surely there are non-former Nazis out there who we could elect
Ellie Mae O'Hagan
@elliemaeohagan.bsky.social
I'm the programme lead for the UK energy team at E3G and an advisory board member for the Autonomy Institute. Personal account - random thoughts with a quarterly post about energy policy.
I know this is a ridiculous thing to post but: I'm going on holiday in September and I'll have a lot of downtime. Should I actually attempt to read In Search of Lost Time? I've been trying to decide but I don't know anyone who has read it
You can/should read Emily Wilson's latest take on the Odyssey, but I'm logging on to convey my hairdresser's reaction. She was AGHAST that Nolan, with his million $ budget, gave Matt Damon ONLY 6 hair extensions. As a result, his hair did not blow around properly, & that ruined the film for her.
Not sure I'm as optimistic as this article but it's high time the right realised that climate change is the biggest threat to capitalism in history www.theguardian.com/media/2026/a...
Right turn on green: is the Telegraph changing its tune on the climate?
Flurry of articles has raised eyebrows and prompted a response from Kemi Badenoch defending stance on net zero
theguardian.com
I'm not doing that book thing but the best book I read recently is The Vegetarian by Han Kang and if you want to order books online without the guilt, I recommend online indy bookshop @foxlanebooks.bsky.social. Fab customer service. Currently working my way through all the classic books I never read
Appreciate this is 'make it make sense' howling into the void, but the failure (with some exceptions) of government, politicians, media, and business to point at the heatwaves and fires and state 'this is why climate action matters' is a serious problem. www.businessgreen.com/blog-post/45...
Summertime silence
The right of British politics has stepped up its attacks on climate action in recent weeks, so why has the rest of the political spectrum largely failed to seize the 'teachable moment' presented by cr...
businessgreen.com
We are in the third drought in five years. We have the National Trust and NFU - those radical types - sounding the alarm on unprecedented temperatures. But so little from any single figure in politics talking about the climate crisis.
My view on the COVID pandemic is: if you think that was bad, wait til you try 3C of warming
The Odyssey is absolutely superb but I don't get all this chat about it being woke. The message is basically "men are heroes who go out on adventures while women sit at home weaving on a loom"
Lockdowns showed that states can pour massive resources into making the politically impossible happen quickly, the public will accept huge changes if they understand why they're needed, and that we should listen to scientists. Something to remember when it comes to action on climate change.
Take this as me putting something out into the ether: there is a certain popstar who I feel is suffering from an eating disorder. Her frame is skeletal and it feels like she is disappearing before our eyes. It is distressing to see 1/2
My headmaster will be residing at his majesty's pleasure for 17 years
Marie Le Conte@youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 5d agohello from Britain where I'm in the pub with a group of friends and I would say we're now on minute 20 of them sharing stories about the nonce teachers they had at school
The great thing about Britain is you're free to think whatever you want to think and say whatever J. K. Rowling's lawyers permit you to say.
I've met Allister Heath and he's very smart. I think the reason he wants us to accept climate change is because he understands that taking action at the level required has the potential to end capitalism as we understand it.
++BREAKING++ The UK and Spanish governments have issued a joint statement overnight: "[We] agreed that this summer’s wildfires demonstrated that climate change was now a national security emergency facing Europe and threatening our way of life." www.gov.uk/government/n...
Yes I agree with this. I had long COVID (fully recovered) and I find it really stressful that nobody tests for COVID now, or masks when rates are high, and that people still come into work when they are sick - sometimes when they obviously have COVID.
The Fig Economy@figgityfigs.bsky.social · last wk.One of my Crank Theories of Everything, at least of Everything in the Recent Past, is that we are dealing (badly) with COVID trauma we’d mostly prefer to pretend never happened.
We really do have to stop burning ALL forms of fossil fuels as soon as possible. “2026 is just the beginning,” Professor Rockström added. “It will inevitably get worse. It will get worse and worse and worse to the point where, I’m afraid, we’ll be passing the limits of adaptation.”
Summer of Heat, Fires and Storms Is a Reckoning for Europe on Climate (Gift Article)
The continent is experiencing some of its biggest fires and highest temperatures ever. Residents are fleeing, leaders are struggling to respond and “it will get worse,” one climate expert said.
nytimes.com
Had a great chat with Alona and Ellen about my reporting on citizenship stripping in the latest issue of Prospect.
Alona Ferber@aloner.bsky.social · last wk.It's @prospectmagazine.co.uk pod day and this week @samirashackle.bsky.social joins us how in recent years the UK government has increasingly stripped people of their citizenship— effectively leaving many stateless... /1 www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/podcasts/pro...
Doing something about climate change is the cheaper option here www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminst...
June heatwave cost UK economy more than £1 billion, study finds - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment
The heatwave in June 2026 led to 24 million lost hours of working and a £1.15 billion hit to the UK economy, according to new research by the Institute and the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Cha...
lse.ac.uk
I'm still very in favour of assisted dying and feel the arguments against it are totally divorced from the realities of terminal illness
It's worse - we don't have social care insurance
Ian Dunt@iandunt.bsky.social · last wk.Burnham: "Social care in England is as unfair as American healthcare." It's a very good line.
Credit where it's due, Trump's review of the white house correspondents' dinner ate
Speaking as a former opinion writer I could not agree more. Pieces that anticipate criticisms before they've happened and try to mitigate them read like the author is having an argument with themselves.
BeijingPalmer@beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 2w agothere is literally no amount of caveats or careful wording that will protect you from stupidity or bad faith, so you might as well say things straightforwardly and strongly to begin with.
Have you noticed an opaqueness to the blue sky this morning? Wildfire smoke from North America is drifting south across the UK, meaning the clear skies may not be as blue as you might expect 🌤️
This is fantastic news. My experience of Miatta as a junior minister and CEO of NEF is really positive - she's very smart, knows her policy brief back to front, she's clear, and principled.
Politics UK@politicsuk.com · 2w ago🚨 NEW: Andy Burnham has appointed Miatta Fahnbulleh as Energy and Net Zero Secretary
Before the new DESNZ secretary is announced, I just want to share that it was a real pleasure to work with Ed Miliband. He had a clear sense of what he wanted to achieve and he and his team were straight talkers with stakeholders, and across the detail.
