Lisa Allsop

1 [Title panel of a comic by Stephen Collins] I Went Wild Swimming And It Was Bloody Horrible 2 [a young, dramatic, red haired woman speaks a voiceover]: I was sad because of the sad thing. 3 “Try wild swimming”, said my editor. You could write an article, and bang on about it online”. 4 I couldn’t do that. I was a person who liked the warm and not the cold! 5 But I went cos y’know, content. [show her entering a miserable looking pond] 6 The cold water lapped against my sad ankles, interestingly. 7 The cold water crept up my sad skin, for several paragraphs. 8 I was *alive, alive, alive*, like a journalist going in a pond. 9 Soon the shock subsided, leaving a cold, hard, gleaming, immutable truth at the very core of my inner soul:  10 This was bloody horrible. 11 I saw a rat and a poo, and got out. 12 [On the land again now, next to pond] Then I opened my laptop.

I Went Wild Swimming And It Was Bloody Horrible

(Prints of my work available - link in bio)

Pics of President of #Ukraine, Volodymyr #Zelenskyy in #DowningStreet today, welcomed and hosted by Sir #KeirStarmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I should be neutral as a press photographer, but in this case I am not, so - #SlavaUkraïni! 🇺🇦Pic set at Alamy Live News.

Opinion | Putin Wins the Trump-Zelensky Oval Office Spectacle Vice President Vance starts a public fight that only helps Russia’s dictator.

Wall Street Journal Editorial Board comes out swinging against JD Vance.

Indeed, key moment in downward spiral was Vance lashing out in response to Zelenskyy's point on diplomacy with Putin

WSJ: "It is bewildering to see Mr. Trump’s allies defending this debacle as some show of American strength."

“I thank the people and government of the United Kingdom for their tremendous support from the very beginning of this war”

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy is greeted with a warm hug by Starmer and crowds of supporters in the street, he is then given full assurance that he is supported for as long as it takes. That is precisely what we all needed to see after the despicable and ugly scenes yesterday.

Fox News reported that JD Vance had to move to an “undisclosed location” due to protests at the Vermont resort where he’s skiing this weekend. For inflicting misery on the world and here at home in America, this is exactly the energy that should greet Vance wherever he goes for the rest of his days.

I’m on the naughty step over on the app formally known as Twitter. Uncharacteristically I wished a form of violence upon the app’s glorious leader and within seconds I was in trouble 😆

Spent today doing vox pops in Clacton, a place Farage never goes unless he wants a photo op, something the locals agreed with.

He’s in the US for the SEVENTH time since July, yet this is the first thing you see as you enter town, it’s been there since December.

A metaphor for voting Reform.

Fawlty Teslas - Don't mention the war sketch

"I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it"

Felon pardons insurrectionists on day one. We’re not going to recognize this country in six months.

Helpful!

People are going to get hurt, aren’t they? I don’t recall Trump saying you can’t use the word gender, rather that there are only two. If the misunderstandings have already started at this level it’s only going to escalate.

Conversation on Bloomberg just now

Lady mentions the word gender

Gent says you're not allowed to use the word gender any more

Conversation starts and quickly ends as they agree not to talk about gender

Even though her original remark was not mentioned in that context

🤷‍♂️

Nigel Farage, Liz Truss and Suella Braverman attend Trump’s inauguration (in a social club)

Oh of course Boris Johnson is there. Of course. The UK Cunt Bingo proceeds apace.

Something has gone VERY wrong, hasn’t it?
I need to let go of Twitter and spend more time here 🙄

TV presenter Katie Piper reveals decision to use prosthetic eye shell Survivor of acid attack and advocate for people with burn injuries posts update ‘after years battling with eye health’ The TV presenter Katie Piper has revealed she is trying out an “artificial eye” more than 16 years after an acid attack left her partly…

TV presenter Katie Piper reveals decision to use prosthetic eye shell

👏

tell us what we owe and how that works re closing the account.

Confused? So far this has taken 4 x 20min calls and who knows how long searching online. 4/4

#UniversalCredit #CarersAllowance #DisabilityBenefits #MinimumWage #PartTimeWork #CarersAllowanceThreshold #DWP

I was advised to ‘borrow from friends or family’ to repay the CA overpayment and that we can’t have our UC payments adjusted for the deductions for CA until we’ve repaid CA and closed the account. CA can’t tell me how long it’ll take to calculate & 3/4
#DWP

were able, eg when he knew what his hours would be. UC can’t tell us if we’re eligible for an #advancepayment and say that there isn’t a direct URL on the #govuk website to go to and I’d ‘need to search around a bit to find it.’ 2/4
#DWP

Wonder why people are challenged by #carersallowance? Ours has stopped, husband earns too much on 15hrs/wk at #minimumwage Need to repay 2 months, are short this month as #universalcredit have deducted it but we are no longer being paid it. Notified CA as soon as we 1/4
#DWP

TWITTER NEEDS A NEW LEADER. MUSK DOESNT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES.

Matt Frei, "Is the government doing enough to rebuff Elon Musk?"

Sir Craig Oliver, "I think Keir Starmer's approach is the right one.. I'm reminded of the George Bernard Shaw quote: don't fight a pig, the pig likes it, and you get covered in mud"

While we’re banning books…

Finland is teaching children in school how to recognize fake news and propaganda as part of critical thinking and civic responsibility. Some of this will seem very familiar.

Be. Like. Finland.

By Ben Jennings 😂

I need to stop habitually checking in on you know where 🤯
I need to find a few more faves who have moved here and then I can delete it …

'It's a smash and grab raid on the constitution': The last of the hereditary peers Sir Keir Starmer says the right to sit in the Lords by birth is "indefensible" and his government has started the process to end it.

Hereditary peers having a predictable moan about this probably being their last year in the House of Lords… and saying how they represent the country!!

Righto

The whole House of Lords needs RADICAL reform (second biggest chamber in the world next to China🤔)

news.sky.com/story/its-a-...

Trump goes to war over global health agenda Plans by Trump to withdraw from WHO threatens global world health efforts to combat new pandemics

Plans by Trump to withdraw from WHO threatens global world health efforts to combat new pandemics | Trevor Russel

DWP spent £50,000 trying to stop release of review into disabled man’s death Previous government spent almost £1m trying to prevent release of documents in 56 legal cases

UK Tory govt spent £50,000 to stop release of review into disabled man’s death.

DWP wrongly stopped his benefits, leaving him with no income.

He weighed 4.5 stone when body found, eight months after benefits were stopped.

Govt tried to conceal murder.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...