Mark Doidge

So sorry to hear this Robin. But you know you’re being true to yourself and to the many people you care about. Stay strong

I don't think many people will visit anymore. To give my DNA? Yeah, nope.

We now learn that Fifa had a very specific "ask" in exchange for its "Peace Award" to Trump, with loads of gold trinkets, and that was dismissal of a criminal corruption case against senior Fifa officials. And Trump granted it. Another corrupt bargain, barely noticed (and ignored by US media).

Paris said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change. Air pollution fell substantially as the city restricted car traffic and made way for parks and bike lanes.

“Air pollution fell substantially as Paris restricted car traffic and made way for parks, people-streets and bike-lanes.”

Better for the climate, better for health, better for livability and quality of life.

Common sense.

Such a no-brainer, it’s remarkable that more cities HAVEN’T done the same.

We have to stop migration to curb the far right.
We have to lock migrants in camps to curb the far right.
We have to reduce human right to curb the far right.
We have to deport people to curb the far right.
We have to clamp down on protest to curb the far right.
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...

Latest monthly visa application figures are out.

Skilled workers? Still dropping.
Health & care workers? Still dropping.

Slow clap.

"Migrants who came to the UK on skilled work visas in 2022-23 will make a net contribution of £47bn to the public finances over their lifetime, according to new estimates from the government’s Migration Advisory Committee."

Not surprising, but some observations (1/n)

www.ft.com/content/10da...

Maccabi Tel Aviv Fans in Stuttgart

-Trigger: Sexual violence-

Arrived at the Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters’ meeting point in Stuttgart. Maybe 150 still here.

First chant I hear them sing upon arrival was about raping female fans of their rivals, Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Police tells them to head towards the shuttle to ground. #VfBMTA #VfB

Migration Advisory Committee report on fiscal impact of main work migration routes.

Key table: they estimate 2022/23 cohort (those arriving in 2022/23) will over lifetimes pay about £47 billion more in taxes than they "cost" in public spending.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/693810...

2. Products and Blockchain Disclaimer 2.1. The Company's products may relate to or interact with a particular blockchain or digital ecosystem (the "Blockchain"). 2.2. The Customer expressly acknowledges and agrees that: (a) the Blockchain may be experimental, hypothetical, or not yet operational; (b) the existence, functionality, and continued operation of the Blockchain are not guaranteed by the Company; (c) the Company makes no representations or warranties regarding the creation, deployment, performance, or future viability of the Blockchain; and (d) any reference to the Blockchain or its associated tokens, assets, or ecosystem is for informational or thematic purposes only and does not constitute an offer, promise, or guarantee of access to or participation in such Blockchain. 2.3. The Customer assumes all risks associated with reliance on or interaction with the Blockchain, including but not limited to technical failures, cessation of operation, or lack of future development. 2.4. Under no circumstances shall the Company be liable for any loss, damage, or claim arising from the non-existence, malfunction, or discontinuation of the Blockchain.

"Under no circumstances shall the Company be liable for any loss, damage, or claim arising from the non-existence... of the Blockchain."

This disclaimer is from the Ts&Cs of Barcelona's new... blockchain partner. They took $22m from guys who say, 'if our product doesn't even exist, tough luck.'
1/

It will be interesting to see if they implement this before the Men’s World Cup next year

So we've gone from "he never said anything Nazi" to "well he might have said something Nazi but not in a hurtful way" to "well okay he probably did say something Nazi in a hurtful way, but didn't we all?"

The damage the govt is willing to inflict on the economy (not to mention care provision) in pursuit of anti-migration dogma:

Starmer urges Europe’s leaders to curb ECHR to halt rise of far right Exclusive: PM calls for members of European convention on human rights to allow tougher action to protect borders

That's right! We should destroy human rights so that Keir Starmer can win* the next general election!

*Make it even more likely he'll lose by mainstreaming the far right politics he pretends to oppose

The Home Office also recognise that this may have an impact on user of care services who are likely to be older people and those with disabilities. The Home Office believes that despite these points the changes are justified for a number of policy reasons including reducing net migration and ending reliance on overseas recruitment.

Home Office Ministers state publicly, on the record, that they are deliberately making life worse for older people and people with disabilities who depend on care services, but it's worth it because it reduces net migration.

But the good news is, by doing this, we defeated racism in the UK.

Noting say ‘nothing to see here’ more than banning journalists from looking there

Labour must not repeat history by sidelining research in post-92 universities The abolition of the binary divide in HE made visible the wealth of research excellence in what became known as the post-92 part of the sector. Katie Normington worries that forcing specialisation ris...

Good piece from Katie Normington at De Montfort University reminding us the post 92 universities have done excellent research for a long time and that this ought not be endangered by the White Paper call for specialisation
wonkhe.com/blogs/labour...

Crick (Michael, who wrote a biography on Nigel Farage) believes that there is a clear line to be drawn between Farage the sixth-former and Farage the politician. "So much of his character is the same as you can see at Dulwich," he says. "The boy who's desperate for attention, who loves debating, who loves division. The English nationalism, the interest - almost obsession - with immigration, the admiration for Enoch Powell, the free-market Thatcherism; all of that began at Dulwich." Much of the public has already made up its mind on Farage. In as much as this story cuts through to the wider elector-ate, some will think it deeply unfair to judge Farage on his adolescence; while others will see it as fair game and reflective of the man he later became. But there will be many who are still undecided on Farage and, for this last camp, his belligerent response to the allegations will be a test. He has the polling support. He has the Tory defections. He has the money now too. But does he have the ability to woo and keep voters who once found him unsavoury? Farage is unlikely to change tack now. "He's got to be true to him-self," says the senior Reform source. "There is precious little point in apologising to people like Ed Davey." Additional Reporting: Harry Yorke

The exact people now saying "Nigel Farage was young and foolish at school" (to excuse his racism, bullying and harassment of fellow pupils at Dulwich College) are the same people who said "Shamima Begum was old enough to know what she was doing".

Man who "needed" gold wallpaper for his flat complains of people needing wheelchairs

On certain key areas, especially related to rights, you need a rizla paper to measure the difference in outcomes, if not stated policies, between Reform and Labour. That is not to say they are the same though. It's dangerous ground to think things "can't be worse" under Reform. 1/

Good job Starmer didn’t say we were an island of strangers or that migration had done untold damage to this country. Good job Starmer hasn’t spent his premiership chasing Reform voters. Hypocrisy

A Labour PM who says he’s happy with the status quo whilst ignoring all the pain for the majority of the country. Yet, he promised change 🙄

Well, Starmer is certainly changing the lives of young people by ignoring what they care about, keeping rent and property prices high, ignoring climate change, and legitimating racism. He promised change and Labour’s changing into Reform.

Auf Wiedersehen, Newcastle.

my great-grandparents arrived in the UK in the 1890s with nothing.
they sold pickles from the front room window, took in laundry, worked as tailors.
their children were nurses, teachers, salesmen.
their grandchildren were professors, designers, opticians, doctors, magistrates, entrepreneurs.

My dad abhors any negative comments about immigrants. Asked him recently why he’s so strong on it: ‘Because we’re always happy to take the rich and clever ones. Which means it’s not about disliking immigrants. It’s about disliking the poor and vulnerable. And that’s a bad human instinct.’

A huge number of people were deprived of citizenship by the Nazis. Political opponents first, then Jews. Maybe more than 200,000 people in total.

Oh look. They’ve actually drawn a diagram for all the people stupid enough to need a bloody diagram.