I've been thinking about this a lot - perhaps the only way to preserve any freedom of thought is a strategic retreat from English.

I've been thinking about how Britain's legacy in Ireland is a civic tradition of state cruelty and Jim O'Callaghan is that tradition writ large. #speirgorm

As soon as a UK government of any party appoints a brown female politician as a Home Secretary my heart sinks because I know the only way she has reached that position is a willingness to cheerlead the most racist , cruel inhumane policies that no senior white male MP would dare to announce.

This thing can make noises you mightn't expect if you play it this way. Anything with a Holy Modal Rounders connection, however slight. Belly dance cheese Arch Southern New Jack Swing.

To be Denmark or not to be Denmark

"The future may belong to the Irish and Welsh. To Euskal Herria, to Malta and to Iceland. Simply because these are the languages which haven’t generated enough machine-readable text to train a language model on" backofmind.substack.com/p/one-small-...

I want asylum seekers treated like human beings, not criminals. Britain was a naked colonial aggressor for centuries and many of the people who flee to this country are fleeing the consequences of that genocidal empire. Nothing to do with her gender or her religion. These proposals are monstrous.

Odds on Starmer being PM and any of the current holders of the big three ministries being in post this time next year?

Doesn't make it any less objectionable. Lots to admire in Scandinavia, attitudes to immigrants not on that list.

Labour have nailed their colours firmly with this - they are now, on immigration at least, a far-right party. Any Labour MPs who find this unacceptable need to cross the floor.

Dublin Zoo has named one of its critically endangered parrots ‘Troy’ in honour of Ireland’s hat trick hero. 'While some might say we’re Hungary for attention, we just want to honour Ireland’s hat-trick hero - a Dublin native born and bred - in a way that only Dublin Zoo can..' jrnl.ie/6877469

There is also history in Canada of English speakers discriminating against white people speaking another Eurpoean language.

Prophecy.

If I could only watch one YouTube clip for the rest of my life...

Watching the excellent Gwenifer Raymond the other night, I was reminded of this, a random purchase in Prague many years ago. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJLx...

I deeply disapprove of the whole 'assist' thing that has entered football speak, but... if there's such a thing as a secondary assist, then Kelleher deserves recognition; it wasn't just hit and hope.

Je mange, je pense Old cons last shot. The Rio Bravo plot The comedy of remarriage Ordinary people fight fascists

I'd say Troy was better at PE than the pair of youse

Parrott was an OCS boy I've just been told by @hollyfur.bsky.social @ronanhession.bsky.social

We're so back #coybig

Reeves and Mortified

Oddest venue ever. Beats that opticians in Dawson St that Skinny Wolves used to use: Gwenifer Raymond in Natural Endings funeral home in Todmorden

A maximum wage, indexed at 5 times the minimum wage. So if CEOs want to earn more, they have to raise the minimum as well.

(UK based) Abolish the monarchy and all its trimmings, along with the House of Lords and disestablish the CoE. Break up the UK into constituent republics, with large scale devolution to regions, and start working towards a united Ireland.

From the first chord....

Ah the 1970s. Stagflation, three day weeks, collapsing infrastructure. Civil War in Northern Ireland. In yer face racism and bigotry everywhere. Bin strikes. Strikes in general. Blackouts. Industrial decline. Wage inequality. Dog crap everywhere. And households spent 25% of their income on food.

It's slightly misleading if this is presented as only Brits applying for passports: I'll be renewing my passport soon (*sets reminder*) from here in Britain, so presumably will be counted in this figure next year.

'University of Buckingham' eh? now why would they think this?

This is rather lovely sawyereditions.bandcamp.com/album/this-i...

It puzzles me in a way how this doesn't offend some of his base; in my experience, English people are much less fond of the US than the Irish.

"In research, AI has begun to revolutionise the literature review process" let me stop you there chief.

Michael D Higgins, with his wife Sabina, has left Áras an Úachtaráin for the final time as president. He was given a guard of honour by members of the Sanctuary Runners, a charity of which he is patron. The President’s term of office ends at midnight. ⁦‪@VirginMediaNews.bsky.social

"Why do you just attack democrats? Why don't you ever go after republicans?" Same reason I think it's necessary to warn people off an inexplicably popular restaurant that keeps giving everyone food poisoning but don't see the need to warn people off of eating directly out of an open sewer.

I'd really like to know where they're getting them fixed.

And as for 'British' immigrants in Ireland integrating....

'Contentious issues'.

Watching the receptionist at my doctors' surgery deal very patiently with a man chasing up a referral that seems to have gone astray, he with poor English, but beautiful manners and, the final touch, a bunch of flowers to brighten the place up. People can be good.

Long shot, but does anyone know anyone in Leeds/ W. Yorks more generally who could fix an old hifi amp for me? DMs open....

Fantastic record this - bought ages ago, maybe played once. Until now....

Just back from an early showing of The Mastermind where we had the cinema entirely to ourselves. We still sat in our booked seats, turned phones off and didn't talk.

I never realised how much I appresicated the Irish ban on fireworks until I had to deal with the confluence of Halloween and Guy Fawkes here - and they're still fucking at it on 8th November.

My club.

'The Anglo-Saxons have a humorous vision of the enormous ennui that characterises their social life' Henri Lefebvre. (In a somewhat pompous book, it must be said)

Post yourself from a different era. Leftie on he laft.

Upside down tele and ill-advised goatee - Star Heavens Band at the Bull and Gate, Kentish Town, 1986.

Long walk along the Meanwood Valley Trail this morning. Gloriously autumnal and very warm for November

Sheffield should be twinned with Detroit really.

This so translates to a recent Irish election.

I'm not sure I've ever said 'good man, Alan Kelly before ' but there's always a first.