Nostr notes by Christine Burns MBE 🏳️‍⚧️📚⧖

You mean they used enough water to fill Lake Ontario and enough ...

2026-10-06T11:58:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…ulte
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You mean they used enough water to fill Lake Ontario and enough electricity to run Toronto just for the machine to draw a conclusion that a five year old can figure out? 😂

I don’t know if this is the case all over Britain but I’m ...

2026-09-23T09:49:26Z

I don’t know if this is the case all over Britain but I’m really noticing how much the Jaecoo and Omoda PHEV and EV SUVs (and now Geely too) have taken off. Just in the estate where I live there are suddenly four homes among 40 who’ve suddenly got one. The attraction is that they’re like the Landrovers they would previously have struggled to afford but at a far lower price point. Meanwhile I hear that most of the lobbying to water down the ZEV mandate is driven by Toyota and Jaguar Landrover…

Today (in spite of the drizzly morning) I managed to tick Oban ...

2026-09-02T15:53:04Z

Today (in spite of the drizzly morning) I managed to tick Oban off my ‘to visit’ list. I still don’t understand the Victorian folly though.

Some experts say that they could have faced a settlement in ...

2026-08-26T17:33:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…klw9
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Some experts say that they could have faced a settlement in hundreds of billions plus opening the door to actions in other jurisdictions. As it stands, $18Bn is small fry compared to their revenues so it looks like a calculated damage limitation move as you say. Still, the world can look on this as a proof of how very dodgy they are.

RE: https://mastox.eu/@ZackPolanski/117104227471661073 Looks ...

2026-08-16T09:39:27Z

RE: https://mastox.eu/@ZackPolanski/117104227471661073

Looks spookily similar to the one-sided way the same rags piled onto trans people unrelentingly from about 2018 onwards. It’s a playbook that works.

quoting
note1flh…md3l

RT: @ShehabKhan Wow these numbers from @newscord_org are quite something.

More than 40 articles about Arday from The Times and Telegraph, more than 35 from the Mail.

Cabinet ministers who resign in scandal get less coverage.

RE: https://mastodon.scot/@UndisScot/117064024803336576 You’ve ...

2026-08-09T06:43:31Z

RE: https://mastodon.scot/@UndisScot/117064024803336576

You’ve got to love a bridge with crenellated towers.

quoting
note10jn…5fzt

269 years ago today. Thomas Telford, the civil engineer whose works transformed Scotland and had a huge impact elsewhere, was born near Westerkirk in Dumfries-shire on 9 August 1757. This is his bridge at Craigellachie in Moray. More pics and info: https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usbiography/t/thomastelford.html

#Scotland #Moray

The Climate of the 20th Century is now gone. Met Office warns ...

2026-07-15T07:33:23Z

The Climate of the 20th Century is now gone. Met Office warns that extremes are the new normal.

Shocking 😳 If only someone had warned us. The authorities could have done something.
https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4532829/climate-20th-century-gone-met-office-warns-weather-extremes-normal

After years of spreading fear uncertainty and doubt about ...

2026-07-13T14:18:31Z

After years of spreading fear uncertainty and doubt about Electric Vehicles the media are having to walk back those lies one by one. The latest subject is batteries: Remember how the media seeded and constantly reinforced the lie that your EV’s battery would need to be expensively replaced after 2-3 years? Now that lie is untenable the only option is to splash the new story that they’re not wearing out. But notice the framing: Their part in the belief is absent. It’s just a huge surprise.

This fascinating discussion between Zack Polanski and Carole ...

2026-07-13T10:42:46Z

This fascinating discussion between Zack Polanski and Carole Cadwallader is about five months old but seems even more pertinent right now than back then. It’s an hour but you’ll be glad you made the time. https://youtu.be/43m0LKNDz6M

Britain is currently running on an electricity generation mix ...

2026-07-02T12:30:05Z

Britain is currently running on an electricity generation mix that is over 90% renewables. The amount generated is in fact 112% of demand and the rest is being exported. That means that, were it not for the need to currently keep gas running to provide frequency and voltage stability, the country could technically be running on wind, solar and a bit of hydro. https://grid.iamkate.com

The Met Office have issued a RED extreme heat warning for parts ...

2026-06-22T10:34:13Z

The Met Office have issued a RED extreme heat warning for parts of the country on Wednesday and Thursday. We’ll be amber in Manchester by tomorrow.

Count Binface performs a vital service to democracy by making a ...

2026-06-21T07:20:42Z

Count Binface performs a vital service to democracy by making a complete fool of this miserable Sky News reporter at the Makerfield election count. It’s excruciating. I mean, even his colleague thought he lost in that exchange.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=MCCVt8IhJkA&is=kkWGLsful2CrrrHj

You may be interested in this example of a renewable powered ...

2026-05-31T10:06:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…gcfk
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You may be interested in this example of a renewable powered Cherry farm in New Zealand. What with your examples of getting off fossil-sourced fertilisers and lots of evidence from the use of Agrivoltaics we have all the tools. https://youtu.be/ZhnU2wlBnFs?si=qxnbLZOaR82RUxw9

That leaves us with the Judiciary — and I’m less inclined to ...

2026-05-31T08:43:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…u8ar
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That leaves us with the Judiciary — and I’m less inclined to grant them a clean bill of health than I would once have been inclined to do. We certainly have our share of ethically questionable law firms who’ve grown to service the class that need to quash scrutiny and consequences for the mega rich and overseas businesses but we also seem to have a growing cadre of biddable judiciary. Our entire system was always vulnerable to exploitation and now I fear it’s been captured.

What do we expect from people who were among those who brought us ...

2026-05-31T08:37:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…ju9u
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What do we expect from people who were among those who brought us the financially opaque Leave campaign just ten years ago? That was always primarily attributed to foreign state influence but all that attention on the Russians tended to block scrutiny of the private and commercial interests. I fear we are now a country whose key businesses, politicians, successive governments and mainstream press are all bought and paid for from the outside in one way or another.

I was impressed with the detail (and correctness) of the ...

2026-05-24T15:57:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…w5ks
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I was impressed with the detail (and correctness) of the chronology. He’s done his homework especially on the various ways both the Tories and Labour reneged on and even reversed their manifesto promises. But, for me, the most frightening part is the coordination of multiple vectors to pull this off in such a short time. And, yes, now they’ve absolutely perfected how to pull it off so completely there is no way they’ll stop at one set of rights.

The End of TransRights in the UK is the Start of Democratic ...

2026-05-24T10:45:04Z

The End of TransRights in the UK is the Start of Democratic Collapse

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-end-of-trans-rights-in-the-uk-is-the-start-of-democratic-collapse/

Frankly, given the history of the Agency I’m surprised a CIA ...

2026-05-15T06:55:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…j7ds
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Frankly, given the history of the Agency I’m surprised a CIA director walking about there wasn’t lynched and his testicles mailed back to Trump in a couple of exploding cigars.

What amuses me is the fine detail of the irrelevant (endless data ...

2026-05-11T06:40:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…u2a5
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What amuses me is the fine detail of the irrelevant (endless data about having been told the side effects of a vaccination because the nurse was diligent recording everything she did) but very little data beyond a handful of test results from the last 3-4 years when my practice finally came on board. It doesn’t even record optional vaccinations I’ve paid for privately at the local pharmacist because their system isn’t joined up. If you wanted the skinny on me don’t look here

The one crumb of comfort I take is that, from personal experience ...

2026-05-11T06:34:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…fxqq
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The one crumb of comfort I take is that, from personal experience of being continuously disappointed by the poor and inconsistent records exposed by the “NHS App”, the data is far less useful than it appears. I’ve always thought it ironic that the designers overspecified log in security (to the point of unusability sometimes) as the gateway to data that is so poor, full of holes and inconsistent. I mean I know my medical history and fail to find it there. It’s a mess.

There’s a burgeoning genre of displaced and confused Americans ...

2026-05-10T08:21:55Z

There’s a burgeoning genre of displaced and confused Americans gradually filling YouTube with their incredulous observations about how life is different from ‘home’ in whatever country they migrated. On one level it’s fascinating to see the ways in which US citizens grow up blind to the fact that their cultural norms are globally abnormal. On the other hand I’ve found it all rapidly becoming unwatchable as none of them really had to be that ignorant of the world out there.

Absolutely. Thinking back to school, I don’t think we were ...

2026-05-07T14:07:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…t3z7
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Absolutely. Thinking back to school, I don’t think we were taught any civics at all, which would be the basis for understanding what local authorities and their elected councillors do, don’t do and CAN’T do.

Do people identify local politicians as the ones with agency to ...

2026-05-07T07:42:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…kjgs
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Do people identify local politicians as the ones with agency to fix services though? My experience is that they tend to blame “the Council” as the faceless thing responsible, rather than seeing our local councillors as the folk whose ears should be bent. Do they see hyperlocal experiences as a political thing or a service-provider thing? Where do the ideas of where fault lies originate? Is it just “them”?

I would posit the suggestion that, these days, few have any ...

2026-05-07T06:21:06Z

In reply to nevent1q…c44m
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I would posit the suggestion that, these days, few have any coherent idea of what constitute “local issues” because of the demise of local journalism. The exceptions are things that are so large they make the national press and gain Parliamentary attention (eg big business closures). I have no idea what the pressing “local issues” are in Manchester, despite living here. This contributes to local elections being won on what is essentially the reputation of national parties.

Item 2 seems like reason enough to not vote for Labour in its ...

2026-04-26T08:14:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…mmeh
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Item 2 seems like reason enough to not vote for Labour in its current short termist self-serving values-free incarnation. I want a party to vote for because they have a set of values I agree with, and policies that are evidence led and enduring because they arise from the values. It also needs the guts and determination to explain that vision through every attack by shallower self-serving bastards whose ‘beliefs’ blow with the political winds. Is that too much to ask?

Surely any trends in the general economy are going to be swamped ...

2026-04-26T06:49:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…4vt8
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Surely any trends in the general economy are going to be swamped (for now) by the fact that oil and gas are traded in dollars and that’s unlikely to change until the dominance of fossil fuels is broken. With the rise of renewables and the market from interconnected power movements between states there is the opportunity for that to change (eg inter-grid transfers in Europe are in euros). Also, renewables mean less energy trading overall as states become more self-sufficient

And are the cleaning staff expected to ‘act up’ to backfill ...

2026-04-25T08:05:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…9hd4
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And are the cleaning staff expected to ‘act up’ to backfill the nurses who are backfilling the doctors?

The fact that the Good Law Project won their legal challenge ...

2026-04-15T06:05:23Z

The fact that the Good Law Project won their legal challenge against the guidance the EHRC tried so hard to ram down the country’s throat hasn’t been reported widely. So here is GLP’s own message to supporters. Remembering that the EHRC is still captured by GCs their forced rework may still be a dog’s breakfast. In my view the Commission should be disbanded and rebuilt afresh from the ground up. It’s the only way to disinfect an ideologically captured body. The fight’s certainly not over.

Let’s just remember that, back in early 2010, the NHS had the ...

2026-04-14T11:54:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…uwch
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Let’s just remember that, back in early 2010, the NHS had the highest user satisfaction scores it had ever achieved. It was working very well. Not perfect by any means but people like us running the Equality and Diversity teams, specifically focussing on what works for different communities of stakeholders, pioneered performance measurement in ways never contemplated before or since. Then the Tories wrecked it. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F8M549W/

This would be fine and dandy were it not for the unfortunate fact ...

2026-04-14T06:17:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…x6nz
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This would be fine and dandy were it not for the unfortunate fact that the Iranian state is a theocracy built on the total repression of women and minorities. I’ve noticed this awkward elephant in the room has been pushed into the corner by the outrageousness of the US regime. That has surely got to come up in any talks. “Listen old chap we sympathise with your country’s right to exist but this treatment of women conflicts with our liberal values”

I see this as a living experiment into how well a saloon bar bore ...

2026-04-03T07:10:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…tx4s
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I see this as a living experiment into how well a saloon bar bore fares with their views outside the pub. These are people who’ve been cosseted in their own little extremist hate bubble. Being isolated in that bubble means they’ve developed the mistaken impression that everyone thinks the way they do. It’s why they’re careless. They think gibbing off can only give them more clout. They’re really badly mistaken and too dozy to even hide the hate.

I suspect everyone will watch and wait to see what everyone else ...

2026-04-01T05:51:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…43fk
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I suspect everyone will watch and wait to see what everyone else does. That’s why a lead from governments is important.

Indeed. I’m not denying that. And (unless I’m mistaken) China ...

2026-04-01T05:49:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…49ku
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Indeed. I’m not denying that. And (unless I’m mistaken) China doesn’t have indigenous supplies of gas to perform a quick conversion to halve the CO2 emissions or run the plants in a rapid desptatch mode. Coal plants can’t be idled and brought back to operating temperature and pressure at the speed that gas plants can run. That’ll be important for backing up the intermittency of renewables in the long r7n.

My historic experience was that IT managers tend to be very ...

2026-04-01T05:44:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…8xv9
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My historic experience was that IT managers tend to be very conservative creatures and follow the herd. In the 70s the received wisdom for instance was that “nobody gets fired for buying IBM”. That annoyed us in ICL when our mainframe products were demonstrably better. Buying Microsoft all these years has been a brain dead decision. It’s low risk, low excitement. Migration will reveal what mettle the managers have as it will require hard work and careful decision making.

It’s all down to how fast they displace that coal. The good ...

2026-04-01T05:38:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…a7n3
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It’s all down to how fast they displace that coal. The good news in that respect is that, even though some of the coal plants are quite new, they’re not saddled by the capitalist imperative to wring every last penny of profit out of the coal generation assets.

Ukraine is helping ensure that Putin does not see an oil sales ...

2026-03-25T07:26:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…nl88
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Ukraine is helping ensure that Putin does not see an oil sales boost from the issues in the Strait of Hormuz. In a new campaign they have been hitting Russia’s Baltic and Black Sea oil terminals, putting them out of action.

There are other options. Communal housing suggests a communal ...

2026-03-19T17:47:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…3r6k
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There are other options. Communal housing suggests a communal solution but the experts would be able to tell you what’s best. I wouldn’t use an air source heat pump to bake a cake but the unsuitability doesn’t prove anything.

Rather than argue with the naysayers all over the internet ...

2026-03-19T16:14:04Z

Rather than argue with the naysayers all over the internet who’ll claim that heat pumps don’t work, the boffins at Octopus have produced a live dashboard to chart the online data they get from all the thousands of systems they’ve installed. This is a fantastic resource. Looking at the numbers for the fleet as a whole I’m pleased to say that ‘Rosy’ (my Cosy) is bang on the norm as far as performance goes. https://octopus.energy/cosy-heat-pump-performance/?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-92N1fVWdFAehre8wYictiCqGgrnpGeD9V5_EB3att0qPTctKB8kOeNTffe3KS1P7Gv41P9c_5XE4noQ-RqhVWDvpjwnA&_hsmi=131414226&utm_content=131414226&utm_source=hs_email

I hope this isn’t wishful thinking but I think I detect early ...

2026-03-18T12:16:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…gplr
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I hope this isn’t wishful thinking but I think I detect early signs that Reform’s totally charmed existence is starting to get challenged. There’s a noticeable uptick in scrutiny from some quarters, although it is miles short of the questions that should be coming for a party that likes to portray itself as a government in waiting.

A thought… Could we tax Overton Windows? It’s high time that ...

2026-03-18T08:21:46Z

A thought… Could we tax Overton Windows? It’s high time that bloody window was bricked up.

So, what I guess I’m hoping for is that a more finished and ...

2026-03-18T07:52:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…g65n
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So, what I guess I’m hoping for is that a more finished and polished economic policy agenda starts to address the easy criticisms but still adheres to the quality of being different. I know that the broad brush upsets the status quo and brings on fierce criticism but I’d like to see him win that argument.

To me, as someone without any orthodox economic grounding, I find ...

2026-03-18T07:50:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…hgcm
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To me, as someone without any orthodox economic grounding, I find Polanski’s broad brush ideas refreshing even though I know that exposes me to accusations of naivety and of succumbing to Polanski’s skill as a populist of the left. I’m cautious because I recognise Polanski’s success is that he’s harnessing the tricks of the populist right to advance a leftist policy agenda, but his economics seem to make refreshing sense. After all, the orthodoxy hasn’t been working for yrs.

I was struck by how the generally amiable Rory Stewart really ...

2026-03-18T07:45:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…2as4
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I was struck by how the generally amiable Rory Stewart really went for Polanski over his (at that time) unfinished economic policy ideas when RS and Alaistair Campbell interviewed him in depth for their ‘Leading’ podcast. Over time I’ve come to view RS as more left-leaning than he’ll admit to himself but something about Polanski’s ideas really upset him and brought out the fiercer Tory side because what Polanski talks about really undermines a cross party orthodoxy in UK.

It’s bizarre. Since the advent of number plate scanning ...

2026-03-16T20:29:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…4al3
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It’s bizarre. Since the advent of number plate scanning barriers the car parks essentially need no staff. It’s a business that essentially collects fees without human intervention. And parking isn’t cheap. It seems hard not to make that pay. The sites may not be at full occupancy but they’re far from empty. I’d suspect there’s been sale and leaseback of the properties, filling the bosses pockets and gutting the balance sheet. And then… oops, oh dear, they’re insolvent.

Of course we had better control of all this in the EU but the ...

2026-03-07T08:07:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…kq27
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Of course we had better control of all this in the EU but the impressionable and easily led half of our population was seduced to vote against the people’s best interests and crash out in the worst possible way. Short of a damascene vision coming to the polling booths I don’t hold out much hope. The bad guys have perfected the means to manipulate at least half the people into voting over and over for the kind of government that suits those bleeding us dry.

Good point. Another factor which I think is going to make ...

2026-03-02T08:18:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…2c9q
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Good point. Another factor which I think is going to make assessment of change difficult is that small scale renewables happen ‘behind the meter’ and only show up in conventional measurements as demand that has ‘disappeared’. I.e. If a million households are meeting their own needs for heat and light with solar and batteries the grid appears to have less load whilst it’s hard to infer the CO2 being displaced by us using our self-gen cleanly.

..so the renewable generation coming online is able to stretch ...

2026-03-02T06:56:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…g04k
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..so the renewable generation coming online is able to stretch further. The bottom line for me is that there are so many factors in play in a complete transformation of our energy use (how we make it, how efficiently it’s used) that there’s no simple explanation for the emergent result. But still we’d have even more dramatic results if we consumed less stuff made and grown abroad but also built the stuff to last. My current washing machine lasted 25 years but the next may..

There is still a great more efficiency to be had too. One vast ...

2026-03-02T06:51:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…0ylz
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There is still a great more efficiency to be had too. One vast change has been the replacement of street lighting with LEDs at such a vast scale that the reduction in power demand has almost completely offset the new load of having 2m EVs. But also, few analysts factored the wastefulness of what we are replacing. You don’t need as much energy to do mechanical work or make heat with our replacement technologies. Renewables don’t have to replace every kWh previously required..

Regarding manufacturing, I regard the offshoring as a product of ...

2026-03-02T06:42:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…qnrq
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Regarding manufacturing, I regard the offshoring as a product of Thatcherism. The big examples since the early 90s tend to make the headlines (eg Dyson taking his manufacturing to the far east) but you don’t buy cars and white goods every week or even every year. Likewise, although supermarkets have undoubtedly caused a rise in us consuming non seasonal foods, that’s a trend going back much further. New Zealand lamb? Danish bacon? These were long embedded trends.

As far as I can see, the most dramatic drop in CO2 from 2012 ...

2026-03-02T06:36:49Z

In reply to nevent1q…3pg7
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As far as I can see, the most dramatic drop in CO2 from 2012 onwards came from the rapid replacement of coal with gas for electricity generation. That’s a drop from the 800s of grams per kWh to the 500s. Wind and solar coming online since 2016 have then rapidly displaced the gas in turn. The offshoring of manufacturing and food growing came far earlier. And, yes, efficiency is a big factor too. Tens of millions of incandescent lamps (60-100W each) replaced by LEDs (<10W)

This is all in stark contrast to their obsessive push to bring ...

2026-02-27T11:13:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…3jyn
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This is all in stark contrast to their obsessive push to bring sole traders into the clutches of ‘Making Tax Digital’, with its quarterly returns and attempt to align transactions in those computerised records and bank accounts with Open Banking. Are they really convinced that small traders are so dodgy that they have to be submitted to what is essentially a permanent near-realtime forensic audit?

Exceptionalism innit.

2026-02-26T11:39:38Z

In reply to nevent1q…rphp
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Exceptionalism innit.

I think so but, of course, they’re also creating an interbank ...

2026-02-17T16:39:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…05t3
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I think so but, of course, they’re also creating an interbank settlement system to facilitate trade without recourse to the dollar across the bloc. It strikes me that you have to have both kinds of electronic finance at the two different scales but I suppose they’re linked too — plus you need some kind of bridging system so as to still have frictionless acceptance of visa and Mastercard for travellers.

Correct me if I’m wrong but haven’t the BRICS set one up for ...

2026-02-17T14:57:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…43n0
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Correct me if I’m wrong but haven’t the BRICS set one up for themselves? I’m not suggesting we should join that but I thought that their independent development of finance systems within the bloc indicated that (a) the likes of Visa and Mastercard don’t have universal control, (b) developing an independent one is doable and (c) they are clearly interoperable in what’s that matter. But then China has also developed a transaction system around their universal app, which..

The deception was staggering. The Tories had run for election in ...

2026-02-17T09:11:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…rchw
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The deception was staggering. The Tories had run for election in 2010 specifically promising no big changes to the NHS (which was at the height of its public approval). The need for coalition released them from the obligation to follow their own manifesto and the LibDems helped them exploit that.

And we know that this was set up quite blatantly by Andrew ...

2026-02-17T09:08:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…a6da
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And we know that this was set up quite blatantly by Andrew Lansley, who sprung a complete redisorganisation of the system on us early in the life of the Con-LibDem coalition, and the crucial weasel words changing the Secretary of State’s responsibility were buried inside the Bill which Parliament was dragooned into passing. Having done his job, Lansley was promoted to a lifelong job in the Lords.

It’s the middle of LGBT History Month so a good moment to ...

2026-02-15T08:12:41Z

It’s the middle of LGBT History Month so a good moment to remind everyone that my book, Trans Britain — a modern history fashioned from the observations of generations of contributors — is still going strong in paperback and eBook form in its ninth year. It’s got a new publisher this year and you can buy it in online stores or from queer bookshops like QueerLit and Gays The Word. Hive makes a great ethical alternative to Amazon. https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Ms-Christine-Burns/Trans-Britain--Our-Journey-from-the-Shadows/23931110

Can you imagine? … I meeean … Can you imagine a thousand of ...

2026-02-09T11:01:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…f88x
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Can you imagine? … I meeean … Can you imagine a thousand of us walking into ICE every day, singing a verse of Alice’s Restaurant and walking back out? They might think it’s a movement. And that’s what it is folks… It’s the Alice’s Restaurant anti-GOP mass-a-cree movement and all you’ve got to do to join is to sing a verse when it comes around on the gee-tah.

I’m reminded of the final act of Arlo Guthrie’s ‘Alice’s ...

2026-02-09T08:57:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…00g9
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I’m reminded of the final act of Arlo Guthrie’s ‘Alice’s Restaurant’, where the draft board are concerned that he might not be moral enough to go to Vietnam and ‘burn villages, women and children’ because he’s convicted of litterin’ (and had to go pick up the garbage). The American way.

The electrician is half way through replacing my old gas hob with ...

2026-02-03T09:43:26Z

The electrician is half way through replacing my old gas hob with the new induction unit. Unfortunately the underside of the hob needs a little bit cutting out of the hole to fit the spring clips so he’s run home to get his jig saw.

I was talking to a neighbour just now who had a very low opinion ...

2026-02-01T12:39:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…mk5q
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I was talking to a neighbour just now who had a very low opinion based on the feeling that, on the council, she hasn’t followed through on promises made. Personally I’ve found her OK as a person to talk to but that’s no basis to pick an MP. In fact I did wonder whether she is the paper candidate — selected to have a party name on the ballot but not expected to even come close.

She’s a councillor for a neighbouring ward so we see a lot of ...

2026-02-01T11:20:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…9s8j
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She’s a councillor for a neighbouring ward so we see a lot of her.

Today is the start of LGBT History Month in the UK (21 years ...

2026-02-01T11:18:35Z

Today is the start of LGBT History Month in the UK (21 years old!) and so this feels like a good moment to reflect that it’s also the start of the NINTH marvellous year of publication of my book of modern British trans history, written by people who’ve lived it these last 75 years or so. Trans Britain is unique and it’s even survived the original publisher going bust. Buy it wherever you prefer but I recommend Queer Lit in Manchester’s Ancoats. They do online too!

https://www.queerlit.co.uk/products/trans-britain-our-journey-from-the-shadows

A European security alliance incorporating Ukraine as a valued ...

2026-01-28T07:06:40Z

In reply to nevent1q…w95n
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A European security alliance incorporating Ukraine as a valued source of innovation and strategic prowess may have a tough belt-tightening few years as it builds Ukraine-style border defences across the rest of the eastern flank but it’s doable given the will that an aggressive threat instills. The new alliance would have a purpose whereas NATO has come to seem like a solution for yesterday’s threats.

.. Add to that, the USSR’s military capability relied heavily ...

2026-01-28T07:00:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…pysu
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.. Add to that, the USSR’s military capability relied heavily on Ukraine managing and servicing the nukes. There’s some doubt whether the remains of that arsenal (given up by Ukraine in exchange for security guarantees) is even serviceable. The Ukraine conflict exposed the dire state of Russia’s tanks and the weaknesses in its military organisation. Plus, the Ukraine conflict has significantly weakened Russia’s infrastructure and fighting capability after nearly 5 years.

I’ve felt for a long time that the west has been deluded by the ...

2026-01-28T06:56:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…wvqq
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I’ve felt for a long time that the west has been deluded by the myths of Russian power. I vividly remember back in the seventies/eighties all those diagrams of soviet missiles and tanks and warships and inventory. That Cold War fear is deeply ingrained. But Russia alone is a shadow of the USSR. My biggest shock was the realisation that (for all its apparent size on the Mercator map) Russia is only about 135 million people — less than two UKs and a minnow against EU’s 500m..

The crying shame is that he’s not alone in continuing as though ...

2026-01-21T07:02:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…zf0d
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The crying shame is that he’s not alone in continuing as though nothing’s really changed. It’s as though the entire establishment is stuck on rails, unable to conceive that the basis for their (our) entire world has changed and this moment won’t just ‘blow over’. It’s gone and they can’t accept it. It’s mind boggling. It’s like a collective denial. An unswerving institutional momentum. Does this train stop or crash into the reality buffers at the terminus?

The weirdest excavator I’ve ever seen! I think they’re ...

2026-01-16T08:10:35Z

The weirdest excavator I’ve ever seen! I think they’re referred to as spiders and they can lift each leg independently and widen or narrow their track whilst the cabin does a full 360. There must be a temptation for the driver to play all day. One was in action this week, clambering down into the bed of the breached Llangollen Canal to help dig out narrowboats that had been washed into the void.

It’s a crying shame that it costs more now to tempt developers ...

2026-01-15T07:10:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…yq4g
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It’s a crying shame that it costs more now to tempt developers over the line with higher guaranteed returns because the UK made itself a less attractive place for projects under the Tories. Ten years ago they were queuing up to do business at lower bid prices but then we had all the stop/start political uncertainty and, whilst that was happening, more opportunities came along around the world for investors, meaning we now have to compete to attract them.

This is scary for reasons the average buyer may not understand. ...

2026-01-12T06:00:26Z

This is scary for reasons the average buyer may not understand. Proper supply equipment for charging EVs is engineered for safety. It’s designed to be used outdoors in all weathers. A proper cable doesn’t have high voltage on it until it is plugged into the car, the car senses it’s there and ASKS for power. The engineering means EV supply cables typically cost around £150. A £60 cable like the one here has none of that nicety and is live at all times. Potentially lethal

https://youtube.com/watch?v=wxtxwszJHxQ&si=toFa6rk1blBRxMAn

I’m pleased to see people have already put a name to the hyped ...

2026-01-09T08:17:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…zwy6
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I’m pleased to see people have already put a name to the hyped up gun toting murderer. He got careless with his mask and the internet is very resourceful.

It’s funny how pubs (fast dying out in the traditional sense) ...

2026-01-09T06:53:34Z

In reply to nevent1q…2e7j
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It’s funny how pubs (fast dying out in the traditional sense) are so fetishised. Farage has perfected this of course. I’m surprised they aren’t so performative on whippets and ferrets too. It’s a vision of Britain taken from WW2 era black and white movies. I say this having grown up in a pub in a naval dockyard town in the sixties.

Could it just be that the modern political class — young PPE ...

2026-01-09T06:40:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…5yck
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Could it just be that the modern political class — young PPE graduates with no first hand experience of either life or business as experienced by the majority — are just blundering blindly through one bad decision after another untethered from reality?

The verb you are searching for is ‘taken’. Or perhaps ...

2026-01-06T09:32:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…fras
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The verb you are searching for is ‘taken’. Or perhaps ‘extracted’. Earning doesn’t come into it.

‘While Trump threatens military action against Greenland, a ...

2026-01-05T18:29:38Z

‘While Trump threatens military action against Greenland, a quieter takeover is already happening. This investigation exposes how Ronald Lauder — Trump's billionaire friend, who planted the Greenland idea in 2017 — is systematically buying into Greenland's economy and its elites through a Delaware corporation called Greenland Development Partners.’

https://youtu.be/UwVJq6BhRZE?si=lJAvxMgcYd1b_3bH

One of the features I like about Great Manchester’s Bee Network ...

2026-01-02T09:23:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…qplv
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One of the features I like about Great Manchester’s Bee Network app for the buses, trams and trains back under public ownership is a button for silently reporting any incident taking place on board. I’ve not needed to use it but I’m pleased it’s there. I’ve been helping a neighbour learn how to use the app to see when the next bus is arriving so she can time when to leave the house and walk to the stop. A good app really transforms a service.

Britain has to get over its baked in delusions and sense of ...

2026-01-01T09:42:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…0sta
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Britain has to get over its baked in delusions and sense of exceptionalism — show some genuine humility — before much can change. I rate the likelihood of that next to zero in 2026, especially with the chaos that’s likely to come with having a multi-party system in a FPTP electoral system. Barring a serious upset there is a danger of sliding further towards Reform even though I’m pretty sure that the extreme right remains a minority interest on the ground.

The Christmas Private Eye cover is chef’s kiss… ...

2025-12-19T13:39:51Z

The Christmas Private Eye cover is chef’s kiss…

The OPEC part is almost like a map of the worst places in the ...

2025-12-17T07:36:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…d7c7
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The OPEC part is almost like a map of the worst places in the world and (excepting Canada) the non-OPEC part is not much better. If there are future historians they will surely conclude that the 150 year reign of oil brought out the worst in humanity and almost killed us.

It seems to me that the very thing the Supreme Court DID NOT DO ...

2025-12-09T13:00:18Z

It seems to me that the very thing the Supreme Court DID NOT DO when it ruled on the meaning of ‘sex’ for the purposes of the Equality Act back in April was to offer any “Much needed clarity” as claimed by Keir Starmer. In fact what they achieved was to create total chaos for everyone — not least trans people, who’ve been exposed to eight months of performative cruelty by a shocking array of commentators. Playing amateur lawyers.

It’s the supplier so they’re used to coming to cap off the ...

2025-12-02T13:26:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…mqsn
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It’s the supplier so they’re used to coming to cap off the pipes on day 2 of the install.

So… this morning I have a man coming to survey for installing a ...

2025-12-02T09:49:11Z

So… this morning I have a man coming to survey for installing a heat pump and removing the gas supply. Whilst he’s here there’s another one will be calling in by phone to refine a quote for solar panels and a battery — an electricity project. Then, this afternoon, another man is replacing my old water meter with a smart one. Gas, electricity, water… I think that’s ’full house’ for the utilities 😂 I very seldom spend on capital projects but then I do them all at once.

60,000 cisgender women write powerful open letter in support of ...

2025-11-15T14:02:01Z

60,000 cisgender women write powerful open letter in support of trans community: ‘We have had enough’ - PinkNews https://apple.news/Asj3iNfCWRDiK__ZYu-E5vA

I confess my attention was elsewhere on more wholesome pursuits ...

2025-11-14T09:29:51Z

I confess my attention was elsewhere on more wholesome pursuits back in July when Musk’s GROK had its full-on Nazi day. If you were busy being a decent human too then this little documentary is an excellent way of catching up on what happened and why it points to something monstrously lacking in the insane rush to “win” in the AI “race” that nobody asked for. And it’s not rocket science. If you want fresh water you don’t put your hose in a cesspit. https://youtu.be/r_9wkavYt4Y?si=ICrA-3UyCBFUidSf

Tomorrow will be one whole calendar month since I deleted my ...

2025-11-10T12:10:16Z

Tomorrow will be one whole calendar month since I deleted my ‘BBC ID’ and all their apps from my devices: iPlayer, Sounds and News. Do I miss the right wing captured state broadcaster? Nah. I’m still well informed but less frustrated by bias passing as ‘balance’.

We are the country seduced by the original promise that the ...

2025-11-07T08:55:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…nx34
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We are the country seduced by the original promise that the existence of BSkyB meant Sky wouldn’t have a monopoly of satellite broadcasting and then meekly allowed one to eat the other whole.

We are the country stupid enough to let Rupert Murdoch control a sizeable chunk of our mainstream press, from the scummiest tabloids to the newspaper of record — and then have the government that Green lit that mistake serve at their pleasure.

The ‘I’ in ITV stood for ‘Independent’.

A fascinating talk by Sophie Wilson on the early days of Acorn ...

2025-11-01T18:53:13Z

A fascinating talk by Sophie Wilson on the early days of Acorn Computer and, ultimately, her ARM design which nowadays forms the beating processor heart of almost everything including the phone or tablet you’re holding. https://youtu.be/t8MWXdEbDeI?si=fkH6crZEGs0FdHBW

Irrational numbers are such a delight when you stumble across one ...

2025-11-01T09:54:34Z

Irrational numbers are such a delight when you stumble across one by accident…

Good Law Project plan to take the England and Wales Cricket Board ...

2025-10-30T09:00:23Z

Good Law Project plan to take the England and Wales Cricket Board to court over their blanket ban on trans women participating in amateur matches. It’s quite astonishing to note who has moved with indecent haste to implement such bans because the ESB Are not alone.

I’ve rented out a property for12 years and, although I’m ...

2025-10-30T07:20:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…kpps
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I’ve rented out a property for12 years and, although I’m aware of the separate laws on HMOs (and avoided getting into that space) I’ve never heard of this one. I see someone suggesting it’s a local council bylaw in her case and therefore something where, at most, you’d say sorry, pay the fine and move on. Mainly: how on Earth are you supposed to know that such a bylaw might even be in place?

The question, of course, is how (these days) you control for the ...

2025-10-28T10:56:54Z

In reply to nevent1q…6sac
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The question, of course, is how (these days) you control for the disinformation and partisanship of the supposedly reliable news outlets the research is trying to compare with. Other analyses of AI tell us that the most likely culprit for inaccuracy in AI output is the AI itself but I feel there should be a way of filtering out the error component in the source material.

The hook is that amazing rich voice of Karen’s on the very ...

2025-10-27T07:14:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…a2xn
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The hook is that amazing rich voice of Karen’s on the very first words: “Why do birds…” It was and remains so distinct from the normal higher pitched reedy sound of female leads.

And that’s before we discuss the precious cooling water ...

2025-10-10T18:17:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…d0gt
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And that’s before we discuss the precious cooling water they’ll use once and dump. Maybe if each data centre provided a city-wide district heating system from their waste heat…

Today I learned that there are only three English cities with an ...

2025-10-10T18:14:49Z

Today I learned that there are only three English cities with an electrical consumption greater than 200 megawatts: London, Manchester and Birmingham. By comparison, the people who want to build AI data centres here, which nobody asked for, want a supply of up to 1 gigawatt (1,000 megawatts) for each one. That’s how skewed this whole nonsense is.

If you’re a pound shop politician desperately angling for ...

2025-10-08T12:14:36Z

If you’re a pound shop politician desperately angling for populist clout by claiming you’ve seen no white faces in some place you visited then I have some advice: If that’s truly what you’ve observed then it’s not evidence that BME migrants don’t “integrate”. It’s evidence that the whites won’t integrate. It’s evidence all the whites moved away when visibly “foreign” newcomers tried to move in alongside them. By trying for racist clout you’ve shown prima facie evidence of whites being racist.

It’s a reminder that whenever politicians pursue a policy that ...

2025-10-05T07:21:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…9cyg
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It’s a reminder that whenever politicians pursue a policy that is neither morally nor logically defensible then everything is twisted trying to maintain an impossible position. It’s like making a law that bricks should float in the air and then trying to hold the policy position by stubborn attempts at levitation.

M’lud my client cannot have knowingly committed the offence ...

2025-10-04T19:21:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…k7t8
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M’lud my client cannot have knowingly committed the offence with the sign in question, being literally unable to have written it or known what someone else may have written. You must therefore dismiss the case against him, being unable to prove intent to the criminal standard.

I’ve just been looking at a rather fun-looking long distance ...

2025-10-04T19:11:46Z

I’ve just been looking at a rather fun-looking long distance electric bus service covering (so far) the north half of Scotland. To use it you select the route you want on the web site and pay in advance. The bus only stops at the designated stops where people have said they want to get on or off. You need to book at least 10 minutes beforehand. The fares look very reasonable and the bus is QUIET! The service is at https://www.ember.to and the picture here is from a live tracker of all buses

“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right…” a true ...

2025-10-01T06:23:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…jffj
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“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right…” a true anthem for our age.

Was the architect MC Escher by any chance? 😀

2025-09-29T07:02:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…ljkx
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Was the architect MC Escher by any chance? 😀