Alan Pennie

Tariffs are an invention of the devil.

As Spike so memorably said, "I don't like to gloat (who am I kidding? I love to gloat.)"

Emerson, Lake, and Piss.

Not great, not terrible, in a non - ironic way (and also in an ironic way).

Who would have believed in the last years of the twentieth century that the minds of pensioners,completely scrambled by Right - wing memes, would draw up plans for domestic terrorism?

Again I'm reminded of Samuel Butler, "I wish I liked Schumann's music more than I do. I daresay I could like it more if I tried. But I don't like things I have to try to like. I like things I like straight off, and no trying at all."

Happy Bilbo's Birthday!

Never bright confident Sheeran again.

Michael Moorcock would just love this thread.

I suppose the entirely wrong idea that there was something called *The Schlieffen Plan* is a dragon that will never be slain. Oh well!

*Erewhon* is a book that only SF writers (and EM Forster, who did write SF but isn't famous for that) have read.

I know! Let's elect Billy Mumy from *It's a Good Life*.

Sure they were very bad in many ways, but Durham Cathedral absolutely rocks.

Make a band bigger. The Alabama 33

If wizards can't nix gunpowder weapons they're no good.

It was in the reign of Hitler that these people lived and quarrelled. God or bad, handsome or ugly, rich or poor, they are all equal now.

*Don't Look Now* remains an unusual film, in more ways than one.

To boldly go where only - too - many Blueskyers have gone before.

Film directors are a bit like generals commanding armies. They have to deal with a great deal of friction and somehow make something coherent out of a lot of disparate elements.

I'll carry on summer childing if that's ok with you.

Ruin a book adding a word: Brandon Flowers in the Attic

Dracula: You do realise I've been signing autographs for well over 100 years now? It does seem a day too much.

It takes a lot to laugh, It takes a lift to cry.

Goodbye and thank you Sir Keir! You weren't very good but you carried on The King's Government...

I rarely post about *the big issues of the day* because no one in particular will care what I think about them.

"They're going wild", the call came in, At early morning predawn then...

Here's a #HigherEducationPostcard of the old Royal Navel College, which now houses @uniofgreenwich.bsky.social and Trinity Laban too Also used as a location in Thor: The Dark World If you like this image, I’d really appreciate a repost - remember, BlueSky has #NoAlgorithm

Penelope Keith. Ice Queen of my heart.

"The notion that all the evil in the world is down to individual wickedness is deeply buried in Left - wing thought." (Orwell). Maybe it's the lack of a tragic sense. I dunno.

They were acting on exactly the same *no taxation without representation* principles as the American colonists a few years early. Go bolshy aristos!

TIL that the original *epigones* were the sons of the seven Argive champions who attacked seven - gated Thebes during a succession dispute following the death of Oedipus. The sons could think of nothing better to do with their lives than to attack Thebes again. Isn't that interesting?

"You would be a peasant in ze gutter", as my father's old teacher used to say (he may have wished his class still were)

I think we can be pretty certain that the guys at The Vatican aren't idiots.

Not to be confused with New Great Bulgaria or Old Not - so - great Bulgaria.

Free owls are out. Free ships in bottles are in.

Glad we've cleared that up.

Who would win, Behemoth or Puss - in - boots?

"Suddenly the days before him and behind him seemed to stand, Bare and barren, fixed and fruitless, as those leagues of naked sand When St Michael's deep sinks outward to the bleak horizon bound..."

I am certainly part of the *everyone*. This is simply the nature of social media.

As though to speak shit dialogue were life...

Days of Wine and Roses and Grogu.

I smoked in the 90s and it was divine Though other people sometimes called me a swine...

What if the gunman was one of us? Hates the press - pack like one of us...

The worst Trek movie imo. Though some people would probably rate *Nemesis* or *Into Darkness* lower.

One good thing to be said about the Soviets is that they sent the girls to school.

It's bad to throw ambassadors down wells and good children shouldn't copy this behaviour.

The Easter tradition of writing *Claims that Easter was originally pagan are bullshit* articles. This respect for tradition is comforting.

Henceforth a series of new time began, The mighty years in long procession ran...

Oh no! He typed *breaking*. Doing that seems to invite the death penalty this weekend.