Pete Marchetto
@petemarchetto.bsky.social
Boomer postpatriot Englishman, freelance writer in expat recovery (from China), of the social-democratic centre now deemed 'far left', Green Party member. Free sample ebook of short stories at: https://petemarchetto290688881.wordpress.com/ 🇬🇧 🇺🇦 🇵🇸 🇬🇪 🇪🇺 🏳️🌈
My hat is off to the BBC's legal team for this one. A very canny move. Of course, Trump could make the whole thing go away by dropping the suit, but that would mean him paying the BBC's costs so far and feeling beaten, so I doubt it'll happen. www.forbes.com/sites/alison...
Trump Makes Last-Minute Bid To Hide His Finances From BBC
The president’s revocable trust had been ordered to turn over financial documents by Thursday.
forbes.com
People need to understand that Polanski's fall in popularity is just another example of an electorate numptyised by the gutter press. Nobody's really surprised. This is the electorate that gave us Brexit and Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/zack-p...
Zack Polanski's Popularity Plummets Amid Nigel Farage Guillotine Row
More than half of voters say he should apologise to the Reform UK leader.
huffingtonpost.co.uk
Zack Polanski, "If we decarbonise by 2050, that would cost less than a single (fossil-fuel) energy shock" "We've now had two energy shocks in just a few years" "We cannot keep waiting, we cannot keep hoping for magic technologies - it already exists, what is lacking is the political will"
I'm not going to jump on the 'I've never used AI. What's AI? I've never even heard of it' bandwagon. I use it from time to time to write ps1 files for automating Windows processes, or for the kind of research that would require me to spend hours trawling through hundreds of web pages to weed out...
Badenoch was too foolish to make the win by excluding him. Now she's too foolish to take the win she's been given. The Tory Reform Group needs to wake up. How far does the party have to be dragged through the gutter before you rescue it, people?
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 7h agoFormer neo-Nazi activist withdraws as Conservative election candidate
At last we see how far the right has to transgress in its antisemitism before the BoD sits up and takes notice. And it's pretty damn far.
I still don't feel I know enough about this to comment, (I suspect no one does), but some good analysis here about the opportunistic racist pile-on that has only muddied the waters of any reasonable investigation.
Hanna Kienzler@hannakienzler.bsky.social · yesterday🧵 A few thoughts on the plagiarism allegations involving Prof Jason Arday, inherent racism, and why due process matters.
I just can’t believe we’re seeing this sort of stuff from a sitting MP Just want to say to British Somalis that you are loved and I’m so, sorry this is happening.
I have to give Infantino credit for this. He's made football interesting.
General Boles@generalboles.bsky.social · yesterdayI've seen enough Bond films to know that if the follically challenged head of a corrupt organisation invites you to a meeting in an exotic location, you do not go. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
I've worked out what the problem is with the American version of 'The Traitors'. It's American.
Saw this on the other place and could not help myself.
I watched a video of a Russian soldier being chased down by a Ukrainian drone, and it sickened me. But this? This is a civilian FFS. What's the point? Please God there are records of who controls those drones and the records survive the transition away from Putin. We need another...
MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦@maks23.bsky.social · yesterday❗️Zelensky: Today, many were shocked by another video of the Russian drone safari against people in Kherson. The man was injured by the explosion. The world must see this. It must see every fact that Russia has gone mad, and every fact that the Russian military enjoys killing and mocking people.
Next up on Sky News: Harriet Harman agrees with Ellie Chowns that the Pope is indeed Catholic. (Bears' bathroom habits, however, are still under scrutiny).
Sky News@news.sky.com · yesterdayIs it time to ban boozing in parliament?
My second substack post. Again, it draws on various things I've already said on Bluesky. I'll calm down now and be less annoying. petemarchetto.substack.com/p/we-must-st...
We Must Stop Lauding High IQs
... or how to have a high IQ and still be thick as a plank
petemarchetto.substack.com
Okay, finally made my first substack post and probably mucked it up somehow. No point looking there, probably; it's been adapted from a post here, as I suspect many of my posts will be. If anyone has any tips, feel free to share. petemarchetto.substack.com
Pete’s Substack | Substack
My personal Substack. Click to read Pete’s Substack, by Pete Marchetto, a Substack publication. Launched a few seconds ago.
petemarchetto.substack.com
The chart on the Wikipedia page of voting intentions finally seems to have sorted itself out. The Farage decline continues, the Burnham bounce marked such that Labour is now ahead of 'em. The Tories have picked up a bit, but are still puttering along in third place. The Greens remain ahead of...
I went to Sky News to find out more about the Tice allegations. Instead, they're covering, live, seemingly all of yet another of Farage's interminable press conferences. He has GB News. He doesn't need Sky as well, though I'm sure he's grateful for their help.
The BBC needs to start at the end and work backwards. If Nigel Farage were to call up the BBC and say 'New Reform policy. 2+2=5' the response would be 'That's silly, Nigel, go away' and they'd run a story on how he's lost his marbles. They need to work backwards from there and see how far it's...
Burnham needs to stamp his authority on this by rescinding the proscription. It's becoming farcical. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Supreme court says Palestine Action co-founder can challenge ban on group
UK’s highest court gives permission for Huda Ammori to challenge court of appeal ruling
theguardian.com
Some thoughts on the perception of pundits as polymaths.
Pete Marchetto@petemarchetto.bsky.social · 3d ago... something we need to remember and that presenters need to acknowledge is they're not polymaths. Today we get their opinions on COVID, tomorrow it's the Chinese Communist Party, yesterday it was school textbooks or whatever. All human life is here, and no one can become an expert on every...
Déjà vu this morning. Back in the day I was a Corbyn supporter, but not without criticism of the man. The trouble is, my criticisms never married up with the 'Antisemitic Czechoslovak spy who loves Putin' bullshit. And strangely, none of the criticism I had ever... www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeYC...
‘TERRIBLE RESULT FOR LABOUR!’ | Green candidate SPEAKS OUT after Manchester mayoral LOSS
YouTube video by Manchester Evening News
youtube.com
On the Polanski guillotine media farce.
Pete Marchetto@petemarchetto.bsky.social · 3d agoThe actual story isn't going to be written because it's about the media itself. If Farage phoned the BBC and said 'Interview me. 2+2=5 and that is now Reform policy,' they wouldn't respond by calling in a host of mathematicians to examine the proposition. They'd say 'That's silly, Nigel, go...
Nice bit o' writing worth the read.
Alan Rusbridger@arusbridger.bsky.social · 5d agoEver wondered if Allister Heath is a crazed ideologue or a brilliant satirist? HIs latest column - learn to love climate change and build more swimming pools - settles the question. The man’s a comic genius - and with perfect timing app.prospectmagazine.co.uk/story/74279/...
🕯️💔While Danylo was protecting Ukraine, he lost his own family. A Russian missile hit his family’s home. His 1.5-year-old son, his parents, and his brothers and sisters lost their lives.
The one song I can't stand is 'The Wheels on the Bus,' but I've kept my aversion quiet for fear of upsetting my daughter. Well, enough. It's time she learned life is complicated, and sometimes parents pretend to enjoy things they resent. Enough cosetting. She's 39. www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY73...
The Wheels On The Bus! Nursery Rhyme for Babies and Toddlers from Sing and Learn.
YouTube video by Sing and Learn with Vicky
youtube.com
It's not often I can watch a stand-up comedy routine repeatedly and still laugh. Kotani nails it here in tone and timing. www.youtube.com/watch?v=298W...
Only in Britain: The ‘Ish’ Problem Explained | Stand Up Central
YouTube video by Avalon Comedy
youtube.com
Love this fact I heard on @thetrawl.bsky.social The Trawl podcast today. The word 'gullible' is not in the dictionary. I did a bit of research, and it seems the word is a French import, one of several that replaced older English terms in common parlance but were never accepted by the establishment.
