Occasional posts here on Shakespeare (esp. The Globe productions), football (Hibernian FC, Maidenhead United & Geneva Servette FC) and sundry topics. Delighted to have escaped X!
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And has anyone located his constituency office in Clacton? He’s probably claiming the expenses for one. Remember this man is so principled he has no qualms about taking the EU pension for his persistent non-attendance at the European Parliament & his party’s constant disruption of EP proceedings.
Given Trump’s obsession with the Nobel Peace Prize, just because Obama got one no doubt 🤷♂️, it’s not hard to surmise that Putin has worked out that America will not get directly militarily involved in Europe under Trump who will leave it up to the other NATO members to take on Russia’s aggression.
Why are so many politicians now just utter gobshites? No integrity, no principles, no basic decency - just constantly chasing the next sensationalist soundbite for clickbait. Farage is amongst the worst & yet the English media fawns over his every utterance as if he’s a seer…no, just a gobshite!
Meanwhile (1) Russia continues to attack Ukraine with impunity; (2) Netanyahu continues to starve Palestinians in Gaza with impunity; (3) Trump continues to ride a coach & horses through the Constitution of the Founding Fathers. The BBC (Mason, Kuenssberg in particular)? Let’s feature Farage!
First of all, may I just ask if you are the retired ‘Irish Border’ Twitter account resurrected on BlueSky (take that as a compliment if you are!)? Been following your point of view for some time. Good stuff. It’s just fascinating how pertinent & persistent the ‘Irish Question’ remains to the UK.
C’mon McGinn!
Seriously? This isn’t a proper tournament with truly competitive teams if this sort of result is possible.
Given the gulf in class in the Women’s Rugby World Cup between the small number of top nations & a larger number of developing nations why not structure it with Cup & Plate competitions? Otherwise, why should the ‘wee teams’ bother turning up just to be try-fodder for the big teams?
…& nor has the € collapsed. More likelihood of the London Stock Exchange becoming increasingly irrelevant due to lack of listings & liquidity post-Brexit.
Is that Tice calling in from his constituency - Dubai?
Why waste a full article of nonsense in The Daily Telegraph @telegraphnews.bsky.social when the answer to your question can be succinctly summarised in one word - Brexit.
Scored two excellent team goals but still a work-in-progress in midfield and defence. 1 point from the first two home games is a poor return and does not augur well for even reaching the divisional play-offs this season.
I believe HMG strategy with regard to boat migrants is to contact the Met Office in the hope of bad weather in The Channel coming soon!
The most lucid explanation of this deal was in Farming Today this morning. Clear, concise & explaining the benefit refreshingly without PR hyperbole.
Windsor & Eton FC play at Stag Meadow in Windsor Great Park on land leased from The Crown (that’s your actual Royalty not the local pub!). Success of the men’s & women’s 1st teams & the growth in the age group teams means there’s an urgent need for an all-weather pitch chng.it/yK6wLq6fYx
For any fellow Hibees reading this post, I highly recommend this newly published & thoroughly researched biography of Canon Edward Joseph Hannan & his seminal role in the the founding of Hibernian FC 150 years ago on August 6, 1875 @hfcsupporters.bsky.social www.thirstybooks.com/bookshop/edi...
Aw diddums. You should have thought of that before riding on the backs of renters to pay for your speculative investment. A better idea would be to sell your investment property to someone who might just make it a home.
The concept of ‘user-generated content’ (UGC) that the technology platforms can disown responsibility for is laughable. The platforms are actively feeding content into timelines via their algorithms thereby effectively acting as editors of content. Regulate them!
Point taken & I apologise for tarring the entire farming community with the Brexit brush. However, still awaiting the unequivocal declaration from the NFU on behalf of farmers that the way forward is to rejoin the EU single market & Customs Union (which will require full SPS alignment by default).
It all comes back to the fact that farmers voted for Brexit. Now all I read is farmers complaining about the loss of taxpayer subsidies & unfair terms in non-EU trade agreements. The NFU needs to come out & unequivocally advocate for the UK to rejoin the EU single market and Customs Union.
Is there a specific category of performative trade agreement? By that I mean one that is driven by a press release with little/no substance behind the headlines? Seems to be the preferred ‘trade agreement’ category of successive UK governments & President Trump
Awaiting with keeping interest for a commentator to confirm tonight’s venue for Spain v Italy as “the Wankdorf Stadium”…
🙌 | We’ve teamed up with Zenith Coins to give a lucky fan the chance to win one of the club’s limited edition 150th anniversary match coins. All you have to do is follow us and share this post before kick off tomorrow to be in with a chance of winning. Good luck! 💚 #AlwaysHibs | #ClubTogether
Very reminiscent of the old Woody Allen tale about going on a speed reading course which taught him how to read War & Peace in 20 minutes. When asked what the book is about he answers succinctly - Russia!
Hopefully we can put the blame on ChatGPT or another AGI (Artificial Gibberish Initiator) for this tsunami of business-speak platitudes. Hard to see how any human intelligence or relevant industry knowledge & expertise was incorporated in this latest Government glossy.
Not that @thedailytelegraph.bsky.social is hypocritical or anything but now it is all for benefit scroungers!
Well done Hibs Supporters & Hibs Trust. This will be great for community outreach & developing future generations of Hibees - GGTTH!
Do my eyes deceive me or is that David Archer moonlighting as the medical director of an Imperial hospital on Coruscant in Season 2, Episode 11 of Andor? @thearchers.wiki
Congratulations to Borehamwood on their return to the NL after one season. Here’s hoping Maidenhead United can follow their example in the season ahead🤞
Much as I shall forever abhor the lies & prejudices that fomented the Brexit vote in 2016 we are, as they say, where we are in 2025. The pragmatism over performative politics that Labour is using to re-establish a better & more practical relationship with the EU may please no-one but is sensible.
“Never knowingly undersold” applies to anything biglified by Trump.
Why should the Public Sector heed Labour Ministers pleas when the Government does nothing about excess greed in the upper echelons of the private sector?
Well deserved achievement for a true community club. Great to see the buzz around Stag Meadow at home games. Bring on the CCL Premiership challenge next season!
Parliament should be recalled to discuss the Michael Gove peerage!
Step aside Banksy, here comes Lowesy!
None of these rises will impact our sitting MPs. They just add them to their expenses, alongside their pet rent, and charge it to the public purse. As a minimum, tax allowance thresholds should be increased by £1000 each immediately to give taxpayers more money to offset these egregious rises.
Mathematically survival is still possible. #indevwetrust until the maths says no! Wonder if RBWM Councillors will feel any remorse at the way they have treated the club since reneging on the new stadium plans for Braywick which would have unlocked funds to help the club compete in the NL?
I am not a reader of the Daily Tory/ReformGraph but am amazed that, judging by this recent headline, the former newspaper (now Reform propaganda sheet) has belatedly realised what a catastrophic error Brexit is…
The loophole that social media companies are technology platforms for disseminating user generated content needs to close. The algorithm-driven feed of content to user accounts means that they are acting as gatekeepers of news, information & opinions. Time to regulate them as we do mainstream media.
#indevwetrust … although Maidenhead United’s chances of avoiding relegation look very bleak now. Home form has been a major failure all season & has cost the club dearly in terms of squandered opportunities to keep the points racking up. Need a huge performance & result v Rochdale on Saturday🤞
From a USA historical perspective, Abe Lincoln did win an election in 1864 during the American Civil War. As far as Trump knows any history it won’t be what Britain did during WWII that matters it’ll be what Abe did in 1864. Just shocking to think that both Lincoln & Trump are Republicans.
Woeful defending last night & not for the first time this season. The team seems very vulnerable to conceding from corners at critical points in matches & unable to see out games effectively, such as the recent York game where 2 goals conceded in overtime when a precious point was within reach.
Wouldn’t it be great if KCIII were now to rescind the state visit invitation to the Tyrant Trump and invite Zelenskyy instead.
This will likely be the same farmers who voted for Brexit. They specialise in whining for more & more public subsidies to sustain their lifestyles & exemption from inheritance tax (at a lower rate than anyone else!).
“They’ve lost subsidies that came with EU membership” …so why did farmers vote for Brexit? They whine for more & more public subsidies to sustain their lifestyles & exemption from inheritance tax (at a lower rate than anyone else!).
‘Harris isn’t Paris’ - a great script line from the excellent Gaelic Noir drama An t-eilean (The Island) on BBC Alba in the final episode this evening. The rugged landscape & the glorious beaches were a delight to see in all four episodes. Well worth a watch.
…and hopefully Mandy has an offer in his back pocket from the R&A to hold The Open at Troon (Trump’s Championship course in 🏴) in the near future. That is a UK bargaining chip that would get the President’s attention & goodwill.
Could well be worth checking Trump’s immediate family members stocks buying/selling activity relating to his erratic Presidential pronouncements that are designed to instigate market volatility. Timing is everything & it’s very hard not to suspect some form of familial insider trading.
…meanwhile in the parallel universe that is The Daily Telegraph and its rapidly diminishing aging Tory readership - I mean - WTAF?
Hope you get promoted & hope Maidenhead United stay in the NL & shall gladly welcome you to MUFC(YorkRoad) next season. ‘Non-league’ football (God knows why they demean it with such a label) is so much more enjoyable, friendly, honest & value for money than yer actual league shenanigans.
Tut, on Burns Night too. May I recommend Ae Fond Kiss by Karen Matheson - the voice of a (Scottish) Angel.
Better spell his name right though - Colin Montgomerie - oops!
FFS, better to appoint Colin Montgomery as the next UK Ambassador to the USA and send him to the Oval Office with a promise to hold The Open at Troon within the next 10 years (preferably sooner). That would get Trump’s attention!
The ultimate offer the UK can make to Trump is via the R&A by agreeing to schedule his Troon course in The Open timetable as soon as possible. Reckon he’d value that higher than another State visit.
Does anyone know where I might find the world’s tiniest violin?…
Yet further evidence of a total lack of joined up thinking in HMG as Chancellor Reeves withdrew £800m for a supercomputer project at Edinburgh University a few months ago. Apparently we now need (at least) one to facilitate AI innovation - it’s a desperate PR announcement with very little substance.
Watching the Tamworth v Tottenham FA Cup game. Strikes me that the officiating is blatantly biased in favour of the Premier League club. How Dragusin didn’t get a second yellow and sent off in the first 90 minutes for persistent fouling is incomprehensible.
Judging by what I am reading from the Oxford Farming Conference, farmers want (1) yet more public subsidy (now they yearn for the sunny uplands of the days of EU CAP subsidies after supporting Brexit) & (2) no inheritance tax on their land & agricultural assets largely built on taxpayer subsidies 🤷♂️
First X & now Meta are to remove virtually any constraints on what contributors post. The time is overdue for them to be regulated as publishers, not as tech platforms that abdicate responsibility for ‘user generated content’ - social media can’t go on being the digital equivalent of the Wild West.
“Reform will fund raise” is just another ploy to get a large donation from Musk - corruption and foreign interference in UK politics no longer even needs to hide when it is in such plain sight.
Judging by the plethora of Musk missives targeting the UK political classes it seems we are re-entering the Shakespearean era of political discourse once again - "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing".
Sunset Song?
Just enjoyed watching Andy Musgrave get on the podium in 3rd place in a highly competitive 20km cross country freestyle ski race in the 19th Tour de Ski. There must be something special about Scottish sports stars with the name Andy!
It was suspicious when Labour didn’t reimpose a cap on bankers’ bonuses when they took office. Chancellor Reeves is increasingly a liability for Starmer. She’s badly managed the withdrawal of winter fuel payments for pensioners, the farm inheritance tax & any sense of optimism about the economy.
In the parallel universe that is The Telegraph, the Jacob Rees-Moggs of this world are desperately hoping their paid propagandist gigs at GBnews will save them from the ignominy of sending their kids to state schools…like the other 93% of school age children. www.telegraph.co.uk/money/best-p...
Good point but some higher standard of user verification needs to be worked on without compromising individual safety & security.
Hibernian FC end the calendar year with 24 points after 20 games & a more respectable mid-table position in the Scottish Premier League; Maidenhead United end the calendar year with 23 points after 24 games & remain mired in the relegation battle in the National League. Onwards & upwards in 2025🤞
Naive am I, but does the day not beckon legislatively soon when users of social media need to go through a verification process to establish, as far as possible, that they are real people with real lives & genuine individual perspectives on what they choose to write on these sites?
Odd decisions all round from HMG, many of which seem like a tribute act to the Blair era. In terms of the best candidate to be ambassador to Trump’s USA would Starmer be better off choosing a Scotsman with a low golf handicap who can engage Trump at the Mar-a-Lago Oval Office - Colin Montgomerie?
Halfway through the National League season & Maidenhead United are struggling with only 20 points from 23 games. Realistically going to need 30 points from the remaining 23 games of the season🤞#indevwetrust
If there were any lingering doubts that the @telegraphnews.bsky.social has completed its editorial journey from a venerable newspaper to a right-wing pastiche of @vizcomic.bsky.social, here is this evening’s lead story…
Normally, when your team is down to 10-men you take a point from a draw but not today. Maidenhead United played an excellent second-half with 10-men & deserved all 3 points but it wasn’t to be. The Ref was far too lenient on the Solihull Moors play-acting at every tackle. Anyway, a precious point!
An excellent interview with Peter Griffin, Chairman of Maidenhead United. Makes clear that the only obstruction to ensuring the club’s survival is RBWM council who have no vision or strategy for improving football & athletics facilities for the town. www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/gallery/maid...
This article by Rowan Moore points the way towards better social housing provision where the start point is that social housing tenants deserve much greater consideration architecturally than is currently the case. amp.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
Funny how when these stories of trading difficulties come up (increasingly frequently) the narrative is about ‘new EU rules’ & mysteriously no mention is made of this is exactly the Brexit the nation apparently(?) voted for - being treated as a 3rd country by the EU27. news.sky.com/story/britis...
Saw this Andy Capp cartoon &, for some reason, it made me think of Maidenhead United’s defeat to Slough in the FA Trophy on Saturday @musg-yorkroad.bsky.social …
There’s a long road ahead to get the UK back in the EU: 1. Start with an unequivocally pro-EU, stable UK Govt. 2. Genuine enthusiasm for being an EU member among British voters (a given for Scottish, Welsh & NI voters. The problem lies with the English). 3. An EU welcoming the UK back into the fold.
As a long-standing Observer subscriber, I am optimistic that this may reenergise the brand both in print & especially on-line where it currently only has a low-key presence under the Guardian banner. Will be interesting to see if Dale Vince pursues his interest? www.theguardian.com/media/2024/d...
It’s more a matter of the right conditions: 1. An unequivocally pro-EU, stable UK Govt. 2. Enthusiasm for being an EU member in the British voting populace (a given for Scottish, Welsh & NI voters. The problem lies with the English voting populace). 3. An EU that welcomes the UK back into the fold.
Really need Ross to get @BlueRoseCode on this platform & away from X. Fans will follow! In the meantime, checkout Bright Circumstance, the new album - it’s simply pure, dead brilliant!
There have been 3 GEs since the EU Referendum. It has been respected. We are now 8+ years on from the advisory referendum & at no point has the OBR resiled from their calculation that being outside the EU is a recurring 4% GDP hit (~£40bn) every year. Nor has any Govt denied this reality.
Courtesy of @privateeyenews.bsky.social, hard to draw any other conclusion than the observation that Kemi Badenoch is just another self-serving political opportunist/chancer in a very long line of such dubious characters that seem to get elected to Parliament 🤷♂️
With Farming Today on BBC Radio 4 & CountryFile on BBC One, the farming sector gets massive exposure. They reveal a farming sector that pleads for more & more public money, ironically post-Brexit that many farmers voted for, yet gets indignant when asked to pay inheritance tax like everyone else 🤷♂️
Congratulations to Sir David! He can enjoy the post-match interview on Sportscene for once. Now, onto Celtic next weekend! #insdgwetrust
Such a shame there are no replays now to appease the big clubs with ‘fixture congestion’. Oldham, with a mere 46 league matches to play + FA Cup & Trophy matches would have been delighted with a draw & a replay at their ground.
Great to see a mainstream political journalist take an active interest in Ireland’s GE. As the UK’s physically closest EU27 member state you’ld think more MSM would take an interest rather than in the celebrity peccadilloes of some reality TV bod but no, triviality & parochialism prevail as ever 🤷♂️
York City v Maidenhead United & Motherwell v Hibs on my personal football watch today. Both away teams desperately need wins but, tbh, coming away with at least a point I hope 🤞
Great news from @formulaezone.bsky.social that Season 11 will be broadcast free-to-air by @itvx.bsky.social. Was already looking forward to the new season & hope this initiative brings it to a wider audience as it’s great sport & entertainment 👍
“All through the story the immigrants came The Gael and the Pict, the Angle and Dane From Pakistan, England and from the Ukraine We're all Scotland's story and we're all worth the same” Thanks to The Proclaimers for this message of tolerance on the day the immigration figures are released.
Phew, Maidenhead United got the better of Braintree Town on Tuesday night for 3 precious points. A shame that Hibs couldn’t get all 3 points at home to Aberdeen to start the climb away from the bottom of the league. I do wonder what it must be like to support consistently successful football teams!