'a kaleidoscopic portrait of postwar queer life'

Gosh!! Another lovely review of The Diaries of Mr Lucas - this time in the The Guardian.

theguardian.com/books/2024/may…

Lovely to see on - wow!! - the eve of publication!

Bird flu #H5N1 has turned up in dairy cattle in 9 🇺🇸 states, and in milk sold in grocery stores. How alarmed should we be about variant 2.3.4.4b?
And why are virologists worrying about pigs?
My FT Opinion column today.

ft.com/content/b1438b… via @ft

Is this Britain's best-named council candidate?

Paddy Power is standing for the Liberal Democrats in the Thames ward of Wokingham Borough Council, which Ed Davey's party hopes to capture on Friday.

'A safe bet' in the words of one activist.

One ally puts it simply: “Ed knows how government works and how Labour works.

The second coming of Ed Miliband ft.com/content/77b1b6… via @ft

“Water holds you up. Water says, ‘I’ve got you.’”

Spent a sunny Spring morning chatting with SWIMDEM about getting people in the pool. Wonderful photography by Alex Kurunis.

on.ft.com/44opXPF

Magnificent

Every few years, I search for this 2019 clip of Blair again. The bluntness of his ‚power is power!‘ doesn‘t only apply to geopolitics, but equally to energy policy & the delayed energy transition. Raw power. No longer a lack of technologies or knowledge.

As we head to a likely new government it’s important we learn the lessons of past policy failures Meg Hillier MP has had a Birds Eye view of this over the last 13 years. Worth a read. 👀

Meg Hillier for the FT on what goes wrong with public spending: reflections form 13 years of the public accounts cttee ... on.ft.com/44orsxg

Also ending the one size fits all approach to fonts. Shudder. (Plus there is no 'one size' approach to disability benefits currently.)

A fantastic review of #DownwardSpiral by John Bowers KC in FT Weekend Miranda Green

‘An excellent case for fixing the ‘sense of decay’ affecting parliament with detailed and robust reforms’

ft.com/content/c55494… Manchester University Press

Downgraded my 'expected' performance for Reform UK in Blackpool South a little as the most recent yougov poll had Con - Reform flow down a bit.

So based on a 26% flow Con - Reform and 6.1% for Brexit party in 2019 I'd say expectation against polling is 17.5%.

'Unless Stride has come up with a plan...to expand talking therapies and occupational health support for people going back into work,...there's a risk that people are forced back into the workplace before they are well enough to be there.' Isabel Hardman inews.co.uk/opinion/cant-f…

‘I don't suppose you have grants for writers over 50? You do? That's wonderful!’

Loved Tasha Thompson, desperately squeezing in running from work when her kids were young. Once she forgot to pack her running tights. “I ran home in my dress and trainers.”
ft.com/content/26b552…

By popular(ish) demand, bringing back my “what to watch out for on election night” back in tomorrow’s newsletter. Try free here, then just £4.99 a month or free with an FT subscription: ft.com/tryinsidepolit…

Be a team player: bring all your selves to work. By me in FT Work & Careers taking inspiration from wisdom of England cricket captain turned psychoanalyst Mike Brearley. Bear with ... ft.com/content/433f3a… via @ft

in the race replace Nicola Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf was the continuity candidate. his mistake was trying to be a continuity First Minister. my Scotland on Sunday column: scotsman.com/news/opinion/c…

Bad decision by the DfE ... extra STEM teachers. People using late career years for society and keeping economically active. What's not to like?

Be a team player: bring all your selves to work.
Side hustles, ‘slashie’ careers and complex lives make us captains of our own internal squad ft.com/content/433f3a… via Miranda Green