Both of these points are now facts. Government revenue is down 7% on excise receipts since the change and wine businesses are spending a lot more on “managing” the new system, which everyone I talk to describes as a nightmare. Once again none of this needed to happen with zero benefits achieved.

Now here is the link to the actual data. This data show as i forecasted and warned several times that the fundamental changes and increases would damage not only government revenue but would place a further unworkable burden on wine imports forever. www.gov.uk/government/s...

For those that have followed me from Twitter you will recall I put out many threads on the lunacy of the plan by Rishi Sunak to make the excise tax system for Alc be based on the strength rather than volume. This subtle change was devastating for the wine industry with yet more UK Brexit red tape.

Absolutely no contest.

Mit Eifer hab' ich mich der Studien beflissen; Zwar weiß ich viel, doch möcht' ich alles wissen.

Scoop: Trump has started demolishing the White House's East Wing facade to build his ballroom. The president had claimed construction of the $250 million building wouldn’t ‘interfere’ with the existing White House structure. /W @ddiamond.bsky.social wapo.st/4hqBNiU

Exclusive: A group of big banks is struggling to put together a $20 billion loan to Argentina without leaving themselves on the hook to the virtually bankrupt country

Oh my GOD.

This is extremely troubling news for those of us who conduct human subjects research.

I know he admires Harold Wilson, but the figure he most reminds me of is Frank Spencer

NEWS Trump urged Zelenskyy to accept Russia’s terms for ending its war in a volatile meeting on Friday, warning Putin had said he would “destroy” Ukraine if it did not agree. The meeting between the two descended many times into a “shouting match”, with Trump “cursing all the time.”

Pilots and Flight Attendants Sending Free Food to Air Traffic Controllers During Shutdown - Business Insider www.businessinsider.com/atc-air-traf...

heartbroken to learn the pope sympathizes with the poor. how can i continue to believe in god

[Exit King.]

I still have no idea what Number 10 was thinking intervening over policing. If they ‘win’ the standoff, Keir Starmer personally owns any incident that happens around the match. And he’s broken the precedent of interfering in operational matters, and so will be asked to do so relentlessly.

Intent upon my workmen, especially my joyners, who will make my dining room very pretty.

Happy Lenya's birthday to all who observe!

The most interesting vote of the night imho and one that foretells a potential apocalypse in the suburbs of the south-east for the Conservatives. More liberal Tories go LD, more reactionary ones go to Reform.

They're selling regular index cards, but because they call them "analog cards" it's $100.

Binge watching White Lotus Season 3 on the plane. Struck by how odd it is that the camera lovingly lingers on sensual image of every water drop, flower, lizard, candle, and wine glass — but how odd how every one of the many servings of Thai food that are being consumed is being blurred out.

Right now, all over Britain, drunk robins are dismantling the system and making up their own rules.

Ach, Ihr versteht mich nicht!

Confirms what I’ve been telling Strangers On The Internet for years - the idea that Sweden is a super expensive place is a 90s hangover. It isn’t.

The unification of the English kingdoms was, largely, a mistake.

journal that took 16 months to review your manuscript when it wants something from you

After the West failed to stop Israel from bombing all of Syria's armaments and withheld support early on for the new government, Syria is now normalizing relations with Russia in an effort facilitate the handing over of Assad and revive preexisting trade & military agreements.

NEW Trying to make sense of the nonsensical decision to drop the Chinese spying prosecutions How the positions of neither the CPS nor the government stand up to scrutiny By me emptycity.substack.com/p/trying-to-...

Spotted near Russell Square today.

kids teacher just sent this home as part of an assignment he's doing and i want to smash every computer at the school

Just tried to go to a cafe, the doors were open so we went in. They said, Sorry, we don’t open until 10, can you wait outside please? I checked the time, it was 9.59. That level of unwelcoming pettiness is not a place I want to spend any time.

#Römischer #Grabstein in #NewOrleans gefunden. Ein kniffliger Fall für die #Provenienzforschung #Antike #Rom

Things I should have thought about years ago but only just learnt: 1. Legionella is much less of a problem in home boilers but the risk is not 0 2. To be safe, a home boiler's hot water should be set to at least 50°C 3. Turning down the hot water when going away is not as smart as I thought it was

At the other end of the spectrum, when my dad was ~17 he did well in an event for young chemists and the prize was a trip to an asbestos factory.

How Brexit drained the Tories’ talent pool on.ft.com/4qarx21 | opinion

63 years ago tonight Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? exploded on to Broadway. Uta Hagen played Martha and when she left the show she was replaced by, um, Elaine Stritch. Can you imagine? You don’t have to because 11 years later she recorded the whole damn thing. AND HERE IT IS. youtu.be/sx2qZmT4lGc

If anyone needs me I will be in the museum, lying down next to the bog bodies.

Well... that was heartbreaking youtube.com/watch?v=aWXs...

Maple Bacon Pop-Tarts (2016-2016): Smoky, salty, bacon-flavored pastries, filled with a maple-brown sugar-pancake syrup flavored filling, and topped with vanilla icing and bacon bits-style sprinkles

Not fair on ChatGPT which would never use four clichés in the space of two sentences.

On this date, Matthew Shephard died 27 years ago. He was beaten, tortured, and left for dead on fence for being gay. Please keep him and his wonderful mother Judy in your thoughts. And let's all work for a world where such horrific things do not happen to anyone. ❤️🏳️‍🌈

The right-wing campaign group that helped topple Roe v Wade in the US is now working to roll back abortion laws in the UK, with the help of Nigel Farage. Its first step? Trying to create a debate around "free speech" www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/w...

Julius Caesar conquered Gaul in 51 BC and died in 44 BC, therefore all of Asterix's adventures took place over the course of less than seven years, probably much less since Asterix's chieftain was at the battle of Alesia, were it is probable Asterix and Obelix's fathers died. In this essay, I will

Not exactly a damsel in distress scenario, because it's still unseasonally mild and sunny outdoors. But I still moved it into the conservatory, probably most of all to get to enjoy the fragrance from a dozen blooms flowering all at once.

You might have heard of 'dark kitchens' when a row of sheds in a car park churn out food for Deliveroo. They're unpopular and low margin. So the next big thing in London food is 'host kitchens' where local pubs, restaurants and kebab shops cook for big brands. www.londoncentric.media/p/host-kitch...

One of the blissful things about being in Canada was the lack of pharmaceutical ads. It’s amazing how many other products exist in the world- chocolate! Laundry detergent! - that you can hear about if you’re not being told about medullary thyroid cancer

All my comics have happy endings!

'Their resilience is a lesson to us all': The maritime lions hunting seals on the beach - BBC Future share.google/keiQ1rLOLlio...

Private equity wrecked UK high street, says Iceland Foods boss PE model - low wages, cut staff/investment, high debt, profiteering, tax abuse. PE devoured Debenhams, Maplin, Byron Burger, Cath Kidson, Comet, Flybe, Poundworld, Toys R Us. Controls care homes, vets, supermarkets. archive.ph/tJVkV