Phil Jackman

Just passed half way of quite a long book. Great so far. #Booker 1978

It’s a three-horse race! First Past the Post isn’t fit for purpose in Gorton and Denton The Gorton and Denton parliamentary by-election, scheduled for Thursday 26 February, has garnered much media attention. The outcome will be closely scrutinised by commentators for what i

With three candidates standing a good chance of winning today in Gorton and Denton, small changes in the vote could decide the winner – but whatever happens, there is a good chance that two-thirds of voters will end up with an MP they didn't vote for. buff.ly/gUjPNaQ

Drawing faces

If I say so myself, my drawing is coming along quite nicely. Ever since taking lessons, my confidence has grown. My eldest daughter bought me a little book for Xmas, encouraging me to sketch something every day. I’m over fifty days in and have managed to keep up so far. That is me…

On this day in 1928, a Jewish girl, of Polish decent, was born in Metz. On the 31 Jul 1944, she was deported, alone, from Drancy to Auschwitz. Her parents and sister had been deported to the camp in Nov 1942. Her name was Marguerite Gruszka

Support @auschwitzmemorial.bsky.social

#132 #ReadTheWorld #Cyprus #BookSky
An amazing book full of twists and turns that hold you to the last page.

Britain’s Rare Shot at Real Electoral Reform Bills like the RPB come once in a decade at best. Here's what’s in it – and what's concerningly absent.

Britain’s Rare Shot at Real Electoral Reform
Bills like the RPB come once in a decade at best. Here's what’s in it – and what's concerningly absent.
#MattGallagher #Substack
uglypolitix.substack.com/p/britains-r...

On this day in 1923, a Czech Jewish woman was born. On the 26 Oct 1941 she was deported to the Łódź Ghetto where she perished on the 29 Feb 1943. Her name was Gertrude Bauerová

An exciting whodunnit, with lots of twists and turns. #131 in my journey to #ReadTheWorld #Ecuador #BookSky

Join the OWASP Contributor Mixer alongside NDC Security! No slides, no sales, just real conversations with the people behind OWASP’s open-source projects. Grab a drink, meet collaborators, and see how to get involved. All welcome. luma.com/txn0myuk
#owasp #opensource #mixer #NDC #community

Goodbye UKC3

I’ve known for a while but now it is official. This week I came by an email which said that: ‘After four years of supporting the growth of the UK’s cyber clusters, UK Cyber Cluster Collaboration (UKC3) is preparing to close its central operations in March 2026.’ I was there at the…

Another milestone in my quest to #ReadTheWorld #130 #Vanuatu
I'm so glad I read this book. It is everything I wanted in reading across the world. Sometimes harrowing, sometimes joyful. I also got to learn a little Bislama!

Elections bill will bring in once-in-a-generation change to voting – but misses big opportunity Today sees the first reading of the Representation of the People Bill, the government’s landmark legislation reforming how elections work. This promises to make some fundamental reform

Elections bill will bring in once-in-a-generation change to voting – but misses big opportunity
electoral-reform.org.uk/elections-bi...

Just the kind of book I like to read.

Jhabvala - Heat and Dust
My kind of book.
#BookSky #BookerPrize 1975

On this day in 1868, a Czech Jewish woman was born. On the 9 Jul 1942 she was deported to Theresienstadt and on the 19 Oct 1942 to Treblinka extermination camp where she perished. Her name was Adéla Fischelová

Over 50 Academics Warn That Voting System Is Not Fit For Multi-Party Politics Dozens of academics have written to the government to warn that the current voting system risks producing distorted results on an 'unprecedented' s...

🚨BREAKING NEWS 🚨

50 leading academics, former senior public officials and politics, law and policy experts warn about the risks of First Past the Post.

Letter in @politicshome.bsky.social today 👇

"How to resist Amazon and why" Danny Caine audiobook

I borrowed this from the Libby app and recommend it. If you can afford to buy it to support the author, please do. #booksky

First Past the Post means millions of our votes make no difference to parliament. Add your name now to demand a fairer voting system It only takes 30 seconds

Seats in Parliament should match how we vote - Please support fair votes.
action.electoral-reform.org.uk/page/3782/pe...

First Past the Post means millions of our votes make no difference to parliament. Add your name now to demand a fairer voting system It only takes 30 seconds

Politics isn't working. It's time to call time on the broken culture in Westminster and have a fresh start with a fair voting system. Add your name to @electoralreform.bsky.social‬'s call to #MakeSeatsMatchVotes
action.electoral-reform.org.uk/page/3782/pe...

Every 39 seconds, a cyberattack occurs. That's over 2,200 attacks daily! Stay vigilant! #CyberThreats #DataBreach

'Labour must confront the crisis of first past the post before it’s too late' - LabourList First past the post is fuelling distrust, fragmentation and instability. If Labour is serious about democratic renewal, it must lead the case for electoral reform now

“Support for electoral reform unites Labour Conference…And it’s not just Labour. Among the public, sixty percent of people now support electoral reform, the highest level ever. That includes a majority of voters from every political party.”
#PR
labourlist.org/2026/02/labo...

This must be one of the strangest books I have ever read. Good but strange.

Said it before, and I’ll say it again, but for people like me, this would be transformative - it would stabilise our incomes, and allow us to plough more time into creative work and less into stuff anyone could be doing.

AND it’s a net economic benefit to the country.

Milk of magnesia anyone?

Historical fiction

I’ve read a couple of books recently that fall into the category of historical fiction. While they have been great stories, I must admit that they are not my thing. The first was ‘Quo Vadis’ by Henryk Sienkiewicz, the winner of the Nobel prize for literature in 1905, which tells…

UK and US sink to new lows in global index of corruption Countries’ drop in scores in annual table comes amid ‘worrying trend’ of backsliding in established democracies

The UK and US have sunk to new lows in a global index of corruption, amid a “worrying trend” of democratic institutions being eroded by political donations, cash for access and state targeting of campaigners and journalists

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

#129 in my quest to #readtheworld #Kenya
An epic creation story.

It’s outrageous that we can't kick out Lords. Sign now to demand an elected second chamber It takes 30 seconds

Enough is enough. The House of Lords is a rolling scandal - sign @electoralreform.bsky.social‬'s call to demand change. It takes 30 seconds.
action.electoral-reform.org.uk/page/186062/...

#128 in my attempt to #ReadTheWorld #TheGambia
A truly beautiful read, leaving me wanting more.