I was going to pull out a quotable one liner, as you do. But this whole post by @pollymackenzie.bsky.social is end to end quotable one liners, so if you have any interest in a better civil service and a better government, just read the whole thing.

@edent.tel I seem to have joined a club. Not sure what Groucho Marx would have to say about that

"I'm not even a Man United supporter, but it's a big week for Hildegarde of Bingen" Radio 3 makes unexpected connections.

This is an excellent overview, expressed with impressive clarity - the reminder of the dimensions of reliability is one we should all be keeping in mind

It would be churlish not to #ENOMahagonny

The theme of the walk was blue astonishment.* *That was yesterday. Normality has resumed today

I've just responded to the Earned Settlement consultation. It closes tonight. The whole idea is dreadful but what stuck with me most is the gross arrogance of the whole exercise. A (cross) thread 🧵

The long now

In case @johnlsheridan.bsky.social is bored one rainy afternoon

I want to give an organisation money. They presumably want to take my money. So well done for coding so obscure that my mobile device doesn't recognise the data entry fields - so no keyboard, no way forward. Well done, @financialtimes.com #FixTheForms

A tale of three emails. Another masterpiece of back end integration between systems

There is an actual train forming the 8.40 at Euston currently filling up - no clear indication of when it might get going #ukgc26

A small service design masterclass for #ukgc26 being delivered at Euston. The announcer keeps saying that people are "strongly advised" to find alternative routes. But the main departure board shows trains as delayed rather than cancelled, which encourages people to stay and hope.

All trains out of Euston on hold - line blocked by person hit by a train #ukgc26

In 1943, a Foreign Office report sets out the overwhelming circumstantial evidence that the Katyń massacre was a Soviet crime. And then reflects on why that truth was not to be told. Being reluctant to call out notional allies is not a new phenomenon.

The theme of the walk was the rising sun

The theme of the walk was mostly grey

Good enough wins because of what you are able to treat as externalities

Standard grump that publishers show not the slightest interest in taking money off people who might want to preorder ebooks, with the publisher in this case contenting themselves with supplying a collection of broken links, some of which go to the wrong country. Not the fault of authors, of course

"Every time I pull a lever" says the Prime Minister. This dead metaphor is killing his ability to get things done. There aren't any levers. There's only leadership. howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/there-aren...

Signs with portents

The theme of the walk was winter orchards

This is just one reason why RSS feeds are wonderful things - a blog lies dormant for eight years, but the moment of its reawakening is instantly recognised. www.wordyard.com/2025/12/01/w...

The theme of the walk was cloudless sunshine

To this day, English law makes special provision for red diesel in customs and excise law. Implausible connections with red eels are invited. www.nationwidefuels.co.uk/faq/red-dies...

This is nominative determinism of the very highest order

Impressive how it is possible to spot an @anothertimbre.bsky.social cover design at twenty paces - with the attendant promise of something weird and glorious.

A fundraiser for people affected by the flooding in Monmouth has been set up by the town council and the mayor. You can donate here: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding...

also you know refugees are allowed to have unremarkable lives - they don't need to prove that giving them refuge was 'worthwhile' their need is justification enough

This is absolute gold from @richardpope.org on digitally enabled preventative healthcare

It's sometimes hard to remember that public services can be delivered with pride and self confidence

It's sometimes hard to remember that public services can be delivered with pride and self confidence

The very excellent @bbcradio3bot.bsky.social seems to have quietly died a couple of days ago. Does anybody know what might have befallen it and whether it can be revived?

The theme of the walk was autumn ending

It's completely optional, other than not being at all optional. #FixTheForms

Tangentially reminded of an extraordinary weaving installation in a tunnel in Holborn years ago - eerie, mesmerising, and strangely beautiful clapham-omnibus.blogspot.com/2009/10/chor...

Register is open for UKGovCamp 2026! Join us on 17 January 2026 for a free, community-led unconference where public sector people meet to share ideas, collaborate, and improve services. Spaces are limited. Secure your spot today: forms.gle/tL5q1ZBHYxAq...

Music stands in place for the solo performer

My hero is a farmer, not a duck. Which will only make sense if you read this new piece by me, the start of a new substack which I am bravely calling How To Run A Country. howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/its-the-de...

"When you’re trying to bring about significant change in any complex system, it’s impossible to know up front exactly what’s going to work, how the various risks are going to pan out or how the context is going to change."

A strange little demonstration outside Broadcasting House - a handful of people with a banner bigger than they are proclaiming that "Bullets will not silence us - RIP Charlie Kirk" against a stylised union flag. The ratio of confusion to word count seems remarkably high.

Thick mist last night, clear blue skies this morning. Autumn beyond doubt.

Much of what is written about "digital identity" veers (often wildly) across two broad lanes: 1) the concept of your 'identity' and 2) means by which you prove a claim in relation to that (usually that you are either The Person, or that some fact is true - without necessarily revealing who you are).

This is even more than usually heart stopping. My cousin was on that same transport from Tarnów. He died in Auschwitz in 1941 - and I suddenly wonder, if he had survived a longer, might he too have been released. And how much would have been different if he had.

ID cards aren't about the cards. @paulclarke.com has been thinking longer and harder about this than most of us, and this thread is an excellent place to start

The theme of the walk was orchards.

Not from the Onion Who needs the top bit anyway?

Some ministers make clear decisions and stuff happens as a result. Some ministers avoid making decisions and so stuff doesn't happen. Every civil servant I have ever worked with prefers the first kind to the second mind.

There is a certain pleasing irony in this list

A #FixTheForms masterclass today from @edfenergy.com A bill arrives with an estimated meter reading. It's a bit off, so let's update it with a more accurate one. Off we go to the website. Log in to MyAccount it says. Which is reasonable enough, except that I don't have any such logon details.