Chris Melvin
@chrismelv.bsky.social
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Me while everyone is posting their wonderful and frankly very impressive ‘achievements of 2025’ posts
December 31, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Me while everyone is posting their wonderful and frankly very impressive ‘achievements of 2025’ posts
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Thinking again of Priti Patel’s Christmas Playbook answer on what got her through lockdown:
December 23, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Thinking again of Priti Patel’s Christmas Playbook answer on what got her through lockdown:
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Britain’s population could start shrinking sooner than we think
Successive changes to immigration rules are seeing visa applications plummet. Meanwhile, revisions to data - plus an expected student exodus next year - should send the official emigration figures higher
1/4
Successive changes to immigration rules are seeing visa applications plummet. Meanwhile, revisions to data - plus an expected student exodus next year - should send the official emigration figures higher
1/4
December 21, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Britain’s population could start shrinking sooner than we think
Successive changes to immigration rules are seeing visa applications plummet. Meanwhile, revisions to data - plus an expected student exodus next year - should send the official emigration figures higher
1/4
Successive changes to immigration rules are seeing visa applications plummet. Meanwhile, revisions to data - plus an expected student exodus next year - should send the official emigration figures higher
1/4
Reposted by Chris Melvin
"how can someone not at least find it interesting watching a whole planet shift geological ages in the blink of an eye?"
Hear, hear!
Hear, hear!
December 20, 2025 at 9:24 AM
"how can someone not at least find it interesting watching a whole planet shift geological ages in the blink of an eye?"
Hear, hear!
Hear, hear!
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Yet another offshore wind farm gets approval. www.businessgreen.com/news/4523455...
Five Estuaries: Government green lights 300MW North Sea offshore wind project
Plans to add 79 turbines to existing Galloper Wind Farm off the Suffolk coast approved by DESNZ
www.businessgreen.com
December 18, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Yet another offshore wind farm gets approval. www.businessgreen.com/news/4523455...
Reposted by Chris Melvin
*Screams endlessly in infrastructure* Just build stuff! Just build it now! We've got so much cheaper and quicker light rail tech now, the whole country should look like a tram line.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Leeds-Bradford £2.5bn tram plan delayed after government review
West Yorkshire's mayor says she is confident the trams will be running
www.bbc.co.uk
December 18, 2025 at 9:07 AM
*Screams endlessly in infrastructure* Just build stuff! Just build it now! We've got so much cheaper and quicker light rail tech now, the whole country should look like a tram line.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Reims approved 2005 - opened 2011
Lyon approved 1996 - opened 2001
Luxembourg approved 2014 - opened 2017
Aarhus approved 2012 - opened 2017
Leeds first approval 2001 (well the Supertram proposal, anyway) - new proposal opening *maybe* late 2030s
Lyon approved 1996 - opened 2001
Luxembourg approved 2014 - opened 2017
Aarhus approved 2012 - opened 2017
Leeds first approval 2001 (well the Supertram proposal, anyway) - new proposal opening *maybe* late 2030s
What a fucking joke this country is. If we can’t build a tram faster than the late 2030s, we should just give up.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Leeds-Bradford £2.5bn tram plan delayed after government review
West Yorkshire's mayor says she is confident the trams will be running
www.bbc.co.uk
December 18, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reims approved 2005 - opened 2011
Lyon approved 1996 - opened 2001
Luxembourg approved 2014 - opened 2017
Aarhus approved 2012 - opened 2017
Leeds first approval 2001 (well the Supertram proposal, anyway) - new proposal opening *maybe* late 2030s
Lyon approved 1996 - opened 2001
Luxembourg approved 2014 - opened 2017
Aarhus approved 2012 - opened 2017
Leeds first approval 2001 (well the Supertram proposal, anyway) - new proposal opening *maybe* late 2030s
Reposted by Chris Melvin
The Basque Government/Biscay provincial government have just agreed to finance the FIFTH new Bilbao metro line covering a population of roughly that of Leeds and Bradford. Every station and platform is fully accessible and the current maximum fare is 0.76€ per journey.
Remember when HS2 to Leeds was cancelled by the NIC's shitty maths and fundamental lack of expertise, and Leeds was thrown the bone of "you'll get trams" and I said those would never be delivered?
Yeah, as I was saying...
Yeah, as I was saying...
December 18, 2025 at 10:02 AM
The Basque Government/Biscay provincial government have just agreed to finance the FIFTH new Bilbao metro line covering a population of roughly that of Leeds and Bradford. Every station and platform is fully accessible and the current maximum fare is 0.76€ per journey.
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Auditors and new officials have been turning over stones at the body in charge of Teesworks. Turns out the Tees Valley Combined Authority has been lending hundreds of millions of £ to connected orgs, without loan agreements, and those orgs are now struggling to repay
as.ft.com/r/ac457745-4...
as.ft.com/r/ac457745-4...
Auditors raise red flags at public body run by Ben Houchen
[FREE TO READ] EY said errors included ‘material misstatements’ in latest setback for Conservative metro mayor Lord Houchen
as.ft.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Auditors and new officials have been turning over stones at the body in charge of Teesworks. Turns out the Tees Valley Combined Authority has been lending hundreds of millions of £ to connected orgs, without loan agreements, and those orgs are now struggling to repay
as.ft.com/r/ac457745-4...
as.ft.com/r/ac457745-4...
Reposted by Chris Melvin
So many reasons why I love the FT but this kind of article is absolutely one of them
The FT's favourite non-FT articles of 2025 www.ft.com/content/72d0...
FT journalists pick their favourite non-FT articles of the year
Everything you should read that we didn’t write
www.ft.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:23 AM
So many reasons why I love the FT but this kind of article is absolutely one of them
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Next year: the year I am really going to get off my phone.
December 15, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Next year: the year I am really going to get off my phone.
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Rob Reiner: I'm going to make a coming of age drama, a fantasy adventure story, a romantic comedy, a psychological horror and then a courtroom drama.
Us: Across your entire career?
Reiner: In a 6 year period.
Us: That sounds-
Reiner: -Each one will be arguably the best movie in that genre.
Us: Across your entire career?
Reiner: In a 6 year period.
Us: That sounds-
Reiner: -Each one will be arguably the best movie in that genre.
December 15, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Rob Reiner: I'm going to make a coming of age drama, a fantasy adventure story, a romantic comedy, a psychological horror and then a courtroom drama.
Us: Across your entire career?
Reiner: In a 6 year period.
Us: That sounds-
Reiner: -Each one will be arguably the best movie in that genre.
Us: Across your entire career?
Reiner: In a 6 year period.
Us: That sounds-
Reiner: -Each one will be arguably the best movie in that genre.
Reposted by Chris Melvin
It’s so cool that every website is just Like This now. We used to send guys to the chair for putting pop-up ads on their sites. Now if I want to read something I have to read single lines between autoplaying video ads that use so much RAM they force the browser to reload every 5 seconds.
December 15, 2025 at 12:27 AM
It’s so cool that every website is just Like This now. We used to send guys to the chair for putting pop-up ads on their sites. Now if I want to read something I have to read single lines between autoplaying video ads that use so much RAM they force the browser to reload every 5 seconds.
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Incredible footage out of Australia, confirmed by NEWS AU, of a brave bystander neutralizing one of the terrorists in the Bondi Beach attack which took place during a Hanukkah gathering.
Australian authorities say multiple people have been killed.
At least two suspects are in custody.
Australian authorities say multiple people have been killed.
At least two suspects are in custody.
December 14, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Incredible footage out of Australia, confirmed by NEWS AU, of a brave bystander neutralizing one of the terrorists in the Bondi Beach attack which took place during a Hanukkah gathering.
Australian authorities say multiple people have been killed.
At least two suspects are in custody.
Australian authorities say multiple people have been killed.
At least two suspects are in custody.
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Lunatics
Some highlights from the X reaction to Sofie Jenkinson's concept of "Silly Sausage Britain":
December 12, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Lunatics
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Great piece on how BP and Shell tried a big bang approach to try and shift their business towards the energy transition and why this failed.
Also interesting footnote that a set of executives trained on energy transition have now ‘fanned out across the sector’
www.ft.com/content/c6d7...
Also interesting footnote that a set of executives trained on energy transition have now ‘fanned out across the sector’
www.ft.com/content/c6d7...
Inside the failed green revolutions at BP and Shell
How the energy giants tried to transform their businesses — but ended up dramatically scaling back those plans and writing off billions of dollars
www.ft.com
December 11, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Great piece on how BP and Shell tried a big bang approach to try and shift their business towards the energy transition and why this failed.
Also interesting footnote that a set of executives trained on energy transition have now ‘fanned out across the sector’
www.ft.com/content/c6d7...
Also interesting footnote that a set of executives trained on energy transition have now ‘fanned out across the sector’
www.ft.com/content/c6d7...
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Since 2000, London has added more than 1.9 million residents (+26%), but the number of vehicle miles driven has declined by 10%; it's declined most spectacularly in the center.
Outside of London, vehicle miles traveled have increased rapidly over the same period. content.tfl.gov.uk/travel-in-lo...
Outside of London, vehicle miles traveled have increased rapidly over the same period. content.tfl.gov.uk/travel-in-lo...
December 10, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Since 2000, London has added more than 1.9 million residents (+26%), but the number of vehicle miles driven has declined by 10%; it's declined most spectacularly in the center.
Outside of London, vehicle miles traveled have increased rapidly over the same period. content.tfl.gov.uk/travel-in-lo...
Outside of London, vehicle miles traveled have increased rapidly over the same period. content.tfl.gov.uk/travel-in-lo...
Reposted by Chris Melvin
December 9, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Reposted by Chris Melvin
New Home Office impact assessment finds that cutting skilled and social care visas will cost the UK up to £10 billion with a central estimate of -£5.4 billion.
It would be good if this got even a fraction of the coverage devoted to the endless debate about boats, flags and Turkish barber shops
It would be good if this got even a fraction of the coverage devoted to the endless debate about boats, flags and Turkish barber shops
December 9, 2025 at 2:36 PM
New Home Office impact assessment finds that cutting skilled and social care visas will cost the UK up to £10 billion with a central estimate of -£5.4 billion.
It would be good if this got even a fraction of the coverage devoted to the endless debate about boats, flags and Turkish barber shops
It would be good if this got even a fraction of the coverage devoted to the endless debate about boats, flags and Turkish barber shops
Reposted by Chris Melvin
It's only an electric HGV travelling all the way from John O'Groats to Land's End. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522962...
Mercedes-Benz truck becomes first electric HGV to drive from Land's End to John O'Groats
Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 drove 854 miles in just over 24 hours, with only three recharging stops
www.businessgreen.com
December 9, 2025 at 5:23 PM
It's only an electric HGV travelling all the way from John O'Groats to Land's End. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522962...
Reposted by Chris Melvin
It's really quite mad that Companies House, a government website which lists every company in the UK, has only just started verifying that the people who register as directors of companies are who they say they are on 18 November, 2025. companieshouse.blog.gov.uk/2025/10/16/m...
Making identity verification simple, secure and trusted
From 18 November 2025, directors and people with significant control (PSCs) will be legally required to verify their identity. Read more about the identity verification process.
companieshouse.blog.gov.uk
December 9, 2025 at 5:27 PM
It's really quite mad that Companies House, a government website which lists every company in the UK, has only just started verifying that the people who register as directors of companies are who they say they are on 18 November, 2025. companieshouse.blog.gov.uk/2025/10/16/m...
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Look up under "why leaving X is good, in a selfish way."
Gizmodo has 2.5 MILLION followed on X, and this has been up for 14 hours.
All of you still using it for The Engagement: what am I missing here???
All of you still using it for The Engagement: what am I missing here???
December 9, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Look up under "why leaving X is good, in a selfish way."
Reposted by Chris Melvin
Yet another massive UK wind power record confirmed this evening. At 5:30pm on Friday wind met over 47% of the UK's electricity demand. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522947...
'Another record': UK wind power generation hits all-time high
NESO confirms Great Britain generated a new peak of 23,825MW of electricity from its wind farms, providing enough clean power for over 23 million homes
www.businessgreen.com
December 8, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Yet another massive UK wind power record confirmed this evening. At 5:30pm on Friday wind met over 47% of the UK's electricity demand. www.businessgreen.com/news/4522947...
Reposted by Chris Melvin
can't stop watching this clip of a tesla Optimus teleoperator taking his headset off before properly logging out the robot
December 8, 2025 at 9:29 AM
can't stop watching this clip of a tesla Optimus teleoperator taking his headset off before properly logging out the robot