All these Tories lining up to condemn Rayner 🤣 They all defended Hunt’s tax dodge. They all ignored Zahawi threatening a tax journalist. They all ignored Sunak’s non-dom wife and US green card. Absolute chancers. Pathetic.
Albannach/Éireannach/Eòrpach/Proud Citizen of Nowhere/dual national. Studied town planning and urban conservation in Scotland, now UX writer in Prague. Love discovering Europe's forgotten corners. A bit random. #FBPE 🇺🇦
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All these Tories lining up to condemn Rayner 🤣 They all defended Hunt’s tax dodge. They all ignored Zahawi threatening a tax journalist. They all ignored Sunak’s non-dom wife and US green card. Absolute chancers. Pathetic.
Jamie Raskin, "They only want to protect free speech that they agree with" JR then demolishes Farage, ending with "You might want to think twice before you let Nigel Farage Make Britain Great Again"
2025: Yvette Cooper suspends the rights of child refugees to come to the UK, effectively rejecting Article 8 of the ECHR 2016: Yvette Cooper making a passionate plea for child refugees to come to the UK Cooper spent over a decade speaking up for child refugees, now she rejects Article 8 of ECHR
Was in Gdańsk during the 40th anniversary commemorations. Walking around the room where the agreement was signed was a moving experience, and I saw quite a few former shipyard workers. The European Solidarity Centre does a great job of telling the story of that momentous era.
The Toby archives: their first album was a classic!
No doubt she wears St George's flag underwear too.
Sounds just like Roztoky😆
Sounds like a great idea! If it rains, you have plenty of cover. And you could do a livestream, so we can catch up with the latest swift family news, pigeon antics in the park, penny-pinching motorists and much more, in Berlin's northernmost bezirk.
And you could spend more time with the swifts😀
Yup! Apart from the Christmas hols, I haven't had a proper 2-week break in yonks.
This afternoon I spotted the Czech transport minister, almost outside my front door. He was being "interviewed" by a local bigwig, a fellow party member, who called him "Mr Minister". A standard Czech way to address someone, based on their profession; it makes politicians seem more normal.
Now 8 weeks since my visit.😿 But seems like yesterday when the swifts were swooping and screaming above the urban beach. And I never did solve the mystery of the missing skarpetky. Ironic, given that I spotted JPII and Copernicus varieties for sale in the window of a shop on Gdańska.
Radio 4’s PM programme managed an entire piece on ways to make rail ticket pricing more straightforward without so much as a nod to the fact that the Scottish Government has introduced flat pricing on trains *LITERALLY TODAY* Chapeau to the BBC for such stratospheric levels of myopia
@samcoatessky.bsky.social hi Sam, this morning you stated “…the main opposition parties, the Cons and Reform UK…” Unless I missed 67 Parliamentary by-elections since July, the Lib Dems are very much the main opposition party with the Cons, not Reform. Do we have to keep doing this?
A tad rich of these neanderthals to keep banging on about "are countree" when they can't even string a sentence together in English.
Sorry, meant to ask if you were waiting for Tobes to walk past with a Ming vase. 😀
And there was one in Wrocław. But the food section in the Prague M&S stores has been reduced, while the wine (none of it comes cheap) section has been expanded. And they don't sell Sussex lemon pudding any longer🙁. 1st-world probs, I know.
If Angela Rayner lived in a cardboard box, the Telegraph would claim she nicked it.
Fast food can be good, but I avoid all the usual suspects of course. Nordsee wasn't cheap and just not the same as a good old chippy. M&S has scaled right back. It used to have a Polish presence, but AFAIK, it's just UK, IRL, CZ and FR now.
I feel your pain. There have been several abortive attempts at F&C in Prague, including a genuinely decent outfit run by the appropriately-named Mr Salmon. All gone, as is Nordsee in the CR. And M&S briefly sold smoked haddock. Believe it or not, it was insipid.☹️
100% agree, although today had an Indian AYCE buffet lunch that was not bad by UK standards (oh, the irony😀). And it's still not uncommon to find a mound of sauerkraut slipped into your Chinese meal here. Still, things are much better foodwise in Prague. I can't really complain.
Ah, that one. Have been to their Kraków restaurant, in Kazimierz. Yes, expensive for what you get. Also tried Gruzinskie Chaczapuri in Wrocław yonks ago but wasn't impressed. Meal was nice but it wasn't proper khachapuri.
Puri Puri? When I was in Wrocław 2 years ago, there was a PP shop very near the hotel. More temptation! Although I succumbed only once. The thing is that on average, Georgian food is pretty healthy if you miss out all the baked goodies.😀
Wow! While, I've never been a fan of Malcolm Rifkind, I never thought he would be advocating the UK leaving the ECHR.
There's a Georgian bakery/cafe chain in Prague; they opened a place fairly near me about 2 years ago. Unfortunately they closed it some months ago. But maybe it's actually a blessing in disguise because a khachapuri diet isn't the healthiest.😀
Or waiting for you to appear walk past carrying a Ming vase? What happened next.....
Start at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
If you've never seen a donkey smile before, guess what?? Now you have! So precious... 😊 #animals #donkey #bluesky
I live practically next door to one, and as I write this, I can smell dough baking. The aroma is usually the strongest in the downstairs loo of all places! I just wish a Georgian eatery opened up in Roztoky. I've noticed in recent years that Poland is blessed with plenty of them. Feeling envious.
Good the wee ones have a swift dad to look out for them! We said goodbye to the Roztočtí rorýsi a while ago, but we're gaining yet another pizzeria in the Město pro život. So that's something to look forward to. 😀
Reform Zia's Yusuf says a Farage Government would rip up protections against human rights abuses, torture and trafficking, in order to deport more migrants. Remember that these protections apply to everyone living in the UK. Once they're gone, they're gone for all of us
A week ago, I spent a few days in Warsaw. My last proper visit was in 2000, and a lot has changed since then, including the skyline. The pace of transformation is bewildering.
"Are asylum seekers the biggest political issue in Britain?" Asks radio 4. "We interview man who is determined to make it the biggest issue in Britain. And make it a headline every morning until it definitely is"
Brexit was supposed to draw the sting of discontent with technocracy, globalisation and distant 'elites'. At this remove we can see it didn't, it made things worse. Same with every populist outburst. They thrive on the chaos.
A great way to start the weekend. 🐱And happy Caturday to you!
A Labour leader with a spine would take the photos of middle aged men outside refugee centres with banners saying "protect our wives and kids" and read out every conviction for violent abuse of partners and children shared among the participants. Full press conference. As long as it takes.
Love your facial expression, Cricket. Are you copying Tobes?😺
Let me guess.... Jenrick? The UK's answer to JD Vance. Nasty piece of work doesn't even begin to describe him.
Reform UK ‘looking after our own!? Don’t count on it. Homeless charity closes following funding dispute With Reform UK council www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...?
Yeah, I was away for the 1st 3rd of May, but the rest of the month wasn't exactly boiling. June was hot and the hottest days I've experienced so far this summer were in Poland last weekend, and in early July. Otherwise it's not been a brilliant summer.😾
Looking a tad miffed, Tobes!
Hope the wee one survives, and thank you for helping it! Was July colder than average in Szcz? It was here. Wonder if that's partly why many of the Śląska swifts were late breeders. Really missing our lot. Summer just isn't the same after they leave us.
Another reason to visit Szczecin.😺 And there should be a blue plaque on the kennel. Meanwhile, is there a smaller version of pan G in Szczecinek?😸
Things I learned this weekend: the Polish word for "socket" is the same as the word for "nest"; ducks can eat carrots, which are healthier and far safer than bread.
Cute. Now I know what Yoggies are. Enjoy your meal!
Isn't it funny how when there was more than "legitimate concern" (their preferred euphemism) about the likes of Jimmy Savile (white,"indigenous" and non-Muslim), nothing was done? And it really shouldn't need pointing out that children can be threatened by white "Christians too".
Peaceful protest? Aye right! The projection is off the scale; their every accusation is a confession. Who gives these neanderthals the right to speak for an entire town? And if they were really patriotic, they'd be trying to make the UK better, not hatemongering and stirring up trouble.
I know Scotland is far from immune to racism, but it's really depressing to see these protests spreading north of the border.
Sorry, Tobes, but you're not fooling anyone😸.
Big Ginge(?) is always welcome to sun himself on my terrace - and keep the woodies and collared doves at bay. I do have a soft spot for them, but they do make a noise and mess.
Amazing? Have you been up in a balloon?
Wonder if you can slap an ASBO on Columbidae. Regular breaches of the peace at 05:00, a huge pile of poo (pigeons with the trots), and scattered feathers on my terrace. And today I noticed half an eggshell.
That's true. I imagine your mighty floofy feet could even cope with Lego bricks.
Gamla Boo sounds interesting...the kind of thing that Tory MPs get up to behind closed doors.
Please don’t worry if you don’t get the A level results you were hoping for. Liz Truss is proof that you can rise to the highest office in the land even if you have the brains of a haddock.
Every day this Summer has been a record of how Nigel Farage already runs the country. An endless cycle of hate & racism. One day boat arrivals, the next releasing ethnicity data for crimes, so we can know whether to riot if they’re brown or shrug if they’re white. Back to the 70s🤦♀️ #r4today
That doesn't look very comfortable, Tobes!
Blackwaterfoot, Isle of Arran 🏴
Yes, am curious about how to get the base so thin and crispy.
Nice! You can't beat flammkuchen. Had one last weekend in Naumburg. Are they easy to make? Hope so. Otherwise, it's a trek to Germany or Alsace - I've never seen them in restaurants here.
And a very floofy Friday to you, Sir!
People are appallingly ignorant about immigration. They don't understand basic things about "net immigration statistics" and have a completely warped sense of what is going on. It is up to the government and the media to educate, but both are too busy batting their eyes at Nigel Farage's voters.
Is it just me or is Karl-Marx-Allee like a ghost town? It never feels very busy when I've walked along it.
Great news!
Spent the weekend in Sachsen-Anhalt, an overlooked and under-rated part of Germany. Sadly, getting around by train wasn't as smooth as it should have been. The German rail network used to be a byword for efficiency. Now, due to complex mix of factors, it's a shadow of its former self.
And don't forget the Gothic gloom of the red-brick main PO in Byd! Never got a chance to look inside though. The Gothic gloom PO par excellence is in Klaipeda, formerly the German city of Memel.
Very nice!
Def not: parts of Prague, Quedlinburg, Łódź, Mladá Boleslav are pedestrian's nightmare right now.
Is there any European town or city that ISN'T digging up the roads in the centre this summer?
Clever Pete!
Floofbeans! You take floof to a whole new level, Tobes!
Looks like The Ambassador had a messy break up
I will never understand how we chose *gestures broadly at everything now* over her. I'll never forgive it.
Does Tobes have similar headgear?
It says a lot about where we're going that the BBC is now running stories in which they ask lifeboat crews whether they will apologise for using their boats to save lives
Yes. They're admired everywhere, from Valparaiso to Vladivostok!
An 18-year-old U.S. citizen was violently detained by Border Patrol and told he had no rights here. He happened to record the encounter, which captured immigration agents joking about using stun guns and getting bonuses. It was always about cruelty. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
She's admiring your big floofy feet.
"Scotland does not “own” its electricity. Once generated, it enters the UK-wide market and must be bought back at market rates by Scottish users – even if they’re located next to the turbine."
OMG when Lucy goes in to kiss Isaiah on the cheek 😭 Sara Pendleton has done a beautiful thing by adopting multiple children into her family. Medicaid cuts by heartless Republicans threaten to make it impossible for them to keep up with medical costs. #ProtectOurKids
Why does this look like a live Looney Toons cartoon?? 👀😅🤣
back from vacation (a week ago) and about to make it everyone’s problem
I'm fast approaching my Meldrew Point - the age Richard Wilson was when One Foot in the Grave was first aired, in January 1990. My response is predictable: I don't believe it!
I'm feeling very old now!
Baby Elephant Break
Expect a visit from Esther Rantzen very shortly.
We've reached peak TobesandCricketness....until the next pic...
I remember Wełniany Rynek, and the barszcz restaurant nearby.. and the Magiczne schody😀 Need to find out why they are so called. Did you stop for beer at the urban beach? Loads of screaming parties when overhead. Definitely plan to visit Byd again.
Did you have hipsterowy bash at Woda?
So we missed each other by two weeks.😸
Struggling to come up with something to say. Your Tobiest pic yet, but no doubt you'll surpass that next week. Another Dali-inspired scene. And it's not often you see murder mitts, a carrot and off-the-scale floofiness all in one pic.
Didn't know you lived in Prague! Very different from the early 90s (I first visited in '93). I live just outside the city and hardly venture into the centre these days as I WFH, and the crowds are overwhelming.☹️
You must be truly desperate if you're quoting the Daily Mail.
In his 10,216,785th cant-laden rant, Farage is claiming that 1 million jobless immigrants now live in the UK. But if they were working, he'd be outraged that they are "stealing" British jobs. Has the frog-faced foghorn of flatulence ever said or done ANYTHING to make the UK a better place?
Nice to see him put in his place. The awkward squad never say no to EU funding coming their way. Yet whenever they are asked to support EU projects to help Ukraine or refugees, their cupboard is suddenly bare. These small-minded hate-filled bigots can't have it both ways.
If you followed only the BBC, ITV, "national" dailies, etc., you could be forgiven for thinking that extending the franchise to under-18s is new. It's not. Under-18s can vote in Scottish Parl and Welsh Assembly elections. Yet another London-based media fail.
Hard to express how annoying this is - surely after 30 years of the internet, people who make online forms should have figured out that some people’s names (as recorded in their passports) do have special characters?? (Solidarity with my fellow apostrophe owners!)
Medical debt or bankruptcy isn’t a sign of personal irresponsibility, it’s a sign of a country’s irresponsibility.
100%@ I dig your comments!😄