Curse of Private Equity. Claire’s to close remaining UK stores, 1,000+ job losses. Unsecured creditors to lose £10.6m. Same PE owner to close 100 TG Jones (WH Smith) shops, plans to use insolvency procedure to avoid paying creditors. The same firm gutted The Original Factory Shop and Hobbycraft.

Voters without ID have just one day left to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate to use at the upcoming local elections in England. To vote at a polling station, voters must present an accepted form of photo ID. A Voter Authority Cert. is a free form of ID for those who lack any.

A #Geometridae #Moth in #DevonWildlifeTrust Warleigh Point reserve in coastal woodland with much Oak. Landed on my shoulder (thanks to friend for taking the pics). Is this perhaps Cyclophora punctaria? Thank you to @mothiduk.bsky.social for any comments.

Excellent report on shameful behaviour by England regulator. Well done @wildjustice.bsky.social @kierachapman.bsky.social Defra Board — why? www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Lots of "commentators" are rewarded for spreading lies and convincing you that everything is getting worse and you should be afraid. The good news is it's not: homicides at their lowest level in 50 years and killings involving a knife are at their lowest recorded level www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Our latest research shows that UK songbirds are routinely exposed to toxic pesticides, covered today in @theguardian.com

Well let's see how this strategy of telling "white liberals" to "fuck right off" works out in the local elections

Shameful from @uklabour.bsky.social

Labour promised to restore nature. ❌ Instead, their Planning Bill contains a licence to destroy it. We offered solutions. We’re done waiting. Part 3 of the Bill would gut the laws protecting our most precious habitats & species. Without significant change, it must be scrapped.

Thames Water's creditors want to set a new low for privatised water by asking Ofwat to sign off on a deal which allows them to break the rules. Ofwat are poised to agree. We can't let them. Email your MP now: weownit.org.uk/act-now/the-...

The plans for a windfarm on deep peat in a protected wildlife area on Walshaw Moor are in considerable trouble. Nick MacKinnon paints a picture of low competence in the planning markavery.info/2026/04/17/g... Surely this scheme is doomed? But they just keep ploughing on... #wind #peat #Haworth

Pollinators quietly support many UN Sustainable Development Goals – from Zero Hunger to Climate Action. 🐝 🌍 🧪 Join Prof @jeffollerton.bsky.social to explore how plant–pollinator interactions underpin sustainable development. 📅 26 May 2026 | 12:30–14:00 🎟 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1980275133...

There are few (no?) social issues on which the public has so clear and settled an opinion so no wonder that opponents of choice commission and publicise such outrageously misleading polls. Don’t take my word for it - read the former president of YouGov! ⬇️ kellnerp.substack.com/p/lies-damne...

Your regular reminder 👇 🏥 81% want publicly owned NHS 🏫 78% want publicly owned schools 💧 73% want publicly owned water 🚂 70% want publicly owned rail ✉️ 70% want publicly owned mail 🚍 67% want publicly owned buses 💡 65% want publicly owned energy

For the first time in 25 years, three Japanese directors are in competition for the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival. www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026...

Parliament being ignored by government/officials

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Uncomfortable truth: many schools uphold the patriarchal values that they are tasked to combat. Because society is patriarchal and sadly girls who don’t conform are left out. That also includes femme adult teachers. Young people see how we act, who we value etc.

Don’t let the House of Lords get away with it. This is a critical moment for the #AssistedDyingBill. A small handful of peers must not be allowed to block one of the most important pieces of legislation ever to have passed through the Commons. Protest with us 👇 humanists.uk/events/prote...

Recently I was delighted to be invited to give a talk in the @cprecountryside.bsky.social Spring Webinar Series on 'The Changing West Antarctic Ice Sheet - Global and Local Implications'. A recording is now available online youtu.be/UkG24vHj0ps?... #CPRE #Antarctica #sealevel

A huge betrayal. Won't lower bills. Won't give us more energy security. Won't insulate from price shocks. And sends a clear message to the world that we are backing new oil and gas drilling. www.lbc.co.uk/article/ed-m...

China billionaire owner of Northumbrian Water wants to bid for Thames Water. NW has 50+ criminal convictions, dumps sewage in rivers, fleeces customers. 90% of England's water is foreign owned. More of the same can't solve problems. Must end privatisation. Must nationalise.

University of Oxford : maximising oil and gas extraction here would only save UK households up to £82 (€95) per year. A UK fully powered by renewable energy, would save households up to £441 (€510) a year on energy bills. www.euronews.com/2026/03/27/e...

www.theguardian.com/society/2026... Despicable 🔥🤬

How well do you remember lockdown and how do you feel about it now? Please take part in our short survey, which takes about 10-15 mins. It’s so much harder to get participants these days so please do take part if you can and do ask friends or family to do it too: research.sc/participant/...

Spain's renewables build-out has structurally decoupled its electricity prices from gas markets. Gas now sets the price in only 15% of hours, compared to 90% in Italy. Countries that invested early in clean power are far less exposed to fossil fuel price shocks. Those that didn't now pay the price.

Brilliant news. The Lords backed amendments to decriminalise abortion in England and Wales, end police investigations, to pardon women who had previously been prosecuted, and fought off anti-abortion amendments designed to limit choice and access. 🧵 humanists.uk/2026/03/19/l...

One in six private renters is now renting a former council home, often at extortionate rates – and often partly paid for by the government in the form of housing benefit. It's not just deeply unfair - it economically doesn't make any sense. www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

Soldierflies 👇 #Entomology Lucky #Northampton

It's crunch time for jury trials. On Tuesday, MPs will debate what could be the biggest shakeup of the justice system since the 1970s. Ahead of the debate, I spoke to Courts Minister Sarah Sackman about the controversial reforms and what they mean for justice www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCOE...

CO2 is now affecting the body chemistry of humans If the current levels of emissions are maintained, we could be facing potentially toxic atmospheric compositions within 50 years THIS IS STAGGERING AND DEVASTATING NEWS link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Palomena prasina #Shieldbug in #Plymouth yesterday #Spring #Entomology

Before you cut everything back to make the garden look “neat” — pause. Right now in Ireland and the UK, many insects are still overwintering inside last year’s hollow stems. Most don’t emerge until temps are regularly above ~10–12°C (often late March–April). “Tidy” can mean destroying shelter. 🌱🦋

You can't trust the Telegraph's accuracy

Reflections from Stephen Evans in the wake of Hamit Coskun's court victory, where the prosecution tried to reinstate a de facto blasphemy charge against him. 'It was an absurd submission that shames the CPS.' @natsecsoc.bsky.social @stephenmevans.bsky.social freethinker.co.uk/2026/03/hami...

We are thinking of the people of Iran right now. The Islamic Republic has been a brutal theocratic dictatorship, but Iran is a society of extraordinary depth, culture & resilience. Although we feel powerless right now, we can hold onto hope for a better future this remarkable society and its people.

"I want a change of regime in Iran. But what’s happening isn’t about freeing the Iranian people. It’s an imperialist, capitalist war started by bullies who take whatever they want & murder whomever gets in their way, including humanitarian and health workers" via Maggie Chapman

@lukepollard.bsky.social please try to get rid of this dreadful Home Secretary. Agree totally with the brief comment below.

Saw various Wall #Lizards in #Germany by the #Mosel. There were migrating #Cranes flying above. #Spring #Fruehjahr

#Xylocopa violacea #Entomology #CarpenterBee #Bee Back from visiting family in Germany where spring was springing.

@lukepollard.bsky.social supporting an illegal war and damaging UK science capability is not good for the country.

This is so good, we wish WE had made it! The history & lunacy of the disinformation campaign around 15-Minute Cities, by 2 “non experts” @iandunt.bsky.social & @dorianlynskey.bsky.social who show how experts SHOULD be communicating. Thanks to the @originstorypodcast.bsky.social podcast. #UrbanTruth

What is Pan-Species Listing (PSL)? A challenge to record every UK species you’ve seen in your lifetime – across ALL wildlife groups. It’s holistic, flexible & grows with your skills. Join our FREE entoLIVE with Graeme Lyons on 13 May to learn more. Sign up: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1977266072...

“The Bafta episode reveals the limits of many people’s imagining of diversity.” My @theobserveruk.bsky.social column, already online, and today in print: observer.co.uk/news/columni...

Corruption in England's water industry and its regulation 2,778 serious pollution incidents reported in 2024. Officials downgraded 2,735 (98%) to minor incidents. Only 496 attended before downgrading; the rest were deemed minor. Regulators collude with industry, inflicting harms to people.

@uklabour.bsky.social being a cheap copy of the worst of right wing politics won't get you voters

Five corporations control 90% of the US media market. Airlines merged from 12 major carriers in 1980 to 4 today. Four giants control 80% of meat processing. The evidence of corporate consolidation is everywhere. It means more power for them and less freedom for you.

380,000 people. 150 organizations. Standing in solidarity with 1 woman.
 On March 8, #IWD, we are calling on King Mohammed VI to #FreeBetty with a royal pardon. Join rallies at Moroccan embassies around the world to demand Betty’s immediate release. FreeBetty.org

Worth noting that even if Labour and the Greens had split the vote exactly evenly – the absolute worst case scenario for the stop Reform majority in the seat – Matt Goodwin still didn’t have enough votes to sneak a victory.

@robertshrimsley.bsky.social gets it! giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...