A Valentine’s Day poem

They’re missing a symbol for weather forecasts. London is not currently dry and cloudy as indicated… The city is enveloped in wet cloud all the way down to street level. Clothing becomes damp within minutes, glasses hopelessly fogged

Bad Bunny highlights: a great start to the day youtu.be/ohyeURFUSs0?...

What a year it was… www.radiox.co.uk/features/x-l...

There are takes on Epstein so bad you don't want to read them. And there are takes on Epstein so acute you struggle to read them. @carolecadwalla.bsky.social's is one of the latter open.substack.com/pub/broligar...

People keep telling me that they’ve stopped reading or watching the news. So I wrote this. #poem #instantpoem #live #resist

For Andy, 1.1.1956 - 1.2.2020 #andygill #lovelydead #sixyears

So let me get this right: Trump is angry at Iran killing its citizens and Erdogan is going to to take his message about the importance of human rights to Tehran?

Just home from a funeral, grabbed a pale ale, checked headlines, saw the latest defection news and snorted beer out of my nose laughing

I wish people would stop using the word “unprecedented“ to describe state violence

#ICYMI we’re not done with 2025 yet! We’ve highlighted a book a month - fab books that might have passed you by. They’re half price – this last week only – so do swing by – and if you missed any, fill yer boots! The 2026 You will appreciate it… 😁 renardpress.com/renard-press... (Link in bio)

Resolved to write an instant poem every day of 2026. This was yesterday’s. #Dictators

This morning I had to video myself for a speaking gig facing the camera in full natural light. I happen to be wearing a flesh-coloured sweater. Reviewing the result gave me a flashback to interviewing Dr Life. I meant to embrace life, not become him.

James (un)Cleverly on BBC saying a widget he ordered was delivered with "unnecessary" speed & that we need to be more patient-especially with politicians. Meanwhile ̶E̶v̶i̶l̶ Evri fails to deliver a package *to my flat* on basis that "business is closed". But hey, we should give incompetents more time

Exquisite comic timing and satirical content in this email asking me to join the Tories

Two big problems this week: how to stop fascism and how to get to Brighton and back on Saturday despite chaos and disruption on the trainlines

Whom do you consider more dangerous and why: hate-filled ideologues, power-drunk narcissists or amoral chancers? (And yes, these categories are not mutually exclusive.)

All this bolox about whether Reform or Tories did better yesterday. Reform has already won by remaking the Tories in their own image. And if/when they win power, pledges, policies and processes will be as sacred to them as constitutional rights to ICE

Dreamt I was trapped in a room with a man spouting toxic and ill-informed opinions. Then I woke up and discovered I’d left the radio on all night

Always read before pressing send 🤣🤣🤣🤣

When someone shows you who they are, believe them

BBC impartiality 2026: Telegraph columnist *balanced* by a bloke from Unherd

Not convinced AI generated “experts” feel shame but the news organisations that publish this slop certainly should pressgazette.co.uk/news/named-5...

Instant poem for this grim day. #2026 #killing

That moment you realise you are older than Fiona from the Traitors. Indeed older than all remaining contestants

The level of cognitive dissonance here…

Walking down the street just now, I felt a sense of overwhelming relief: the holiday period is finally over.

Of course my boiler gave up just before Christmas. Of course the repairs are taking place this freezing weekend. I am wearing so many layers of thermals and shivering so much that I am generating enough static electricity to power a small country.

I do like to start the New Year with a good book… Excited and nervous about this, out in June, delving into stories of royal women from Anne Boleyn to Meghan, exploring their depictions as paragons or destroyers, why so often what we think we know is wrong and how these distortions damage all women

At midnight you’ll say “happy new year”. I will say “happy heavenly 70th” to my beloved Andy Gill who did not believe in heaven but managed to create some of it musically and as an extraordinary, hilarious, brilliant human being. #lovelydead

QUICK NEED RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GREAT AUDIOBOOKS FICTION AND NONFICTION. Got lots of print books to read. Specifically looking for TOP audio fiction and nonfiction.

Have you looked at the birthday cards in Scribbler recently? (Literally) wall-to-wall poo jokes and hahaha-you're-old messages.

Yeah. Patric really needs taking down a peg. I shall wield my new bookmark with purpose #christmasgift

Turning the clocks back pt 3845 “Women were more likely to be depicted doing laundry and men more likely to be shown having fun experiences such as holidays” www.thetimes.com/article/df63...

Caught part of a "much-loved" Christmas film last night and woke up with this poem fully if inelegantly formed in my mind. Am dedicating it to anyone who finds this time of year tricky. Also to love and #lovelydead.

And occasionally pigeons do come home to roost

In case there were not enough to worry about already

Suggestion: before you respond to (and boost) posts attacking principles and people you hold dear, have a look at the feeds. Many of these are obviously inauthentic accounts pumping out automated bile. As for the chief troll, he feeds on your anger

“The consultation found that 88% backed licences being required in all cases where data was being used for AI training. Just 3% supported the government’s preferred option, which would allow data mining by AI companies and require rights holders to opt-out.” www.thebookseller.com/news/governm...

Because amid relentlessly terrible news, you might need a laugh. www.ft.com/content/6aad... h/t @hetanshah.bsky.social

Today I've seen claims that the photo of Chomsky and Bannon chez Epstein must be faked and that the shooting at Bondi was a false flag operation. I’ve also seen someone trolled for something they didn’t say and would never have said. A world that believes everything and nothing lets populism win.

On the principle that someone has already taken the photograph that will be used at your funeral, please reply to this post with the photograph you would *like* to be used at your funeral. This is mine

People often ask me for practical tips about writing. Here’s a whole podcast episode devoted to my writing process across books, fiction and nonfiction, and journalism shows.acast.com/writersrouti...

If she had published under a male pseudonym, her work would have been prized rather than patronised. Vale Joanna Trollope www.theguardian.com/books/2025/d...

2025 turns out to be no exception. And yet again my novel TIME/LIFE proves prophetic. Here is an excerpt from the novel about TIME POY and antihero technologist Elo Ó hAllmhuráin. #personoftheyear #ohdear

There is nothing I miss less about working for TIME magazine than having to go on broadcast media to defend the Person of the Year issue

Like Dame Judi, I remember whole chunks of Shakespeare, galaxies of obscure facts, but my diary is an absolute binfire. Just noticed this entry for next week 🤣😭😱. #memory #forgetting #judidench

Big Brother is selling you crypto www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

Guess the next sentence. Yep.“Racism, homophobia and antisemitism were undoubtedly commonplace in British culture in the 1970s and ubiquitous in school playgrounds.” www.thetimes.com/article/816f...