Chris Stagg
@sidsquared.bsky.social
Reposted by Chris Stagg
Rod Stewart's singing voice is like his political stance.
Over the years, it's become increasingly grating and all over the place.
Over the years, it's become increasingly grating and all over the place.
June 28, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Rod Stewart's singing voice is like his political stance.
Over the years, it's become increasingly grating and all over the place.
Over the years, it's become increasingly grating and all over the place.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
Extra extra points for linking Airplane to Hellzapoppin. Mel Brooks is the greatest living American surrealist.
I ranked the films of Mel Brooks* as the comedy icon turns 99. It was a pleasure. (*He only directed 11; would have liked to get To Be or Not To Be in there, but that was directed by someone else.)
Mel Brooks turns 99: the comedy icon’s best films – ranked!
Following the announcement of a sequel to Spaceballs, we assess the film-maker’s funniest movies, from the Hitchcock spoof High Anxiety to the impeccable Young Frankenstein
www.theguardian.com
June 26, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Extra extra points for linking Airplane to Hellzapoppin. Mel Brooks is the greatest living American surrealist.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
When I was in Boston last week there were cannabis shops where you could go and buy the stuff. All perfectly legal and above board. So, taxable revenue, a regulated market and no wasting police time and resources. It's the same in many US states now. So, why not here?
In which I learned that 140,000 people are prosecuted each year for cannabis possession. What a preposterous waste of the scarce resources of the police and criminal justice system.
How can a drug be safe enough to approve but not safe enough to prescribe?
I’ve tried to understand what’s going on with medicinal cannabis in the UK, and I just can’t.
open.substack.com/pub/rostaylo...
I’ve tried to understand what’s going on with medicinal cannabis in the UK, and I just can’t.
open.substack.com/pub/rostaylo...
June 19, 2025 at 9:11 AM
When I was in Boston last week there were cannabis shops where you could go and buy the stuff. All perfectly legal and above board. So, taxable revenue, a regulated market and no wasting police time and resources. It's the same in many US states now. So, why not here?
Reposted by Chris Stagg
A right-winger -- a registered Republican, a Trump voter, an evangelical anti-abortion activist -- assassinates a Democratic official.
Republicans respond by blaming the left.
Democrats respond by blaming ... no one.
Republicans respond by blaming the left.
Democrats respond by blaming ... no one.
The words “Republican,” “right wing,” or “Christian nationalist” aren’t uttered. The “political extremists” aren’t defined.
If you can’t name the enemy I don’t see how you can fight it, or beat it.
bsky.app/profile/hake...
If you can’t name the enemy I don’t see how you can fight it, or beat it.
bsky.app/profile/hake...
The culture of violence that has been created by political extremists in this country must end.
June 15, 2025 at 8:39 PM
A right-winger -- a registered Republican, a Trump voter, an evangelical anti-abortion activist -- assassinates a Democratic official.
Republicans respond by blaming the left.
Democrats respond by blaming ... no one.
Republicans respond by blaming the left.
Democrats respond by blaming ... no one.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
As I noted in today’s post, this really was the most egregious thing that happened in LA yesterday and that’s saying an awful lot
It's mind-blowing how little attention this extraordinary statement has received. It's briefly mentioned in a couple news articles, but this MSNBC opinion piece is the only extended discussion of it I've seen: www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
June 13, 2025 at 8:01 PM
As I noted in today’s post, this really was the most egregious thing that happened in LA yesterday and that’s saying an awful lot
Reposted by Chris Stagg
"The only silver lining of where we find ourselves now, with the active duty military on the streets and the head of the secret police talking about 'liberating' a city from their democratically elected leaders, is that we now have a focusing event to help people understand what is happening."
June 13, 2025 at 5:29 PM
"The only silver lining of where we find ourselves now, with the active duty military on the streets and the head of the secret police talking about 'liberating' a city from their democratically elected leaders, is that we now have a focusing event to help people understand what is happening."
Reposted by Chris Stagg
I shed no tears for IRGC criminals like Hossein Salami, but direct war on Iran is an insane escalation (that will make Israel’s people less safe). There is no logic of self-defence left, just the logic of power (Netanyahu’s unpopular government’s survival) and war’s own dehumanising internal logic.
June 13, 2025 at 8:28 AM
I shed no tears for IRGC criminals like Hossein Salami, but direct war on Iran is an insane escalation (that will make Israel’s people less safe). There is no logic of self-defence left, just the logic of power (Netanyahu’s unpopular government’s survival) and war’s own dehumanising internal logic.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
What's going on in the US walks like fascism, talks like fascism and is fascism.
The country is heading for a very dark place indeed.
There's a special place in Hell reserved for Trump and his enablers.
The country is heading for a very dark place indeed.
There's a special place in Hell reserved for Trump and his enablers.
June 13, 2025 at 3:56 AM
What's going on in the US walks like fascism, talks like fascism and is fascism.
The country is heading for a very dark place indeed.
There's a special place in Hell reserved for Trump and his enablers.
The country is heading for a very dark place indeed.
There's a special place in Hell reserved for Trump and his enablers.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
As ever, this government is in practice far more classically social democratic than it seems comfortable admitting, or than its left-wing detractors will acknowledge.
Surprisingly mealy-mouthed responses from commentators with pretty obvious axes to grind. With friends like these… well, good luck to any centre-left party.
Has Rachel Reeves made the right choices? Our panel responds to the spending review
The chancellor announced spending on health, housing, defence, and infrastructure. But will it be felt by ordinary voters? Polly Toynbee, Kirsty Major, Sahil Dutta, Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah and Jonn...
www.theguardian.com
June 11, 2025 at 8:11 PM
As ever, this government is in practice far more classically social democratic than it seems comfortable admitting, or than its left-wing detractors will acknowledge.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
On the Today programme, Kemi Badenoch tells Emma Barnett: “You are asking questions that are changing the very focus of what it is I’m talking about.”
Yes, that’s how interviews work.
Yes, that’s how interviews work.
June 12, 2025 at 6:45 AM
On the Today programme, Kemi Badenoch tells Emma Barnett: “You are asking questions that are changing the very focus of what it is I’m talking about.”
Yes, that’s how interviews work.
Yes, that’s how interviews work.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
Photo that sums up the era. Kemi Badenoch absolutely convinced she is cooking. Almost every MP behind her just thinking 'my god she's cooked'.
June 11, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Photo that sums up the era. Kemi Badenoch absolutely convinced she is cooking. Almost every MP behind her just thinking 'my god she's cooked'.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
Say what you see.
Trump has wanted a police state with himself sitting at the top as its undisputed boss since his first administration.
The standoff in L.A. shows how truly eager he is to turn America’s vast warmaking powers inward on his domestic foes and critics.
Story: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
The standoff in L.A. shows how truly eager he is to turn America’s vast warmaking powers inward on his domestic foes and critics.
Story: www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...
June 10, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Say what you see.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
What this headline means is……
Occupational therapy provided by local authorities to state school pupils not available to those who opt out of the state system, under legislation brought in by the Tories.
Occupational therapy provided by local authorities to state school pupils not available to those who opt out of the state system, under legislation brought in by the Tories.
June 10, 2025 at 8:18 AM
What this headline means is……
Occupational therapy provided by local authorities to state school pupils not available to those who opt out of the state system, under legislation brought in by the Tories.
Occupational therapy provided by local authorities to state school pupils not available to those who opt out of the state system, under legislation brought in by the Tories.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
guy next to me in the café was quite dramatically sitting with his head in his hands so I glanced at his screen to see what he was working on, and it was a doc with "IDEAS:" written at the top and absolutely nothing else
my brother I hear you, I feel you, we are as one
my brother I hear you, I feel you, we are as one
June 9, 2025 at 10:23 AM
guy next to me in the café was quite dramatically sitting with his head in his hands so I glanced at his screen to see what he was working on, and it was a doc with "IDEAS:" written at the top and absolutely nothing else
my brother I hear you, I feel you, we are as one
my brother I hear you, I feel you, we are as one
Reposted by Chris Stagg
Great to see that Dawn French will be heading up the BBC’s World Cup coverage.
June 7, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Great to see that Dawn French will be heading up the BBC’s World Cup coverage.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
You, an amateur, starting a fight in an empty room.
Kemi Badenoch, a professional, starting a fight WITH an empty room.
Kemi Badenoch, a professional, starting a fight WITH an empty room.
I criticise Kemi a lot, and rightly so, but what truly helps her stand apart is that she manages to find wrong answers that no one was even imagining she'd give.
fair to say Kemi Badenoch’s last interview on BBC wasn’t a storming success
June 6, 2025 at 2:51 PM
You, an amateur, starting a fight in an empty room.
Kemi Badenoch, a professional, starting a fight WITH an empty room.
Kemi Badenoch, a professional, starting a fight WITH an empty room.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
Imagine Scottish Labour will savour this.
June 6, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Imagine Scottish Labour will savour this.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
The public certainly saw through you. They never chose you to be their Prime Minister, and at the first opportunity to vote on your catastrophic bin fire of a premiership they kicked you out of one of the safest Tory seats in Britain. Do stop continually embarrassing yourself. 🥬
June 5, 2025 at 12:16 PM
The public certainly saw through you. They never chose you to be their Prime Minister, and at the first opportunity to vote on your catastrophic bin fire of a premiership they kicked you out of one of the safest Tory seats in Britain. Do stop continually embarrassing yourself. 🥬
Reposted by Chris Stagg
Shock Labour victory in Holyrood by-election as party seizes SNP stronghold in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse
www.lbc.co.uk/politics/uk-...
www.lbc.co.uk/politics/uk-...
Shock Labour victory in Holyrood by-election as party seizes SNP stronghold in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse
Labour has recorded a shock victory in the Holyrood by-election, seizing the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse seat from the SNP.
www.lbc.co.uk
June 6, 2025 at 4:45 AM
Shock Labour victory in Holyrood by-election as party seizes SNP stronghold in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse
www.lbc.co.uk/politics/uk-...
www.lbc.co.uk/politics/uk-...
Reposted by Chris Stagg
This was always, always going to happen with two huge man-babies and their gargantuan egos. Hard not to sit back and enjoy it a little.
Trump and Musk enter bitter feud - and Washington buckles up - BBC News
A knock-down fight between the world's the richest person and the most powerful politician is playing out in public view.
www.bbc.co.uk
June 6, 2025 at 6:06 AM
This was always, always going to happen with two huge man-babies and their gargantuan egos. Hard not to sit back and enjoy it a little.
Reposted by Chris Stagg
The best boss and mentor you could ever hope to have. The best of the BBC. BBC arts broadcaster Alan Yentob dies aged 78 www.bbc.com/news/article...
Alan Yentob: BBC arts broadcaster dies aged 78
He interviewed a raft of important cultural and creative figures over a lengthy career at the BBC.
www.bbc.com
May 25, 2025 at 2:46 PM
The best boss and mentor you could ever hope to have. The best of the BBC. BBC arts broadcaster Alan Yentob dies aged 78 www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Chris Stagg
The antidote to depressing political news is to read about a decent man trying to make a difference
Lunch with the FT with James Timpson, by Emma Jacobs
www.ft.com/content/9c06...
Lunch with the FT with James Timpson, by Emma Jacobs
www.ft.com/content/9c06...
Prisons minister James Timpson: ‘This is not a quick fix’
The former chief executive of the Timpson Group on his plans to modernise the penal system — and how to stop ex-convicts reoffending
www.ft.com
May 23, 2025 at 4:45 PM
The antidote to depressing political news is to read about a decent man trying to make a difference
Lunch with the FT with James Timpson, by Emma Jacobs
www.ft.com/content/9c06...
Lunch with the FT with James Timpson, by Emma Jacobs
www.ft.com/content/9c06...
Reposted by Chris Stagg
These people bleating about losing the Chagos Islands like they’ve had an arm removed. What genuine difference is it going to make to their lives? What day to day harm had it done to them??!
May 23, 2025 at 6:07 PM
These people bleating about losing the Chagos Islands like they’ve had an arm removed. What genuine difference is it going to make to their lives? What day to day harm had it done to them??!
Reposted by Chris Stagg
‘Keir Starmer’s EU Deal Is Far Better Than the Media Is Telling You’
Much more needs to be done to repair the damage of Brexit, but this is a welcome step in the right direction, argues the Director of the Independent Commission on UK-EU Relations
bylinetimes.com/2025/05/20/k...
Much more needs to be done to repair the damage of Brexit, but this is a welcome step in the right direction, argues the Director of the Independent Commission on UK-EU Relations
bylinetimes.com/2025/05/20/k...
'Keir Starmer's EU Deal Is Far Better Than the Media Is Telling You'
Much more needs to be done to repair the damage of Brexit, but this is a welcome step in the right direction, argues the Director of the Independent Commission on UK-EU Relations
bylinetimes.com
May 22, 2025 at 7:49 AM
‘Keir Starmer’s EU Deal Is Far Better Than the Media Is Telling You’
Much more needs to be done to repair the damage of Brexit, but this is a welcome step in the right direction, argues the Director of the Independent Commission on UK-EU Relations
bylinetimes.com/2025/05/20/k...
Much more needs to be done to repair the damage of Brexit, but this is a welcome step in the right direction, argues the Director of the Independent Commission on UK-EU Relations
bylinetimes.com/2025/05/20/k...