Rik M
@spetsdad.bsky.social
He/him (for want of anything better). Business Analyst. Ex-programmer. Archer (resting). Knitter. Sometime leathercrafter. Husband and father.
Wait, when did we get a boot scraper...?
November 12, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Wait, when did we get a boot scraper...?
Reposted by Rik M
To be clear, Streeting is a mendacious, morally vacuous creep who will say and do anything for power.
That's the verdict of all who knew him in student politics and all who had the misfortune to work with him after.
He's just as awful as Starmer, possibly even worse.
An awful choice for PM.
That's the verdict of all who knew him in student politics and all who had the misfortune to work with him after.
He's just as awful as Starmer, possibly even worse.
An awful choice for PM.
Labour MPs say Wes Streeting's stock has risen within the party after extraordinary No 10 briefings against him on Tuesday night
"They've managed to create a situation where Wes is the victim/the adult in the room"
report @siennarodgers.bsky.social and @adampayne26.bsky.social
"They've managed to create a situation where Wes is the victim/the adult in the room"
report @siennarodgers.bsky.social and @adampayne26.bsky.social
Labour MPs Say No 10 Briefing Has Increased Wes Streeting’s Chances Of Becoming PM
Labour MPs have told PoliticsHome that Wes Streeting’s stock has increased among members of the Parliamentary Labour Party, particularly its soft l...
www.politicshome.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:05 PM
To be clear, Streeting is a mendacious, morally vacuous creep who will say and do anything for power.
That's the verdict of all who knew him in student politics and all who had the misfortune to work with him after.
He's just as awful as Starmer, possibly even worse.
An awful choice for PM.
That's the verdict of all who knew him in student politics and all who had the misfortune to work with him after.
He's just as awful as Starmer, possibly even worse.
An awful choice for PM.
Reposted by Rik M
This is even funnier than it just being Streeting on manoeuvres.
November 11, 2025 at 10:50 PM
This is even funnier than it just being Streeting on manoeuvres.
Reposted by Rik M
🐀Male and female rats like to be tickled differently - males prefer rougher play.
🤣How do we know? Rats produce ultrasonic giggles that can be monitored with a bat detector.
🧪Why is this relevant? To improve lab animal welfare.
Ah, to tickle rats for a living...♥️
f1000research.com/articles/14-...
🤣How do we know? Rats produce ultrasonic giggles that can be monitored with a bat detector.
🧪Why is this relevant? To improve lab animal welfare.
Ah, to tickle rats for a living...♥️
f1000research.com/articles/14-...
November 11, 2025 at 1:44 PM
🐀Male and female rats like to be tickled differently - males prefer rougher play.
🤣How do we know? Rats produce ultrasonic giggles that can be monitored with a bat detector.
🧪Why is this relevant? To improve lab animal welfare.
Ah, to tickle rats for a living...♥️
f1000research.com/articles/14-...
🤣How do we know? Rats produce ultrasonic giggles that can be monitored with a bat detector.
🧪Why is this relevant? To improve lab animal welfare.
Ah, to tickle rats for a living...♥️
f1000research.com/articles/14-...
Reposted by Rik M
Reposted by Rik M
Emily Maitlis admitting she worked at the bbc to try and get healthcare for trans people shut down
November 10, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Emily Maitlis admitting she worked at the bbc to try and get healthcare for trans people shut down
Reposted by Rik M
A reminder that this anti-trans panic is 100% bullshit and exactly none of our country’s problems are related to someone expressing their gender identity and everyone who isn’t a hate-filled weirdo knows it.
November 10, 2025 at 1:16 PM
A reminder that this anti-trans panic is 100% bullshit and exactly none of our country’s problems are related to someone expressing their gender identity and everyone who isn’t a hate-filled weirdo knows it.
I kind of find the whole idea of "class" in society as delusional... Artificial divisions in a spectrum (speaking as someone from a probable 'working class' background who has transitioned to, and probably passes as 'middle class' 🤷)
Could someone explain to me what is meant when a British person refers to "the middle class" ? Like, in the US, as I hear it, it basically just means a person who makes a certain amount of money, not too far below and not wildly above the median. Seems like a complex concept when UK writers use it?
November 10, 2025 at 10:04 PM
I kind of find the whole idea of "class" in society as delusional... Artificial divisions in a spectrum (speaking as someone from a probable 'working class' background who has transitioned to, and probably passes as 'middle class' 🤷)
Reposted by Rik M
Here’s my open letter to the Hampstead Heath charity and its sole trustee, the City of London Corporation. In it, I reminded them that they have the legal right to petition Parliament to preserve the existing trans-inclusive access arrangements.
November 10, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Here’s my open letter to the Hampstead Heath charity and its sole trustee, the City of London Corporation. In it, I reminded them that they have the legal right to petition Parliament to preserve the existing trans-inclusive access arrangements.
Reposted by Rik M
Correcting the statement put out today by the EHRC, TACC has published the following statement.
tacc.org.uk/2025/11/07/s...
tacc.org.uk/2025/11/07/s...
Statement regards “EHRC Statement, Special review of the EHRC’s accreditation not warranted” - tacc.org.uk
Earlier today, the Equality & Human Rights Commission (EHRC) released a statement: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/media-centre/news/special-review-ehrcs-accreditation-not-warranted In the stateme...
tacc.org.uk
November 7, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Correcting the statement put out today by the EHRC, TACC has published the following statement.
tacc.org.uk/2025/11/07/s...
tacc.org.uk/2025/11/07/s...
Reposted by Rik M
This is an entirely uncontroversial view in international law and usually taught in 101.
November 9, 2025 at 7:42 AM
This is an entirely uncontroversial view in international law and usually taught in 101.
Reposted by Rik M
Pippa Durham, 38, was looking forward to a new six-part series billed as a bodice-ripping retelling of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. However, she spotted a 20th-century doorknob in the background of one of the shots and has been livid ever since.
Autistic woman watching period drama driven to madness by inauthentic doorknobs
An autistic woman watching a period drama has been driven to distraction after catching several glimpses of a modern doorknob, it has been reported. Pippa Durham, 38, was looking forward to a new…
thedailytism.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Pippa Durham, 38, was looking forward to a new six-part series billed as a bodice-ripping retelling of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. However, she spotted a 20th-century doorknob in the background of one of the shots and has been livid ever since.
Reposted by Rik M
Right, enough of James Watson - who's a senior academic you've met who's been an utter delight?
I'll go first: Jocelyn Bell Burnell
I'll go first: Jocelyn Bell Burnell
November 8, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Right, enough of James Watson - who's a senior academic you've met who's been an utter delight?
I'll go first: Jocelyn Bell Burnell
I'll go first: Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Reposted by Rik M
"The AI industry’s most important product at this moment is not a chatbot or a video generator; it’s the story the AI industry is telling about itself.... According to an MIT study, 95% of businesses that have deployed generative AI have gotten no value from it." www.theringer.com/2025/11/04/t...
How Catastrophic Is It If the AI Bubble Bursts? An FAQ.
The AI industry's most important product is not a chatbot or a video generator; it's the story the AI industry is telling about itself
www.theringer.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:00 AM
"The AI industry’s most important product at this moment is not a chatbot or a video generator; it’s the story the AI industry is telling about itself.... According to an MIT study, 95% of businesses that have deployed generative AI have gotten no value from it." www.theringer.com/2025/11/04/t...
Reposted by Rik M
I made a “how do you do, fellow kids?” joke to someone in their mid 20s who, it turns out, was too young to have heard of that meme.
So “how do you do, fellow kids?” is now an example of “how do you do, fellow kids?”
So “how do you do, fellow kids?” is now an example of “how do you do, fellow kids?”
November 7, 2025 at 5:28 PM
I made a “how do you do, fellow kids?” joke to someone in their mid 20s who, it turns out, was too young to have heard of that meme.
So “how do you do, fellow kids?” is now an example of “how do you do, fellow kids?”
So “how do you do, fellow kids?” is now an example of “how do you do, fellow kids?”
Reposted by Rik M
In under 30 seconds, these two say everything we need to know about unity and being English/British. Courtesy of @tuc.org.uk
“Don’t let hate divide us.”
#unity #togetherwethrive #hopenothate #strongertogether
“Don’t let hate divide us.”
#unity #togetherwethrive #hopenothate #strongertogether
November 8, 2025 at 10:03 AM
In under 30 seconds, these two say everything we need to know about unity and being English/British. Courtesy of @tuc.org.uk
“Don’t let hate divide us.”
#unity #togetherwethrive #hopenothate #strongertogether
“Don’t let hate divide us.”
#unity #togetherwethrive #hopenothate #strongertogether
Reposted by Rik M
Fact-Checking Claims About Zohran Mamdani https://theonion.com/fact-checking-claims-about-zohran-mamdani/
November 7, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Fact-Checking Claims About Zohran Mamdani https://theonion.com/fact-checking-claims-about-zohran-mamdani/
Reposted by Rik M
Dear GOD if you want to save money in the asylum system
1. LET ASYLUM SEEKERS WORK
2. FAST TRACK STATUS FOR EVERYONE FROM CLEARLY UNDAFE COUNTRIES like Sudan, Syria, etc
3. Run an asylum accommodation system that is NOT FOR PROFIT #r4today
1. LET ASYLUM SEEKERS WORK
2. FAST TRACK STATUS FOR EVERYONE FROM CLEARLY UNDAFE COUNTRIES like Sudan, Syria, etc
3. Run an asylum accommodation system that is NOT FOR PROFIT #r4today
November 7, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Dear GOD if you want to save money in the asylum system
1. LET ASYLUM SEEKERS WORK
2. FAST TRACK STATUS FOR EVERYONE FROM CLEARLY UNDAFE COUNTRIES like Sudan, Syria, etc
3. Run an asylum accommodation system that is NOT FOR PROFIT #r4today
1. LET ASYLUM SEEKERS WORK
2. FAST TRACK STATUS FOR EVERYONE FROM CLEARLY UNDAFE COUNTRIES like Sudan, Syria, etc
3. Run an asylum accommodation system that is NOT FOR PROFIT #r4today
Reposted by Rik M
Good morning.
I don't know who did this, but I love you.
I don't know who did this, but I love you.
November 3, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Good morning.
I don't know who did this, but I love you.
I don't know who did this, but I love you.
Reposted by Rik M
Or maybe we should provide a universal basic income for ALL humans, no exceptions, no means tests (just take it back from the billionaires at income tax time).
Humans shouldn't need to work to live.
We are not work machines!
Humans shouldn't need to work to live.
We are not work machines!
Even if you were willing to buy that an LLM/Gen AI tool has human-like intellect, you’re still left with the fact that an LLM doesn’t NEED a job to remain alive under capitalism, but a human does.
morality-wise, surely many would agree that humans should thus be given priority for jobs due to need
morality-wise, surely many would agree that humans should thus be given priority for jobs due to need
November 2, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Or maybe we should provide a universal basic income for ALL humans, no exceptions, no means tests (just take it back from the billionaires at income tax time).
Humans shouldn't need to work to live.
We are not work machines!
Humans shouldn't need to work to live.
We are not work machines!
Reposted by Rik M
It is painfully and astonishingly obvious that to correct course we need a few simple things.
A wealth tax followed by gradual tax rises for the wealthiest.
Nationalisation of industries that should never have been privatised.
Reform of Voting.
Scotland and Wales must decide their own paths too.
A wealth tax followed by gradual tax rises for the wealthiest.
Nationalisation of industries that should never have been privatised.
Reform of Voting.
Scotland and Wales must decide their own paths too.
November 3, 2025 at 7:23 AM
It is painfully and astonishingly obvious that to correct course we need a few simple things.
A wealth tax followed by gradual tax rises for the wealthiest.
Nationalisation of industries that should never have been privatised.
Reform of Voting.
Scotland and Wales must decide their own paths too.
A wealth tax followed by gradual tax rises for the wealthiest.
Nationalisation of industries that should never have been privatised.
Reform of Voting.
Scotland and Wales must decide their own paths too.
Reposted by Rik M
Probably my only photographic nod towards Autumn this year, but I quite like it.
#fsprintmonday
#sharemondays2025
#photography #landscapephotography #photographers
#fsprintmonday
#sharemondays2025
#photography #landscapephotography #photographers
November 3, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Probably my only photographic nod towards Autumn this year, but I quite like it.
#fsprintmonday
#sharemondays2025
#photography #landscapephotography #photographers
#fsprintmonday
#sharemondays2025
#photography #landscapephotography #photographers
Reposted by Rik M
Reposted by Rik M
People like Esther McVey are exactly why the Royal British Legion needs a Head of Diversity and Inclusion
Esther McVey MP.
Speaking for the silent majority...
Of idiots.
Speaking for the silent majority...
Of idiots.
November 2, 2025 at 6:43 PM
People like Esther McVey are exactly why the Royal British Legion needs a Head of Diversity and Inclusion