Gail Parker
@gailp.bsky.social
💙💛 Climate, law, politics, health, dogs, cats, science, reading. Not in any order and not necessarily all at once. A bit of whimsy is good too. And food. Wivenhoe, Essex
It is a shame this chapter didn’t make it into Dave’s just-shortlisted book @wainwrightprize.bsky.social .. I’ve borne witness to it all.
Dave Goulson@davegoulson.bsky.social · 13h agoOn the ecological impacts of game shooting. A controversial chapter of my new book Eat the Planet Well which did not make the final edit, but which is - I think - important. Comments welcome! youtu.be/jZMYWK16UFo
Worth noting that these guys getting into power with an effective majority would be a generational disaster.
Lewis Baston@lewisbaston.bsky.social · yesterdayThe borders of the U.K. have been in place since 1922.
This was very good and, for a piece in tax, suprisingly enjoyable. One again raises how possible this sort of tax reform at scale is - just reading through Y1/2 is enough to bring me out in political hives. At the very leaat you'd need to do it at the start of a Parliamentary term
Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · 2d agoNew post out: There's going to be a lot of talk about wealth taxes in the run up to the budget. So we asked one of the country's leading experts to give us a ten year plan for doing it right. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...
Update: now at least 15 countries/territories which have had their highest ever recorded temperature in 2026: Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Guernsey, Hungary, Jersey, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Poland, Slovakia, South Korea, Uzbekistan. Possibly Kenya too.
Ben Barclay@benbarclay.bsky.social · last mo.That means at least 7 countries and two territories have had their highest temperatures ever recorded in the past week or so, in some cases beating their old records on several occasions and by large margins.
A party that was actually anti-racist would be kicking this person out, not allowing them to run for the Governing Committee. There are many decent Greens who will be disgusted by this and I wish them all power fighting back against it. We know from experiance how hard that is.
This is the Nuffield research that the incredibly productive Diane Coyle refers to in this article. www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/publications...
The myth of Treasury control: Understanding the UK's Public Spending System (and How to Fix it) - Bennett School of Public Policy
New research shows that the Treasury's tight control of public spending has come at the cost of a fragmented, short-term system that undermines long-term investment, cross-government collaboration and...
bennettschool.cam.ac.uk
Giles Wilkes@gilesyb.bsky.social · 2d agoHow to end the cycle of mistrust between the Treasury and everybody else - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Must read from @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social The need to micromanage is really hard to uproot. Something for Healey's advisers to think about too
The ST leader is even worse. No realism on adaptation costs and how they will rise indefinitely until net zero is reached. No question about who pays these costs. No understanding of the marginal nature of N Sea gas. No acceptance of the risks of continued gas reliance. bsky.app/profile/jes1...
Jason Scott-Warren@jes1003.bsky.social · 4d agoSunday Times leader today. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...
Learned a lot from this. Also Sam's point about keeping options open reinforces the view that we specialise too early in *academic* subjects. Numeracy and literacy are very useful, but you can stop doing any maths/stats/humanities at 16.
Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · 5d agoNew post just out: "Burnham's first mistake" Splitting 14 year olds into academic and vocational paths seems intuitive. But it's a terrible idea that risks increasing inequality, and closing down options for the young people that need them most. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/b...
I reserve the right: A) to laugh at the Tory party because they're awful and the Tories failing is funny B) to be deeply alarmed about the collapse of the centre right and rise of the far right We can't have every election be a game of Russian roulette with our democracy
Danielle Blake SUPPORTER OF ARSENAL FC, CHAMPIONS@abradacabla.bsky.social · 5d agoOn both sides of the pond you get responses like this to people correctly saying “hey given that liberals can’t win every election forever, we really need a non-extremist right of centre party here” because they can’t see past the ends of their noses.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... Europe is and always was the answer.
Will Trump be Burnham’s undoing, or the making of him? The answer lies in Europe | Jonathan Freedland
In an increasingly dangerous world, Europe is finding safety in numbers – but Britain is on the outside. The new PM’s task is to change that, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
theguardian.com
I wish the Conservatives were as alarmed as I am about them finishing *behind Restore* in the Greater Manchester byelection.
The full "cabinet statement" on devolution is out. It represents a huge change to the way our state is organised. www.gov.uk/government/p...
Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · 6d agoToday's devolution announcements show that this govt is serious about doing it right. My post from this week on why I'm optimistic and the five big challenges to making it work. samf.substack.com/p/burnhams-d...
Unfortunately there’s a wildfire at Middlewick Ranges, a nature haven about which EAB has written before. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Colchester fire at Middlewick Ranges battled by 50 firefighters
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service is asking the public to avoid the area to make space for crews.
bbc.co.uk
Reasons to be cheerful. Transformation to a cleaner energy production is underway. I had a quick chat with a neighbour dairy farmer, they're planning to install additional solar PV and batteries before the winter. This wouldn't have happened a few years ago.
New solar panels in Great Britain at 15-year high as fossil fuel costs soar
Boom in solar farms and home installations in first half of 2026 began shortly after start of US-Israel war against Iran
theguardian.com
I always wondered what it would take for the Telegraph to decide there might be a downside to climate breakdown. Well, now we know. Even so, this article manages not to mention it.
I love capturing those moments where London Underground trains line up perfectly with station posters. With a little patience and a bit of luck, you can end up with some wonderfully amusing and unexpected shots.
Devolving a portion of income tax is the most pro-growth policy we've seen in years. It means mayors will be hugely incentivised to grow their local economy including allowing lots of house building and infrastructure development.
venus shines over dunes, sandmartins crossing its grain, an estuary of ebb dotted with smalll fires (2 greylag follow it inland), moon night after full stacks itself over flowlines, a cruiseliner heads out, discolights midship
The proscription of Palestine Action remains one of the most politically stupid decisions of the Starmer government. There was no need for it. It gained nothing. It generated bad feeling and put hundreds of people into already overcrowded prisons.
Defend Our Juries@defendourjuries.bsky.social · 7d agoNEW: Sir Jonathon Porritt, arrested under Terrorism law outside Westminster Magistrates Court. As police escorted him away he said "I am a supporter of Palestine Action, trying to save lives is not terrorism, exposing this Governments complicity in genocide is not terrorism." www.wedonotcomply.org
The anti-climate lobby has been all over UK media this week, pushing stories designed to counter action. There's been almost no pushback from political leaders. Governments need to use these scenes as a teaching moment, to show what climate change means &what it costs www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Devastating European wildfires in maps - and how they're being tackled
Spain and France have so far borne the burnt of this summer's wildfires, caused by a succession of heatwaves and prolonged dry spells.
bbc.co.uk
It's a wonderful bit of karma that he's having to front this up.
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 7d agoJenrick claims Reform UK ‘entirely confident’ it followed all electoral rules when accepting donations – UK politics live
And here is some of that "Mediterranean lifestyle", as reported by today's Telegraph website...
Here's a quick recap of those five stages of climate denial... 1. Deny the problem exists 2. Deny we are the cause 3. Deny it is a problem 4. Deny we can solve it 5. Claim it is too late And we should probably squeeze in... 4.5. Claim we can just adapt www.theguardian.com/environment/...
The 5 stages of climate denial are on display ahead of the IPCC report | Dana Nuccitelli
Dana Nuccitelli: Climate contrarians appear to be running damage control in the media before the next IPCC report is published
theguardian.com
My grandmother was a cleaner on the local lord's estate, my grandfather variously an ostler, a gas lamp lighter and a hospital porter. Aaaah, those were the days!
Jane Hill@janehill.bsky.social · 7d agoMy maternal grandfather was variously a milkman and a masseur at the Turkish baths next to the Gaumont in Southampton.
*One* undiscussed problem with embracing a Mediterranean lifestyle as advocated by this piece is we don’t have the Mediterranean, we have the North Sea, and the impact of climate change on the currents and weather patterns of the North Sea is…well, it’s not turning it into the Med, is it?
A minor point, but I hate the whole "my party" thing. The Conservative Party existed for 150 years before Badenoch was born. She has a mandate to *lead* it, not to pure every strand of Conservatism she disagrees with. Parties cannot just be support groups for The Leader, however brilliant & gifted
James Murray@james-bg.bsky.social · 7d agoI know it's not news Kemi Badenoch is not across the detail, but this is an absolute shocker. She says the UK's net zero plans are 'perversely increasing carbon emissions'. In 2019 when net zero targets were adopted emissions were 45% below 1990 levels. Last year they were 54% below 1990 levels.
