Marcus Chown
@marcuschown.bsky.social
Writer. Books include A Crack in Everything, Breakthrough, The Ascent of Gravity, Infinity in the Palm of Your Hand, Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You & Solar System for iPad. See www.marcuschown.com
Pinned
Marcus Chown
@marcuschown.bsky.social
· Jan 5
"The most revolutionary thing one can do is always to proclaim loudly what is happening."
- Rosa Luxemburg
- Rosa Luxemburg
Reposted by Marcus Chown
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE. For shame, Mr Johnson and the team you pretended to lead. Preventable deaths on your hands. They will not return to us. You live on, rich and vainglorious.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
‘Too little, too late’: damning report condemns UK’s Covid response
Report on handling of pandemic contains stinging criticism of ‘toxic and chaotic’ culture inside Boris Johnson’s No 10
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:22 PM
TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE. For shame, Mr Johnson and the team you pretended to lead. Preventable deaths on your hands. They will not return to us. You live on, rich and vainglorious.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Reposted by Marcus Chown
When Rishi Sunak made the Vaccine deal with Moderna as Chancellor, he had up to £530m invested in Moderna.
Now Michelle Mone is desperately bringing it up.
Like if you want Mone on trial.
RT if you want them both facing the music.
Now Michelle Mone is desperately bringing it up.
Like if you want Mone on trial.
RT if you want them both facing the music.
November 23, 2025 at 6:36 PM
When Rishi Sunak made the Vaccine deal with Moderna as Chancellor, he had up to £530m invested in Moderna.
Now Michelle Mone is desperately bringing it up.
Like if you want Mone on trial.
RT if you want them both facing the music.
Now Michelle Mone is desperately bringing it up.
Like if you want Mone on trial.
RT if you want them both facing the music.
Reposted by Marcus Chown
Just saw a Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud, one of the rarest clouds, over Regents Park in London.
earthsky.org/earth/kelvin...
earthsky.org/earth/kelvin...
November 24, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Just saw a Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud, one of the rarest clouds, over Regents Park in London.
earthsky.org/earth/kelvin...
earthsky.org/earth/kelvin...
Reposted by Marcus Chown
Had Trump been US president in 1940, he would have sided with Hitler.
Think about that.
This is how dangerous he is.
To all of us.
Think about that.
This is how dangerous he is.
To all of us.
November 24, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Had Trump been US president in 1940, he would have sided with Hitler.
Think about that.
This is how dangerous he is.
To all of us.
Think about that.
This is how dangerous he is.
To all of us.
Reposted by Marcus Chown
By the way, if you haven't already, we highly recommend following the Humanists UK Starter Pack.
It's full of lovely people - Humanists UK patrons & activists; writers, scientists, experts; @newhumanist.bsky.social folk; and good people from across the UK charity sector.
bsky.app/starter-pack...
It's full of lovely people - Humanists UK patrons & activists; writers, scientists, experts; @newhumanist.bsky.social folk; and good people from across the UK charity sector.
bsky.app/starter-pack...
November 25, 2025 at 11:59 AM
By the way, if you haven't already, we highly recommend following the Humanists UK Starter Pack.
It's full of lovely people - Humanists UK patrons & activists; writers, scientists, experts; @newhumanist.bsky.social folk; and good people from across the UK charity sector.
bsky.app/starter-pack...
It's full of lovely people - Humanists UK patrons & activists; writers, scientists, experts; @newhumanist.bsky.social folk; and good people from across the UK charity sector.
bsky.app/starter-pack...
How are the MAGA voters OK about this?
November 25, 2025 at 1:31 PM
How are the MAGA voters OK about this?
Reposted by Marcus Chown
Reposted by Marcus Chown
The even more unbelievable crime fact (which I learned relatively recently) is that burglary has fallen by more than 90% since the 1990s.
Did anyone notice? Nope. Does anyone believe it? Nope. But is is true? It is!
Did anyone notice? Nope. Does anyone believe it? Nope. But is is true? It is!
Useful reminder from Peter Kellner on the problems we refuse to acknowledge are getting better, and the politics of hopelessness that this breeds
open.substack.com/pub/kellnerp...
open.substack.com/pub/kellnerp...
September 23, 2025 at 6:53 AM
The even more unbelievable crime fact (which I learned relatively recently) is that burglary has fallen by more than 90% since the 1990s.
Did anyone notice? Nope. Does anyone believe it? Nope. But is is true? It is!
Did anyone notice? Nope. Does anyone believe it? Nope. But is is true? It is!
The historians' view of Chamberlain today seems to be that he understood the threat of Hitler, knew Britain was dangerously vulnerable and sought to delay Hitler to buy time to build planes for the RAF and generally re-arm.
Check the bio of then British PM Neville Chamberlain.
Sounds eerily familiar with Krasnov today.
Sounds eerily familiar with Krasnov today.
November 25, 2025 at 11:34 AM
The historians' view of Chamberlain today seems to be that he understood the threat of Hitler, knew Britain was dangerously vulnerable and sought to delay Hitler to buy time to build planes for the RAF and generally re-arm.
Reposted by Marcus Chown
I thought we were all taught the dangers of appeasement in HS
November 25, 2025 at 7:53 AM
I thought we were all taught the dangers of appeasement in HS
Reposted by Marcus Chown
Brexit costing UK up to £90bn in lost tax revenue a year, new analysis shows. Britons also up to £3,700 worse off, leading to calls for the Labour government to improve relations with the EU. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Brexit costing UK up to £90bn in lost tax revenue , new analysis shows
Exclusive: Britons also up to £3,700 worse off, leading to calls for the Labour government to improve relations with the EU
www.independent.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Brexit costing UK up to £90bn in lost tax revenue a year, new analysis shows. Britons also up to £3,700 worse off, leading to calls for the Labour government to improve relations with the EU. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Reposted by Marcus Chown
But yeah let’s not talk about it let alone do anything serious. The weird self imposed taboo of British politics
Brexit costing UK up to £90bn in lost tax revenue a year, new analysis shows. Britons also up to £3,700 worse off, leading to calls for the Labour government to improve relations with the EU. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Brexit costing UK up to £90bn in lost tax revenue , new analysis shows
Exclusive: Britons also up to £3,700 worse off, leading to calls for the Labour government to improve relations with the EU
www.independent.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 9:27 AM
But yeah let’s not talk about it let alone do anything serious. The weird self imposed taboo of British politics
Reposted by Marcus Chown
Great to chat with someone who really loved my book on black holes, “A Crack in Everything”, and appreciated the fact I had gone and talked to the people who had made the discoveries and told their stories. Here’s the podcast www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTnH...
#blackholes #space #astronomy #universe
#blackholes #space #astronomy #universe
November 7, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Great to chat with someone who really loved my book on black holes, “A Crack in Everything”, and appreciated the fact I had gone and talked to the people who had made the discoveries and told their stories. Here’s the podcast www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTnH...
#blackholes #space #astronomy #universe
#blackholes #space #astronomy #universe
Reposted by Marcus Chown
A Crack in Everything: How black holes came in from the cold and took centre stage
November 8, 2025 at 6:28 PM
A Crack in Everything: How black holes came in from the cold and took centre stage
Reposted by Marcus Chown
I think when I first read it in 2004 I found the idea too fanciful to really worry me. In 2015 I had an ominous feeling that it might well be coming true. A better novel for me in 2015 than ten years earlier.
November 24, 2025 at 9:26 PM
I think when I first read it in 2004 I found the idea too fanciful to really worry me. In 2015 I had an ominous feeling that it might well be coming true. A better novel for me in 2015 than ten years earlier.
Reposted by Marcus Chown
Absolutely this. Chamberlain has not been well served by history. There’s a difference between seeking to protect your country from destruction and betraying it utterly because you gain personally.
November 24, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Absolutely this. Chamberlain has not been well served by history. There’s a difference between seeking to protect your country from destruction and betraying it utterly because you gain personally.
Reposted by Marcus Chown
Oddly enough despite the ‘toxicity’ alleged in Downing Street, Labour continue to deliver time and again every single day. These 11 are all announcements from this week.
Impressive no?
Impressive no?
November 12, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Oddly enough despite the ‘toxicity’ alleged in Downing Street, Labour continue to deliver time and again every single day. These 11 are all announcements from this week.
Impressive no?
Impressive no?
Reposted by Marcus Chown
Newmarket MP Matt Hancock gave a £37bn Covid testing contract to Jockey Club director Dido Harding, who subcontracted it to Grand National sponsor Randox, employer of Tory MP Owen Paterson, whose late wife chaired Aintree racecourse. That's how the Tories handled the pandemic.
November 22, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Newmarket MP Matt Hancock gave a £37bn Covid testing contract to Jockey Club director Dido Harding, who subcontracted it to Grand National sponsor Randox, employer of Tory MP Owen Paterson, whose late wife chaired Aintree racecourse. That's how the Tories handled the pandemic.
Reposted by Marcus Chown
Keep in mind that this serial liar also promised a hundred times during the campaign that he would be able to end the war “in 24 hours” with “one phone call” to Putin because he has “a great relationship” with him, “knows just what to say to him,” & “it won’t even be that hard.”
November 24, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Keep in mind that this serial liar also promised a hundred times during the campaign that he would be able to end the war “in 24 hours” with “one phone call” to Putin because he has “a great relationship” with him, “knows just what to say to him,” & “it won’t even be that hard.”
Reposted by Marcus Chown
I want to apologize to the rest of the world, because electing this guy didn’t just harm us, it sent shockwaves through global democracy.
Thanks to this incompetent government, we’ve managed to export our chaos far beyond our own borders.
Sharing a video of others who feel similarly.👇
Thanks to this incompetent government, we’ve managed to export our chaos far beyond our own borders.
Sharing a video of others who feel similarly.👇
November 25, 2025 at 3:24 AM
I want to apologize to the rest of the world, because electing this guy didn’t just harm us, it sent shockwaves through global democracy.
Thanks to this incompetent government, we’ve managed to export our chaos far beyond our own borders.
Sharing a video of others who feel similarly.👇
Thanks to this incompetent government, we’ve managed to export our chaos far beyond our own borders.
Sharing a video of others who feel similarly.👇
Reposted by Marcus Chown
Just Google “Kelvin-Helmholz clouds”, Pat.
Also, there is an absolutely wonderful pocket-sized book, “The Cloudspotters Guide” www.waterstones.com/book/the-clo...
You get points for spotting clouds. For a Kelvin-Helmholtz, the “Queen mother of clouds”, you get 50!
Also, there is an absolutely wonderful pocket-sized book, “The Cloudspotters Guide” www.waterstones.com/book/the-clo...
You get points for spotting clouds. For a Kelvin-Helmholtz, the “Queen mother of clouds”, you get 50!
November 24, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Just Google “Kelvin-Helmholz clouds”, Pat.
Also, there is an absolutely wonderful pocket-sized book, “The Cloudspotters Guide” www.waterstones.com/book/the-clo...
You get points for spotting clouds. For a Kelvin-Helmholtz, the “Queen mother of clouds”, you get 50!
Also, there is an absolutely wonderful pocket-sized book, “The Cloudspotters Guide” www.waterstones.com/book/the-clo...
You get points for spotting clouds. For a Kelvin-Helmholtz, the “Queen mother of clouds”, you get 50!
Reposted by Marcus Chown
The difference is that Chamberlain understood the threat of Hitler, knew Britain was dangerously vulnerable and sought to delay Hitler to buy time to build planes for the RAF and generally re-arm.
Only if Chamberlain could described as a Hitler asset can he be compared with Putin asset Trump.
Only if Chamberlain could described as a Hitler asset can he be compared with Putin asset Trump.
With his ultimatum that Ukraine surrender to Russia, Trump finally wins a prize:
The Neville Chamberlain award for betraying peace, freedom, and justice.
The Neville Chamberlain award for betraying peace, freedom, and justice.
November 24, 2025 at 3:43 PM
The difference is that Chamberlain understood the threat of Hitler, knew Britain was dangerously vulnerable and sought to delay Hitler to buy time to build planes for the RAF and generally re-arm.
Only if Chamberlain could described as a Hitler asset can he be compared with Putin asset Trump.
Only if Chamberlain could described as a Hitler asset can he be compared with Putin asset Trump.
Reposted by Marcus Chown
Trump would have told the Polish to accept the land losses, and learn to speak German.
Had Trump been US president in 1940, he would have sided with Hitler.
Think about that.
This is how dangerous he is.
To all of us.
Think about that.
This is how dangerous he is.
To all of us.
November 24, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Trump would have told the Polish to accept the land losses, and learn to speak German.
Reposted by Marcus Chown
Not only sided with him, but competed with him in his sadistic empire building
November 24, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Not only sided with him, but competed with him in his sadistic empire building
I read it. Not one of Roth’s best novels but certainly his most prophetic.
Worryingly.
Worryingly.
Shortly before the 2016 election, feeling Trump would win, I re-read Philip Roth’s counter factual novel, The Plot Against America which imagines what if the Nazi sympathiser Charles Lindbergh had become President in 1940. Trump is even scarier but it’s worth a read.
November 24, 2025 at 9:14 PM
I read it. Not one of Roth’s best novels but certainly his most prophetic.
Worryingly.
Worryingly.