David Shepherd
@dms59.bsky.social
Alienated by the scent of Musk. Flaneur, haunter of Art Galleries, love watching paint dry in Arthouse films, countryside conservationist, Birkbeck History of Ideas MA, progressive, radical, European.
Reposted by David Shepherd
John Major, "Our links to Europe and America may be loser now than once they were and that is a loss"
"The loss of trade with Europe alone costs us £100 billion of lost trade every year"
"That's a tax yield of £40 billion"
"How useful would that have been in recent months to the Chancellor?"
"The loss of trade with Europe alone costs us £100 billion of lost trade every year"
"That's a tax yield of £40 billion"
"How useful would that have been in recent months to the Chancellor?"
November 19, 2025 at 6:39 PM
John Major, "Our links to Europe and America may be loser now than once they were and that is a loss"
"The loss of trade with Europe alone costs us £100 billion of lost trade every year"
"That's a tax yield of £40 billion"
"How useful would that have been in recent months to the Chancellor?"
"The loss of trade with Europe alone costs us £100 billion of lost trade every year"
"That's a tax yield of £40 billion"
"How useful would that have been in recent months to the Chancellor?"
Reposted by David Shepherd
It's hard to find words to capture quite how revolting, steeped in bigotry, irresponsible, morally unmoored, Labour has become. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Anglican bishop shaken ‘to the core’ by home secretary’s asylum seeker comments
Bishop of Edmonton says people coming to UK are being ‘scapegoated’ for years of policy failures
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:38 PM
It's hard to find words to capture quite how revolting, steeped in bigotry, irresponsible, morally unmoored, Labour has become. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Says it all:
Anglican bishop shaken ‘to the core’ by home secretary’s asylum seeker comments
Bishop of Edmonton says people coming to UK are being ‘scapegoated’ for years of policy failures
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Says it all:
Reposted by David Shepherd
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
I remember Deepdene House being demolished in 1960s. I could see its yellow form from our front bedrooms. My great grandfather was a gardener on the estate and Edward VII gave my grandfather 6d when he visited having caught him up a tree.
I remember Deepdene House being demolished in 1960s. I could see its yellow form from our front bedrooms. My great grandfather was a gardener on the estate and Edward VII gave my grandfather 6d when he visited having caught him up a tree.
The wartime railway hotel in Deepdene where no guest ever stayed
The hotel and the caves beneath it were repurposed into a secret bomb proof communications centre.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 16, 2025 at 1:39 PM
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
I remember Deepdene House being demolished in 1960s. I could see its yellow form from our front bedrooms. My great grandfather was a gardener on the estate and Edward VII gave my grandfather 6d when he visited having caught him up a tree.
I remember Deepdene House being demolished in 1960s. I could see its yellow form from our front bedrooms. My great grandfather was a gardener on the estate and Edward VII gave my grandfather 6d when he visited having caught him up a tree.
Reposted by David Shepherd
At this rate everyone will be driving electric cars before UK Gov has electrified the rail network.
Govt scraps all electrification investment. Midland Main Line to stay forever diesel Leicester Nottingham Derby Sheffield. Hugely embarrassing and inexplicable
www.ft.com/content/5ecd...
www.ft.com/content/5ecd...
UK transport secretary says full electrification of railways ‘not affordable right now’
Heidi Alexander says focus will be on other projects such as HS2
www.ft.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:10 AM
At this rate everyone will be driving electric cars before UK Gov has electrified the rail network.
Reposted by David Shepherd
Developers met ministers dozens of times over planning bill while ecologists were shut out
Developers met ministers dozens of times over planning bill while ecologists were shut out
Exclusive: Leading ecologists say warnings over threat to wildlife have been ignored in drive to build 1.5m new homes
The scale of lobbying of ministers by developers on Labour’s landmark planning changes, which seek to rip up environmental rules to boost growth, can be exposed as campaigners make last-ditch attempts to secure protections for nature.
The government published its planning and infrastructure bill in March. Before and after the bill’s publication the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and housing minister Matthew Pennycook have met dozens of developers in numerous meetings. The body representing professional ecologists, meanwhile, has not met one minister despite requests to do so. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Developers met ministers dozens of times over planning bill while ecologists were shut out
Must be a sign of getting old that I can’t shed a tear for these. They were uncomfortable, either too hot or too cold and with no loos. They still seem something of an innovation compared with the 4-SUB units they replaced, not to mention the steam trains I remember from my early years.
Farewell, 455s! South Western Railway to stage ‘farewell tour’ for iconic red commuter trains
South Western Railway will stage a farewell tour for its Class 455 commuter trains, which have served South West London, Berkshire and Surrey for the last 42 years
The tour will take in familiar place...
southwesternrailway-newsroom.prgloo.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Must be a sign of getting old that I can’t shed a tear for these. They were uncomfortable, either too hot or too cold and with no loos. They still seem something of an innovation compared with the 4-SUB units they replaced, not to mention the steam trains I remember from my early years.
The Brexit Tax! The fear is that we’ll be paying more to support still failing public services.
Prospect of breaking 50-year income tax taboo shows scale of Reeves’s challenge
The chancellor appears to believe voters will forgive a broken promise in return for meaningful investment
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:48 AM
The Brexit Tax! The fear is that we’ll be paying more to support still failing public services.
Reposted by David Shepherd
It’s clear to anyone paying attention that Farage gets an easy ride from the media. They give him as much airtime as he wants but never hold him to account for the damage he’s done.
So much of what’s broken in Britain is thanks to Nigel Farage.
So much of what’s broken in Britain is thanks to Nigel Farage.
November 3, 2025 at 7:01 PM
It’s clear to anyone paying attention that Farage gets an easy ride from the media. They give him as much airtime as he wants but never hold him to account for the damage he’s done.
So much of what’s broken in Britain is thanks to Nigel Farage.
So much of what’s broken in Britain is thanks to Nigel Farage.
Then there are those strange small islands in the Atlantic archipelago near Ireland. They might want to join someday although that would be scraping the barrel a bit.
EU could admit new members by 2030, says its foreign policy chief
Kaja Kallas tells reporters more countries could join 27-country bloc, including Montenegro, Albania and Ukraine
www.theguardian.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Then there are those strange small islands in the Atlantic archipelago near Ireland. They might want to join someday although that would be scraping the barrel a bit.
You’ll need a lot of prudence to live on the old state pension of £187.80 a week which is all many of the very old have to live on.
Many people will see failure where they should see prudence.
✍️ James Kirkup
✍️ James Kirkup
Britain's stingy state pension is good news
We still have unwise giveaways like the triple lock, but in relative terms, our state pension provision is modest and prudent.
www.spectator.co.uk
November 4, 2025 at 12:26 PM
You’ll need a lot of prudence to live on the old state pension of £187.80 a week which is all many of the very old have to live on.
Reposted by David Shepherd
did the sitwells sit well? an investigation
November 4, 2025 at 11:40 AM
did the sitwells sit well? an investigation
Fed up with Reeves playing games with us with a daily drip of rumours and hints and now this speech, all raising questions of competence and creating uncertainty. A government with such a large majority ought to be able to make hard choices and get on with it.
Pound hits lowest since April as investors anticipate budget tax rises after Reeves speech – business live
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news, as chancellor’s speech is taken as a sign that tax rises and tighter budgets could be ahead.
www.theguardian.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Fed up with Reeves playing games with us with a daily drip of rumours and hints and now this speech, all raising questions of competence and creating uncertainty. A government with such a large majority ought to be able to make hard choices and get on with it.
Finally saw this all the way through a few months and yes it is amazing.
Brief Encounter at 80: why we’re still falling for David Lean’s 1945 romance
The story of hot tea and unconsummated love hails from a very different era – and was far from easy to make. Yet it remains a key influence for film-makers from Sofia Coppola to Celine Song, James Ivo...
www.theguardian.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Finally saw this all the way through a few months and yes it is amazing.
Reposted by David Shepherd
Extraordinary to hear Reeves cite tariffs and increased defence spending in her speech, as she sets up the blame for tax rises. This message could have been really effective if she'd issued it when Trump introduced tariffs. Now, much less so.
November 4, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Extraordinary to hear Reeves cite tariffs and increased defence spending in her speech, as she sets up the blame for tax rises. This message could have been really effective if she'd issued it when Trump introduced tariffs. Now, much less so.
There have been so many articles about ‘6-7’ that I’m beginning to say it.
Are your kids obsessed with ‘6-7’? Here’s my plan to break the spell | Dave Schilling
Rules seem unlikely to help – kids will just rebel. Instead, try saying it all the time yourself
www.theguardian.com
November 3, 2025 at 4:11 PM
There have been so many articles about ‘6-7’ that I’m beginning to say it.
Reposted by David Shepherd
Even a big far-right vote couldn’t give the far-right total control, because the Dutch democracy promotes cooperation.
Here in the UK, just one-third of the vote could give Nigel Farage a huge majority of MPs.
Our democracy isn't fit for 21st-century politics. We need Proportional Representation.
Here in the UK, just one-third of the vote could give Nigel Farage a huge majority of MPs.
Our democracy isn't fit for 21st-century politics. We need Proportional Representation.
October 31, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Even a big far-right vote couldn’t give the far-right total control, because the Dutch democracy promotes cooperation.
Here in the UK, just one-third of the vote could give Nigel Farage a huge majority of MPs.
Our democracy isn't fit for 21st-century politics. We need Proportional Representation.
Here in the UK, just one-third of the vote could give Nigel Farage a huge majority of MPs.
Our democracy isn't fit for 21st-century politics. We need Proportional Representation.
I suspect Zach’s grandma is more knowing and less innocent than they think!
This is how we do it: ‘When his grandma heard us having sex, she asked if we’d been “having a fun dance” upstairs’
Living with elderly grandparents has helped Zach and Luna with the cost of living crisis – but not their sex life
www.theguardian.com
October 27, 2025 at 8:44 PM
I suspect Zach’s grandma is more knowing and less innocent than they think!
Reposted by David Shepherd
The issue is that Starmer doesn't actually understand he has both power and the ability to use it, and has ideologically curled up in a ball and already given up.
'Should they move left blah blah, no they need to worry about Reform blah blah' - this stuff is babytalk, they are the government, they need to worry about persistent inflation, poor public services and our exposed public finances:
Starmer needs to get serious about governing — and quick
The prime minister has to change or his party will seek a change of its own
www.ft.com
October 25, 2025 at 4:26 PM
The issue is that Starmer doesn't actually understand he has both power and the ability to use it, and has ideologically curled up in a ball and already given up.
Reposted by David Shepherd
Exclusive: No10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney addressed a meeting of Labour peers on Wednesday night. It did not go well, for him or Keir Starmer.
The HuffPost UK weekend political read 👇
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/end-of...
The HuffPost UK weekend political read 👇
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/end-of...
End Of The Keir Show: How Senior Labour Figures Now Believe Starmer Is Already Toast
Will the embattled PM even make it to the New Year in No.10?
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
October 24, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Exclusive: No10 chief of staff Morgan McSweeney addressed a meeting of Labour peers on Wednesday night. It did not go well, for him or Keir Starmer.
The HuffPost UK weekend political read 👇
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/end-of...
The HuffPost UK weekend political read 👇
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/end-of...
How carcinogenic are they? @theguardian.com has another article saying bacon should have a cancer warning like cigarettes. A lack of editorial consistency. Noticed a journalistic decline of late. Not sure why.
‘Crisps up perfectly’: the best (and worst) supermarket bacon, tasted and rated
It’s the food of the gods, says our reviewer, but which supermarket rasher is heavenly thick and smoky, and which is hellishly thin and salty?
www.theguardian.com
October 25, 2025 at 2:07 PM
How carcinogenic are they? @theguardian.com has another article saying bacon should have a cancer warning like cigarettes. A lack of editorial consistency. Noticed a journalistic decline of late. Not sure why.
I remember going on this line c1980 and yes it was spectacular. On a particularly steep bit a pilot man came on board to take over the driving complete with a special red badge on his peaked cap. I guess this no longer happens.
Poetry in motion: the most joyous four hours I’ve ever spent on a train | Adrian Chiles
The plug sockets may not work and there isn’t a trolley service, but the Heart of Wales Line is a friendly, bustling, beautiful treat, writes Adrian Chiles
www.theguardian.com
October 23, 2025 at 12:31 PM
I remember going on this line c1980 and yes it was spectacular. On a particularly steep bit a pilot man came on board to take over the driving complete with a special red badge on his peaked cap. I guess this no longer happens.
Still got my copy of the catalogue to the 1970s Change and Decay exhibition at the V&A which spurred on conservation efforts. Guess we need something similar now. St John the Evangelist in Reading that was featured is still going strong as Polish RC church. Its 80s replacement looks dated.
Repair bills could force hundreds of UK churches to close within five years
Two in five say their roof is at risk and one in three are using reserves for basics, National Churches Trust survey finds
www.theguardian.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Still got my copy of the catalogue to the 1970s Change and Decay exhibition at the V&A which spurred on conservation efforts. Guess we need something similar now. St John the Evangelist in Reading that was featured is still going strong as Polish RC church. Its 80s replacement looks dated.
Reposted by David Shepherd
🧵 Finally, the Government are putting an end to their 'mum's the word' approach to the economic disasterclass that is Brexit.
The botched Brexit deal - dreamt up by Farage and delivered by the Conservatives - has delivered nothing but extra red tape, extra costs, and crushed opportunity. [1/3]
The botched Brexit deal - dreamt up by Farage and delivered by the Conservatives - has delivered nothing but extra red tape, extra costs, and crushed opportunity. [1/3]
Brexit blame game returns ahead of Budget
UK fiscal watchdog to link next month’s productivity downgrade to EU exit and Covid-19
www.ft.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:46 PM
🧵 Finally, the Government are putting an end to their 'mum's the word' approach to the economic disasterclass that is Brexit.
The botched Brexit deal - dreamt up by Farage and delivered by the Conservatives - has delivered nothing but extra red tape, extra costs, and crushed opportunity. [1/3]
The botched Brexit deal - dreamt up by Farage and delivered by the Conservatives - has delivered nothing but extra red tape, extra costs, and crushed opportunity. [1/3]