Reposting with alt text because it's very good

I assume he's got an important message for Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Terminator sent to save Thomas Becket gets the date wrong.

Wall-E origin story looks terrific.

It's all kicking off in Canterbury.

This is such a deeply fucking weird thing for the BBC to do.

Local news is incredibly difficult. So this post from @publicinterestnews.org.uk is a joy to read, highlighting wins across the sector during 2026. It's an honour to have @localauthority.news featured alongside some heroic outlets from across the country.

Although some press officers can get awkward about this, in my experience it's still possible to have excellent direct communication with councillors. But it requires reporters having enough time to build those relationships, and the trust that follows. But when spread so thin, how can they do that?

Really feeling good about my decision to buy a relatively newbuild, well insulated house that has massive windows facing west and east about now.

Good morning from today’s full Kent County Council meeting. We’re once again in the tiny public gallery because press have been once again banned from the chamber itself. Was also instructed not film or photograph the meeting by KCC staff, which is definitely not legal. It might be a fun one.

Apparently, we’re allowed back at the Kent Press & Broadcast Awards again. Authority Media has picked up its highest number of nominations yet this year, which is not bad for a tiny organisation run on a shoestring.

The Mark Thomas Comedy Product on Channel 4 in the 90s was one of the things that radicalised me into politics, so very cool that we got to speak to him for @kentcurrent.news.

Just had a fucking laughing fit in the middle of a packed cafe at this.

Thrilled to take our publication right back to the 1830s with a big move into print for @localauthority.news.

Good evening from tonight’s unusually busy Medway Council meeting. It’s a largely ceremonial one, where we’ll be electing a new mayor. I’ll be live tweeting all of the ‘action’ from 7pm.

Bert doesn’t understand the doors of our new house so he’s shouting at us because we’ve cruelly locked him outside.

I'm in Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall for the only election count in Kent today. One third (13 seats) of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is up for election, plus two by-elections, giving us 15 seats up for grabs. We're expecting results to come in from around lunchtime.

Very curious to see another independent Kent outlet lifting one of our stories, rewriting it with AI, and publishing it with an anonymous byline.

One of the slightly more absurd council stories we've done in what was already a very competitive field.

The excellent @kentcurrent.news has been doing some more digging into the strange case of the Kent county councillor who’d like a second seat… on Greenwich Council www.kentcurrent.news/alan-cecil-a...

So proud of @rhysdgriffiths.bsky.social and what he's achieved in the first year of @folkestonedispatch.substack.com. Kent needs more hyperlocal journalism like it.

Had a fun time chasing down what I am certain is to become Medway's Elgin Marbles.

Had a fun time chasing down what I am certain is to become Medway's Elgin Marbles.

I see Greggs is receiving a warm welcome in Whitstable.

Somewhere in Camden, Lord Mandelson sadly crosses ‘Political assistant to Medway Labour Group’ off a list headed ‘Possible next jobs’.

I'm here for tonight's full Medway Council meeting. On the agenda: adult social care, civility in politics, borrowing £46m to buy nearly 800 social properties, changes to the petition system, and lots more. Full agenda here: democracy.medway.gov.uk/ieListDocume...

NEW: The Green Party is STILL bad at being green (FREE TO READ) takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/the-green-...

I have seen a lot of NIMBY selfishness in my time, but "my convenience matters more than cancer care" is a new low. Quite seriously tempted to email them and tell them as much.

I have three court hearings to attend in three months. Two subjects of our reporting are suing us. Journalism is threatened by abusive legal threats aimed at silencing reporting. The Government needs to #StopSLAPPs. Please share and write to your MP. manchestermill.co.uk/three-courts...

My full story on the Greens' big by-election win in Cliftonville.

Cliftonville (Kent County Council) result: 🌹 Joanne Bright (Lab) - 557 ⚪ Lucy Gray (Ind) - 68 🌳 Charlie Leys (Con) - 811 ➡️ Marc Rattigan (Ref) - 1767 🔶 Mo Shafaei (LDem) - 63 🟢 Rob Yates (Green) - 2068 Turnout - 37.7% Green GAIN from Reform.

I’m in Thanet for the Cliftonville by-election count, where Reform are defending a county council seat for the first time. Momentum in the weeks running up to today seem to suggest it will be a fight between Reform and the Greens.

Launching @kentcurrent.news was probably the boldest thing I'd done since, well, the launch of @localauthority.news. One year on, it seems to be working. I took the opportunity to take stock of the year and where we are.

Baroque Tom Scott is fast becoming my favourite YouTuber.

Didn't imagine the most clicked link in today's @kentcurrent.news would be to a story on a potato news website, but here we are. Also, it turns out there is a potato news website.

Sad to belatedly hear of the death of Mark Templeton. When starting out as a ‘citizen journalist’ in 2014, Mark kindly granted me access to the press desk at Medway Council and give the same access as the ‘proper’ news orgs. Not exaggerating to say part of where we are now is due to his support.

Another normal day at Authority Media Towers, where the editorial team need to have a discussion about whether a Kent councillor's post is racist in one way or an entirely different way.

Holy shit. I can finally reenter normal life.

Halstead, Knockholt and Badgers Mount (Sevenoaks) by-election result: 🔶 Stephen Maines (Lib Dem) - 266 🌳 Tony Marshall (Con) - 561 ➡️ George Pender (Reform) - 378 🟢 Robert Royston (Green) - 65 Turnout - 45% Con HOLD. @electionmaps.uk

I know this isn't really my fight, but I've been looking at the proposed council reorganisation maps around the country, and the Hampshire one is sending me over the edge. That yellow bit in the middle? South West Hampshire. The massive green area to the south west? Mid Hampshire. Argh.

A good lesson in why letting local people decide how big pots of money should be spent is a bad idea.

"No, why would Medway need more river crossings," I wonder, as I plan my 22 mile, 40 minute journey to somewhere I can literally see from my house.

Good morning from County Hall, where Kent County Council is about to get underway. Not the most exciting agenda today but there is some dispute about whether or not Reform's motion on an 'illegal migration emergency' will be allowed to be debated.

It has taken four (4) days for local Facebook groups in Kent to start being flooded with posts by, for lack of a better term, meningitis truthers. All a government plan to something something profit apparently.

Local media plan out. It’s more honest about collapse in audiences than I’d expected. Cool to see my little project as an example of what can work. But I just wonder if government funding to help boost local news is really for small guys or a bung to corporate owners. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Greenwich Council’s Labour leadership plans to clamp down on scrutiny from the public and opposition councillors in a move branded “an attack on democracy”. greenwichwire.co.uk/2026/03/11/s...

Editing our upcoming @kentcurrent.news interview, which will come out over the weekend, with Kent Restore leader Paul Thomas. Expecting some flak for it, given the discourse on here a little while ago that argued media outlets shouldn't engage with Restore or similar political groups.

Funny how KentOnline never use a quote from someone on a housing waiting list for this sort of thing.

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.

Hextable (Sevenoaks District Council) result: 🌳 Lee Allen (Con) - 600 ⚪ Jackie Griffiths (Ind) - 108 ➡️ Daniel Kersten (Ref) - 406 🔶 Ashley Wassall (LDem) - 367 🟢 Oliver Young (Grn) - 62 Turnout: 47.15% (weirdly high - 27% in 2023 locals) Con GAIN from Ind @electionmaps.uk