Annoné Butler
@bookishwgc.bsky.social
Retired Government lawyer; reader of books; Opera aficionado; fair weather gardener; still practising Tai Chi Ch’uan. Toujours Européen.
In January, Shabana Mahmood announced plans for a policing shakeup, with a distinctly centralising tone. She asked a former Met chief to devise the plans by the end of August. In July, the new PM announced a committment to greater devolution. That's proving complicated: as.ft.com/r/7ed8efe1-c...
Burnham’s devolution push delays police merger plans
Regional mayors have expressed concern about the government’s drive to create bigger regional forces for England and Wales
as.ft.com
There's a debate to be had about the level of the cap, but really disappointing to see Burnham retreat from this. It's even more absurd that some trade unions are campaigning against restricting the power of billionaires and corporations to influence our politics www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Burnham drops support for political funding cap aimed at curbing mega-donors
PM said he would set bar at £500k, but trade unions say funding reforms could undermine their ability to donate to Labour
theguardian.com
The UK should be doing this! We could attract loads of top talent! Maddening.
Mark Chadbourn@chadbourn.bsky.social · yesterdayThe American brain drain gathers pace.
So the ultra-rich will continue to own our politics, and our country. Disappointing to say the least. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Burnham drops support for political funding cap aimed at curbing mega-donors
PM said he would set bar at £500k, but trade unions say funding reforms could undermine their ability to donate to Labour
theguardian.com
I’ll always remember Dolly Parton for the fact that she donated $1 million in 2020 to the research that led to Moderna’s COVID vaccine, as well as millions more for childhood vaccine and cancer research. She was an immensely talented, kind, and giving person.
Dolly Parton sent free books to the girls when they were being fostered. The first book I ever read to them was one she had helped pay for. May perpetual light shine upon her.
As Sir Humphrey might have said “a brave (i.e. foolhardy) decision”. Following the hottest summer on record. Why are they so intoxicated by AI? JP Morgan has issued a warning about the AI bubble today. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Two planned datacentres will have higher UK carbon emissions than ExxonMobil, analysis finds
Exclusive: Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire sites predicted to emit 4.5m tonnes a year when fully running
theguardian.com
Story time! Six years ago, my first book, The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking), came out. It was fun to write! I got to share all my cosmology fun facts and dig deep into all the ways the universe might end. I had SO much fun with it, I thought, "maybe I should write another book?" 1/?
Good, non-alarmist piece by Georgina Mcnamara about rising emigration from the UK. www.ft.com/content/744e...
Why more young workers are leaving the UK behind
The gap between Britons leaving and returning has grown every year since 2022 — but claims of a ‘brain drain’ overstate the problem
ft.com
Nearly all the extras in this iconic scene were French expatriates. Their tears during the stirring rendition of La Marseillaise were genuine— filmed at a time when the fate of France was still uncertain. CASABLANCA (1942) #MichaelCurtiz
A year ago I wrote one of my most popular posts: "the financial crisis theory of everything". It looks at how the 2008 crash led to Trump, the rise of the radical right, Brexit, the war in Ukraine etc... I've taken off the paywall so it's now free to read. samf.substack.com/p/the-financ...
The financial crisis theory of everything
Last month there was a fascinating poll from More in Common asking people to pick the main reason Britain is “on the wrong track”.
samf.substack.com
This explainer out of Australia is genuinely useful background and analysis of what happened with the Canada-US trade deal last night. Note that it is extremely and delightfully sweary. Also there’s an appended glossary of Australian slang. ifloz.substack.com/p/king-carne...
KING CARNEY ACTIVATES KONG MODE WITH ZERO FUCKS
Carney Reads the Clock Like a Pro Wrestler
ifloz.substack.com
I grew up on the top deck of the number 44, watching London go by. Today, our buses are cleaner, greener and more affordable than ever. As the son of a bus driver, I couldn’t be happier. Delighted to contribute my favourite bus route for @theobserveruk.bsky.social
The wheels on the bus: Sadiq Khan travels back in time to...
With the prime minister’s plan to overhaul networks across the country, we remember our top rides – and the mayor of London recalls childhood weekends on the top deck
observer.co.uk
I absolutely love this that someone just posted on linkedin clearly created by AI without even rudimentary checking. Surrey appears to be trying to escape to France. Staffordshire and Oxfordshire have annexed Wales. And Labour are very strong in the county of "Monthiste". Which has never existed.
Worth reading the thread that led up to this.
Patrick Sturgis@patricksturg.bsky.social · 6d agoJonathan you are a Pratt. A Pratt who thinks he’s far smarter than he is. And moreover a Pratt who doesn’t understand or support the essential principle of Academic Freedom. I see little point in engaging with you further.
It's worse than that. Philp isn't dumb, he's ambitious and a coward. So he says stuff he knows isn't true to try and further his career. He along with many others has driven the right down a cul-de-sac and they're all sat there lying and exaggerating to each other.
Tom Roberts@tpgroberts.bsky.social · 7d agoNot to be glib, but the genuine problem with a lot of the right these days is that they are just dumb? There's just no intellectual apparatus or appetite to build one! It is just pretending to misunderstand things so you can be racist all the way down.
To answer your question Mr Lowe, I do. His name is Nasser Hamid. He was 16 when he left his village, to escape Sudan's civil war. He could not speak English. Look what he achieved! I admire his courage, resourcefulness and intelligence. All qualities sadly lacking in... certain people 🤮
Have just seen an article on what will happen to Harry and Meghan’s dogs when they move. Perhaps I’ve had too much sun. Or not enough negroni
More UK students planning to live at home for university over 'insane' living costs. Student halls of residence replaced by private equity owned accommodation. High rents and profits. Fees (in England) and living costs plunge young adults into debt.
More students planning to live at home for uni over 'insane' living costs
Students like Jessica say they worry about missing out on student life, but feel they have no choice but to stay at home.
bbc.co.uk
Wow, a person using agentic AI daily uses about a third as much electricity over a year as the typical U.K. home! This extra demand will likely occur during times when demand is already high.
Zeke Hausfather@zekehausfather.com · 3w agoAnnualized, my agentic AI energy use is around 1.1 MWh, and is responsible for as much emissions as a clothes dryer or half a round trip flight from SF to NYC. Not enormous compared to my overall footprint, but far from trivial!
"For generations as a nation we’ve drained wetlands, straightened rivers and moved water off the land as quickly as possible. Here, we’ve reversed that approach and the results are remarkable" www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Rewilded land remains green amid drought-stricken English countryside, images show
National Trust’s Holnicote estate says restored wetlands and rivers offer proof of resilience to drought, wildfires and flooding
theguardian.com
Here’s my full segment on MSNOW about becoming “the leading expert voice on the bearish case against AI,” the end of hypergrowth, and how AI’s costs and losses are magnitudes higher than those that built Amazon Web Services, and even Amazon itself. One of my best. youtu.be/n32mhb2aUsE?...
Who'd be a forecaster? Just as the OBR revised down the trend rate of productivity growth, it appears to have picked up. A reminder of the resilience of the UK economy. UK finally showing signs of productivity boost, say economists - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT
UK finally showing signs of productivity boost, say economists
Better output figures are a fillip to chancellor John Healey and come after years of underperformance
giftarticle.ft.com
What happens if a UK government removes benefits from EU citizens in breach of the withdrawal agreement? My analysis of the likely EU response to Reform Party policy, if ever enacted - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2026/08/what...
What happens if a UK government removes benefits from EU citizens in breach of the withdrawal agreement?
Professor Steve Peers , Law School, Royal Holloway University of London Photo credit : Martin Robson , via Wikimedia Commons ...
eulawanalysis.blogspot.com
