incredible, incredible

Ppl who laud the Lords for being independent, expert, measured etc etc might direct their attention to two recentish debates - the debate over the proposed repeal of section 28 which formed part of the passage of the Local Gov Act 2000 and the 2018 debate on the conduct of Lord Lester

At the Smithfield Market Christmas Eve meat auction. Already a capacity crowd

Read this and thought, "oh, ha ha, it'll be a different Michael Crawford obviously" but no! It's the actual Michael Crawford you're thinking of

from one perspective this is true because trans women have always been women, they just had physical characteristics that were misaligned with this fact, and which were corrected by surgery and other medical interventions. So men aren't becoming women, or women men, at all!

ok, here's the answer - dismantle Hammersmith Bridge and re-erect it in Moray as a replacement for the Spey Viaduct

Ceefax, the Audit Commission, those anti-static strip that people used to fix to their car bumpers

This is a grim, dispiriting (but important) thread

21. Boxed the Ears of Some Low Down Heel Making Swell on Your Old Lady in a Trolley Car

(me pointing at an aspidistra) "how very orwellian"

Baffling and deeply frustrating for local residents that this issue will seemingly not be resolved until *two years* from the date of the original problem have passed greenwichwire.co.uk/2025/12/10/l...

Photo looks like Liam is a mid-80s incarnation of Doctor Who. Come to think of it I would have enjoyed seeing his interpretation in "Vengeance on Varos", I can see him playing well against Martin Jarvis

Free online learning event! The role of constitutions in democratic change 11:00-12:30 pm, Dec 17 Explore how to: - check that your constitution still reflects current practice, - remains easy to navigate, - and supports councillors in their role www.cfgs.org.uk/constitution...

You will be visited by three spirits

I'm a particular fan of the word "cleave" because it mean two completely opposite things at the same time

extremely funny

At CfGS Annual Conference 2026 we'll mark 25 years of overview and scrutiny, we’ll ask how governance and scrutiny can help shape the next 25 years of local democracy. Book before end of 31 December 2025 and save 20% Find out more: www.cfgs.org.uk/home/cfgs-an...

thanks LinkedIn, I really needed this today

I know people talk about the need for the railways to have a "directing mind", but I'm not sure that what they mean that the directing mind is "Peter Hendy directing which individual train services will and will not run"

Yep. So annoying when lobby journalists are like "So sorry, to explain this gossip about two cabinet ministers who hate each other we're going to have to talk about boring old policy. Uh-oh! Looks like these poindexters are going to use some numbers!"

just remembered that Sustrans has rebranded to "Walk Wheel Cycle Trust" and got irrationally angry

Intriguing text from my son's school "Multiple pairs of glasses have been handed in. If your child is missing their glasses, please come pick them up from the office."

We're looking for a Senior Governance Consultant to join our team, as we deliver more of our governance and scrutiny services to local government. If this sounds like you, then follow the link to find a full job description and information on how you can apply.... www.cfgs.org.uk/join-cfgs-se...

gilt-y pleasures

in local government we require that papers be published five clear working days in advance of the formal debates where they'll be discussed, but what do I know! Perhaps having to wade through hundreds of pages of complex technical data while a debate is ongoing makes the process of scrutiny better

it's slightly on the nose to see video of a huge fire breaking out at the COP conference and a load of people just milling around ignoring it

just in case anyone wonders what it's like to redraft a Council's constitution

A welcome climbdown from Government on the rights of existing councils to continue to operate the committee system form of governance. Government amendments today provide a way for some councils to continue to operate committees (for a while, anyway) - will write something more detailed later

don't usually make overtly political posts for obvious reasons (and this shouldn't be an overtly political point, really!), but feel compelled to say that this may be the most grotesque three sentences to ever find their into an actual White Paper

Important to bear in mind that the longer the delay the longer a 20+ year full decant is required

I regularly post about politics online but I buck this behavioural characteristic because my heart is black as pitch and I pay no heed to the suffering and misery of my fellow man

But what about Police and Crime Panels, I hear you say? (1/)

Mannequin 2: On The Move Carry On Columbus Blue Ice (Michael Caine and Sean Young, if you've forgotten) Critters 4

Imagining the big security conference at the Louvre and everyone agreeing to change the network password to "Louvre1"

this is a great example of the central problem that afflicts the British state, and critiques of it - we are great at diagnosis (the BBC's editorial processes and its responses to criticism are feeble!) but crap at imagining and delivering change that might improve things (1/)

Not sure who does the playlist for Co-op instore radio but they're an indie kid in their mid 40s because we've just had "Going for Gold" by Shed Seven immediately followed by "Girl From Mars" by Ash, I was half-expecting Mark and Lard to come on

Walking up the road past a big line of traffic, some idiot gets impatient and pulls out, driving up the road on the wrong side and trying to push in at the lights. Two unmarked police cars peel out of the queue, blue lights on, to give chase. Lovely stuff

Weekend at Bernini's, or something

Funny that in Back to the Future II, Biff Tannen, the antagonist and Trump proxy, has demolished Hill Valley's courthouse and erected a huge casino on the site, and that plot point always felt a bit heavy handed

personally I would get Mel and Sue to present Strictly. Or for a slightly different but no less late-90s vibe, Lee and Herring

to all the other different governance models - autocracy, democracy, kleptocracy etc - we must now add "caseyocracy", or "government directed entirely by Louise Casey"

Can't believe that Faisal Islam writes a long read for the BBC News website about price fluctuations of frozen concentrated orange juice and doesn't mention these guys

when you book a visit from a BT engineer, you still get a splash page reminding you about COVID precautions

My favourite thing about Murder She Wrote is how when there's a scene in a public/semi-public place (newspaper office, police station, hotel lobby) there are always way too many extras engaging in way too much background activity, it's v funny and once you notice it you can't unsee it

I only accept the Red Dwarf explanation as canon - that is, JFK was assassinated by himself

2007

"Mission accomplished", one might say

@katebevan.com I wasn't sure if you'd done this one yet