Paul Cotterill

Small point, but the last time AFAIK anyone marked the embittered end of their political life by prophetically claiming that the sceptered isle of UK would have owned Mars if it hadn't been for those pesky bond market parchments, it was John of Gaunt in Act II of Richard II, by that Shakespeare lad.

Reform promise to legalize imperial measurements, I see. Anyway, here's the headline response to the Johnson government's consultation on legalizing imperial measurements #fingeronthepulse

I know nothing of either Serbia or Brazil, so bear with me till around 7.45am for me to become an expert then stand by for some hot takes.

This is v stupid from Plaid, but it does at least highlight the need for mass grid decentralization, and the relatively simple regulatory and billing model changes needed to max out the energy generation that never needs to go near either a pylon or underground cable. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I have found myself, on pavements and buses, consciously smiling and saying 'morning' to careworkers etc, precisely I think because I look like a gammon and feel compelled to give the tacit message that the racists are still not the majority.

This even overshadows my failure to record properly the gift of a bottle of wine from a grateful constituent in 2008, which still haunts me.

My youtube while-I-work music playing machine algorithm has decided that Mozart is Europop.

Don't take that much interest in international football but this is totally shambolic. Where's the defence? Surely Tuchel must go.

In terms of both writing style and steadfastness of character, Sally Rooney and Doris Lessing are the same person, aren't they?

Nice to see both tests (Aius vs SA and Bang vs Afg) now likely going to final session of final day, with both chasing side six wickets down, both 200+ needed but both still in with a glimmer. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricke... Old school.

Dear BBC Asylum is not a system. It is a principle. Reform are just calling it a system for political purpose. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

As noted the other day, a key bit of Reform's strategy now appears to be to redefine asylum as a scheme or system rather than a principle.

Fun thing is that, by dint of me being treasurer to the UK Chapter of the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons when it was collectively awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017, I'm actually around 0.00000001% more of a winner of it than Trump. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Quite the win by West Indies there www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricke... Chasing down 250 in less than 19 overs

Actually, re my last tweet, this is a much more gracious reaction than the TV thing as reported. Fair do's.

Small thing, and he's not along in doing this, but this comes across as quite graceless. He could have said something about Sagal Abdi-Wali being a very good candidate with a track record in local govt, and wishing her well in her new role.

It's weird how, given the growth of e-bikes, if you want a decent tyre for an old bike, it's now nearly as cheap just to buy a garage-stored second hand bike off F'book marketplace than to go and buy a new tyre.

Quick note on the Conversation about Social Care, and whether it's less human conversation, more AI.

You can't secure a potential investment, because secure means secure and potential means not yet secure www.bbc.co.uk/sport/golf/a...

Can't find any reasonable answer to this, other than a) the BBC doesn't know what it's talking about; or b) Mountbatten-Windsor's lawyers don't know what they're talking about.

It's instructive that the ear/y/mid 21st century electoral threat to two party politics in the UK may be brought low by the two great early/mid 20th century tragedies and their emotive legacies, but in reverse: Reform will be seen as too close to Russia, and the Greens too close to the Nazis.

I see the BBC has now dropped the quote marks for 'grooming gangs' in deference to the far right The correct term, as per Louise Casey's 2025 report, is 'Group-based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I work from home a lot more now, and radio 3 is my staple. There is a 3pm Evensong every day, and I wonder how many people apparently concerned about the loss of their beloved Christian Britain listen and treasure this of state support.

I see the AI slop is having trouble keeping up with who the party leaders are. Doesn't stop loads of comments just accepting it (though many of course will be bots themselves, I suppose). Anyway, I look forward to the important party TUV being part of the coalition.

The link between electricity and gas prices has already begun to break - and the government can take some credit for that... www.nesta.org.uk/blog/the-ene...

This is v good from @liverpoolpost.bsky.social www.livpost.co.uk/postcode-lot... Might not be anyone under 25 on Bluesky of course (I miss out by a few months) but it's still good.

Hare coursing is horrible, but I would still be amused if it turned out that this is what the five Londoners at the US airbase were up to,

Well, that's a horrible cricket season over. Lancashire finish second bottom of division 2 after a bright start, and I just can't feel it getting better next season.

I wonder what the assessment process will be like for seeing if you have had help from the "bank of mum and dad" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Just coming to terms with idea that if Manchester City hadn't cheated bigly, Blackpool would have beaten them in October 2010, we'd have then gone on to win the Premier League, and history would be different.

The window 2 Sustainable Farming Incentive 'first come first serve' approach, weighted to big farms with full time office staff, is a total cock up by the govt. They've had 2 years to make it more equitable. Nobody on Bluesky seems to have noticed, oddly.

The opening then 'full up' closing of the Sustainable Farming Incentive funding application 'window' within 6 hours of each other, when most small farmers were out, erm, farming, does seem bizarrely Whitehallish. Presumably this loaded the dice in favour of large farms with full-time admin staff.