UtterQuatsch

Daily Mail owner strikes £500m deal to buy Telegraph titles Acquisition likely to trigger in-depth investigation by regulator after agreement between DMGT and Redbird IMI

Well, this is pretty terrifying. The Daily Mail is buying the Telegraph.

One massive consolidated right-wing media empire controlled by off-shore interests at a critical moment in global politics.

What could go wrong?

www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...

The real BBC bias story, narrated by Anna Ford

I wonder whether they would consider "Farage" as sounding suspiciously foreign, too.

SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.

"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA

Much has been done on weapons supply and sanctions. But it hasn’t been enough. We need to be bolder, eg by supplying more long range missiles incl Tomahawks, and faster in negotiating access for UK defence industry to the EU’s SAFE programme. Oil sanctions are not being implemented effectively 2/6

How 48 Ukrainian children were saved from Kharkiv kindergarten hit by Russian drone The story of a dramatic and heroic rescue that has captured the public imagination in Ukraine.

Shocking scenes from this BBC report on an attack on a nursery in #Ukraine. We should not allow fatigue with Russia's invasion to make such images routine. This is #Russia attacking a peaceful neighbour that before 2014 had never harmed a single Russian. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Another very interesting listen. Incidentally, one of my favourite pieces of trivia regarding Mills & Boon, is that they published the 'Modern Organic Chemistry' books that were standard reading at my school. To paraphrase/butcher Spock's maxim, 'it's chemistry Jim, but not as we normally know it'.

www.brusselstimes.com/1786742/eus-...

Suppliers want help for billpayers as energy prices rise Companies call for an

❗The secret fossil fuel companies don't want you to know:

UK energy bills are high because they're dictated by gas prices. Renewable energy is cheaper and cleaner than oil and gas.

Moving away from fossil fuels is good for people and planet. 📣🌏

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Interestingly, there's more than a fair few "Hier nur Bargeld" payment signs around Austria, too. I think most Heurigen along the Danube only accept cards. I was told that there's a traditional mistrust of financial institutions & government but I had wondered whether tax was the main reason.

Loving the very niche 'The Mary Whitehouse Experience' reference!

Sometimes, it's best to settle for significant cognitive disadvantage.

This is exciting. I was expecting to add maybe 4 or 5 titles to my list. But there are loads (see responses). We're seeing a renaissance of proper local journalism, not among the big companies, which mostly remain dire, but among independent publications founded by local people.
Hope lies here ⬇️

Since there's so much depressing news around the world, this was a welcome distraction - fun for everyone, great atmosphere with people from all around the world, and Wiener Linien put on great exhibits for kids and adults, alike. Well done to #wienerlinien & #stadtwien for hosting a top day out.

Technically, it was the Brexit stupidity of 53.4%, 52.5%, 44.2% and 38% of voters who voted 10 years ago in England, Wales, N. Ireland & Scotland, respectively. I want to rejoin asap but critical changes in political & economic winds on both sides will determine this, not silly tabloid canon-fodder.

For better or worse, I sometimes wish I could just temporarily prevent posts entering my feeds on a continental basis. There's only so much bat-shittery & violently expressed histrionics I can take on a weekly basis, much of which avoids my moderation filters in the form of screengrabbed X tweets.

No.
You are an artificial bot pitching artificial products for an artificial audience.

I want real.

Thousands of tonnes of toxic landfill liquid added to sewage and spread on English farms Exclusive: Leachate is tankered to treatment works where it mixes with sewage and industrial effluent

A massive, dangerous and disgusting scandal, of which far too few people are yet aware. At @fightingdirty.bsky.social we'll keep pushing to stop it. Congrats to @rachelsalvidge.bsky.social for continuing to shine the light:
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Tories pledge to get 'all our oil and gas out of the North Sea' The government warns Kemi Badenoch's plans would "only accelerate the worsening climate crisis".

Why on earth do the Tories want to keep people locked into high energy bills? And, come to that, why is the BBC citing Reform but saying nothing about climate science or renewable alternatives?
Complete madness - except for the fossil fuel industry of course

Britain needs a wealth tax on property Targeting expensive houses and non-residential land would leave the vast majority of homeowners and farmers untouched

Lucid, convincing case for a tax on high-value property, from the UK's most eminent housing economist, John Muellbauer.

Would raise revenue *and* be good for growth.

://www.ft.com/content/bb4e7566-4bc6-45c9-87e4-271cc40c66a5

they’ll just move him to a different parish and he’ll do it again

Postmodernism, Architecture that Changed our World, a book I wrote with Sir Terry Farrell amzn.eu/d/68mZZ7d

Never mind the flag bans, where are the policies? Assessing 100 days of Reform-led councils Some are happy to see new faces in the chambers but many are frustrated with a lack of improvements on the ground since party’s sweeping victories

Finally, someone in the mainstream press is looking into what Reform UK actually represents, & quelle surprise, it's absolutely feck-all. This really is a party that attracts the vilest of politicians, who are entirely in it for themselves, as a matter of course. www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-...

Farage is an insufferable git. It's disgraceful just how much airtime his farrago of lies and racist finger-pointing are given on mainstream news. Professional journalists really should delve into his party's policies, false claims, & links with far-right donors, and call him out on his bullshit?

Reform UK, which has a grand total of four MPs, was just given an uninterrupted platform for an hour and a half on the BBC and Sky News channels, in order to talk about its plans for mass deportations

When was the last time the Greens (with four MPs) or the Lib Dems (with 72) were given the same?

I go. I try. And I will keep trying, even though it feels like a losing battle. Because I remember the whole point of the far-right astroturfing of social media is to make it feel like a losing battle, to make us give up.

Anyway, a few snippets on small boat crossings and immigration.

Uber Trains to rival Eurostar in start-up’s rail proposals Gemini Trains, in partnership with the ride-hailing company, wants to bring cross-Channel services to Stratford International in east London for the first time

"Gemini Trains, in partnership with the ride-hailing company, wants to bring cross-Channel services to Stratford International in east London for the first time" and will also serve Ebbsfleet.
www.thetimes.com/article/9b1f...

This is such an important topic. With unrest & misinformation being whipped up everywhere, it's such an important time to reinvest in trusted outputs like the BBC World Service. The BBC should also look to its counterparts (France24 & DW) to provide live news on platforms like AppleTV.

How UK media outlets help to promote Nigel Farage's agenda IT was interesting to see the huge headlines spread across mainstream news this morning about the 8 rise in the number of asylum seekers in hotels…

What the headlines don't tell you:

👉 Numbers much lower than the Tory peak

👉 Spending on hotels has dropped significantly

👉 Applications are being processed faster

https://www.thenational.scot/news/25408148.uk-media-gone-big-asylum-seeker-hotel-figures/

*drumroll, please...*

This is a whole new take on the game of craps!

ithankyou!