“ … strung round them with industrial cable ties. The fact he has not yet done so can only mean he does not love his country.” Majestic by @tompeck.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-fam...
Freelance journalist: writes about health policy and politics of the English NHS in weekly column (£) ‘Cowper’s Cut’ on www.healthpolicyinsight.com.
4,488 followers 1,469 following 1,572 posts
view profile on Bluesky
“ … strung round them with industrial cable ties. The fact he has not yet done so can only mean he does not love his country.” Majestic by @tompeck.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-fam...
“Now’s not the time, but eventually questions will have to be asked of His Majesty the King. Windsor Castle’s famous Long Walk is his own private high street: two solid miles of oak and horse chestnut trees, each one of which is frankly crying out to have some Chinese-made Union Jacks from Amazon
Evolution? In a single year? Right after the Conservative Party lost power? Yes May I see it? No
Yeah mate in a way it’s our fault
Ooooooooh www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Bluesky isn’t perfect but at least its owner isn’t demanding violent insurrection in the UK from thousands of miles away
Oh no they’re not. More utter bullshit from the Boris Johnson Fanzine: www.telegraph.co.uk/business/202...
Larry Ellison becoming the world's richest man has left Musk feeling Left Behind and that's why he's now embracing ethnic violence.
Shot, chaser Young men more likely to vote Green than Reform. Young men second most progressive group of any demographic. Combined right-wing vote barely bigger than Green vote alone for young men
Abby Dow!
“Now he has resigned over his secret dealings with a millionaire. It is hard to know what will cause his next downfall.” thecritic.co.uk/oh-mandy/
This, by @roberthutton.co.uk, is superb. “Like any real genius, Mandelson gives each of his falls from grace its own unique character. There was the time he resigned over secret dealings with a millionaire, and then of course the time he resigned over his secret dealings with a millionaire.
AI HAS found its true purpose
“Matt Hancock Club: I'm gonna keep on dancing at the Matt Hancock Club I'm gonna keep on dancing down in West Sussex I'm gonna keep on dancing at the Matt Hancock Club, Matt Hancock Club …”
“God, what have you done? You're a Matt Hancock girl And you dance at the club Oh mama, I'm just having fun On the stage in my heels It's where I belong down at the Matt Hancock Club
Kate IS in Unibond Northern League
Both, inevitably.
I’m a league table.
What have the French done to you to even suggest such a thing?! We can loan them Liz Truss if they want though.
We shouldn’t rule it out
Of course, the French have yet to try Matt Hancock as Prime Minister.
Love this. Younger patients basically asking "What's a letter?" and being told that it's like a text but much longer and takes about three weeks to get sent out to you, and you can't reply to it except by using the talky app on your phone.
I AM still doing this (this IS how it works)
Matt Hancock is the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable.
But a bit less frequently nowadays.
We DO still do this.
Prefabricated as well truly back to foundational principles..
And as a little Monday morning treat, I’m putting my latest weekly column on English health policy and politics outside the paywall for an hour or so: www.healthpolicyinsight.com/cowpers-cut-...
Highly recommend @davewwest.bsky.social on why and how politicians are ‘taking back control’ of the NHS: www.hsj.co.uk/comment/how-...
Looks as if PFI is coming back to build the new wave of Darzi Centres: www.ft.com/content/91d0...
It’s almost as if Aseem Malhotra were a totally incredible figure. How on earth could The Farage Party endorse such a total fraud? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
She’s here She’s there She’s every something where: Jess Breach Jess Breach.
Really good article. worksinprogress.co/issue/libert...
Exclusive: This summer's round of resident doctor strike action cost the NHS £300m, internal docs show. Health service has effectively been told to find the money from existing budgets and is introducing spending freeze w @kituno.bsky.social www.hsj.co.uk/workforce/ex...
Farage is blowing this speech
They must use an ok computer.
This will (understandably) get buried today, alas. But then so will Reform conference as a whole, given the timing of Rayner's resignation
“Farage claimed last year to have “bought a house” in his constituency, but the property is actually owned in the name of his partner, meaning he legally avoided higher-rate stamp duty on the purchase of an additional home” www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Got mine after about an hour. Stay hopeful!
Got mine after about an hour. Stay hopeful!
Angexit
The Radiohead registration system to get a chance of entry for their ticket ballot(ish) works! Hurrah!
What the world needs: peace, justice, prosperity. What it's getting: another bleeding Substack: chrisdillow.substack.com This has most of my old Typepad posts (the less execrable ones) since the start of 2021. More may be added.
Well this made me cry.
James was previously at TikTok; and before that, deputy director and then director of communications at NHS England.
“James Lyons, Downing Street’s director of communications for strategy, is stepping down.” www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Thirty-one years later, the power of this interview is absolutely undimmed. youtu.be/XpnyPl8-ZcQ
“If there’s something strange In your neighbourhood, Who you gonna call? MATT HANCOCK! If there’s something weird And it don’t look good, Who you gonna call? MATT HANCOCK!”
Mast have to use that line, please.
This by @samfr.bsky.social is depressingly convincing - and full of really good observations. open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...
They had to move it inside because there was no more room in the graveyard of NHS 10 year plans.
EXCLUSIVE: revealed - the ‘delivery’ section of The NHS Ten-Year Plan.
The Express leads the website on "fresh chaos" at protests, referencing some "pushing and shoving" in Bristol yesterday Today they have a livestream of almost nobody in Canary Wharf, growing to 20, and "30-40 people shout at a window" in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham to back that up
Thanks John, will try them
Yes, the smaller ones are less bad this year, but even in France and Italy, the quality is noticeably poor overall. And with this level of sunshine, I find it hard to know why.
Why are shop-bought tomatoes so very tasteless this year?
Sorry to hear it: hope you are mending soon.
Fabulous article www.ft.com/content/5526...
Ah, temporarily got a sub. Let me know if you need something
Will they never learn? Reorganisation of NHS structures and management rarely delivers expected benefits or savings, but instead caused ‘redisorganisation’, as @kieranwalshe.bsky.social David Hunter I wrote about for @bmj.com in 2001…. www.bmj.com/content/323/...
Almost a year ago, I did this podcast with The Two Matts of ‘The New World’. podfollow.com/2matts/episo...
Please sign my petition requesting @hpiandycowper.bsky.social changes his bio to state ✨Matt Hancock Stan Account✨ (*MUST* include stars) as he does a lot more of that than healthcare journalism petition.parliament.uk/petitions?st...
I endorse this message
Hancocks Touching Hancocks: Reaching out, Touching me, touching you! Sweet Matt Hancock! (Bah-bah-baaah) Good times never seemed so good. I've been inclined To believe they never would.
This, by the brilliant @nigel-edwards.bsky.social, is first-class: www.linkedin.com/pulse/nhs-pl...
Numbers of students are down 1.9% as opposed to the 25% predicted by the Independent Schools Council and various right wing think-tanks.
The headline here should say: "Number of private schools increases by 35 - showing fears of an exodus to be unfounded". (The increase is mentioned way down the article.) www.thetimes.com/article/19ef...
There but for the grace of Matt Hancock go I.
God bless the Boris Johnson Fanzine: single-handedly keeping satire alive and well www.telegraph.co.uk/money/proper...
It’s still a fantastic and necessary read: archive.org/details/on-b...
Twenty years … bloody hell www.thetimes.com/culture/book...
Moderna lays off 10% of workforce in further cost-cutting move www.statnews.com/2025/07/31/m...
Hurrah!
Oooooh, NHS England’s strategy movie is on Film Four right now!
For the evening crowd: how the 1980s were an alien world, making it hard for generations to comprehend each other.
“I’ll send an SOS to the world I’ll send an SOS to the world I hope that someone gets Matt I hope that someone gets Matt I hope that someone gets Matt Hancock in a bottle Yeah Hancock in a bottle Yeah.”
Oh, Spain will be kicking themselves
I know!
Playing rope-a-dope, letting Spain just attack and attack, is an intriguing tactical approach.
Mmmmmmmm
He was brilliant.
It is astonishing that England are still in this: their possession has been so wasteful.
In "Legitimate Concerns" news. 41% of the 899 arrested for taking part in Farage Riots last year had been reported for crimes associated with intimate partner violence. For those arrested by one police force, this figure was 68%. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Well done Australia: a brilliant performance.
“Let’s SPORT!!!!!!!!!!”
"Raise progressive taxation but in a way that everyone will hate" says IMF
“Hey you with some money, you know how you REALLY hate taxes on your estate after death? Well, here’s another tax on when you’re ill and dying, and the more ill you are the more you pay!”
Idiots
Trying to make sport interesting to people who don’t like sport is weird.
Oh, the hype before sport is so, so dull.
Good old the IMF www.ft.com/content/26c4...
@hpiandycowper.bsky.social someone beat you to it
Arse-licking a nominal head of state is not a great look.
Maybe she doesn’t want to win.
Bizarre that Kemi Badenoch hasn’t brought Matt Hancock back from the Lords to reinforce Conservative firepower.
The unnecessary key change is such a vibe
The Italian national anthem is just an absolute 12/10 banger
It must be handy having a national anthem that’s not an utter dirge