Nostr notes by Christine Burns MBE 🏳️‍⚧️📚⧖

Item 2 seems like reason enough to not vote for Labour in its ...

2026-04-26T10:14:09+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…mmeh
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Item 2 seems like reason enough to not vote for Labour in its current short termist self-serving values-free incarnation. I want a party to vote for because they have a set of values I agree with, and policies that are evidence led and enduring because they arise from the values. It also needs the guts and determination to explain that vision through every attack by shallower self-serving bastards whose ‘beliefs’ blow with the political winds. Is that too much to ask?

I see this as a living experiment into how well a saloon bar bore ...

2026-04-03T09:10:09+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…tx4s
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I see this as a living experiment into how well a saloon bar bore fares with their views outside the pub. These are people who’ve been cosseted in their own little extremist hate bubble. Being isolated in that bubble means they’ve developed the mistaken impression that everyone thinks the way they do. It’s why they’re careless. They think gibbing off can only give them more clout. They’re really badly mistaken and too dozy to even hide the hate.

I suspect everyone will watch and wait to see what everyone else ...

2026-04-01T07:51:05+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…43fk
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I suspect everyone will watch and wait to see what everyone else does. That’s why a lead from governments is important.

Indeed. I’m not denying that. And (unless I’m mistaken) China ...

2026-04-01T07:49:23+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…49ku
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Indeed. I’m not denying that. And (unless I’m mistaken) China doesn’t have indigenous supplies of gas to perform a quick conversion to halve the CO2 emissions or run the plants in a rapid desptatch mode. Coal plants can’t be idled and brought back to operating temperature and pressure at the speed that gas plants can run. That’ll be important for backing up the intermittency of renewables in the long r7n.

My historic experience was that IT managers tend to be very ...

2026-04-01T07:44:31+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…8xv9
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My historic experience was that IT managers tend to be very conservative creatures and follow the herd. In the 70s the received wisdom for instance was that “nobody gets fired for buying IBM”. That annoyed us in ICL when our mainframe products were demonstrably better. Buying Microsoft all these years has been a brain dead decision. It’s low risk, low excitement. Migration will reveal what mettle the managers have as it will require hard work and careful decision making.

It’s all down to how fast they displace that coal. The good ...

2026-04-01T07:38:09+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…a7n3
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It’s all down to how fast they displace that coal. The good news in that respect is that, even though some of the coal plants are quite new, they’re not saddled by the capitalist imperative to wring every last penny of profit out of the coal generation assets.

Ukraine is helping ensure that Putin does not see an oil sales ...

2026-03-25T08:26:00+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…nl88
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Ukraine is helping ensure that Putin does not see an oil sales boost from the issues in the Strait of Hormuz. In a new campaign they have been hitting Russia’s Baltic and Black Sea oil terminals, putting them out of action.

There are other options. Communal housing suggests a communal ...

2026-03-19T18:47:47+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…3r6k
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There are other options. Communal housing suggests a communal solution but the experts would be able to tell you what’s best. I wouldn’t use an air source heat pump to bake a cake but the unsuitability doesn’t prove anything.

Rather than argue with the naysayers all over the internet ...

2026-03-19T17:14:04+01:00

Rather than argue with the naysayers all over the internet who’ll claim that heat pumps don’t work, the boffins at Octopus have produced a live dashboard to chart the online data they get from all the thousands of systems they’ve installed. This is a fantastic resource. Looking at the numbers for the fleet as a whole I’m pleased to say that ‘Rosy’ (my Cosy) is bang on the norm as far as performance goes. https://octopus.energy/cosy-heat-pump-performance/?utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-92N1fVWdFAehre8wYictiCqGgrnpGeD9V5_EB3att0qPTctKB8kOeNTffe3KS1P7Gv41P9c_5XE4noQ-RqhVWDvpjwnA&_hsmi=131414226&utm_content=131414226&utm_source=hs_email

I hope this isn’t wishful thinking but I think I detect early ...

2026-03-18T13:16:49+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…gplr
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I hope this isn’t wishful thinking but I think I detect early signs that Reform’s totally charmed existence is starting to get challenged. There’s a noticeable uptick in scrutiny from some quarters, although it is miles short of the questions that should be coming for a party that likes to portray itself as a government in waiting.

A thought… Could we tax Overton Windows? It’s high time that ...

2026-03-18T09:21:46+01:00

A thought… Could we tax Overton Windows? It’s high time that bloody window was bricked up.

So, what I guess I’m hoping for is that a more finished and ...

2026-03-18T08:52:51+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…g65n
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So, what I guess I’m hoping for is that a more finished and polished economic policy agenda starts to address the easy criticisms but still adheres to the quality of being different. I know that the broad brush upsets the status quo and brings on fierce criticism but I’d like to see him win that argument.

To me, as someone without any orthodox economic grounding, I find ...

2026-03-18T08:50:29+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…hgcm
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To me, as someone without any orthodox economic grounding, I find Polanski’s broad brush ideas refreshing even though I know that exposes me to accusations of naivety and of succumbing to Polanski’s skill as a populist of the left. I’m cautious because I recognise Polanski’s success is that he’s harnessing the tricks of the populist right to advance a leftist policy agenda, but his economics seem to make refreshing sense. After all, the orthodoxy hasn’t been working for yrs.

I was struck by how the generally amiable Rory Stewart really ...

2026-03-18T08:45:27+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…2as4
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I was struck by how the generally amiable Rory Stewart really went for Polanski over his (at that time) unfinished economic policy ideas when RS and Alaistair Campbell interviewed him in depth for their ‘Leading’ podcast. Over time I’ve come to view RS as more left-leaning than he’ll admit to himself but something about Polanski’s ideas really upset him and brought out the fiercer Tory side because what Polanski talks about really undermines a cross party orthodoxy in UK.

It’s bizarre. Since the advent of number plate scanning ...

2026-03-16T21:29:14+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…4al3
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It’s bizarre. Since the advent of number plate scanning barriers the car parks essentially need no staff. It’s a business that essentially collects fees without human intervention. And parking isn’t cheap. It seems hard not to make that pay. The sites may not be at full occupancy but they’re far from empty. I’d suspect there’s been sale and leaseback of the properties, filling the bosses pockets and gutting the balance sheet. And then… oops, oh dear, they’re insolvent.

Of course we had better control of all this in the EU but the ...

2026-03-07T09:07:29+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…kq27
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Of course we had better control of all this in the EU but the impressionable and easily led half of our population was seduced to vote against the people’s best interests and crash out in the worst possible way. Short of a damascene vision coming to the polling booths I don’t hold out much hope. The bad guys have perfected the means to manipulate at least half the people into voting over and over for the kind of government that suits those bleeding us dry.

Good point. Another factor which I think is going to make ...

2026-03-02T09:18:47+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…2c9q
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Good point. Another factor which I think is going to make assessment of change difficult is that small scale renewables happen ‘behind the meter’ and only show up in conventional measurements as demand that has ‘disappeared’. I.e. If a million households are meeting their own needs for heat and light with solar and batteries the grid appears to have less load whilst it’s hard to infer the CO2 being displaced by us using our self-gen cleanly.

..so the renewable generation coming online is able to stretch ...

2026-03-02T07:56:45+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…g04k
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..so the renewable generation coming online is able to stretch further. The bottom line for me is that there are so many factors in play in a complete transformation of our energy use (how we make it, how efficiently it’s used) that there’s no simple explanation for the emergent result. But still we’d have even more dramatic results if we consumed less stuff made and grown abroad but also built the stuff to last. My current washing machine lasted 25 years but the next may..

There is still a great more efficiency to be had too. One vast ...

2026-03-02T07:51:11+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…0ylz
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There is still a great more efficiency to be had too. One vast change has been the replacement of street lighting with LEDs at such a vast scale that the reduction in power demand has almost completely offset the new load of having 2m EVs. But also, few analysts factored the wastefulness of what we are replacing. You don’t need as much energy to do mechanical work or make heat with our replacement technologies. Renewables don’t have to replace every kWh previously required..

Regarding manufacturing, I regard the offshoring as a product of ...

2026-03-02T07:42:39+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…qnrq
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Regarding manufacturing, I regard the offshoring as a product of Thatcherism. The big examples since the early 90s tend to make the headlines (eg Dyson taking his manufacturing to the far east) but you don’t buy cars and white goods every week or even every year. Likewise, although supermarkets have undoubtedly caused a rise in us consuming non seasonal foods, that’s a trend going back much further. New Zealand lamb? Danish bacon? These were long embedded trends.

As far as I can see, the most dramatic drop in CO2 from 2012 ...

2026-03-02T07:36:49+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…3pg7
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As far as I can see, the most dramatic drop in CO2 from 2012 onwards came from the rapid replacement of coal with gas for electricity generation. That’s a drop from the 800s of grams per kWh to the 500s. Wind and solar coming online since 2016 have then rapidly displaced the gas in turn. The offshoring of manufacturing and food growing came far earlier. And, yes, efficiency is a big factor too. Tens of millions of incandescent lamps (60-100W each) replaced by LEDs (<10W)

This is all in stark contrast to their obsessive push to bring ...

2026-02-27T12:13:27+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…3jyn
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This is all in stark contrast to their obsessive push to bring sole traders into the clutches of ‘Making Tax Digital’, with its quarterly returns and attempt to align transactions in those computerised records and bank accounts with Open Banking. Are they really convinced that small traders are so dodgy that they have to be submitted to what is essentially a permanent near-realtime forensic audit?

Exceptionalism innit.

2026-02-26T12:39:38+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…rphp
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Exceptionalism innit.

I think so but, of course, they’re also creating an interbank ...

2026-02-17T17:39:43+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…05t3
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I think so but, of course, they’re also creating an interbank settlement system to facilitate trade without recourse to the dollar across the bloc. It strikes me that you have to have both kinds of electronic finance at the two different scales but I suppose they’re linked too — plus you need some kind of bridging system so as to still have frictionless acceptance of visa and Mastercard for travellers.

Correct me if I’m wrong but haven’t the BRICS set one up for ...

2026-02-17T15:57:29+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…43n0
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Correct me if I’m wrong but haven’t the BRICS set one up for themselves? I’m not suggesting we should join that but I thought that their independent development of finance systems within the bloc indicated that (a) the likes of Visa and Mastercard don’t have universal control, (b) developing an independent one is doable and (c) they are clearly interoperable in what’s that matter. But then China has also developed a transaction system around their universal app, which..

The deception was staggering. The Tories had run for election in ...

2026-02-17T10:11:59+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…rchw
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The deception was staggering. The Tories had run for election in 2010 specifically promising no big changes to the NHS (which was at the height of its public approval). The need for coalition released them from the obligation to follow their own manifesto and the LibDems helped them exploit that.

And we know that this was set up quite blatantly by Andrew ...

2026-02-17T10:08:17+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…a6da
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And we know that this was set up quite blatantly by Andrew Lansley, who sprung a complete redisorganisation of the system on us early in the life of the Con-LibDem coalition, and the crucial weasel words changing the Secretary of State’s responsibility were buried inside the Bill which Parliament was dragooned into passing. Having done his job, Lansley was promoted to a lifelong job in the Lords.

It’s the middle of LGBT History Month so a good moment to ...

2026-02-15T09:12:41+01:00

It’s the middle of LGBT History Month so a good moment to remind everyone that my book, Trans Britain — a modern history fashioned from the observations of generations of contributors — is still going strong in paperback and eBook form in its ninth year. It’s got a new publisher this year and you can buy it in online stores or from queer bookshops like QueerLit and Gays The Word. Hive makes a great ethical alternative to Amazon. https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Ms-Christine-Burns/Trans-Britain--Our-Journey-from-the-Shadows/23931110

Can you imagine? … I meeean … Can you imagine a thousand of ...

2026-02-09T12:01:10+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…f88x
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Can you imagine? … I meeean … Can you imagine a thousand of us walking into ICE every day, singing a verse of Alice’s Restaurant and walking back out? They might think it’s a movement. And that’s what it is folks… It’s the Alice’s Restaurant anti-GOP mass-a-cree movement and all you’ve got to do to join is to sing a verse when it comes around on the gee-tah.

I’m reminded of the final act of Arlo Guthrie’s ‘Alice’s ...

2026-02-09T09:57:41+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…00g9
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I’m reminded of the final act of Arlo Guthrie’s ‘Alice’s Restaurant’, where the draft board are concerned that he might not be moral enough to go to Vietnam and ‘burn villages, women and children’ because he’s convicted of litterin’ (and had to go pick up the garbage). The American way.

The electrician is half way through replacing my old gas hob with ...

2026-02-03T10:43:26+01:00

The electrician is half way through replacing my old gas hob with the new induction unit. Unfortunately the underside of the hob needs a little bit cutting out of the hole to fit the spring clips so he’s run home to get his jig saw.

I was talking to a neighbour just now who had a very low opinion ...

2026-02-01T13:39:52+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…mk5q
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I was talking to a neighbour just now who had a very low opinion based on the feeling that, on the council, she hasn’t followed through on promises made. Personally I’ve found her OK as a person to talk to but that’s no basis to pick an MP. In fact I did wonder whether she is the paper candidate — selected to have a party name on the ballot but not expected to even come close.

She’s a councillor for a neighbouring ward so we see a lot of ...

2026-02-01T12:20:41+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…9s8j
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She’s a councillor for a neighbouring ward so we see a lot of her.

Today is the start of LGBT History Month in the UK (21 years ...

2026-02-01T12:18:35+01:00

Today is the start of LGBT History Month in the UK (21 years old!) and so this feels like a good moment to reflect that it’s also the start of the NINTH marvellous year of publication of my book of modern British trans history, written by people who’ve lived it these last 75 years or so. Trans Britain is unique and it’s even survived the original publisher going bust. Buy it wherever you prefer but I recommend Queer Lit in Manchester’s Ancoats. They do online too!

https://www.queerlit.co.uk/products/trans-britain-our-journey-from-the-shadows

A European security alliance incorporating Ukraine as a valued ...

2026-01-28T08:06:40+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…w95n
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A European security alliance incorporating Ukraine as a valued source of innovation and strategic prowess may have a tough belt-tightening few years as it builds Ukraine-style border defences across the rest of the eastern flank but it’s doable given the will that an aggressive threat instills. The new alliance would have a purpose whereas NATO has come to seem like a solution for yesterday’s threats.

.. Add to that, the USSR’s military capability relied heavily ...

2026-01-28T08:00:11+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…pysu
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.. Add to that, the USSR’s military capability relied heavily on Ukraine managing and servicing the nukes. There’s some doubt whether the remains of that arsenal (given up by Ukraine in exchange for security guarantees) is even serviceable. The Ukraine conflict exposed the dire state of Russia’s tanks and the weaknesses in its military organisation. Plus, the Ukraine conflict has significantly weakened Russia’s infrastructure and fighting capability after nearly 5 years.

I’ve felt for a long time that the west has been deluded by the ...

2026-01-28T07:56:14+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…wvqq
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I’ve felt for a long time that the west has been deluded by the myths of Russian power. I vividly remember back in the seventies/eighties all those diagrams of soviet missiles and tanks and warships and inventory. That Cold War fear is deeply ingrained. But Russia alone is a shadow of the USSR. My biggest shock was the realisation that (for all its apparent size on the Mercator map) Russia is only about 135 million people — less than two UKs and a minnow against EU’s 500m..

The crying shame is that he’s not alone in continuing as though ...

2026-01-21T08:02:08+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…zf0d
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The crying shame is that he’s not alone in continuing as though nothing’s really changed. It’s as though the entire establishment is stuck on rails, unable to conceive that the basis for their (our) entire world has changed and this moment won’t just ‘blow over’. It’s gone and they can’t accept it. It’s mind boggling. It’s like a collective denial. An unswerving institutional momentum. Does this train stop or crash into the reality buffers at the terminus?

The weirdest excavator I’ve ever seen! I think they’re ...

2026-01-16T09:10:35+01:00

The weirdest excavator I’ve ever seen! I think they’re referred to as spiders and they can lift each leg independently and widen or narrow their track whilst the cabin does a full 360. There must be a temptation for the driver to play all day. One was in action this week, clambering down into the bed of the breached Llangollen Canal to help dig out narrowboats that had been washed into the void.

It’s a crying shame that it costs more now to tempt developers ...

2026-01-15T08:10:45+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…yq4g
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It’s a crying shame that it costs more now to tempt developers over the line with higher guaranteed returns because the UK made itself a less attractive place for projects under the Tories. Ten years ago they were queuing up to do business at lower bid prices but then we had all the stop/start political uncertainty and, whilst that was happening, more opportunities came along around the world for investors, meaning we now have to compete to attract them.

This is scary for reasons the average buyer may not understand. ...

2026-01-12T07:00:26+01:00

This is scary for reasons the average buyer may not understand. Proper supply equipment for charging EVs is engineered for safety. It’s designed to be used outdoors in all weathers. A proper cable doesn’t have high voltage on it until it is plugged into the car, the car senses it’s there and ASKS for power. The engineering means EV supply cables typically cost around £150. A £60 cable like the one here has none of that nicety and is live at all times. Potentially lethal

https://youtube.com/watch?v=wxtxwszJHxQ&si=toFa6rk1blBRxMAn

I’m pleased to see people have already put a name to the hyped ...

2026-01-09T09:17:09+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…zwy6
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I’m pleased to see people have already put a name to the hyped up gun toting murderer. He got careless with his mask and the internet is very resourceful.

It’s funny how pubs (fast dying out in the traditional sense) ...

2026-01-09T07:53:34+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…2e7j
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It’s funny how pubs (fast dying out in the traditional sense) are so fetishised. Farage has perfected this of course. I’m surprised they aren’t so performative on whippets and ferrets too. It’s a vision of Britain taken from WW2 era black and white movies. I say this having grown up in a pub in a naval dockyard town in the sixties.

Could it just be that the modern political class — young PPE ...

2026-01-09T07:40:20+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…5yck
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Could it just be that the modern political class — young PPE graduates with no first hand experience of either life or business as experienced by the majority — are just blundering blindly through one bad decision after another untethered from reality?

The verb you are searching for is ‘taken’. Or perhaps ...

2026-01-06T10:32:46+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…fras
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The verb you are searching for is ‘taken’. Or perhaps ‘extracted’. Earning doesn’t come into it.

‘While Trump threatens military action against Greenland, a ...

2026-01-05T19:29:38+01:00

‘While Trump threatens military action against Greenland, a quieter takeover is already happening. This investigation exposes how Ronald Lauder — Trump's billionaire friend, who planted the Greenland idea in 2017 — is systematically buying into Greenland's economy and its elites through a Delaware corporation called Greenland Development Partners.’

https://youtu.be/UwVJq6BhRZE?si=lJAvxMgcYd1b_3bH

One of the features I like about Great Manchester’s Bee Network ...

2026-01-02T10:23:28+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…qplv
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One of the features I like about Great Manchester’s Bee Network app for the buses, trams and trains back under public ownership is a button for silently reporting any incident taking place on board. I’ve not needed to use it but I’m pleased it’s there. I’ve been helping a neighbour learn how to use the app to see when the next bus is arriving so she can time when to leave the house and walk to the stop. A good app really transforms a service.

Britain has to get over its baked in delusions and sense of ...

2026-01-01T10:42:57+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…0sta
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Britain has to get over its baked in delusions and sense of exceptionalism — show some genuine humility — before much can change. I rate the likelihood of that next to zero in 2026, especially with the chaos that’s likely to come with having a multi-party system in a FPTP electoral system. Barring a serious upset there is a danger of sliding further towards Reform even though I’m pretty sure that the extreme right remains a minority interest on the ground.

The Christmas Private Eye cover is chef’s kiss… ...

2025-12-19T14:39:51+01:00

The Christmas Private Eye cover is chef’s kiss…

The OPEC part is almost like a map of the worst places in the ...

2025-12-17T08:36:27+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…d7c7
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The OPEC part is almost like a map of the worst places in the world and (excepting Canada) the non-OPEC part is not much better. If there are future historians they will surely conclude that the 150 year reign of oil brought out the worst in humanity and almost killed us.

It seems to me that the very thing the Supreme Court DID NOT DO ...

2025-12-09T14:00:18+01:00

It seems to me that the very thing the Supreme Court DID NOT DO when it ruled on the meaning of ‘sex’ for the purposes of the Equality Act back in April was to offer any “Much needed clarity” as claimed by Keir Starmer. In fact what they achieved was to create total chaos for everyone — not least trans people, who’ve been exposed to eight months of performative cruelty by a shocking array of commentators. Playing amateur lawyers.

It’s the supplier so they’re used to coming to cap off the ...

2025-12-02T14:26:08+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…mqsn
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It’s the supplier so they’re used to coming to cap off the pipes on day 2 of the install.

So… this morning I have a man coming to survey for installing a ...

2025-12-02T10:49:11+01:00

So… this morning I have a man coming to survey for installing a heat pump and removing the gas supply. Whilst he’s here there’s another one will be calling in by phone to refine a quote for solar panels and a battery — an electricity project. Then, this afternoon, another man is replacing my old water meter with a smart one. Gas, electricity, water… I think that’s ’full house’ for the utilities 😂 I very seldom spend on capital projects but then I do them all at once.

60,000 cisgender women write powerful open letter in support of ...

2025-11-15T15:02:01+01:00

60,000 cisgender women write powerful open letter in support of trans community: ‘We have had enough’ - PinkNews https://apple.news/Asj3iNfCWRDiK__ZYu-E5vA

I confess my attention was elsewhere on more wholesome pursuits ...

2025-11-14T10:29:51+01:00

I confess my attention was elsewhere on more wholesome pursuits back in July when Musk’s GROK had its full-on Nazi day. If you were busy being a decent human too then this little documentary is an excellent way of catching up on what happened and why it points to something monstrously lacking in the insane rush to “win” in the AI “race” that nobody asked for. And it’s not rocket science. If you want fresh water you don’t put your hose in a cesspit. https://youtu.be/r_9wkavYt4Y?si=ICrA-3UyCBFUidSf

Tomorrow will be one whole calendar month since I deleted my ...

2025-11-10T13:10:16+01:00

Tomorrow will be one whole calendar month since I deleted my ‘BBC ID’ and all their apps from my devices: iPlayer, Sounds and News. Do I miss the right wing captured state broadcaster? Nah. I’m still well informed but less frustrated by bias passing as ‘balance’.

We are the country seduced by the original promise that the ...

2025-11-07T09:55:55+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…nx34
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We are the country seduced by the original promise that the existence of BSkyB meant Sky wouldn’t have a monopoly of satellite broadcasting and then meekly allowed one to eat the other whole.

We are the country stupid enough to let Rupert Murdoch control a sizeable chunk of our mainstream press, from the scummiest tabloids to the newspaper of record — and then have the government that Green lit that mistake serve at their pleasure.

The ‘I’ in ITV stood for ‘Independent’.

A fascinating talk by Sophie Wilson on the early days of Acorn ...

2025-11-01T19:53:13+01:00

A fascinating talk by Sophie Wilson on the early days of Acorn Computer and, ultimately, her ARM design which nowadays forms the beating processor heart of almost everything including the phone or tablet you’re holding. https://youtu.be/t8MWXdEbDeI?si=fkH6crZEGs0FdHBW

Irrational numbers are such a delight when you stumble across one ...

2025-11-01T10:54:34+01:00

Irrational numbers are such a delight when you stumble across one by accident…

Good Law Project plan to take the England and Wales Cricket Board ...

2025-10-30T10:00:23+01:00

Good Law Project plan to take the England and Wales Cricket Board to court over their blanket ban on trans women participating in amateur matches. It’s quite astonishing to note who has moved with indecent haste to implement such bans because the ESB Are not alone.

I’ve rented out a property for12 years and, although I’m ...

2025-10-30T08:20:45+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…kpps
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I’ve rented out a property for12 years and, although I’m aware of the separate laws on HMOs (and avoided getting into that space) I’ve never heard of this one. I see someone suggesting it’s a local council bylaw in her case and therefore something where, at most, you’d say sorry, pay the fine and move on. Mainly: how on Earth are you supposed to know that such a bylaw might even be in place?

The question, of course, is how (these days) you control for the ...

2025-10-28T11:56:54+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…6sac
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The question, of course, is how (these days) you control for the disinformation and partisanship of the supposedly reliable news outlets the research is trying to compare with. Other analyses of AI tell us that the most likely culprit for inaccuracy in AI output is the AI itself but I feel there should be a way of filtering out the error component in the source material.

The hook is that amazing rich voice of Karen’s on the very ...

2025-10-27T08:14:07+01:00

In reply to nevent1q…a2xn
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The hook is that amazing rich voice of Karen’s on the very first words: “Why do birds…” It was and remains so distinct from the normal higher pitched reedy sound of female leads.

Today I learned that there are only three English cities with an ...

2025-10-10T20:14:49+02:00

Today I learned that there are only three English cities with an electrical consumption greater than 200 megawatts: London, Manchester and Birmingham. By comparison, the people who want to build AI data centres here, which nobody asked for, want a supply of up to 1 gigawatt (1,000 megawatts) for each one. That’s how skewed this whole nonsense is.

If you’re a pound shop politician desperately angling for ...

2025-10-08T14:14:36+02:00

If you’re a pound shop politician desperately angling for populist clout by claiming you’ve seen no white faces in some place you visited then I have some advice: If that’s truly what you’ve observed then it’s not evidence that BME migrants don’t “integrate”. It’s evidence that the whites won’t integrate. It’s evidence all the whites moved away when visibly “foreign” newcomers tried to move in alongside them. By trying for racist clout you’ve shown prima facie evidence of whites being racist.

It’s a reminder that whenever politicians pursue a policy that ...

2025-10-05T09:21:14+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…9cyg
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It’s a reminder that whenever politicians pursue a policy that is neither morally nor logically defensible then everything is twisted trying to maintain an impossible position. It’s like making a law that bricks should float in the air and then trying to hold the policy position by stubborn attempts at levitation.

M’lud my client cannot have knowingly committed the offence ...

2025-10-04T21:21:32+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…k7t8
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M’lud my client cannot have knowingly committed the offence with the sign in question, being literally unable to have written it or known what someone else may have written. You must therefore dismiss the case against him, being unable to prove intent to the criminal standard.

I’ve just been looking at a rather fun-looking long distance ...

2025-10-04T21:11:46+02:00

I’ve just been looking at a rather fun-looking long distance electric bus service covering (so far) the north half of Scotland. To use it you select the route you want on the web site and pay in advance. The bus only stops at the designated stops where people have said they want to get on or off. You need to book at least 10 minutes beforehand. The fares look very reasonable and the bus is QUIET! The service is at https://www.ember.to and the picture here is from a live tracker of all buses

“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right…” a true ...

2025-10-01T08:23:25+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…jffj
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“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right…” a true anthem for our age.

Was the architect MC Escher by any chance? 😀

2025-09-29T09:02:04+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ljkx
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Was the architect MC Escher by any chance? 😀

Starmer to introduce digital ID cards. You just know it’ll be ...

2025-09-25T18:20:58+02:00

Starmer to introduce digital ID cards. You just know it’ll be used to out trans people as well as the stated purpose of harassing anyone who doesn’t look white enough. Starmer to announce plans for digital ID scheme https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g54g6vgpdo

Greg Jackson explains how the UK wholesale electricity market ...

2025-09-24T13:10:40+02:00

Greg Jackson explains how the UK wholesale electricity market operates as a racket https://youtu.be/R5ssyFaUkR0?si=a8Nf3w97Kz6HLBjK

Perhaps for the same reason that people don’t give honest ...

2025-09-23T08:05:09+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…zetx
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Perhaps for the same reason that people don’t give honest answers to pollsters? … Knowing when their views or beliefs aren’t a good look? Maybe, whilst having secret dreams of shafting the workforce for greater profit they still retain enough awareness to know that customers and potential customers will judge them harshly if/when they know that quality and their interests are being sacrificed?

Regarding wider use, someone on the News Quiz this week quipped ...

2025-09-21T09:21:13+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…we9r
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Regarding wider use, someone on the News Quiz this week quipped that if everyone on Pride marches draped themselves in the flag then the right would pretty soon go off using it as a symbol.

At a time when there is precious little reporting at all, this ...

2025-09-19T08:42:58+02:00

At a time when there is precious little reporting at all, this long read provides a deep dive into what our unexpectedly repressive Labour government is about to inflict on trans people. If accurate, the EHRC’s wet dream will create a state in which people who operate toilets for use by staff and the public will be turned into toilet police and trans people may be unable to pee safely anywhere outside their homes.
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/britains-bathroom-ban/

Britain’s Bathroom Ban ...

2025-09-19T08:34:54+02:00

Britain’s Bathroom Ban

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/britains-bathroom-ban/

Hello, is that the treasury? I’d like to speak to the ...

2025-09-17T12:58:19+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…qx83
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Hello, is that the treasury? I’d like to speak to the Chancellor. Tell her I’ve got some magic beans to sell but she needs to hurry as this offer is time limited and she’ll kick herself if she misses out.

The absurdity of this is that I, something of an outsider whose ...

2025-09-17T10:23:13+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…wn2a
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The absurdity of this is that I, something of an outsider whose career has definitely been impacted by prejudice and not being very pushy, fall into the ultra wealthy category because I invested well in starting a self administered pension pot 40 years ago and invested my parents’ legacy equally well in a rental property to add to my own. I really am not super wealthy and have to budget very carefully to stay solvent. This is an exercise in analysts totally losing the plot.

By extension it follows that racism is only one of many ism’s ...

2025-09-16T08:09:47+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…usj3
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By extension it follows that racism is only one of many ism’s that emerge from the maladaptive behaviour. We call it racism because the particular focus is the human construct of race but I would contend that antisemitism, sexism, ageism, disablism, homophobia and transphobia are all different foci for the same thing. We really ought to have a name for the inciting socio-psychological maladaptation and seek to treat the root as well as the specific problem.

Having been born there I’m kinda proud of Redbridge and Ilford ...

2025-09-15T14:32:41+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…3258
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Having been born there I’m kinda proud of Redbridge and Ilford for being that close to take down the quisling.

There, of course, is the weakness of being on the left: an ...

2025-09-13T09:47:22+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…dle2
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There, of course, is the weakness of being on the left: an exaggerated willingness to apply ‘live and let live’ tolerance to the right, even as they tear everything down in their futile rage that can never be satiated. It’s the paradox of tolerance. The left do ultimately fight but are slow to cross that rubicon.

The upshot is that the more extreme the right becomes the more ...

2025-09-13T09:42:46+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…aq7a
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The upshot is that the more extreme the right becomes the more likely it is to want to murder anyone perceived as a stranger or outsider — to the point where they ultimately end up attacking their own for not being extreme enough. Being on the right is a spiral towards the depths of human depravity. The more extreme the left becomes the more likely followers are to believe in communitarian ideals and the most memorable of Christian invocations: to love thy neighbour and be kind to strangers.

I can’t help laughing when some commentators try to distract ...

2025-09-13T09:42:46+02:00

I can’t help laughing when some commentators try to distract from the extremes of the right by claiming there’s an extreme left. Let’s unpack that… The right is characterised by a belief in individualism and ‘winning’ at life as though it’s a contest. It breeds selfishness and calculated cruelty. The extreme of that is zero empathy, more selfishness, more cruelty. The left starts from kindness and mutual support. It believes in sharing. The extreme of that is extreme kindness. Extreme empathy.

Oh please let it be so.

2025-09-11T18:11:27+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…7uan
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Oh please let it be so.

Doesn’t that beg the question of what military personnel are ...

2025-09-02T15:53:11+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…fehy
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Doesn’t that beg the question of what military personnel are doing accepting unlawful and unconstitutional orders?

Prior to the age of 24 hour rolling news and mobile phone alerts ...

2025-09-01T19:01:03+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…9h0z
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Prior to the age of 24 hour rolling news and mobile phone alerts we all managed to get along fine with maybe hearing or reading some news once or twice a day. The news bulletins were mostly short with only the major evening news programmes stretching to half an hour (Today programme excepted). People weren’t ‘disengaged’. They simply weren’t obsessed. It was (and is) possible to liven informed life without saturation coverage. Very little is existentially necessary.

The worst part is that the AI overviews come from having already ...

2025-08-25T09:13:57+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…07xv
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The worst part is that the AI overviews come from having already scraped (I.e. stolen) the sites that are now losing traffic. Sites really ought to agree on techniques to poison the well so that all the LLMs become progressively more absurd.

You just know that, in the brutal way of these things, that ...

2025-08-22T14:18:08+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…4pjy
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You just know that, in the brutal way of these things, that phrase will resurface as a caption to a photo of Kash in leg irons.

I couldn’t help noting a degree of relief in the media that ...

2025-08-15T09:25:35+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…2g7h
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I couldn’t help noting a degree of relief in the media that boys had done better than girls this year. They really can’t cope when girls are ahead.

For context, Britain’s whole grid currently carries 30-50 GW ...

2025-08-11T18:15:06+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…x27j
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For context, Britain’s whole grid currently carries 30-50 GW between the generators and the regional distribution networks. The UK national grid looks a lot like a mainline railway map. Generators were either coal (placed next to the big coal fields and pits) or nuclear (placed away from population centres). The whole grid doesn’t have to carry the whole load. It mostly..

The HVDC cables connecting us to Ireland and Europe typically ...

2025-08-11T17:58:13+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…ylhl
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The HVDC cables connecting us to Ireland and Europe typically carry up to 1.4 GW and require a big converter station at each end to convert to and from alternating current as needed by the grid and consumers. A typical run of pylons carries two circuits (3 wires on either side) and each one is rated at about 2GW. So, a line of pylons is 4GW.

It’s enough to make your eyes water! £667.5 million ...

2025-08-11T07:55:25+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…7qdl
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It’s enough to make your eyes water! £667.5 million https://wind-curtailment-app-ahq7fucdyq-lz.a.run.app

Oh here we go. Not quite as I remembered it and the ...

2025-08-07T12:40:02+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…9f76
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Oh here we go. Not quite as I remembered it and the editorialisation is taking place in the Mastodon post rather than on the news platform but this is the kind of question that doesn’t belong near serious news. There are some things beyond debate and it is not the job of the BBC to pretend they’re debatable for clicks.

This isn’t the BBC’s worst. Yesterday I also saw an article ...

2025-08-07T12:32:51+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…dp4w
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This isn’t the BBC’s worst. Yesterday I also saw an article whose headline amounted to “Does RFK Jr have a point?” Not the exact words (I scrolled past for the sake of my blood pressure) but it was essentially both-sides’ing part of his wellness schtick.

Another 31,000 electric cars and vans came on UK roads in July. ...

2025-08-05T17:00:09+02:00

Another 31,000 electric cars and vans came on UK roads in July. Also 327 electric motorcycles and 57 electric HGVs https://storage.googleapis.com/public_download_assets/ecc_pdfs/20250805%20ECC%20July%202025.pdf

We’re challenging the EHRC’s interim guidance | Good Law ...

2025-07-29T15:49:13+02:00

We’re challenging the EHRC’s interim guidance | Good Law Project

Good Law Project are in court tomorrow applying for permission to progress their case against EHRC

https://goodlawproject.org/case/were-challenging-the-ehrcs-interim-guidance/

I feel that way every morning when I come on here.

2025-07-26T10:08:43+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…4ksu
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I feel that way every morning when I come on here.

..staff to whistle into their acoustic coupler to verify it was ...

2025-07-24T10:14:42+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…08t2
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..staff to whistle into their acoustic coupler to verify it was working before dialling the number. Sending data by email over a 1980s phone line was sketchy as hell but, remarkably, it worked well enough to produce valuable next-day management information on thousands of data points. It’s odd to think that the sales phase of the project would have been about forty years ago now.

Spillers Foods — famous for canned sauces, pet food and ‘Fred ...

2025-07-24T10:14:42+02:00

In reply to nevent1q…setd
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Spillers Foods — famous for canned sauces, pet food and ‘Fred the flour grader’ was the client. They had a hundred women touring supermarkets nationwide each day to record where their products were on the shelves and I wrote the software (running on an A4 size computer from Epson) to guide them and record results. At night these ‘merchandisers’ would then dial in using an acoustic coupler and dump their data into an email to be read at HQ the next day. I fondly remember getting a room full of..

In 1986 the BBC’s ‘Micro Live’ did a whole programme on ...

2025-07-24T10:02:48+02:00

In 1986 the BBC’s ‘Micro Live’ did a whole programme on connecting your computer to the phone, sending emails and accessing other services. You could be forgiven for thinking it would never catch on. One service it shows was BT’s Telecom Gold and, at the time it was screened, I had just delivered a whole project doing data collection from supermarkets and collating it through Telecom Gold rather than build a whole ton of infrastructure

https://youtube.com/watch?v=GL1NaenGPdw&si=ueRB43rMgaSKl02w