Carl Ashworth
@carlshwrth.bsky.social
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
"Migrants who came to the UK on skilled work visas in 2022-23 will make a net contribution of £47bn to the public finances over their lifetime, according to new estimates from the government’s Migration Advisory Committee."
Not surprising, but some observations (1/n)
www.ft.com/content/10da...
Not surprising, but some observations (1/n)
www.ft.com/content/10da...
December 11, 2025 at 6:09 PM
"Migrants who came to the UK on skilled work visas in 2022-23 will make a net contribution of £47bn to the public finances over their lifetime, according to new estimates from the government’s Migration Advisory Committee."
Not surprising, but some observations (1/n)
www.ft.com/content/10da...
Not surprising, but some observations (1/n)
www.ft.com/content/10da...
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
Rarely is an artist the soundtrack to a whole life. Jimmy Cliff was one of those rare individuals. RIP. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae singer, actor and cultural icon, dies aged 81
Star of The Harder They Come had hits including You Can Get It If You Really Want and I Can See Clearly Now
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Rarely is an artist the soundtrack to a whole life. Jimmy Cliff was one of those rare individuals. RIP. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
Aw fuck. I'd been hoping to go and see Soft Cell when they toured their next album. Really sad news. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Soft Cell co-founder Dave Ball dies, aged 66
The musician, best known for Tainted Love and Say Hello, Wave Goodbye, died in his sleep at home.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 23, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Aw fuck. I'd been hoping to go and see Soft Cell when they toured their next album. Really sad news. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
We are so sad to hear that Dave Ball, the keyboard genius of Soft Cell, has died. He was an electronic pop pioneer and with Marc Almond made a unique catalogue of songs, completely original in sound and content. Our love and condolences go to Marc and all those close to Dave. Neil and Chris xx
October 23, 2025 at 1:27 PM
We are so sad to hear that Dave Ball, the keyboard genius of Soft Cell, has died. He was an electronic pop pioneer and with Marc Almond made a unique catalogue of songs, completely original in sound and content. Our love and condolences go to Marc and all those close to Dave. Neil and Chris xx
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
Danny Thompson RIP
He's played with The Pentangle, Kate Bush, Everything But The Girl, ABC, Nick Drake, Talk Talk, Rod Stewart, John Martyn, David Sylvian, T.Rex, teh Thunderbirds theme, Peter Gabriel oh god all sorts
He's played with The Pentangle, Kate Bush, Everything But The Girl, ABC, Nick Drake, Talk Talk, Rod Stewart, John Martyn, David Sylvian, T.Rex, teh Thunderbirds theme, Peter Gabriel oh god all sorts
September 24, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Danny Thompson RIP
He's played with The Pentangle, Kate Bush, Everything But The Girl, ABC, Nick Drake, Talk Talk, Rod Stewart, John Martyn, David Sylvian, T.Rex, teh Thunderbirds theme, Peter Gabriel oh god all sorts
He's played with The Pentangle, Kate Bush, Everything But The Girl, ABC, Nick Drake, Talk Talk, Rod Stewart, John Martyn, David Sylvian, T.Rex, teh Thunderbirds theme, Peter Gabriel oh god all sorts
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
I was going to make some smart point.
But the arsehole isn't worth it.
He's not even worthy of casual contempt.
But the arsehole isn't worth it.
He's not even worthy of casual contempt.
Trump to the UN: "I have to say, I look at London where you have a terrible mayor -- terrible terrible mayor -- and it's been so changed, so changed. Now they want to go to Sharia Law ... both their immigration and their suicidal energy ideas will be the death of Western Europe."
September 23, 2025 at 5:12 PM
I was going to make some smart point.
But the arsehole isn't worth it.
He's not even worthy of casual contempt.
But the arsehole isn't worth it.
He's not even worthy of casual contempt.
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
‘He made white British readers recognise Jamaican patois. Most readers need to articulate the poems in order to understand their meaning: glancing at the page isn’t enough.’
Mendez on Linton Kwesi Johnson: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Mendez on Linton Kwesi Johnson: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Mendez · Burning Age of Rage: On Linton Kwesi Johnson
Linton Kwesi Johnson has maintained that ‘writing poetry or making music ... is not a substitute for hardcore...
www.lrb.co.uk
September 10, 2025 at 4:09 PM
‘He made white British readers recognise Jamaican patois. Most readers need to articulate the poems in order to understand their meaning: glancing at the page isn’t enough.’
Mendez on Linton Kwesi Johnson: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Mendez on Linton Kwesi Johnson: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
‘The conditions in the hotels are very bad: most residents share rooms with complete strangers, have no laundry or cooking facilities, no choice about when or what they eat, with any visits strictly policed by security.’
Helen Charman on ‘our girls’ vs asylum hotels: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/se...
Helen Charman on ‘our girls’ vs asylum hotels: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/se...
Helen Charman | Of Flags and Families
The new home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said in May (in an interview with Michael Gove for the Spectator) that she has...
www.lrb.co.uk
September 9, 2025 at 4:50 PM
‘The conditions in the hotels are very bad: most residents share rooms with complete strangers, have no laundry or cooking facilities, no choice about when or what they eat, with any visits strictly policed by security.’
Helen Charman on ‘our girls’ vs asylum hotels: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/se...
Helen Charman on ‘our girls’ vs asylum hotels: www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2025/se...
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
Labour, Tories and Reform are talking about trying to shrink the UK’s working age population by curtailing immigration. Here’s an excellent summary of why this approach is catastrophic even solely on economic grounds. www.bearlypolitics.co.uk/p/nans-not-b...
Nan’s Not Bankrupting Britain (But Politicians Might Be)
Pensions, productivity, and the myth of the migrant “drain.”
www.bearlypolitics.co.uk
September 7, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Labour, Tories and Reform are talking about trying to shrink the UK’s working age population by curtailing immigration. Here’s an excellent summary of why this approach is catastrophic even solely on economic grounds. www.bearlypolitics.co.uk/p/nans-not-b...
A new dish developed from matured ingredients...come and taste our wares at the Holmfirth Food and Drink Festival on 14th September at 12.45
First outing for the new band 😎
First outing for the new band 😎
August 20, 2025 at 10:29 AM
A new dish developed from matured ingredients...come and taste our wares at the Holmfirth Food and Drink Festival on 14th September at 12.45
First outing for the new band 😎
First outing for the new band 😎
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
New YouGov polling. A monumental failure of our political class to educate, a monumental failure of our media to report fairly, for a generation
August 5, 2025 at 6:27 AM
New YouGov polling. A monumental failure of our political class to educate, a monumental failure of our media to report fairly, for a generation
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
Listen to Here Is the Forest, an album by Sleep Of Birds on #SoundCloud
on.soundcloud.com/7ssBtI1Sl5nn...
Our first new music for two years, I am so proud of this short album of summer moods and contemplation..
Hope you love it too 😍
on.soundcloud.com/7ssBtI1Sl5nn...
Our first new music for two years, I am so proud of this short album of summer moods and contemplation..
Hope you love it too 😍
Here Is the Forest
An album of summer mood and contemplations. A collection of tunes illuminated by love, warmed by compassion and sweetened by mystic joy.
All songs, written, arranged and performed by Sleep Of Birds 20
on.soundcloud.com
July 11, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Listen to Here Is the Forest, an album by Sleep Of Birds on #SoundCloud
on.soundcloud.com/7ssBtI1Sl5nn...
Our first new music for two years, I am so proud of this short album of summer moods and contemplation..
Hope you love it too 😍
on.soundcloud.com/7ssBtI1Sl5nn...
Our first new music for two years, I am so proud of this short album of summer moods and contemplation..
Hope you love it too 😍
Listen to Here Is the Forest, an album by Sleep Of Birds on #SoundCloud
on.soundcloud.com/7ssBtI1Sl5nn...
Our first new music for two years, I am so proud of this short album of summer moods and contemplation..
Hope you love it too 😍
on.soundcloud.com/7ssBtI1Sl5nn...
Our first new music for two years, I am so proud of this short album of summer moods and contemplation..
Hope you love it too 😍
Here Is the Forest
An album of summer mood and contemplations. A collection of tunes illuminated by love, warmed by compassion and sweetened by mystic joy.
All songs, written, arranged and performed by Sleep Of Birds 20
on.soundcloud.com
July 11, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Listen to Here Is the Forest, an album by Sleep Of Birds on #SoundCloud
on.soundcloud.com/7ssBtI1Sl5nn...
Our first new music for two years, I am so proud of this short album of summer moods and contemplation..
Hope you love it too 😍
on.soundcloud.com/7ssBtI1Sl5nn...
Our first new music for two years, I am so proud of this short album of summer moods and contemplation..
Hope you love it too 😍
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
Anyway, despite all this *gestures around with arm* happy 70th birthday to your pal and mine Green Gartside
youtu.be/8cIjVgnoizA?...
youtu.be/8cIjVgnoizA?...
Cooking
YouTube video by Scritti Politti - Topic
youtu.be
June 22, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Anyway, despite all this *gestures around with arm* happy 70th birthday to your pal and mine Green Gartside
youtu.be/8cIjVgnoizA?...
youtu.be/8cIjVgnoizA?...
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
Typically insightful piece by @andrewmale.bsky.social Twelve of Brian Wilson’s greatest songs – from surf to psychedelia and beyond www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...
Twelve of Brian Wilson’s greatest songs – from surf to psychedelia and beyond
Elaborating classic pop and doo-wop into divinely beautiful and inimitable hitmaking, these are some of the late musician’s most unmistakable masterpieces
www.theguardian.com
June 11, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Typically insightful piece by @andrewmale.bsky.social Twelve of Brian Wilson’s greatest songs – from surf to psychedelia and beyond www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
Sly Stone RIP. It turned out to be an unexpectedly long life, I hope he found some happiness in the second half. 🙏
variety.com/2025/music/n...
variety.com/2025/music/n...
Sly Stone, Funk-Rock Pioneer Who Led the Family Stone, Dies at 82
Sly Stone, the multitalented musician whose psychedelia-laced funk enraptured Woodstock Nation in the late '60s and early '70s, has died. He was 82.
variety.com
June 9, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Sly Stone RIP. It turned out to be an unexpectedly long life, I hope he found some happiness in the second half. 🙏
variety.com/2025/music/n...
variety.com/2025/music/n...
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
Poverty doesn’t exist because there is not enough. There is more than enough. Poverty is a decision made by those with the ability to banish it.
June 9, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Poverty doesn’t exist because there is not enough. There is more than enough. Poverty is a decision made by those with the ability to banish it.
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
Sly Stone, pioneering funk and soul musician, dies aged 82
Sly Stone, pioneering funk and soul musician, dies aged 82
American songwriter lit up generations of dancefloors with his group Sly and the Family Stone
Sly Stone, the American musician who lit up generations of dancefloors with his gloriously funky and often socially conscious songwriting, has died aged 82.
“After a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues, Sly passed away peacefully, surrounded by his three children, his closest friend and his extended family,” a family statement reads. “While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come.” Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
June 9, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Sly Stone, pioneering funk and soul musician, dies aged 82
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
Sad to hear this but glad it’s under their control. They were lovely when we opened for them and always a fascinating band www.theguardian.com/music/2025/m...
‘We want to stop in our prime’: Saint Etienne on their final album, turning down Cher’s Believe, and why pop is a dying art
The Britpop-defying indie trio are calling it a day after 35 years. From having their minds blown by techno to fireworks night with Aphex Twin, they recall the highs – and explain their eternal ‘psych...
www.theguardian.com
May 30, 2025 at 7:52 AM
Sad to hear this but glad it’s under their control. They were lovely when we opened for them and always a fascinating band www.theguardian.com/music/2025/m...
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
You look at the Tories, Reform and the rightwing press after the Brexit reset and you see just how mad they are. Genuinely frothingly insane.
Desperate to insist that their Brexit moronathon is a win. Spitting with rage at their own failure.
This sums them up…
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Desperate to insist that their Brexit moronathon is a win. Spitting with rage at their own failure.
This sums them up…
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Starmer’s EU reset triggers outbreak of Brexit derangement syndrome | John Crace
Critics were voicing their opinions long before even an outline of a deal was announced
www.theguardian.com
May 20, 2025 at 6:46 AM
You look at the Tories, Reform and the rightwing press after the Brexit reset and you see just how mad they are. Genuinely frothingly insane.
Desperate to insist that their Brexit moronathon is a win. Spitting with rage at their own failure.
This sums them up…
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Desperate to insist that their Brexit moronathon is a win. Spitting with rage at their own failure.
This sums them up…
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
Congratulations to Mark Carney and the Liberal Party on their election victory.
The bond between Europe and Canada is strong — and growing stronger.
The bond between Europe and Canada is strong — and growing stronger.
April 29, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Congratulations to Mark Carney and the Liberal Party on their election victory.
The bond between Europe and Canada is strong — and growing stronger.
The bond between Europe and Canada is strong — and growing stronger.
Amazing star, amazing venue, such a privilege to be there ❤️
@joanaspolicewoman.bsky.social @thetradesclub.bsky.social
@joanaspolicewoman.bsky.social @thetradesclub.bsky.social
April 18, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Amazing star, amazing venue, such a privilege to be there ❤️
@joanaspolicewoman.bsky.social @thetradesclub.bsky.social
@joanaspolicewoman.bsky.social @thetradesclub.bsky.social
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
It's a straightforward relationship: high #inequality leads to the triumph of the far right. It will keep winning until governments deliberately seek to make societies more equal. I'm looking at you, Keir Starmer.
This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Rightwing populists will keep winning until we grasp this truth about human nature | George Monbiot
Economic inequality breeds resentment and a desire to get even. That’s what fuels support for even incompetent regimes, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
April 13, 2025 at 1:47 PM
It's a straightforward relationship: high #inequality leads to the triumph of the far right. It will keep winning until governments deliberately seek to make societies more equal. I'm looking at you, Keir Starmer.
This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Carl Ashworth
RIP Rick Buckler
The Jam were my band as a kid & I loved his drumming and the way it ferociously propelled their songs.
This was his best work. I found it thrilling every time I heard it.
youtu.be/EndqhHJx-Ko?...
The Jam were my band as a kid & I loved his drumming and the way it ferociously propelled their songs.
This was his best work. I found it thrilling every time I heard it.
youtu.be/EndqhHJx-Ko?...
The Jam - Funeral Pyre
YouTube video by TheJamVEVO
youtu.be
February 18, 2025 at 9:40 PM
RIP Rick Buckler
The Jam were my band as a kid & I loved his drumming and the way it ferociously propelled their songs.
This was his best work. I found it thrilling every time I heard it.
youtu.be/EndqhHJx-Ko?...
The Jam were my band as a kid & I loved his drumming and the way it ferociously propelled their songs.
This was his best work. I found it thrilling every time I heard it.
youtu.be/EndqhHJx-Ko?...