Cally community activist David Lear has died The Cally community and Councillors have expressed shock and sadness at the sudden death of the local campaigning journalist, David Lear, on Saturday 15th November. David lived on Centurian Close and collapsed whilst recording events outside HMP…

Oooh, he’s upped the damages. Now could be $5 billion. Five billion dollars!Stupid. He has no reputation. BBC should offer $500 charitable cause donation.

BBC gets it right. Calls Trump's bluff. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The BBC has already said sorry. Should have added “if that programme hurt your feelings”. Thereafter, defend the libel action. Florida defamation bar is set very high (they like free speech). And 1 billion dollars is a laughable damages claim. Failing that offer to settle for $500 to a US charity.

This is an awful reflection how bad things are becoming. After decades of safety and peace, Sikhs now facing racially aggravated violent and sexual attacks.

Ed Davey is right. But his argument might carry more weight if he quit “X” himself. I did so, over a year ago.

A quieter day than most so time for a lunchtime pint and pie in the Crown, Cloudesley Rd

If you haven't yet read @lewisbaston.bsky.social on a north #London council by-election of some significance that took place last week, find five minutes to do it now. Strong signs of one of the various ways in which the capital's political winds are blowing: www.onlondon.co.uk/lewis-baston...

In 2014, 5 out of 6 asylum claims were determined within 6 months. By 2023, only 1 in 6 decisions were made within 6 months. That’s why thousands of asylum seekers are being held in limbo, warehoused in hotels

Wonderful morning at Cally ward partnership talking with residents & hearing from our valued voluntary and community sector. Always love seeing brilliant Nicky Ludgate from Help On Your Doorstep. Cllrs @paulconvery.bsky.social, Una O'Halloran & I had a lovely time. Thanks to all who joined the fun!

Like Owen Jones, Yaxley Lennon is not a journalist. Both are political activists with social media presence. That does not give either of them journalism privileges. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Danny Thompson has died. I first saw him play live with John Martyn in 1973. His playing peppers the best recordings for over half a century. ukjazznews.com/musicians-pa...

Our normally reliable local paper, Islington Tribune, gets some facts wrong. Owen Jones is not a journalist. He is a political campaigner who writes things and does videos. He also fund raises for poltiical candidates opposed to Labour. www.islingtontribune.co.uk/article/me-a...

On their holiest day, Manchester’s Jews face their ‘darkest of moments’. Our story about today’s attack. manchestermill.co.uk/on-their-hol...

Islington Council Leader’s statement on today’s atrocity in Manchester. www.islington.media/news/attack-...

On any day this would be truly horrific. But today is Yom Kippur. This is a hate crime on an utterly shocking scale. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx...

Andy Burnham is making some serious unforced errors here.

Are out-of-work benefit claims at a record high? My new post open.substack.com/pub/inequali... , and also my take on More or Less this morning at www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Wake up North London. Trump's bloody helicopters have arrived. But they aren't providing security, they're just making a point.

Ashburton Grove, N7. Great expectations were not confounded. Arsenal played some of the best attacking football I’ve seen in a while.

... also a deceased person's estate is not a legal person and therefore has no locus to bring any legal action, something else that an attorney should know.

BBC Chris Mason desperately abusing statistics here: rate of resignations running at "one per week". Only if you measure it across the last two weeks. He's right these events are extraordinary but he's overdoing the rhetoric here.

Peter Mandelson is now on his 3rd strike. He cannot continue as UK ambassador. Starmer should fire him right now rather than wait days until he eventually resigns.

Stating the obvious I know but, with 399 Labour MPs, it is not arithmetically possible for 6 potential candidates to be nominated. Four is the maximum, 3 is more likely.

Usually, a political party gets a "conference bounce" in the polls. Seemingly not this one.

Nearly 40,000 fans at todays’s WSL fixture at Ashburton Grove to watch Arsenal comfortably and confidently win 4-1.

“Farage claimed last year to have “bought a house” in his constituency but the property is actually owned in the name of his partner, meaning he legally avoided higher-rate stamp duty on the purchase of an additional home – given he already owns other properties” www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

A devastating blow for Rayner and Starmer. But she's done the right thing, resigning. Speaking of stamp duty on home purchases, Farage did a tax cheat too - bought an additional house then put it in his partner's name. That's another way of wangling the primary residence "problem".

Is this really wise? True, the Lords might be a hindrance to some legislation but trying to pack the 2nd house with the PM's appointees isn't the way to fix it. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Excellent news for Glasgow. BAE Systems at Govan was once Fairfields shipyard. I have a sentimental connection: my dad was an apprenticed as a joiner at Fairfields. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This is my flag.

Almost 25 years after I last had an Economist subscription, this week I paid up for the online and print editions. The magazine arrived this morning. It is a much slimmer product than back then. But that’s seemingly due to the near absence of advertising. No complaints about that.

Ridiculous. Many Nobel laureates are/were not especially well known. They just did diligently good work quietly. Oh and then there's people like Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Albert Schweitzer.

Police have declared a S35 Dispersal Order (Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014) covering part of the Cally. This follows an incident on Saturday night when an Unlicensed Music Event was taking place in Tileyard Road. The S35 order is in place until 07:00 on Tuesday 27th.

Very sad news that Father Jim Kennedy, formerly Priest at Blessed Sacrament Parish, has died. callylabourcouncillors.org.uk/2025/08/21/f...

Father Jim Kennedy has died The Cally will be saddened by the news that Fr Jim Kennedy, a long standing faith leader in our community, died on Saturday 16th August in Paphos on the island of Cyprus. He was Parish Priest at Blessed Sacrament church in the heart of the Cally until 2009. He became…

A nice morning at Ashburton Grove (aka Emirates stadium) to see Arsenal's entire squad in an "open" training session. (Almost) all the stars were up close for a crowd of several thousand. Lots of happy kids especially when the top players came forward for autographs.

ChainsawGate

Earlier this year, I had thought the Government’s missteps would stop as they would come to understand the art and craft of governing and the knack of framing their story better. Not so far.

For accuracy, the numbers are: whole UK pop 67.0 million of which 9.6 million foreign born. So that's 14.3%. The Times says 1 in 8 prisoners are foreign born. That's 12.5%

A statement by Islington Labour Group of councillors.

Another of those regular reminders why I quit Unite 6 years ago after being a TGWU member for over 30 years. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

‘Literature has completely changed my life’: footballer Héctor Bellerín’s reading list

The Cally Festival 2025 was another great day celebrating the Cally This year's Cally Festival was another fantastic day for our community. On Sunday 6th July, over 10,000 people came to celebrate “The Cally” – a distinctive place with a strong sense of community and renewed optimism. Now into its…

Today I bagged 3 season tickets for Arsenal's 2025-6 season. Not for the Premier League though. We will now be attending all the WSL home fixtures. And enjoying the benefits of Club Level!

In 2020, Zarah Sultana voted for a Bill requiring any MP who voluntarily changes Party affiliation in the Commons to be subject to a recall petition which could lead to a by-election. www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php...

The 2025 Cally Festival is Sunday 6th July from noon until 6pm Now into its 15th year, the Cally Festival has become established as the largest community event in Islington. Over 10,000 people are expected to attend and celebrate “The Cally” – a distinctive place with a strong sense of community…

Will Dunn in the New Statesman gets this right. Badenoch is a nasty piece of work.

An emerging North Sea Treaty Organisation?