Chris King

3.5 years is several lifetimes in politics. I don’t think Farage becoming the next PM is a foregone conclusion. Although unlikely, I think it’s possible that Reform may no longer even exist by the next GE, though if that happens, I fear it’ll be because it’s been replaced by something much worse.

That would mean that, amongst many others, Shabana Mahmood, Boris Johnson, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and Farage's new friend, Danny Kruger would all be kissing goodbye to their citizenship.

Same (other than not having been born in Brighton).

Time to wheel out again an old skeet of mine.

Conversation ten years into the future:

A: "Do you remember that AI thing that, years ago, people were saying was going to impact every aspect of our lives?"

B: "No."

A: "Me neither".

Pajero was also a good one.

Despite being Franco-British, this is my first encounter with this particular slang term. A new word to add to my vocabulary. Merci, Pascal!

And does his list of regime-changeable countries include the US? If not, why not?

Prof Beard is great! I have fond memories of supervisions with her at Cambridge 40 years ago.

#TwoShowsinOne
Grange Hill Street Blues
A Coronation Streetcar Named Desire

For years when approaching Chatelet-Les Halles station from the North on an RER Line B train, one would invariably encounter a terrible stench. There was never any definitive explanation, but a popular theory was that in boring that stretch of tunnel, they had accidentally cut through a sewer pipe.

And the year-round ice-free ports on the Black Sea.

But Starmer is/was one.

Where have we heard something very similar before? Theresa May's 'hostile environment'?

"Without him, we'd have nothing". With him, you have immeasurably less than nothing.

After which I think that's no point making another, 'cos the same thing will just end up happening again, so I don't bother.

Might explain my chronic somewhat elevated b. p. and my diabetes. Life long tendency to drink tea so slowly that after the first couple of sips, I find it's gone cold, so pour away the rest of the mug.

🤣 Yes, thanks, Heidi, though still struggling to come to terms with the lack of deadlines, anguished students turning up at my door etc!

I had a nightmare last night which involved suddenly realising, right up against, or possibly beyond, the deadline for doing so that I had forgotten to mark a number of dissertations. In reality, having taken voluntary severance, I left HE months ago!

I've long found it a helpful and almost invariably accurate rule of thumb to identify the truth in any given situation as being the exact polar opposite of whatever the Tell-lie-graph states it to be.

The Wright brothers' first powered flight took place only 9 days after this article was published. NY Times readers thinking 'Has it been a million years already? Time flies!'

No idea why people/organisations settle these claims. Most have little or no valid legal basis and stand very little chance of success at trial. As most who've clashed swords in business with him know, he shouts, rants and raves to get his way. If you ignore him, eventually he gives up. No Plan B.

Not because he actually stands any chance of winning if the Beeb doesn't settle and it ends up going to trial.

MEFUSIA - Make Europe Free of US Influence Again

Suburban streetscape looking down side road with houses, parked cars, street lights and distant Lombardy poplars, under orange glowing sky.

Interesting pre-sunset orange glowing sky over Stirchley.

BBC: "While President Trump has not disclosed any legal cause of action against us, we wish to apologise unreservedly to him, lick his boots, cancel shows that he doesn't like and which we never had any intention of broadcasting, and give him all our licence-fee payers' money by way of settlement"

Sounds like a bit of a change from my RC's school RE O Level syllabus, which was limited to the four Gospels. My sister's convent school was more enlightened, rebelling against their exam board's narrow O Level syllabus by making their pupils do the comparative religions-focused CSE RE exam instead.

So sorry to hear that. Heartbreaking.

A post on Mastodon by small cypress (@small_cypress@indieweb.social): As an art teacher I was worried AI would come up as an issue of "why should I learn how to draw when I can use AI instead." But the real issue is that my middle schoolers CONSTANTLY believe all art I show them is AI. Digital art. Photography. Oil paintings from the Western canon. "A human couldn't do that" Being convinced that humans can't make great art is kind of terrifying

I spotted this on Mastodon and I find it horrible, not least for the speed with which this has happened.

Particularly sad that the Archers phase of my life, which went on for close to 40 years, seems to have come to a close - particularly given that some years ago I performed at Lower Loxley Hall's 'Deck the Halls' Christmas festivities, as a member of Darrington Choral Society.

Each to her/his own, I guess.