Deacon Blue had some songs. It's probably uncool but I like Deacon Blue. #TOTP

Wait, T-Pau had another song? Oh. No. They didn't did they? #TOTP

I have just started reading Failed State by @samfr.bsky.social and am immediately distressed to find it’s been spellchecked in US English

Ok now they have nationalised Thameslink trains I don’t care about the livery. I want comfortable seats that are not like ironing boards, electricity points and tables to work on. (Yes I know all those were decisions the government already controlled but now people will know it’s their fault)

Quote with a fictional band that is not Spinal Tap.

To be fair if the UK had been allowed to vote for it we'd have also given it 0.

My thoughts on what the UK strategy should be for Eurovision. 1) Pick a good song 1/x

My time at the Great Escape #tge26 is over. One of my yearly highlights. Always a mix, some good some ok. My favourite this year was Girl From the Year Above. I also got to see the hyped Angine de Poitrine. Next year already paid for. Music is better than politics.

Every time I’ve been to Wembley to watch Bolton we have lost. Every time I didn’t go we won. Last time I thought I’d try and break the hex we lost to Stoke 5-0 so I’ll sit this one out I think.

Goallll #BRAvBOL

Very young kids, ministerial career upended, no chance of keeping the seat. Josh is the only clear winner from this week so far.

All eyes now on the Makerfield primary in the Labour leadership contest.

Back in Brighton for one of my favourite things of the year. Music is better than politics.

Quotes from the day after the trial of Thomas More

Eject that person who has left the beep on their phone messages.

Chris Mason straight in with the deep policy questions about, oh wait no it’s soap opera.

This is so much a continental European election result it’s almost funny. True Britain Democrats (PfE) 26% Ecology/Planet Action (G-EFA) 18% Christian Democrat Union (EPP) 17% Socialist Workers Revolutionary Party (S&D) 17% Europe Liberalism! (Renew) 16% Others 6%

Our ward has been Conservative since the Ice Age.

West Sussex - our bit has seen some solid Tory losses to LD which was predictable. LIndfield one of those rock solid ‘old Tory’ seats gone First 4 County Council results. BH North 1 Lib Dem Ref 2nd, BH East LD won, R 2nd,. HH East LD won, R 2nd, Lindfield & High Weald LD 1st, Cons 2nd,

Enjoy all the speculation folks, I'll see you in the morning when there's some actual results to discuss.

The Conservative Party will be back on track when it embraces (Sir) David Gauke.

Settling down to watch the match that will decide this year's winners of the European Champions League. #BAYvPSG

Programmatic ad networks are bad in every way. Incentivise engagement ragebait, of course, but also prioritise quantity over quality. Websites churning out more and more stories with more and more ads just to keep up. It will kill the useful internet.

Settling in to watch the match to decide who will be the runners up in this year’s European Champions League #ARSvATM

That's the west coast mainline for you

Wait, EMF had another song? #TOTP

Joining the discourse with this FT article from last week giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Is the office bar back?

I have suggested to the FA that Bolton Wanderers should replace Man City in the FA Cup. With four titles they have the pedigree to justify inclusion.

My futile protest

I believe in the year 2026 that schools could offer their term/inset dates as calendar files and not PDFs on the website.

Well done Rory. Now we get to sleep. #themasters

If I'd just arrived on earth from space I would be very happy to fetch up in San Diego which is one of my very favourite cities. #Artemis

"4 green crew members" is surely not even code for the fact that there's no way of doing that re-entry at that speed without throwing up #Artemis

A pretty cool shared experience. I tried BBC and it was all jabbering away. Sky just had silence and control. Very in the moment and just like being a child in the 70s again. #Artemis

That's an outstanding first 36 from Rory McIlroy. Quite amazing #TheMasters

Dream-pop at its most divine: Cocteau Twins’ 20 greatest songs – ranked!

I think everyone would agree that the police and MPs shouldn’t be shoplifting.

That's unbelievable

How we fund and support serious local journalism on a sustainable basis is an important policy question. Wrapped up in BBC, public service broadcasting too etc. etc. Jim has taken a personal risk to do this in London and it shows why it's important to democracy and civic life.

More than 20% of the people in the world were not alive when Italy last played at the World Cup.

Donnarumma should ask for a transfer.

Every Winter Olympian‘s bio during this opening ceremony is “The child of diplomats, he learned short track skating during his parents UN posting in Geneva. He switched to luge after excelling on the internal JP Morgan track during his internship.” #openingceremomy #winterolympics

This would explain why Vadera's email is in all-caps. Brown had terrible eyesight - advisers knew to write memos to him in giant font in bold capital letters

Alistair Darling and the official Treasury were always aware that investment banks had an inside track to Number 10. But the brazen nature of that inside track is rather breath-taking.

The term "big beast" is now far too casually applied in politics to both medium-sized and even smaller beasts. Stop the beast Inflation, or at least introduce a Beast* category.

Genuinely baffling. Focus is onTory-Reform fighting, giving Labour breathing space and opportunity to look like grown ups in the room - so some Labour cabinet members decide better strategy is to brief and mimic infighting - to what? Wrest the chaos narrative back? 🤦‍♂️ www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Unbelievably, #DuvetKnowItsChristmas generates such good will on social media that over the years we've raised somewhere approaching a quarter of a million quid for homeless charities. If you can spare a bob or two, sling some to Centrepoint, and here's the link: www.gofundme.com/f/duvet-know...