Catching up on the week's events in my favourite fictional rural community. We need a special term for what George is doing to Ed. 'Abusing your stepfather who is also your uncle, with a super complicated & intertwined family history' seems quite long for a hashtag? #TheArchers

Firstly, Richard Tice clutching pearls over lack of democracy is laughable. Secondly, this is hugely missed opportunity by Emma Barnett. Move on from Farage, ask about Nathan Gill. That's what we want to hear about #R4Today

The President of the United States just called for my arrest and execution.

In these moments, fear is contagious, but so is courage:

What a gig! We celebrate you Baxter, you are the one. And @swg3glasgow.bsky.social you did us proud! #BaxterDury #Glasgow

Just finished the latest season of Blue Lights. My spirit animal is Tina. Best TV series in years #bluelights

That was unsurprising, but also mildly disappointing. Tom won on the day. And Aaron won best outfit of all Bake Off time. Still, it's been a cracking series - not a single dud amongst them. Definitely time for a slice of cake! #GBBO

Picture of ebikes E-bikes are a great alternative to using the car for short journeys. But they can be an expensive outlay, particularly if you don’t know if one will fit into your lifestyle and work for you. In this blog, our Project Officer, Beth Harley-Jepson, writes about employer e-bike trials we’ve been funding.

West Lothian Bike Library works directly with employers to tailor the trial to best suit their site and staff. Typically, around six e-bikes are provided for a four-week period, but this can be adjusted depending on the size and needs of the organisation. An older person with short white hair, dressed in a navy blue shirt and light grey trousers, stands gesturing with one hand and holding keys in the other. A younger person with long hair tied back, wearing glasses, a black jacket, and jeans, sits on a red bicycle labelled 'GO e-Bike'. They are outside near a building with a sign reading 'West Lothian Bike Library', with greenery and part of the building visible in the background.Before the bikes are loaned out, staff are offered an induction session covering how to use the e-bike safely. There’s also the option for bike training and confidence-building sessions, which are especially helpful for those who might be new to cycling or unsure about tackling longer or more complex journeys.

E-bikes are a great alternative to using the car for short journeys. But they can be an expensive outlay, particularly if you don’t know if one will fit into your lifestyle and work for you. In this blog, our Project Officer, Beth Harley-Jepson, writes about employer e-bike trials we’ve been funding. To help make it easier for people to try out an e-bike and see how it could be a good transport option, we’re funding West Lothian Bike Library to run an employer bike hire scheme in our region. The purpose is to give staff the chance to try an e-bike for everyday use, whether for commuting, errands or leisure. We’re delighted to see that it’s proving a great way to build confidence, reduce car dependency and encourage more sustainable travel choices. West Lothian Bike Library works directly with employers to tailor the trial to best suit their site and staff. Typically, around six e-bikes are provided for a four-week period, but this can be adjusted depending on the size and needs of the organisation. An older person with short white hair, dressed in a navy blue shirt and light grey trousers, stands gesturing with one hand and holding keys in the other. A younger person with long hair tied back, wearing glasses, a black jacket, and jeans, sits on a red bicycle labelled 'GO e-Bike'. They are outside near a building with a sign reading 'West Lothian Bike Library', with greenery and part of the building visible in the background.Before the bikes are loaned out, staff are offered an induction session covering how to use the e-bike safely. There’s also the option for bike training and confidence-building sessions, which are especially helpful for those who might be new to cycling or unsure about tackling longer or more complex journeys. During the trial, staff are free to use the bikes however they like – for commuting, popping to the shops, or simply getting out and about. It gives them the opportunity to explore how an e-bike could fit into daily life, and for th…

👍 #WestLothian #employer #Ebike 🚲 trials
by WL #BikeLibrary & #SEStran

--> sestran.gov.uk/pedal-power-...

@edi.bike @redheugh.bsky.social @kittysull1.bsky.social @gregorpoynton.bsky.social @furtherfrom.bsky.social @angelaconstance.bsky.social @trustlinlithgow.bsky.social @nhslothian.bsky.social

I have a very bad feeling about this...

Watching State of War on ITV, such a powerful documentary, but utterly heartbreaking to see this level of normalised violence existing in Ecuador today. Even sadder that this could literally be filmed anywhere & I wouldn't be surprised #stateofwar

Catching up on the week's events in Ambridge. The Game of Aldridge is the intrigue we've all been missing. Who will win: who knows? But I am here for the DRAMA! #TheArchers #GameOfAldridge

Fork candles.

This is GLORIOUS #mercurymusicprize

Stewart Lee: The thugs have taken my flag. So I’ve taken theirs

‘Are the flags that now bedeck our suburbs and estates patriotic or racist?’

In his second weekly column, Stewart Lee looks at the changing significance of England flags over the years

In case you're not aware, Carole Cadwalladr is the journalist who exposed Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal in The Observer. Very excited to see what she and her peers will do over at The Nerve! www.thenerve.news Independent journalism is so important.

☝️
#WestLothian #SpokesMap 2025 is here!

@gregorpoynton.bsky.social @furtherfrom.bsky.social @drscottarthurmp.bsky.social @fionahyslop.bsky.social @angelaconstance.bsky.social @drmoiras.bsky.social @mariamacsnp.bsky.social @westlothiansgp.bsky.social @turvill.bsky.social @alastairdalton.bsky.social

Stewart Lee: The thugs have taken my flag. So I’ve taken theirs What do you do with a lot of cheap banners hanging from motorway bridges once you’ve torn them down?

“I’m old enough to remember when mainstream British politicians, who should know better, stirred up racial hatred as a path to power. You’re old enough to remember too because it was last Tuesday. And it was Robert Jenrick”

Cathartic anger at flag-flying racism.

www.thenerve.news/p/stewart-le...

Kemi Badenoch *literally* spelling out her policies on #R4Today. Pure comedy gold, I really needed a laugh this morning. Give us an 'E'. And possibly a second 'R'. And then some other letters.

"It was awful, but right", which is why I'm crying in my kitchen. I know he was the oldest pony in the world, but still... #Bartleby #TheArchers

Jane Goodall holding a sign that says “Vote for Nature!” in a group shot

For over 60 years, Jane Goodall was a force for research about our precious planet—and climate change action to protect it—while breaking glass ceilings along the way.

I'll so miss her courage and commitment to help expand what we know about our world and preserve it for the generations to come.

I've been lucky enough to interview some amazing authors, but tonight was really special: this young woman is a shining star. Bright, beautiful, funny & fierce: the one and only Len Pennie take a bow, that was so life affirming! Happy Monday all! #poyumsannaw #poyums

For all the schlock, I see #Carrie as the ultimate expression of feminist rage. We are always too much and never enough. Plus it's just a really great movie... #BBC2

Great to be at the @transportscotland.bsky.social summit today with the SEStran gang in Glasgow! Really productive to be able to engage with transport leaders from all sectors across Scotland! #transportscotland

Andrea Jenkyns performs self-written song Insomniac at Reform UK conference – video Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire sings a self-written song titled Insomniac as she enters stage at Reform UK's 2025 conference in Birmingham

We've got to take our enjoyment wherever & however we can at the moment. And this is *gold* www.theguardian.com/politics/vid... #AndreaJenkyns #Insomniac #Reform

Melvyn Bragg steps down from BBC Radio 4's In Our Time after 26 years The veteran presenter has hosted more than 1,000 epsiodes of the programme over the past 26 years.

Melvin Bragg & In Our Time have been the best example of lifelong learning - informing, educating & generally entertaining us masses for 26 years! Thank you Sir & glad the programme carries on www.bbc.com/news/article... #InOurTime

And now for something completely different... Edinburgh PsychFest delivered in spades, stand out was Anna Erhard & Co: may we all be slightly taller than our friends & slightly disappointed in botanical gardens. The peacocks weren't even that majestic! #psychfest #summerhall #Edinburgh

Absolute THRILL to be asked to open the Linlithgow Classic Car Day, thanks to Dave & the team for organising & special thanks to Jim for letting me sit in his Morris Minor: my dream car! More than 100 classic, vintage vehicles on display & town buzzing, delighted! #classiccarday #linlithgow

The BBC enabling a climate of hate by constant stories about flag-shaggers as 'just ordinary people with legitimate concerns' without pointing out they are being co-ordinated by dubiously funded Facebook groups re-running the Brexit playbook