Gareth Oakland 🇫🇷🏏🏉

“The market will cope very well with local government audit”.

The market: bugger off, we have more profitable stuff to be doing.

Years of accounts unaudited.

Don't get me started on the Audit Commission...

Yes, it is. Of the players currently in (or destined for) France, probably only the Willis brothers at 8, Sinkler at prop and maybe Marchant in the centre (but he seems set on playing Freeman there). IFW, Baxter, Lawrence, Furbank are all injured and would probably all be in the starting 15.

£700,000 worth of genius. A year.

Apparently it worked at Sarries and Leicester so it is bound to work eventually for England.

Sooner we get Edwards or Farrell to come and sort it out the better.

Ah. I seem to have been blocked. How terribly sensitive.

I reckon you’d not get very long odds on them putting 50 past this England side. They looked very weary in Rome.

FFS. Perspective much?? Punch up the middle.

An opportunity to try some different combinations ahead of the summer. Blood some of the younger front rowers in the Paris cauldron. CC-S and Fisileau to give some perspective much. Look at JvP, M Smith, Ojomoh and Slade as a creative force. Furbank if he’s fit.

No. Same tired tactics.

#Rugby

Dividing cyclists (or other active travel folk) into in and out groups helps nobody though. The only in/out that matters is cars and not-cars.

Is Henry Slade England men’s #Rugby equivalent of Lewis Gregory for England men’s #Cricket ? (You never see them in the same room either).

Letting the most intelligent players run their club sides does have the good consequences that my favourite teams win stuff.

Lighten up. I used to ride road, gravel, town bikes. Then I fell off. I’m old so I don’t mend as fast as I used to. Got an e-gravel to help recovery and then an e-shopping bike. Sold the car because I genuinely don’t need it any longer. This stuff rocks. And I’ll go on cycling into my 80s now.

Sean Bean as Sharpe

Ah this one is easy.

Post you favourite Lord of the Rings character. Wrong answers only.

Andrew O’Hagan · Stay Classy: Mummy’s Favourite The late queen can be held responsible for much, but nobody could accuse her of seeming to enjoy her role. For the...

The finest take down of the institution of monarchy and "class" and the grasping, greedy, venal, entitled, and very stupid people it enables that you will read today or any day.

www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Sandwich ingredients

Toasted ham and cheese. Cappuccino

The #sandwichoftheday is toasted ham and cheese on wholemeal.

Very nice.

We are facing an energy crisis. Britain is the worst exposed in Europe with only 2 days gas supply stored. If only we had our own gas to exploit. Or our own oil. Or our own coal.... Blame @Ed Miliband (Allison Pearson on X)

If only we had clean, renewable energy and were not beholden to a dirty, expensive, dangerous commodity that pollutes our environment and is the source of most of our geopolitical woes.

My rewrite:

“because we are committed to this vision, the development will have no car access, parking or garages. Only walking and cycling paths throughout the site. A car club and shuttle bus to the train station for residents is included in the annual service charge”.

No? Thought not.

New proposed housing in Stortford:

For cyclists and pedestrians, Bloor said: “We have looked for the development to connect into existing paths to promote sustainable travel…existing bus stops on Beldams Lane support sustainable transport.”

As though we’ve magically turned into Utrecht… 1/2

The idea that climate destroying cars deserve 100% of all public space needs to go.

But but…I expect stories and journalism to be given away. For free.

What do you mean “I have Jesuit school fees to pay”.

A “matron at a Jesuit school” definitely needs a whole thread to herself. Or a Netflix Harlan Crapburn limited series maybe.

Though the twins, Havi and Veli were teased endlessly at Harlow Primary School.

Harlow sign

Harlow. Essex. No it’s not a shit hole. It’s…

There is no funnier train station sign than "Cambridge home of Anglia Ruskin University". Everytime I see it I'm impressed all over again at the level of trolling.

Cheese

Can’t believe you haven’t prepared a cheese board.

(I don’t actually like Roquefort. Too salty).

England's *men*, you mean

I’ve rewritten it for them.

The AA says STOP driving everywhere you fucking morons.

Our advice is: walk if it’s less than 2 miles. Cycle if it’s less than 10 miles. Take the train or bus if it’s more than that.

Goodness the AA in the UK are being forceful in their “suggestion” “can consider” “some” “non-essential”.

Try walking. Or a bike.

“Our suggestion is that drivers should not change their refuelling habits but can consider cutting out some non-essential journeys and changing their driving style”

Modern French History Seminar

You can also hear much more about the book at my book launch tonight!

It takes place at the IHR in Senate House, from 5.30pm. If you can't attend, you can always watch along online!

www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

🗃️ #skystorians

Definitely one of the best soups I make.

Soup

And this is the finished product.