Rather puts Grant Shapps being rejected as a Conservative candidate into perspective.

Former neo-Nazi activist selected as Tory candidate for Somerset council election

Joshua Bonehill-Paine, creator of satirical Crewkerne Gazette, has convictions including for harassing a Jewish MP

theguardian.com

This is unbelievable.

Emma Jacobs@emmavj.bsky.social · 21h ago

This story is insane www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Perspective view of a young woman reading a letter c. 1670, by Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten, Dutch Baroque artist, pupil of Rembrandt, born #OTD 1627. He was known for experimental perspective views of interiors, with light & shadow defining architectural space and mood. ALT Mauritshuis, den Haag

A courtyard in Delft, c. 1658, by Pieter de Hooch, Dutch Golden Age painter, whose domestic scenes with perspective views reveal subtleties of light & mood; a contemporary of Vermeer, he lived 1629-c 1679, worked in Delft and Amsterdam. National Gallery London

25% turnout for the Greater Manchester Mayoral Election. Nearly 3/4 of voters didn't show up for a contest, whose previous winner has just become prime minister. We shouldn't be blase about this: it raises big questions about the health of our democracy & the public appetite for the mayoral model.

Ash@queerash.bsky.social · 5d ago

it's an interesting contradiction of devolving power to local people when it's a pretty consistent finding that they don't really care about exercising that power

Homme de génie: Honoré de Balzac, great French novelist (1799-1850), author of La Comédie Humaine, which inspired Zola’s Les Rougon-Macquart series. Mme Vauquer’s “pension bourgeoise des deux sexes et autres” in Le Père Goriot is cited in The Pension Beaurepas of Henry James. Jardin du Musée Rodin

You could simply - and stay with me for a moment - not watch the Odyssey and ignore all the fuss made about it? Just a suggestion.

Thank you for listening, and for reading!

Ian Fraser@ianfraser.bsky.social · last wk.

Just heard @helenebismarck.bsky.social talking about her book Fantastic Kingdom: A Stranger’s Notes on a Contrary Country with @calumam.bsky.social on Times Radio and want to read it. “O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us, To see oursels as ithers see us!”

Are you aged between 16 and 25? Do you love reading? Could you read all the books on the Booker or International Booker Longlist and suggest which would be enjoyed by school pupils across the UK? If so, get in touch! #SchoolsLaureate

Good morning. In the unlikely event that you have nothing better to do, I will be on Times Radio at 10.45 am UK time, discussing my book "Fantastic Kingdom”.

I just finished this complete gem of a book. A novel about maths, chess, family, philosophy, academia, ambition, and how much any of us can ever know or understand. Sounds like a lot for 200 pages? It is. In a good way. Strongly recommended.

That's it! Enjoy your weekend. Buy a paper! There's also @joshspero.ft.com on reading Proust, the return of Janan Ganesh, and a hundred other good things! Remember, no one gets into heaven by complaining about gift links x

A completely brilliant article on the role of the humanities in the digital age. When Pope Leo published his AI encyclica in May, non-Catholic old me begged my producer to discuss it on the Weekend show, and I am very glad we did.

Janine Gibson@janinegibson.ft.com · 2w ago

Good morning and welcome to your FT Weekend highlights via giftlink. First this week theologian and philosopher Carmody Grey explains why she declined to help Anthropic with Claude's moral schooling as.ft.com/r/15d7fd75-a...

“…For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise.” Kubla Khan, completed 1797, published 1816; by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English Romantic poet, died #OTD 1834. Portrait by Washington Allston, 1814 National Portrait Gallery London

Isn‘t it glorious.

Jakub Jaraczewski@jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 2w ago

Begun, the European summer has.

A betting account in the name of George Cottrell, the convicted fraudster who bankrolled Nigel Farage, received almost $9mn in cryptocurrency from unidentified sources while he was providing gifts to the Reform UK leader great work from @annasophiegross.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/b74c...

Betting account in George Cottrell’s name received $9mn in crypto from unidentified sources

Deposits in Polymarket wallet came as convicted fraudster was providing gifts to Farage

ft.com

I honestly despair about this kind of political and economic discourse. The deliberate and patronizing dumbing down of absolutely everything will clearly continue under the new government. Sigh.

Bloomberg News@bloomberg.com · 2w ago

New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will use money allocated to helping poor countries deal with the worst impacts of climate change to fund a new cap on bus fares across England.

”Falsehood flies & truth comes limping after it.” Jonathan Swift, Anglo-Irish satirist (1667-1745), Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin, author of A Tale of a Tub, Gulliver's Travels; champion of liberty, whose Saeva Indignatio inspired Voltaire, Yeats, Joyce, Orwell. @tcdlibrary.bsky.social

Architect of the temple of France: Jacques-Germain Soufflot, French pioneer of Neoclassicism, born #OTD 1713, designed Sainte-Geneviève Paris c. 1755, which after completion in 1791 was dedicated to the nation as the Panthéon. Portrait by Louis-Michel van Loo, 1767, Musée du Louvre

She asked, "are you a Christian, son”, and I said, “Mam, I am tonight!” (That is technically more than one line. Apologies.)

Secret Drug Addict@scrtdrugaddict.bsky.social · 2w ago

I need to eat proper meals at appropriate times, otherwise I get extremely cranky.

Black Aziz Anansi@blackazizanansi.blacksky.app · 2w ago

What's your old person trait?

Right, let's have a look at the new UK line-up for EU relations tl;dr complete clear-out of senior politicians and reduced weight in Cabinet 1/

Georg von Harrach@georgvh.com · 2w ago

UK's new EU negotiator looks to be Hamish Falconer who Andy Burnham has appointed Minister for Intergovernmental Relations & European Relations

Looks like a fake which is why I have deleted my last post.

Not verified: so this could be somebody else cross-posting from their X content.

Wow, as it turns out, Bluesky (or my bubble anyway) is very much into Spy Novels! Thank you (I personally never read them, the real world is nerve-wrecking enough. It’s for a friend. Thanks!)

Helene von Bismarck@helenebismarck.bsky.social · 2w ago

Thanks for all the recommendations. Would now be really grateful if you could add a few great spy novels to the list? If someone likes Le Carré and Tom Clancy, what else should he read?

Thanks for all the recommendations. Would now be really grateful if you could add a few great spy novels to the list? If someone likes Le Carré and Tom Clancy, what else should he read?

Helene von Bismarck@helenebismarck.bsky.social · 3w ago

Looking for a book (or several) as a gift for a friend who loved the “Wheel of time”-series by Robert Jordan. This is very much not my kind of thing, so would greatly appreciate suggestions that go in a similar direction.

The House of Secrets at Trent Park opens as a Museum on Tuesday and it looks fascinating. It housed German Officers captured during WW2, and, whilst lulling them into a sense of relaxed security, bugged their conversation trentparkhouse.org.uk

Nothing will ever induce me to watch an entire football game, but, as a matter of principle, I really need Spain to win. 🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸

Looking for a book (or several) as a gift for a friend who loved the “Wheel of time”-series by Robert Jordan. This is very much not my kind of thing, so would greatly appreciate suggestions that go in a similar direction.

Just been hit by the fact that 150 years ago some of the poorest countries in Western Europe were - Switzerland - Norway - Ireland How times change…