this is actually one of the famous things about war - very easy to contain - certainly no history of wars spiralling beyond their instigators' capability to manage. Wars can actually be very effectively scoped, planned and delivered using PRINCE2 methodology
it's just podcasts all the way down, forever
emergency podcast doing a "deep dive" into Zack Polanski's claim that he listens to podcasts at 2.5x speed
also there's something about having that hinterland in order to understand the contemporary culture of that era - it sort of saddens me that this means that in the future fewer and fewer people will enjoy, say, Flanders and Swann and the Molesworth books because they are so "about" the UK in the 50s
I think if you affect to be interested in politics, as someone in their late teens, you've got to have a hinterland of knowledge that goes beyond your direct personal experience. So these days that involves knowing something of the 90s/00s
what is probably more likely is something that coalesces around something like EEA membership in a future two-speed (or three-speed) Europe.
For what it's worth I'm a proud European and an optimist. I'm 45: I think it is more likely than not that the UK will join the EU within my lifetime (not "rejoin" - that suggests "going back" on the same terms to those under which we left, which isn't an available option sadly)
interesting this; it suggests that there will be a continued, quiet realignment with European social, economic, political, cultural "norms" rather than a realignment with the EU as an institution
"pulling down 5 kwh from the roof at the moment, nice. Battery's up at 85%"
"Carstairs is a decent old cove, but there are rumours abroad that he's something of an enthusiast for buttering in the dark, if you follow my meaning"
Twist: the fesser is actually Bill Gates
Postie's moustache does not conform to GPO regulations. The hat being worn by the bird is more correctly worn "in town" - wearing a homburg in the country is a significant sartorial faux pas
Just saw this and thought exactly the same, reminiscent of the similar development in Blackheath (opposed by celebs, that one)
I mean, the US shot down a civilian Iranian airliner in 1988! 290 people died! There certainly weren't any big congressional hearings about that. I'm not sure the US even accepted liability
Left to scratch a grim, purposeless living by lounging poolside on the Cote d'Azur or in LA, maintaining a sense of class dignity by borrowing cash from each other and smuggling antique rugs
"what if emotional labour and mental load was just a fun thing!!"
"if mums planned mothers day, it'd already be booked... but this one's on you. luckily we take bookings for groups of 6 or more, so you can get ahead and book a table at wagamama for the whole family this mother's day"
hmm, little bit gender normative, wagamama!
the irony is that the last time this happened - in '53 with Mossadegh, although not accompanied by a military invasion - it was one of the things that led in time to the Revolution.
Important to remember that Iranians are, historically, intensely relaxed about Great Powers deposing their leaders (however awful they may be!) and imposing more "palatable" alternatives instead
so I completely understand why - in theory - the Beeb would commission this very "consumer-finance-led" explanation of the impacts of the war on Iran but even so it does feel a *little*... hmm www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"Office of the e-Envoy", for those of us of a certain age
I'd liked to have seen Terry Gilliam direct a Bond film
for World Book Day I've dressed as Diduck A & Kaganas F, "Family Law, Gender and the State: Texts, Cases and Materials" (Hart, 2012, 3rd edn)
was it a meeting with the Pointer Sisters
though what takes me out of it sometimes is the administrative efficiency of the Sordish state - you make budget choices and then 2 years later those choices lead to clear policy outcomes? really? please!
playing it has *palpably* improved how I chair meetings (Rayne is great at chairing if you make the right dialogue choices, I feel it's an underappreciated part of the game)
The EC's report on the 2024 GE does flag the presence of an issue but does not suggest this level of prevalence. They give a figure of 3% of voters saying they "required assistance" to vote, which is obviously fundamentally different (and is of course self-reported)
I am extremely surprised by "In the 2024 UK general election Democracy Volunteers observed family voting in 21% of polling stations, with 3.5% of all the voters we observed causing, or being affected by, family voting.". This is an extraordinarily high number.
Labour *executive Mayor*!
I thought the DLC was better written, though the main Sordland "story" is better, if that makes sense
