MacPsych

Realised I haven't been posting much on here - everything has been going on Mastodon. So here's a few pics of #Shinjuku today. Celebrating my 50th birthday here was the best decision I've made in ages!

Fliuched - a state of being permanently fucked by Irish weather >>> 🔗https://loom.ly/gmeIIRc

Went walkabout in the #Tokyo sunshine today and enjoyed Yoyogi Park.

Royal Mail staff tell BBC letters sit undelivered as firm prioritises parcels Staff and customers tell the BBC prioritising parcels can mean missed NHS appointments and late payment fines.

Royal Mail delivered letters from your doctor, family and friends, 6 days a week for decades.

Then it was privatised. Now it can't even deliver 3 days a week.

Instead they prioritise profitable parcel deliveries. Take Royal Mail back into public ownership. www.bbc.com/news/article...

That sounds... like a lot!!

Sorry!

Sipping a glass of champagne and watching the sun go down over (a very distant) Mount Fuji. 😍

A close-up of a cardboard airline luggage take. This one is from Japan Airlines, with their logo at the bottom of the tag. The rest is a series of coloured heart shapes, along with the text "Happy Valentine's Day 2026"

Forgot to post this cuteness when I arrived in #Tokyo: the Valentine's Day tags Japan Airlines were using for my flight here 😍

I went to #ShinjukuGyoen today to enjoy some sunshine and see the blossoms. Always worth the 500Yen to get in!

I'll do my best...

Got a hotel room upgrade here in #Tokyo and very happy with the outcome. I mean, it's far too big for just me, but I'll enjoy it all the same.

Thank you!!

Next stop: Tokyo ✈️

Giant cat at Charles de Gaulle… ✈️

Next stop: Paris CDG ✈️

Morning ! A miracle: I didn't sleep through my alarm. So it's time to walk to T5 check-in for my flight to Paris. And get some proper coffee in the BA lounge before take-off! ✈️

I'm going to need considerably more caffeine to navigate today's travel...

Why does a billionaire living in Monaco think the UK has been ‘colonised’ by migrants? | The News Agents Jim Ratcliffe, believed to be the seventh-richest Brit in the world, has faced backlash for claims the UK has been “colonised” by migrants. Has this language been normalised in Britain?

"I have a hunch more Brits would say they prefer people, immigrants or not, who pay their taxes, rather than billionaires who bugger off to Monaco and don’t," says Emily Maitlis.

Jim Ratcliffe, she adds, is "out of his depth" with his 'colonisation' claims

www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/why-...

📸 My home for tonight. The Sofitel at Heathrow T5, before tomorrow's insanely early flight to Paris.

Going to grab some snacks from the M&S in the terminal and settle in for an early night with some TV. All checked in for my onward flight to #Tokyo! ✈️

Irony of the day: Viktor Orbán defending the merit based accession with the Copenhagen criteria vis-a-vis Ukraine.

Doubtful whether Hungary today would meet the criteria of "stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities"

dear media, Jim Ratcliffe’s far-right language does not mean it’s a green light for a phone-in asking ‘is he right?’ it’s the moment to call out his use of far-right language

ありがとうございます 😁

Last couple of hours of work before I slam my laptop shut and finish packing for my trip to #Tokyo. Staying overnight at Heathrow as the first leg is so early (8:15am!!!). So I almost feel like my holiday has already started. ✈️

Just sat through a Tory party political broadcast on TV and all I can say is: the brass neck on the Tories complaining about the state of the country, after everything they did to gut society, the economy, the NHS and infrastructure over 14 years.

Hypocrites and liars.

Sure! I'll be in touch once I'm over my inevitable jet lag 🤪

Thanks. Yes! First of three visits this year. Tokyo this month, Fukuoka/Tokyo in July and then another Christmas and New Year's break in December.

Very happy to share some tips/suggestions when you're ready to plan.

My last full day at work before my #Tokyo trip and I'm firing on all cylinders. There's nothing like a travel deadline to give me some focus lol.

Feeling a lot more optimistic about my task list now...

another excellent addition to the Lords which reinforces the argument for wholesale reform

It is so embarrassing that it has taken nearly a decade for a British minister to say this, a statement of the absolute bloody obvious

Fascism cannot produce art that lives because living art relies on unqualified engagement with an other, a challenge to the self. Fascism can only ever conjure an ever more atrociously gilded mirror reflecting back faces that refuse even the realities of time.

Wetherspoon boss urges pubs to back Reform By Henry Saker-Clark The founder of Wetherspoon has urged other pubs to back Reform UK. Sir Tim Martin, chairman of JD Wetherspoon, said Reform's plans to slash beer duty would help the sector move towards "tax parity with supermarkets". Nigel Farage's party announced a series of proposals to support pubs last week. They included pledges to cut VAT in the hospitality sector by 10 per cent, cut beer duty by the same fraction. Reform also said it would reverse the recent rise in employers' national insurance contributions (NICs) for the sector and gradually remove business rates for all pubs. The party has said it would fund this package with around 23on, which it plans to secure through reinstating the two-child benefit cap, except for families with two British-born parents. In a lengthy stock exchange filing yesterday, Martin (inset) told industry leaders "there's no question that this initiative would utterly transform the competitiveness of pubs" He said: "By eliminating the tax differential between supermarkets and the hospitality industry, and restoring margins to devastated businesses, these changes would enable pubs to regain some, or all, of their lost trade. "You would think that this offer from Reform would have been greeted by a crescendo of enthusiasm, ecstasy and support from the licensed trade and its supporters. "However, surpris-ingly, initial support has been underwhelming, at least from the great and the good in the hospitality industry" Last month, Labour announced additional business rates support for pubs. The announcement was a U-turn following complaints from pubs about rates changes in November's Budget.

Multimillionaire Brexiter, Tim Martin, urges pubs to back Reform. Just like he urged the country to vote for Brexit. Too bad if it makes you poorer. Too bad for the children he’ll push back into poverty. Tim wants more money. And he couldn’t give a shit about the cost for everybody else.
(iPaper)