I *think* that because there are so many communities from the European diaspora in Australia, it became really popular there and that was reflected in an invitation to compete in an anniversary contest. What was supposed to be a one-off was so popular it has been repeated every year since.

I'm very glad you published this, Elsa. It is a remarkable piece; brave, human, honest. I related to almost every word (I don't think I've ever been accused of being dramatic 'cause, y'know, male). I needed to read your piece today, in the midst of a difficult personal situation. Thank you.

We moved over the summer, from Merseyside to Middlesex and while I haven't had a text from our new GP practice, I did get one from a surgery in Huyton asking why I hadn't booked my flu jab jet (Huyton is 8 miles from where we used to live and I'd only attended this surgery twice, out of hours).

I started Slow Trains Around Britain by Tom Chesshyre last night after learning about it on one of these threads. Just finished Uncommon People by Miranda Sawyer which was a really good exploration of the Britpop era.

Well, you’re not wrong, but the Circle isn’t the only Tube line with a name that is more historic than accurate. The Metropolitan and District Lines both bear the names of the long-dead companies which built them. Also more than half of the network is actually above ground.

The Times! Once considered the “paper of record” and now reduced to running this nonsense.

I’m gobsmacked.

It is possible to simultaneously be autistic and a terrible human. Wallace is just one example of that. Trying to paint himself as a victim by saying he should have been protected from “a dangerous environment” is just bullshit.

I’ve been in regular contact with @anneliesemidgleymp.bsky.social’s office about this and DWP’s handling of existing claims for months. At the end of March a letter went to DWP about how I was treated by them. As far as I know, DWP never responded. It’s really disheartening.

Really? I’m guessing The Ballad of Tom Jones did pretty well…

True. It isn’t always easy to capture the nuance in 300 characters, and you know much more about that world than I do.

I read your post and just thought how rough it is on both authors and the staff who’ve lost their jobs. I don’t think publishing is inherently worse than other industries. Businesses close for all kinds of reasons, in every field. Sorry you’re at a low ebb, though.

I didn’t know Tom Chesshyre had a new Slow Trains out. How exciting! A must read for me.

My current read is A Village in the Third Reich by Julia Boyd & Angelika Patel. Only three chapters in, but enjoying it so far.