Nature: Winter is a time of slowing down, resting, conserving energy and recovering for the year ahead Capitalism: NOW IS THE TIME TO SELL SELL SELL, EXTENDED OPENING HOURS, CHECK OUT OUR SALES, BUY EVERYTHING WE SAY YOU NEED FOR AN ELABORATE LABOUR-INTENSIVE FESTIVAL, WORK YOURSELF TO THE BONE

One of the things I'm always struck by whenever I investigate the topic of wellness or alternative medicine is how much the promise of empowerment and autonomy is used as a cover for absolving the practitioner of responsibility when it all goes wrong. And this is highlighted so explicitly here.

Is it time yet?

Most of the public know what’s going on with flags on lamp posts. Crucially for the government, 78% of its 2024 voters think anti-minority sentiment is involved in flying England flags (versus just 15% who think it’s just a national pride thing). They are getting the politics of this all wrong.

NEW: Nathan Gill, Reform’s former leader in Wales, sentenced to 10.5 years in prison over pro-Russia bribes.

Brexit has caused almost twice as much damage to the UK economy than estimated by official forecasts, according to new paper from a group of experts including a senior Bank of England economist

I believe they prefer to be called Americans

Just realised this is referring to a church in North Carolina and not the Welsh singer

This does feel like a major crossing of the Rubicon – the world's best-funded and in many ways most powerful public health agency is now actively pushing disinformation. I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.

BREAKING: The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of a Belfast-based non-religious father and his child that the exclusively Christian teaching of Religious Education and mandatory Christian collective worship in Northern Ireland are discriminatory under human rights law.

Good morning, Asia. While you were sleeping, this was our most-read story: on.ft.com/3JH3g3p

I'm forever reminded that I'm not truly British because I constantly forget to forget about Northern Ireland

Maybe you'd like 30 seconds of Leon purring? Maybe you would.

This should be taught in Media courses about how to rig a poll to imply exaggerated unfinished ignorance to get headlines. Worked well, but the poll results are a bit silly.

It's an effort to reduce the number of boys going to the yard.

Poulnabrone • The Burren Situated in the heart of the Burren, Poulnabrone is one of Ireland's earliest dated megalithic tombs. During excavations, the co-mingled remains of at least 36 individuals were recovered from the tomb chamber, largely dating from c.3800–3200 BC. #Ireland #SpéirGhorm

"Your phone's been stolen, eh? Well, I've just got a nice cup of tea here, so here's a crime number, please claim on the insurance...yes, I know, you can track it to a house nearby, but there's literally nothing we can do...." www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

🎵 …couldn’t bescape if I bonted to 🎶

Prime example of why the contract between the public and the police is breaking down, regardless of long term crime trends. Thames Valley Police don’t even think it’s their job to investigate this. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

"The populist thrives in an environment where people act on their intuitions; so does the scammer. This doesn’t mean every populist is a con artist, but it does mean that they are likely to package their message in a similar way" on.ft.com/49j3ND2 By @timharford.ft.com Vindicates a 2015 tweet! 1/

[movie studio] ME: BUT HOW DOES THE INVISIBLE MAN KNOW WHEN TO STOP WIPING? TOUR GUIDE: *into walkie talkie* code orange, he’s back.

I can draw this cartoon for you, using as few lines as possible. www.worldofmoose.com/products/min...

I think banning it would be bad, because: 1. It would backfire domestically 2. It would backfire HUGELY internationally 3. Democratic governments shouldn’t ban social platforms. BUT: they really, *really* should stop using it.

"Change will only come if both the BBC board and the politicians that ultimately appoint that board realise that the corporation’s problems in News are fundamentally about money and competence" - think that's bang on from @stephenkb.bsky.social

It's very bizarre that the UK is one of the few democracies which to my knowledge still imposes religious tests on office holders. Catholic & Jewish Prime Ministers still aren't allowed to formally advise the Monarch around appointments for the Church. I asked the cabinet office about this 👇

Another huge victory for mad shrieking about irrelevant rubbish

The Romans called the town Ivybridge because the name Forth Bridge was already taken.

I think we can all agree that you can publish a game-changing bit of science (especially if you have more than a bit of help with the tricky crystal structures) but also be a massive fucking prick. We contain multitudes, yeah?

Guardian app continues to add some spice to the news.... Quite the post-politics career for Nicola.

[Uilleann Pipes Blaring]

Wow, Stanley Donwood and Thom Yorke at the Ashmolean in Oxford is amazing! To see the paintings and other art works that are the album covers, I am blown away. Esp. Kid A, Moon Shaped Pool, The King of Limbs and The Smile. Also: take the audio guide. It is so worth it

My latest: Move over bat tunnel, here’s the wild story of how HS2 were forced to build a multi-million pound bridge for a road that… doesn’t actually exist.

The Guardian giving more and more time for what is essentially new age quackery is a bad trend for the broad left in this country.

What on earth is happening in the world of Big Toothpaste? SIX POUNDS NINETY? WHAT?

NEW from me: Political hostility, high visa fees and (in the case of the UK) stagnant incomes are making the UK and US less attractive destinations for top international talent. That steep decline in the appeal of moving to the US after 2016 is 👀

So, er, I have the main story on the front page of the @thenewworldmag.bsky.social. Not bad for a random guy with a blog that got out of hand.

Suzanne Vega was pretty awesome last night in Bristol.

Weird isn't it how a several centuries old Scottish and Irish tradition just had zero cultural impact on England until the second part of the 20th century.

A reminder that the original Hallowe'en jack o' lanterns date back to 18th century Ireland if not earlier, were based on a shady boozy blacksmith called Stingy Jack who cheated the devil & was trapped between 2 worlds, were carved from turnips and looked like this:

I'm middle class to the bone, and the fact is that during the life course middle class people will from time to time have to cut their cloth, and I'm afraid this is one of those times. It didn't have to be this way - or not to this degree - but George Osborne happened

Inevitable, really.

I always carry a barge pole with me, just in case I want to not touch something I don't like with it.

My 9 year old fell for this one too. He was pleased to know AI was on his level.

OH HAI, BEN 🦡 😍

Greens never seem to want to engage with reality, which makes The Boob Mind Control Stuff very on-brand.

£200 a chair is too cheap for a decent office chair. And in any case, there'd still be a £30b hole in the finances. He may as well have a compliant VDU workstation while holding his head in his hands.