Guy Clapperton

APPLAUSE

A little postscript: my daughter is completing her studies to become an opera singer and was introduced to "Pat" at a performance. Patricia was gracious, down to earth and encouraging to all these unknown young people, pretty inspiring - and that's how I'll think of her.

Maintaining contact Can you look me in the eye and say that?

New on Substack - maintaining eye contact online. open.substack.com/pub/guyclapp...

Never assume people know stuff My team and I always welcome feedback and it can come from unexpected places. For example there was the day my web designer kept optimising my website for people looking specifically to do media train...

Too many assumptions, awkward questions and how will your casual chat look in writing? My latest media tips sheet on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pulse/never-... via @LinkedIn

Really, Reform UK? THIS is what you're going with? That this man, who served as an MEP next to Nigel Farage for years and was made leader of your party in Wales by current deputy, Richard Tice, is just "one of tens of thousands of people Nigel meets on an annual basis"?~AA

Fun fact: Farage's girlfriend's parent didn't pay for his house, they live in a £300k flat in Strasbourg. So who bought a £885k house for Farage in cash and why have lügenpresse let this story drop⁉️

And a rattling good evening it was too. Thanks to all four of you and Miles Jupp for chairing - we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Non-luminous.

The BBC is still saying that Jimmy Kimmell made comments about Charlie Kirk.
He made comments about Trump’s reaction - flags at half mast when there were none even for Carter for example - which is a very different thing. His only comment about the murder expressed sympathy for the family.

It’s valid to say there have been horrible mistakes in the past, made in good faith by all means. But harking back to one (and note he has to go back around 60 years which suggests it’s a really, really rare occurrence) example isn’t an indicator of any trend as he should damned well realise.

He wouldn’t have the expertise to interpret any new evidence even if it were there. I’m not claiming I would either - but I’d *know* I didn’t have the expertise.

Our prime minister in the UK has many faults, he’d probably admit this. He does not, however, claim medical expertise.

Please everyone, be a bit more Adam and a bit less Donald.

Fair enough, she married him…

I’m not in the US but could everyone stop saying @jimmykimmellive.bsky.social made comments on the dreadful murder of Charlie Kirk? He said his heart went out to Kirk’s family. His criticism was of Trump’s reaction - that’s a very different thing.

There should be a high bar for politicians attacking the media, but maybe Ed Davey has half a point here?

For example, the first three paragraphs of this BBC story repeat Reform's £243bn figure without saying that the thinktank behind the estimate now disowns it. (This is mentioned in paragraph 35)

Funny how it’s always someone else’s fault to the populists.

Can't we agree to reserve 'defect' for the act of a sitting MP and refer to cases like Caulfield as 'changes direct debit'?

Call yourself a father.

Yanking this back to the original point, our patron saint was not from anything now identified as English…

Got it. In that case is there a female equivalent of Jackson Lamb?

Is this one of those “if you have to ask for context you’re not the right person to answer” questions?

It has its place. Supporting British industry and produce (not through tariffs!) is no bad thing, and when the English women won the Euros I was delighted - but not to the extent of rejecting Spain, and that’s a line I think some commentators have crossed.

Thing is, nobody is disputing that there is a problem. Whether the current course of action is the right answer is a separate question.

Don’t you hate it when people sit on the fence.

Thing is with the amount obesity is costing the NHS a “quick fix” may be *precisely* what we need. By all means add “regrettably” but that doesn’t make it any less true.

Fair enough but if that’s how your bathroom works I’d have a word with your landlord.

You’d need a very big rug, probably. The size of Hyde Park.

I live in London. There are mosques. Some of them may play call to prayers but aged 60 I’ve never heard any here, nor are there any rugs blocking public streets and parks. We remain proud of our national identity, thanks.

This sculpture is entitled "Trying to Give Juno her Biannual Worming Tablet" (If you're a pet owner, you know 😱)

Dulwich College, the school where this ordinary man of the people went.