Goodness me, this is unusual! I’m wanting ManU to win a match…

But i hate cringe humour … Ive never been able to watch FT www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

We are turning into a Midwest state of the USA 🫣

Can’t imagine why a Crystal Palace fan, I’m in total agreement with you (focusing most on UEFA!)

bsky.app/profile/rond... @pickardje.bsky.social I thought that you might enjoy this photo of an iron man on Crosby Beach

Photo of Crosby beach by my talented friend Ron. Just wow! 🤩

Bewildering , they celebrated Trump’s birthday to the tune of Fortunate Son How ironically appropriate ! youtube.com/watch?v=3RmQ...

@stevecornforth.bsky.social It seems the colour darkened! Pretty special! 😮 😊

It’s nail biting! Will Labour stay ahead of the Greens?! They’ve already been overtaken by LDs & INDEPENDENTS for crying out loud! 🙄😳

@mattwoosie.bsky.social @fiveyearplan.bsky.social Oh dear, we’re going to lose to a Manchester club in the final again 😞 Given that it’s the hope that kills, I’m just getting some pessimistic gloom practice in early! After all, it worked against Villa! Ahhhh rats! There’s that bit of hope again 😠

Well @davidallengreen.bsky.social from a Palace perspective, I’m trying SO hard not to be hopeful. It’s the hope that kills, and Palace always play better when I’m pessimistic 🙄🫣 And we do this for fun!! Crazy people!

@rodusu.bsky.social I was taken aback how unknowledgeable they were… some very strange things said 🤔

Hampshire are teaching Surrey how they should have played that final innings against Somerset last season. Careful progress, never loosing touch with the required scoring rate They’ll be able to assess the risk of making a dart for the target after tea #surreycricket

Wordle 1,387 4/6 With many thanks to @davidallengreen.bsky.social who, when I was completely lost, gave just enough of a clue… ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨🟨🟨⬜ ⬜🟨🟨🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

As Trump is anticipated to put tariffs on semiconductors, I’m left wondering if any of his team have read @edconway.bsky.social ‘s “Material World” for guidance as to the folly of such an act? Mind you, experience of the Trump team means that I don’t need to wonder for long 🙄

Why do I NEVER have enough bookmarks?

I usually learn from @davidallengreen.bsky.social but I’m not sure I agree with his dislike of ‘agile’ organisations. The problems in achieving flexibility (or agility) lie elsewhere a) in our seeking solutions to relational problems in structural answers and b) prioritising policies over practices

Hmm @davidallengreen.bsky.social I note your concern about anecdotes as data, but stories are completely empirical material (data are a bit of an epistemological problem), lived experience is ‘data’ huge amounts of research using narrative from 80s onwards

I’m just wondering about the scope for a new EFTAS alliance built on old EFTA + security? (Confess that such wondering is built upon many years of ignorance 😕)

So agree with Julien, and I’d add that European govts, over the last 15yrs, have much to answer for. Since Obama, it has been clear that the USA’s focus has been turning to the Orient, and our govts have done almost nothing to develop independent armament.

I’m just trying to imagine the cheering for Trump happening now on Twitter’s X And I fret that I may not be a member of a quiet, peaceful MAJORITY 🫣

“Fresh thinking may be needed…” suggests @davidallengreen.bsky.social I think he’s right, but could it have come at a worse moment? Europe’s economies are struggling, past govts failed to react to USA’s turn to the Orient and within our number we have powerful fifth columnists (eg Orban, Farage)

Well, Orwell was 40 years out, but methinks that we’re on the way toward Americas (Oceania, minus UK), Eurasia (controlled by Russia & including North Atlantic islands) & Eastasia (China & India fighting for control) Not sure that I’m too happy about it all 😵‍💫

I don’t know yet if Trump’s talk of Greenland, Gaza, Canada and Ukraine are infantile boasting, but I’ve heard enough to persuade me that defence spending needs to rise substantially & as that will mean tax rises, so be it

Excellent article from Marina Hyde www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Maybe just maybe, politicians, city boys & journalists could learn NOT to go berserk over one months figures. Natural variability is not difficult statistics! 🙄 www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

At the advice of @alanlester.bsky.social , I’ve been reading @corinnefowler.bsky.social “Our Island Stories over Christmas. 3 thoughts 1) how pointless is the empire good/bad discussion is 2) how empire shaped the lives of all levels of society 3) how some feel they have the right to use others

Fascinating if difficult to follow (at times) conversation. I was struck by the difficulty we have in working with qualitative concepts (like flourishing or shalom) rather than quantitative ideas such as wealth or growth .

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... Interesting article that got me rethinking my preference for Regions, but still the question is ducked; if taxation without representation is wrong, then surely representation without taxation is meaningless?!

Am finishing @rafaelbehr.bsky.social “Politics: a survivor’s guide. Great writing as ever. But I think he misses the true dangers of the alt right 1) it swaps choice & freedom from the ballot box to commercial decisions, Frost’s dynamic capitalism. 2) it hide its anti- democracy behind culture wars

Shabana Mahmood should not impose her religious beliefs on others, says peer - but it’s OK for secular people to impose their values? - or better still, that we encourage ALL perspectives to contribute to the debate?