I’ve been a Burnham sceptic but - as a non-expert on this area - this seems like a pretty deft way to handle some pretty tough politics

UK Prime Minister Updates@downingstreet.bsky.social · yesterday

🗣️ PM @andy-burnham.bsky.social: "Britain’s prisons crisis has its roots in a failure to add sufficient new places between 2010 and 2024. Just 500 places were added and 23 prisons were closed. As a result, the system is now dangerously close to capacity and we are running the risk of...

New piece from me: Getting over the 2030 energy bill bump On how we're in a period of unusually high energy bills that we should be able to escape from - but only if we start making serious progress on electrification www.nesta.org.uk/blog/the-ene...

The energy edit: getting over the 2030 energy bill bump

Every six weeks Andrew Sissons assesses the most important signals and trends underpinning the UK’s energy transition.

nesta.org.uk

saying this not as a dig to Paul but as a general point, but it does worry me that we've ended up in a world where the two options are seemingly "leftist bubble" or "oh hey the nazis are here" - surely we should be able to have a politically heterogenous platform with tight rules on hate speech etc?

Paul Bernal@paulbernal.bsky.social · 2d ago

The new CEO of Bluesky wants to change Bluesky from being a leftist bubble. The thing is, there’s nothing wrong with being a leftist bubble: the idea that everything has to be all-encompassing and suitable for everyone is a trap. 🧵 1/4

love the Samara Weaving casting for Emma Frost, in large part because she is 10 years older than Sadie Sink, which is correct

You can't argue schools should have stayed open because literature now is talking about the damage of that, when you'll never know the outcomes of opening them. Other than more deaths & long term illness. *Is* that a price worth paying? Are we really back to who we're willing to sacrifice?

The News Agents@thenewsagents.co.uk · 5d ago

“I’m glad we live in a country that is deferential to expertise - but at times in the pandemic, that did go too far.” “I’m not sure school closures were a price worth paying.” Lewis on how ‘legitimate questions’ have emerged - and should be asked - about how we handled Covid.

now that Badenoch has replied too, I'm not sure which column-inches beef I'm more invested in - the Telegraph-Tory civil war about change change or the literary hits about Odyssey film criticism (Carol Oates vs Wilson)

Leo Hickman@leohickman.carbonbrief.org · last wk.

++WOW++ Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in the Telegraph: "Badenoch has chosen an abominable political moment to flirt with climate nihilism…The political Right needs to rediscover its philosophical compass…you have to conclude that the Tories have gone Trumpian on the existential issue of our time"

my wrath for Joanna Newsom and her piercing horrible voice is boundless

Sanjay Srivastava@sanjaysrivastava.com · 6d ago

What is an extremely nerdy/obscure/specific thing you hate with a white-hot wrath?

There is literally no medical condition that contentedly uninformed journalists wont blame on chicken dippers.

Scott Bryan@scottygb.bsky.social · last wk.

“While traits of ADHD undeniably exist – the question is why they exist. Is ADHD actually a neurodevelopmental disorder? Do people with ADHD have differently wired brains? Or does our world – with…processed food, and regimented education – serve as the catalyst for certain…patterns of behaviour?”

The Farage drop is, I think, potentially more consequential medium term than the Burnham bounce (which will fade I'm sure). Reform are a one man band, built around Farage's brand. If he becomes toxic (a) he might quit politics (as he has before) (b) whether he does or not they have no plan B.

Luke Tryl@luketryl.bsky.social · 6d ago

Latest leader approvals 🌹Burnham bumps up to +19, 8 higher than Keir’s high of 11. 🌳Badenoch down slightly to break even 🔶Davey drops back to -11 💚Polanski is at -24 ➡️Farage drops to another low, by far his lowest since the election at -32

*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?

Just passing on the mental image that it was actually Quentin in the short skirt, sensuously crossing and uncrossing his legs.

this is hilarious and also why doesn't, at minimum, Google display "Brighton and Hove" which is the actual city name (technically), when zoomed out? Instead Google Maps displays Brighton as a suburb of Worthing that is hidden from anyone who doesn't know its exact location, which is wild!

Robin Wilde@robinwilde.me · 6d ago

I actually know the answer to this and it's slightly insane. Google pulls from Wikipedia to determine if a place is a city, town, neighbourhood, whatever. Brighton's first line describes it as a "seaside resort" so Google Maps thinks it's a neighbourhood and doesn't display it in the "city" font.

I 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.

What I love about this story is that, at its core, it rests on the idea that French naval officers can identify members of the Shadow Cabinet from a distance, something most politicos can't do from up close.

Henry Mance@henrymance.ft.com · last wk.

update: Chris Philp has invaded France.

Bordeaux wildfire.

It is 2005. Jared Leto faces sexual misconduct allegations. It is 2012. Jared Leto faces sexual misconduct allegations. It is 2018. Jared Leto faces sexual misconduct allegations.. It is 2025. Jared Leto faces sexual misconduct allegations. It is 2026. Jared Leto faces sexual misconduct allega--

Scott Bryan@scottygb.bsky.social · last wk.

New BBC investigation. Four women accuse Jared Leto of criminal sexual conduct www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I had no idea public sentiment had moved this far this fast.

Eric Michael Garcia@ericmgarcia.bsky.social · last wk.

Economist/YouGov poll ask "Should the U.S. arrest Netanyahu if he comes here?" 49% yes 27% no Men: 46% yes 35% no Women: 52% yes 21% no White: 47% yes 21% no Black: 53% yes 13% no 18-29: 58% yes 17% no yougov.com/en-us/articl...

as a society we are well past due in establishing No Content Zones where making shit for tiktok is explicitly forbidden

Hemant Mehta@friendlyatheist.com · last wk.

Evangelist Whitney Lynn says she preaches on planes because she loves “a captive audience.” She's not alone. It's becoming a trend. If spreading your message requires listeners who can't escape, maybe it's not as compelling as you think. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/christian-...

Do you know someone looking for a break into comms and policy? We're recruiting an external affairs intern at @centreforcities.bsky.social. I'm biased obviously but this is a great role. £28,860 pro rata per annum. Please share 👌 www.centreforcities.org/about/career...

External Affairs Internship - Centre for Cities

This 4-month long internship is a fantastic opportunity for someone seeking a first step in the world of communications, policy and research. The

centreforcities.org

Literally what fandom discourse has turned into I fear.

"The 19-storey glass-fronted block is owned by Criterion Capital, set up by the billionaire property magnate Asif Aziz."

The Guardian@theguardian.com · last wk.

Homeless families in London temporary housing told not to use air conditioning

++BREAKING++ The Daily Telegraph has... *rubs eyes* ...published something sensible about climate change: "I’m coming to the view that the Online Right is going wrong, eschewing compassion or charm, talking itself into corners of angry irrelevance. Take climate change."

The Berlin Pride attack is awful. Solidarity with Berlin’s and Germany’s LGBTQ communities 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️

watched Heartstopper Forever and greatly amused that Leeds' gay scene and Queen's Court will have never gotten more of a boost

Sobering to see in one chart how June temperature records have been broken this year in so many European countries www.ft.com/content/5f06...

Larry the cat might be, alongside David Attenborough, one of the last bits of glue holding Britain together. And Larry is 19, while Attenborough is 100. Hm.

as if the concept of UPFs wasn’t questionable enough, this most Guardian of articles beggars belief in its tone-deafness www.theguardian.com/wellness/202...