John Holmes

Greens gain second Greenwich councillor after ex-Labour member signs up - The Greenwich Wire The Green Party has gained a second councillor in Greenwich after a former Labour member joined their ranks with four months to go until the next election.

Excellent news @greenwich.greenparty.org.uk 💚
greenwichwire.co.uk/2026/01/07/g...

How is it that one of the lifts at the Woolwich Foot Tunnel has been out of service since August 2022?
I'm sure if it were a fault in a vehicle crossing it would have been fixed sooner @greenwichgreens.bsky.social
www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/parking-tran...

That said I do think the fact we fought hard did contribute to the Reform vote topping out at 16%

Green Party's Tamasin Rhymes wins Shooters Hill by-election - The Greenwich Wire The Green Party has its first ever councillor in Greenwich after Tamasin Rhymes won the Shooters Hill by-election.

Having worked on the ground on this campaign I really appreciate your congratulations, but the circumstances here were very local and more about Labour contempt for local people than a specific anti-Reform vote. See greenwichwire.co.uk/2025/06/27/l...

To be honest I think all is to play for especially if you have the resources to run a good campaign. I don't think pre-existing ideas of who voted for who apply now

Labour’s strategy seems to be trying to scare progressive voters into voting tactically to keep out Reform UK. This failed in Thursday’s by-election in Shooters Hill ward (Greenwich) where the Greens gained the ward on a huge swing.

Having worked on the ground on this campaign the idea it will 'flip back' is completely off the mark. Our victory was won with a brilliant local candidate countering the contempt for local voters that Greenwich Labour had shown. That will not be forgotten by next May.

I hope whoever thought this leaflet was a good idea is having a moment of reflection today.

Our
@greenwichgreens.bsky.social campaign wins in Shooters Hill and the voters didn't fall for the idea this national poll applied at a local level.

Despite everything going on in the world right now, it's nice to be genuinely surprised by a very insignificant thing. Such as discovering that Conor Gallagher now plays for Atletico Madrid.

Some words from MLK Jr to consider as the tech oligarchy cements its power

www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/martin-lut...

Fellow journos covering "AI": Please don't do their PR for them! "Virtual employees" is a harmful anthropomorphism in that it (a) is false; (b) confuses readers about the emerging technology and inaccurately lends human attributes like agency, accountability, etc.; and (c) harms humans in real jobs.

Well Done, Mummy Penguin was a lovely winter show at The Albany, Deptford today. Three year old was captivated.

Well done, The Albany and ARC Stockton...

A little more conversation, a little less data? Elvis Presley famously argued for: “A little less conversation, a little more action.” That’s all very well, but he wasn’t in the process of writing a place-based cultural strategy.

"Too narrow a focus on data means we miss out on some of the richness we need to make strategic decisions".

My case for a 'little more conversation, a little less data' in arts and heritage.

#artsmarketing #artsstrategy

www.linkedin.com/pulse/little...

YouTube video by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark OMD - Stanlow [Live with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra]

This week Theatre Porto introduced me to Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark's gothic hymn to Stanlow, their local oil refinery in refinery in Ellesmere Port.

And what a recording this is with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xevq...

#EllesmerePort #Stanlow

Shared parental leave ‘failing working families’ The government is reviewing the policy but campaigners say the current system is

The key line here is "those eligible receive £184.03 a week or 90% of their average earnings, whichever is lower" - so if you take Shared Parental Leave, you have to live on less than half the weekly pay of the National Living (Minimum) Wage #sharedparentalleave
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

What the World Needs: A Fairer Funding Model for Heritage Projects In a world where preserving our heritage is increasingly important, the need for fair and accessible funding for heritage projects is critical. The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) provides an in...

"It can make smaller organisations feel as though they cannot show as much impact as larger organisations... even when they are delivering significant benefits to their communities."
Vital reflections on heritage funding from my Flying Geese colleague Sarah Glover.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-w...

I've loved getting to know #EllesmerePort in my recent work, especially running activities from Theatre Porto's ice cream van.
If you live in Ellesmere Port I'd be really grateful if you could complete and share this survey about arts and culture in the town.
www.surveyhero.com/c/3rwxbd9u

Princes Street Gardens looking to the Scott Monument and Balmoral Hotel. Spectacular. #edinburgh

Chat GPT wants you to work while Open Source AI wants you to have some fun This month I’ve seen a trend where people ask ChatGPT to give one word answers to relatively sophisticated questions. They then treat the answers like it is some sort of wisdom - as if it were the Ora...

"Chat GPT wants you to work while Open Source AI wants you to have some fun."

A few musings on one-word Chat GPT answers and treating Chatbots as sources of wisdom.

#chatgpt #huggingchat #epicurus

www.linkedin.com/pulse/chat-g...

Kelvingrove, sunny September #glasgow

Image shows Glasgow Cathedral against a blue sky

Glasgow Cathedral, the most underrated of Britain's Cathedrals?