The far right isn’t rising, it’s being risen. It’s a hard slog of an expensive and coordinated effort by billionaires, the media and tech companies, with their clever use of algorithms and click bait. They have put decades of effort behind this. For what? More money, more power. It’s out of control.

If you want to train AI there are two incredible databases that are owned by the British people: BBC NHS The BBC back catalogue of documentaries, radio shows, dramas, interviews, music recordings, sound fx, graphics, photos, videos etc are top quality copyright owned by us. It is worth billions.

I’m interested to see that LA is proposing an ‘Overpaid CEO Tax’. Particularly as the US is all for capitalism. For the American people to reach a point where they are saying “enough is enough” isn’t it about time we said the same here? They vote on it in November.

There’s some hand wringing and gnashing of teeth round where I live because the Reform council won’t allow the gay flag to be flown. I’m ok with this. Why? Because Reform tell us to our faces we’re not welcome. It’s better than voting for them and then being betrayed.

I know a little bit about the Rachel Nickell murder but to see on the Netflix documentary the writing imply her son may give his account made my blood run cold. I knew he witnessed it as a toddler but hoped his brain had blocked out the details because what happened was horrific.

On TikTok I saw a guy rate his favourite Muppets. He put Grover at #8 and even though I saw it a few days ago I’m still pissed off. Grover is top 3, at least.

A friend needed to catch her train and i misplaced the car key to take her there for 2 hours. Luckily after 5 minutes of waiting, she walked to station and even though she missed her train, she got the next one. Her connecting train was 3 minutes late so she’s fine. I however, need a lie down

Strangely Farage is right about the two tiers of justice. The woman who threw a milkshake over him received a suspended sentence. He incited racial hatred and gets “harsh words” from the PM.

I’m taking my time and savouring the excellent ‘Half Man’ on BBC iplayer. Each episode is a story in itself. How Richard Gadd has written is fantastic, because he makes it both compelling and satisfying. I realise how few tv shows give me satisfaction.

Listened to Davina’s podcast ‘Begin Again’ where she interviews Deborah Frances White. It’s intriguing to hear in real time them both relax into the interview and it takes off as they find their chemistry. I really like Davina’s disarming style. It’s a talent.

I had to fact check this because I thought it was an AI generated story. I grew up between the Severn and the Wye, so they are both hugely important to me. This is righting a wrong, it should never have been polluted. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I’ve finished watching the Kylie documentary. I can’t help but wonder the Edge from U2 watched it and his heart broke a little. If perhaps on long world tours meeting Kylie’s Mum was a highlight for him and she’d forgotten about him. I wonder if his friends now look at him with sympathy.

I saw ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ today as a means of escaping the heat. A friend had seen it and said it lacked a story, but I loved it. But I wasn’t expecting anything more than florals for spring. Sometimes that’s what I want, even if it isn’t groundbreaking.

The press are collectively losing their minds because Zoran Mamdani has taxed the hyper rich and NYC is benefiting. He also inherited a $12 billion debt which he has cleared. He hasn’t cut service, he’s bring in child care and lower travel costs. If it can be done in NYC it can be done anywhere.

I re-oiled our dining table and it stinks so we’ve got the windows open but we’re freezing. This is ridiculous.

I’m trying my hand at gardening. I’ve potted up some plants to see what thrives and what dies on my desert like balcony. I’m worried it’ll be cactus and succulents.

Sometimes I think about ‘Lucan’ the 3 part documentary on BBC iplayer and it still makes me angry. I watched it over a year ago. I can’t let it go.

Oooh! I just looked at Manchester City Council’s website for the local elections results and this cheered me right up: 33 districts 19 Green 6 Reform 6 Labour 1 Labour & Cooprative 1 Lib Dem So big congratulations to @greenparty.org.uk @zackpolanski.bsky.social

Watching ‘9-5’ again on Disney+. This movie has my favourite scene in a movie where people are stoned. The laughter feels genuine.

Oi BBC why is this misleading graphic on your website? With tiny writing casually mentioning this is only a third of the results. You know people will look at that graphic and draw conclusions. There are rules about reporting on elections and I think this breaks them. People trust you.

In France if your carpark is over 80 spaces you have to put up solar panels. Imagine if we did that at the Trafford Centre, all the big Tescos, Sainsbury’s, Asda etc

Was hanging out with family and their kids over the weekend. I could see how the kids struggled to cope with disappointment when parents said “no”. I then realised all the angry people I had ever met had never learned to cope with it. I think we underestimate the power of this emotion.

Saw a TikTok last night of a woman who’d never seen fireflies before. Like other Brits I said I’d never seen one before so a Mandolin player from Alabama adopted me and answered my numerous questions then sent me a video he took of fireflies outside his house. This is the internet I like.

I used to work in animation. The surge of electricity in a cold studio in the morning would often blow the tungsten studio bulbs. Eventually we got faders on every set and we’d fade up the lights over 2 or three seconds. Every time I would imagine the director of the Truman Show saying “Cue the sun”

Finished watching this last night and thought Caroline (the woman it’s about) was incredibly brave and if she were a man she’d be celebrated for her bravery. Personally I think she’s a hero and deserves all the flowers.

Our politicians try and tell us the actions of the Israeli government are all about religion and absolutely nothing to do with capitalism, putting money before people.

Heard the “dud degrees” Stella Braverman mentioned. And how she talked about learning these things “paid for by the taxpayers” but she never mentions getting jobs in sectors “subsidised” (partly paid for by the taxpayer) e.g. Fossil fuel companies Water companies The financial sector Arms dealing

Every so often on the tv I see Brush Strokes buried in with the lesser watched channels and I’ll watch it, because Jacko is so loveable it’s easy to see why he was such a philanderer. Him and Vince in ‘Just Good Friends’ were two of my favourites

A big full moon is so satisfying

Saw that people are campaigning for London’s Liverpool Street Station. In Manchester I remember delighting when they said Victoria station was getting a cover. Now every time I see it I’m disappointed in just how expensive it was and how crap it looks. Like being in a Tupperware box

Listening to ‘The Rest is Entertainment’ podcast and them talking about another podcast about tech and AI, etc. No wonder they think AI is going to take over the creative industries. Maybe they should listen to the grown ups and not the tech bros.

China grazes sheep under its solar panels. My Mum showed me the solar farm near her. These panels could have gone on top of warehouses and factories nearby. Where’s the joined up thinking? Why are we being silly about this? We don’t have infinite land, why are we acting like it?

I’d like to have an orchard in a relatively suburban area, with a wobbly slatted wooden fence and blackberries in front of it. I’d grow delicious apples and shout at the local kids who’d sneak in and steal my fruit, when really I’ve grown it for them.

Well if that’s the case then where’s all the money? Where’s the investment in education and the NHS? Where’s the cash for councils to support families and youth clubs? Where’s the money for saving heritage buildings and getting funding to the arts? Where’s our money gone?

Went to the Kardomah cafe in Swansea and it did not disappoint. It is a palace of wood panels and retro style comfort that is difficult to replicate. The sense of warmth and comfort for this place is difficult to describe and it is totally photogenic

Even the website has a gorgeous image on it that would make a beautiful gift card. Can I buy this as a gift card? No! Why the heck not? I just don’t get it. These are all images from the ‘Essential Collection’ released last summer.

They have this card thanking you for visiting the store, but do they sell it as a gift card? Nope.

I asked for a piece of the tissue paper they wrap stuff up in. Look at it! It’s adorable. Can I buy this illustration as an illustration? No. Is it in a book? No. It’s proper heartbreaking.

Who did these beautiful illustrations they’ll only let me see on coasters, mugs, tote bags and t-shirts? I want them, but as actual pictures, to look at. They’re gorgeous.

Caused trouble in the Paddington shop by asking which book had these illustrations. Someone tried to tell me they were Peggy Fortnum illustrations. I said I could see they were based on Fortnum’s work, but clearly weren’t hers. Nobody could help. I just wanted pictures of the collection.

For me it’s not Sherlock, it’s the song that constantly plays in my head until we got here

It’s lucky I got this picture before hand I was a teary mess afterwards. Paddington was so adorable I couldn’t cope. The woman I met in the queue for the loos during the interval said she’d already cried twice.

Dramatic headline from the Manchester Evening News. I guess my idea of “large numbers” is in the hundred thousands, at a stretch tens of thousands. If I were being generous I’d even say in the thousands but no, it’s not even that “large”.

Aardman missed a trick here. I would have bought multiple of these if they were stickers or A4 posters.

Beautiful Aardman exhibition at the Young V&A. I’m very fond of ‘The Wrong Trousers’ so it did not disappoint

Met up with a student from the course I used to work on. She asked me why I live in a particular small town. She liked my answers. She’s researching why some small towns have small mindedness as their culture and why others don’t.

A couple of weeks ago I watched ‘Small Profits’ and loved it so much we started on ‘The Detectorists’. What a beautiful show. And it was nice to see Rebecca Callard on my screen again. I went to college with her and I’ve worked with her Mum.

Heading down to the Big Smoke for a bumper weekend of culture innit?

Laughing that my friend experienced more g-force on the pirate ship at Gulliver’s World with her 6 year old than the Artemis II astronauts did on re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere even though they were going 35x the speed of sound.

When Alicia Keys’ song Fallin’ came out in 2001 I thought it was a cover because it was so familiar. 25 years on I still cannot shake that feeling. There is something about that tune that sounds like something else I know but I don’t know what. It’ll forever bug me.