Barney Stringer

People blaming the Mercator map projection for Trump thinking Greenland is bigger than it really is (and at this point, can’t dismiss that)

But also, Mercator deceives on *where* Greenland is. It’s actually pretty much the same distance from both USA and Denmark, (c2,000km). Whose backyard is that?

Can confirm. And for young teenagers to grow up with the freedom to go out anywhere, anytime, without needing to rely on parents to drive them

The viewing corridor of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, from near the King’s Mound in Richmond Park. You really can’t see much, but across the road there’s a narrow gap in the trees. It’s there somewhere.

Not sure I’d have been able to make out St Paul’s in this view today, without the help of Manhattan Lofts highlighting it in the background…

The knowledge equivalent of low-background steel

“Anti Tram” earplugs

So THIS is what central government was using all these years whenever Leeds called asking for a metro system

Not quite for nothing - as well as being London’s most beautiful bridge it’s also working well as a pedestrian / cycle crossing

Even starting from scratch would never be value for money to replace. If there’d never been a bridge there, no-one would seriously propose one was worth building there now

Trouble is the alternative bridges are so close to Hammersmith. Toll it and not enough people will use it to pay for the repairs. So you have to toll Putney And Chiswick. Then Wandsworth and Kew…

At which point, it’s a relatively small further step to vary charges by location, time, weight, in the name of fairness. And eventually you’ve arrived by degrees at a sensible comprehensive road user charging scheme.
Which is why I think yesterday’s first step could be hugely significant long term

Yes, it’s odd. Maybe to avoid the shock of “driven all year, now can’t pay the bill”?
If nothing else it should make a future shift to an in-car device that charges as you drive an easier sell! (PAYD, like PAYE)

Yes it’s sounds very complicated doesn’t it! Far from ideal. But I think once you’ve established the principle of pay-per-mile and got people used to it, it will evolve over time much more easily. It’s that first introduction that’s defeated everyone so far.

I understand the worries about EV adoption from the pay-per-mile electric vehicle tax

But if this policy sticks, this will eventually mean we finally have the basis of a national system of road tolling. Something that’s been absolutely necessary but always “ten years off” for generations

Hammersmith Bridge Where did 25,000 vehicles go?

I really cannot recommend this excellent piece on Hammersmith Bridge highly enough

New appeal stats just dropped and they're 😮

Over the last quarter:
• 76% of public inquiries allowed
• 59% of hearings allowed
• 53% of appeals for more than 10 homes allowed

Those rates are all pretty much as high as they've ever been.

Data here: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68f78d...

Yes, they are actually saying that a "foreigner" who has worked here for decades, paid National Insurance, & is entitled BECAUSE OF THAT to a state pension, would be deported for the crime of claiming it.

Terrifying that a “mainstream” party in the UK is proposing Idi Amin-style deportation of hundreds of thousands of our friends, neighbours, relatives, colleagues, NHS workers…

And terrifying too that it’s raised no more than a ripple in the media, and only weak criticism from the government

Thank you! I’ll look into it. Not sure I’d trust myself to do it so neatly…

Looks the same model as our Vaillant. How did you go about doing the grey wrap? It’s a big improvement

Lewisham: More than a place | Landsec After a four-year process, Lewisham Council has resolved to grant planning permission for the phased redevelopment of the 1970s shopping centre in Lewisham. Building on our 20-year history of investi...

Great news for Lewisham - Landsec’s redevelopment approved this week.

Rebuilt shopping centre, 1,700 new homes, new music venue and open space

The official data on productivity shows Britain's big cities have decoupled from the national economy. But while the big cities outside the capital are roaring ahead, London is stagnating.

But can we trust this data? Are our regional divides closing? Our new paper investigates:

Is there accepted canon on which order to read them?

Now you don’t have to choose! Both of

@jonnelledge.bsky.social History of the World in 47 Borders, and

@lewisbaston.bsky.social
Borderlines: History of Europe in 29 Borders,

are 99p on Kindle at the moment. (Only 2.6p per border…)

Initial government response - September 2025

Govt response to New Towns Taskforce recommendations. The Taskforce’s 12 locations still being considered (“Tempsford, Crews Hill and Leeds South Bank looking particularly promising”). More by next Spring so watch this space or rather these various large spaces.

www.gov.uk/government/p...

New Towns Taskforce: Report to government The government has published the independent New Towns Taskforce report as well as its initial response to that report.

I’m immensely grateful to the New Towns Taskforce, under the expert leadership of its Chair, Sir Michael Lyons, and Deputy Chair, Dame Kate Barker, for producing such a considered and comprehensive set of final recommendations 👇🏻

www.gov.uk/government/p...

So impressive what Jim has achieved in the first year of London Centric. If you live here, you owe yourself a subscription

Tattered flags over London’s Oxford Street, half torn off. (These are actually official flags, rather than racist ones…)

London’s weather has had enough of flags it seems

Tried Amazon’s “Prime Vision” football with live data overlays. Pretty interesting, but you definitely wouldn’t want it on a game you really cared about

What about the 1552 division of the Debatable Lands? (Yes I got lost in Wikipedia)

Jonn, who was the first king (or queen) whose realm included every single bit of what is now England?

Given the history of borders I suspect may still be “depends”?

So annoying, happened to me recently too.

And infuriating that Bosch now have a system that can remotely brick all stolen batteries, but instead they limit it to those paying £40 a year for Flow+ subscription. Making it totally ineffective as a deterrent, *even for those who do pay*

Hopefully soon they’ll be drinking this instead: