Mark Annand
@markannand.bsky.social
Born at 313ppm. If it's nearby, enjoy www.twotunnels.org.uk.
"Ghostbusters" 'cos, that clarinet on the sidewalk.
Profile photo credit @confluentious
"Ghostbusters" 'cos, that clarinet on the sidewalk.
Profile photo credit @confluentious
Reposted by Mark Annand
Rarely mentioned but about much of Ratcliffe’s business ‘success’ is based on draining public money (very common among these ‘self made tycoons’)
Eg democracyforsale.substack.com/p/ineos-set-...
Eg democracyforsale.substack.com/p/ineos-set-...
February 11, 2026 at 8:16 PM
Rarely mentioned but about much of Ratcliffe’s business ‘success’ is based on draining public money (very common among these ‘self made tycoons’)
Eg democracyforsale.substack.com/p/ineos-set-...
Eg democracyforsale.substack.com/p/ineos-set-...
Reposted by Mark Annand
Kon'nichiwa from Japan! Travelling on the country’s last remaining sleeper train tonight, the Sunrise Express, from Takamatsu to Tokyo.
My home for the night is, er, a hard bit of carpet - or to use the local term, a nobinobi ‘seat’. And yes, Shinkansens will follow…
@seatsixtyone.bsky.social
My home for the night is, er, a hard bit of carpet - or to use the local term, a nobinobi ‘seat’. And yes, Shinkansens will follow…
@seatsixtyone.bsky.social
February 11, 2026 at 12:36 PM
Kon'nichiwa from Japan! Travelling on the country’s last remaining sleeper train tonight, the Sunrise Express, from Takamatsu to Tokyo.
My home for the night is, er, a hard bit of carpet - or to use the local term, a nobinobi ‘seat’. And yes, Shinkansens will follow…
@seatsixtyone.bsky.social
My home for the night is, er, a hard bit of carpet - or to use the local term, a nobinobi ‘seat’. And yes, Shinkansens will follow…
@seatsixtyone.bsky.social
Reposted by Mark Annand
Here's the full quote, from a newspaper column:
February 11, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Here's the full quote, from a newspaper column:
Reposted by Mark Annand
"We value speed more than human life. While our roads remain as they are, and present speeds are kept up, the slaughter will continue..."
—George Orwell, shown with his newly-adopted son, writing about hypocrisy of pedestrian-shaming "road safety" campaigns...in 1946.
—George Orwell, shown with his newly-adopted son, writing about hypocrisy of pedestrian-shaming "road safety" campaigns...in 1946.
February 11, 2026 at 7:33 PM
"We value speed more than human life. While our roads remain as they are, and present speeds are kept up, the slaughter will continue..."
—George Orwell, shown with his newly-adopted son, writing about hypocrisy of pedestrian-shaming "road safety" campaigns...in 1946.
—George Orwell, shown with his newly-adopted son, writing about hypocrisy of pedestrian-shaming "road safety" campaigns...in 1946.
Reposted by Mark Annand
Skipton & Ripon, Sir Julian's patch, is just up the road from me. I go cycling in that neck of the woods quite often. Here he is querying the wisdom of discouraging drink driving. A pox on him and his yellow corduroy trousers.
HT @rantyhighwayman.bsky.social
HT @rantyhighwayman.bsky.social
A question on #DrivingUnderInfluence #RuralAreas tabled by Sir Julian Smith on 03-02-2026 has been answered by Lilian Greenwood. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-02-03/110371
February 11, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Skipton & Ripon, Sir Julian's patch, is just up the road from me. I go cycling in that neck of the woods quite often. Here he is querying the wisdom of discouraging drink driving. A pox on him and his yellow corduroy trousers.
HT @rantyhighwayman.bsky.social
HT @rantyhighwayman.bsky.social
Reposted by Mark Annand
Last week I discovered it gets pretty cold between the passenger cars on VIA Rail’s Canadian. (Good place to chill a case of Labatt’s 50, eh?)
February 11, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Last week I discovered it gets pretty cold between the passenger cars on VIA Rail’s Canadian. (Good place to chill a case of Labatt’s 50, eh?)
Reposted by Mark Annand
It is June 1983, you have just been elected to Parliament and appointed a Minister in the MOD. Your staff provide you with an induction briefing pack, including a section on Counter Terrorism. This is the actual brief Ministers had on the role of the SAS & SBS in CT operations.
February 11, 2026 at 7:20 PM
It is June 1983, you have just been elected to Parliament and appointed a Minister in the MOD. Your staff provide you with an induction briefing pack, including a section on Counter Terrorism. This is the actual brief Ministers had on the role of the SAS & SBS in CT operations.
Reposted by Mark Annand
"Siri, give me an example of flagrant exploitative pricing in the retail sector."
"I have found: The non-Clubcard and Clubcard prices for toothpaste at Tesco Express."
"I have found: The non-Clubcard and Clubcard prices for toothpaste at Tesco Express."
February 11, 2026 at 3:53 PM
"Siri, give me an example of flagrant exploitative pricing in the retail sector."
"I have found: The non-Clubcard and Clubcard prices for toothpaste at Tesco Express."
"I have found: The non-Clubcard and Clubcard prices for toothpaste at Tesco Express."
Reposted by Mark Annand
I watched this series for the first time ever last month and was floored by it. Just found this background stuff/commentary on Youtube.
February 11, 2026 at 4:04 PM
I watched this series for the first time ever last month and was floored by it. Just found this background stuff/commentary on Youtube.
Reposted by Mark Annand
Great new review of my book, War and Power: Who Wins Wars and Why, in @thebulwark.com . The reviewer read the book closely and really understands the argument.
www.thebulwark.com/p/why-war-st...
www.thebulwark.com/p/why-war-st...
Why War Still Surprises
It’s as old as humankind and has been closely studied by great minds—yet it continues to defy predictions.
www.thebulwark.com
February 11, 2026 at 8:54 AM
Great new review of my book, War and Power: Who Wins Wars and Why, in @thebulwark.com . The reviewer read the book closely and really understands the argument.
www.thebulwark.com/p/why-war-st...
www.thebulwark.com/p/why-war-st...
WECA publishes its February '26 vision.
A transport network you can trust: the West’s new transport vision - West of England Combined Authority
www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk
February 11, 2026 at 3:17 PM
WECA publishes its February '26 vision.
Reposted by Mark Annand
”HOME SWEET & COLD HOME.”
Olena Halushka @halushka.bsky.social
The horrific destruction of Ukrainian power plants, people are freezing.
NO HEATING.
NO POWER.
NO WATER.
Russia is a terrorist state!!!
#StandWithUkraine 💙💛
Thread 1/15🧵🇪🇺🇺🇲🇷🇺🇨🇳
• So who's on the menu? •
Olena Halushka @halushka.bsky.social
The horrific destruction of Ukrainian power plants, people are freezing.
NO HEATING.
NO POWER.
NO WATER.
Russia is a terrorist state!!!
#StandWithUkraine 💙💛
Thread 1/15🧵🇪🇺🇺🇲🇷🇺🇨🇳
• So who's on the menu? •
February 6, 2026 at 10:25 AM
”HOME SWEET & COLD HOME.”
Olena Halushka @halushka.bsky.social
The horrific destruction of Ukrainian power plants, people are freezing.
NO HEATING.
NO POWER.
NO WATER.
Russia is a terrorist state!!!
#StandWithUkraine 💙💛
Thread 1/15🧵🇪🇺🇺🇲🇷🇺🇨🇳
• So who's on the menu? •
Olena Halushka @halushka.bsky.social
The horrific destruction of Ukrainian power plants, people are freezing.
NO HEATING.
NO POWER.
NO WATER.
Russia is a terrorist state!!!
#StandWithUkraine 💙💛
Thread 1/15🧵🇪🇺🇺🇲🇷🇺🇨🇳
• So who's on the menu? •
Reposted by Mark Annand
Why are there 20 Common Models on sale which have been made too big for the common parking bays (and therefore reduce parking spaces available to other motorists - on our street turns bays that used to hold 4 into 3)?
Also well done to those five councils, need more to follow their examples.
Also well done to those five councils, need more to follow their examples.
February 11, 2026 at 7:16 AM
Why are there 20 Common Models on sale which have been made too big for the common parking bays (and therefore reduce parking spaces available to other motorists - on our street turns bays that used to hold 4 into 3)?
Also well done to those five councils, need more to follow their examples.
Also well done to those five councils, need more to follow their examples.
Reposted by Mark Annand
One of the maddest elements of Brexit - and there are *many* - is the rewards that continue to be lavished on the blithering idiots who sold it & continue to be proved wrong about everything every day…
Ex Tory MP John Redwood has been made a peer, as Lord Redwood on 31 January, and was formally introduced in the Lords on Tuesday
February 11, 2026 at 8:34 AM
One of the maddest elements of Brexit - and there are *many* - is the rewards that continue to be lavished on the blithering idiots who sold it & continue to be proved wrong about everything every day…
Reposted by Mark Annand
My grandmother is one of those people who will not have heating this year. The system in her part of the city is too damaged.
The temperature outside right now is 16°C.
She relies on an electric heater as a temporary solution for her apartment
www.dogshirtdaily.com/p/de-iceing-...
The temperature outside right now is 16°C.
She relies on an electric heater as a temporary solution for her apartment
www.dogshirtdaily.com/p/de-iceing-...
De-ICEing in Krakow
Plus a Project Battery update.
www.dogshirtdaily.com
February 10, 2026 at 9:03 PM
My grandmother is one of those people who will not have heating this year. The system in her part of the city is too damaged.
The temperature outside right now is 16°C.
She relies on an electric heater as a temporary solution for her apartment
www.dogshirtdaily.com/p/de-iceing-...
The temperature outside right now is 16°C.
She relies on an electric heater as a temporary solution for her apartment
www.dogshirtdaily.com/p/de-iceing-...
Reposted by Mark Annand
Awe-inspiring country walk yesterday along Maxey Cut and River Welland. Waterland. Above the fields. Roaring and gushing. Frightening too. All dependent on our National Grid and clambering over padlocked Public Rights of Way (shame on Lincs). Constructed in 1950s, our civilisation hangs by a thread
February 11, 2026 at 6:47 AM
Awe-inspiring country walk yesterday along Maxey Cut and River Welland. Waterland. Above the fields. Roaring and gushing. Frightening too. All dependent on our National Grid and clambering over padlocked Public Rights of Way (shame on Lincs). Constructed in 1950s, our civilisation hangs by a thread
Reposted by Mark Annand
Shades of Kraftwerk : c.1960 BV ARAL AG pictorial map guide to the Autobahn - Links und Rechts der Autobahn - an almost idyllic scene of the highway thro verdant countryside whilst on the horizon stands the industrial powerhouse of the Ruhrgebeit. @roads.org.uk @sabre-roads.org.uk #germany #1950s
February 10, 2026 at 11:12 AM
Shades of Kraftwerk : c.1960 BV ARAL AG pictorial map guide to the Autobahn - Links und Rechts der Autobahn - an almost idyllic scene of the highway thro verdant countryside whilst on the horizon stands the industrial powerhouse of the Ruhrgebeit. @roads.org.uk @sabre-roads.org.uk #germany #1950s
Reposted by Mark Annand
Reposted by Mark Annand
I played the L board game, and it's unfortunately targeted exactly at me and is a banger, it even roasts the Brown line speed 💀
February 10, 2026 at 12:01 AM
I played the L board game, and it's unfortunately targeted exactly at me and is a banger, it even roasts the Brown line speed 💀
Reposted by Mark Annand
Hi there DSIT, I don't see the part in this press release which says "are your parents influenced by toxic content? New government campaign supports families to talk to older relatives about harmful online content".
Did you forget it somewhere? Or something?
/s
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Did you forget it somewhere? Or something?
/s
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Is your child influenced by toxic content? New government campaign supports parents to talk about harmful online content
A new campaign for parents, full of immediate practical advice on how to talk to your children about harmful online content, as the government bolsters efforts to give every child the healthy upbringi...
www.gov.uk
February 10, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Hi there DSIT, I don't see the part in this press release which says "are your parents influenced by toxic content? New government campaign supports families to talk to older relatives about harmful online content".
Did you forget it somewhere? Or something?
/s
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Did you forget it somewhere? Or something?
/s
www.gov.uk/government/n...
Reposted by Mark Annand
PETER O’TOOLE and RICHARD BURTON outside the King’s Head in Shepperton, close by (of course) to the famous studios where they were filming ‘Becket’.
📷 by Milton H. Greene
📷 by Milton H. Greene
February 9, 2026 at 5:42 PM
PETER O’TOOLE and RICHARD BURTON outside the King’s Head in Shepperton, close by (of course) to the famous studios where they were filming ‘Becket’.
📷 by Milton H. Greene
📷 by Milton H. Greene
BBC World Service funding.
BBC World Service faces funding cliff edge in seven weeks, says Tim Davie
As trust in Russia and China’s state broadcasters grows, director general warns of the dangers of cutting back the service
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:41 PM
BBC World Service funding.
A lot of lip service paid to public transport - coupled with decision-making that puts obstacles in the way of using it.
This time, Cornwall's turn.
www.change.org/p/save-the-m...
This time, Cornwall's turn.
www.change.org/p/save-the-m...
Sign the Petition
Save the Mousehole Harbour Bus Stop!
www.change.org
February 10, 2026 at 12:48 PM
A lot of lip service paid to public transport - coupled with decision-making that puts obstacles in the way of using it.
This time, Cornwall's turn.
www.change.org/p/save-the-m...
This time, Cornwall's turn.
www.change.org/p/save-the-m...
Reposted by Mark Annand
Opinion: Physics cuts put livelihoods, investment and reputation at risk.
Cutting the UK out of the Electron-Ion Collider project will damage science, says Daria Sokhan.
Free to read (and well worth your time).
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
Cutting the UK out of the Electron-Ion Collider project will damage science, says Daria Sokhan.
Free to read (and well worth your time).
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
Physics cuts put livelihoods, investment and reputation at risk - Research Professional News
Cutting the UK out of the Electron-Ion Collider project will damage science, says Daria Sokhan
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Opinion: Physics cuts put livelihoods, investment and reputation at risk.
Cutting the UK out of the Electron-Ion Collider project will damage science, says Daria Sokhan.
Free to read (and well worth your time).
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...
Cutting the UK out of the Electron-Ion Collider project will damage science, says Daria Sokhan.
Free to read (and well worth your time).
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...