Very excited to be receiving @birdyword.bsky.social's The Land Trap tomorrow. As a fellow land economics and policy geek it should be a proper read. I'm sure it'll build on the brilliant work of Andro Linklater's 'Owning the Earth' - my favourite history book on land to date.

"...we show that exposed municipalities [to the Tour de France] experience declines in far-right support of 0.03–0.04 standard deviations. The effect exceeds 0.1 [SDs] in recent elections and is strongest in poorer areas and in towns with high prior far-right support" Link: osf.io/preprints/so...

This is a fascinating thread with clear walk-through. Tl;dr - cost of living, the economy, and health are the three most important issues for people.

"CyanLines is the bold plan to link & transform Manchester’s green and blue spaces...The vision is to develop a network of over 100 miles of...routes over ten years, starting with the city centres of Manchester & Salford...& linking to the rest of Greater Manchester’s boroughs" Link: cyanlines.com

"The question is: is there a way to encourage voters to calm down, slow down and think twice, in an information environment that pushes us all to hurry up and feel?...Everyone has the capacity to stop and think, if they want to." (HT @gilesyb.bsky.social)

"CyanLines is the bold plan to link & transform Manchester’s green and blue spaces...The vision is to develop a network of over 100 miles of...routes over ten years, starting with the city centres of Manchester & Salford...& linking to the rest of Greater Manchester’s boroughs" Link: cyanlines.com

Just outstanding television. And I'm here waiting to watch the final as per the schedule and not on-demand. It's been a real tonic. Link: www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio... #bbctraitors #thetraitors #celebritytraitors

Outstanding analysis and super reporting by @news.sky.com. "Over half of the political content shown to our new X users came from accounts categorised as extreme" "It's almost as if X seeks to divide us, divide us as a country, divide us into the extremes" - @eddavey.libdems.org.uk

There was a prominent article on the BBC home page recently exploring, with a particular angle, political views within town(s). By the number of people who sent me a link, I think you'll know the one I'm referring to! 🧵 1/n

The Victorians knew about to construct a beautiful garden. When the temperature dips below a certain level hot chocolate runs through the town.

A rail worker credited with saving multiple lives during a mass stabbing on a train has been named as Samir Zitouni. The 48-year-old's actions on the Doncaster to London King's Cross service on Saturday evening were described as "nothing short of heroic

We're excited to share the cover of @hayleylever.bsky.social's debut book, Leading from the Balcony. Leading from the Balcony is practical and actionable book which will support leaders in their daily life and work. Register your interest in purchasing a copy: forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...

This is amazing, I had no idea. There is one on a wall on our street and thought it might be utilities-based. The map shows that there are so many OSBs!

Fascinating paper exploring the economic impact of populist leaders coming to power. Lots in here but two key things for me: 1. Over 15 years GDP/capita decreases by 10%; with 2. No discernible change to inequality over same period. Paper: iacmr.org/wp-content/u... HT @justinwolfers.bsky.social

An autumnal scene 😍🍂

With housing starts and completions very low in London, these new emergency viability measures will certainly start a few debates! Link: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68fa1a...

Could we join forces and build this movement so I can get my Blackberry back please?

"Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time" Link: www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/... Report: www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/...

📣📣 Job news 📣📣 I'll be moving on from the brilliant @gmmoving.co.uk to start a new job later in the year. More details on that soon but I first wanted to write about the brilliant team I’ve been privileged to work with.

📣📣 Job news 📣📣 I'll be moving on from the brilliant @gmmoving.co.uk to start a new job later in the year. More details on that soon but I first wanted to write about the brilliant team I’ve been privileged to work with.

Remarkable. "The new procedure involves inserting a tiny 2mm-square photovoltaic microchip, with the thickness of a human hair, under the retina." Link: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

"Built against the backdrop of two crises, an acute housing shortage and a growing loneliness epidemic among older people, Appleby Blue offers a hopeful and imaginative response, where residents and the surrounding community are brought together through the transformative nature of the design."

Plenty of policy-comms friction in the system at the moment. It's creating more heat than light. But there are reasons to be cheerful if you're trying to improve community outcomes through joined-up work. Design -> deliver -> evaluate -> share www.gmmoving.co.uk/news/a-big-o...

This arrived today 👏🏼 @hopenothate.org.uk

"Humans aren’t very efficient movers—until you put us on a bicycle, when we become some of the most energy-efficient land travelers in the animal kingdom." @sciam.bsky.social Link: www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-hu...

"Built against the backdrop of two crises, an acute housing shortage and a growing loneliness epidemic among older people, Appleby Blue offers a hopeful and imaginative response, where residents and the surrounding community are brought together through the transformative nature of the design."

We are always looking at what things we can do, big and small, to make life better for our residents. Here is the latest wave of improvements coming to GM. 🧵 1/7

@gmmoving.co.uk Strategic Director @joesarling.bsky.social is at the Healthy City Design International Congress in #Salford. It's only the first morning but lots of insights already re healthy, active places to enable active lives for all. #GMMovingInAction

Up and out early heading to the Healthy City Design 2025 International Congress in Salford. Shaping up to be a super couple of days talking all things planning, public health, and placemaking. www.healthycitydesign.global

Racing the sun in the hills 😍🌄🐄

"It would be easier to take a cab. I know I'm privileged, but it's more of a revindication. We need greener cities, with fewer cars...With sustainability comes empathy and compassion. These are all traits that you get when you decide to take care of the place that gives you life."

Beautiful colours. Glorious setting. Oustanding parcours. And we're about to witness more history today. #IlLombardia

After a long pause, I've just done another England Covid & NHS update as we head into the autumn/winter season. TLDR: we're in a significant Covid wave now, the NHS is stretched, get boosted if you're eligible. christinapagel.substack.com/p/england-is...

"It would be easier to take a cab. I know I'm privileged, but it's more of a revindication. We need greener cities, with fewer cars...With sustainability comes empathy and compassion. These are all traits that you get when you decide to take care of the place that gives you life."

"If El Mordjene was in short supply before, now it became mythically scarce. Prices climbed to twenty, even thirty euros a jar. I scared one up on Vinted, a Lithuanian resale site, transferring forty euros to an Algerian woman living in France, who had just been home for her grandfather’s funeral."

🧵A Nation of Neighbours | New coalition of the willing 🤝 Across Britain, communities are quietly leading change – from food banks to youth centres, from local enterprises to new models of care. This energy and creativity is powering a story of national renewal rooted in neighbourhoods.

Good for the soul

I may well be biased but 100% agree - come and visit!

🍂 Don’t miss out – the deadline for GM Walking Grants is just days away! Your project could help people keep moving and connecting even as the weather turns colder. ✅ Apply today: buff.ly/7ELkUcE

The road cycling world championships in Kigali is going to be amazing. And the course for the men's elite race is *brutal*: 5,500m of climbing in 268km of racing. Link: www.uci.org/race-hub/202...

Absolutely love this 🌳 Sign me up!

Absolutely love this 🌳 Sign me up!

*David Attenborough voice* "And here we see the the final destination of great summer Lime migration having gathered size and momentum across the urban expanse"

"Using a real-time recession detection algorithm trained on a century of broader labour market data, Michaillat...estimates a 71 per cent probability that the US economy was already in recession in May." Link: on.ft.com/42eg2w5

On complicated topics I reach for @frameworks.bsky.social research & comms advice. 1. Lead with moral arguments in contentious communication contexts. 2. Focus on shared humanity more than rights-based language. 3. Explain specific solutions. 4. Emphasize the collective benefits of immigration.

On complicated topics I reach for @frameworks.bsky.social research & comms advice. 1. Lead with moral arguments in contentious communication contexts. 2. Focus on shared humanity more than rights-based language. 3. Explain specific solutions. 4. Emphasize the collective benefits of immigration.

Watched Adolescence on Netflix this weekend. I haven't been intensely gripped and emotionally moved by a TV series like this before. Remarkable on many fronts and on many levels. It's going to stick with me for a long time.

Is it me or has Brian Moore become even more dour and negative as time has gone on? Less 'the glass is half empty' and more 'the glass is always empty and I told you it would be'. #ENGvSAM

Prevention focused and person-centric early intervention. Government should back VCFSE organisations like this.

*Counts coins in Piggy Bank*