Nick Gray

Can she turn her arm? Worth a shout.

Citizens of UK and commonwealth nations other than England are politely asked not to comment.

Maybe last orders at the last chance saloon.

If you had to pick one?

The first session tomorrow is the last chance saloon.

He's not had a brilliant season for Durham but if that's a big factor then don't take him to Australia. I get that he's on a central contract but surely that's sunk costs.

Leachy talking as if he's in the dressing room. Always a problem having current players as pundits

Not sure what Jacks is doing in this team. In what circumstances was he going to be bowling England to victory in a fourth innings at the Gabba?

And if Potts isn’t ever going to play then why bring him?

I’ll be delighted if this post makes me look a fool in a day or two.

When my son was three, he had unusually strong opinions on the Tesco/Spenhill redevelopment of Gateshead town centre.

Yes, just been looking and most of the horrifically big declarations were over here.

I had my eye on 350 in this innings – they’re daring me to hope again.

Are we heading for the classic ashes result where England bat first, get a not totally humiliating but below par score, followed by Australia declaring on 600 for 6?

At this point, it feels almost that Labour could double the state pension and the main reaction would be widespread anger that it was taxed.

Dr Mitchell said that in sneering at this fella, I'm perpetuating the idea that some people are better than others, adding to online bitterness, and that I'm the one who claims to be a structuralist.

All before seven thirty AM.

It's the kind of work that the EU regional money used to support (and then places tried to continue with the UK shared prosperity fund). We've got rid of all that though.

I'll be interested to see if the local 'getting Britain working' stuff involves more than waving a stick at people.

In the past, councils and cvs have been more creative than DWP's big contractors so I'm hopeful.

Ironically, isn't friends popularity partly about pre-digital nostalgia? Couched as a question because I don't know what young people think about anything.

My new attempt to trick fate is to pretend to myself I've given up and don't care.

Don't worry, it's not your fault. Me making the last minute decision to pay 33 quid for TNT sports basically handed the ashes to Australia.

Seems a bit dour. Apparently, I'm an Ellen Reid superfan.

Truth is, I listen to instrumental stuff when I'm working - vocals are distracting.

I don't want to make light of any of this, but he's sat looking all pan loafy intellectual in front of a shelf full of comics.

Tempted to go on twitter and ask if he's read them all. But won't.

Graphic novels is it? Aye, you're free to call your comics what you like.

I shouldn't make light of it, but he's sat looking intellectual in front of bookshelf full of comic books.

I can't say hashtag LevellingUp anymore, but then I don't fully undertand what Labour's regional policy is.

And it’s not necessarily that post 92s in peripheral towns will be hardest hit although they might be [checks pigeonhole for p45]. It’s more that those places don’t have as much other stuff.

If 400 jobs go at UCL then that’s obviously bad, but it’s not really going to dent the London economy.

I expect most people* will see these job losses as bad but it’s striking how this ongoing situation has almost gone under the radar. If it was 400 manufacturing jobs it would be leading the local news.

*outside of let-the-woke-go-broke radicalised reform activists

Yeah, it's possibly lost in the mists of time (for some people, not you) that the city council was supportive of castle leazes.

I keep reading that leazes park is earmarked but the club obviously doesn't own the park and it's not just a case of getting the council's agreement.

Craig Smith: The experience of Reform UK running councils shows that populism is not enough | Conservative Home Reform promised a revolution. What we have instead is a revolving door, a series of blunders, and councils struggling under the weight of inexperience.

A calm, conservative reflection on six months of Reform UK in local government.
conservativehome.com/2025/12/01/c...

First day of advent and I have decreed that you are now allowed to do Christmas stuff.

I've just heard Kylie Minogue with Iggy Pop doing a cover of Christmas Wrapping. It was crap.