Amitav Ghosh in 2016 identified: "...an ever-growing divergence between a public sphere of political performance and the realm of actual governance: the latter is now controlled by largely invisible establishments that are guided by imperatives of their own...

The fact Wes Streeting was warned by his own officials that the toxicity of Palantir made the contract less likely to succeed raises, yet again, the question why Government granted it the contract in the first place?

'In a subsequent appearance before the Commons, Media, Culture and Sport Committee, [Robbie] Gibb called [Chris] Mason “the unsung hero of covering politics” and said he was “absolutely first rate”. Sign here ...

An interesting take on great and middling power alignments and strategies. It ignores huge questions such as tech billionairism and corporate oil interests (as if they have no influence in Europe) but puts former empires and their capabilities in a new perspective. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Guardian sub misses open goal for biblical flood reference www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Climate change impacts cultural memory: "Perched on the edge of the mudflow, the Biblioteca Marsiano, a public library, hangs over the void. Its basement holds more than 4,000 rare and historically valuable books.... www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

👉 NEW VIDEO -- Kneecap manager Daniel Lambert's explosive speech on the Israel lobby, music industry and BBC, at the @declassifieduk.org summit. Watch here 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OJB...

“David Lammy … has sought to distance himself from the scandal; friends of his told the Sunday Telegraph that he had not been in favour of the [Mandleson] appointment. That is at odds with an FT report in September 2024, which described how Lammy had swung his support behind the former cabinet sec,

The Observer on the nightmare facing Labour's neo liberals: "Some senior party figures worry that Labour will learn the wrong lessons from the Mandelson affair. They are concerned that instead of seeing his egregious behaviour as the actions of a deeply flawed individual ...

Lillywhite @thetimes.com has had to pull those inverted commas out of the draw again -- it's just not sure whether depicting the Obamas as monkeys is racism or 'racism'.

Whoops!

By replacing the words 'No10' or 'Downing Street' with the words 'Morgan MacSweeney', this story becomes more credible www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I bought 'The Observer' today because I was missing newspapers. It weighs a kilogram or so and has 158 pages in 4 (I think) sections, perhaps 8 pages of which interest me. What a waste! I felt like a spendthrift, a wastrel. Whatever happened to the idea of editing? - a reductive process. Never again

Two photographs of the telegraph office in Governor's House Madras in 1918. They illustrate a world in which the Governor's autonomy had evaporated and external grip was asserted by London. Telegraphy & telephony had transformed the levers of imperial government. eaho.substack.com/p/a-peek-ins...

Thinking of the BBC's promotion of Farage on Question Time and its camouflage of Matthew Goodwin as an independent 'Author and Academic', the mind inevitably turns to the malign influence of Robbie Gibb. Here's @arusbridger.bsky.social on that subject: substack.com/home/post/p-...

Articles on Matt Goodwin concur he is characterised by extreme impatience, vacillation and delusion, resulting in a notable (ie. well under 50%) ability to predict the future. His background can be described as 'academic' but only if prefixed by 'failed'; and 'BBC fugazi' (look it up) will do too.

Two closely observed photographs of the telegraph room at Governor’s House in Madras in 1918, revealing the information technologies underpinning imperial rule. Outside in the city, food riots proved that technocratic efficiency was neither omnipotent nor immovable. eaho.substack.com/publish/post...

Here’s a short distillation of Britain’s Indian Empire in two photograph’s of the telegraph and telephone room at Governor’s House, Madras, taken shortly before the end of WW1 in November 1918. eaho.substack.com/p/a-peek-ins...

It demonstrates an Edwardian fusion of techno-orientalism: efficient, but neither omnipotent nor immovable. At the time the pictures were taken a flu epidemic, food rioting and looting had broken out in the city - both indirect consequences of war, laissez faire trade policy and railways.

An opportunity to deliver a core workstream in a national programme to help UK museums, libraries, archives and galleries to enable their collections to become part of a unified digital research infrastructure. N-RICH is seeking high quality bids from interested parties for this AHRC-funded work.

Here’s a short distillation of Britain’s Indian Empire in two photograph’s of the telegraph and telephone room at Governor’s House, Madras, taken shortly before the end of WW1 in November 1918. eaho.substack.com/p/a-peek-ins...

And more. What are those inverted commas doing, exactly ?

In times like these, community is all we have. If you’re able, please consider donating to our fundraising efforts to help support our neighbors and friends. Sharing the info to your own communities helps hugely, too! Donate at the link in our bio 🔗!

An opportunity to deliver a core workstream in a national programme to help UK museums, libraries, archives and galleries to enable their collections to become part of a unified digital research infrastructure for cultural heritage. N-RICH is seeking high quality bids from interested parties.

Was Major Harry Smith's marriage to the 14 year-old sister of a Hidalgo noblewoman in the Peninsula war an inspiration - by one remove - for the origin story of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's heroine Aurora Leigh?

Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Eliza Ogilvy were together at Casa Guidi for long periods between 1848-51, where they had much time to talk. They discussed Risorgimento politics, children & poetry. Both were writing semi-autographical works in prose (EAHO) and poetry (EBB). There is a startling ...

Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Eliza Ogilvy were together at Casa Guidi for long periods between 1848-51, where they had much time to talk. They discussed Risorgimento politics, children & poetry. Both were writing semi-autographical works in prose (EAHO) and poetry (EBB). There is a startling ...

Taking a 10 minute detour from my hotel past William Aytoun’s house in Abercromby Place in Edinburgh. How the 1% lived in 1H18thC! The story of his ‘flagellating reviews’ in Blackwoods of the Brownings and others is here: open.substack.com/pub/eaho/p/1...

Today, part 2 of the story of Eliza Ogilvy’s hidden romance with William Edmondstoune Aytoun. In 1842 they parted. She was married within 6 months to a railway entrepreneur, published her first book, and began a lifelong friendship with Elizabeth Barrett Browning. eaho.substack.com/p/14-aytoun-...

Today, part 2 of the story of Eliza Ogilvy’s hidden romance with William Edmondstoune Aytoun. In 1842 they parted. She was married within 6 months to a railway entrepreneur, published her first book, and began a lifelong friendship with Elizabeth Barrett Browning. eaho.substack.com/p/14-aytoun-...

This evening a (minor) Scottish literary sensation: the hidden romance between Eliza Ogilvy (née Dick) and fellow poet & Blackwood's critic William Edmondstoune Aytoun, revealed in five unpublished poems - four by Eliza, one by William - written between 1838 & 1887 eaho.substack.com/p/13-the-lov...

This takes you down a rabbit hole into a looking glass world which you will discover to your horror is the one you actually live in - and leave you breathless

Now I know where Gilbert Scott got his inspiration for the phone box ...

This morning a (minor) Scottish literary sensation: the hidden romance between Eliza Ogilvy (née Dick) and fellow poet & Blackwood's critic William Edmondstoune Aytoun, revealed in five unpublished poems - four by Eliza, one by William - written between 1838 & 1887 eaho.substack.com/p/13-the-lov...

This morning a (minor) Scottish literary sensation: the hidden romance between Eliza Ogilvy (née Dick) and fellow poet & Blackwood's critic William Edmondstoune Aytoun, revealed in five unpublished poems - four by Eliza, one by William - written between 1838 & 1887 eaho.substack.com/p/13-the-lov...

New word of the day: dithyrambic ! Which is how Henry Chorley describes Elizabeth Barrett Browning's 'blind faith' in Napoleon III, in his review of Poems Before Congress for the Athenaeum. Having looked up its meaning, will I ever sum up the nerve to use it in anger?

Time to explode also art history's blindspot for JMC's support for racist imperialists of the ilk of Broadfoot, stirring up war in Punjab, and Eyre, massacring rebels in Jamaica. Seeing her portrait of Eyre in NPG's reopening I was shocked, and then realised I shouldn't be, that's who she was.

Good speech. On a cold day he talked abut the wonderful food made by the poorest people, 8.5million citizens woven together, universal childcare for the many by taxing the wealthiest few. Not afraid to ask for active support for radical polices. Worth a listen. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZoA...

Time to explode also art history's blindspot for JMC's support for racist imperialists of the ilk of Broadfoot, stirring up war in Punjab, and Eyre, massacring rebels in Jamaica. Seeing her portrait of Eyre in NPG's reopening I was shocked, and then realised I shouldn't be, that's who she was.

Interesting use of the parachute - like gunpowder originating in China. Joseph Needham found evidence of working and practical applications of the parachute in China as early as the 12thC.

c.org/vg5Pc7CXMP City of London aldermen throw out 44 year tenant of Italian cafe at Hampstead Heath to hand it over to corporate chain Daisy Green 🤮

One here for @davidveevers.bsky.social giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

“The analysis finds that legislation and government practice in this area have created a fundamentally racist, two-tier citizenship regime” “Under current laws, the Home Secretary may strip citizenship if they determine that to do so would be “conducive to the public good …

Machinations: nothing Trump does is ever what it seems @davidallengreen.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

At the Structure Awards last night: Structure Workshop wins for bronze 1:1 Diplodocus at the Natural History Museum by Factum Arte! A wonderful evening, a spectacular work of art! www.istructe.org/structural-a...

The best explanations I’ve yet seen of the Kafkaesqe events (aka coup) at the BBC are here: bylinetimes.com/2025/11/10/t...

You don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to recognise an elaborate stitch up by Gibb, Prescott, Johnson and unknown parties

By a statistical miracle (and fistfuls of cash) I see that half the teams in the top 2 of the Champions’ League are from the Premier Division, also half the teams in the top 4, half the teams in the top 6, half the teams in the top 8, half the teams in the top 10, and half the teams in the top 12.

“Engineer Hans Hilfiker designed the Swiss rail clock to complete its revolution in 58.5 seconds then stand still for 1.5 seconds more to, as he put it, “bring calm in the last moment and ease punctual train departure” www.irishtimes.com/news/world/e...

I found myself in the concourse of Charing Cross Stn today for the first time in probably 35 years. Once this was an everyday experience: Dartford line via Bexleyheath to Blackheath. It's extraordinary how in London you can walk just seconds off your path to stimulate a little landslide of memories.