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Adrian Raffill

@aidyraff

Chief Wordwrangler at Caversham Writers - https://cavershamwriters.substack.com/

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Latest posts by Adrian Raffill @aidyraff

"What do you hear?"

05.03.2026 11:51 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
a man in a black uniform says so say we all in front of flags Alt: a man in a black uniform says so say we all in front of flags
05.03.2026 11:39 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
The cult of tradition

The rejection of modernism

The cult of action for action’s sake

Disagreement is reason

Fear of difference

Appeal to social frustration

The obsession with a plot

The enemy is both strong and weak

Pacifism is trafficking with the enemy

Contempt for the weak

Everybody is educated to become a hero

Machismo and weaponry

Selective populism

Ur-Fascism speaks Newspeak

The cult of tradition The rejection of modernism The cult of action for action’s sake Disagreement is reason Fear of difference Appeal to social frustration The obsession with a plot The enemy is both strong and weak Pacifism is trafficking with the enemy Contempt for the weak Everybody is educated to become a hero Machismo and weaponry Selective populism Ur-Fascism speaks Newspeak

How to recognise fascism when you see it, by the the Italian humanist and author Umberto Eco. This 14-point guide is taken from Eco's 1995 essay 'Ur-Fascism' – informed by his own experiences of Nazism in the 20th century. Umberto Eco died #OnThisDay 2016.

19.02.2026 11:07 πŸ‘ 38 πŸ” 23 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

That would be the bobsleigh. I never said I could do the bobsleigh.

07.02.2026 13:52 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I could do the luge or the skeleton with my eyes shut.

Correction: I could *only* do the luge or skeleton with my eyes shut.

07.02.2026 13:04 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.

No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientistβ€”because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.

Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

06.02.2026 09:09 πŸ‘ 47157 πŸ” 19332 πŸ’¬ 1351 πŸ“Œ 794
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On Perfectionism …and 3 ways for writers to overcome it. Plus some free writing classes and an exceptional Writeshare Night.

My Substack yesterday was on perfectionism...
open.substack.com/pub/caversha...

07.02.2026 09:41 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

This took my breath away. Outstanding.

05.02.2026 09:40 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Tell me again how nobody cares about theatre, how the arts are elitist, how Shakespeare belongs in the past…

05.02.2026 09:27 πŸ‘ 39 πŸ” 9 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

Wait till you get to the bit where "Jay-sauce" scores.

01.02.2026 09:07 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

I didn't know that was your point. But now I do, thank you.

30.01.2026 18:12 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Have I missed something? Is anyone being held accountable for the murders? Charged? Because it seems to me that - so far - they HAVE got away with it and we can expect more murders.

30.01.2026 17:57 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Share. Share. Share.

25.01.2026 12:53 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Please share. πŸ’”

25.01.2026 04:46 πŸ‘ 13488 πŸ” 8384 πŸ’¬ 298 πŸ“Œ 401

A reminder to the news media: β€œconflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.

25.01.2026 12:28 πŸ‘ 47518 πŸ” 14309 πŸ’¬ 521 πŸ“Œ 599
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Fourbears Fest 26 The Reading and Caversham Literary Festival returns

I already have my tickets to see @robinince.bsky.social, @aptshadow.bsky.social and @mjarlidge.bsky.social at this year's Fourbears Fest Literary Festival in Reading.

See my Caversham Writers latest newsletter for more details and where to get tix.

open.substack.com/pub/caversha...

#BookSky

23.01.2026 14:33 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Looking forward to it!

23.01.2026 14:58 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Fourbears Fest 26 The Reading and Caversham Literary Festival returns

I already have my tickets to see @robinince.bsky.social, @aptshadow.bsky.social and @mjarlidge.bsky.social at this year's Fourbears Fest Literary Festival in Reading.

See my Caversham Writers latest newsletter for more details and where to get tix.

open.substack.com/pub/caversha...

#BookSky

23.01.2026 14:33 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Graham Swift is pretty good at the things left unsaid too.

23.01.2026 08:55 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Nomination and selection of Nobel Peace Prize laureates - NobelPrize.org A nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize may be submitted by any person who meets the nomination criteria. A letter of invitation to submit is not required. The names of the nominees and other informati...

Some thoughts:

1. The deadline for nominating a person or group for the Nobel Peace Prize is Feb. 1.

2. History professors are qualified nominators.

3. The people of Minnesota have been awe-inspiringly peaceful in the face of state violence.

4. He would be so mad.

22.01.2026 23:56 πŸ‘ 1848 πŸ” 684 πŸ’¬ 41 πŸ“Œ 84

IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY

WAR IS PEACE

BOARD OF PEACE

22.01.2026 10:46 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Every day we all have to think about one of the most irredeemable cunts in the history of the world. What’s he doing? What’s he said now? How will it affect your life? What will be left once he’s finished smashing it all up? It’s unconscionable

21.01.2026 14:09 πŸ‘ 1077 πŸ” 214 πŸ’¬ 52 πŸ“Œ 5

TRUMP: honk honk honk, I'm a big goose. everyone tells me whenever I enter a room, that's the biggest goose I've ever seen and I say yes. I'm a big goose. in a good way. a lot of Somalians are small stupid gooses but I'm a big goose

BBC NEWS: a disciplined Trump sticks to the script on the economy

21.01.2026 13:59 πŸ‘ 2345 πŸ” 609 πŸ’¬ 16 πŸ“Œ 64

Well done, this is @susiedentwords.bsky.social levels of shade.

21.01.2026 14:11 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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I've had enough.

21.01.2026 14:09 πŸ‘ 425 πŸ” 130 πŸ’¬ 13 πŸ“Œ 9

They Knew, by @sarahkendzior.bsky.social

21.01.2026 13:52 πŸ‘ 26 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, post the second sentence.

"Trump has committed these crimes in plain sight and confessed to some of them, like obstruction, on television."

21.01.2026 13:48 πŸ‘ 73 πŸ” 16 πŸ’¬ 9 πŸ“Œ 8

Today is an auspicious day. It marks the beginning of my campaign to get George Saunders to present me with the Booker Prize he won for Lincoln in the Bardo.

I will be taking no further questions at this point.

16.01.2026 15:51 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0