6/ All this raises a particular challenge when taxes are at historic highs. I thought Roger Gough put it well, but similar sentiments come up again and again in these sorts of conversations.

7/ So what's happened? A lot of the standard bogeymen (austerity, say, or immigration) aren't that persuasive when you dig in. Take local gov't. Yes, budgets are down a bit after inflation and population growth. More important: under the hood they've been radically reshaped.

13/ And you don't just have to look at the polling to see that. The public is voting with their wallets, too—private-sector alternatives to the state are doing exceptionally well. Take the security business, which is seeing exponential growth.

THE GREAT QUARTERBACK LOUDSPEAKER EXPERIMENT September 14, 1980 After suffering a larynx injury the previous week, #49ers QB Steve DeBerg debuted a specially-designed, portable microphone-loudspeaker PA rig for voice amplification in a game against the Cardinals. DeBerg threw

It never occurred to me that the chimney might be temporary.

'In fact Barry, perhaps we could talk about your regular musings to the press about snooker’s future, while our city leaders grit their teeth and stick to the lines that were agreed before the tournament?' This is a terrific piece from Daniel Timms: sheffieldtribune.co.uk/end-the-snooke…

No you won't. The largest applications are determined nationally and for those that are determined locally councils have to pay regard to national planning policy. If you don't, applicants can appeal

Just remember that, with the current fuss about video decisions, Daily Telegraph readers hated the photo finish in athletics in 1948

Farewell to my favourite place on planet Earth. It’s been quite the ride.

David Torrance The Legal Monarchist (Ed W) Made a thread on Throne Speeches in the Commonwealth Realms, there have indeed been a few which weren’t actual Throne Speeches. I feel like a good division might be between “Throne Speech”, which is the formal speech opening parliament, and a “Personal Address from the Throne”…

It's always great when clips of Tony Millard's commentaries appear on the timeline, particularly when he was in his 1990s pomp.

To say I was surprised by the first use of ‘May the 4th be with you’ would be an understatement

May the Channel 4th be with you

Square days diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2025/05/square…

Where’s the cue ball going?

The Wife: "wow, that's amazing. How many people live in Leeds?" ~ three hours later still explaining the differences in local geographies and population estimates... ~