LINAC Engineer, railway modeller, Germanophile.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Every single project is the same and the deciding factor is if politicians can hold their nerve.
December 30, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Every single project is the same and the deciding factor is if politicians can hold their nerve.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
It’s worth mentioning, though it’s been said repeatedly: the Lizzie Line carries 1/6th of UK daily rail passengers (not including the Tube) and has already paid off its entire costs.
And if HS2 had been committed to, without plans being tweaked every 5 minutes, Phase 1 would be opening next year.
And if HS2 had been committed to, without plans being tweaked every 5 minutes, Phase 1 would be opening next year.
Worked example of the crippling effects or Treasury brain here
Elizabeth Line would ‘never’ be built, Michael Portillo wrote when urging cancellation
Former Treasury minister warned that Crossrail London link was too costly and unnecessary, newly released papers show
www.ft.com
December 30, 2025 at 12:17 PM
It’s worth mentioning, though it’s been said repeatedly: the Lizzie Line carries 1/6th of UK daily rail passengers (not including the Tube) and has already paid off its entire costs.
And if HS2 had been committed to, without plans being tweaked every 5 minutes, Phase 1 would be opening next year.
And if HS2 had been committed to, without plans being tweaked every 5 minutes, Phase 1 would be opening next year.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Jess is absolutely right.
The Court of Appeal’s decision in the Begum deprivation of citizenship case, and the Supreme Courts reasons for not hearing an appeal, are two of the worst legal judgments of recent years.
There are other bad decision, but these were awful.
The Court of Appeal’s decision in the Begum deprivation of citizenship case, and the Supreme Courts reasons for not hearing an appeal, are two of the worst legal judgments of recent years.
There are other bad decision, but these were awful.
Begum was one of the worst legal decisions ever made.
December 29, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Jess is absolutely right.
The Court of Appeal’s decision in the Begum deprivation of citizenship case, and the Supreme Courts reasons for not hearing an appeal, are two of the worst legal judgments of recent years.
There are other bad decision, but these were awful.
The Court of Appeal’s decision in the Begum deprivation of citizenship case, and the Supreme Courts reasons for not hearing an appeal, are two of the worst legal judgments of recent years.
There are other bad decision, but these were awful.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Whether it’s the Tory government mismanaging the Elizabeth Line 30 years ago, or the Labour government mismanaging HS2 today, the conservative playbook remains the same.
No matter what we need, negotiate into the ground to keep tax low, to the economic ruin of the country.
No matter what we need, negotiate into the ground to keep tax low, to the economic ruin of the country.
December 30, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Whether it’s the Tory government mismanaging the Elizabeth Line 30 years ago, or the Labour government mismanaging HS2 today, the conservative playbook remains the same.
No matter what we need, negotiate into the ground to keep tax low, to the economic ruin of the country.
No matter what we need, negotiate into the ground to keep tax low, to the economic ruin of the country.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Politicians are terrified of an electorate they think is far more authoritarian and angry and right wing than it actually is, because they are out of touch because the literal media - the thing that mediates between public and polity - is corrupted
December 30, 2025 at 9:42 AM
Politicians are terrified of an electorate they think is far more authoritarian and angry and right wing than it actually is, because they are out of touch because the literal media - the thing that mediates between public and polity - is corrupted
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Man who bought up 33,000 acres of farmland to avoid tax and moved his business to Singapore after the Brexit he voted for wants your sympathy.
December 28, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Man who bought up 33,000 acres of farmland to avoid tax and moved his business to Singapore after the Brexit he voted for wants your sympathy.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Can I just shock you? I think public transport infrastructure is good and these people should fuck off.
‘We hate it. It’s desecration’: the real cost of HS2
‘We hate it. It’s desecration’: the real cost of HS2
The long read: Ten years after I first followed the proposed route, I retraced my steps to see what life was like along the world’s most expensive, heavily delayed railway line
www.theguardian.com
December 16, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Can I just shock you? I think public transport infrastructure is good and these people should fuck off.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Not enough people read Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
December 23, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Not enough people read Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
A new year’s wish that we all start framing paying taxes as positive and patriotic contribution to a better world for all. Thank you Anthony Joshua! I’ve just paid mine too. They were quite a lot less than yours, but for some reason most historians don’t earn £68.5m.
He isn't "losing" this money. This is called "paying tax like a responsible citizen and not hiding your money offshore" and we need to start recognising and applauding it.
December 24, 2025 at 9:30 AM
A new year’s wish that we all start framing paying taxes as positive and patriotic contribution to a better world for all. Thank you Anthony Joshua! I’ve just paid mine too. They were quite a lot less than yours, but for some reason most historians don’t earn £68.5m.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
It should be legal to hunt billionaires for sport. They can easily avoid being hunted for sport by reducing their wealth to a mere *checks notes* 999 million.
The 6 richest men in the world are all Trump allies.
They control the algorithms and data on X, TikTok, Twitch, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads, and YouTube.
They control the algorithms and data on X, TikTok, Twitch, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads, and YouTube.
December 24, 2025 at 11:38 AM
It should be legal to hunt billionaires for sport. They can easily avoid being hunted for sport by reducing their wealth to a mere *checks notes* 999 million.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
So, just to confirm, the BBC can’t keep Robin Ince on the air because his trans allyship brings the organisation into disrepute, but they can keep David Walliams, who performed Nazi salutes at the recording of this very show, on the air despite him being predatory towards women. Cool. Very normal.
December 21, 2025 at 10:59 AM
So, just to confirm, the BBC can’t keep Robin Ince on the air because his trans allyship brings the organisation into disrepute, but they can keep David Walliams, who performed Nazi salutes at the recording of this very show, on the air despite him being predatory towards women. Cool. Very normal.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Watching linear TV for the first time in forever, and you know who *is* overrepresented in adverts?
People who look about 27, have two kids and a massive house.
People who look about 27, have two kids and a massive house.
December 24, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Watching linear TV for the first time in forever, and you know who *is* overrepresented in adverts?
People who look about 27, have two kids and a massive house.
People who look about 27, have two kids and a massive house.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
At least when Keith Joseph didn't believe in the railways he had the excuse that we had had 40 years of decline under British Rail. That Rishi Sunak basically didn't believe in them because he was doing 1980s cosplay is comfortably the worst thing he did as prime minister.
Canceling the northern leg of HS2 was an act of insane self-harm
Industry insiders are concerned that fewer, shorter non-tilting trains are on order for HS2 — and that journey times will return to those of the 1990s
December 20, 2025 at 12:28 PM
At least when Keith Joseph didn't believe in the railways he had the excuse that we had had 40 years of decline under British Rail. That Rishi Sunak basically didn't believe in them because he was doing 1980s cosplay is comfortably the worst thing he did as prime minister.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
We said for years: don't normalise having these "debates" about trans people and immigrants. Everyone thought they knew better. And now it's absolutely normal to say trans people are deviants and immigrants are subhuman, and we're having debates about whether women can vote.
None of this is “good faith political debate,” and it’s not a coincidence that all these outlets are suddenly interested in the same “discussion” at the same time.
Treating women’s humanity like a thought exercise makes it that much easier to legislate away
Treating women’s humanity like a thought exercise makes it that much easier to legislate away
December 21, 2025 at 9:29 AM
We said for years: don't normalise having these "debates" about trans people and immigrants. Everyone thought they knew better. And now it's absolutely normal to say trans people are deviants and immigrants are subhuman, and we're having debates about whether women can vote.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
A 🧵
Things to acknowledge about Labour.
- I won’t be voting for them again. I also don’t know yet who I’ll be voting for in the next GE.
- I will happily acknowledge that the Worker’s Rights Bill, the Breakfast Club programme, the VAWG work and quite a few other points are good work.
However.
Things to acknowledge about Labour.
- I won’t be voting for them again. I also don’t know yet who I’ll be voting for in the next GE.
- I will happily acknowledge that the Worker’s Rights Bill, the Breakfast Club programme, the VAWG work and quite a few other points are good work.
However.
December 20, 2025 at 11:26 AM
A 🧵
Things to acknowledge about Labour.
- I won’t be voting for them again. I also don’t know yet who I’ll be voting for in the next GE.
- I will happily acknowledge that the Worker’s Rights Bill, the Breakfast Club programme, the VAWG work and quite a few other points are good work.
However.
Things to acknowledge about Labour.
- I won’t be voting for them again. I also don’t know yet who I’ll be voting for in the next GE.
- I will happily acknowledge that the Worker’s Rights Bill, the Breakfast Club programme, the VAWG work and quite a few other points are good work.
However.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Not a fan of modern sanitised motorway services. A service station should feel like the last port on the edge of civilisation. You should only be able to buy skewered meats and spare parts for your hyperdrive. There should be arm wrestling. You should have to watch out for bounty hunters.
December 17, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Not a fan of modern sanitised motorway services. A service station should feel like the last port on the edge of civilisation. You should only be able to buy skewered meats and spare parts for your hyperdrive. There should be arm wrestling. You should have to watch out for bounty hunters.
How have I only just found out about wok racing @thekenchilds.com ? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wok_rac...
Wok racing - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 16, 2025 at 9:36 PM
How have I only just found out about wok racing @thekenchilds.com ? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wok_rac...
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Whenever I see a minister (or backbench Labour MP) give some weak response, I just want to scream the following at them:
YOU ARE THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY WITH AN ENTIRE COMMS APPARATUS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS - USE THE BULLY PULPIT TO SAY “RACISM BAD.“ ALL DAY, EVERYDAY, ON EVERY AVAILABLE OUTLET
YOU ARE THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY WITH AN ENTIRE COMMS APPARATUS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS - USE THE BULLY PULPIT TO SAY “RACISM BAD.“ ALL DAY, EVERYDAY, ON EVERY AVAILABLE OUTLET
December 14, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Whenever I see a minister (or backbench Labour MP) give some weak response, I just want to scream the following at them:
YOU ARE THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY WITH AN ENTIRE COMMS APPARATUS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS - USE THE BULLY PULPIT TO SAY “RACISM BAD.“ ALL DAY, EVERYDAY, ON EVERY AVAILABLE OUTLET
YOU ARE THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY WITH AN ENTIRE COMMS APPARATUS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS - USE THE BULLY PULPIT TO SAY “RACISM BAD.“ ALL DAY, EVERYDAY, ON EVERY AVAILABLE OUTLET
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
I will never forgive Swiss Sliding for making Timo change his IBSF athlete page picture. The first picture is what it was before, the second is the standardized one that they made him switch it to.
Seriously, everyone's headshot should be something like what he had.
Seriously, everyone's headshot should be something like what he had.
December 14, 2025 at 2:12 PM
I will never forgive Swiss Sliding for making Timo change his IBSF athlete page picture. The first picture is what it was before, the second is the standardized one that they made him switch it to.
Seriously, everyone's headshot should be something like what he had.
Seriously, everyone's headshot should be something like what he had.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Bridget Phillipson knew her history, was told by MPs not to appoint her, insisted on appointing her, and in her first interview the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has ignored super clear and explicit human rights law that trans people are not a third sex. What a disgrace.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
Doubling down on effectively excluding trans and non-binary individuals from public spaces.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Doubling down on effectively excluding trans and non-binary individuals from public spaces.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Equality boss expects people to 'follow rules' over single-sex spaces
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson said "things could be sorted out if there is goodwill and recognition that everybody has rights".
www.bbc.com
December 14, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Bridget Phillipson knew her history, was told by MPs not to appoint her, insisted on appointing her, and in her first interview the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has ignored super clear and explicit human rights law that trans people are not a third sex. What a disgrace.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
Two parliamentary committees recommended against appointing the now chair of the EHRC, not because of her obvious transphobia but because of her lack of experience on race and disability. She also doesn’t seem that up on LGB+ issues either.
There are 9 protected characteristics, she’s shit at 4.
There are 9 protected characteristics, she’s shit at 4.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
Doubling down on effectively excluding trans and non-binary individuals from public spaces.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Doubling down on effectively excluding trans and non-binary individuals from public spaces.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Equality boss expects people to 'follow rules' over single-sex spaces
Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson said "things could be sorted out if there is goodwill and recognition that everybody has rights".
www.bbc.com
December 14, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Two parliamentary committees recommended against appointing the now chair of the EHRC, not because of her obvious transphobia but because of her lack of experience on race and disability. She also doesn’t seem that up on LGB+ issues either.
There are 9 protected characteristics, she’s shit at 4.
There are 9 protected characteristics, she’s shit at 4.
Reposted by Duncan Bourne @[email protected]
The fact is no presenter has ever had to leave the BBC for expressing conservative views, or even explicitly endorsing a right-wing party.
Was never a problem for Jeremy Clarkson. Was never a problem for Andrew Neil. Was never a problem for Alan Sugar
Was never a problem for Jeremy Clarkson. Was never a problem for Andrew Neil. Was never a problem for Alan Sugar
Robin Ince reveals to last night’s audience at a recording of Infinite Monkey Cage that the BBC has forced him to resign over his support of trans people
December 13, 2025 at 4:36 PM
The fact is no presenter has ever had to leave the BBC for expressing conservative views, or even explicitly endorsing a right-wing party.
Was never a problem for Jeremy Clarkson. Was never a problem for Andrew Neil. Was never a problem for Alan Sugar
Was never a problem for Jeremy Clarkson. Was never a problem for Andrew Neil. Was never a problem for Alan Sugar