Colin Shelbourn

Time to wander off BlueSky again as there are far too many photos of Farridge on here and I'm about to have lunch.

To access the RAF Luton website please complete the captcha link attached

Fact of the Day: The Viggen airplane is made by Volvo and is the world's only biofuel jet fighter running on fuel made from a secret mix of used cooking oil and Irn-bru. The name Viggen derives from Viggen, the Swedish word for Vegan

Photographed from a Canberra

Anyway, you should subscribe to @iandunt.bsky.social 's newsletter immediately and then I wouldn't have to keep doing this.

I only ever seem to come on here to praise @iandunt.bsky.social 's latest newsletter and he's not even paying me. His latest contains the sentence "I've had sandwiches in the 90s I remember better than the prime minister's conference speech in 2024." And the rest of it is equally brilliant.

An excellent if chilling article from @brianklaas.bsky.social

Here's how the real two-tier Britain works:
1. Whatever Nigel Farage says, however stupid, is looped and discussed by the media, while left-wing voices are treated as noises off.
2. Tiny far-right protests get massive airtime, while 10s of 000s gathering for Palestine or green causes are ignored.🧵

Next week we will open submissions for our 2026 Society of Authors' Awards.

This week, we'll be looking back at our 2025 winners, and find out what the awards meant to them.

Hello, Guy, how are you? A belated entry to the roll call. I don't do social media much these days.

Excellent newsletter, as ever. I now have the very last line in my head, as exclaimed on his horse by the Lone Ranger. Cheers for that.

I am flattered to be on this starter pack. Please consider following the other humanists.

Why TidBITS Will No Longer Post to X/Twitter or Facebook

Labour’s great nature sellout is the worst attack on England’s ecosystems I’ve seen in my lifetime | George Monbiot The horrifying planning bill, which rips up environmental protections, was drafted with CEOs in mind. We know because Keir Starmer told us, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

It's hard to get your head around the scale of the environmental vandalism the Labour government is hoping to unleash. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is up there with Trump's executive orders. And the reason is the same: corporate power.
This week's column.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This statement about the transphobic Supreme Court ruling by the UK's Crab Museum (yes a museum about crabs) is better than 99% of the statements I've seen on the topic

www.crabmuseum.org/visit

🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀🦀

Bluesky is collegial and interesting, the way Twitter used to be. Bonus: most people can spell.

Another typically excellent piece on the current constitutional crisis in the US. We worth a read, not least for the inclusion of the "unpleasant and crass and infantile" tweet from the White House, which I hadn't seen before, and which actually made me gasp

Cheshire Rural Touring Arts Spring programme Cheshire Rural Touring Arts is back this Spring with a variety of high-quality professional shows for everyone. From Indian mythology to Greek mythology, folk inspired classical music, witches and pup...

I am looking forward to playing Siddington in Cheshire tonight - I have written two Siddington specific poems and one Macclesfield specific poem - I will write site specific poems for all the other Cheshire villages I am playing this week

www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/news/cheshir...

I missed this - I hope it went well.

The significance of the Wisconsin court election result Another setback for the illiberals in a skirmish

NEW

The significance of the Wisconsin court election result

Another setback for the illiberals in a skirmish

By me

Substack
emptycity.substack.com/p/the-signif...

Personal blog
emptycity.substack.com/p/the-signif...

The Death of Magic When did magic die for you? I always believed in magic. I mean, really believed in it. Aged 9 I thought if I wished hard enough my cat would talk to me. That he was only hiding his secret…

When did magic die for you?
I always believed in magic.
I mean, *really* believed in it.
Then suddenly it died one day in a dull and dusty maths lesson.
thecrone.co.uk/2022/11/27/t...

I think there's real magic in being a collaborative mass of cells, able to walk around and investigate all the other cells that form living nature. We're all part of the same thing. That's where the magic lies, for me.

The Cartoonists Club but Scott McCloud and Raina Telgemeier

Today's the release day for @scottmccloud.bsky.social and @goraina.bsky.social new book.
It's an exceptional work of comic mastery.
If you're not sure if you really need to buy a Middle Grade Graphic Novel about kids making their own comics... Let me help you decide.

www.youtube.com/live/aMaZJS1...

I recommend my follower reads this. It's an important indicator of why we are where we are in politics today.

Illiberals: With rights come responsibilities!

> Embezzlement of public funds means five year suspension from running for public office.<

Illiberals: No! Not like that!

Listen, Broligarchy is not some cute synonym for oligarchy. It's genuinely different & WAY more dangerous.

I'm a sociologist who's been studying the ultra-rich globally for 17 yrs, entering their world as an offshore wealth mgr. Published 2 books abt them.

🧵Broligarchs are distinct in 3 ways:

Screengrab reading: Dear Russell Jones, Sorry, we can’t accept your petition – “Unilaterally rename the USA to The British Territory of South Canada”. We think you started this petition as a joke.

Busted!!

Now would be a hugely appreciated time to discover my Gerry Anderson writings. Essay anthologies, series guidebooks, and TV21 blogs - something for everyone!

telos.co.uk/shop/cult-tv...

gerryanderson.com/collections/...

ko-fi.com/sequential21

Definitely worth subscribing. It contains politics, insight and lots of rude words.

Our BBC, Our Future - Audiences asked to help shape BBC’s future From 27 March BBC account holders across the UK will start to receive an online questionnaire to help identify what they want from the BBC now, and what they want from it in the future

The BBC is launching its "biggest public engagement exercise" ever sending an online questionnaire to audiences in the UK "to help identify what they want from the BBC now, and what they want from it in the future"
www.bbc.com/mediacentre/...