Christine P

A former Hampshire county council Tory leader who claimed more than £15,000 in allowances over six months – despite failing to attend meetings in that period – has won a ceremonial honour for “dedication and hard work”.

Russia massing nuclear fleet in Arctic circle ‘for war with Nato’
Moscow building up on Kola peninsula and testing new weapons, Norway’s defence minister warns

archive.is/2025.10.24-1...

YouTube video by Marsh Family "Grand Old Duke of York" - parody of English nursery rhyme by the Marsh Family on Prince Andrew

Here's a version of the English nursery rhyme, "The Grand Old Duke of York" 🎶 about the man who says he isn't going to call himself it anymore ... though whether he should be taken at his word ... 🤔

youtu.be/hoETmTJM014

Saw @davidolusoga.bsky.social at Dorking Halls tonight. Gave a brilliant talk on erasure in history. So much to take home and ponder, especially the need for expansion of history.

The devastating effect this has had on my family can not be understated. We were able to have some therapy but it has been greatly reduced. We are having to now take a six month break and hopefully get funding next year. Not great for kids who have trouble building trusting relationships!

Second that.

Finland ends homelessness and provides shelter for all in need - scoop.me In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Why? The country applies the "Housing First" concept agains homelessness.

“In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Those affected receive a small apartment & counselling with no preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected make their way back into a stable life. And all this is CHEAPER than accepting homelessness.”

It costs a lot less to house people.

Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers. Haven't wanted to put it down.

“Populism, whether left or right, offers simplistic solutions to complex problems. That’s its appeal - and its danger.”

Can populism work when applied to progressive politics?

@maitlis.bsky.social | @jonsopel1.bsky.social | @lewisgoodall.com

A story in the parts

A story in three parts

A picture of a very busy St Martins Lane and the sign outside the Noel Coward Theatre for The Importance of Being Earnest.

So glad we booked tickets to see The Importance of Being Earnest at the Noel Coward Theatre.
It is so uplifting and the cast are simply joyous.

Ever since I finished Question Time, Reform have massively been on the attack.

Including a rant from Richard Tice entirely designed to distract from Reform and Russia.

Everyone should know about Nathan Gill, the bribes from Russia and the link to Reform.

So when can we expect the Trump meltdown??? #nobelpeaceprize

Couldn't resist so just put an order in!

This has been an absolute god send for me. Wish it had been mentioned much sooner, but better late than never.

After clashing with Maurice Glasman recently, I've come to realise just how pernicious he and his Blue Labour movement are. We could discuss his chumminess with Steve Bannon and JD Vance, endless pandering to the far right and evident hatred of the Labour left. But there's something even worse. 🧵

Flotilla updates: Spain has abandoned them & warns them to turn back.

There are now 20 Israeli war ships on the horizon about 7 miles away either creating a blockade or moving towards them. Unclear.

Keep eyes on the Global Flotilla to keep them safe! ❤️🇵🇸

Live here:

www.youtube.com/live/iCAN2Ay...

Donald Trump is banned from ever receiving the Nobel Peace Prize because he renamed the Department of Defense the Department of War.

🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

There aren't enough laughing emojis.

Nigel Farage wants to drag Britain down the same road as Trump’s America: chaos, division and fear. Our NHS, our rights and our communities are at risk. Do not let Trump’s America become Farage’s Britain.

Really proud of the @london.gov.uk mayor for really getting under Trump's skin.

We are looking at the Hall - a timber framed building, surrounded by flood water. The garden and trees are submerged under water.

After all the rain we have had over the last few days it's not surprising that the River Ouse in York has flooded (a little bit).

A similar soggy outcome happened nearly 10 years ago but with a far more serious outcome for the Hall.

Join us as we tell you about the 2015 Boxing Day floods.

Bought some amazing smelling candles at @butserancientfarm.co.uk Viking Festival today. Follow Ashwood Candles on Instagram, they truly are amazing.

I am so glad you have said this. I am sorry to say, but it seems like Starmer and the government seem to be more worried about keeping the free speech brigade on side, than calling out hate speech when it is right there for all to see.

Thames Water paid £1m-plus to corporate spooks firm part-owned by Starmer adviser Exclusive: Hakluyt – formerly run by Varun Chandra – has been advising utilities company as it tries to avoid renationalisation

Revolving doors.

Thames Water paid £1m+ to corporate lobbyists part-owned by Starmer adviser.

The aim is to reach policymakers, keep TW private.

TW pays £200m a year to various advisers, cost borne by customers.

Public ownership would end this chicanery. No need to pay dividends, lobbyists.

I would have listened to you all for much longer too. Love your books and the stories of those we all should know about, but for numerous reasons we don't, the most fascinating.

So lucky to have listened to @gordoncorera.bsky.social and @claremulley.bsky.social at WHW fest (genuinely the main reason I wanted to come). Gordon could you spend some time on the pod to discuss Virginia Hall, think is squirrels would find it fascinating.

Almost like allowing private equity to take over the children's home market was a terrible idea.

Someone should have written about that in a book....

samf.substack.com/p/contract-k...

Thousands of tonnes of toxic landfill liquid added to sewage and spread on English farms Exclusive: Leachate is tankered to treatment works where it mixes with sewage and industrial effluent

A massive, dangerous and disgusting scandal, of which far too few people are yet aware. At @fightingdirty.bsky.social we'll keep pushing to stop it. Congrats to @rachelsalvidge.bsky.social for continuing to shine the light:
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Sharing this , not just because it is amazing but also because this is what we need more of right now.

Revealed: Boris Johnson approached Elon Musk on behalf of London Evening Standard owner Lebedev Former PM’s private office forwarded business proposal from peer to owner of X in June 2024, leaked files suggest

Nothing to see here: just Boris Johnson acting as a fixer for Evgeny Lebedev - the son of a KGB foreign intelligence officer - and introducing him to Elon Musk www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...