NT

Not allowing job seekers to spend their dole money on beer and cigs sounds like a good idea, but the costs of setting up, administering a scheme and compensating supermarkets, who presumably would have to enforce it would surely cost far more than the £538m saving the lower rate would represent.

Summer has ended. And with the harvest in, I thought it a good to time to review J. L. Carr's 'A Month in the Country'. I don't normally review fiction, so I hope you enjoy. #Booksky #BookReviews

The range of things people think the law should intervene to regulate is genuinely bizarre, and frankly a little sinister.

The British government may have to seek the support of the Iranian government instead. At least they have won a war recently. #Trump

I'm still to hear an explanation (compelling or otherwise) for the UK spending and equal % of GDP on defence as France yet having a significantly fewer troops and a navy which barely functions. Regardless of how much should be spent on defence, it is clear that the MOD is disastrously, inefficient.

This is an interesting and, quite sinister, approach to press regulation. Mr Polanski links us too entirely sensible proposals to further press regulation. Yes he suggests that the reason he favours a new regulatory approach is that the press says things he disagrees with or a critical of him.

Fully behind restricting this but also really want to try ‘black-ear pastrami’

Just embrace it

Whenever life seems dull and grey, whoever the monotony of existence gets to me, the latest judgement in Bridgend v Hancock will drop and all will be well again.

Every line in a PG Wodehouse novel is the greatest line in English Literature.

This may well be true, but I’m sure hardcore porn has a broader appeal than UFC. I’m not sure we should be doing that on the White House lawn either.

This is a genuinely bizarre and cynical invocation of feminism. Nicola Sturgeon claims she didn’t notice that her husband had trousered nearly half a million quid from the party she was leader of. This is borderline incredible. Pointing this out is in no way sexist.

This is #Starmer's strongest argument: There are costs associated with changing PM at the drop of a hat. Changing PM to increase the chances of you holding your seat at the next election is to put your personal interest above the national interest.

This is a perfect example of why these people aren’t serious. The Democrats have no route to removing Trump. An impeachment would merely be symbolic. Politics of symbolism is for those for whom politics doesn’t matter, and is therefore a game. The world doesn’t need people who play politics for fun

Easter book review!! As in a book review at Easter, not a review of a book about Easter. Anyway, Turner and Constable have both turned 250. Lets look back at their 'rivalry'. #Booksky #BookReviews #Art

2009 would like its news back.

President Trump has criticized Europe for staying on the sidelines in the Iran war. But many European countries are quietly playing a crucial supporting role. www.wsj.com/world/europe...

Periodically the algorithm reminds me of how good this is…

Just to think, if things had been but a little different they could have been accepting this accolade from Peter Mandelson.

Really enjoyed this. www.deadlanguagesociety.com/p/how-far-ba...

A fascinating deep dive into the lead-up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. No indication, as GOP often claims, that Biden’s chaotic exit from Afghanistan encouraged Putin to act. It suggests Putin had decided to invade in early 2020–ie before the U.S. pullout. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

Paris under the Second Empire was a truly mad place…

This is a sign that Trump is seriously concerned about Starmer falling and is looking to give him a good news story.

This is worse than pathetic. The constant drum beat of economic nationalism from the French government around rearmament shows them to not be serious in the face of Russian aggression.

Sunday, 18th January 2026 #Wordle 1,674 4/6 A very niche word. I’m guessing, like me, most would have only got this through the brute force method of trying letters systematically. 🟩⬛⬛🟨⬛ 🟩🟨🟨⬛⬛ 🟨🟨⬛⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Saturday, 17th January 206 Wordle 1,673 2/6 Another flukey two. 🟩🟩⬛🟩🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Tuesday, 13th January 2026 Wordle 1,669 6/6 Lots of yellow and a very American word. ⬛⬛⬛🟨⬛ 🟨🟨🟨⬛⬛ ⬛🟨⬛🟨🟨 🟨🟨⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Why? Do the army do plumbing? Why do we regard the army as a reserve labour force which can be put to any use rather than what thy are, a professional force trained for war fighting?

Right, that’s the moral #ashes in the bag. I think we can chalk that one up as a win.

Thursday, 8th January 2026 Wordle 1,664 2/6 A rare two! 🟨⬛🟩⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Friday, 2nd January 2026 #Wordle 1,658 5/6 Only greens today. ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟩🟩⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

The Winner Reads It All. My best (and worst) #books of 2025. #Booksky

If you are a genuine free speech warrior you defend the rights people you disagree with especially when they say disgusting things. If you only care about the free speech of those who agree with you, you don’t really care about free speech.

A new Christmas #BookReview. Echoing Greens - Brendan Cooper Tarmac Warrior - Billy Cribb. #Booksky

None of this is happening. Merry Christmas.

The police in the UK are getting completely out of hand. There is no reasonable interpretation of the law by which saying ‘globalise the intifada’ can be considered hate speech.

Monday, 15th December 2025 #Wordle 1,640 5/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟩⬛🟩⬛ ⬛🟩⬛🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Terrible start, but only greens.

Monday, 8th December 2025 #Wordle 1,633 4/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛🟩⬛⬛ ⬛🟩🟩🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 A nice green pyramid.

Wednesday, 3rd December 2025 #Wordle 1,628 6/6 🟨⬛🟨⬛🟨 🟨🟨🟨🟨⬛ ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Pet peeve: When Wordle rapidly descends into a game of guess a single letter and ceases to be a game of skill and becomes a game of chance.

Saturday, 29th November 2025 #Wordle 1,624 5/6 ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟩⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟩🟩🟨⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 The worst start ever.

Thursday, 27th November 2025 #Wordle 1,622 4/6 🟩⬛🟨⬛🟨 🟩🟨⬛🟨⬛ 🟩🟩⬛🟩⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Monday, 24th November 2025 #Wordle 1,619 3/6 🟩🟨⬛⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩⬛⬛ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Missed a day, streak back to zero.