morag
@mordant.bsky.social
Nobody loves me and the sun's going to kill me. Dilettante, raconteur, connoisseur of human folly Guaranteed 0.5 or less of the author @mkhardywrites The Needfire, Solaris 2025, out now
Got a new book out today, from Penguin no less. (Splasher, by Billie Host, in all good and probably also bad bookshops now.) Also just been at a trade union rally because the uni we both work at wants to needlessly cut hundreds more jobs, including mine. So a day of ups and downs.
Having a right old Men Are Too Headache could yous all just ease off a bit for a minute?
Oh cool cool cool now the fact the US has a barbaric healthcare system is going to kill like 300k people in England alone and probably hasten the death of the NHS god I hate it here. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
US-UK drug deal could result in 229,000 excess deaths in England, analysis suggests
Analysis reveals extent of impact on NHS of placating Donald Trump over price of British medicine exports
theguardian.com
Not fair that this happened to Buttigieg, but yes, sure, there are vulnerable adults who have a worse time with CPS. But those kids are the age you start making real memories. One of their earliest memories will now be a stranger interrogating them over whether their dad abused them. A new low.
Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · last mo.Pete Buttigieg says his family was effectively swatted — except, instead of calling the cops, someone called Child Protective Services, lied and said Buttigieg had admitted to 'committing unspeakably violent crimes' and that his kids were at risk. The kids are not and were not at risk.
I'm sure this joke has been made already but what happens when these boys get home and their mum/wife/gf/flatmate is waiting for them, hands on hips, like "oh so ye can tidy up efter yersel', eh?"
As certain demographics of the SFF scene clamour to throw their hats in the ring (in jest or otherwise), I am still here asking when oh when oh when will Doctor Who finally hire Meera Syal as showrunner? We've been waiting decades at this point.
Another @cymerafestival.co.uk, another "Mo is a buffoon in front of a famous author" story. Relatedly @stephengrahamjones.com, due to a complex set of circumstances upon which I do not care to elaborate, might think my name is Jitney Downpipe.
Maybe not the system I'd want in an ideal world, but tbh I'm not sure we're mature enough for full PR. AV delivers the least bad candidate in the majority's opinion - an extremism killer. Not exciting, but way less undemocratic than FPTP.
Are people getting worse at being in a cinema? I stg the number of people in a tiny theatre who couldn't sit still through a movie. The girl next to me kept checking her phone. Anyway Backrooms was entertaining. VERY good second act. Didn't quite stick the landing but what does.
I see so many 'moderate' outlets in both trad and modern media (TRIP springs to mind) talk about AI and the environment as if the former is vital, and the latter subordinate. We MUST have AI data centres, we MUST power them, therefore net zero MUST be abandoned. www.thenational.scot/news/2614291...
Outrage as AI data centre 'bigger than our village' planned on site of castle ruins
A local community group has hit out at plans for a huge 600MW data centre that would reportedly be larger than the village it neighbours
thenational.scot
D'you remember. D'you remember, right. D'you remember when we were all arguing over whether someone had the right to discriminate against a marginalised group? Those were the days. Now we'd just quite like the option to not be FORCED to discriminate whether we want to or not.
This government has the power to change the law so it makes any sort of sense. They are repeatedly choosing not to. Their hands are NOT tied. Remember that. Make them own it. This is #LaboursBathroomBan
Mark Grimshaw@markgrimshawtism.bsky.social · 3mo agoJust to be clear how little I’m exaggerating, in 2016, the UK Government actually advised trans people against travelling to certain US states due to the implementation of bathroom bans. @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social is now implementing those same bans across the UK. www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-u...
The more weird shit I read about the strange trends and comorbidities of the human body the more I think maybe they had it right back in the day with The Humours and we've been unnecessarily complicating everything ever since.
I (M) decided to join with @birdwhisperers.bsky.social but couldn't pick a single medium. E did another lovely watercolour she'll hopefully post later. The golden whistler is a wee cutie! #birdwhisperer
Have been off the internet all day mostly sorry here is the obligatory Labour gif.
a cartoon character in a suit and tie stands in front of a fire escape
ALT: a cartoon character in a suit and tie stands in front of a fire escape
media.tenor.com
The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
![Noem said Thursday that there would be a federal investigation into the shooting, though she again called the woman’s actions “domestic terrorism.”
“This vehicle was used to hit this officer,” Noem said. “It was used as a weapon, and the officer feels as though his life was in jeopardy.”
Vice President JD Vance said the shooting was justified and referred to Good’s death as “a tragedy of her own making.”
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara gave no indication that the driver was trying to harm anyone when he described the shooting to reporters Wednesday. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said he had watched videos of the shooting that show it was avoidable.
[text from an AP article]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bnom7yhbbv3dh5653u3wqg5r/bafkreifnt5fiovntl76n67bardejpejt3oirqhh2laiqu4b2orhse6ckye)
Just called this a hot take, then deleted it in case it's actually not, really. But anyway, an argument I anticipate having a bunch in the next year: Pluribus isn't a working allegory for AI at all and if you think it is you misunderstand either AI, the themes of the show, or both.
Parent-of-autistic-child-who-wrote-a-memoir-about-it jump scare, but this is good. A missing piece as usual is that folk who might not've met official diagnostic criteria for ADHD 25 years ago now do because modern life is increasingly designed to break us. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The right’s callous overdiagnosis bandwagon is rolling. Wes Streeting should not be on it | John Harris
Thankfully, we now know more about conditions such as autism and ADHD. The health secretary must not be part of this attempt to turn back the clock, says Guardian columnist John Harris
theguardian.com
TODAY is the last day you can post your ballot and be pretty sure of it reaching head office.
morag@mordant.bsky.social · 8mo agoREMINDER FOR MY FRIENDS IN UK ACADEMIA If you're Unison, Unite, UCU, EIS, PLEASE POST YOUR BALLOT BACK by tomorrow. We're balloting for amounts to a general strike in HE. This EXISTENTIAL for the sector. Please, please get your vote in as we need to make quorum.
REMINDER FOR MY FRIENDS IN UK ACADEMIA If you're Unison, Unite, UCU, EIS, PLEASE POST YOUR BALLOT BACK by tomorrow. We're balloting for amounts to a general strike in HE. This EXISTENTIAL for the sector. Please, please get your vote in as we need to make quorum.
What the hell man.
James T. Harding@empowermint.bsky.social · 9mo agoWaterstones to open about 100m from Argonaut, a particularly nice indie bookshop. Quote from Waterstones management makes it sound like they got Argonaut mixed up with the gaming café next door. www.heraldscotland.com/news/2562908...
That can't be right; I heard Scotland was a drain on the UK economy...
Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 10mo agoScotland to get 8% of UK's fishing funding, despite landing 60% of its fish
For anybody seeking context on this one: this policy on its face would result in the deportation of my wife, who has been living in Scotland for 17 years, is married to a Scot, shares the mortgage on a house, and works in a university. Lots of perfectly comfortable people earn < £38k.
Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · 10mo agoKatie Lam has made a video - focusing on not giving new ILR grants to people who don't have it But quietly including the Conservative proposal to be the first government since Idi Amin in 1972 to revoke the permanent leave to remain, then expel: she underplays to what extent x.com/Katie_Lam_MP...
We should probably post an update about our various authorly goings on but here have this naval gazing instead. (Subscribe to our newsletter for more stuff and nonsense.)
Aware
In which Morag rambles a bit about ADHD
mkhardywrites.beehiiv.com
An utter lack of humanity. Skimmed the comments on a Torygraph article of all things, a Brit writing that a theoretical ILR scrap would break up her family. Bot and human alike: "Deport them all then." That's me. That's my family. But rather than challenge, Labour panders. Weathervanes, every one.
MK Hardy@mkhardywrites.com · 10mo agoWords cannot express how toxic and dangerous this approach from Labour is. As soon as we start saying people are only welcome if they "give more than they take" we demonise the disabled, those who do unpaid care work, anyone who isn't a 'productive member of society'.
