Simon Cope

"first genuinely fan-governed football club" - I guess they didn't bother doing much research before making such a bold claim.

That's a great resource, thanks for sharing.

Who said anything about asking for crumbs from the table? I actually agree with your point about cycling infrastructure - it needs a wholesale change in attitude, a proper commitment in investment that would bring massive societal returns.

No, I did not. You are deliberately misconstruing what I have written. And to top it off you're now just making up my points of view for me. Please don't do that.

Think harder. You're assuming that everyone who attends parkrun is physically active enough to add on another 4 miles of walking/running to the actual 3 miles of the parkrun itself. I was one of those people once. 5k would wipe me out.

You really can't see it can you? This approach is just counter-productive. Being a self-righteous indignant twat just doesn't help convince people of your cause.

And no, my take is definitely not "mustn't ruffle feathers". Please debate in good faith otherwise we are done here.

Again, seeing as you are being deliberately obtuse: not "excuses". I offered up some reasons for people doing what they do. Without looking at why, you will not change behaviour. Your approach of berating people leads to entrenched positions.

Yeah, but you wouldn't let it lie, would you. So here we are.

Again, I wasn't "making excuses" (and you know it, but that's the way you choose to debate); read back through my posts.

I'm being critical of your approach. I'm all for reducing our dependency on cars, and for increasing active travel. But your method is counterproductive. Please, use your energy to change infrastructure for the better, rather than bashing individuals.

Careful you don't fall off your high horse. I presume, given that you are being so profoundly judgemental, that you make no "unnecessary" journeys at all? I see you've moved on from just gatekeeping parkrun, to gatekeeping all travel now. Address systemic problems, not the users stuck in it.

Tell me you've never heard of Viz without directly telling me you've never heard of Viz...🤣🤣🤣

I'm not inventing anything, and not excusing anything either. You seem to have a little trouble actually reading what I am posting. Anyway, we're not progressing here, so I'll leave you to shout into the void at parkrunners if you feel that's the way forward. Bye.

Of course it would be better for everyone if more people made more of their journeys via foot/bike. I'm not arguing against that. I'm pointing out that there are barriers that prevent people from choosing to do so. Fixing it shouldn't start with bashing a group of people who are trying to get fit.

For someone who claims to be not gatekeeping, you seem to be doing an awful lot of, erm, gatekeeping. So according to you nobody can travel by car in order to exercise? And yes, storing any car (why are you obsessed with SUV's?) is a damn sight easier than securing an unattended bicycle.

Plus of course the "why not buy a bike" is a ridiculously simplistic approach. People choose not to bike for all sorts of reasons. Primarily it will be safety given the attitude of so many drivers towards cyclists. Plus - more mundanely - lack of secure storage at destination.

Lots of people drive in order to attend all sorts of gatherings, be it for exercise or purely pleasure. I'm not sure why people doing parkrun should be singled out here for doing something "terrible". Sure, we should be encouraging active travel for shorter journeys. But blaming isn't the right way.

Why do you think some people might drive a couple of miles to go for a run? Are we into gatekeeping exercise now!?

⏳Final week to sign up to the Green Party.

🗳️ Vote for Bold Leadership on August 1st.

Andy Burnham: These Dangerous, Alienating Times Call for Radical Change of Our Politics From imposter syndrome and proportional representation, to fixing the fundamentals and the 'incestuous' Westminster media-political class – Labour’s Greater Manchester Mayor believes the right can be ...

"First Past the Post has encouraged a focus on ‘Mondeo man’ – the idea that there’s a small number of constituencies needed to be won. That’s a reductive mentality. Politics has to be about everyone, everywhere."

Well put, @andyburnham.bsky.social.💯

No constituency or voter should be left behind.

On the flip side, plenty of big cranes to look at 😆

More like medium term pain...road under line near us is shut for 6 months, and now for another 3 as work is overrunning. After that, Calder Road by Ravensthorpe station to be closed for 9 months...

Swap houses for a bit? The daily piling noises are rather tedious now. 🙄

High water bills, filthy rivers – and now drought. This is England's great artificial water crisis of 2025 | George Monbiot In its refusal to nationalise water, it’s clear the government operates in the interests of private capital and not of the country, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

How do you ensure a nation fails to cope with drought? Privatise its water system.

Almost everyone wants our water renationalised. Almost everyone, that is, except the government.

This week's column.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Petition: Fund a National Climate Resilience Plan: protect communities from climate impact From floods to extreme temperatures, climate impacts risk damaging homes, health, businesses, services, and the economy. We want Government to prioritise adaptation; fund a new Resilience Plan that wo...

As we head into the 3rd heatwave of the summer, *please* take just 2 moments to sign this petition calling on government to help our communities adapt & prepare for the impacts of #climate change. We are not safe — we need to be #SAFER @climatemajority.bsky.social

This column does not express support for Palestine Action – here’s why | Owen Jones In Britain’s increasingly authoritarian society, any sort of protest can find itself at odds with the law. You might even go to jail, says Guardian columnist Owen Jones

This column does not express support for Palestine Action – here’s why | Owen Jones

Feeling scared? Like immigrants are invading your land, taking your jobs, committing heinous crimes, and living a life of luxury on your taxes? I get that. You've seen the headlines, the shares, the "truth-tellers" on your feed.
Strange, though, isn't it? 🧵

Palestine Action isn’t a danger to British democracy – but this repressive government is | George Monbiot With their illiberal attitudes and ever more draconian use of technology to crack down on protest, it is ministers who now imperil our rights, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

One of the astonishing aspects of our times is that once-progressive parties are rushing us towards dystopia almost as fast as the far right is. This week's column is about what we might now face and how to contest it.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Do you have a list of the others please?

This is why HS2 into Manchester - not a half-arsed attempt that stops in the middle of nowhere outside Birmingham - was needed. More capacity is urgently required on the West Coast Main Line. HS2 would have delivered that.