Ian Skidmore
@ianjskidmore.bsky.social
Writing again after a hiatus. Also practising grade 3 jazz piano, rehearsing the Nauti' Buoys set list, gardening, dog-walking, cooking…
Blog: https://ianskidmore.co.uk/
Blog: https://ianskidmore.co.uk/
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
It's not just that it is 'rules-based', it is that it is a single market, not just a trade area. It's this, I think, that isn't understood in the UK, even by some 'pro-Europeans', like Streeting.
December 21, 2025 at 8:46 PM
It's not just that it is 'rules-based', it is that it is a single market, not just a trade area. It's this, I think, that isn't understood in the UK, even by some 'pro-Europeans', like Streeting.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
James Talarico has been doing something really interesting: Preaching the actual teachings of Jesus and showcasing how Christian Nationalism distorts and contradicts the core tenets of Christianity. It’s a worthy, important endeavor I don’t see many politicians willing to do.
What would Jesus do if he visited the United States Senate?
December 21, 2025 at 9:33 PM
James Talarico has been doing something really interesting: Preaching the actual teachings of Jesus and showcasing how Christian Nationalism distorts and contradicts the core tenets of Christianity. It’s a worthy, important endeavor I don’t see many politicians willing to do.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
Streeting seems to have ended up, 10+ years later, at exactly the same misunderstanding as Cameron's pre-referendum 'renegotiation'. Tedious and depressing. (Extract is from my Blogpost of February 2017: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/even...)
December 21, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Streeting seems to have ended up, 10+ years later, at exactly the same misunderstanding as Cameron's pre-referendum 'renegotiation'. Tedious and depressing. (Extract is from my Blogpost of February 2017: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/even...)
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
Threatening us with a good time, is it
Johnson: If we lose the House majority, the radical left will impeach President Trump.
December 21, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Threatening us with a good time, is it
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
I’ve been out walking when a so called trail hunt turned up. It was very clear they were chasing a real fox. I heard the poor creature’s screams as it was torn apart by hounds. You never forget that. The idea these people can pose as countryside lovers is ridiculous and insulting.
December 21, 2025 at 7:15 PM
I’ve been out walking when a so called trail hunt turned up. It was very clear they were chasing a real fox. I heard the poor creature’s screams as it was torn apart by hounds. You never forget that. The idea these people can pose as countryside lovers is ridiculous and insulting.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
"Do people get cross with the BBC? They do. Do people have their own sense of what the BBC is getting wrong all the time? They do," says Emily Maitlis.
"But do they really want to see the end of an institution at Trump's hand? I don't think so"
www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/trum...
"But do they really want to see the end of an institution at Trump's hand? I don't think so"
www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/trum...
Trump vs BBC: Will the British public stand with the broadcaster? | The News Agents
Donald Trump is suing the BBC for $10 billion over a Panorama edit which cut together two clips from his 2021 speech ahead of the Washington riot by MAGA supporters. The BBC’s next steps are not…
www.thenewsagents.co.uk
December 21, 2025 at 10:30 AM
"Do people get cross with the BBC? They do. Do people have their own sense of what the BBC is getting wrong all the time? They do," says Emily Maitlis.
"But do they really want to see the end of an institution at Trump's hand? I don't think so"
www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/trum...
"But do they really want to see the end of an institution at Trump's hand? I don't think so"
www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/trum...
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
Congrats to Australia, this is really cool!
report.cervicalcancercontrol.org.au
report.cervicalcancercontrol.org.au
December 20, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Congrats to Australia, this is really cool!
report.cervicalcancercontrol.org.au
report.cervicalcancercontrol.org.au
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
@greatdismal.bsky.social talks about "the jackpot" in some of his novels not a single breakdown, but a mess of small things adding up, of unintended consequences.
Reading this made me shiver, and feel that this is a harbinger of exactly that pattern.
Reading this made me shiver, and feel that this is a harbinger of exactly that pattern.
‘It’s an open invasion’: how millions of quagga mussels changed Lake Geneva for ever
The molluscs are decimating food chains in Switzerland, have devastated the Great Lakes in the US, and this week were spotted in Northern Ireland for the first time
www.theguardian.com
December 18, 2025 at 4:46 PM
@greatdismal.bsky.social talks about "the jackpot" in some of his novels not a single breakdown, but a mess of small things adding up, of unintended consequences.
Reading this made me shiver, and feel that this is a harbinger of exactly that pattern.
Reading this made me shiver, and feel that this is a harbinger of exactly that pattern.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
Pantone just updated their Color Of The Year
December 20, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Pantone just updated their Color Of The Year
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
Did you know that the US hasn’t had an ambassador in Moscow in 6 months?
Or that our chief envoy to Russia won’t take briefings from the CIA?
But wait, there’s more. Much more in this 6-byline WSJ piece on the Witkoff-Putin axis.
Free link www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
Or that our chief envoy to Russia won’t take briefings from the CIA?
But wait, there’s more. Much more in this 6-byline WSJ piece on the Witkoff-Putin axis.
Free link www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
December 20, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Did you know that the US hasn’t had an ambassador in Moscow in 6 months?
Or that our chief envoy to Russia won’t take briefings from the CIA?
But wait, there’s more. Much more in this 6-byline WSJ piece on the Witkoff-Putin axis.
Free link www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
Or that our chief envoy to Russia won’t take briefings from the CIA?
But wait, there’s more. Much more in this 6-byline WSJ piece on the Witkoff-Putin axis.
Free link www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
This is called ‘A Short Poem Concerning the Proximity of Chris Rea to Home as He Drives Back for Christmas’.
December 21, 2025 at 8:20 AM
This is called ‘A Short Poem Concerning the Proximity of Chris Rea to Home as He Drives Back for Christmas’.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
A thread to read up and down.
Why decline all these chances to defend feminism? Because to participate would be accepting the premise that our rights and humanity are up for debate in the first place.
Once you’ve conceded that it’s reasonable to ask whether women’s equality was a mistake, you’ve already lost.
Once you’ve conceded that it’s reasonable to ask whether women’s equality was a mistake, you’ve already lost.
December 21, 2025 at 8:29 AM
A thread to read up and down.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
I don't particularly like hiking up hills but I like the view from the top. That doesn't mean I'm interested in using a helicopter to shortcut anything. The journey is part of experience, not just the destination. It makes the view that much more worthwhile.
So particularly if you are new to this and seeing frequent “if you don’t like making [art] don’t be an [artist!]” and thinking “But sometimes I DON’T like it…” and Imposter Syndrome is gathering you close and whispering you’re-nothings in your ear, please push it away.
December 21, 2025 at 8:15 AM
I don't particularly like hiking up hills but I like the view from the top. That doesn't mean I'm interested in using a helicopter to shortcut anything. The journey is part of experience, not just the destination. It makes the view that much more worthwhile.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
Oh
They removed the hyperlink trying to hide it, but it's right here:
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
Two images of Trump in the bottom left.
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
Two images of Trump in the bottom left.
www.justice.gov
December 21, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Oh
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
Monaco based tax-exile Jim Ratcliffe businesses received up to £70m UK subsidy in last 4 years. More promised.
Free cash, not repayable, no means-testing, no equity stake taken.
Sunday Times Rich List estimated his wealth to be £17bn.
Benefit cuts for the poor, free cash for corporations/Rich.
Free cash, not repayable, no means-testing, no equity stake taken.
Sunday Times Rich List estimated his wealth to be £17bn.
Benefit cuts for the poor, free cash for corporations/Rich.
Jim Ratcliffe chemical firms received up to £70m of UK state aid in last four years
The government is preparing a £50m bailout for Ineos’s Grangemouth plant, after Jim Ratcliffe asked for help in October
www.theguardian.com
December 21, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Monaco based tax-exile Jim Ratcliffe businesses received up to £70m UK subsidy in last 4 years. More promised.
Free cash, not repayable, no means-testing, no equity stake taken.
Sunday Times Rich List estimated his wealth to be £17bn.
Benefit cuts for the poor, free cash for corporations/Rich.
Free cash, not repayable, no means-testing, no equity stake taken.
Sunday Times Rich List estimated his wealth to be £17bn.
Benefit cuts for the poor, free cash for corporations/Rich.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
In the sixth largest economy, millions of Britons rely on food banks.
No curbs on profiteering. Energy prices up 44% since 2021-22.
Thousands of people can't afford heating, rely on community ‘warm spaces’.
1% have more wealth than 70% of the population combined. Govts appease the rich.
No curbs on profiteering. Energy prices up 44% since 2021-22.
Thousands of people can't afford heating, rely on community ‘warm spaces’.
1% have more wealth than 70% of the population combined. Govts appease the rich.
‘Bills keep going higher’: community ‘warm spaces’ on the rise in the UK
As places such as Walworth Living Room step in to help people in need, charities lament lack of government help
www.theguardian.com
December 21, 2025 at 9:34 AM
In the sixth largest economy, millions of Britons rely on food banks.
No curbs on profiteering. Energy prices up 44% since 2021-22.
Thousands of people can't afford heating, rely on community ‘warm spaces’.
1% have more wealth than 70% of the population combined. Govts appease the rich.
No curbs on profiteering. Energy prices up 44% since 2021-22.
Thousands of people can't afford heating, rely on community ‘warm spaces’.
1% have more wealth than 70% of the population combined. Govts appease the rich.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
Poorest Britons lose right to financial privacy.
The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025 empowers the state to 24/7 snoop on the bank accounts of recipients of universal credit; employment and support allowance; state pension credit.
No court order needed. No right of appeal.
The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025 empowers the state to 24/7 snoop on the bank accounts of recipients of universal credit; employment and support allowance; state pension credit.
No court order needed. No right of appeal.
December 21, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Poorest Britons lose right to financial privacy.
The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025 empowers the state to 24/7 snoop on the bank accounts of recipients of universal credit; employment and support allowance; state pension credit.
No court order needed. No right of appeal.
The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025 empowers the state to 24/7 snoop on the bank accounts of recipients of universal credit; employment and support allowance; state pension credit.
No court order needed. No right of appeal.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
‘We’ve got more in common than what divides us’: a Muslim-Jewish kitchen in Nottingham counters hate and hunger
‘We’ve got more in common than what divides us’: a Muslim-Jewish kitchen in Nottingham counters hate and hunger
As antisemitism and Islamophobia rise, a community centre brings people together over shared meals, offering an antidote to food poverty, social isolation and division
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Donate to the Guardian Charity Appeal 2025 here
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Communities are our defence against hatred. Now, more than ever, we must invest in hope
It’s 2.30pm on a Wednesday afternoon and the Himmah Hub, a community centre in Nottingham, is abuzz with activity. Crates of leftover supermarket food are being carried inside, trestle tables assembled, and volunteers are arriving to prepare meals that will be served in a few hours’ time to anyone who needs one – a queue has already begun to form outside.
This is the Salaam Shalom kitchen, known as SaSh, a joint Muslim-Jewish project set up in 2015, and based on one of the core tenets of both faith groups: bringing people together through food. It also draws on a north Indian tradition of community meals, with food prepared collectively and duties shared across the village, Sajid Mohammed, director of the Muslim-led social justice initiative Himmah, explains. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 21, 2025 at 10:03 AM
‘We’ve got more in common than what divides us’: a Muslim-Jewish kitchen in Nottingham counters hate and hunger
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
And when that bus tells migrants that there are different rules dependent on their income to determine whether or not they belong in this country, while at the same time vilifying them for all the country’s ills then I’d rather walk, thank you very much.
Political parties aren't taxis that you hire to take you to your individual destination.
They're buses.
You pick the one that's going closest to where you want to go.
They're buses.
You pick the one that's going closest to where you want to go.
December 20, 2025 at 10:14 PM
And when that bus tells migrants that there are different rules dependent on their income to determine whether or not they belong in this country, while at the same time vilifying them for all the country’s ills then I’d rather walk, thank you very much.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
In case you were wondering how that ceasefire was going…
Israel bombed a wedding in Gaza today
We will never forget.
Israel bombed a wedding in Gaza today
We will never forget.
December 20, 2025 at 9:08 PM
In case you were wondering how that ceasefire was going…
Israel bombed a wedding in Gaza today
We will never forget.
Israel bombed a wedding in Gaza today
We will never forget.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
ICYMI: Authors including Kate Mosse, Richard Osman and Philip Pullman have backed plans to give newborn babies automatic library cards, following a proposal by think tank the Cultural Policy Unit.
Read more 👇
Read more 👇
Kate Mosse, Richard Osman and Philip Pullman back proposal to give newborns automatic library cards
Authors including Kate Mosse, Richard Osman and Philip Pullman have backed plans to give newborn babies automatic library cards, following a proposal by think tank the Cultural Policy Unit.
ebx.sh
December 20, 2025 at 8:51 PM
ICYMI: Authors including Kate Mosse, Richard Osman and Philip Pullman have backed plans to give newborn babies automatic library cards, following a proposal by think tank the Cultural Policy Unit.
Read more 👇
Read more 👇
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
Putin calling all the shots. Witkoff either doesn’t understand Putin’s goals or doesn’t want to and doesn’t care. Ukraine deserves better. And so do we. www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
How Putin Got His Preferred U.S. Envoy: Come Alone, No CIA
The Kremlin fueled the rise of Trump’s friend Steve Witkoff with a prisoner release, sidelining career diplomats.
www.wsj.com
December 20, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Putin calling all the shots. Witkoff either doesn’t understand Putin’s goals or doesn’t want to and doesn’t care. Ukraine deserves better. And so do we. www.wsj.com/world/putin-...
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
The White House has been caught.
The administration inserted a photo of Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross into the Epstein files and falsely implied it showed them with victims.
In reality, it’s a publicly available fundraiser photo featuring Jackson and Ross’s own children.
The administration inserted a photo of Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross into the Epstein files and falsely implied it showed them with victims.
In reality, it’s a publicly available fundraiser photo featuring Jackson and Ross’s own children.
December 20, 2025 at 12:33 PM
The White House has been caught.
The administration inserted a photo of Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross into the Epstein files and falsely implied it showed them with victims.
In reality, it’s a publicly available fundraiser photo featuring Jackson and Ross’s own children.
The administration inserted a photo of Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross into the Epstein files and falsely implied it showed them with victims.
In reality, it’s a publicly available fundraiser photo featuring Jackson and Ross’s own children.
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
Reposted by Ian Skidmore
It's not just David Walliams who should suffer professional ruin, it's all the senior staff at his publisher involved in implementing a policy whose only possible interpretation is that they believed that he represented a danger to their employees but continued to work with him anyway.
December 20, 2025 at 12:01 PM
It's not just David Walliams who should suffer professional ruin, it's all the senior staff at his publisher involved in implementing a policy whose only possible interpretation is that they believed that he represented a danger to their employees but continued to work with him anyway.