Matthew Rees

Chart showing my chess.com puzzle ranking over the last 90 days; it starts unevenly but climbs steadily over the last 30 days.

My cunning plan of taking the @chess.com daily puzzles seriously is starting to show results!

I’d extend it to all individuals! Managing housing stock should be for the likes of Peabody.

If Starmer had any authority or decency he would have sacked her rather than let her resign with the standard “distraction” excuse.

The area is already full of Chinese people in anticipation of the embassy coming, just look at the local shop signs where some put Chinese ahead of English.

Again they mention dividing the Party without giving a single example of any policy differences. Desperate stuff.

Why do you keep reposting this nonsense?! 8% in the polls is not successful, particularly when Labour and Conservative support has fallen away dramatically.

You’re making Zack’s point, the potential is 28% but the current state is a pitiful 8%. Relevance is possible but it’s not there yet and Greens have to change to get there.

All 600,000 of them?! A bit unlikely I think.

8% is not broad appeal, it’s irrelevance.

As an active pedestrian in London my max wait time is well under 30 seconds, nearer 3! Every time I cross a road I am reminded just how little priority pedestrians get in public spaces when we should be put first.

View of London from the 39th floor of an apparent block on South Bank.

St Paul’s and Barbican as seen from an apartment that I will never be able to afford, even with a good lottery win (I don’t do the lottery).

If 8% in the national polls and zero presence in current political debates is success then what does failure look like?

If you think 8% in the polls is success then you’re part of the problem. Luckily most Greens are more ambitious.

Not quite as esoteric but we always say when we win the lottery. We don’t do the lottery.

I’m not a Green but I hope you win in a landslide. The Left needs many strong voices in different parties (and other political organisations) to counter Labour, Conservatives and Reform who are now essentially one right-wing party.

Nonsense. Elsewhere you admit the EU/USA deal is bad for EU so how can you also claim it as a reward?!!

I think that’s a good approach for all political parties, i.e. fight hard only where you can win and want to win but put up candidates everywhere so your supporters can choose whether to still vote for you in non-target seats or to vote tactically.

It’s also undemocratic that the winning party then goes against what it said it would do (Change?!) to get elected, once elected. Labour now governs with c20% support only a year after the GE.

It always struck me as profoundly undemocratic for parties to make these pack decisions rather than leaving it to each voter to decide whether to vote tactically or not.

Answering a simple question with an irrelevant one! Not very bright are you.

That’s exactly the view of the 28 MPs who voted against the motion to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group; does that make them terrorists too?!

The poster does not mention Hamas so what’s your point?

Chess puzzle where an obvious queen move delivers mate in one

I know my rating has fallen a bit in recent months but I still feel insulted by @chess.com offering me an M1 puzzle.

NHS appointments are a mess There has been much discussion recently about fining people for missing NHS appointments and the consensus seems to be that people have no e...

I feel your pain! Blood tests appointments are electronic here but other appointments are a complete mess.
hamlife.blogspot.com/2024/11/nhs-...

View of the stage for A Moon for the Misbegotten at Almeida Theatre featuring a raised round stage made of wood surrounded by a clutter of planks, ladders and derelict items.

I am always extremely interested in any production of a Eugene O’Neil play or any play starring Ruth Wilson; A Moon for the Misbegotten at @almeida.co.uk has both which made it unmissable. It is unsurprisingly excellent.

Toby Jones must have some sort of compulsive work disorder, he’s in almost every Radio4 drama too.

I was with you for the first five words.

It’s not just the maps though. Someone should have queried why they were being told to mow flowers.

Cover of Umbral issue 9

If you see this, post an Image cover you love.

There really needs to be some sort of joint venture between @slowwaysuk.bsky.social and @gojauntly.bsky.social , you’re both doing good work in the same area.