An extremely detailed and useful guide from my agent Caro Clarke at @portyliterary.bsky.social on author publicity planning before your book comes out. portobelloliterary.substack.com/p/spreading-...

Petition to save the Humanities at the University of Hertfordshire: c.org/9JLppW5tMS

Design legend Margaret Calvert is 90 today. Look at that cake! If you've ever admired a road, rail or metro sign in Britain it's likely she had something to do with it. One of Britain's design heroes - happy birthday to her. Photo by: @oshgallerylondon (IG) Cake by: mybaker.co

Want to stop some vandals? Sign this petition. c.org/qpWLqNByRB

The thing is, he’s already lasted longer than a lettuce. So the joke doesn’t quite work.

“Could you fucking NOT?!”

We should have been telling Trump to go fuck himself. Building homes. Fixing student loans. Fixing Brexit. Connecting migration with growth and changing the toxic narrative. Explaining slowly and carefully to flag shaggers why they should be at home reading a book. They bought this on themselves

You wouldn't think it needed to be said, and yet every year there are articles about how British people are doing a "staycation" in the Cotswolds or whatever

Nirvanarama

Well, to begin with today, it’s the ninth anniversary of this highly enjoyable sentence appearing in the Times 🧵 www.thetimes.co.uk/article/shau...

DECLARE A WAR OF INDEPENDENCE TO FREE US FROM THE TYRANNY OF AMERICA

This letter is really something, my god.

TBH the last ten years could have been an email.

Wes Streeting though. Can we all agree that if he is, by dint of this cursed universe, elevated to the premiership then we tag team to follow him round with a clown horn and shout, “Booooo! Rubbish!” whenever he speaks? Between us I think we can cover the country.

Slightly increases band: The Prevention

Slightly increase a band The The The

Slightly increase a band Spandau Opera

Bring back proper political journalism at the BBC, like this spectacular example from 1975 youtu.be/Sad7CoNTzjE?...

For me, I had underestimated how I internalised then replicated harmful racism against people of colour in my life. I was so defensive of my need to be seen as good. So defensive that I was willing to lie to myself and others, to make other people out to be the disrupters.

Being useful to bad faith actors is no way to keep safe.

British Jew, marked Not Available For Use By The Reform Party.

Not Streeting, please. If Milliband genuinely doesn’t want to be PM, then he’s the one that should be PM. We’ve had enough of people who want the job.

My favorite mother’s day cartoon from the stupendous @rosemarymosco.com

The biggest and most common argument against UBI is that if you just give people money they won't do any work, but the fact is, people LIKE and WANT to work. They just don't like and want to work for DICKHEADS

do none of these people understand that on the nonjewish right, being against antisemitism just means "we will deport the muslims first, and then.."

About bloody time.

Review of Russell Brand's Christian apologia (or self-excusia) by John Maier: "Writers are often advised to write like they speak. Brand should neither write like he speaks nor, let's face it, speak like he speaks."

Well said! This “disease” that things only have value if they make profit has become embedded at every level in the UK. This has a negative impact on creative industries but poses a genuine threat to disabled, homeless, poor etc people who UK govt view as “unprofitable”. End-stage capitalism.

BBC Projected National Share of the vote for the local elections with the change from last year. Despite the fanfare in the media for Reform this echoes their steady decline in the polls. Reform 26% -4 Green 18% +7 Labour 17% -3 Conservative 17% +2 Lib Dems 16% -1

Can't prove this but maybe the reason for Attenborough's longevity is that whenever Paddington arrives to shepherd his soul on, he fends him off with his powers of nature narration. "The perplexed ursine psychopomp withdraws, his hunt unsuccessful. Perhaps a 1970s bass player will make easier prey."

PREDICTION: There will be a lot of media bullshit today about a Reform UK landslide sweeping the UK. When the dust settled it will be found that RUK and the Greens gained roughly equal votes (from Tories/Labour) in England, and in the Scottish Parliament the SNP and Scottish Greens mopped up.

The pilot had the chicken. Change the pilot.

David Attenborough. That is all.

In the final episode of Scooby Doo, the gang realise they are the ghosts.

My heart goes out to families of disabled children living in councils now run by the incompetent and divisive Reform UK

This is a lot more significant than people think it is.

A little sliver of hope here... But not much. I fear Britain is determined to follow America into the depths of fascism.

Important data point here: “A sharp fall in Labour's performance is accompanied more often by an above average Green performance than it is by a strong Reform performance”. The Greens have already hurt Labour even before any direct gains.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Outstanding by the good people of Inverclyde 👏

Just took 93yr Mum to vote, she's registered blind. In a very loud voice she said, "Which box for boob hypnosis?" A cheer went up from waiting voters

'So you have a pair of roller skates and you'd like to swap them for some fuzzy felt?'

To anyone Jewish in Oxford who would like to vote green but who is worried or undecided. I'm really happy with how the local party has responded to recent events and our vetting procedure. I find it a welcoming and safe space for myself as a Jew and many other members from diverse backgrounds.

I don't think Labour would be in this pickle with the Greens and Reform if their immigration policies weren't so barbarous. They've cast a shadow over everything. They could achieve every election promise btw now and the next general election, but their capitulation to the right will be their legacy

Two colleagues from two separate good universities told me this week about plans to cut hundreds of academic jobs in their institutions. Does the Labour government any vision for universities, except for carrying on with the Tory plan? Are they just going to sit back and watch as things break down?

On Friday afternoon before the Bank Holiday, colleagues in the Humanities department were called to a meeting on Tuesday. They were informed that the University Portfolio Review had decided that English Language, English Literature, Philosophy, History & Creative Writing UG degrees would close

It was wrong when the media did this to Ed Miliband when he was leader and it is wrong to do this to Polanski. Genuinely have no idea how awfulness like this gets past editors… It’s really not that hard to criticise policies or politicians without being antisemitic.

Meanwhile, dim older people in high-income countries are almost solely responsible for dragging the whole agenda of politics to the brink of overt fascism...

someone announced ran for a seat in parliament one day after receiving a £5m donation from a cryptovillain and the establishment does not give a flying fuck, does it? They made us become experts on stamp duty when Rayner tried to save £70k. But a £5,000,000 bung doesn't seem to be a issue

RIP Carol Rumens.

I take Lexapro. I have taken Lexapro for over two decades. The times that I have discontinued taking Lexapro have ended very badly for me. RFKJ is trying to kill millions of Americans like me. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/04/s...