Very annoying when a serious news outlet runs a story celebrating the design of a building without mentioning the architect. Happens the time yet too www.bbc.com/news/article...

Deadline approaching: Call for papers: The City as a Normative Political Space: Institutions, Relations, and Republicanism MANCEPT Workshop philevents.org/event/show/1...

Incredibly gratifying

As Americans take to the streets, a new piece by me on public protest as the last line of defence in the fight for #democracy #HandsOff2025

Americans have a proud tradition of civil disobedience but not much experience of using the streets to defend democracy. That might have to change. One for @fromtga.bsky.social @lseusablog.bsky.social @gideonrachman.bsky.social @anneapplebaum.bsky.social

Yes to this

The rule of law is often described as democracy's last defence. Wrong. It's the public square. Just look at #Turkey Me, for @lseusablog.bsky.social blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/20...

Definitely more thinking to be done here. Obvious alternative would be to beef up powers of Assembly but easier to justify if Mayor gets more powers. Also councils should be careful what you wish for. If MCA’s are your model, gov might say, then let’s radically reduce # of London boroughs

Some English peeps are getting jolly cross

This is very good by @jburnmurdoch.ft.com. Also, the tasks that AI is taking over fastest (defined, complicated, programmable) are often those most easily performed from home, while the tasks that are more messy, complex, interactive may still be better in person/office. www.ft.com/content/471b...

Update from today’s #Turkey protests. Hundreds continue to protest across the country. Protests spreading fast & getting stronger despite harsh police response, including tear/pepper gas in Ankara & Istanbul. Protests not just in large cities but also conservative places like Konya & Trabzon.

Various books and articles i have done have been pilfered which is bad - but I also wish i could lay claim to the articles by some of the other Ben Rogerses - especially the astrophysicist

For female followers: this is bold!

I'm afraid I must inform you we are discussing Canadian membership of the EU again. NEARLY HALF OF CANADIANS SAY THEY WOULD SUPPORT JOINING THE EU.

Fun fact: the cost is of building a tunnel across the Thames is about the same as UK gov has given to help Ukraine.

I guess most grant proposals work out like this

I am not a big Oscars fan but delighted No Other Land won best documentary. And the acceptance speeches were a moment of hope when there is not much of that around youtu.be/6N3CUwe3LPA?...

The official site for donations to Ukraine seems to be down I hope its because of surge in donations and not combined Russian-US cyber attack war.ukraine.ua/donate/

Feels like the US has crossed the Rubicon now this is Europe’s moment www.nytimes.com/video/us/pol...

Ce soir plus que jamais aux côtés des ukrainiens et de Volodymyr Zelensky. Dans ces tempêtes où les vents mauvais soufflent forts, rassemblons nous derrière le président ukrainien. Il s’agit de nos valeurs, il s’agit de notre démocratie, il s’agit de notre liberté. Nous vaincrons. Slava ukraini !

I always struggle a little to explain my students why Marxists are right about freedom in the capitalist state. Jeff Bezos does it so much better.

How strange it is to be alive when the USA jumped the shark.

Just watched this on Prime. It’s really powerful and in many ways universal story of expropriation and exile. It did not win at tonight’s BAFTAs. Hope it triumphs at Oscars.

Got to page 24 of today’s Guardian/observer and still no coverage of trump and US politics. Fog in Atlantic, world superpower cut of etc.

Parking policy: nothing more banal but few things more important to cities. This was a life professionally well lived.

@nytimes.com doing its little bit to normalise ethnic cleansing here.

Things have really moved on since Putnam's Bowling Alone and not in a good way. This makes for very compelling reading.

I appreciated @radio4rne.bsky.social World of Secrets series, exposing an abusive sexual cult disguised as a Yoga programme. But slightly alarmed to hear that one of the interviewees earned a living 'teaching students how to write in academic English'. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

I asked DeepSeek three questions: - How does China treat the Uyghur Muslims? - Is Taiwan part of China? - What happened in Tiananmen Square in the 1980s? Here are DeepSeek's answers:

Am travelling from Dorset. Dystopian scenes in the Axe Valley #climatchange

Bring them on so much better than driverless cars www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

I missed #holocaustmemorial day yesterday but reposting this from what was for me Holocaust Memorial Two Days in Trieste last weekend.

“The non-dom community …”

Sartre: Napoleon was a madman who thought he was Napoleon. Been thinking of that since inauguration

Honoured to attend ceremony in Trieste today to lay #stumblingstones in memory of relatives killed at Auschwitz. My grandmother’s uncle, aunt and 2 cousins, among others.

Much enjoyed this fine appreciation of #hannahArendt by @lyndseystonebri.bsky.social.

Struck by @bobbyduffy.bsky.social on @radio4rne.bsky.social this morning saying that 60% of public think Xmas too commercial - same as 50yrs ago. Encouraging to know non-commercial values not stronger but a depressing that we have not found way, collectively, to something better

On the #DevolutionWhitepaper, good to see that local government will no longer have to seek National government's consent before installing dropped curbs or constructing cattle grids.

The record of the EU in stabilising, integrating and enriching new, poorer members, as outlined here, is deeply impressive. on.ft.com/3BQ2UmR

Ruination: Spell-binding retelling of Medea by #royalballet #lostdog #royaloperahouse. Tickets still available and quite affordable. Recommended.

I would have thought young people write and read a lot more texts than they did 30 years ago

Hearing lots of criticism of plans expected in Today’s devolution White Paper about to abolish District Councils. But we have seen a big expansion of Parish level councils in recent decades. If today’s paper is serious about developing power it needs have a plan for further empowering the parishes

I have written for Port Magazine about the growing appreciation of post war planning and architecture how it might serve as a guide to a new era of public led development. Not sure UK government is quite there yet! Seems it’s too cool to be on-line but in all good newsagents

This is such a great theatre and with such deep roots. Please support - all funds raised are matched.

This is is very fine @drhanwill.bsky.social www.port-magazine.com/architecture...

Can’t believe the amount of time I am going to waste on here