Steph Boland

How “unserious” became Britain's favourite put-down A close reading of Keir Starmer’s favourite word.

Why so unserious?

This is great from Anoosh Chakelian on the latest political put-down

www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

The rise and fall of the British cult that hid in plain sight The long read: Philippa Barnes was a child when her family joined the Jesus Fellowship. As an adult, she helped expose the shocking scale of abuse it had perpetrated

Amazingly proud of my friend Barbara for telling this story with such nuance and compassion. A brilliant read. www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ju...

Perfection www.irishtimes.com/news/cruiske...

‘Look how well-read I am!’ How ‘books by the metre’ add the final touch to your home – or your image It’s never been easier to build an impressive-looking library, especially if you’re mostly interested in the colour and size of your books. Is this necessarily a bad thing?

Life, once again, imitating Myles na gCopaleen

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...

In writing this (and discussing it with @popeconor.bsky.social over a sneaky hotel bar drink before a delayed train) I wonder: are The Bear’s strongest episodes those which take us away from the restaurant?

Make characters witty again There are two types of comedy character in the world.

There are two types of character in the world stephanieboland.substack.com/p/make-chara...

Pavement yachting, Stretford, August 1963 (photo: Tom Stuttard/The Guardian).

Parental leave and pay for new parents to be reviewed by ministers Campaigners say the UK's system has been

Review of parental leave and pay is great, but the framing is all wrong: it is not about being "generous and supportive," it is (or should be) about basic equality, and addressing what is currently flagrantly sexist government policy.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I’m hiring a reporter for London Centric, looking for someone smart who can use a phone, knock on doors and wants to cause trouble. Don’t care if you’ve got qualifications, just want evidence of caring about news. Initial six month contract, pay above national rates. www.londoncentric.media/p/jobs

It’s like a magic trick, when you start drawing portraiture and watch the model’s face morph into your own. I think journalist’s profiles of celebrities are the same.

Can’t walk through a gallery without thinking of AA Gill’s line about all the portraits in the NPG having the same projected expression of focussed attention

Canal at Diggle, Saddleworth, by Oldham-born Russell Howarth, 1927-2020. #NorthernArt

Aren’t most of the baby shoes for sale unworn, though

A woman and man smiling together on an escalator at a train station.

A smiling man on a train in Europe.

A woman and man pulling over-the-top puzzled faces outside a museum with a display saying “who the **** is Hegel?”

A German cycling magazine on a bunk bed in a sleeper train.

I’m enjoying InterRailing, but does occur to me I have booked us less “a holiday” and more “a 12-day premarital team building activity”

The economic scourge of small print Non-compete clauses may look employer friendly but can stifle labour force fluidity and competition

“[To] see stringent non-competes as straightforwardly pro-employer would be a mistake. It would be better to say that they are pro-incumbent employers.”

on.ft.com/4l7NgEp

I disagree! I think it’s incumbent on the person who wants to listen to something to use headphones

Why is everyone doing The Artist’s Way? The thirty-year-old guide to creative practice is an Amazon bestseller – and I think I know why.

What’s behind so many people turning to the same, thirty-year-old guide to creative practice? stephanieboland.substack.com/p/why-is-eve...

YouTube video by LeonardCohenVEVO Leonard Cohen - First We Take Manhattan (Official Video)

What a great time to listen to the best - only? - song set on Father’s Day

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTTC...

Peel Park, 1944, painting by L.S. Lowry. #NorthernArt

Mind the Gender Gap: The Hidden Data Gap in Transport - London Reconnections The leading source for independent news and analysis about transport in London and beyond. Award-winning coverage of transport infrastructure and politics alongside stories about the history of the Ca...

Caroline Criado Perez has written interestingly on this pattern, which (if I’m summarising correctly!) is because planners tend to focus on “mobility related to employment” - and not all the other trips people, especially women, need to make www.londonreconnections.com/2019/mind-th...

A pretty boring photo of some road with a cloud in the background.

Thought this picture was brilliant when I took it on my bike in the lanes this morning. Just got in, got my phone out and… it’s literally just a cloud.

Endorphins, man. They’ll get you every time.

Charing Cross is my station of choice to get home to Lewisham, but then my phone autocorrected it to “chafing”, so maybe you’re on to something

Orchestrating the Musical World in The Ballad of Wallis Island An exclusive Q&A with composer Adem Ilhan

Read the back story behind the score: www.focusfeatures.com/article/the-...

Feels eminently Crowdfundable

Might take out paid TikTok ads which just say, “watching this out loud on the train? Have you considered putting headphones on?”

Got a lot of love for St Pancras, too.

Fenchurch Street! Wasn’t even on my mind. This could change my ranking.

Oooh King’s Cross interests me - do love the snack possibilities

I speak, I am not afraid to say, as a noted London Bridge hater. (Too much cold concrete. Too little time to get to the platform for the next advertised train. It’s a no from me.)

It is extremely important in me to know: what is your ranking of the major London terminal stations?