What I do not understand— and maybe it is just my ignorance— how Starmer equates the Greens and Reform as if they are equal evils. Just totally unequipped for the moment.

I think Keir Starmer's spiel on supporting young people pursuing apprenticeships is great; of course it is! But let's not forget those young people for whom higher education is their best route to success and prosperity. Universities are on their knees across the country! Two things can be true.

A very happy 100th birthday to the remarkable Sir David Attenborough.

The greatest act of patriotism Starmer could bestow on his nation now is to passionately champion Proportional Representation. The time for playing politics has passed. The fight is now for the continuing existence of a Kingdom that is, in any way, United. Stop playing games with our future.

I’m really struggling for optimism today, I must admit. Sure, +28 Green councillors (so far) is a good thing, but in the face of +402 Reform councillors (so far), I’m reluctant to celebrate in any meaningful way. Reform is a party of thinly veiled racism, for thinly veiled racists. Remember that.

Hear, hear! Just consider for a second the logic at play here. “We can’t possibly make the system more democratic; then people would be able to vote how they actually want, meaning we’d be out of a job.” Good! Do a better job, then maybe the electorate won’t vote you out.

“Woke” is an ideal, a badge of honour to wear with pride. If you ever find yourself using “woke” in a derogatory way, ask yourself “why do I have a problem with people being aware of social problems such as racism and inequality?” The answer, on reflection, may be “because I’m a piece of shit.” 💩

The absolute audacity of the UK media piling onto @zackpolanski.bsky.social while flaccidly covering Yaxley-Lennon and Farage’s antics uncritically is astounding. They take us for fools.

Greens: “here’s why you should vote for us.” Labour: “here’s why you shouldn’t vote for the Greens.” The contrast is clear, vote for your @greenparty.org.uk candidates on Thursday. #VoteGreen #HopeNotHate

I’ve proudly cast my postal vote for the three @greenparty.org.uk candidates in my area… because, obviously. #VoteGreen

I had the pleasure of meeting this elegant young lady in Whitley Bay today. 📍 Whitley Bay, UK #Seal #GreySeal #Wildlife #MarineLife #NaturePhotography #Beach #Ocean

While many of you were likely yelling "GO HORSIES" I'm yelling "GO ROBERT MUELLER and the rule of law!"

Seldom have I been happier with the way one of my photographs turned out. 📍 Tyne Tunnel, Tyne & Wear, UK 📷 #PentaxK1000 🎞️ #KodakUltramax400

My experience of neurodivergence in a nutshell.

Who the actual fuck does Mark Rowley think he is? Just think, for a second, what the benefit of publicising his letter to @zackpolanski.bsky.social could be. Ask yourself what it changes. In the run-up to a critical local election cycle, this unacceptable behaviour is nothing short of political.

Good Lord, this is some pretty up-front fearmongering from the BBC. Who gives a fuck that this person was a “small boat migrant”? He committed a crime, has been found guilty of it, and will now be punished accordingly. Do you hear that? Sounds like a dog whistle to me.

Is pacifism naïve? I ask because increasingly of late, a great many people who otherwise I ostensibly agree with politically are calling for violence rather than condemning it vehemently as I do. So I’m left wondering, am I missing something?

I'm baffled that we've sent an unelected nepo baby to do our critical diplomacy at a time of international conflict. Charles' CV contains 1 line: “My ancestors were quite good at fighting and now I get to wear a shiny hat.“ Maybe we should send actual, professional diplomats instead. #NotMyKing

Fucking firing squad… Jesus Christ.

Some very moody vibes from a recent walk through the Tyne Tunnel (properly, the Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnels). 📍 Tyne Tunnel, Tyne & Wear, UK 📷 #Pentax17 🎞️ #KodakT-MaxP3200

Although I’m flattered, this relates to a single-line fix I made to the CYW43xx WiFi/BT SoC driver four years ago. I just added a single elif condition to fix connection issues on open WiFi networks.

AOC represents EVERY WOMAN in America right now who is sick and tired of misogyny & misinformation. She represents us and the rage we feel.

A life, restricted. 📍 Gateshead, Newcastle, Rothbury, & London, UK 📷 #PentaxK1000 & #Pentax17 🎞️ #KodakUltraMax400, #KodakEktar100, #Kentmere400, & #Kentmere200

There seems to be a somewhat widespread outage of AI services... #Outage #AI #DownDetector

I'm surprised to see exceedingly little comms regarding the nature/cause of this morning's @bsky.app outage. @pfrazee.com and the team are usually on it! One can only assume they're busy fixing stuff.

@bsky.app seems to be trundling back online. I wonder what went wrong?

The absolute shame of Richard Tice using an international crisis and the arcane rules of the House of Commons to spread disinformation on behalf of the fossil fuel industry at yesterday’s PMQs is staggering. What a shill that man is.

We truly live in a post-euphemistic age; one in which the quiet part no longer needs to exist, because the loud part gets so many more interactions online.

This made me ugly laugh.

Congratulations to Péter Magyar on a decisive election victory in Hungary. The Hungarian people have chosen a new path. We are ready to work with you, and our European allies, to deepen our cooperation in trade, defence, and security.

The victory of the opposition in Hungary yesterday, like the Polish election in 2023, is a victory for democracy, not just in Europe but around the world.

i'm old enough to remember when blockading the strait of hormuz was enough for donald trump to justify wiping out an entire civilization

The Punching Yourself in the Face theory of foreign policy. Iran is blocking the Strait, so in response he's blocking the Strait. It'd be like George W. Bush announcing after 9/11 that we were retaliating by crashing another airplane into a New York skyscraper. That'll show 'em.

I have no words today.

Sometimes, compositions just present themselves… 📍 Newcastle, UK 📷 #iPhone15ProMax

It didn't start in the USA with “they're eating the dogs. […] they're eating the cats.“ But that's most certainly where we find ourselves now. We have to call out this kind of inhumane, hateful rhetoric. Simon Dudley's comments here are shameful.

Hear, and very much hear! Morning rant time… Daylight saving time is such a senseless societal nonsense.

I’m obsessed with this woman. She’s an icon. I’d like to hire her as my voice of reason.

Fun fact: here in the UK, we all wish our leaders were more like you, Donald. Keep up the good work… bellend.

📍 Newcastle, UK 📷 #Pentax17 🎞️ #KodakGold200

Not my best exposure settings, but I'm quite liking this composition. 📍 Newcastle, UK 📷 #Pentax17 🎞️ #KodakGold200

It's jarring that the British right-wing media today is nonchalantly framing a worrying outbreak of meningitis in Kent—which has already led to the tragic deaths of two students—in terms of a moral panic. “Vapes, nightclubs, and prolonged kissing are responsible.” Come off it!

Another little gem I'm only just coming across. I really need to get better at appreciating my own photography. 📍 London, UK 📷 #Pentax17 🎞️ #KodakEktar100

Digging through the archives, I found these beauties on a roll of Ektar I shot on a sunny day last summer. I often need to remind myself to actually look at the photos I take. 📍 London, UK 📷 #Pentax17 🎞️ #KodakEktar100

Well, I for one am extremely relieved that the line between the "defensive" strikes Keir Starmer said UK bases could be used for, and offensive ones is so clear-cut, and that we can trust the US to respect it on every sortie. Phew! ukaviation.aero/raf-fairford...

If only… Health Speculations Swirl After Trump Screams, ‘Fuck! I’m Dying!’ — theonion.com/health-specu...

I was walking to work this morning: AirPods in, iced matcha latte in one hand, and an IKEA bag containing a loaf of homemade sourdough bread in the other. Poised in the pocket of my denim jacket was my Pentax 17 film camera. It suddenly hit me: I have attained my ultimate Antifa Super Soldier form.

Superb.

Starmer's speech on the Middle East from earlier today.

RAF aircraft shooting down drones over Jordan, and the UK deploying a warship to the Mediterranean seems rather like we're at war to me.