Dave Wilson
@davewsocial.bsky.social
Canterbury, Kent. UK Labour, world politics, rock & soul music, history, MUFC and football. Former Facility Mgt consultant, once of Morecambe, Hull and Muswell Hill. Unlikely to be allowed into the USA.
Midweek update (first half free) is out. The US should no longer be seen as a serious country. It has no strategy by political indulgence, and its military is being treated as a joke (and will not stand up for itself). Only drastic action can save things. phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/midweek-up...
Midweek Update #24: The USA Is Not A Serious Country
In Strategy And Planning The USA Is A Self-Destructive Mess: Here Is A Short-Term Way To Stop The Bleeding
phillipspobrien.substack.com
Longer term, we need to stop the privatised operation of prisons. Outsourcers add no value and complicate supervision, planning, staffing and investment. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Burnham urged to intervene over ‘zero-hours’ custody officers in private prison
Exclusive: Prison officers’ union strongly opposes HMP Millsike offering flexible work escorting prisoners amid staff shortages
theguardian.com
The correct response from MoD to Russia: GFY www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
Russia warns UK of ‘consequences’ over reports Ukraine using British drones in attacks
Ministry of Defence rebuffs threats, saying UK ‘committed to providing equipment Ukraine needs to defend itself against Putin’s illegal invasion’
theguardian.com
This is *literally* Government policy! "From 21 July the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant is being increased by 20%, from £7,500 to £9,000, to help rural households make the move from heating oil to a heat pump." www.gov.uk/government/n...
Cliff Harris (Cliffski)@cliffharris.bsky.social · 5d agoSomething seemingly on no politician's radar: In the UK countryside, most houses are heated by oil. Right now, 95% of our village has about 500 liters of super-flammable heating oil in their gardens. During wildfire-season. We should prioritise people moving from heating oil to electric heat pumps.
In part the result of creating wholly artificial “competitive” entities which were supposed to magically deliver service improvements rather than take strategic steps to protect & improve vital national infrastrucuture. Leaving aside the financial shenanigans this has been a disastrous experiment.
Kent Current@kentcurrent.news · 6d agoKent has a drought, but no single hosepipe ban rules. Five suppliers, disconnected territories and nearly 200 years of inherited boundaries mean households a few miles apart can face very different restrictions.
Count Binface is having to make a serious statement following unsubstantiated allegations from a man fired for lying about his tax affairs.
Count Binface@countbinface.bsky.social · 4d agoA brief note for Nadhim Zahawi.
Apparently £5million can’t buy you enough security to protect you from an imaginary threat.
The catering cart memes are doing me in ☠️😭 Please add any I missed in the replies. We need this laugh.
Im sure there are many arguments for expanding LHR. A competition to be the busiest airport in Europe is not one of them. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Heathrow says need for expansion ‘clear’ as it loses title of Europe’s busiest airport
West London airport reports 7.86 million passengers in July, compared with 8.15 million for Istanbul
theguardian.com
He also didn’t seem to be aware of Northern Ireland when he advocated for Brexit or the agreement that let us return illegal immigrants or the irreplaceable benefits the Customs Union & single market gave our economy. Basically he’s an ignorant fuck who does no research, just peddles hatred.
Nigel Farage 'unaware Parliamentary investigation would restart' after by-election - report
As it turns out, Nigel Farage might have wasted most of his summer by spending it fighting with a man wearing a bin on his bonce.
thelondoneconomic.com
The possibility if hiring more ticket inspectors and train guards never seems to be considered. As with theft from supermarkets, this a largely self-inflicted problem from greedy businesses. www.theguardian.com/money/2026/a...
Train operators to crack down on ‘donutters’ and other digital ticket cheats
South Western and GTR announce fightback after move away from paper tickets increases fare dodging
theguardian.com
www.maptap.gg August 6 100🎯 100🎯 100🎯 97🏅 100🎯 Final score: 991 Stunning guess on the last one!
🎯MapTap Daily Geography Game
Play MapTap - the daily geography game! Find 5 world locations on a 3D globe with historical stories. Free browser-based daily game for geography lovers.
maptap.gg
Absolute joke for a Green Party to oppose solar panels. But very much in keeping with why the UK and whole of Europe are failing on energy policy. Other priorities... www.ft.com/content/6fe7...
The one climate issue uniting Greens and Reform in Kent
Insurgent parties of left and right find common cause in stance over major solar farm scheme but UK government will have final say
ft.com
Fairly safe to say that these are (for once) genuinely illegal immigrants so will obviously be deported when rounded up, and the lorry driver has already had his collar felt. In other words - a non-story.
Young people discover that vinyl albums have a shorter play time than CDs. And that record companies couldn’t give a fuck about the fans. www.theguardian.com/music/2026/a...
A pressing issue: why are vinyl albums becoming so different from their digital versions?
They’re expensive, elaborate – and may not contain all the music. After Olivia Rodrigo, Charli xcx and more sent out incomplete or unfinished vinyl versions, fans are feeling shortchanged
theguardian.com
It’s Tuesday, so today’s rhetoric is recucled from Saturday. Tomorrow’s position will therefore be Sunday’s, and Thursday’s will be Monday. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
Fresh US-Iran talks are ‘last chance’ for Tehran to avoid war escalating, Trump says
US president expects negotiations to begin in next day or two but Iran says it is not reviving talks with Washington
theguardian.com
Look, I somehow, even now, have fewer subscribers than celebrity bad person Matt Goodwin. This is obviously a shocking indictment of where we are as a society. But there's something you can do to help.
Jonn Elledge@jonnelledge.bsky.social · 3w agoalso, 31% off, for reasons that seemed to make sense at the time
www.maptap.gg August 3 94🏆 100🎯 100🎯 91🎉 100🎯 Final score: 967 Sometimes I’m relieved to even tap on the right country.
🎯MapTap Daily Geography Game
Play MapTap - the daily geography game! Find 5 world locations on a 3D globe with historical stories. Free browser-based daily game for geography lovers.
maptap.gg
This is an acute problem in Canterbury too - one which our new draft Local Plan simply ignores in favour of blindly building. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘We cannot magic up more water’: the supply problems putting housing targets in England at risk
Council leaders say crumbling infrastructure and lack of water are jeopardising government’s plans for new homes
theguardian.com
In January, I stopped using X as a communication channel because the platform facilitated the creation of illegal and deeply harmful images by its AI tool, Grok. I am renewing my call for all governmental and parliamentary communications to stop using X. The platform continues to facilitate
Even at the time … why do some people think that every fucking human activity has to be for profit? Don’t they take any pleasure in anything beyond the size of their bank balance?
Stefan Stern@stefanstern.bsky.social · 3w ago24 hours later this piece looks, well...
The EA has moved Kent into Prolonged Dry Weather Status - we've had no significant rainfall in July! A free market won't make the water system as resilient and sustainable as it needs to be. We need public control of water, so we can direct more capital into building the infrastructure.
