Meanwhile, if anyone thinks there are are many Reform voters who think "I have zero trust in Labour on immigration, the small boats are still arriving, but *this* latest gesture at hardline policy is the one that will make me look again" I have a bridge to sell you. So who is this policy for?

Fungi and mold earlier today... (Greenlee and Stonefolds, Northumberland National Park)

Published today: 'Atlantic Isles: Travel and Identity in the British and Irish West, 1880–1940', by Gareth Roddy bit.ly/4nwj9Y2 Gareth's book is the latest title in the Society's New Historical Perspectives series @uolpress.bsky.social. Available Open Access and in paperback print #Skystorians 1/2

Congratulations to new Dr Nick Pepper (@thenickpepper.bsky.social) who successfully defended his PhD thesis, "Preserving Thirlwall Castle: Policy, Practice, and the History of Northumberland National Park, 1956-2002" on Friday!

This is what happens when you rely on Matthew Goodwin and other bad faith Twitter actors for your information

Allendale today... glorious afternoon

When everyone has gone home, and I've turned out the lights, after the last gig on a Saturday night... what a day @allenvalleysfolk.bsky.social

Our Allen Valleys Folk Festival decorations team have done us proud with their Land of Lead and Silver themed stage and auditorium dressing... brilliant.

Gulls and graffiti

Go @marina-purkiss.bsky.social! Excellent challenging of the Ferrari obsession with Angela Rayner. He doesn't like it up him!

Three thoughts. 1 - Should be "claimed" not "says" 2 - BBC online puts anything remotely tendentious in inverted commas. So should be "political prisoner" in inverted commas. 3 - The prisons are full of nasty, deluded criminals with bullshit reasons why the court was wrong. Treat her like them.

Sentencing policy has been in the crosshairs of the RW press for decades. It has been the political lever of choice for successive home secs. Consequently we have more punitive sentences than ever before. But it was always meant for other people, we weren't supposed to lock up people like us...

Looking forward to Farage condemning the length of sentences handed down to Just Stop Oil protesters. Surely... surely... he's only interested in the protection of freedom of expression. I can't believe for one second he has other motivations.

fundamentally the problem is that if you think "hotels are where I stay on holiday and I like being on holiday so living in a hotel must be fun and it's not fair others get to do it and not me" then you have the intellectual reasoning of a little child and it's going to be hard to engage with you

Come to this gig in Allendale! Tickets from Gigantic. There will be very few opportunities to see Frankie at this price again.

A walk around Dipton Mill

The wistful pigeon of Conwy Castle.

The plaster(ed) animals of Plas Mawr.

Northumbrian North Pennines... quite a storm.

This is the sort of thing that will most likely have impacts that cannot be reversed.

It was a real pleasure to have Rob in Allendale... fabulous feedback from the audience. Thanks for coming @scribblerrob.bsky.social

Hurry scurry to the people's republic of Northumbria this Saturday to hear me talk about meta-fictional Syd and Nick.

@scribblerrob.bsky.social I've found a tenuous Allendale connection for Unsung. Robert Medley, head of Camberwell School of Art, erstwhile lover of WH Auden. Auden was mildly obsessed with the Allen Valleys and its lead mining legacy, writing several poems about it including one called Allendale.

FWIW, my general assumption is that most of the public has fairly weakly held views on trade policy and fairly strongly held views on cost of living

Well that was exciting! Our festival sold out in 5 hours which has left me slightly speechless. There will still be plenty of free entertainment over the weekend, and there will be tickets on the door for our Saturday night standing gig and our family ceilidh.

7pm tonight! We sold well over half of our weekend passes in 90 mins at a box office event in Allendale yesterday. The rest go on sale tonight via Gigantic. We are expecting to sell out - don't hang about! www.gigantic.com/allen-valley...

Weekend passes go on sale this weekend! Box office at St Cuthberts Village Hall this morning between 10 and 12. Online via Gigantic from tomorrow (Sunday 23 March).

@dorianlynskey.bsky.social & @iandunt.bsky.social on Kemi Badenoch's understanding of socialism (Origin Story): reminded of Northumbrian Water's late 70s apocalyptic vision of a world where Kielder Reservoir was not imagined. The housewife fetching a bucket while the men problem-solve in the pub...

@lewisgoodall.com What a remarkable interview with Sergey Markov. Through the looking glass. That level of delusion doesn't bode well does it?

First artist announcement for Allen Valleys Folk Festival music line-up this year!. We are opening a box office in Allendale on 22 March for weekend passes only. After that they'll go on sale online (Gigantic) and we will make a decision about individual session tickets.

Come and see @scribblerrob.bsky.social talk about this on April 12 in Allendale, Northumberland! www.gigantic.com/unsung-unsai...

Re-reading @scribblerrob.bsky.social Unsung:Unsaid. The 2nd section 'Like Father Like Mum' is such brilliant scene-setting, Rob. I think my interests collide here in many ways - the evocation of place and how it is formed and forms is beautifully rendered.

I think Zelensky is a better strategist than Trump. I imagine he will sign over rights to the rare earth minerals in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory. Or am I missing something?

Not to be missed if you can get there

Come to Allendale and hear @scribblerrob.bsky.social talk about Syd Barrett and Nick Drake... 12 April... Pass it on... www.gigantic.com/unsung-unsai...

So pleased that the fabulous @ottoenglish.bsky.social will be joining @rosieisaholt.bsky.social to present the Bad Press Awards. Exclusively at Byline Festival at Keele University 11-13 July Nearly half early bird tickets sold Save up to £50 www.bylinefestival.com

This album promises to be superb. Saul and his family are great friends of our folk festival... let's see if we can help this album on its way.

@leafyhistory.bsky.social saw your book on your profile and bought it... looks fascinating and something I'm very interested in my landscape recovery role.

@bobmort.bsky.social Dukeswood House outdoor activity centre (for Gifted Children), Hexham, has just gone into administration. Feels like something you should know.

Can't help but think that there's a fantastic film struggling to emerge from Civil War. The mentor / student relationship between war photographers Jessie and Lee for a start. But as it is, I don't think it really knows what it's for. It can't even be accused of sprawling at 109 minutes.

Bring back the wetlands to reduce fire severity. Fire smart landscapes must include wetlands. Protect, restore, reclaim wet soils.

@catchment-steward.bsky.social At Work in the Ruins: Finding Our Place in the Time of Science, Climate Change, Pandemics and All the Other Emergencies g.co/kgs/oD6Z1uG

And still it comes... I'm not sure I'll get out of my road tomorrow.

This is one of those stories where you think surely this is a nuanced take & Ofwat is more than a paper tiger 😜. But no. All true & I'm also listening to the report on the radio. Thames Water and Welsh Water fined £1 each for billing errors & lying about sewage discharge. This is a failing system.

Amazing Christmas t-shirt present... folklore fans, if you know you know!

@joemorrismp.bsky.social Happy Christmas... well done for getting through a challenging rollercoaster of a year. All the best for 2025!

Yup, that should sort the chronic dysfunction within the Church of England out. A 'difficult year' for whom exactly? www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

Dad has an old episode of Last of the Summer Wine on. Maybe you have to be the wrong side of 50 to understand how unremittingly bleak this show was when at the peak of its powers. Last time I saw it it was just a 'gentle comedy' (ie not hilarious), now it's like staring into the abyss.