A rose slowly unfurls….

“a default conviction that there really are ultimately reasonable positions about which sane people cannot sanely disagree, and a despairing acknowledgment that this seems an increasingly unpopular idea.” www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

A reminder to politicians of all parties! “A policy without a plan is just a wish list… ...a plan without a pathway is just a brochure.... ... a policy, a plan, a pathway without funding is, well… … ridiculous.” myemail.constantcontact.com/Reach.html?s...

The Tax on Being a Girl: “President Trump’s cuts to humanitarian assistance abroad have hurt all kinds of people. But from what I see on the ground, those suffering the most are women and girls” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/27/o...

“Fiona Hill may be right in saying we’re already at war with Russia,” Manningham-Buller said. “It’s a different sort of war, but the hostility, the cyberattacks, the physical attacks, intelligence work is extensive.” www.thetimes.com/article/d814...

Lack of training for NHS managers raises concerns about Streeting reforms: “If a major company delivering complex services had invested so little in its staff, it would be regarded as “laughable” One for Universities to ponder! on.ft.com/47ZI6qS

Does Labour need a Miller Lite !? “Miller has  an understanding & control of the policy apparatus, not just in the White House but the entire executive branch,” ... “he has shown the administration how you can use every lever of power to achieve a result.” on.ft.com/46qd4XY

No doubt the techniques will be studied by UK politicians: “Debate videos are now a widespread source of entertainment and information, particularly for members of Gen Z and Generation Alpha.” www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

The real political parties in UK are perhaps not the nominal ones. Regardless of supposed affiliation of ministers, Treasury will always push for certain policies, MOD will always push for certain policies, etc. Each department has their agenda. And the Home Office will always push for ID cards.

When you have a competitive advantage run with it or not!? “the O-C Arc is “lacking in direction and momentum”…The region should attract the notice of global ceos and compete for investment with Boston and the Bay Area” But ! www.economist.com/britain/2025...

Kennedy Says U.S. Rejects Global Health Goals “The nation’s top federal health official said the United States could not support W.H.O. policies that he claimed promoted abortion and “radical gender ideology.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/h...

Regulating AI hastens the Antichrist, says Palantir’s Peter Thiel: “Thiel..said that fearing or regulating promising technology and scientific progress, including in AI, risked courting the devil,” I wonder if TBI has a view 🤔 www.thetimes.com/article/05d0...

“Many EU officials and diplomats, as with the European political elites more widely, have children studying or planning to study in Britain, making the tuition fee question a vexed topic.” Surely self interest doesn’t play role 🤔 www.thetimes.com/article/d2e8...

“Tell me: What is wrong with the American university? Mailman: I don’t think it’s every university, but I would say the biggest one that comes for me is a culture of victimhood — a glorification of victimhood — that is ultimately bad for Western civilization” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/o...

I suspect the bond markets prefer claret for investment and consumption purposes….tho it also makes for a great starter if sourced correctly! “Burnham, Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, has said the UK should not be “in hock” to bond markets,” on.ft.com/3KlO5wj

Understatement ! You could power a spaceship with their boosterism or if not that certainly a Secretary of State! “the cash injection has produced a culture that is dominated by a form of AI boosterism” www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

Why do bad guys look so good? “Klaus Kinski as a bounty hunter in his fringed head shawl, furs and high fedora in The Great Silence.” A magnificent Spaghetti Western.. but a hard look to pull off with a faux fur throw on a Teams call! on.ft.com/3IdtYzW

Burnham’s positioning in the NS and Telegraph is essentially “I will continue to deny the constraints like Keir Starmer, while being even more explicitly hostile to London and the South, where a majority of parliamentary seats are”. Hard to see how that works well for Labour.

Cool nights have accelerated the emergence of Autumn colours.

Why MAGA Evangelicals Can Cheer Love and Hate at the Same Time “MAGA Christianity is also rooted in a dangerous distortion of Christian theology, one that motivates otherwise good people to walk a dark and dangerous path.” Good explainer for the curious. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/o...

“We need to fix the commercial environment so that it’s good enough to get those companies back again and benefits patients in the NHS,” he said on Wednesday. He added that this “means probably for medicines, we need to pay a bit more for some of them”. on.ft.com/42FjS1w

“One challenge for biotechs pursuing brand new therapies is regulatory approval. No health regulators recognise ageing as a medical condition and there are no generally accepted biological indicators.” on.ft.com/4mJr7gk Inside the billion-dollar quest to live beyond 100

An excellent essay - Autism Has Always Existed. We Haven’t Always Called It Autism. “One reason we have so many questions about autism today is that we’ve learned so much about it and how to address it.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...

Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time - the culmination of remarkable science and strong clinical leadership. A reminder why clinician scientists/clinical academics need to be supported and their numbers increased. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A warm bath of platitudes for the gullible …”Burnham describes his “Manchesterism” as neither Blue Labour nor soft left, Blairite nor Brownite, but a form of consensual, business-friendly socialism” www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

I’m certainly part of an intelligence gap relationship… as has been pointed out I’m nothing more than a “simple grateful creature waiting to be fed”… a tortoise 🐢 I suppose ..

“The country paid less for drugs than other developed countries, Ricks said, “unless that changes, I don’t think they will see many new medicines and I don’t think they will see much investment”. “That’s the UK’s choice, but we react to those choices.” on.ft.com/42Epfhq

arguably this statement has precluded the emergence of a vibrant modern country! “I am a Welshman. I am a socialist.” For millions of voters in past generations,that merging of national & political identity was an everyday fact of life” Reform is not the answer www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Yoda say… “Do or do not. There is no try” “a party that promises contrast and protest | “His pitch is to be the party of ethical force – clear and unambiguous.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Trust is a precious thing ! “Serious questions need to be asked about how, if trusts are unable to accurately self-report compliance, how satisfied can we be that similar misreporting is not commonplace in other areas of self-reporting." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The strategy is rediscover an understanding of what sensible means! “the solution is found in further articulating the sensible beliefs and policies of a real Conservative Party” conservativehome.com/2025/09/23/a...

“Women’s health is not a niche issue. It is the foundation of a fairer, more resilient NHS. In refreshing the Women’s Health Strategy, the government has an opportunity to deliver on its promise – and to embed gender equity in the heart of system reform.” www.hsj.co.uk/policy-and-r...

Liz Truss is still at war with the Deep State - “within this cloud of grudges and paranoid ideas” a depressing interview with a damaged ego. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

Visa delays for scientists are ‘sabotaging’ economy, universities warn “Britain is pushing scientific talent into the arms of competitors due to long delays in security vetting for key researchers, leading universities have said.” www.thetimes.com/article/eee3...

Labour’s NHS reforms: where is the plan to deliver them? “Bold announcements about restructuring appear to have taken priority over implementation” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

“can we really say the so-called crown jewel of American medical science is succeeding?” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/o...

It just straightforwardly *insane* how much political chatter in the United Kingdom is about the next general election, an event that is a long way in the future, and how basically none of it is about 'uh, this policy agenda doesn't look adequate to the scale of the inherited problem'.

A leap of faith ! “Supporters of the plans point out that if mayors could gain control over hospitals and social care, for example, they could divert NHS funding into community care schemes, saving money in the process.” www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Preparing for first run of Autumn…

“Great things will be done by machines but greater things will be done by people.” A reminder that the NHS is its people tho the powers that be often forget this! myemail.constantcontact.com/Friends.html...

Well evidenced use cases - as opposed to AI hype - seem to be key. “The review concluded that the biggest barriers in all sectors were high upfront costs, lack of workforce skills, patchy information on use-cases, and regulatory uncertainty.” www.thetimes.com/article/8eab...

“Stanford University’s human agency research is fascinating for anyone interested in the future of work. It measures the level of automation that workers want from AI, versus the human agency they want to preserve.” on.ft.com/46GO8LR

Perfect evening light

“Niall and Roy turn to mental health and conduct the first interview with Claire Murdoch,  NHS England’s outgoing mental health director since she dramatically resigned earlier this month after nearly ten years on the job.” podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/f...

A spectacular second flush of roses…. Framed autumn colours…

Psychedelics Blew His Mind. He Wants Other Philosophers to Open Theirs. “Why assume that our minds, in their sober “default state,” are naturally designed to grasp reality as it really is? Smith-Ruiu asks.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/21/b...

A birthday treat earlier this week….

Quartet…

Harassment, groping and abuse in the operating theatre - the sexual predator surgeons getting away with a slap on the wrist. My piece for @theobserveruk.bsky.social with thanks to the brave women who spoke to me observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

“The choice now is clear. If Ministers want to direct universities more than their predecessors, then they need to fund them accordingly.” www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/09/20/w...