Colin Gavaghan

I generally think reporters at outlets like the Mail need some leeway: especially early career people need jobs and experience, so have to work places they might not want to.

But genuinely, I’d quit my job rather than have my byline appear next to that headline. Surely any decent person would.

If people admire you, they put your name on buildings. If you have to do it yourself, well… that’s different.

swords

Theresa Villiers on Badenoch. Oddly I hope she's right but this is the latest in the Telegraph's 'Whisper it' series. The record of this series is not good.... (thread)

Charles Ebbets standing on a steel beam as he takes the iconic photo of construction workers having a lunch break on the beam.

Here he is taking the photo.

Nigel Farage was a racist bully at school but Rachel Reeves won the wrong chess championship so who can say who is worse?

This is an excellent, level-headed, informative piece. I'd kill for a government which could discuss the issue with the same sense of objectivity and calm.

when its definitely not a hostage situation

CBI chief Rain Newton-Smith tells gov't: "Change course on Employment Rights... The minimum wage, the last Labour govt's defining reform has endured because it was built in partnership with us." Hmm. Was it?

Some of us are old enough to remember it was introduced in the teeth of CBI opposition. ~AA

It's that magical time of year, when the more unapologetically rage-baiting parts of our press dust off the "they're cancelling christmas!" stories. Thank you Telegraph, Express and Mail - it wouldn't be winterval without you! 😍

AI bot recorded doctors’ meeting, sent patient info to current and former hospital staff, watchdog says The transcription tool recorded the meeting on behalf of a physician who no longer worked at the hospital

Physician who was no longer at the hospital but was on the email list had Otter ai installed and his bot “attended” the meeting, generated a transcript, and sent it to all 65 people on the email list, 12 of whom also no longer worked at the hospital.

The panel sat on chairs on a stage with a projector screen containing slido questions behind them. Left to right: Sana Khareghani, Simon McIntosh-Smith, Genevieve Liveley, Sidharth Jaggi, Agnes Nairn, Colin Gavaghan, Seth Bullock, and Conor Houghton

AI for Good Panel Discussion from #BristolDataWeek

With @conjh.bsky.social, @sanakb.bsky.social, @sethbullock.bsky.social, @simonmcs.bsky.social, Sidharth Jaggi, Agnes Nairn, @digitalfutures.bsky.social, Genevieve Liveley

Watch now: tinyurl.com/3fnc9mtv

Video credits: @beestonmedia.bsky.social

‘There’s Just No Reason to Deal With Young Employees’ AI is taking entry-level jobs. What happens when Gen-Z-ers can’t start their careers?

Chilling piece on employment effects of AI on early careers. Includes this line, which will probably become the norm for many firms: "Managers at Shopify must now justify hiring a human by first explaining why AI can’t do the job."

nymag.com/intelligence...

Delighted to see that my old chair won't be vacant for too much longer.

The letter the BBC could send back to Trump A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim

NEW

The letter the BBC could send back to Trump

A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim

By me. Enjoy.

emptycity.substack.com/p/the-letter...

Possibly the wackiest case of AI solutionism since the January announcement that it would be used to find (not fix, mind, just find) potholes in the roads.

But if you've bought a really expensive hammer, I suppose every problem does assume a certain nail-like appearance...

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

Rachel Reeves’ budget must reduce inequalities and increase spending capacity of the masses This is how to secure sustained economic growth

685,000 Britons has wealth of £2.8 trillion, 48m have £2.4trn.

4 people have more wealth than 20m Britons.

Bottom 50% of the population has 5% of wealth, the bottom fifth only 0.5%.

Rich buy political parties, legislators; hold govts to ransom.

Can't get economic growth without redistribution.

@thenewworldmag.bsky.social Pretty savage Codeword this week! If I solve this, do I get out of Slough House?

The BBC are accidentally running the subtitles to Mrs Marple over the Mercury Prize, and it’s rather wonderful. A few of lines could plausibly have been written by Jarvis.

AI has a cargo cult problem Spending vast sums and inflating an investment bubble is no guarantee of unleashing technological magic

AI has a cargo cult problem on.ft.com/4qg0Hp6 | opinion

Exchange between two twitter users. A man called Scott Castaneda write to Tom Morella, "I use to be a fan until your political opinions come out. Music is my sanctuary and the last thing I want to hear is political bs when I'm listening to music. As far as I'm concerned you and pink are completely done. Keep running your mouth and ruining your fan base." User Howard Finklestein replies, "What 'machine' did you think he was raining against? The dishwasher?"

Absolutely love this twitter classic:

We are now accepting abstracts for our Annual Conference at @aberuni.bsky.social 15-17 Apr. 2026. Join us for critical talks on law, tech & education (and generally a good time!) The theme is: 'Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master.' More info: www.bileta.org.uk/news/bileta-...

Also tiktok, so relevant both sides of the Atlantic.

The richest man on earth owns X.

The second richest man on earth is about to be a major owner of TikTok.

The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.

See the problem here?

Let’s be clear about what happened to Jimmy Kimmel Trump’s most brazen attack on free speech yet.

After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like.

Spot on.

UPEND THE ESTABLISHMENT, by voting for a party composed entirely of rejects from the oldest party in the country that was in power for 14 years. 😂

Reform UK increasingly look like the Tories just ran off stage, then ran back on wearing a comedy glasses-nose-moustache disguise.

Trump on 19 Russian drones shot into Poland: "could've been a mistake..."

Part 2 of our podcast for TRUMP & VANCE - W/ FRIENDS LIKE THESE WHO NEEDS ENEMIES?

www.alteredstate.org.uk/podcast

w/
Gen Sir Tim Radford
Prof Ana Garcia
Richard Graham ex MP & diplomat
@digitalfutures.bsky.social

#nato

Bad Apples review – Saoirse Ronan’s dark, school-set satire doesn’t go far enough The four-time Oscar nominee is as strong as ever playing a teacher in a shocking situation, but the film can’t quite rise to her level

'living in a drably anonymous corner of the United Kingdom (the film was shot in Bristol)'

Harsh.

www.theguardian.com/film/2025/se...