Dave McCallum
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daveymccallum.bsky.social
Dave McCallum
@daveymccallum.bsky.social
Trumpeter, conductor, educator, trades unionist and general music person....works mostly for the BBC.

Bit grumpy about the socials atm but sticking with it for now.
Reposted by Dave McCallum
right, so, some quite insane professional news from me: last month I went to Paris to interview Gisèle Pelicot about what happened to her, and what her life looks like now - out in print on Sunday
February 12, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Lovely bit of Sade’s Like a Tattoo from the boy #Sade #musiciansofbluesky
February 6, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
"Since prison for Epstein’s fellow abusers gets unlikelier over time, America’s deeper question is whether it can restore a culture of shame." - marvellous, marvellous column by @edwardluce.bsky.social:
The Epstein rot goes deep
America must now ask itself if it can restore a culture of shame
www.ft.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
Can we start saying that Keir Starmer has done... quite well? On this one anyway. Whisper it, but he was... kind of right and okay?
news.sky.com/story/starme...
Starmer says he 'will not yield' over Greenland amid tariff threat
The PM has insisted his position on Greenland will not change despite increasing pressure from the US - but Sir Keir didn't explicitly rule out retaliatory tariffs.
news.sky.com
January 21, 2026 at 8:05 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
Every day we all have to think about one of the most irredeemable cunts in the history of the world. What’s he doing? What’s he said now? How will it affect your life? What will be left once he’s finished smashing it all up? It’s unconscionable
January 21, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
NASA say that the crew member who was ill and returned to earth is doing well and now having a meal with colleagues.
January 15, 2026 at 1:31 PM
January 13, 2026 at 7:15 AM
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn’t Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden or Alice in Chains (whoever the fuck they are).
January 10, 2026 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
I call on my party and my government to remove themselves entirely from X and communicate with the public where they actually participate online and can be protected from such illegality.
January 8, 2026 at 12:31 PM
So irritated by this new #Traitors

Is it just possible is that #celebritytraitors is just better…..
January 7, 2026 at 9:14 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
Hilton Hotels doubles-down on their support for the American Gestapo.

When looking for a hotel, there are *plenty* of other choices.
January 6, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Someone is definitely in charge….
#catsofbluesky
January 3, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
It's New Year, so time to look back and forward. These are 10 things I think we need to recognise in 2026. It’s a response to what I think are profoundly damaging mistaken assumptions I’ve heard and read from practitioners, journalists, and analysts in 2025. Warning: very long🧵
January 1, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
just realised how many Christmas dinners are going to be ruined by brainwormed racist over-50s spouting absolutely deranged shit this year
December 18, 2025 at 9:19 AM
That ‘the economy’ is an area of Tory strength following their latest term in government beggars belief.
I do like how a loadbearing part of the 'Badenoch is turning it around' is 'after a year, and while flirting with fourth, she has talked, briefly, about the economy an area of Conservative strength rather than launching paper-thin interventions on topics where the Tory brand is weak'.
The right-wing media vibeflation around Badenoch is noise. The Tories are polling in the doldrums against a world-beatingly unpopular government led by a prime minister who is detested by everyone except a few Bluesky clowndorks. Ed Miliband's Labour had ten-point leads. Come the fuck on already.
December 18, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
My collection of people upset about the budget.

Have a heart for Eimear, in her six bed Knightsbridge home. Where will she store her antiques!

Or what about Paul, 56, retiree who has paid millions in tax and wears a lovely Aston Martin gilet - but 2.5k will ruin him.

Or for fucking Barry.
November 29, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
If you think a seventh prime minister in ten years will magically solve the structural problems, deep malaise and febrile atmosphere caused by austerity, Brexit and social media, you're a fundamentally unserious person.
November 28, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
Lurpak, Lego, Hans Christian Andersen, Hans Christian Andersen can you hear me? Your boys took one hell of a beating #ScoDen
November 18, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
Thangam Debonnaire bang on re the BBC there. What a shame she lost her seat at the election and not the wholly inadequate to her role Lisa Nandy. #r4today
November 11, 2025 at 7:20 AM
This is grim though probably not unexpected in the current climate.
Nottingham has one of the most vibrant and forward-looking departments of modern languages around. Music too. To cut them like this, leaving no chance for future rebuilding, is educational vandalism.

tinyurl.com/yr65mjkx
Music and modern languages courses suspended at University of Nottingham
In a statement the institution also says it is
tinyurl.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
I know this is uncomfortable to admit, but there is a small area in England's second city where people are just not integrated with the rest of society. Many of them hold views that arguably go against British values.

Yes, we need to talk about the Tory conference in Manchester.
October 7, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
Am wondering if all of those suddenly deciding they’re against communities living “parallel lives” might reconsider their support of religious schools? Or indeed private ones?
October 7, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
I remember being told that it would take 193 years to reach legal limits for nitrogen dioxide.

I decided this was unacceptable.

Thanks to the bold policies we put in place, we've managed to do it in nine years - 184 years earlier than expected.
October 1, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
This is the judgment on the PPE/Medpro claim.

A cracking £122m win for the Government Legal Service

And is wonderful to see the government bringing a claim in contract against a shoddy supplier.

This does not happen often, and it should happen far more.

www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/u...
www.judiciary.uk
October 1, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Reposted by Dave McCallum
OBAMA: It's fair to say that 80% of the world's problems involve old men hanging on who are afraid of death and insignificance, and they won't let go. They build pyramids, and they put their names on everything. They get very anxious about it.
September 25, 2025 at 6:02 PM