Ladybird Nature Corner. Blackbird. (Who doesn’t love a blackbird?) Artist: John Leigh-Pemberton

Every one of homes was under construction during the Labour administration All Councillor Parsons has done is attend ribbon-cutting ceremonies, pat himself on the back, and cut over 2,000 homes from the council housebuilding programme…

The Rest of History is a bit too "What my housemaster told me about the Seventies" for my taste. But I've just booked to hear Rob Colls (who taught me on my Victorian Studies MA course in an earlier life) talk on George Orwell at Waterstones, Market Harborough.

My god, when Stewart Jackson describes you as 'nasty and unpleasant', you must be horrible indeed.

I don't really get why the prevailing opinion is that poor old Andy Burnham is entitled to use the Manchester mayoralty as a springboard for his personal leadership ambitions.

Why is he still on X?

People have short political memories. I still remember Burnham tacking right in the leadership election of 2015 because he though members had nowhere else to go He is neither radical nor consistent- more like Starmer than different to him.

In Sept 2014 I stood next to Burnham in Manchester. I was waiting for him to speak at a talk on the NHS. He had already exploited Harry Smith, introducing him and basking in the limelight. He was doing absolutely nothing; I had to leave because I didn't want to be late. He waited until he was late.

A weak man, hopelessly over-promoted, whose life is a permanent air-miles freebie and junket

George Jacob Holyoake, the great Owenite socialist, co-operator, secularist and Chartist, died in Brighton #OnThisDay 22 January 1906 aged 88. He is buried in Highgate Cemetery.

At long last Lindsay Hoyle @commonsspeaker.parliament.uk ejects an unruly MP from #PMQs Couldn’t have happened to a nicer Conservative, Richard Holden, known for Constituency hopping and 10 minutes as Chair of the Conservative Party in Sunak short reign.

if there is a Labour MP defector, could it be Liverpool MP Dan Carden, who has gone a bit blue Labour recently? Or that Hinder bloke?

I remember listening to something from a few days before the Jenrick thing where Farage says he will announce a *ex-labour MP* next week. So much of present speculation is pointless, maybe

Remember when the BBC was convinced that if we saw enough of Giles Coren on our screens we would take him to our hearts?

Things are so truly terrible that I now wish for the renaissance of the Conservative Party. Better the bastards than the mad bastards.

Nick Timothy, of antisemitic Soros conspiracy theory infamy, who masterminded Theresa May's throwing away of her majority. Truly the Tories are blessed with talents.

The New Statesman assesses the 'Juke Box Jury' studio audience, 1964:

I’m quite coy about using the word “hate” to describe how I feel about certain public figures. It’s obviously not the most derogatory, but it does imply an opinion of extremes. Jenrick is one of those, with every bone in my body, hate as a politician.

With his horrible views on immigration and a clear desire to normalise right wing talking points, how do we know Jenrick isn't going to defect to Labour?

I hate the title and tone of the Lucy Worsley 'Murder Club' series on BBC2. Brutal murders that actually happened narrated as amusingly salacious 'cosy crime'. Horrible.

Another one of my Georgian era books cheap on Kindle. Go on, I could do with the 14p www.amazon.co.uk/Voices-Georg...

I dont believe for one moment that I'm any more worthy than anyone else on this list. But if you disagree, that's also a view. And youd probably like my book.

Lots of MPs joining this site in the last few days, some new, some adding a blue tick bskycheck.com/stats.php

My first and most successful history book now cheap on kindle www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Days-Ge...

People who consume right wing media aren't looking for the truth. They want a permission structure for indulging their worst instincts, attitudes, and prejudices.

Four members of the Thrush family in the #weedypond for #ThrushThursday

Just now on #r4today I heard the presenter (Emma Barnett?) describe the US's attack on Venezuala as audacious. It's the first time I've heard the BBC speak approvingly of the raid. Audacious means bold and brave, and always carries a positive connotation.

If I really wanted to hear the views of Rupert Murdoch I could buy The Times. When I turn on #r4today I find the show is being presented by two columnists for that newspaper-This programme is now little more than a vehicle to pay huge sums of money to right-wing stooges.

I am suggesting that we call the new bloc of Britain and the the Americas dominated by Trump 'Oceania'.

The title of Norman's new book – Royal Mint, National Debt -– is drawn from an observation of William Cobbett's: "You can tell a lot about a country which refers to the Royal Mint and the National Debt."

I can now enjoy a Mediterranean diet while I watch those wall-to-wall gambling adverts.

Meandering moron. God help us.

Its a pity Trump started his kidnapping and foreign wars on a Saturday morning. We will have to wait until Monday's today programme to find out the positive side courtesy of trumpy Webb.

Bought.

Been watching the BBC coverage for 15 mins and there's no mention yet of the illegality of US intervention under US law [let alone international law]. Can't help think that Trump's lawsuit is causing them to feel unable to report what is happening properly.

Not heard much about Your Party recently. All that internal democracy can be time consuming. And tedious

Drax gets £1bn a year UK govt subsidy. It cuts down trees and pelletises the wood in Mississippi causing dust which damages the health of local people bit.ly/3LlCXAn then ships pellets to Yorkshire to burn and generate ‘green’ electricity. It is being fined and sued in US

This is Richard Smith of the South Durham Hunt and he thinks it’s ok to hit a horse over the head. Make this ‘man’ famous.

My recent move to Harbs now backed by the Guardian www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/...

things were better when the computer lived in its own specific room and you only went in there sometimes

Hunting brings out my inner Dave Spart

I hate hunting; it is cruel to sentient creatures, an encouragement to the worse side of human nature, and a clear example of a ruling class being above normal rules.

Being a new resident of South Leicestershire, you can feel the huntin', shootin' and see the poor farmers and their land rovers. Say what you like about Thanet, but the fields were mostly used for Brussel sprouts rather than murder

Presumably, if trail hunting is banned, the local barbarians will show us lots of pictures of cutish hunting dogs with a threat to euthanise them all, like they did twenty years ago

A small piece of good news. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Strolled to the local post box with some Xmas cards but found it closed with a metal handle requiring an app to open. Is it just me feeling things are not going in the right direction?

Attention seekers are inheriting the earth

The British state is really good at one thing-Making sure that those at the top are never held accountable when disaster happens. From Aberfan to Ibrox and from Hillsborough to Grenfell the sure and certain thing is that those responsible are never punished. #r4today