@lewisgoodall.com we met briefly in a pub in Barnes post Patten interview. Just a note to say: well done on the honesty re not asking Mandelson about Epstein in your interview. Integrity over ego; keep it up.
Beautiful morning on the Thames today. Lots of runners and rowers.
Sums it up
A good and important read about America’s past in connection to its present. Here’s hoping for many more George Dales. And here’s where we need to be as soon as possible: “The storm has passed and the timid have become bold and recovered their voices.”
Labour MPs tonight rejected Plaid Cymru's calls for control over the Crown Estate to be given to Wales. Scotland already has the powers.
Only Plaid Cymru stands up for Wales.
An extraordinary session at the United Nations in New York this week where the extent of lost US influence in the international order under the new administration was laid bare over Ukraine. This article only brushes over the surface but makes the point: www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
Good morning to this man, and this man only #bbcqt
Council says had to close one side of the already closed bridge because of a gas leak. But I saw the other side and it was also a pedestrian traffic jam - wished I’d taken a photo of the other side now
The queues are on both sides and stretch back into the road:
Traffic in Putney is now so bad that we even have pedestrian traffic jams: this was the scene at Hammersmith Bridge this morning! #Hammersmith #Putney #Wandsworth
It’s hard to convey just how bad traffic in Putney is. If everyone wants growth, how about not wasting an hour of thousands of people’s time in this one part of London every single day? Hammersmith Bridge could be solved tomorrow if our political reps would stop talking and start acting
I’ve done 1,000 Wordles and the starts are in: I get the answer in three tries 34%of the time (I’m pretty pleased with this) and in four 39% of the time. Intrigued to know how others do - can you beat me?
Firewall. I was reacting to: “In his confirmation hearing, Howard Lutnick had harsh words for U.S. tech companies selling to China. Gains by Chinese AI firm DeepSeek had been supported by Meta’s open platform and chips from Nvidia. “We need to stop helping them. I’m going to be very strong on that.”
How do you explain internet tech to people who live a tank-and-borders world? The idea of Meta as a scapegoat because this time around, people in a different country came up with a better solution? How did America - of all places - end up thinking like this? www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01...
In America, he could have taken them on and even if he lost, declared bankruptcy and started again. The UK legal and financial systems are stacked in favour of rich people and big corporations. Combined with risk averseness, it’s why we’re not keeping up with the rest of the world.
As to why Harry settled: “In civil cases, if the damages awarded to a successful claimant are less than the settlement amount offered by a defendant, the claimant may have to pay the legal costs for all sides. Losing the case could make a claimant liable for damages and costs.”
Damn. I was really hoping this case would go to trial so we would find out once and for all what really happened behind the scenes at newspapers: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Because of the bizarre decision to ban TikTok in the US, this morning I’ve had to delete the app (downloaded in the US though a US AppleID), reinstall it, and create a new account — just to watch short videos that tbh haven’t done little but worry me about the way the world works. Happy Sunday
The whole family has watched each ad and the winner is: Happy Fun Ball… youtu.be/GmqeZl8OI2M?...
What is the point of a (really fun) SNL product parody rundown without including Taco Town - the finest takedown of American fast food the world has seen? www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/a...
This government continues to disappoint. Every word of this self-involved, whiny, disconnected defense by our Chancellor shows why Labour are performing so badly. They can’t seem to switch mindset from campaigning to governing: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
This is what happens when divisive politics goes over the tipping point. Facts, reason and (justified) criticism all get lost amid the flurry of blame, finger-pointing and recrimination. And we all suffer: www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/s...
This article should not exist. It only exists because of the unserious, clickbaity world of modern media. And it gives power and weight to the worst behaving people: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Crazy story: Australian woman duped into getting married (so he could get permanent residency) as part of a social media stunt to get Instagram followers. There’s a happyish ending: www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
This feels like a living history lesson: the French (far) right, in the ascendancy, is trying to rewrite the legacy of Jean-Marie Le Pen - a foul racist that even it had distanced itself from: x.com/sebchenu/sta...
So despite a key tax relief ending, and the economy predicted to drop, and higher taxes, and unmoving interest rates, it’s good news! You should buy a house! No matter what happens, the story is always: this is a good time to sell (or buy) a house! The press should stop printing this rubbish
