Keith Burnett
@virescitvv.bsky.social
Escaped management consultant, runaway civil servant, quondam public health campaigner, lifetime social worker and current PhD candidate. Always armed with a fountain pen... mightier than the sword.
I hope my American friends will always feel welcome visiting us in Blighty. But if our economic choice is now between closer ties with the EU, or hoping for fair dealing from a guy who kidnaps heads of state, on balance it's not the toughest of calls.
January 3, 2026 at 2:33 PM
I hope my American friends will always feel welcome visiting us in Blighty. But if our economic choice is now between closer ties with the EU, or hoping for fair dealing from a guy who kidnaps heads of state, on balance it's not the toughest of calls.
These people are ignorant, incompetent, and demonstrably unfit for office. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Third of Reform UK’s council leaders have expressed vaccine-sceptic views
Health minister decries criticism of vaccinations by heads of four authorities as ‘dangerous and utterly irresponsible’
www.theguardian.com
December 29, 2025 at 6:43 AM
These people are ignorant, incompetent, and demonstrably unfit for office. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Rejoining Erasmus is an unalloyed good. Good for British students, good for British universities. Of course it's more expensive than when we were a member of the EU - and everyone who reached voting age after 2016 already knows why. Go for it.
December 17, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Rejoining Erasmus is an unalloyed good. Good for British students, good for British universities. Of course it's more expensive than when we were a member of the EU - and everyone who reached voting age after 2016 already knows why. Go for it.
Police & Crime Commissioners - with a few honourable exceptions - didn't exactly cover themselves in glory. Dropping them has made sense for several years. Maybe doing so now is a sign of a govt. finally finding the courage to do the right thing.
November 13, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Police & Crime Commissioners - with a few honourable exceptions - didn't exactly cover themselves in glory. Dropping them has made sense for several years. Maybe doing so now is a sign of a govt. finally finding the courage to do the right thing.
Leadership instability is a Tory specialism. Labour should leave it to the experts.
November 12, 2025 at 5:53 AM
Leadership instability is a Tory specialism. Labour should leave it to the experts.
Reposted by Keith Burnett
😎😎😎😎 GOOD THINGS CAN STILL HAPPEN 😎😎😎😎
November 5, 2025 at 5:22 AM
😎😎😎😎 GOOD THINGS CAN STILL HAPPEN 😎😎😎😎
Well done, America. This is more like it.
So this is my new Iphone wallpaper! It’s the best No Kings sign I saw, in person, and online! From the frog to the crown-chair to the message…it’s the best! I’d love to see your favorites! 🚫👑
October 19, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Well done, America. This is more like it.
I fully expect state retirement age to be somewhere in the 70s by the time I get there. There will be much whingeing, of course, but it's not all bad news; we're living longer lives! Public health works, you see.
Labour to review state pension age as Liz Kendall warns ‘people are not saving enough for their retirement’ - UK politics live
Work and pensions secretary announces next statutory government review into retirement age
www.theguardian.com
July 21, 2025 at 11:45 AM
I fully expect state retirement age to be somewhere in the 70s by the time I get there. There will be much whingeing, of course, but it's not all bad news; we're living longer lives! Public health works, you see.
Reposted by Keith Burnett
Graph of British Rivers
July 5, 2025 at 12:33 PM
Graph of British Rivers
Likely to prove a typical experience, it seems. The far right can campaign effectively as insurgents when they are unknown and untried - but when the proverbial hits the fan...
Reform Warwickshire council head quits after five weeks, leaving 18-year-old in charge
Rob Howard’s ‘health challenges’ are behind resignation and teenage deputy George Finch will serve until replacement found
www.theguardian.com
June 26, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Likely to prove a typical experience, it seems. The far right can campaign effectively as insurgents when they are unknown and untried - but when the proverbial hits the fan...
This is the mascot of the East Prussian museum in Lüneburg. Unpardonably, its name is not Otter Von Bismarck. What WERE they thinking?
May 30, 2025 at 2:22 PM
This is the mascot of the East Prussian museum in Lüneburg. Unpardonably, its name is not Otter Von Bismarck. What WERE they thinking?
Reposted by Keith Burnett
The term, for me, has come into general use. I was not referencing her specific comment about terrorism when making my point. I take it to mean anyone in public life who is advanced by being "talked" about. It seems, to some extent, we are building the persona of Farage. Apologies for any confusion.
May 28, 2025 at 9:25 AM
The term, for me, has come into general use. I was not referencing her specific comment about terrorism when making my point. I take it to mean anyone in public life who is advanced by being "talked" about. It seems, to some extent, we are building the persona of Farage. Apologies for any confusion.
Combining overt nationalism with coded pseudo-socialism? Yes, it's been tried before. 'Doesn't end well. Greetings from Germany, btw. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The Guardian view on Farage’s cynical pitch: Labour must be bolder to see off the threat | Editorial
Editorial: The Reform UK leader spies a route to power through appealing to blue collar voters. His speech is another wake-up call for Sir Keir Starmer’s government
www.theguardian.com
May 28, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Combining overt nationalism with coded pseudo-socialism? Yes, it's been tried before. 'Doesn't end well. Greetings from Germany, btw. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Goodness me, doesn't that sound fun? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Liz Truss to launch ‘uncensored’ social network to counter mainstream media
Former PM says she wants to protect free speech after being ‘cut off at the knees’ by ‘the elite’ while at No 10
www.theguardian.com
April 15, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Goodness me, doesn't that sound fun? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Bluntly (and entertainingly) put, but this is the real opportunity; worry less about ex-voters, and more about those able to attend a polling station for the first time in 2029.
This is brilliant.
Do read it.
Do read it.
New voter just dropped: Dead Man www.economist.com/britain/2025...
April 11, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Bluntly (and entertainingly) put, but this is the real opportunity; worry less about ex-voters, and more about those able to attend a polling station for the first time in 2029.
Reposted by Keith Burnett
The problem with most machine-based random number generators is that they’re not TRULY random, so if you need genuine randomness it is sometimes necessary to link your code to an external random process like a physical noise source or the current rate of US tariffs on a given country.
April 9, 2025 at 7:15 PM
The problem with most machine-based random number generators is that they’re not TRULY random, so if you need genuine randomness it is sometimes necessary to link your code to an external random process like a physical noise source or the current rate of US tariffs on a given country.
Reposted by Keith Burnett
I am getting increasingly frustrated by Labour bigwigs speechifying about how the world has changed and we need to be bold and then... not being bold
April 8, 2025 at 11:29 AM
I am getting increasingly frustrated by Labour bigwigs speechifying about how the world has changed and we need to be bold and then... not being bold
Precisely this. I don't want a pale imitation of fascism; I want the antidote to it.
There are a lot of Labour MPs who are likely only currently in the Commons because of tactical anti-Tory support from voters whose first choice in 2024 was already LD and Green. Reform chasing is not risk free or cost free for Labour.
April 8, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Precisely this. I don't want a pale imitation of fascism; I want the antidote to it.
At least the last week has given us penguins:
Strategic CMD SIGNAL Group: (TOP SEC//NOFORN): 1) Loading a Gentoo Ballistic Missile with squid propellant. 2)Subsurface to air launch 3) Pygoscelis VII Variant cruise Velocity Training 4) Engine boost-burn Test
April 7, 2025 at 1:57 PM
At least the last week has given us penguins:
Reposted by Keith Burnett
Defence Ministry: Shoreline defence force Gentoo’s prepare mortars. Our Navy Seals conduct clandestine training, and teach tactical camouflage and concealment to juveniles. We stand ready. Flippers Up.
April 3, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Defence Ministry: Shoreline defence force Gentoo’s prepare mortars. Our Navy Seals conduct clandestine training, and teach tactical camouflage and concealment to juveniles. We stand ready. Flippers Up.
This sums up what is needed, uncomfortable as it may be. Just to be clear, the enemy is not Americans; it's the corrupt gang currently claiming to speak for the US. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Trump is upending everything. The world’s leaders must tell the truth about what that means | Jonathan Freedland
Britain’s PM has not been open with his citizens for fear of backlash from Washington, but this crisis demands honesty, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
www.theguardian.com
March 29, 2025 at 7:11 AM
This sums up what is needed, uncomfortable as it may be. Just to be clear, the enemy is not Americans; it's the corrupt gang currently claiming to speak for the US. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Keith Burnett
‘Okay which one of you accidentally added Robert Cecil to the chat?’
March 24, 2025 at 9:16 PM
‘Okay which one of you accidentally added Robert Cecil to the chat?’
Insert soundtrack of howling wolves here...
March 15, 2025 at 5:22 AM
Insert soundtrack of howling wolves here...
Stark, but true.
You can’t negotiate with Putin’s Russia.
1. You can deter them, or, if you fail to deter them,
2. You can stop them, or, if you fail to stop them,
3. You lose.
Europe has long failed to deter Russia. We now have two options left: Stop them, or lose.
Choose wisely.
1. You can deter them, or, if you fail to deter them,
2. You can stop them, or, if you fail to stop them,
3. You lose.
Europe has long failed to deter Russia. We now have two options left: Stop them, or lose.
Choose wisely.
March 11, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Stark, but true.