Today I ‘interviewed’ Facebook whistleblower on stage at Hay…& she couldn’t say a word. Facebook took legal action to prevent her speaking. What pathetic, pointless vindictiveness. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

"The system does not lack what you think it lacks. The question is what you are willing to risk becoming." Creating a balance between three models: (i) assumed deficit, (ii) innate capacity and (iii) formative encounter. The triquetral form of Cynefin is used. thecynefin.co/a-trialectic...

The best analysis of the local election results I've heard thus far www.youtube.com/live/TQ-ROb-... — @bwalker.uk

I love this from Thomas Hobbes: www.gutenberg.org/files/3207/3...

This is an under discussed element on this story. I’m not sure how persuasive “I need £10 million to fight an early election campaign and end up with less seats” will be to the large donors this pitch would need to be made to.

People saying "surely they won't vote for him now?" miss the point of far right radicalisation: the point is to transgress - doesn't matter what they say - they're breaking the rules of decency to shatter our civil society 1/2 ...

Darren Jones has said he will reward the doers, not the talkers. The most recent changes to top civil servants’ pay are a good first step on that long road: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/gove...

Labour's electoral operation needs a complete overhaul. In the last few years I've seen a rise in campaigning cosplay. A situation where leads have lost the art of reading a doorstep conversation and where canvassers spend more time talking to each other than engageing with residents,

"Labour activists are saying [the pattern is appearing in canvass returns], and it’s giving them confidence. Yet that confidence may be misplaced." www.newstatesman.com/politics/pol...

Uber COO Andrew Macdonald said he's not seeing proportional productivity gains from increasing AI costs. https://bit.ly/4vdizCZ

32.3ºC at Kew Gardens is the hottest May temperature on record at the station since records began in 1881, beating its previous May maximum by 2ºC (30.3ºC, 25th May 1922). It beat its maximum temperature date record for the 24th of May by OVER 2ºC (30.2ºC, 1922), exceptional.

Restore is on 7% in that Makerfield constituency poll. I wrote this week why they're a threat that needs to be taken seriously. And why splitting the Reform vote isn't worth the normalisation of what is, in effect, a neo-Nazi party. samf.substack.com/p/is-andy-bu...

😲 metro.co.uk/2026/05/24/r...

In 2019, the Conservatives came second in Makerfield with more than a third of the vote - only 4,700 votes behind Labour. They're now polling at 2% there And what should really worry them is that this vertiginous collapse is no longer even a news story.

Relevant to the #Makerfield by-election, some data from Ian Warren back in the Centre For Towns days - a rather familiar tale of outlying towns aging and the core of the city region getting younger.

The Samman method: technical coaching for better code. "Technical Coaching for Architects" - @emilybache.com . Watch: youtu.be/2cqgDKN48ak #amaberlin

Stop looking for Burnhamism - in six years, I’ve never found. Watching the mayor up close in Manchester, I’ve seen his unusual gifts and glaring weaknesses. Would he make a good prime minister? Our weekend read - by @joshih.bsky.social manchestermill.co.uk/stop-looking...

I'll be speaking at AI Dev Con by Tessl on June 1st. I'd love to see you there! I'll be delivering a talk on vibe coding and the future of programming. Tickets are available for live and virtual. If you're able, grab a ticket and join us there.

This Burnham video is very good. Unlike Starmer, he is comfortable in his skin and has a story to tell that Starmer doesn't. It is also extraordinary. It is a direct pitch to be the new PM. He's not trying to hide it. If he wins Makerfield, he'll be in charge by October. youtu.be/x43kXRjfuEA?...

The Green Party needs to get into the habit of giving straightforward answers to simple questions. If it doesn't, people will start drawing their own conclusions. Plus Arsenal, the Aylesham decision, borough power-sharing and vintage springtime film: davehillonlondon.substack.com/p/on-london-....

Tactical voting is now a growing feature of the landscape, and so as well as our normal voting intention we track negative voting intention (who would Britons vote AGAINST): 🌹Lab 35% (+1) ➡️ Ref 32% (-6) 🌏 Green 11% (+4) 🌳 Con 7% (-) 🐦‍ LD 5% (+2) changes w/ Mar 2025

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PODCAST 🎙️ May 2026 elections: What are the implications for local government reorganisation? @matthewfright.bsky.social travels across the home counties to find out how a changed political landscape will shape local government reorganisation www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

Join me on July 7-9 for an intensive online 3-day Code Craft training workshop. Learn foundational technical practices that accelerate feedback loops, shrink lead times and improve release reliability - with and without AI. codemanship.co.uk/codecraft.html

That's the same City Hall Conservatives who choose to be lead by Susan Hall. inews.co.uk/news/politic...

I wrote for the FT. And yes, I do slightly pinch myself writing that!

Great deep dive analysis here of this month's local elections by @hannahbunting.bsky.social and @joelysantacruz.bsky.social for Sky News: news.sky.com/story/are-re...

Here’s how you get a potential Burnham win: - Unite left bloc - Win non-ideological voters who want delivery, change, representation of area - identity - Win some who think only Reform represents change, esp. on economics! - Hope the right bloc splinters more - High turnout election

I really don’t want to get all plasticbag.org/archives/2006/04/is_the_pace_of_change_really_such_a_shock/ for the second time in a week, but it is amazing the “content” publishers did nothing more than employ SEO guessperts when most of this was absolutely inevitable www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/resear...

Clause One Socialism www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

New Swingometer! The Makerfield by-election: High risk, high return. I take a look at the seat on which this Parliament turns open.substack.com/pub/swingome...

Are private members' bills a good way for MPs to decide on difficult policy issues? On Thursday 4 June, an expert panel will draw on the lessons from the assisted dying bill and other PMBs to consider how backbench MPs should approach complex issues. 📺@drhannahwhite.bsky.social tells us more

Thrilled that @policycamp.bsky.social, a one-day unconference for policy practitioners, is happening! - Thursday 23 July, 1000-1630 - University College London Apply for tickets now: policycamp.org.uk A massive thank you to everyone who helped shape our thinking. Please share widely!

Product teams at a $6.5B retailer were missing deadlines, engineers quit, and funding was cut 40%. Focus for the win: 12 initiatives to 5, decision framework, and data-driven culture. Product releases went from 1x/quarter to 2x/month. https://link.testdouble.com/1f52f2

OpenAI's claim that this is a central conjecture in discrete geometry is not an exaggeration. This will I think be looked back on as the first time that AI solved a major mathematics problem (defined as a problem that all experts in some subfield had thought about). openai.com/index/model-...

Barnet stays red as Tories agree deal with Labour It means the borough's only Green councillor has been frozen out of power https://barnetpost.co.uk/2026/05/20/barnet-stays-red-as-tories-agree-deal-with-labour/

AI resist list just launched! AIresistlist.org

Burham's path to leader looks increasingly uncertain. Whilst popular in YouGov polls he needs to win Makerfield decisively and then ensure the GMCA is retained by a large margin if he is to show he's the answer in 2029. www.newstatesman.com/politics/pol...

"Massive gamble" | Newsnight presenters discuss Andy Burnham's "coup" and Keir Starmer's authority #Newsnight www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OcqiLE_ffs

A Radical Approach to Long Term Software | @stevesmithtech.bsky.social 📽️ AVAILABLE NOW Watch HERE ➡️ youtu.be/qZPxU_pUy3M

For the next 4 years all eyes will be on those wards where a by-election is a possibility.

🙄 barnetpost.co.uk/2026/05/19/b...

Another TDD workshop for self-funding learners this evening is sold out, like the first 2. Just 2 more coming before I wrap them up: Saturday May 23rd - 09:45 BST Tuesday June 2nd - 18:45 BST www.tickettailor.com/events/codem...

It's neither. The reason that local government cannot do the basics is a simple, but painful and politically difficult problem: getting social care costs off the back of local government. And we all, frankly know what the four solutions to the social care problem are, they're just hard.

The election results showed how Labour's electoral coalition has fractured. I've written for @labourlist.bsky.social on the lessons we must learn, and how we can bring the coalition back together. www.labourlist.org/2026/05/fabi...

Bracing start to the morning as two guys behind me on the train segue seamlessly from discussing the building job they are doing in Golders Green to antisemitic conspiracy theories. Apparently, Edward I has the right idea, it’s a shame Cromwell let them back in, but it’s mainly Keir Starmer’s fault.

Is Social Media Manipulation Altering What We Think and Comment? luma.com/campaign-mw9l