Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
@matthewpb.bsky.social
Publisher, Little Island Books @littleislandbooks.bsky.social. The best new Irish writing for young readers.
Pinned
This keeps happening
Once again, it turns out “fully autonomous” means “a guy in the Philippines.”
It Turns Out Waymos Are Being Controlled by Workers in the Philippines
During a Congressional hearing, Waymo's chief safety officer, Mauricio Peña, was grilled over the company's reliance on overseas workers.
futurism.com
February 6, 2026 at 7:01 PM
This keeps happening
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
Obama still the only president born after 1946
February 6, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Obama still the only president born after 1946
My 2026 resolution is to be Man of the Year
February 6, 2026 at 6:41 PM
My 2026 resolution is to be Man of the Year
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
"Talent is a gatekeeping mechanism" is a hell of a quote.
February 6, 2026 at 6:28 PM
"Talent is a gatekeeping mechanism" is a hell of a quote.
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
this, to me, is reddit-ism: putting a ton of work to gather data to several significant figures about a fundamentally arbritary line (i.e. "al dente") www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/co...
From the Cooking community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the Cooking community
www.reddit.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:56 PM
this, to me, is reddit-ism: putting a ton of work to gather data to several significant figures about a fundamentally arbritary line (i.e. "al dente") www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/co...
I had an explosive argument with friends about politics recently (we sobered up and we’re still friends) during which I was saying things like “listen the US and Europe are decoupling and we can’t rely on America any more, after all NATO is basically finished”, and they stared at me like I was mad
February 6, 2026 at 5:43 PM
I had an explosive argument with friends about politics recently (we sobered up and we’re still friends) during which I was saying things like “listen the US and Europe are decoupling and we can’t rely on America any more, after all NATO is basically finished”, and they stared at me like I was mad
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
“Shorelines is a perfectly formed pearl of a book … I feel fortunate to have read it.”
A STUNNING review of Shorelines by @megcathwrites.bsky.social!
A STUNNING review of Shorelines by @megcathwrites.bsky.social!
📗Meg Grehan reviews Shorelines, by Ruth Ennis📗
@littleislandbooks.bsky.social @megcathwrites.bsky.social @littleislandbooks.bsky.social @childrensbooksireland.ie
booksirelandmagazine.com/beauty-and-p...
@littleislandbooks.bsky.social @megcathwrites.bsky.social @littleislandbooks.bsky.social @childrensbooksireland.ie
booksirelandmagazine.com/beauty-and-p...
Beauty and pain—Shorelines, by Ruth Ennis - Books Ireland
'Shorelines is beauty and pain, brutality and softness'—Meg Grehan on the novel-in-verse YA debut by Ruth Ennis.
booksirelandmagazine.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:43 PM
“Shorelines is a perfectly formed pearl of a book … I feel fortunate to have read it.”
A STUNNING review of Shorelines by @megcathwrites.bsky.social!
A STUNNING review of Shorelines by @megcathwrites.bsky.social!
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
Thanks to @martindoyle.bsky.social for covering our SOLO shortlisting double-whammy news!
“[G]etting onto on to the same major shortlists as publishers that measure their turnover in the hundreds of millions is what gets us out of bed on a cold wet morning!”
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
“[G]etting onto on to the same major shortlists as publishers that measure their turnover in the hundreds of millions is what gets us out of bed on a cold wet morning!”
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Children’s Books Ireland Awards shortlist revealed
Paul Howard takes on a united Ireland; lots more book news and events; and please take part in our books newsletter survey
www.irishtimes.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Thanks to @martindoyle.bsky.social for covering our SOLO shortlisting double-whammy news!
“[G]etting onto on to the same major shortlists as publishers that measure their turnover in the hundreds of millions is what gets us out of bed on a cold wet morning!”
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
“[G]etting onto on to the same major shortlists as publishers that measure their turnover in the hundreds of millions is what gets us out of bed on a cold wet morning!”
www.irishtimes.com/culture/book...
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
Morgan McSweeney’s first cousin is Clare Mungovan, who is chief political adviser to Fine Gael leader Simon Harris.
February 6, 2026 at 12:40 PM
Morgan McSweeney’s first cousin is Clare Mungovan, who is chief political adviser to Fine Gael leader Simon Harris.
P E T E R M A N D E L S O N
Lose? Damn. Repent!
Lose? Damn. Repent!
February 6, 2026 at 11:11 AM
P E T E R M A N D E L S O N
Lose? Damn. Repent!
Lose? Damn. Repent!
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
New polling on Ireland's housing crisis:
- 81% want the government to build more social housing "even if there are local objections"
- 64% disagree government is making progress on housing
- 67% would vote for a constitutional right to housing
- 29% are personally affected by the housing crisis
- 81% want the government to build more social housing "even if there are local objections"
- 64% disagree government is making progress on housing
- 67% would vote for a constitutional right to housing
- 29% are personally affected by the housing crisis
Appetite for radical change grows as voters’ patience wears thin over housing crisis
Half of all voters say country’s problems are getting worse instead of better
www.irishtimes.com
February 6, 2026 at 11:06 AM
New polling on Ireland's housing crisis:
- 81% want the government to build more social housing "even if there are local objections"
- 64% disagree government is making progress on housing
- 67% would vote for a constitutional right to housing
- 29% are personally affected by the housing crisis
- 81% want the government to build more social housing "even if there are local objections"
- 64% disagree government is making progress on housing
- 67% would vote for a constitutional right to housing
- 29% are personally affected by the housing crisis
Not that I have a dog in this fight, but this is a pro- spending whatever to have a spiffy new house of parliament with a swish visitor’s centre account
I'm sorry but it's ridiculous that the taxpayer is being asked to fund up to £40 billion pounds for urgent works to 'save Parliament burning down', which also yknow features Essential Improvements such as a brand new underground visitors centre
February 6, 2026 at 11:04 AM
Not that I have a dog in this fight, but this is a pro- spending whatever to have a spiffy new house of parliament with a swish visitor’s centre account
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
One reason the government should spend lots of money on projects is it normalises spending lots of money. It should of course be paid for by a mix of borrowing (if appropriate) and increased taxes.
We should only ever have dreadful lowest common denominator things that suck. Every penny spent on making Crossrail nicer than the Victoria line was wasted.
I'm sorry but it's ridiculous that the taxpayer is being asked to fund up to £40 billion pounds for urgent works to 'save Parliament burning down', which also yknow features Essential Improvements such as a brand new underground visitors centre
February 6, 2026 at 10:14 AM
One reason the government should spend lots of money on projects is it normalises spending lots of money. It should of course be paid for by a mix of borrowing (if appropriate) and increased taxes.
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
jeffrey epstein being the first domino for the financial crash, video game micro transactions, and Gamergate is making me lose my mind
February 6, 2026 at 3:57 AM
jeffrey epstein being the first domino for the financial crash, video game micro transactions, and Gamergate is making me lose my mind
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
Over the past two weeks I've begun to realize that rich people only started funding chatbots once they could no longer email Jeffrey Epstein
February 5, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Over the past two weeks I've begun to realize that rich people only started funding chatbots once they could no longer email Jeffrey Epstein
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
Remember the controversy when Obama was accused of intervening in UK politics? This is the current US government openly seeking to undermine liberal democracy in Europe.
February 6, 2026 at 7:14 AM
Remember the controversy when Obama was accused of intervening in UK politics? This is the current US government openly seeking to undermine liberal democracy in Europe.
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
‘It’s like a gift from God’: undocumented foreign workers welcome Spanish amnesty
‘It’s like a gift from God’: undocumented foreign workers welcome Spanish amnesty
Half a million migrants will be ‘regularised’ under plans to boost economic growth that have angered rightwing parties
www.theguardian.com
January 31, 2026 at 5:26 AM
‘It’s like a gift from God’: undocumented foreign workers welcome Spanish amnesty
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
A bit of math…
February 4, 2026 at 4:34 PM
A bit of math…
The hardest thing to budget for is everything turning into a bloody disaster. You live day to day with the reality of the world being an inhospitable environment for best-laid plans and everything constantly blowing up, but when you plan next month you don’t price in “things will simply go wrong”
February 5, 2026 at 4:16 PM
The hardest thing to budget for is everything turning into a bloody disaster. You live day to day with the reality of the world being an inhospitable environment for best-laid plans and everything constantly blowing up, but when you plan next month you don’t price in “things will simply go wrong”
Reposted by Matthew Parkinson-Bennett
Trying to assess what's actually going on is never the wrong thing to do.
February 5, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Trying to assess what's actually going on is never the wrong thing to do.
My bank seems to have changed both the app and the online banking so that you can no longer pay your credit card bill through either
February 5, 2026 at 3:27 PM
My bank seems to have changed both the app and the online banking so that you can no longer pay your credit card bill through either
OH MY GOD
February 5, 2026 at 12:51 PM
OH MY GOD
Trying to cram 3 celebrities into the same position while leaving the most talented player of his generation at home
What "core British values" has "the left" not defended? Can someone ask this sentient fucking saucepan what he means?
Keir Starmer attacks the racism of Reform and Matt Goodwin but then adds that "Britain has also been let down by a mindset on the left of politics that is too slow to defend core British values"
February 5, 2026 at 12:39 PM
Trying to cram 3 celebrities into the same position while leaving the most talented player of his generation at home