Stewart Parsons
@libraryfiend.bsky.social
Founder of Get It Loud In Libraries www.loudinlibraries.com cool programme of doorstep library gigs with future BRIT & Grammy winners. Born to live in Scotland. Lover of music, books, libraries, radio, dogs, PNE & wife Elizabeth. A BEM, no less.
Pinned
Stewart Parsons
@libraryfiend.bsky.social
· Jun 17
So,as a little thought-experiment, tell me something about the United Kingdom that works well and is actually quite impressive. I am not trying to sound like some boosterish politician. I just genuinely believe that making people believe that all is lost is a convenient pretext for shady characters.
For 175 years, public libraries, despite often steeply declining Govt support, have served the educational, information and entertainment needs of the general public. Staffed by a committed national family of workers determined to transform the life chances of some 7.3mill people.Oh, and it's free.
Reposted by Stewart Parsons
Women’s trouser style or personal insult? - an occasional series.
January 27, 2026 at 11:54 AM
Women’s trouser style or personal insult? - an occasional series.
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"The number of downloads...surged by 529% after Mr. Mamdani’s news conference"
"there had been 3,000 people on a waiting list to access a limited number of e-book copies"
"2,000 people applied for a library card over the weekend, roughly twice as many as had applied by this time last year"
A win!
"there had been 3,000 people on a waiting list to access a limited number of e-book copies"
"2,000 people applied for a library card over the weekend, roughly twice as many as had applied by this time last year"
A win!
gifting this article because it made me laugh, which is hard to do in this context. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/n...
After Mamdani Nods to ‘Heated Rivalry,’ Library E-Book Downloads Surge
www.nytimes.com
January 27, 2026 at 2:28 AM
"The number of downloads...surged by 529% after Mr. Mamdani’s news conference"
"there had been 3,000 people on a waiting list to access a limited number of e-book copies"
"2,000 people applied for a library card over the weekend, roughly twice as many as had applied by this time last year"
A win!
"there had been 3,000 people on a waiting list to access a limited number of e-book copies"
"2,000 people applied for a library card over the weekend, roughly twice as many as had applied by this time last year"
A win!
Trust the library #2.
And bc it’s Minneapolis, the library has snacks and coffee set out for people coming in for a break. Which is a lot of people.
January 27, 2026 at 12:08 PM
Trust the library #2.
Trust the library.
January 27, 2026 at 12:06 PM
Trust the library.
Quite so. Heseltine & Clarke perhaps the first to be thus termed. The words 'big beast' are bandied about far too readily by sixth-form weeds like Mason who probably points at guinea pigs in pet shop windows and whispers the words 'big beast' up to his mother. See also: 'psychodrama'. Much misused.
Remembering those happy days when the term "big beast" was reserved for substantial figures like Ken Clarke, Michael Heseltine, John Smith, Paddy Ashdown, etc. Now...Suella Braverman.
January 27, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Quite so. Heseltine & Clarke perhaps the first to be thus termed. The words 'big beast' are bandied about far too readily by sixth-form weeds like Mason who probably points at guinea pigs in pet shop windows and whispers the words 'big beast' up to his mother. See also: 'psychodrama'. Much misused.
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Andy Burnham - apart from looking like a character called ‘Andy Burnham’ from a 9:00 pm BBC2 drama from 1998 about an ‘ambitious Manchester mayor’- also somehow looks like *every single member* of The Smiths and New Order mashed into one.
January 26, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Andy Burnham - apart from looking like a character called ‘Andy Burnham’ from a 9:00 pm BBC2 drama from 1998 about an ‘ambitious Manchester mayor’- also somehow looks like *every single member* of The Smiths and New Order mashed into one.
Say 'aye'.
Full EU membership should be put to the public at the next election. It's time to return home.
inews.co.uk/opinion/rejo...
inews.co.uk/opinion/rejo...
Rejoining the EU is the only way to stop Trump
It is time to return home
inews.co.uk
January 27, 2026 at 10:57 AM
Say 'aye'.
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Can't believe I forgot to celebrate Justin Webb Day yesterday. Must have been distracted by all that normality in America
January 26, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Can't believe I forgot to celebrate Justin Webb Day yesterday. Must have been distracted by all that normality in America
Quite.
Tory defections were useful to Reform at the start but are now a real risk. There is little sense in packing the party full of the very politicians the electorate overwhelmingly voted out. You can’t pitch to fix the country whilst hiring the Home Secretary and cabinet who broke it.
January 26, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Quite.
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Trump's regime know that their lies travel half way round the world before truth has snatched a breath. I can't help feeling that BBC Verify should be on standby for such high profile events, to prevent BBC journalists from making fools of themselves both-sidesing such events.
January 26, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Trump's regime know that their lies travel half way round the world before truth has snatched a breath. I can't help feeling that BBC Verify should be on standby for such high profile events, to prevent BBC journalists from making fools of themselves both-sidesing such events.
Anna Foster gaslighting her face off right now on #R4today in regard to the latest Minnesota killing of Alex Pretti - grow a spine . We have all seen the video. We recognize a murder when we see one. Done with all this.
January 26, 2026 at 8:31 AM
Anna Foster gaslighting her face off right now on #R4today in regard to the latest Minnesota killing of Alex Pretti - grow a spine . We have all seen the video. We recognize a murder when we see one. Done with all this.
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BBC New's BBC Verify with Ros Atkins
Prove that President Trump and Kristi Noem lied
When they both claimed that Alex Pretti was a domestic terrorist
As the video evidence which they present, shows otherwise
Prove that President Trump and Kristi Noem lied
When they both claimed that Alex Pretti was a domestic terrorist
As the video evidence which they present, shows otherwise
January 25, 2026 at 10:57 PM
BBC New's BBC Verify with Ros Atkins
Prove that President Trump and Kristi Noem lied
When they both claimed that Alex Pretti was a domestic terrorist
As the video evidence which they present, shows otherwise
Prove that President Trump and Kristi Noem lied
When they both claimed that Alex Pretti was a domestic terrorist
As the video evidence which they present, shows otherwise
Reposted by Stewart Parsons
Just say the government is lying. The goal of journalism should be to inform, not gaslight.
A battle over the truth erupts after deadly Minneapolis shooting
A battle over the truth erupts after deadly Minneapolis shooting
Federal and local leaders are sharply divided over what happened and who is to blame.
dlvr.it
January 26, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Just say the government is lying. The goal of journalism should be to inform, not gaslight.
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Alex Pretti was an American hero. He saved lives. He protected people. He cared deeply about his community, unlike the murderous thugs who killed him.
The very last thing he did was try to help a woman who had been pepper-sprayed and violently shoved to the ground by ICE. 1/
The very last thing he did was try to help a woman who had been pepper-sprayed and violently shoved to the ground by ICE. 1/
January 25, 2026 at 1:31 PM
Alex Pretti was an American hero. He saved lives. He protected people. He cared deeply about his community, unlike the murderous thugs who killed him.
The very last thing he did was try to help a woman who had been pepper-sprayed and violently shoved to the ground by ICE. 1/
The very last thing he did was try to help a woman who had been pepper-sprayed and violently shoved to the ground by ICE. 1/
So true. As a man born in Preston but electing to live, work & love in Dumfries & Galloway there is a cheerful glory in celebrating the flawed, hugely passionate, contradictory charmer that was Robert Burns. His poetry burns at the core of all the celebrations, a day that belongs to everybody.
Burns night is fabulous isn't it. I mean a properly enjoyable celebration of a country's identity and culture and done with so much love - so different to the empty nationalism of the 'raise the colours mob'. And no it's not just last night's whisky talking.... (we celebrated early)
January 25, 2026 at 3:37 PM
So true. As a man born in Preston but electing to live, work & love in Dumfries & Galloway there is a cheerful glory in celebrating the flawed, hugely passionate, contradictory charmer that was Robert Burns. His poetry burns at the core of all the celebrations, a day that belongs to everybody.
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kind of remarkable how the two high profile ICE killings this year have been alex pretti and renee good, two people about whom NO ONE has ANY unkind words to say. if they could dig up anyone who would willingly talk shit on either person they’d have done it
January 25, 2026 at 2:11 PM
kind of remarkable how the two high profile ICE killings this year have been alex pretti and renee good, two people about whom NO ONE has ANY unkind words to say. if they could dig up anyone who would willingly talk shit on either person they’d have done it
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Reaction to the NEC decision is coming in, and... it's fairly brutal:
TSSA union: "Labour has lost its way."
Unison union: "This isn’t the way any democratic organisation should be run."
Labour MP Simon Opher: "We desperately need to be better than this."
TSSA union: "Labour has lost its way."
Unison union: "This isn’t the way any democratic organisation should be run."
Labour MP Simon Opher: "We desperately need to be better than this."
January 25, 2026 at 2:43 PM
Reaction to the NEC decision is coming in, and... it's fairly brutal:
TSSA union: "Labour has lost its way."
Unison union: "This isn’t the way any democratic organisation should be run."
Labour MP Simon Opher: "We desperately need to be better than this."
TSSA union: "Labour has lost its way."
Unison union: "This isn’t the way any democratic organisation should be run."
Labour MP Simon Opher: "We desperately need to be better than this."
Reposted by Stewart Parsons
Exactly the same thing BBC and Sky did with Renee Nicole Good. "A says X, but B says Y." Sure, but Y is on actual fkn video, so maybe just watch it.
The BBC coverage is absolutely terrible.
It leads on "sharply contested narratives"
It has a dramatic skew to the US government
It has posted the video but has failed to report on what it shows: it shows the US govt account is untrue
It leads on "sharply contested narratives"
It has a dramatic skew to the US government
It has posted the video but has failed to report on what it shows: it shows the US govt account is untrue
January 25, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Exactly the same thing BBC and Sky did with Renee Nicole Good. "A says X, but B says Y." Sure, but Y is on actual fkn video, so maybe just watch it.
Fantastic.
Glaswegian attracts a puzzled gaze by taking his haggis for a walk on Robert Burns' birthday, 25th January 1967 (photo: Keystone).
January 25, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Fantastic.
If you harbour the merest love of poetry, romance, words, landscape, food and dance, do tune into @cerysmatthews.bsky.social on 6 right now for a glorious celebration of Robert Burns and his fabulous works. With love from Dumfries & Galloway.....
January 25, 2026 at 10:25 AM
If you harbour the merest love of poetry, romance, words, landscape, food and dance, do tune into @cerysmatthews.bsky.social on 6 right now for a glorious celebration of Robert Burns and his fabulous works. With love from Dumfries & Galloway.....
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Abolish ICE is now the moderate minimum position,
Prosecute ICE is where Dems should be at next.
Prosecute ICE is where Dems should be at next.
January 24, 2026 at 7:18 PM
Abolish ICE is now the moderate minimum position,
Prosecute ICE is where Dems should be at next.
Prosecute ICE is where Dems should be at next.
Reposted by Stewart Parsons
Walz: "You kill a man, and then you just leave? You're law enforcement -- you just leave? Is there a single case in American history where you just, like, walk away and say, 'I guess that just happened and we're not gonna clean up our mess?'"
January 24, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Walz: "You kill a man, and then you just leave? You're law enforcement -- you just leave? Is there a single case in American history where you just, like, walk away and say, 'I guess that just happened and we're not gonna clean up our mess?'"
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that Farage and Badenoch want ICE-style action in the UK should be enough to end them
January 24, 2026 at 6:14 PM
that Farage and Badenoch want ICE-style action in the UK should be enough to end them
Haha, so true. Rupert Brooke twirling out of Studio 54 at 2am, that's Stephen #TheTraitors
I love Stephen. The face of a doomed WW1 officer and the wardrobe of John Travolta. #thetraitors
January 24, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Haha, so true. Rupert Brooke twirling out of Studio 54 at 2am, that's Stephen #TheTraitors
Love Ian's work. Like the very best of Twitter...
He climbed the highest mountain in Yorkshire, right to the summat.
January 24, 2026 at 11:58 AM
Love Ian's work. Like the very best of Twitter...