Owen Jackson

My first assumption was some new hell for England's ODI side...

More blyat than brat

The companies create the market of ideas and good people, who then move around and move things forward, all while the big state-backed approaches (UKSTEP, INFUSE, ITER) are making progress in the background. And there are plenty of spillover benefits (robotics, fluid dynamics etc) alongside.

I basically think it is fine. Investors in fusion are pretty realistic - or at least if they aren't its on their own head if they think a 3yr time horizon realistic for commercial gen. I expect most know it is a long-term investment in a company / set of individuals, rather than power gen soon.

Did the tiny sea snail on the tail of the whale have dual nationality?

McDonald has always been a bit more willing to break convention than other permanent secretaries in my experience, but agree this is unusual.

When I told my primary school teacher I wanted £1m to build a dragon farm I was laughed at. When this guy does it, it is taken as a serious business proposition?

‘Due diligence vitally important’ in next top civil servant appointment – Lord McDonald Another high profile departure from No 10 in the wake of the Mandelson scandal is due to be Britain's top civil servant.

‘Due diligence vitally important’ in next top civil servant appointment – Lord McDonald
www.channel4.com/news/due-dil...

Does the intellectual incentive to "solve the big problems" prevent acting on the stuff that can actually be fixed?

It would be cursive at the very least!

Helen McNamara's reflections on this issue through the C19 inquiry shows how this really does continue to be an issue right up to today in UK politics. Uncomfortable for any men in govt/civil service who think it can't make a difference, but unfortunately I think it does.

Thanks for this Richard - v good and understandable analysis!

Google: Well for all I know there might be a leadership contender called Al Carns too

It isn't a *great* signal of your public profile...

When the 2012 report came out, I was firmly in support of decant and rebuild.

Fourteen years later I'm now very firmly in the "turn it into a museum and build a modern parliamentary building" camp.

So the conservative estimate is that every year of delay is costing a third of a billion pounds. Great work everyone!

I worked on security and defence issues for 5+ years in government and I fully agree with this:

"The Northern JEF Nations, plus Poland, are like-minded on the threat and willing to act decisively; they really are our best friends, and we need to return the favour."

👇

Pink graphic with black and white text which reads 'What does the new National Cancer Plan for England mean for people affected by cancer?'

After years of campaigning, we’re pleased the government has today launched its National Cancer Plan for England.

We need the government to follow through on these promises to make sure that it can meet its ambition to save more lives from cancer.

Learn more about the Plan : cruk.ink/4awC9Cw

Plus the inscrutable multilateral org job to an institution whose acronym is always from the French, so exactly the reverse of the English words - "Chef de Cabinet, Deputy Commissionaire to the Director of the International Weights and Measures Organisation (OMWI)"

It is 1000% the second, unfortunately 😅

And because people guess email addresses, so you really don't want something obvious which random members of the public find and then email the PM their own policy advice!

Immediately pause it and get Ron Howard to say "yes he did" in voiceover.

I can't decide if Nathan Barley grew up to write this article, or to become one of the "consortium of profoundly tedious bankers" who are behind Farmer J's (which I agree is overpriced sh*te).

Ebuyer have been my go-to for computer electricals for years. Never had a bad experience.

Holy moly this chart: Cumulative US measles cases

If you die while waiting on the line, does that trigger any death-in-service benefits?

To be fair, everyone quoted in the article seems to agree that more sewage capacity is required and that there is agreement to do it. While I'm not saying NIMBYs won't emerge, the article suggests it might be one of those cases where it is possible to crack thru the approvals stages quick enough.

Though Richard Moore was MI6, rather than MI5 - Ken McCallum is Patel's opposite number (MI5-FBI).

These get me clicking the "report spam" button faster than Linford Christie. No time for you - get in the bin.

To be fair to him, in 2000 I probably deserved to be glowered at