A prime minister with an enormous majority needs to use it or lose it.

It would be so refreshing for the UK government to stop talking about a reset with the EU and ACTUALLY DO IT …. “PM says Iran war means UK needs 'closer co-operation' with EU - Sky News”

"... women experienced a significant drop in research output (mothers had 31% fewer publications than did fathers eight years after the birth of their first child)." How are the stats for mothers of 2-3-4 children? As an academic mom of 4, I am not surprised at all. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Worth a listen:

🗓️ START YOUR WEEK 🗓️ Is Trump trying to find a way to invade Iran while claiming he didn’t? Plus: 50 years of Apple, the “cozzy livs” worsens… and who is Spurs’ manager this week? 🤔 @gavinesler.bsky.social & @nndroid.bsky.social on the week ahead…  📳 Listen everywhere – linktr.ee/bunker_pod

“Hannah White, chief executive of the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk, wrote: “If casting a vote starts to feel more like participating in a lottery than making a positive and principled decision, then voters are going to become ever more frustrated. This is dangerous.”” @drhannahwhite.bsky.social

The tragic irony of the last few years is that, had the USG given Ukraine only a fraction of the weapons that they have expended against Iran in a few weeks (Patriots, Tomahawks, etc), Ukraine would have won, oil prices would not be skyrocketing and the US would be more secure.

Well that’s interesting - looks like it could be an interesting week ahead

Now get out and vote in the midterms like your life depends on it, because it does. #NoKings

Aretha Franklin "A Change Is Gonna Come" Composer-Sam Cooke youtu.be/amVCS5ttGcE?... #Music #Jazz #JazzSky #MusicSky #NoKingsDay

Farage and Reform wasted police time? A Greater Manchester Police investigation found no evidence of any intent to influence or stop any person from voting at the Gorton and Denton by-election.

There is something deeply sad about someone who starts a sentence with the word ”frankly” and then goes on to whinge like a ten year old that life’s unfair … whitewash … sick to death … usual suspects. Has WhingeUK’s leader run out of steam dredging up the most tired of political cliches?

Brent up about $1.50 this morning and at almost at $110 again. About 12 hours after the latest Truth Social signalled deescalation. The half life of these posts is falling.

The Gulf states did not ask for this war but they have been drawn into it and suffered accordingly - what’s been the impact on these ancient trading places now home to millions of expatriates from all over the world? @thisisnotadrillpod.bsky.social with Allison Minor from the Atlantic Council

Just another reason for the UK to get closer to the EU ….

Well my take on ties is that they are a waste of time generally although I think they were invented as a kind of napkin so perhaps they are useful if you spill the soup …. Donald Trump likes his ties though they seem to be very very long ….

Excellent piece from Fraser Nelson - definitely worth a read - frasernelson.substack.com/p/how-jews-a...

True ….

housing is more expensive now, but also a lot safer. this kind of home was considered cream of the crop in the 1980s

Yes.

Thank you @nosregis.bsky.social

Sorry but those of us who think most chocolate is plasticised bleccch are an oppressed minority who need to be heard …. @tuftymctavish.com

Worth a listen - excellent insights from Dr Sanam Vakil on the possible end of the war with Iran - eventually…

Insightful talk by @gavinesler.bsky.social tonight @royalsoced.bsky.social on the quality of the huge amount of information that surrounds us and what - and who - we can and cannot trust. “Who factchecks the factcheckers?”

Last night @gavinesler.bsky.social gave @royalsoced.bsky.social McCormick Lecture bringing light and a lightness of touch to this age of dislocated trust and Un-Enlightenment. A cathartic presentation of ‘alternative facts’ & ‘flooded zones’ by someone who has put in years of hard service to truth

Thank you Alison. And thanks to @royalsoced.bsky.social for the invitation and opportunity to speak

Thank you @iaganmacneil.bsky.social - that was a great evening in Edinburgh with the @royalsoced.bsky.social audience

How fact checking works:

For those of us in need of a bit of good news for a change - here it is: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Here's an illustration of how hard it is to correct mistakes once published. Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers wrote in his memoir that Andy Gill, producing the Chili's first album, wrote "shit" in his notes about a track. That story is repeated today in Mojo. But I have Andy's notebook 🧵

Yes. And the bigger question is: why? @timothysnyder.bsky.social

Worth a read:

Sad but true:

You couldn’t make it up:

Definitely worth a read from Andrew O’Hagan in the LRB www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Dark money isn’t just a party political problem Main voice in this is ‘a forum for concerned members’ - actually Restore Trust is a Tufton street operation that refuses to declare its funders Incredible how much of our politics has been warped like this www.thetimes.com/uk/environme...

Pretty staggering that the FT Trump interview opens with ‘if NATO doesn’t help us sort this mess, there’ll be problems’ and ends with ‘Russia might be helping target American soldiers, but really that’s sort of fair enough - we started it’. www.ft.com/content/1ca6...

🎨 Bill Bramhall Editorial Cartoonist, New York Daily News

Auden (and thank you @petersbeaumont1.bsky.social ) capture the mood

We need your drone interceptors for our war, but we won’t thank you and our propaganda will claim that we made them.

43 million accounts!

UK government releases list of 76 EU laws that it says UK will align with under food standards treaty with EU www.gov.uk/government/n...

Don't know but just throwing factoids in the air: Iran aupported Armenia during the past Arm-Az conflicts. Azerbaijan wants a corridor through Armenia to Nakhchivan along the Iran border. Iran sees Az as Turkish influence.

Maybe becoase they want to stop 1 out of 2 lasting open air corridors between asia and Europe that don't go over russia?

Wow -

Azerbaijan?!? Anyone know why?

This is one of the reasons 40% of British people who could vote do not vote. Not voting is often called “apathy.” When I have talked to non-voters they are NOT apathetic. They are pissed off!

Thank you @catsmithmp.bsky.social for recognising that the British voting system is unfit for purpose

Just more evidence that the UKs “first past the post” voting system does not reflect the diversity of our politics. Time for a change

Thank you.