@coeliacexpat.bsky.social
🇬🇧 in 🇩🇪 🌹; NI/ UK Politics; feminist 💚🤍💜; linguist; women’s gymnastics 🤸♀️ , tennis, books, photography. If you don’t like women’s gymnastics, you may be very bored.
Reposted
Today one Russian paper suggests the US midterms “could undermine Donald Trump’s power & hurt Russia.” Other papers focus on Russia’s economic problems: “Zero growth in the 4th quarter…a gradual increase in crisis phenomena in manufacturing.” #ReadingRussia
Russian paper suggests the US midterm elections could "hurt Russia"
YouTube video by Steve Rosenberg
youtu.be
November 11, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Today one Russian paper suggests the US midterms “could undermine Donald Trump’s power & hurt Russia.” Other papers focus on Russia’s economic problems: “Zero growth in the 4th quarter…a gradual increase in crisis phenomena in manufacturing.” #ReadingRussia
Reposted
New figures show the teetering state of the Russian economy:
In October, oil and gas revenue is down a whopping 27% year on year.
But also as important, revenue from all other sources is falling too, down 4%.
In October, oil and gas revenue is down a whopping 27% year on year.
But also as important, revenue from all other sources is falling too, down 4%.
November 11, 2025 at 4:22 PM
New figures show the teetering state of the Russian economy:
In October, oil and gas revenue is down a whopping 27% year on year.
But also as important, revenue from all other sources is falling too, down 4%.
In October, oil and gas revenue is down a whopping 27% year on year.
But also as important, revenue from all other sources is falling too, down 4%.
Reposted
OK. Here's the thing. You just can't put on a jacket and pretend to be a security patrol in the UK. It's actually illegal. Who the actual F are these "Essex Spartans"? Government has laws and rules and they need to enforce them.
November 11, 2025 at 3:16 PM
OK. Here's the thing. You just can't put on a jacket and pretend to be a security patrol in the UK. It's actually illegal. Who the actual F are these "Essex Spartans"? Government has laws and rules and they need to enforce them.
Reposted
It's like the crocodile story Ken Clarke once told me. You can feed buns to the crocodiles until the cows come home.
Once you run out of buns, they'll eat you anyway.
They'll never stop.
Once you run out of buns, they'll eat you anyway.
They'll never stop.
Two heads rolling won’t stop rot at the BBC
The corporation’s mindset is hermetically sealed and cannot cope with any dissenting view
www.thetimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM
It's like the crocodile story Ken Clarke once told me. You can feed buns to the crocodiles until the cows come home.
Once you run out of buns, they'll eat you anyway.
They'll never stop.
Once you run out of buns, they'll eat you anyway.
They'll never stop.
Reposted
And that’s partly thanks to the wilful, gloating ignorance Sitwell and his audience, who revel in their luck of having had an easier ride.
They would never speak like this about a family whose child has cancer.
They would never speak like this about a family whose child has cancer.
November 11, 2025 at 3:14 PM
And that’s partly thanks to the wilful, gloating ignorance Sitwell and his audience, who revel in their luck of having had an easier ride.
They would never speak like this about a family whose child has cancer.
They would never speak like this about a family whose child has cancer.
Reposted
The William Sitwell column has really upset me today. I would give anything to wave some kind of magic wand and remove my children’s allergies - for them but also, selfishly, for me.
The mental health impact of having a child at daily risk of death is - frankly - horrible. I am never relaxed.
The mental health impact of having a child at daily risk of death is - frankly - horrible. I am never relaxed.
November 11, 2025 at 3:14 PM
The William Sitwell column has really upset me today. I would give anything to wave some kind of magic wand and remove my children’s allergies - for them but also, selfishly, for me.
The mental health impact of having a child at daily risk of death is - frankly - horrible. I am never relaxed.
The mental health impact of having a child at daily risk of death is - frankly - horrible. I am never relaxed.
Reposted
Reposted
Barely mentioned but that now notorious Trump Panorama *wasn’t made by the BBC*
It was an indie production (as so much is)
Even if was BBC, head of news or DG would wouldn’t have been involved in edits
It was an indie production (as so much is)
Even if was BBC, head of news or DG would wouldn’t have been involved in edits
November 11, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Barely mentioned but that now notorious Trump Panorama *wasn’t made by the BBC*
It was an indie production (as so much is)
Even if was BBC, head of news or DG would wouldn’t have been involved in edits
It was an indie production (as so much is)
Even if was BBC, head of news or DG would wouldn’t have been involved in edits
Reposted
If you think that “the slow vanishing of employee benefits” is a better trade politically than “the other lot saying you broke your promise on income tax”, you are out of your tree: www.ft.com/content/1160...
November 11, 2025 at 12:16 AM
If you think that “the slow vanishing of employee benefits” is a better trade politically than “the other lot saying you broke your promise on income tax”, you are out of your tree: www.ft.com/content/1160...
Reposted
Love being reminded to do this every year. It's a win/win all round
November 11, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Love being reminded to do this every year. It's a win/win all round
Reposted
Fascinating, thanks Scotty.
Unrelated: My book is available from all good retailers, as an e-book, and now as an audiobook.
Unrelated: My book is available from all good retailers, as an e-book, and now as an audiobook.
November 11, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Fascinating, thanks Scotty.
Unrelated: My book is available from all good retailers, as an e-book, and now as an audiobook.
Unrelated: My book is available from all good retailers, as an e-book, and now as an audiobook.
Reposted
Sat in a restaurant last year listening to someone talk about how they were getting ChatGPT to do their assignments for *an English masters they were doing part-time*. I still think about it occasionally.
Dude in the row in front of mine on a flight is literally producing the entire marketing campaign of a _________ fellowship using ChatGPT. Coolio…
November 11, 2025 at 1:44 AM
Sat in a restaurant last year listening to someone talk about how they were getting ChatGPT to do their assignments for *an English masters they were doing part-time*. I still think about it occasionally.
Spot-on by @iandunt.bsky.social . And an important reminder of the context:
November 10, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Spot-on by @iandunt.bsky.social . And an important reminder of the context:
Reposted
But that is not enough. No.10 should never have been in a position to install Gibb in the first place. It shouldn't control the board membership, the DG appointment, or the purse strings. What's required is genuine independence for the BBC.
November 10, 2025 at 12:50 PM
But that is not enough. No.10 should never have been in a position to install Gibb in the first place. It shouldn't control the board membership, the DG appointment, or the purse strings. What's required is genuine independence for the BBC.
Reposted
Anybody who had a vision to bring American levels of political, cultural and social polarisation to Britain - whether their motive was clicks or cash, ideology, boredom or anything else - would make it their top strategic priority to abolish the BBC, or to damage and diminish it at the very least
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
November 10, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Anybody who had a vision to bring American levels of political, cultural and social polarisation to Britain - whether their motive was clicks or cash, ideology, boredom or anything else - would make it their top strategic priority to abolish the BBC, or to damage and diminish it at the very least
Raging. How dare Donald Trump come for the BBC. If you feel similarly, here's the petition: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...
Save Our BBC
I've just signed the petition calling on the government to stop their attack on our BBC. We need an independent national broadcaster we can trust. Please sign and share today.
you.38degrees.org.uk
November 10, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Raging. How dare Donald Trump come for the BBC. If you feel similarly, here's the petition: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...
Reposted
Tell me you don’t understand risk pools without telling me you don’t understand risk pools
November 10, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Tell me you don’t understand risk pools without telling me you don’t understand risk pools
Reposted
If true, this would be very welcome. I had written to the IOC in June 2025 requesting that the female category in sports be protected.
www.thetimes.com/sport/olympi...
www.thetimes.com/sport/olympi...
Transgender women to be banned from all female Olympic events
IOC likely to announce new policy early in new year after findings of a scientific review about the permanent physical advantages of being born male
www.thetimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:50 PM
If true, this would be very welcome. I had written to the IOC in June 2025 requesting that the female category in sports be protected.
www.thetimes.com/sport/olympi...
www.thetimes.com/sport/olympi...
Reposted
They're not going to ban transgender athletes from female events; they're going to ban MALE athletes from female events.
November 10, 2025 at 1:12 PM
They're not going to ban transgender athletes from female events; they're going to ban MALE athletes from female events.
Reposted
"[The BBC] isn't perfect, and in an ever more chaotic world full of misinformation and bad actors, it's going to make mistakes from time to time. But it's been under attack for years, by people that would love to see it fail, replaced by GB News or Fox." act.38degrees.org.uk/act/bbc-dg-o...
Sign the petition: save our BBC: don't let the likes of Trump and his UK cronies meddle with our public broadcaster
🚨Our BBC is under attack 🚨 We can't let those that want to see it torn up & replaced by the likes of GBNews or Fox win. Sign the open letter now to demand the new BBC boss is someone that will protect...
act.38degrees.org.uk
November 10, 2025 at 6:16 PM
"[The BBC] isn't perfect, and in an ever more chaotic world full of misinformation and bad actors, it's going to make mistakes from time to time. But it's been under attack for years, by people that would love to see it fail, replaced by GB News or Fox." act.38degrees.org.uk/act/bbc-dg-o...
Reposted
Brilliant news. All men to be banned from women's olympic sports. The gross sexism of Aotearoa New Zealand featuring prominently in the header image.
www.thetimes.com/article/b168...
www.thetimes.com/article/b168...
Transgender women to be banned from all female Olympic events
IOC likely to announce new policy early in new year after findings of a scientific review about the permanent physical advantages of being born male
www.thetimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Brilliant news. All men to be banned from women's olympic sports. The gross sexism of Aotearoa New Zealand featuring prominently in the header image.
www.thetimes.com/article/b168...
www.thetimes.com/article/b168...
Reposted
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
November 10, 2025 at 6:40 PM
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
Reposted
Taekwondo athlete and gymnastics instructor Hanieh Shariati #Roudposhti detained over street performance without #hijab iroon.com/irtn/photo/1...
November 10, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Taekwondo athlete and gymnastics instructor Hanieh Shariati #Roudposhti detained over street performance without #hijab iroon.com/irtn/photo/1...
Reposted
The Anglo consensus of the first half of 2010s was that where continental Europeans were endemically subject to crises and demagoguery, "we" were distinctly were more enlightened. Cameron's Britain. Obama's America. Ponderous essays about Magna Carta and the "golden thread".
How wrong it all was.
How wrong it all was.
I fear we are seeing in the UK what has become abundantly clear in the US: for all their power and privilege, elites and institutions are absolute cowards in the face of right-wing authoritarianism. Weak, weak, weak, as Tony Blair once said
November 10, 2025 at 5:28 PM
The Anglo consensus of the first half of 2010s was that where continental Europeans were endemically subject to crises and demagoguery, "we" were distinctly were more enlightened. Cameron's Britain. Obama's America. Ponderous essays about Magna Carta and the "golden thread".
How wrong it all was.
How wrong it all was.
Reposted
This is rather on the nose and gets to my view that if you wanted a group of people who were very often completely wrong about everything while at the same time being absolutely convinced of their perfect rightness look no further than British politicians / pundits 2020-2015.*
* Exceptions apply
* Exceptions apply
The Anglo consensus of the first half of 2010s was that where continental Europeans were endemically subject to crises and demagoguery, "we" were distinctly were more enlightened. Cameron's Britain. Obama's America. Ponderous essays about Magna Carta and the "golden thread".
How wrong it all was.
How wrong it all was.
I fear we are seeing in the UK what has become abundantly clear in the US: for all their power and privilege, elites and institutions are absolute cowards in the face of right-wing authoritarianism. Weak, weak, weak, as Tony Blair once said
November 10, 2025 at 7:18 PM
This is rather on the nose and gets to my view that if you wanted a group of people who were very often completely wrong about everything while at the same time being absolutely convinced of their perfect rightness look no further than British politicians / pundits 2020-2015.*
* Exceptions apply
* Exceptions apply