Catherine Fletcher
@cathfletcher.bsky.social
Writing history, usually in Manchester, when possible in Italy. 'Renaissance skulduggery' - The Guardian. THE ROADS TO ROME out now. Coming April 26: THE FIREARM REVOLUTION.
Fascinating read, this
The Hard-Left Shooters Leading a Gun Culture Revolution
Earlier this year, I attended a shooting competition for queer, often trans, very online misfits. Then Charlie Kirk was killed.
www.wired.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Fascinating read, this
François Cardarelli's Encyclopedia of Scientific Weights and Measures is very good for this, and iirc the relevant chapter is on his website as a free sample
November 24, 2025 at 8:38 AM
François Cardarelli's Encyclopedia of Scientific Weights and Measures is very good for this, and iirc the relevant chapter is on his website as a free sample
I would much rather pay more income tax than have this ongoing chaos at work
i: Reeves to unveil £600m raid on foreign student
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
November 24, 2025 at 8:31 AM
I would much rather pay more income tax than have this ongoing chaos at work
My guess is that he's having a protein shake
November 24, 2025 at 8:23 AM
My guess is that he's having a protein shake
For sure. I think this is an important issue to report on, since it's evidently affecting women's lives, but the reporting could be done more carefully.
November 23, 2025 at 10:26 AM
For sure. I think this is an important issue to report on, since it's evidently affecting women's lives, but the reporting could be done more carefully.
Exactly. There needed to be some tougher questions for those app businesses.
November 23, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Exactly. There needed to be some tougher questions for those app businesses.
It ends up effectively promoting apps where the business model relies on women feeling afraid in situations where they have relatively little need to be.
November 23, 2025 at 10:22 AM
It ends up effectively promoting apps where the business model relies on women feeling afraid in situations where they have relatively little need to be.
I don't doubt that some women feel unsafe walking in the dark, but this article would have been much improved if the writer had included the information that most violence against women is committed by people we know and not by randoms on the street.
'Dark winter nights feel like an unspoken curfew for women'
Women in the north west of England speak of how they have to be more cautious as nights turn dark.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 10:20 AM
I don't doubt that some women feel unsafe walking in the dark, but this article would have been much improved if the writer had included the information that most violence against women is committed by people we know and not by randoms on the street.
They wave you through the lines for free at European airports if you're running late - you don't have to pay. I once did a Schiphol connection in 25 minutes (i.e. not getting off Plane 1 until Plane 2's boarding had officially closed).
November 23, 2025 at 8:31 AM
They wave you through the lines for free at European airports if you're running late - you don't have to pay. I once did a Schiphol connection in 25 minutes (i.e. not getting off Plane 1 until Plane 2's boarding had officially closed).
no but Andy Burnham has the designs ready to go when the Labour leadership battle kicks off
November 22, 2025 at 4:34 PM
no but Andy Burnham has the designs ready to go when the Labour leadership battle kicks off
Exactly zero, in fact when I got a hysterectomy my sex life only came up when *I* took the initiative to ask the consultant if there were any side effects on that front I should consider before I went ahead.
November 22, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Exactly zero, in fact when I got a hysterectomy my sex life only came up when *I* took the initiative to ask the consultant if there were any side effects on that front I should consider before I went ahead.
Has anyone FOI'd the ethical review paperwork for this from KCL?
Under new NHS puberty blocker trial protocols, trans youth are being subjected to more than 50 assessments, intrusive exams, and over 13 hours of intrusive testing - just to access lifesaving healthcare
It demands young people re-live distress & undergo intimate examinations
#ConversionPractices
It demands young people re-live distress & undergo intimate examinations
#ConversionPractices
Trans Young People Face 50+ Tests and Hours of Intrusive Assessments in the PATHWAYS Puberty…
The publication of the PATHWAYS puberty blocker trial protocols reveals how trans young people are required to complete more than fifty…
medium.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Has anyone FOI'd the ethical review paperwork for this from KCL?
Continuing my campaign for the building restoration to be funded by selling rights to a new cross-media Time Team x Grand Designs
November 22, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Continuing my campaign for the building restoration to be funded by selling rights to a new cross-media Time Team x Grand Designs
Also, dreadful questionnaire design, no doubt deliberately, so I did a lot of 'don't know' replies on the multiple choice due to not being able to explain reasoning behind answers
November 22, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Also, dreadful questionnaire design, no doubt deliberately, so I did a lot of 'don't know' replies on the multiple choice due to not being able to explain reasoning behind answers
And that criminal convictions should be treated as spent in the same way for immigrants as citizens
November 22, 2025 at 11:04 AM
And that criminal convictions should be treated as spent in the same way for immigrants as citizens
Another point I got in was about criminal convictions and their weaponisation by authoritarian states against political opponents, i.e. we should not have an immigration system that assumes criminal convictions are legit
November 22, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Another point I got in was about criminal convictions and their weaponisation by authoritarian states against political opponents, i.e. we should not have an immigration system that assumes criminal convictions are legit
Here's the link if you would like to have a go:
Earned settlement
The government is consulting on how the current settlement system should be reformed and how those reforms should be implemented.
www.gov.uk
November 22, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Here's the link if you would like to have a go:
Just did the immigration rules consultation and while there's almost no space to express an opinion such as 'I would like my elderly parents have carers if required' I did get 'there should not be one rule for rich immigrants and another for poor ones' in there twice
November 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Just did the immigration rules consultation and while there's almost no space to express an opinion such as 'I would like my elderly parents have carers if required' I did get 'there should not be one rule for rich immigrants and another for poor ones' in there twice
That sounds good - can you DM me your email or drop me a line at my mmu address? Thank you!
November 21, 2025 at 6:25 PM
That sounds good - can you DM me your email or drop me a line at my mmu address? Thank you!
Great meeting this afternoon to chat about public engagement around the upcoming Break with Rome 500th anniversaries. (This might seem a long way off but not in large project terms it isn't.) Would love to hear from others who might like to join in future conversations #skystorians
November 21, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Great meeting this afternoon to chat about public engagement around the upcoming Break with Rome 500th anniversaries. (This might seem a long way off but not in large project terms it isn't.) Would love to hear from others who might like to join in future conversations #skystorians
Humbert Wolfe, forever relevant.
November 21, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Humbert Wolfe, forever relevant.
You cannot hope
to bribe or twist,
thank God! the
British journalist.*
But, seeing what
the man will do
unbribed, there's
no occasion to.
* GB News presenter
to bribe or twist,
thank God! the
British journalist.*
But, seeing what
the man will do
unbribed, there's
no occasion to.
* GB News presenter
It would be useful to see a detailed comparison of what Gill said (as a result of bribery) and what Farage said, on the same topics. It is perfectly possible he made broadly similar arguments from conviction, rather than for money, though they can be criticised as bad arguments.
November 21, 2025 at 3:35 PM
You cannot hope
to bribe or twist,
thank God! the
British journalist.*
But, seeing what
the man will do
unbribed, there's
no occasion to.
* GB News presenter
to bribe or twist,
thank God! the
British journalist.*
But, seeing what
the man will do
unbribed, there's
no occasion to.
* GB News presenter
Especially when in English 'I'm going to the shops' can describe a current action, set out a plan for tomorrow, or narrate a past event
November 21, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Especially when in English 'I'm going to the shops' can describe a current action, set out a plan for tomorrow, or narrate a past event
They should fund the restoration by selling the TV rights. Pitch it as Time Team x Grand Designs.
POV: you’ve been hiding under the Palace of Westminster for hundreds of years.
See what we uncovered during recent surveys of the Palace as we prepare for its restoration.
See what we uncovered during recent surveys of the Palace as we prepare for its restoration.
November 20, 2025 at 10:15 PM
They should fund the restoration by selling the TV rights. Pitch it as Time Team x Grand Designs.
So you're probably fine to stick fairly close to the original, with the caveat (apologies if you already know this) that Italian presentation style tends to be a bit more formal so you may want to shift the writing in that direction.
November 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM
So you're probably fine to stick fairly close to the original, with the caveat (apologies if you already know this) that Italian presentation style tends to be a bit more formal so you may want to shift the writing in that direction.