morag

Look, I know all the reasons we got here, but we really need to start seriously thinking about what we do in a world where The Markets punish whole countries for voting for decency, compassion, and fairness. We must stop pretending the capitalist machine is an objective, value neutral force.

Dark times ahead folks, you can feel it in your bones. Be thinking about what you want to be able to say you did when.

Just a reminder for anybody who's forgotten (you knew once, I promise; you just forgot) that Wichita Lineman, by Jimmy Webb and sung by Glenn Campbell, is the best song ever written.

The Haunting of Avis Lovelock is now out in paperback, ebook, and audiobook from @solarisbooks. Join Avis and the other passengers of the Excambion as they undertake a transatlantic crossing full of ghosts, mysterious lights on the water, and hidden secrets... Get your copy today! geni.us/avisl

Well our book launch got cancelled due to a lack of ticket sales and I didn't get the job that would've saved me from redundancy. Can I go back to bed for the rest of the week plz?

Got a new book out today, from Penguin no less. (Splasher, by Billie Host, in all good and probably also bad bookshops now.) Also just been at a trade union rally because the uni we both work at wants to needlessly cut hundreds more jobs, including mine. So a day of ups and downs.

Oh cool cool cool now the fact the US has a barbaric healthcare system is going to kill like 300k people in England alone and probably hasten the death of the NHS god I hate it here. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Not fair that this happened to Buttigieg, but yes, sure, there are vulnerable adults who have a worse time with CPS. But those kids are the age you start making real memories. One of their earliest memories will now be a stranger interrogating them over whether their dad abused them. A new low.

I'm sure this joke has been made already but what happens when these boys get home and their mum/wife/gf/flatmate is waiting for them, hands on hips, like "oh so ye can tidy up efter yersel', eh?"

As certain demographics of the SFF scene clamour to throw their hats in the ring (in jest or otherwise), I am still here asking when oh when oh when will Doctor Who finally hire Meera Syal as showrunner? We've been waiting decades at this point.

Haahahaahahaha what the fuck?

Another @cymerafestival.co.uk, another "Mo is a buffoon in front of a famous author" story. Relatedly @stephengrahamjones.com, due to a complex set of circumstances upon which I do not care to elaborate, might think my name is Jitney Downpipe.

Maybe not the system I'd want in an ideal world, but tbh I'm not sure we're mature enough for full PR. AV delivers the least bad candidate in the majority's opinion - an extremism killer. Not exciting, but way less undemocratic than FPTP.

Are people getting worse at being in a cinema? I stg the number of people in a tiny theatre who couldn't sit still through a movie. The girl next to me kept checking her phone. Anyway Backrooms was entertaining. VERY good second act. Didn't quite stick the landing but what does.

D'you remember. D'you remember, right. D'you remember when we were all arguing over whether someone had the right to discriminate against a marginalised group? Those were the days. Now we'd just quite like the option to not be FORCED to discriminate whether we want to or not.

This government has the power to change the law so it makes any sort of sense. They are repeatedly choosing not to. Their hands are NOT tied. Remember that. Make them own it. This is #LaboursBathroomBan

Another day, another u-turn and it's like why even bother then.

The more weird shit I read about the strange trends and comorbidities of the human body the more I think maybe they had it right back in the day with The Humours and we've been unnecessarily complicating everything ever since.

AGAIN AGAIN LOUDER LOUDER

How to heal the psychic damage from reading The Memory Police

I (M) decided to join with @birdwhisperers.bsky.social but couldn't pick a single medium. E did another lovely watercolour she'll hopefully post later. The golden whistler is a wee cutie! #birdwhisperer

Have been off the internet all day mostly sorry here is the obligatory Labour gif.

The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.

Just called this a hot take, then deleted it in case it's actually not, really. But anyway, an argument I anticipate having a bunch in the next year: Pluribus isn't a working allegory for AI at all and if you think it is you misunderstand either AI, the themes of the show, or both.

Parent-of-autistic-child-who-wrote-a-memoir-about-it jump scare, but this is good. A missing piece as usual is that folk who might not've met official diagnostic criteria for ADHD 25 years ago now do because modern life is increasingly designed to break us. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

TODAY is the last day you can post your ballot and be pretty sure of it reaching head office.

REMINDER FOR MY FRIENDS IN UK ACADEMIA If you're Unison, Unite, UCU, EIS, PLEASE POST YOUR BALLOT BACK by tomorrow. We're balloting for amounts to a general strike in HE. This EXISTENTIAL for the sector. Please, please get your vote in as we need to make quorum.

What the hell man.

That can't be right; I heard Scotland was a drain on the UK economy...

For anybody seeking context on this one: this policy on its face would result in the deportation of my wife, who has been living in Scotland for 17 years, is married to a Scot, shares the mortgage on a house, and works in a university. Lots of perfectly comfortable people earn < £38k.

We should probably post an update about our various authorly goings on but here have this naval gazing instead. (Subscribe to our newsletter for more stuff and nonsense.)

An utter lack of humanity. Skimmed the comments on a Torygraph article of all things, a Brit writing that a theoretical ILR scrap would break up her family. Bot and human alike: "Deport them all then." That's me. That's my family. But rather than challenge, Labour panders. Weathervanes, every one.

Tfw you realise belatedly that you've dressed like an extra from Man In The High Castle...

Nobody actually cares about this for their own sake, Keir. Nobody is actually personally worried about this. You know why? Because it's not a real problem. When will you stop dancing to Farage's vicious racist little tune and start paying attention to the stuff that matters?

Finally made it to a Worldcon panel I'm not on. Female panelist: [after being asked about romantasy by the moderator] Romantasy has its place but I don't really read it. Old dude panelist: When you say Romantasy has its place that sets off subversive thoughts for me. Slavery has its place. Welp.

Some good insights in Ian's article but let's be clear here: there are LOADS of progressive male influencers trying to promote nontoxic masculinity online; they just get zero traction compared to extreme grievance media. The issue is the algo, not that there's nobody promoting these messages.

Friendly reminder that as of Theresa May's Snooper's Charter YOU SHOULD ALREADY HAVE A VPN IF YOU LIVE IN THE UK. If you don't, the second best time to get one is now. There are lots of good ones and at least one will have a sale on right now.

I know what you're thinking but let me answer your question with a question: why don't YOU have a deer skull in your back garden?

Required reading.