“I asked Darren what Children’s Services was. He said it’s social workers and SEND, mostly, and that the budget was a nightmare. I said I didn’t really know what SEND was.“ Satire? Yes. Entirely implausible? You decide. eastangliabylines.co.uk/politics/loc...

Reform says offensive posts from one of its Suffolk branches were written by “agitators” who hijacked the account. James O’Brien asked for an apology. What happened next appears to have left even him struggling for words.

#Siesta are such a good idea.

Bylines Network brings you People Before Profit. This is your chance to hold rogue organisations to account, and help us investigate those who don’t appear to care about the people they serve. Read all about it here 👇 peoplebeforeprofit.uk

Perfect light reading for UK BH w/end. A calico #cat is the star. Not remotely soppy - total #escapism.

@nicmiller.bsky.social Your recent #TalesfromTopgraphicKitchens with #BethChatto was perfect . Thank you for bliss & calm during these troubled times.

Well Leg’ends, Itamar Ben-Gvir has committed the one offence modern diplomacy finds unforgivable: he made the policy visible. Not abstract. Not deniable. Not buried in a joint statement about “complex security challenges”. satiricalplanet.substack.com/p/ben-gvir-d...

@keithlangdon.bsky.social any ideas? I have been reliably informed that you might be able to help. Thank you.

Anyone any idea what this caterpillar(?) is? Seen on a chair outside in #Norwich.

actually so angry about that Russian oil decision that I can't even really bear to feel my own fury, it's so all-encompassing that I can only glance at it from an angle, once in a while, then think about something else

This important. Bees matter.

Another quick #abstractartwork that just came from putting pen to paper. #art

I have been working on a pukka project.

Burnham appears over the hill and, most alarmingly of all, our Pecksniff briefly experiences something approaching hope Meanwhile Labour MPs dissolve into panic and Reform councillors continue combusting across the country It's been a fiery few days 🔥🔥🔥

East Anglian playwright, Emma-Louise Howell, will debut climate-focused new work at this year’s internationally renowned Hay Festival | East Anglia Bylines

If I started a parliamentary petition to debate parties having to bear the costs of elections being held outside the normal cycle due to resignations, suspensions, inadmissibility etc, would any of you support it?

😡🇬🇧😡🇬🇧😡🇬🇧😡🇬🇧 Sorry BBC/ newsPapers/ GBeebies etc etc This is ‘the actual truth’.

Read @pecksniffsdiary.bsky.social for #political analysis & the nuanced prose of an erudite scribe. Bette Davis was right, we do need to buckle up.

In which Mr Pecksniff lays before his readers for their approval certain observations and speculations reflecting on the political life | East Anglia Bylines

For the latest local election news snippets, see our blog: - Election Day: don't forget to vote - Why can't they all just get on?

Your vote is precious. Today millions of people across Wales, Scotland and England are voting in the hope that their choice will improve their lives. I hope it will. Politicians are asking for your vote; it grants power and removes it. Use it and remind them never to take you for granted.

Where is that @intothehinterlands.co.uk chat. I feel I need to know about his constant battles against the elements & his love affair with #Dartmoor.

Cross-party MPs sound the alarm on rising poverty. “Billions spent reacting – too little preventing” Find out more and sign their petition 👇

It’s the time of year to be sharing this.

One of nature’s most vital workers is running out of room to survive. Scientists at Cambridge are uncovering what’s driving bee decline, and what might help reverse it. Liam Morgan brings us up to date. eastangliabylines.co.uk/science/what...

Elections across the land, the Muckrakers ponder, But @pecksniffsdiary.bsky.social & its elegant prose persuades me read & ponder about #Badenoch, those newbies ##Reform & tales of #bizarrefunding & catastrophic local radio broadcasts - looking at your #Kemi. And #Starmer, oh dear.

Why David Edgar’s ‘Destiny’ could be the most important thing you do this bank holiday weekend One of the most influential political plays of the twentieth century returns after 50 years with a powerful warning about fascism | Ben Dickenson Ticket link in replies @benjitoon.bsky.social

If you want a cynical & rather wonderful world view then this open.substack.com/pub/satirica... is the way to go. Disclosure - he's a pal & a rather wonderful human.

History of the USA: - King of England imposes taxes - America declares independence - Things go well for nearly 250 years - America elects a moron - Moron imposes taxes - King of England gets taxes removed

The sun is out. Working on a progressive project & my resident chef @darylchef.bsky.social created hake in a Mediterranean sauce for lunch. Oh #bliss. Happy #1stMay.

When the government announce a drought in about six weeks time, despite us having a really wet autumn, remember, it’s because of non-investment by the privatised water industries in reservoirs and infrastructure.

Tactical voting just got harder. In England’s new five-party politics, it’s no longer simply Labour vs Conservative. Local dynamics matter more than ever, so check your ward, not just national polls, before voting on 7 May. Stephen McNair explains the how, what & why 👇

Labour won big – then lost the story Where did “change” actually go? Simple slogans beat complex truths - Reform understands what Labour doesn’t. Voters want vision, not tidying up, no slogans. Peter Thurlow throws down the gauntlet

For insight into #politics, polls and propaganda join @pecksniffsdiary.bsky.social for the weekly round up of both local & national shenanigans.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Maybe Starmer - and Badenoch - will now wake up to the fact that under Trump the US is our enemy not our ally. And how can the King be expected to go to the US next week?

Today's bonkers mission. Go get #icecream. Soon I'll be making my own but for the day ...

It's a casual Sunday. The world is in torment - listening to Laurie: youtu.be/Vkfpi2H8tOE?...

With the 7 May elections on the horizon, residents across the east can expect a knock on the door from their local political canvasser | Celina Błędowska

Britain edges back towards Europe, though no one quite says it aloud - well, no one except our erudite Mr Pecksniff. Also under scrutiny: - Reform’s candidate controversies go on & on - May election turnout may decide whether extremes gain ground, & - Lurking LibDems Enjoy your Saturday read 👇

Sun's out, it's time for #icecream. Read @nicmiller.bsky.social latest #TalesfromaTopographicKitchen to whet your appetite for these divine celebrations of frozen deliciousness.

Trump’s America: land of make-believe Donald Trump may be a modern phenomenon but the ingredients that made his ascendancy possible have been around since the US was founded westenglandbylines.co.uk/opinion/trum...

Now we know who is standing, what can we expect from May’s local elections in the East of England? Why are this May’s local elections different? They are unlike any before. Short-term councillors, five-way contests. Will a surge from Reform UK reshape the region?

Honestly, NHS Blood and Transplant are ace. Worth donating just to see my blood's journey to Hastings.

Norfolk's Sue Lambert Trust receives 85 calls for help per month from rape and abuse survivors. Funding cuts will mean that only 10 new cases can be supported. 75 will be turned away. Celina Błędowska explains. eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/welfare...

With local #politics to the fore over the next few weeks @pecksniffsdiary.bsky.social is the place to read a decent analysis interspersed with wonderful metaphors. #Farage as a "fairground barker" is a fave.

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Yet again #Trump ponces & pontificates on the world stage. He threatens #mayhem & annihalition & talks about destroying Iranianian #civlisation. Please #US impeach him now. @housedemocrats.bsky.social