Patrick Samphire 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

47% of people think immigration is primarily illegal. There were 4% irregular arrivals in March

New YouGov polling. A monumental failure of our political class to educate, a monumental failure of our media to report fairly, for a generation

This turned out to be even stupider than I expected

1. The MIT study being referred to doesn't say anything of the sort

2. I had to look up the study separately, because there is no article attached to this post. It's literally just this picture! Which is wrong on every level

'Genius club' indeed

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Sum up your writing career in one error message.

Yup. The other thing that people don't get is that at a certain financial point you're not making "income" anymore, you're using your wealth as collateral for loans not counted as income, and occasionally cashing out stock which is taxed at a lower rate. It doesn't matter where you live then.

Well, here's a bunch of people very happy to throw themselves in with the UK's leading anti-trans bigot. Fuck em all.

Headline: If you don't like Nintendo's controversial game key-cards, you can now let the company know directly Subhead: UPDATE: Survey has been deactivated.

lmao

Being racist isn’t a protected characteristic. Neither are being misogynistic or homophobic. Why is transphobia?

Two days to go until we release Chapters 13-15 from @patricksamphire.bsky.social @simonkewin.co.uk and @alexsbradshaw.bsky.social

This is where the story gets dark and gritty - where some characters may not survive the cataclysm!
9 authors. 1 story.
spotlightindie.co.uk/category/rea...

Lord Dannatt urged ministers to crack down on Palestine Action at request of US firm Police officer was concerned ex-army chief, a Teledyne adviser, sought to have ‘input’ into factory attack investigation

There is no democracy when MPs or members of the House of Lords can be employed by private companies to influence policy. It's utterly corrupt.

Poland is sliding back towards populism. Democrats elsewhere should heed our mistakes | Karolina Wigura and Jarosław Kuisz Donald Tusk has failed to offer a positive vision for the future. Without one, liberals will just be an interval between populist acts, say historian Karolina Wigura and journalist Jarosław Kuisz

This is because centrists do not solve problems. They are only interested in maintaining the status quo, within a very narrow range. The far right also does not solve problems, but it offers scapegoats to blame for desperate people.

Really? How do you spank them without hitting them? Do you just wave your hand in the air nearby?

I guess we all respond differently to not being interviewed by Terry Gross. Some of us change our entire worldviews. Others of us, while cooking dinner, hold up a carrot like a mic and give answers to imaginary interview questions with only our fridge as an audience.

Tech bros never did understand consent.

An image of the front cover of Wooing the Witch Queen shows a sinister witch queen in a spectacular beaded dress embracing her handsome and adoring new librarian (in a black wizard's robe) inside a library of magic filled with crows and masks and flying books. Above and beside it is this snippet from the book: “...Mmm?” One bushy green eyebrow rose meaningfully. Saskia followed his gaze across her outfit: the comfortably worn old grey gown covered by a sensible apron, which itself was covered with stains from old experiments, and a cheerful purple handkerchief that held her long, thick hair out of danger’s way. She liked that handkerchief. It had been sewn for her by a wickedly bawdy old goblin chieftain last year. She thought it looked quite well against her pitch black hair and pale skin. She sighed, though, as she accepted the inevitability. “You’re right, of course. As usual.” Shaking her head, she stepped back from the lectern where she kept her notes. “I’ll be ready in a quarter of an hour. If you could prepare the entrance chamber?” “I’ll start the skulls boiling now,” said Morlokk, and bowed his way out of the room, letting the heavy wooden door fall shut behind him.

This week's Monday snippet is from Wooing the Witch Queen, in which Queen Saskia is being tragically forced to abandon her magical labwork & put on attire more appropriate to a wicked queen greeting a new guest.

Snap up the full book: stephanieburgis.com/books/wooing-the-witch-queen

#romancelandia

Black and white photograph of Baker Street tube station in London. Three skylights light the platform and a girl is sitting on the right-hand bench

Another photograph that brought back happier times #photography #streetphotography

Interview Demis Hassabis on our AI future: 'It'll be 10 times bigger than the Industrial Revolution - and maybe 10 times faster'

Every time The Guardian publishes a hype article like this about AI, it's worth remembering that they have a commercial arrangement with ChatGPT and are not unbiased.

The whole thing is grifter bollocks.

He's already blocked by one of the 'transphobes' lists I subscribe to.

Today we are launching the Irish KidLit for Palestine Fundraiser in support of Medical Aid for Palestinians (@medicalaidpal.bsky.social‬)

Running from 4th August to 17th August 2025.

You can check out the fundraiser at www.ruthennis.com/irish-kidlit-for-palestine

@sineadohart.bsky.social

Generally, I agree. However, for many neurodiverse children it is absolutely not good. It's harmful and even dangerous.

World Athletics’ mandatory genetic test for women athletes is misguided. I should know – I discovered the relevant gene in 1990 World Athletics says its genetic test for women ensures ‘the integrity of women’s sport’ – but science does not support this overly simplistic idea.

“World Athletics asserts the SRY gene is a reliable proxy for determining biological sex. But biological sex is much more complex, with chromosomal, gonadal (testis/ovary), hormonal and secondary sex characteristics all playing a role.”

Sex testing is not only invasive, it’s also inaccurate.

My wife asked what I really wanted and I told her it was a 52 part podcast examining every episode of Blake's 7. Turns out, she meant korma or jalfrezi.

Still from the 1941 film "Love on the Dole", with the unfortunate subtitle "She's a strange lassie's arsehole".

Catastrophic subtitling on the 1941 movie "Love on the Dole".

(It should read "She's a strange lass, is our Sal"...)

It is genuinely interesting to see what crowds Labour will listen to. Tens of thousands for Palestine, for Trans rights? We can fuck off.

40 racist arsonists crying about foreigners? Legitimate concerns. We hear you.

The funniest part of this is not that you believe kids are watching snuff videos, but that you believe there are websites out there which host videos of people being murdered for entertainment and that you believe they're now all asking their users to verify their age to comply with the law.

This is incredible

An interesting bug in Bluesky, I think. Someone quote-posted someone else's post that had subsequently been deleted. But when I clicked onto the post, it showed the deleted post for just a second before it disappeared. @bsky.app @support.bsky.team

Oh, come on. Keep up. Crypto is the two-years-ago scam. The current scam is AI.

An interior view of a shoe store or department featuring a sign that reads "DON'T Enter Mirror" on a mirror covering a wall.

no one ever comes back

REAL HOPE REAL CHANGE SCRAP RIGHT TO BUY Green Party Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of The Green Party, both at PO Box 78066, London SE16 9GQ

The right-to-buy scheme has cost UK taxpayers almost £200bn according to @cmmonwealth.bsky.social

Margaret Thatcher's transfer of public wealth into private hands has fuelled the inequality and shortage of social housing we see today.

The Green Party would scrap right-to-buy.

Bregret? Q) If the 2016 Brexit referendum were held today, how would you vote? Remain 52% Leave 29% Would not vote 11% Don't know 8% 22 July - 24 July 2025 2,113 GB adults (excludes Northern Ireland) Chart: The Times and The Sunday Times•Source: More in Common

Q) Should there be a referendum on rejoining the EU in the next 5 years? Yes 49% No 37% Don't know 14% 22 July - 24 July 2025, 2,113, GB adults (excludes Northern Ireland) Chart: The Times and The Sunday Times•Source: More in Common

Support for Brexit hits a new low of 29%, in new @moreincommonuk.bsky.social poll.

Support for a Rejoin referendum 12 points ahead. ~AA

[Source: www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/... ]