John Griffiths

I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.

They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1

The Department of War's seal hangs on a wall. The kerning appears to be off.

we need a department of kerning

It’s come to this: Keir Starmer is now just the warm-up act for Nigel Farage | Aditya Chakrabortty As Labour flounders and dabbles in the politics of hatred to gain a point or two, it is those far from power who will suffer most, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty

It’s come to this: Keir Starmer is now just the warm-up act for Nigel Farage | Aditya Chakrabortty

Petition: Ban Elon Musk from the UK We call on the Home Secretary to act following Musk's vile words and hatred stirring at the 'Unite The Kingdom' rally. Sign our petition now and get Elon Musk banned.

Progressive outlet The Lead have launched a petition to ban Elon Musk from the UK following his incitement at the Tommy Robinson demo.

Perhaps someone will launch one for Govt departments and politicians to ditch X...
open.substack.com/pub/theleadu...

Three reasons to feel hope Things are incredibly grim, but there are small, tentative signs of improvement. Maybe.

Things are incredibly grim, but there are small, tentative signs of improvement. Maybe. iandunt.substack.com/p/three-reas...

My piece on racism for @theobserveruk.bsky.social observer.co.uk/news/opinion...

Police arrest 474 people at protest over Palestine Action ban in London Number of arrests was highest recorded in relation to single operation in at least past decade, according to Met police

An abomination. An affront to free speech and an acute threat to the consensus on terrorism
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Odd this day August 10 — 122nd anniversary of a jaunt around the gardens of Versailles by two Respectable English Ladies, who either experienced a…

Also today, it’s the 124th anniversary of a jaunt around the gardens of Versailles by two Respectable English Ladies, who either experienced a joint hallucination, or travelled through time and saw Marie Antoinette

The BBC "has questions to answer" re Bob Vylan set, says OFCOM.

Well OFCOM can just about fill out the paperwork to lightly slap GB News on the wrist when they air pro-Tory events in a general election, spread Covid disinfo *AND* let Tory MPs "interview" other Tory MPs so OFCOM can fuck off.

Happy Stan Cullis Day to all those who celebrate, incl 3nd most famous Ellesmere Port person @sundersays.bsky.social

The best way to mark Stan Cullis Day, and thereby to honour the great Stan Cullis, is to tell a fascist or fascist sympathizer to fuck right off, in an understated way.

“A republic, if you can keep it” - but can the US keep it? How Trump is dismantling democracy Mapping out 69 actions that President Trump has taken in the last twelve weeks to undermine democracy, undermine the rule of law, attack enemies, suppress dissent and control information

My new post mapping out 69 actions that President Trump has taken in the last twelve weeks to undermine democracy, undermine the rule of law, attack enemies, suppress dissent and control information.

Do read and share. Full 🧵 tomorrow hopefully!

christinapagel.substack.com/p/a-republic...

Blue book cover with yellow, red, green and blue depiction of a pipe playing folkloric figure with swirling decoration. The Hungarian FAIRY-BOOK NANDOR POGANY

Book Cover of the Day:

Brian Eno 2h. On the Arrest of Young People at a Quaker Meeting House Last night, six young people were arrested by police during a peaceful gathering at a Quaker Meeting House. They had assembled to talk, reflect, and organise around two issues of overwhelming moral gravity: the climate emergency, and the continuing destruction in Gaza. That the police chose to forcibly enter a Quaker space-a site known throughout history for its deep commitment to peace and nonviolence—is both alarming and telling. These young people were not disrupting the peace. They were enacting it. We live in a time where the greatest threats to our future go unchallenged by those in power, while those who speak out are increasingly met with suspicion, hostility, and force. When the state begins to treat moral concern as criminal intent, we should all be paying close attention. The people arrested last night were not extremists. They were citizens who care-young people who see the interconnected crises of climate collapse and human suffering and refuse to turn away. They gathered not in violent defiance, but in peaceful conscience. I stand with them. I believe their voices are not only valid, but vital. If the institutions meant to protect us cannot bear to hear these voices, then it is not the protesters who are disrupting order—it is the silence of those who look away. - Brian Eno

Worth sharing with alt text. Brian Eno's response to the Quaker arrests.

‘I grieve and dare not show my discontent,
I love and yet am forced to seem to hate,
I do, yet dare not say I ever meant,
I seem stark mute but inwardly do prate.
I am and not, I freeze and yet am burned,
Since from myself another self I turned.’ ~ Elizabeth I for #BookWormSat 👑
🖼️ QE, c.1559.

YouTube video by LBC James O'Brien reacts to Elon Musk's salute

youtu.be/xXF94rIS9ZI?...

Clarence Leroy Andrews, “The Father of the Glaciers”, 1902.

One of more than forty photographs of snowmen, spanning almost a century from 1854 to 1950, featured in our latest post: publicdomainreview.org/collection/p...

‘It’s not drought - it’s looting’: the Spanish villages where people are forced to buy back their own drinking water Spain is increasingly either parched or flooded – and one group is profiting from these extremes: the water-grabbing multinational companies forcing angry citizens to pay for it in bottles After catastrophic floods engulfed Valencia last month, killing…

‘It’s not drought - it’s looting’: the Spanish villages where people are forced to buy back their own drinking water

BBC Four - Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and the Legendary Tapes Portrait of Delia Derbyshire, the electronic sound pioneer behind the Doctor Who theme.

Happy Delia Derbyshire Day! Celebrating by recording in the studio ❤️🎼 You can watch Caroline Catz film on BBC iPlayer www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

outlined illustration of a cat looking up at a crescent moon. Silver outlines on deep blue background.

If #caturday is a thing on bksy, here's an old illustration of mine : The Cat and the Moon :)

Black Molly and the Haunting of Pyt House - Weird Wiltshire This one's for the sceptics! Explore the legend of Black Molly and the haunting of Pyt House with DM and I as we uncover the truth.

Who is the black spectre seen hanging from the bridge?
It could be Molly, but then again, that may have just been one of ´Mad Jack’ Bennett’s tall tales!
Read all about Black Molly of Pyt House here:

weird-wiltshire.co.uk/2024/03/17/b...

Illustration of a Dartmoor Piskie sat on an oak branch, framed with oak branches left and right. Purple Devonshire roses scattered in the background.

A Dartmoor Piskie!

A medieval manuscript illustration from the British Library royal ms 20 a ii f3r. Image shows a medieval king in a green gown and wearing a crown. He is stood within a burning castle with arms in the air and a look of 'oh dear' on his face

"this is fine"

British Library Manuscript - royal ms 20 a ii f3r

Green Man

Nearly 70% of Gaza war dead women and children - UN A UN agency verified victims from a six-month period and said it found international law violations.

Nearly 70% of Gaza war dead are women and children.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...