@groundelder.bsky.social
Green Party member. Likes Parkrun, libraries and public transport.
Chatsworth, from the bus. Aren't our country houses lovely with their skirts of parked cars. Capability Brown would be so pleased.
December 8, 2025 at 12:14 PM
Chatsworth, from the bus. Aren't our country houses lovely with their skirts of parked cars. Capability Brown would be so pleased.
Reposted
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
Reposted
this is a piece of Wendy Cope's poetry that my mum shared with me and then it took up residence in the spare room in my head
He tells her that the Earth is flat
He knows the facts & that is that
In altercations fierce & long
She tries her best to prove him wrong
But he has learned to argue well
He calls her arguments unsound
And often asks her not to yell
She cannot win. He stands his ground
The planet goes on being round
He knows the facts & that is that
In altercations fierce & long
She tries her best to prove him wrong
But he has learned to argue well
He calls her arguments unsound
And often asks her not to yell
She cannot win. He stands his ground
The planet goes on being round
December 6, 2025 at 11:27 PM
this is a piece of Wendy Cope's poetry that my mum shared with me and then it took up residence in the spare room in my head
Reposted
Tonight's (and yesterday's) viewing. Enlightening. Turns out dealing with youth unemployment is one of the most important things a country can do. Who knew?
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
The Balkans: Europe’s Forgotten Frontier
Thirty years on from the Yugoslav wars of independence, Katya Adler finds a beautiful region undergoing rapid change. But what's next for this often overlooked corner of Europe?
www.bbc.co.uk
December 5, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Tonight's (and yesterday's) viewing. Enlightening. Turns out dealing with youth unemployment is one of the most important things a country can do. Who knew?
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
Reposted
This is brutal. A decade of inaction.
*Statements directly lifted from the A6 Corridor Study of ten years ago (p194). www.highpeak.gov.uk/media/1620/M...
It’s a fun read (trust me) that proposes loads of other sensible interventions while discounting a bypass idea. Let’s see how many have been achieved since… (yet bypass talk returns!)
It’s a fun read (trust me) that proposes loads of other sensible interventions while discounting a bypass idea. Let’s see how many have been achieved since… (yet bypass talk returns!)
December 4, 2025 at 4:39 PM
This is brutal. A decade of inaction.
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With Christmas fast approaching, I thought I would share some of the non-fiction books I have read/re-read this year which I would recommend if people are still looking for presents, the ones which seem somewhat....relevant to the current state of things, rather than necessarily "fun" reads 👇1/
December 4, 2025 at 3:58 PM
With Christmas fast approaching, I thought I would share some of the non-fiction books I have read/re-read this year which I would recommend if people are still looking for presents, the ones which seem somewhat....relevant to the current state of things, rather than necessarily "fun" reads 👇1/
Reposted
You can help Bolts continue to provide crucial coverage of local elections. Here's how:
- Repost this = I donate $1.
- Follow @boltsmag.org = I donate $1.
- Donate (link below) + tell me how much = I match your donation.
(Donate monthly = I match a year's worth)
- Repost this = I donate $1.
- Follow @boltsmag.org = I donate $1.
- Donate (link below) + tell me how much = I match your donation.
(Donate monthly = I match a year's worth)
Support Bolts
We are a nonprofit publication that covers the nuts and bolts of political change, from the local up, and we need reader support to build our journalism.
boltsmag.org
December 3, 2025 at 6:20 PM
You can help Bolts continue to provide crucial coverage of local elections. Here's how:
- Repost this = I donate $1.
- Follow @boltsmag.org = I donate $1.
- Donate (link below) + tell me how much = I match your donation.
(Donate monthly = I match a year's worth)
- Repost this = I donate $1.
- Follow @boltsmag.org = I donate $1.
- Donate (link below) + tell me how much = I match your donation.
(Donate monthly = I match a year's worth)
Reposted
This is an excellent resource for anyone in the UK. It hits quie differently once you see just how much privatisation has been destroying this country. It makes it even clearer for me: any party that maintains neoliberalism is a threat to life in the UK.
www.common-wealth.org/interactive/...
www.common-wealth.org/interactive/...
From Cradle to Grave | Who Owns Britain
A Visual Essay tracing an invisible web of ownership shapes our lives from cradle to grave.
www.common-wealth.org
December 3, 2025 at 2:30 PM
This is an excellent resource for anyone in the UK. It hits quie differently once you see just how much privatisation has been destroying this country. It makes it even clearer for me: any party that maintains neoliberalism is a threat to life in the UK.
www.common-wealth.org/interactive/...
www.common-wealth.org/interactive/...
Everybody needs loo roll 92% crowdfunded - buy a box for those you love as a Christmas present! www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/...
Clean Sheet. Change, From the bottom up. by Clean Sheet - Indiegogo
A toilet roll where 100% of the profits fund fairer housing, climate action and workers' rights
www.indiegogo.com
December 2, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Everybody needs loo roll 92% crowdfunded - buy a box for those you love as a Christmas present! www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/...
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It'd be cool if the "increasing the cost of motoring hurts poor people" people cared anything like as much about cost to people who rely on public transport - who are disproportionately likely to be poor and disabled, and who consistently face far greater increases in cost.
November 26, 2025 at 12:11 PM
It'd be cool if the "increasing the cost of motoring hurts poor people" people cared anything like as much about cost to people who rely on public transport - who are disproportionately likely to be poor and disabled, and who consistently face far greater increases in cost.
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"Unelected power" of ultra-rich is reshaping British politics, report claims
Equality Trust study shows how House of Lords appointments, big donations and media ownership affect political decisions
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Equality Trust study shows how House of Lords appointments, big donations and media ownership affect political decisions
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
‘Unelected power’ of ultra-rich is reshaping British politics, report claims
Equality Trust study shows how House of Lords appointments, big donations and media ownership affect political decisions
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:08 PM
"Unelected power" of ultra-rich is reshaping British politics, report claims
Equality Trust study shows how House of Lords appointments, big donations and media ownership affect political decisions
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Equality Trust study shows how House of Lords appointments, big donations and media ownership affect political decisions
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
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Follow @nojusticemtg.bsky.social (and me!) bsky.app/profile/ryan...
anyway this @unlearnecon.bsky.social interview is instructive as to the state of play in UK politics. it's very well might be Green vs Reform for the top spot in the next election youtu.be/sPugXPiTuHE...
Fixing the UK Economy - with @NoJusticeMTG
YouTube video by Unlearning Economics Live
youtu.be
November 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Follow @nojusticemtg.bsky.social (and me!) bsky.app/profile/ryan...
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NEW by @benquinn75.bsky.social with some minor help from me*: Reform said last week they had saved £331m at councils they run, but they have yet to produce a list showing how, and what information they have given is both £260m short and not 100% convincing.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reform UK claim to have saved £331m at English councils – but do the numbers stack up?
Experts say councils face limits on cuts as Reform’s savings on IT deals, office moves and EV projects are disputed
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:51 PM
NEW by @benquinn75.bsky.social with some minor help from me*: Reform said last week they had saved £331m at councils they run, but they have yet to produce a list showing how, and what information they have given is both £260m short and not 100% convincing.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted
Things that aren’t random. Many are laid out in project 2025.
Get active locally, run for office, speak up, and READ.
Articles:
thetechpencil.com/when-enforce...
apnews.com/article/spyw...
Get active locally, run for office, speak up, and READ.
Articles:
thetechpencil.com/when-enforce...
apnews.com/article/spyw...
November 20, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Things that aren’t random. Many are laid out in project 2025.
Get active locally, run for office, speak up, and READ.
Articles:
thetechpencil.com/when-enforce...
apnews.com/article/spyw...
Get active locally, run for office, speak up, and READ.
Articles:
thetechpencil.com/when-enforce...
apnews.com/article/spyw...
Reposted
It's Friday afternoon, so who wouldn't want to enter the weekend with one more round of my patented bubble plots of British politics? In this final (one hopes) of my mini-series I look at who the 'odd ones out' of British politics are. Who is 'out of touch' with the rest of the public. Let's see 1/n
November 21, 2025 at 4:15 PM
It's Friday afternoon, so who wouldn't want to enter the weekend with one more round of my patented bubble plots of British politics? In this final (one hopes) of my mini-series I look at who the 'odd ones out' of British politics are. Who is 'out of touch' with the rest of the public. Let's see 1/n
Reposted
Yet another evidence review argues very strongly that simply providing alternatives to driving doesn't reduce driving
This isn't surprising, if only thanks to habit. If I unthinkingly jump in my car for every trip (as many do), new buses won't change that
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
This isn't surprising, if only thanks to habit. If I unthinkingly jump in my car for every trip (as many do), new buses won't change that
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reducing traffic with “carrots”: A review of the evidence
Reducing traffic volumes is one way to reduce carbon emissions from the transport sector. Since increasing driving costs is often met with public resi…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Yet another evidence review argues very strongly that simply providing alternatives to driving doesn't reduce driving
This isn't surprising, if only thanks to habit. If I unthinkingly jump in my car for every trip (as many do), new buses won't change that
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
This isn't surprising, if only thanks to habit. If I unthinkingly jump in my car for every trip (as many do), new buses won't change that
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted
TODAY is publication day for my first book! If You Want to Win, You’ve Got to Fight: A Guide To Effective Transportation Advocacy is a practical guide for people who want to make #transit, #bike, and street safety changes in their community
Check it out at islandpress.org/books/if-you...
Check it out at islandpress.org/books/if-you...
November 13, 2025 at 4:09 PM
TODAY is publication day for my first book! If You Want to Win, You’ve Got to Fight: A Guide To Effective Transportation Advocacy is a practical guide for people who want to make #transit, #bike, and street safety changes in their community
Check it out at islandpress.org/books/if-you...
Check it out at islandpress.org/books/if-you...
Reposted
*looks out the window*
Is this a good time to remind you all about our guest article on helping to prevent flood risk with plants?!
oxfordclarion.uk/how-plants-c...
Is this a good time to remind you all about our guest article on helping to prevent flood risk with plants?!
oxfordclarion.uk/how-plants-c...
How plants can help reduce flood risk
When I lived in Scotland, people often used to say to me “Don’t worry if you’re not happy with the weather, it’ll change in 15 minutes.” And they weren’t lying. It wasn’t uncommon to have all four sea...
oxfordclarion.uk
November 14, 2025 at 4:34 PM
*looks out the window*
Is this a good time to remind you all about our guest article on helping to prevent flood risk with plants?!
oxfordclarion.uk/how-plants-c...
Is this a good time to remind you all about our guest article on helping to prevent flood risk with plants?!
oxfordclarion.uk/how-plants-c...
And hopefully the same in England!
🧵 4/4
all.
Bus services should be run in the public interest rather than corporate profits, with affordable, accessible and reliable services for all communities.
Publicly owned bus companies are normal throughout Europe, and there is no reason that we can’t do the same in Scotland.
all.
Bus services should be run in the public interest rather than corporate profits, with affordable, accessible and reliable services for all communities.
Publicly owned bus companies are normal throughout Europe, and there is no reason that we can’t do the same in Scotland.
November 12, 2025 at 3:55 PM
And hopefully the same in England!
Reposted
davekarpf.substack.com/p/every-gene... This by @davekarpf.bsky.social is very, _very_ good. Much traditional media is badly geared to understand movement politics, and often, it helps to actually know stuff!
Every generation gets to recreate the environmental movement to suit its own purposes
Some big-picture reactions to a recent NYT piece
davekarpf.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:18 PM
davekarpf.substack.com/p/every-gene... This by @davekarpf.bsky.social is very, _very_ good. Much traditional media is badly geared to understand movement politics, and often, it helps to actually know stuff!
Reposted
Are Oxford‘s poorest areas sharing in its prosperity? As billionaires pour more money into the city’s AI and biotech industries, we take a deep dive into gentrification in Oxford and the city’s housing crisis. (With maps and data!) oxfordclarion.uk/gentrifying-...
Gentrifying Oxford vs the left-behinds
Oxford’s poorest areas are not sharing equally in the city’s increased prosperity, new figures suggest.
Parts of Minchery Farm, Rose Hill, and Wood Farm are now suffering more deprivation compared to...
oxfordclarion.uk
November 12, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Are Oxford‘s poorest areas sharing in its prosperity? As billionaires pour more money into the city’s AI and biotech industries, we take a deep dive into gentrification in Oxford and the city’s housing crisis. (With maps and data!) oxfordclarion.uk/gentrifying-...
"It wasn’t my present, but I met a couple in the library who were choosing – to borrow – a book for each other.” - Brilliant!
“I always ask my friends to gift me their favourite book they’ve read that year. I get a glimpse into their world, and it makes me feel closer to them..”
www.positive.news/society/reve...
www.positive.news/society/reve...
Revealed: the best Christmas gifts you’ve ever received - Positive News
Looking for Christmas gift inspiration? Then take a cue from Positive News readers, who reveal the most meaningful Christmas presents they have received
www.positive.news
November 11, 2025 at 9:40 PM
"It wasn’t my present, but I met a couple in the library who were choosing – to borrow – a book for each other.” - Brilliant!
Brilliant news! We need more youth centres everywhere.
A new community and youth centre in Thame took a step forward as over £700,000 of developer (S106) funding was approved. The building will include a community hall, a music room, kitchen, and a dedicated youth club, with EV charging, bike racks, a refreshed play area, and accessible toilets.
Over £700,000 of funding approved for new community and youth centre in Thame - South Oxfordshire District Council
Exciting news for people of South Oxfordshire this month with £779,246 of funding approved as a contribution towards the building of a new Community and Youth Centre at Southern Road Recreation Ground...
www.southoxon.gov.uk
November 11, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Brilliant news! We need more youth centres everywhere.
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Last night, I started reading a book that I have had for ages. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff. My goodness, it's sooooo charming. 😁 No idea why I hadn't read it before. 💙📚
November 11, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Last night, I started reading a book that I have had for ages. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff. My goodness, it's sooooo charming. 😁 No idea why I hadn't read it before. 💙📚
Reposted
Smashing to see @graceblakeley.substack.com look more closely at Carnegie's Life in the UK data: bsky.app/profile/grac...
72% do not feel that they can influence decisions affecting the UK.
Why? Because our political and economic institutions have been captured by the wealthy.
And our democracy is failing as a result.
graceblakeley.substack.com/p/the-uks-fa...
Why? Because our political and economic institutions have been captured by the wealthy.
And our democracy is failing as a result.
graceblakeley.substack.com/p/the-uks-fa...
The UK's Failing Democracy
The Carnegie Foundation's Life in the UK report shows the weakness of UK democracy, and the suffering caused as a result .
graceblakeley.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Smashing to see @graceblakeley.substack.com look more closely at Carnegie's Life in the UK data: bsky.app/profile/grac...