Ben Mitchell
@bmitchellwrites.bsky.social
Painfully nostalgic for the 90s.
Wise words from none other than Ed Sheeran (or whatever publicist wrote this):
Unsurprisingly, I love this piece. Have felt for some time that the 90s was the last great decade. I'd be amazed if we ever get another. www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
We owe it to our kids to reclaim the Nineties spirit
Nostalgia is building for a decade full of optimism — we need to give future generations light at the end of the tunnel
thetimes.com
As a feminist, you know you’re doing something right when you criticise misogynistic elements of the culture, and men talk about you like this. Women who identify misogyny have been caricatured as joyless hags forever
flyingrodent@flyingrodent.bsky.social · last wk.The world’s most normal commentators here. Hadley sitting in her flat, grinding her teeth and seething with rage at the drag queen show. And I doubt the paper’s readers give a damn either.
I'm afraid the resorting to insults, accusations, emotional blackmail and the rest, is exactly why Yes lost and deserved to. They failed to persuade throughout. There were valid reasons for Yes, but when asked about safeguards, slippery slopes etc. all they had was asking us to 'be kind.'
Politics UK@politicsuk.com · last wk.🚨 BREAKING: MPs have voted against the Assisted Dying Bill Yes: 270 No: 286
Strongly recommend the TV series "The Looming Tower" (unfortunately no longer on iPlayer), which chronicles the years leading up to 9/11, the growing threat of al-Qaeda and the rivalry between the FBI and CIA and the consequences of. Think it was s'thing I watched during the pandemic.
Everyone knows what a woman is when it comes to surrogacy, strip clubs, brothels, pornography. Basically anything where the female body is exploited.
Really fascinating. Politics vs. Delivery; I want to do X vs. How will X work in practice. The disconnect explains why political ambitions are so often thwarted/not properly thought through.
Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · last wk.New post: "When government works" The vaccine rollout is often cited as a rare example of the state working. For the first time the person who led it, Emily Lawson, talks about how she did it + what the lessons are for govt in normal times. (£/free trial) samf.substack.com/p/when-gover...
Fuck me. I've always been staunchly opposed to surrogacy and this excellent piece just reveals again what a vile industry it is. So many red flags. Of course gay men now make up a not insignificant proportion of people seeking surrogates. It's all so wrong. Having a child is not a right.
Helen Lewis@helenlewis.bsky.social · 2w agoFor the last year, I’ve been talking to people involved in the surrogacy industry. There are many happy stories, but also a very concerning lack of regulation. I’ll drop a gift link below.
Fuck me. I've always been staunchly opposed to surrogacy and this excellent piece just reveals again what a vile industry it is. So many red flags. Of course gay men now make up a not insignificant proportion of people seeking surrogates. It's all so wrong. Having a child is not a right.
Helen Lewis@helenlewis.bsky.social · 2w agoFor the last year, I’ve been talking to people involved in the surrogacy industry. There are many happy stories, but also a very concerning lack of regulation. I’ll drop a gift link below.
Find the term 'national treasure' cringeworthy (and laughably overused), but Monty Don really is just that. They'd better give the gig to Adam Frost: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Monty Don to leave Gardeners' World after more than 20 years
The presenter said it had been "deeply rewarding" but added that "now is the right time for a change".
bbc.co.uk
Strong agree. Brilliant series. Conservative campaigner Phyllis Schlafly, played by the wonderful Cate Blanchett, comes across really well.
James O'Malley@jamesomalley.co.uk · 2w agoThe death of Gloria Steinem is a good opportunity to remind everyone to watch the TV show "MRS AMERICA", which is currently on Disney+. It came out during the early pandemic and sank without a trace, but it was a really good drama on the feminist battles of the 70s!
It is bad and it is weird.
Tim Bale@timbale.bsky.social · 3w agoI should stress, given some of the outraged parental replies, that I don't necessarily think it's weird or bad - and doubtless it comes in useful on all sorts of occasions. I also take the point that 'tracking' is a loaded term (not mine, btw!) It just came as a surprise to this old geezer. #GenX
Agree and reading Starmer's statement it's infuriating how his sense of moral superiority has stayed intact despite everything.
a rare photo of sean connery signed by roger moore@steamedhamms.bsky.social · 3w agoi do think it reveals something (bad) about ex-PMs characters when they can’t countenance being in parliament without the big job
Clearly this is aimed at the more conservative outer boroughs - but even there surely most people now have a ULEZ-compliant car so scrapping it would make no difference?
Rob Davies@byrobdavies.bsky.social · 3w ago"I want your children's lungs to be smaller and less functional" is a bold electoral strategy.
Train travel has got rapidly worse since end of Covid. As has so many other things. Can't remember the last time my commute to or from work wasn't delayed by signalling issues.
Jennifer Williams@jenwilliamsft.bsky.social · 3w agoThought this train was the exception to all the delayed trains I’ve seen today, so notwithstanding from the sweltering temperature and the weird smell of onions I took it as a win. Now at a standstill, maybe because of a defective track and maybe because of “something to do with the level crossing”
Post-truth/postmodernism strikes again. Nothing makes intelligent people sound more stupid.
Mark Wallace@wallaceme.bsky.social · 3w agoAmazingly damaging Today Programme interview by Alexandra Pringle essentially machinegunning the credibility of all memoirs to excuse Simon & Schuster over the Arday book.
Well, he ain't going anywhere then. Uefa set to drop Fifa tournament boycott threat - www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
Gianni Infantino: Uefa set to drop Fifa tournament boycott threat
Uefa is set to drop its threat of boycotting Fifa competitions, having received assurances there will be no repeat of Gianni Infantino's plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors, ...
bbc.co.uk
Terrific piece. Could also apply to the publishing industry, charity sector, funders, TV and film. And pretty much the whole of the Arts. open.substack.com/pub/ianlesli...
Politics Is Making Academia Stupid
On Our Self-Lobotomising Universities
open.substack.com
They should have been sanctioned for their disgraceful antics in the SF. Cheating bastards. At least any playing in England this weekend (and for the next few weeks at least) will be booed and heckled to fuck and they'll deserve it. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
World Cup 2026: Argentina's Paredes banned for 10 games over World Cup final clashes
Fifa ban Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes for 10 matches over his role in clashes with Spanish players after the World Cup final.
bbc.co.uk
Sometimes you gotta take risks, drown out the noise, ignore the most vocal and do seemingly unpopular things. That's leadership. Clean air zones should be rolled out everywhere. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Children's stunted lungs show recovery in ultra low emission zone
Children's lung capacity caught up with their peers in less polluted areas once a clean air zone came in, a study shows.
bbc.co.uk
A disproportionate amount of posts on this site consist of a handful of political commentators having their arses kissed by their merry band of sycophants.
An idea clearly created without any thought as to practicality or consequences. The Farage example should kill it off at conception. However, one must think about how many, who gets to decide? How is it in place (legislation? Regulation? Voluntary?) how is it enforced? Are there exceptions? /1
Kate Bevan@katebevan.com · last mo.Very much looking forward to Farage benefiting from hitting the cap on the number of times publications are allowed to mention him so that his dodgy financing can't be reported.
The second, equally bizarre response, is that journalists should refrain from reporting due to the impact on an individual. We could do this, but many very bad individuals would be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect. /3