotion a person displays and how well they can do their job. If you feel shame/disgust/fear at people in powerful positions crying I'm going to suggest that's caused by the conditioning of a failing patriarchal society.

The president of Aix-Marseilles University is welcoming US scientific refugees.He "likened the situation to that of European academics who fled persecution by Nazi Germany both before and during World War II" www.politico.eu/article/meet...

If the data is poor, the outputs will be useless. Is this another case of creating a new shiny thing, where the real work is in improving the data foundations? www.gov.uk/government/n...

YES to this app, and YES to open source. Well done to all who worked on this. And thanks @theguardian.com for being so civic-minded. www.theguardian.com/membership/2...

"Our findings suggest that ADHD attributes may... invite the possibility that this condition may reflect an adaptation favouring exploration over exploitation" royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

I love when the AI pats me on the head and says well done. "It's clear you put a lot of thoughtful work into that review Jo - it really shows your deep understanding of [REDACTED] and the people involved".

RFK has fired the entire advisory panel that advises the US gov on vaccines. www.cnbc.com/2025/06/09/r... 😱

This is excellent and the UK can learn from it to better protect our own data from the winds of political change. The fight to protect US data has begun - on.ft.com/3HvFg1r via @FT

Toddlers or leaders?

I am going to be creating a prototype of a new (secret for now) narrative game this year. I need to find two people, both UK-BASED (sorry): a freelance dev and a freelance illustrator. If interested in working with me (and if you have a clearly REAL profile to screen for AI), do DM me.

Fascinating insight into how gov works. So idiosyncratic and challenging to adapt to.

Disappointed to hear that Mary Earps has retired from football. Really sad to see such a talent and great performer step down.

There have been many disappointments in adult life, and Nick Clegg is right up there.

Lighthouse delivers vital public interest investigations into tech, how it impacts everyday lives and particularly the most vulnerable, driving accountability. Do you know anyone who could do this role? Please signal boost. apply.workable.com/lighthouse-r... @lighthousereports.com

Elder's statement on Israel's actions in Gaza. Stop the suffering. www.linkedin.com/posts/the-el...

Nearly two-thirds of CEOs (64%) say “the risk of falling behind drives them to invest in some technologies (AI) before they have a clear understanding of the value they bring to the organization,” according to the study. fortune.com/2025/05/09/k...

Interesting and chips. I win.

Hello internet friends. Does anyone use a browser extension which can read articles to you? I am currently pasting stuff into e.g Speechify but would love a one-button solution.

What do people mean, when they talk about AI? @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social has provided a great public service by writing this piece.

This bolsters my long-held belief that humans are generally decent and good. Our 4 year old Tesla has been scheduled to go back to the dealer and we're looking forward to receiving our new Polestar. brianiselin67.medium.com/teslas-death...

(1/2) "Just a research project" say MoJ. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

i've been crap at promoting this but! running a little Downpour workshop in London tomorrow morning, tickets are free & still available if you wanna come along voidspacezine.com/event/intera...

Open the blockades, ceasefire. Open the blockades, ceasefire. Open the blockades, ceasefire. Open the blockades, ceasefire. Open the blockades, ceasefire. Open the blockades, ceasefire. Open the blockades, ceasefire. Open the blockades, ceasefire. Open the blockades, ceasefire.

Doctorow brilliance. Particularly enjoyed 'AI as a grab bag of.marginally related technologies" and human crumple zones. 🎯 doctorow.medium.com/https-plural...

I like the look of this. It is time to start rewarding professional courage and (appropriate and safeguarded) risk-taking in regulators, as well as inside the civil service. That way leads to progress. www.ft.com/content/ebfa...