If you haven't read @markurban.bsky.social's insider takes on the BBC 'crisis' (scare quotes since there is one every five years or so- see the experience of almost every previous DG), they are very worth it and an interesting contrast with @lewisgoodall.com markurban.substack.com/p/the-bbc-is...

Hadn't realsied that ex FT, BreakingViews and Reuters journalist Hugo Dixon is the guy behind the plan to channel Russia’s $300 billion frozen sovereign assets to Ukraine via a reparations loan. Dixon devised he plan in March 2024 with Lee Buchheit and Daleep Singh.

Why not? Your word list is gallingly deficient New York Times.

Don’t believe this nonsense either. What is the Times playing at.

Bill Nighy for DG BBC. observer.co.uk/culture/inte...

The “I’m just going because the time is right with the Royal Charter coming up” line doesn’t quite work with Deborah Turness going at the same time.

The Traitors Circle by @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social is really terrific. Buy now.

Much of Kyiv had just three hours of electricity today despite temperatures of 5-7 degrees after last nights attacks of electricity infrastructure. Support United 24 to fight back here u24app.gov.ua/main?utm_sou...

More to the point, the issue here isn’t the voting system but the growing credence given to a simplistic far right narrative. Yes they lost this time but came very close. Centrists and the centre left need a very clear and relentless narrative based on delivering fairness and opportunity.

Gotta love Private Eye. Always cuts through the crap.

Much enjoying Ken Follet reminiscing about being a local newspaper reporter in Cardiff (BBC Radio 4)

Won’t bang on about this indefinitely but let’s have a quick look at inner London deprivation in this fab tool. Here’s Church St, Westminster (just outside) 5% most deprived in the country. Westbourne/Queen’s Park not far behind. Then there’s Silchester in K+C, White City, Somers Town, Vauxhall..

Ha ha ha 🤣

Some Tories now backing Rachel Reeves.

Wondering what bad thing I could do to be exiled all expenses paid to Sandringham….

Kyiv. Dnipro River. Fishermen. I stood there and lived that peaceful moment.

Evening video from Kyiv, filmed today. Just a reminder that this city lives and honours those who protect it – the flags you see at the beginning.

Even without electricity after the Russian attacks, #Kyiv gymnasts are still training. Unbreakable children. 📹 anna_rizatdinova/Instagram

"To say 'Zelenskyy is no friend of the working class' is an insulting, facile distraction from the fact that Sultana refuses to support the Ukrainian people’s fight for existence." Proper cold fury and moral clarity from @paulmason.bsky.social on Sultana. open.substack.com/pub/htsf/p/c...

William Hill earnings “ahead of expectations”. So looks like you’ll survive a gambling tax after all then?

Interesting tradition. Ukrainians’ national day of dictation. www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/202... Wonder if we could get it to take off elsewhere and what would you choose as the set work to dictate?

Looking for a snap with an #inside theme for today's #BlueSkyArtShow I thought of this shot from 2018 of #Eltham Palace - a marvellous mix of art deco and medieval in SE London. #photography #architecture #architecturephotography #artdeco #interior #elthampalace

This should absolutely happen everywhere. And why don’t we offer first time voters a badge and have someone on hand to shake their hands and make a big deal of it? Ready to mark them in bold on the register. Give them a special souvenir pencil?

Paul McCartney: Lovely extracts from his new book on Wings and life after the Beatles. Brilliant Dustin Hoffman vignette www.thetimes.com/article/343e...

Hooray! Something works. Now gambling needs to be controlled as tightly.

Useful story on the Reform + Conservative plans - How many nurses have ILR? How many earn < £38.7k or meet ANY of the other conditions? - How many nurses are they removing who arrived 2021-25? (There were 25,497 in the 12 months to March 2023, for example)

Russia murdered more children last night

NEW Economist/YouGov Oct 17-20: Ukraine aid 35% of Americans want to increase U.S. military aid to Ukraine, a record high since our polls began asking in Sep 2022 21% want to decrease or stop U.S. military aid to Ukraine, the lowest share in three years today.yougov.com/politics/art...

Just received an NHS appointment letter for my daughter via the NHS “mydrdoctor.co.uk” service. (Link sent by text message) Says “if you need to reschedule or change this appointment please contact us on the email shown above “. There is, however, no email address above or anywhere in the letter…🤦🏻‍♀️

Very much an opportunity to call their bluff and not be blackmailed.

What do you mean productivity has fallen off a cliff since WFH? #blueskycats

Magnificent

I don’t understand why this reads like a criticism. It’s good that ministers with sectoral responsibilities meet and listen to and share ideas with industry leaders from that sector. It’s their job. It would be mad if they didn’t.

Terrific initiative

Last chance for your free CPR training in Kensal Rise Library - drop in now if you’re in the area. Might be the most important lesson you ever learn. Anyone can do it and you never know when you’ll have a chance to save a life. www.kensaltri.com/cpr-training...

He didn’t write this did he?

This deserves more attention than it has received. Gove: "we were too anxious as a government to secure those deals in order to show that Brexit was working". Exactly as so many of us warned at the time, and as the government denied at the time. www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/country-and-...

@BBCWorldatOne desperate (as usual) to get Ehud Barak (or anyone) to condemn involvement of Tony Blair. Poor research. He thinks he’s the perfect candidate.

So BBC News at 10 on the day of the leader’s speech to the Conservative Party Conference is held over 15 mins for the launch of a new season of a celebrity reality games show? Tells you all you need to know really? (And they kind of deserve it. Guess if Sir Robbie thinks it’s ok…)

@leaypi.bsky.social greatly enjoying Free after buying it in Kardamyli. Thank you.

Party donor Nick Candy says "I cherish the values we grew up with here in the West. But today you are more likely to find the values we grew up with in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.’ Via Sam Leith in the Spectator www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-...

If you live in Queen’s Park or Kilburn in Brent a diary day for you. Our free community skips are back. Saturday 26 October (Sorry no paint, oil, pianos or fridges or builders waste.) @brentlabour.bsky.social

If you live in Queen’s Park or Kilburn in Brent a diary day for you. Our free community skips are back. Saturday 26 October (Sorry no paint, oil, pianos or fridges or builders waste.) @brentlabour.bsky.social

One ironic thing here is that I know of several cases where asylum seekers were punished for volunteering because that was too close to "work" and the Home Office wasn't having it.

I never say this sort of thing but I'm saying it now: can you imagine what the coverage in the UK would be like if this had been a Labour politician?

Yes!

That’s what terror laws are for

Dead of Winter with Emma Thompson. Really brilliant. Tho I wouldn’t go driving in the snow in Minnesota any time soon.

If this new card proves ‘right to work’ that’s a big benefit/saving/simplification for employers