Phil Marsden
@philmarsden.bsky.social
Reader, runner, cyclist, not necessarily in that order.
Largely by 2 men - Johnson and Farage. Although there were lots of willing lieutenants, and Cameron kicked it all off.
November 11, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Largely by 2 men - Johnson and Farage. Although there were lots of willing lieutenants, and Cameron kicked it all off.
I gave up on Cory Doctorow. 5000 words every day on...stuff. Talk about enshittification (and he does, relentlessly)
November 11, 2025 at 5:30 PM
I gave up on Cory Doctorow. 5000 words every day on...stuff. Talk about enshittification (and he does, relentlessly)
Apparently you were being horrendously misogynistic without mentioning women at all. No doubt it was all in the tone.
November 11, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Apparently you were being horrendously misogynistic without mentioning women at all. No doubt it was all in the tone.
At a time when half of American flights were cancelled due to an unnecessary government shutdown, a concept unheard of in other countries.
November 11, 2025 at 2:52 PM
At a time when half of American flights were cancelled due to an unnecessary government shutdown, a concept unheard of in other countries.
Also, he complains about his luggage not following him. If he hasn't checked in by the deadline, the baggage is removed as for obvious security reasons baggage can't fly without a passenger.
November 11, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Also, he complains about his luggage not following him. If he hasn't checked in by the deadline, the baggage is removed as for obvious security reasons baggage can't fly without a passenger.
Smith saying that the UK is screwed because he fucked up an internal airport transfer at the same time that half US flights were cancelled because of a stupid government spoending limit rule that no other country in the world has.
November 11, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Smith saying that the UK is screwed because he fucked up an internal airport transfer at the same time that half US flights were cancelled because of a stupid government spoending limit rule that no other country in the world has.
I'm more concerned that he runs the editorial impartiality board, when the Jewish Chronicle (which he part-owns, although he's refused to admit the actual details, which is in itself disqualifying) was revealed to have been publishing fake stories by fake journalists fed to it by the IDF.
November 11, 2025 at 2:09 PM
I'm more concerned that he runs the editorial impartiality board, when the Jewish Chronicle (which he part-owns, although he's refused to admit the actual details, which is in itself disqualifying) was revealed to have been publishing fake stories by fake journalists fed to it by the IDF.
I think you can separate the BBC as an institution from the political grifters and manipulators trying to change it into a tool for political power.
November 10, 2025 at 8:07 PM
I think you can separate the BBC as an institution from the political grifters and manipulators trying to change it into a tool for political power.
Craig Brown - A Voyage Around the Queen
Kiran Desai - The Loneliness of S&S
Peter May - The Black House
Tom Phillips - A Brief History of the End of the Fucking World
Kiran Desai - The Loneliness of S&S
Peter May - The Black House
Tom Phillips - A Brief History of the End of the Fucking World
November 10, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Craig Brown - A Voyage Around the Queen
Kiran Desai - The Loneliness of S&S
Peter May - The Black House
Tom Phillips - A Brief History of the End of the Fucking World
Kiran Desai - The Loneliness of S&S
Peter May - The Black House
Tom Phillips - A Brief History of the End of the Fucking World
Gibb is destroying the BBC from the inside. Sadly, we have a weak PM and a hopeless Culture Sec who are afraid to do anything about it.
November 10, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Gibb is destroying the BBC from the inside. Sadly, we have a weak PM and a hopeless Culture Sec who are afraid to do anything about it.
This would be the Robbie Gibb who is co-owner of the Jewish Chronicle, which was discovered to have been publishing Israeli government-sourced news stories about Gaza and is a thoroughly unreilable news source. He'd know about bias in Israel/Gaza news coverage.
November 10, 2025 at 8:19 AM
This would be the Robbie Gibb who is co-owner of the Jewish Chronicle, which was discovered to have been publishing Israeli government-sourced news stories about Gaza and is a thoroughly unreilable news source. He'd know about bias in Israel/Gaza news coverage.
Have you read The Manuscript Found in Saragossa?
November 9, 2025 at 8:38 PM
Have you read The Manuscript Found in Saragossa?
Peter Mandelson's available.
November 9, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Peter Mandelson's available.
Tapper's going to come out with his breathless history of the senility of Donald Trump in 2029. He doesn't want to spoil it by reporting on it now.
November 9, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Tapper's going to come out with his breathless history of the senility of Donald Trump in 2029. He doesn't want to spoil it by reporting on it now.
It's not as if he's going to do anything stupid like declare war on Venezuela for no reason (or Nigeria, or Mexico, or Canada, or Denmark or Panama...)
November 9, 2025 at 5:49 PM
It's not as if he's going to do anything stupid like declare war on Venezuela for no reason (or Nigeria, or Mexico, or Canada, or Denmark or Panama...)
The only way to solve a price problem is to reduce demand, says someone who only paid attention in the first 10 minutes of Econ 101.
November 9, 2025 at 5:24 PM
The only way to solve a price problem is to reduce demand, says someone who only paid attention in the first 10 minutes of Econ 101.
Ruining Leavitt's day seems to be a worthwhile occupation.
November 8, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Ruining Leavitt's day seems to be a worthwhile occupation.
People do want to work more. Given a choice of a 20 hour week or a 40, they'll take the 40, even if they have enough money. Sorry if that's too confusing for you. Anyway, bye.
November 8, 2025 at 6:44 AM
People do want to work more. Given a choice of a 20 hour week or a 40, they'll take the 40, even if they have enough money. Sorry if that's too confusing for you. Anyway, bye.
I didn't say I agreed with the AI promise, just your premise that companies never cut staff hours because they can earn more profits by employing more is stupid. They earn more profits by spending less on staff.
November 7, 2025 at 9:57 PM
I didn't say I agreed with the AI promise, just your premise that companies never cut staff hours because they can earn more profits by employing more is stupid. They earn more profits by spending less on staff.
Actually, productivity has grown very little for decades despite technological advances. But the promise of AI is that machines will do all the work and will only need maintenance and prompting. Companies will only employ as many people as they need, people are difficult.
November 7, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Actually, productivity has grown very little for decades despite technological advances. But the promise of AI is that machines will do all the work and will only need maintenance and prompting. Companies will only employ as many people as they need, people are difficult.
That's not how companies work either. If they could get the same productivity from half the hours worked, and cut their costs and increase profit, then they will.
November 7, 2025 at 9:33 PM
That's not how companies work either. If they could get the same productivity from half the hours worked, and cut their costs and increase profit, then they will.
Keynes predicted in the 1930s that 30 years later people would be working 15 hour weeks. Of course it didn't happen - people always want to work more to own more than their neighbours, and invent new things to do, creating markets that didn't exist before.
November 7, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Keynes predicted in the 1930s that 30 years later people would be working 15 hour weeks. Of course it didn't happen - people always want to work more to own more than their neighbours, and invent new things to do, creating markets that didn't exist before.
Threads, named after a chilling drama about the catastrophic consequences of a nuclear war.
November 7, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Threads, named after a chilling drama about the catastrophic consequences of a nuclear war.
All day long and all night he's on his phone, tweeting and reposting AI vids about shitting on the American people. You could call that work, if you were a sycophant.
November 7, 2025 at 6:08 PM
All day long and all night he's on his phone, tweeting and reposting AI vids about shitting on the American people. You could call that work, if you were a sycophant.
Grifters aren't deterred by having a higher salary! Do you think Trump has stopped grifting, ever?
November 7, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Grifters aren't deterred by having a higher salary! Do you think Trump has stopped grifting, ever?