Tessera

Martin Lewis@martinlewis.moneysavingexpert.com · 4w ago

Well, that sadly ruins the man in the white suit 2.0 dream

I've had a few suggesting me as a unity candidate for the Clacton today. It's flattering, thank you, but i'd rather have unanesthetised root canal work than get engaged in party politics. It's for people with far thicker skin than me, & I think my independence from all parties is important.

Katie Martin@katie0martin.ft.com · 4w ago

There's a lot of claims regarding the veracity of the written-off car story that would otherwise be perfect political capital (such as with the widely reported milk shaking incidents).

so this incident in the pub, in which a "mob" bashed Nigel's car up so badly it was written off, but it seems no-one filmed it? for socials? and he didn't tell his insurer or the police or the media? gee whizz, i wanna know more about this, sounds terrible

Current scenes in Reform's office.

In 2016, I calculated the public cost of a by-election as £239k. I suspect that's now closer to a quarter of a million pounds. Farage's resignation & by-election just made a quarter of a million pound political statement.

It's 2026, and the future Prime Minister, and Leader of the Opposition are having a spat on Reddit.

The vibes of British politics & press today [Colourised].

Ohhh is this a potential record for someone winning a constituency election and speedrunning into No.10? 👀

Everyone in Britain right now: "I had plans this morning, I promise"

Chris Stokel-Walker @stokel.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Did nobody told Al about the Rishi Sunak National Service memes during the 2024GE? Nobody?!

Keir Starmer keeps referring to the consultation as evidence for why the social media ban isn't a last gasp by-election gambit in his answers to the press. The consultation had 116,211 responses to 54 questions. The government has published a single percentage of answers to just two questions

Ariadne Vromen @ariadnevromen.bsky.social · 2mo ago

I put some words on if the big phone OS providers can stop children from sharing explicit images in this article by @stokel.bsky.social. Also some excellent words by @bloggeronpole.bsky.social & Julian Hayes. Overall, great collection of words. Go read. www.newscientist.com/article/2529...

newscientist.com

In this blog we argue that blanket social media bans (like in Australia) conflate restricted access with safer access, and frame young people as vulnerable objects for protecting - rather than as rights-bearing participants in digital society @uofgsocsci.bsky.social

PSA Technology, Internet, & Policy (TIP)@techpolicy.bsky.social · 2mo ago

With the UK's Government moving ever closer towards banning social media content for under 16s, @maia-aa.bsky.social & @ariadnevromen.bsky.social share their thoughts on "Why an under 16s social media ban won’t improve online safety" in the TIP Blog. 👇 technologypolicy.substack.com/p/why-an-und...

PSA Technology, Internet, & Policy (TIP)@techpolicy.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Why an under 16s social media ban won’t improve online safety

With the United Kingdom moving towards banning under 16s from accessing social media, Dr. Maia Almeida-Amir & Prof. Ariadne Vromen provide a rights-based perspective following the Australian ban.

technologypolicy.substack.com

I'd like to say I've been a a productive researcher this week. Instead I've created MandelsonMail.com 👀 View 1,500+ pages of the Peter Mandelson files as his email box and WhatsApp chats. Today's @politico.eu London Playbook described it as "a lot of fun, so it should probably be avoided".

Interactive Archive of Peter Mandelson’s Emails and Chats

Searchable archive of the Cabinet Office disclosure: 296 emails, 60 WhatsApp conversations, 51 meetings and 14 letters involving Lord Peter Mandelson.

mandelsonmail.com

Every single time a @richersounds.com newsletter hits my email.

Women are beating men at the ballot box, but we’re far off gender equality in local government. I followed-up my last analysis back in April with the updated @democracyclub.org.uk 2026 Local Election results. 👇👇 leelum.com/politicsmedi...

Women are beating men at the ballot box, but we’re far off gender equality in local government: Gender and the UK 2026 Local Elections - Leelum

In the local elections, women out-polled men. Paradoxically, men remain overly represented. The reason is simple: no single political party managed gender equality in the number of women candidates st...

leelum.com

I took the full list of candidates in the Local Elections in May & undertook an approach to infer gender. The analysis suggests little movement in the % of women standing for each party, but recent polls suggest a decline in the total % of women in local government. leelum.com/politicsmedi...

RM @dorsalstream.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The horse op-ed is an instant classic. I can't tell you how much joy this piece gives me. It should be taught in every introductory writing class in no small part because the horse arguments are so compelling. "I have noticed that human children get to eat cake. But I am bigger than the children."

I Work Very Hard, And I Would Like To Try Cake

By A Horse

Hello. I am a horse. I work very hard at my job of being a horse. When humans say move the heavy thing, I move the heavy thing. When humans sit on top of me and pull on my head, I carry them where they want to go. The main food the humans give me is hay and oats. But I am thinking it would be nice to have a different food.

I am thinking I would like to try cake.

Yes, yes. Cake. I know all about it. When humans eat cake, it is in glad times. It is the food for a celebration, such as when a woman becomes 47. I have seen cake on the Fourth of July. When humans have a cake, they stand around it and clap hands and smile and say happy birthday at each other. Sometimes there are beautiful markings on a cake, such as balloons or a pink shape.

Sometimes the top of a cake is on fire and a boy must blow on the fire with mouth wind. This is the scariest cake. I do not want this kind. But I will eat any other cake. Any cake that is not the fire cake that tries to kill the boy.

Please understand: I do not get money for doing work. I do not get to go inside the house. All I am either doing my horse job or standing in my pen or eating food off the floor. I always do these things. But I have never once gotten cake and I would like it very much.

I have noticed that human children get to eat cake. But I am bigger than the children. I am more helpful to the farm. Children do not move the heavy things like me or let anyone ride on them. And yet they get cake. Maybe the humans will realize this. Maybe they will say, "You know who deserves cake? That horse. That horse whose back we are always on."

Every day I dream about what it will be like if I get to eat cake. Here is what will happen. First, I will walk to the cake and putt my nose at it like hrrfff to make and stomping my hooves to make sure it is not a snake. Then I will trot in a circle to show that I am a horse and I am large. After that, I will nuzzle the cake to …

Dr Liam Mcloughlin ☕@leelum.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Local Council website having a bit of a wobble with the election results.

Dr Liam Mcloughlin ☕@leelum.bsky.social · 3mo ago

So me and my partner have been going through the Fast & Furious films as an ironic watching. I'm still angry they did this to Whitehall in Fast 6.

So, I've been slowly prototyping a little screen which replicates the Houses of Parliament's Annunciator system and pulls live data to it. Through the process I've learned that they regularly post the current threat level. A regular, but scary, reminder for staff I suppose?

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The roll back of gender equality in the 2026 Local Elections?

I analysed the list of candidates for the upcoming 2026 Local Elections to predict the state of gender inequality in local government

leelum.com

2010: massive Orbán win 2014: massive Orban win 2018: massive Orban win 2022: massive Orban win 2024: Goodwin visits, starts promoting Orban regime 2026:

Dr. Elinor Carmi @elinorcarmi.bsky.social · 4mo ago

I've been saying for a long time that AI tools promote shortcuts and by doing so skip the learning experience which involves persistence (like the article linked here suggests), but also making mistakes and learning how to solve a problem in a way that makes sense to you -> arxiv.org/pdf/2604.04721

Abstract of paper arguing AI assistance reduces persistence