People living in England and Wales are much less likely to be victims of theft than in the 1990s ourworldindata.org/data-insight... #BrokenBritain

M&S have been doing this for a few years now.

Edtech update - the school has realised that half the kids are using an AI app for their maths homework app and now all must record their workings in ink in an exercise book. School has not yet realised the AI app shows all the workings to be copied down.

If the MPs who signed the pro-WASPI letter to @patmcfaddenmp.bsky.social can't think of a better use for taxpayer money, they should not be in Parliament. The Ombudsman recommendation would spend £££ and satisfy noone. Should have taken a harder line 2 years ago.

Lost count of the number of ministers (and a mayor) that have said today that "we need the best team on the pitch" and it is for the local members to select the candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election.

Lucy Powell, opening the Fabian conference: trying to out-Reform Reform is not going to work

This is fun.

We will need to talk about US presence in Europe. And it would be good if we Europeans drove the discussion and didn’t wait for the other shoe to drop. www.reuters.com/world/us-cut...

Hill: talk to a Greenlander or a Dane. Some are thinking of leaving, others are prepared to fight Compares US and NATO to USSR invading Warsaw Pact members

The Norwegian government is staying fairly quiet for now, but as a sign of the shifting vibe here the former head of Norway’s armed forces has come out and called the US a “neo-fascist banana republic” and a “hostile great power without norms”. www.dn.no/politikk/tid...

"It is the most shattering experience of a US President‘s life when one morning he awakes and quite reasonably says to himself 'I will never defeat the Dane.' “When that moment comes, one's ambition ceases."

Where does 50% of £99.99 = £34.99? That's Sports Direct maths.

According to BBC News, a bipartisan congressional delegation is visiting Greenland "to lower the temperature"

This week's piece includes my quiet fantasy about Robert Jenrick. Can you guess what it is? howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/what-if-yo...

Is James Landale sporting a Bath Rugby hat in his report from Norway this evening?

Totally Danish: "both Løkke and Motzfeldt have a cigarette after the meeting"

Norway famous for low-tax

Camden

More public service and productivity improvement. It seemed remarkable that we were developing online exams but sticking to paper certificates. This will make enrollment of new 6th form students far less complicated. www.gov.uk/government/n...

This is interesting because when I went for my first Covid vaccination, Farage arrived and pushed straight to the front of the queue.

New year, new comment piece, same problems. I've written for @instituteforgovernment.org.uk on what the covid inquiry is revealing about (poor) govt info sharing during the pandemic and what needs to be in place for the next crisis. HMT does not come off well... tinyurl.com/muhtm2r8

New passport arrived yesterday. Whole process took only 7 days - half of which was time at Royal Mail. Unrecognisable from the experience of this public service from two renewals ago.

Not even the prompts. If you are a Twitter user in the UK and Twitter sticks a Grok CSAM image in your feed for WHATEVER reason, well congrats your device just downloaded child porn. And you are legally responsible for that.

Remembering the time I complained to Royal Mail about there always being a car parked in the customer disabled space at the sorting office despite there being no customers inside. The same car. They dealt with it by removing the disabled customer space.

“and in other news, President Trump has ordered the bombing of Venezuela” “Caracas?” “not according to his doctors”

I think Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre gave a good New Years speech this evening. A few excerpts here from the English version, link below:

Wonder whether this will come up in Theresa May's conversation on violence against women and girls with Queen Camilla on the Today Programme? Not holding my breath.

Had a passport photo taken this morning. Barely recognise the person in the picture. Now with a Tony Blair stary scary eye. Fortunately the children laughed at it so much I'm not considering it a faithful representation.

There's apparently a celebrity wedding in Bath this afternoon. Bells have stopped so we can better hear the car horns. Traffic is fucked, as is getting a data connection.

Afternoon walk

I'm old enough to have seen England win a Test in Australia

Father Christmas was left out a bottle of Chimay Bleue this year, and it is wonderful.

Pepperkakehuset earlier

This might explain some of the incredible discounts at e.g. Sainsbury's this Xmas

Another beer post for the evening: In 1241, Pope Gregory IX informed Archbishop Sigurd Eindridesson (r.1231-52) that children who are baptised in beer can not be considered to have been properly baptised.

Surprised they can afford to turn custom away.

There's a lot to unpack here. It is revealing that he sees the Center as a building rather than an institution.

This is as good as everyone says. And putting the particular party to one side, I hope it might show there is appetite to read about local government more generally and that newspapers should invest in this. I’d read a weekly column portraying a different council each week…

Public service announcement:

I'm sure this isn't a deliberate misrepresentation to suggest that a university doesn't set its own fees

Beneath the #Wiltshire Medieval hilltop town of Malmesbury lies a 9ha Iron Age hillfort Here looking east: Now (© Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard) and then (© Athelstan Museum) A wee thread for #HillfortsWednesday 🧵👇

Gingerbread house panel

As an aside, kids can't take any watches into exam halls in case they're sneaky smart watches. God knows how schools are going to deal with "Smart"/Pervert Glasses

That's B-Aus-ball!

Anyone hear from Lord's this week about the ticket ballot?

Courts minister on Channel 4 News saying we should volunteer to he magistrates. There are precisely zero magistrate vacancies south of Coventry.

No, welfare spending is not 'out of control'. (There is an underlying rise in health-related benfits, but this needs sensible reform - not knee jerk cuts.)

Key chart for public services Govt is back to pencilling in undeliverable plans to hit its fiscal rules After taking out likely funding for protected areas, other departments will have to absorb 3.3% annual real terms cuts. That includes prisons, courts, and local govt, among others

Budget news of international student levy at £925 flat rate, not as % of tuition fees. This is likely better re. reducing no. coming to UK on student visas to work. Flat rate hits so-called "visa farm" HE providers offering cheaper courses, w. less impact on elite, high-fee institutions. 🧵