Andor the Relentless
@outstack.bsky.social
Former journalist, then charity PR, now a one-man waste of NHS resources. Undercover Lancastrian in Hertfordshire.
You start with a bonfire of red tape, you end up with actual fire.
When they talk about reducing red tape, remember this image.
October 5, 2026 at 12:38 PM
You start with a bonfire of red tape, you end up with actual fire.
If a human came up with this, then maybe we should give this AI thing a try instead.
October 2, 2026 at 3:01 PM
If a human came up with this, then maybe we should give this AI thing a try instead.
Too many in politics have taken the Reagan (via The West Wing) quote "If you're explaining, you're losing" to mean that they should just act without saying why. Maybe we don't need Burnham doing a fireside chat, but we would gain if the public understand "the facts are X, so we choose to do Y."
rare column from @stephenkb.bsky.social that combines my interest in the state of the UK charts in a siloed culture with my interest in public policy giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
What ‘Choosin’ Texas’ tells us about Burnham’s social care obstacles
Convincing the British public to pay higher taxes for something they wrongly assume the state provides will not be easy
giftarticle.ft.com
September 29, 2026 at 8:52 AM
Too many in politics have taken the Reagan (via The West Wing) quote "If you're explaining, you're losing" to mean that they should just act without saying why. Maybe we don't need Burnham doing a fireside chat, but we would gain if the public understand "the facts are X, so we choose to do Y."
One of the great things about going to gigs aimed at my age group is that there's a space outside the auditorium set aside for people with stiff knees to go and wait for the ibuprofen to kick in.
September 27, 2026 at 7:10 AM
One of the great things about going to gigs aimed at my age group is that there's a space outside the auditorium set aside for people with stiff knees to go and wait for the ibuprofen to kick in.
Reposted by Andor the Relentless
I have a confession to make. The townhomes I & others spent most of a decade trying to legalize are popping up all over Oregon & elsewhere...and I love that...but they're a problem in one big way.
(get ready for a twisty thread about the housing report @sightline.org just published)
(get ready for a twisty thread about the housing report @sightline.org just published)
September 25, 2026 at 4:19 PM
I have a confession to make. The townhomes I & others spent most of a decade trying to legalize are popping up all over Oregon & elsewhere...and I love that...but they're a problem in one big way.
(get ready for a twisty thread about the housing report @sightline.org just published)
(get ready for a twisty thread about the housing report @sightline.org just published)
Oooh, the BlueSky bat signal just appeared
September 26, 2026 at 6:46 AM
Oooh, the BlueSky bat signal just appeared
Last week: England up in reading, maths and science rankings www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
This week: we need a revolution in schools.
[Bangs head on desk]
This week: we need a revolution in schools.
[Bangs head on desk]
September 14, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Last week: England up in reading, maths and science rankings www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
This week: we need a revolution in schools.
[Bangs head on desk]
This week: we need a revolution in schools.
[Bangs head on desk]
I missed this yesterday, but it's always a good time to point out that Me and Magdalena is one of the best tracks released this century www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbPf...
September 13, 2026 at 6:10 PM
I missed this yesterday, but it's always a good time to point out that Me and Magdalena is one of the best tracks released this century www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbPf...
Wait - am I in a bubble?
September 2, 2026 at 7:32 PM
Wait - am I in a bubble?
One more: I was in a hotel bar in Aviemore called the Woodcutter Tavern - which looked exactly as it sounds - when MTV played Wear Your Love Like Heaven by Definition of Sound. It was the most witty, joyous and danceable thing I'd heard and I clung to the memory for months until I found a copy.
I think it'd be really nice to read about people's first time hearing a song. A nice long thread of stories. But I don't know how to get the thread to take off. Maybe if you re-post with your story? Anyway, I'll start with my memories of hearing Buckets of Rain by Bob Dylan for the very first time..
September 1, 2026 at 5:49 PM
One more: I was in a hotel bar in Aviemore called the Woodcutter Tavern - which looked exactly as it sounds - when MTV played Wear Your Love Like Heaven by Definition of Sound. It was the most witty, joyous and danceable thing I'd heard and I clung to the memory for months until I found a copy.
This bigger question is: how much more successful would Dickens have been if all of his books had been based on existing IP? It's sad he wasted his life coming up with original ideas.
“In other adaptations, Scrooge is kind of an asshole, and then the rest of the characters are benevolent, perfect people. And it was really our goal to try to balance that out to say that there’s much more of a gray area in the story,”
Oh my god. They're "both sides-ing" A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
Oh my god. They're "both sides-ing" A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
The film, which stars Johnny Depp, will try to find the "gray area" in A Christmas Carol. www.avclub.com/scrooge-gray...
September 1, 2026 at 5:43 AM
This bigger question is: how much more successful would Dickens have been if all of his books had been based on existing IP? It's sad he wasted his life coming up with original ideas.
Another: I was in the office when a colleague ran in, said "I've just heard this incredible song by a band named Slurp!" and ran off to HMV on Oxford Street. Half an hour later they returned with the cassette single of Babies, and that's how I first heard Pulp.
I think it'd be really nice to read about people's first time hearing a song. A nice long thread of stories. But I don't know how to get the thread to take off. Maybe if you re-post with your story? Anyway, I'll start with my memories of hearing Buckets of Rain by Bob Dylan for the very first time..
September 1, 2026 at 5:37 AM
Another: I was in the office when a colleague ran in, said "I've just heard this incredible song by a band named Slurp!" and ran off to HMV on Oxford Street. Half an hour later they returned with the cassette single of Babies, and that's how I first heard Pulp.
I could do hundreds of these but: in the glory days of MP3 blogs, I'd download about 20 new songs each Saturday in a bid to deny I was in my 30s. One week my haul included Bottle Rocket by The Go Team! and I played it so many times in a row my wife had to come and check on me.
I think it'd be really nice to read about people's first time hearing a song. A nice long thread of stories. But I don't know how to get the thread to take off. Maybe if you re-post with your story? Anyway, I'll start with my memories of hearing Buckets of Rain by Bob Dylan for the very first time..
August 31, 2026 at 8:20 PM
I could do hundreds of these but: in the glory days of MP3 blogs, I'd download about 20 new songs each Saturday in a bid to deny I was in my 30s. One week my haul included Bottle Rocket by The Go Team! and I played it so many times in a row my wife had to come and check on me.
Well, look what just arrived @quantick.bsky.social @christhebarker.bsky.social
August 29, 2026 at 9:26 AM
Well, look what just arrived @quantick.bsky.social @christhebarker.bsky.social
Amaranth Carpet-Wright
Azure Debenham
Sapphire Pontings.
August 29, 2026 at 8:32 AM
Amaranth Carpet-Wright
Watching Dolly Parton at Glasgow on BBC4, and I have to say I never knew before today that Paul Hollywood did a stint as her guitarist. Good for her to help him out.
August 28, 2026 at 8:30 PM
Watching Dolly Parton at Glasgow on BBC4, and I have to say I never knew before today that Paul Hollywood did a stint as her guitarist. Good for her to help him out.
Yesterday evening I spent an hour unclogging drains to help neighbours avoid flooding after all the rain, and then our team won the quiz night. At my age, you take the wins where you can.
August 28, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Yesterday evening I spent an hour unclogging drains to help neighbours avoid flooding after all the rain, and then our team won the quiz night. At my age, you take the wins where you can.
The rain brought flooding, which closed the road and ruined some people's halls and garages. But it also brought out the whole street to help clear the water. Community for the win.
And for half an hour, this was my world: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oBT...
And for half an hour, this was my world: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oBT...
Best Drain Unclogging Compilation #60
YouTube video by Drainer
www.youtube.com
August 27, 2026 at 5:50 PM
The rain brought flooding, which closed the road and ruined some people's halls and garages. But it also brought out the whole street to help clear the water. Community for the win.
And for half an hour, this was my world: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oBT...
And for half an hour, this was my world: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oBT...
This really is a very good film. If you want silly, it has plenty. Gags? Stuffed with 'em. Insight and satire? That too, if you have a chance to draw breath between the jokes.
Like Roger Rabbit, it works because everybody got the memo and sticks to it. It builds a world, and takes it seriously.
Like Roger Rabbit, it works because everybody got the memo and sticks to it. It builds a world, and takes it seriously.
“Ketchup Entertainment come out swinging with Coyote vs. Acme, a genre-bending blend of animation and live-action film that is one of the smartest critiques of US politics in years”
Catherine Wheatley reviews. www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-so...
Catherine Wheatley reviews. www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-so...
Coyote vs. Acme review: In too meep
Rescued from obscurity after being shelved in 2023, Dave Green’s film is a clever mix of buddy movie and political satire that pits Wile E. Coyote against the Acme Corporation for repeatedly selling h...
www.bfi.org.uk
August 24, 2026 at 2:28 PM
This really is a very good film. If you want silly, it has plenty. Gags? Stuffed with 'em. Insight and satire? That too, if you have a chance to draw breath between the jokes.
Like Roger Rabbit, it works because everybody got the memo and sticks to it. It builds a world, and takes it seriously.
Like Roger Rabbit, it works because everybody got the memo and sticks to it. It builds a world, and takes it seriously.
Beautiful writing: clear, informative and entertainingly foul-mouthed. Angry in all the right ways.
This explainer out of Australia is genuinely useful background and analysis of what happened with the Canada-US trade deal last night. Note that it is extremely and delightfully sweary. Also there’s an appended glossary of Australian slang.
ifloz.substack.com/p/king-carne...
ifloz.substack.com/p/king-carne...
KING CARNEY ACTIVATES KONG MODE WITH ZERO FUCKS
Carney Reads the Clock Like a Pro Wrestler
ifloz.substack.com
August 23, 2026 at 9:13 AM
Beautiful writing: clear, informative and entertainingly foul-mouthed. Angry in all the right ways.
Did you find a good way to show off that purse we're selling?
Oh, sure. Real eye-catching, just like you asked. www.vinted.co.uk/items/968075...
Oh, sure. Real eye-catching, just like you asked. www.vinted.co.uk/items/968075...
Pink Miku mini bag purse | Vinted
Pink Miku mini bag purse - Measurements on photos
Cute & Quirky
Mini bag/purse
Pink Miku
Alternative aesthetic
www.vinted.co.uk
August 20, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Did you find a good way to show off that purse we're selling?
Oh, sure. Real eye-catching, just like you asked. www.vinted.co.uk/items/968075...
Oh, sure. Real eye-catching, just like you asked. www.vinted.co.uk/items/968075...
Does the prize come with all the necessary medical support to make use of it?
August 19, 2026 at 8:56 AM
Does the prize come with all the necessary medical support to make use of it?
This is the right response, but remember that the BBC fundamentally has no choice but to fight this. They can't afford a $10b payout, can't borrow that much, can't raise it. It would mean either a taxpayer bailout or the end of the BBC. If Trump had asked for $5 mil they'd have settled by now.
BREAKING:
The BBC is seeking to subpoena Don Jr., Ivanka, and Jared Kushner in connection with Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster.
Lawyers say Trump's family "without question have personal knowledge" about Trump's intentions with the speech at the heart of the case.
The BBC is seeking to subpoena Don Jr., Ivanka, and Jared Kushner in connection with Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster.
Lawyers say Trump's family "without question have personal knowledge" about Trump's intentions with the speech at the heart of the case.
BBC seeks to subpoena Trump family members in defamation suit
The British broadcaster says Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have relevant knowledge about the president’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
www.politico.com
August 15, 2026 at 5:19 AM
This is the right response, but remember that the BBC fundamentally has no choice but to fight this. They can't afford a $10b payout, can't borrow that much, can't raise it. It would mean either a taxpayer bailout or the end of the BBC. If Trump had asked for $5 mil they'd have settled by now.
It is now very hard to distinguish between Jason Bateman and Ewan McGregor at first sight.
August 14, 2026 at 5:37 AM
It is now very hard to distinguish between Jason Bateman and Ewan McGregor at first sight.
I remember when silly season meant interviewing dogs on the beach at Eastbourne. There's no respect for the craft these days.
Man without ADHD tries uppers for the first time:
I mean honestly we're scraping the barrel on this now surely. I'm not diabetic. If I took insulin the affects would be far worse.
I mean honestly we're scraping the barrel on this now surely. I'm not diabetic. If I took insulin the affects would be far worse.
August 12, 2026 at 12:19 PM
I remember when silly season meant interviewing dogs on the beach at Eastbourne. There's no respect for the craft these days.