Richard Close

So much effing and blinding in our household when Mason appears on the television that I'm glad we're not on Gogglebox.

Aaargh! Might have to retune the clock radio to the World Service.

Absolutely this. I think authoritarians instinctively (or consciously) identify renewable energy as their enemy. Fossil fuels are such an effective mechanism for concentrating wealth and power.

"Viceroy of Persia" has a ring to it. Or "Blair of Persia"? (Just kidding, Tony doesn't have that kind of money).

The ono/vono alternation is very like оно (Russian) vs воно (Ukranian), and many similar pairs. Must be some Slavic language shift, I should look it up.

Cruelty to immigrants is not what my party stands for. It’s time for True Labour, not Blue Labour | Stella Creasy We must get back to the party’s roots before it is too late. That means embracing difference, rejecting division – and fighting for opportunities for all, says MP for Walthamstow, Stella Creasy

"There is an alternative way forward: being True – not Blue – Labour. True Labour doesn’t fear those who are different. Instead, it demands everyone contribute their abilities to society – and works to unlock such skills."

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Example 46128 of how house price inflation and utterly inadequate social housing has made everything worse.

Could they not simply build a Golden Dome?

The butler could not believe the communiqués were other than excellent and that the troops were not approaching Berlin, as he had read, “We have repulsed the enemy with heavy losses on their side,” actions that he celebrated as though they were new victories. For my part, I was horrified by the rapidity with which the theatre of these victories approached Paris and I was astonished that even the butler, who had seen in a communiqué that an action had taken place close to Lens, had not been alarmed by reading in the next day’s paper that the result of this action had turned to our advantage at Jouy-le-Vicomte to which we firmly held the approaches. The butler very well knew the name of Jouy-le-Vicomte which was not far from Combray. But one reads the papers as one wants to with a bandage over one’s eyes without trying to understand the facts, listening to the soothing words of the editor as to the words of one’s mistress. We are beaten and happy because we believe ourselves unbeaten and victorious.

Of course! Fair use. Here's the clip to the end of the paragraph, which is even better (with alt text):

I hadn't noticed! Quite jarring now that you point it out. The reader app is Readera on Android.

My ebook of à la recherche du temps perdu.

Vol 7 Time regained, chapter 2

It's Proust

Not sure which is worse:

1) Labour being hostile to migrants because they're trying to get Reform voters,or

2) Labour being sincerely hostile to migrants because they think it's the right thing to do.

Maybe 2) is worse, because 1) might be fixable.

Overton window in action!

Exactly this. There is no level of immigration, or taxation, or welfare spending which the far right will settle for. Zero net migration is too high, they have already moved on to talk about remigration, aka ethnic cleaning.

Operation Epstein Fury

If Mandelson does have to do some time, I hope he makes the best of it like Hugh Grant's character in that Paddington movie.

Quite coincidentally, we had our first Negroni of the year this evening too!

Kuenssberg interviewing Johnson on the BBC! I feel like I'm going mad.

There's also a Coptic Pope!

I think they're already there?

Alasdair Gray - Works Works by Alasdair Gray: A Boy Less Than a Year Old, 2019 , Bella Caledonia, 2019 , Smug Cogito, 2019 , Wakening, 2019 , Inge with Fox Stoles, 2018 , To A Critic, 2018 , An Illustration to a Story Expl...

Happy #WorldHippoDay! Here’s “The Scots Hippo”, written & illustrated by Alasdair Gray …

Images: The Scots Hippo (1–7), one of a series of prints by Alasdair Gray – available from @glasgowprintstudio.bsky.social
#poem #poetry
shop.glasgowprintstudio.co.uk/artists/38-a...

They all did good work, but earlier in their careers. Epstein did target the biggest names after all.
I think this Epstein business explains where Dawkins and Pinker in particular got their shitty views from.

You're in for a treat! The good doctor's lovely assistant has the best name, although I question her life choices.

It's the Ineos Grenadiers that I feel the most ...

Please can we start calling it "The Your Party"? Then it's the same as every other party (e.g. "The Monster Raving Loony Party") and we won't have to parse every reference to them twice.

Best pipe weed in the Shire!

You know what would be a better way of achieving Reform's aim here? Scrapping the two-child benefit cap. And, indeed, more generous child support across the board.

Also, a big expansion of housing supply to make it more affordable.

What were their policies on these issues again?

CDs are way better for classical music because they have booklets with information about the composer, the work and the performer. Even more so with libretti and texts for operas and vocal music. Occasionally a digital download will have a booklet but it's rare.

Yup! I've become almost allergic to Kuenssberg (and Mason) so I can't face reading that BBC article.