John Bate
@jflb96.bsky.social
From Exeter. Trying my best.
He/him
He/him
Tolkien outliving the Apollo Program feels similarly weird
September 9, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Tolkien outliving the Apollo Program feels similarly weird
So, British public sector Lord of War?
September 1, 2025 at 7:49 AM
So, British public sector Lord of War?
He’ll be installed in a Neuralink Gilt Chair in the Oval Office by the end of the year, rule via tweet for a few years, then conveniently pop his clogs directly after winning a third term that will be taken up by whoever wins the GOP Battle Royale in the meantime
August 23, 2025 at 12:03 AM
He’ll be installed in a Neuralink Gilt Chair in the Oval Office by the end of the year, rule via tweet for a few years, then conveniently pop his clogs directly after winning a third term that will be taken up by whoever wins the GOP Battle Royale in the meantime
Apparently mediums used to do this so that they could hold blocks of wood with their feet and make sure that ghostly knockings happened on cue
August 15, 2025 at 6:13 AM
Apparently mediums used to do this so that they could hold blocks of wood with their feet and make sure that ghostly knockings happened on cue
Put like that, it reminds me of the Xhosa cattle-killers
July 18, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Put like that, it reminds me of the Xhosa cattle-killers
The first one, for anyone like me who’s going ‘Wasn’t that a quote?’
July 18, 2025 at 5:10 PM
The first one, for anyone like me who’s going ‘Wasn’t that a quote?’
I don’t know, I think having enough shoulder to wedge yourself slightly might be enough of an advantage on the descent to make up for it being a PITA on the way up
June 10, 2025 at 8:46 PM
I don’t know, I think having enough shoulder to wedge yourself slightly might be enough of an advantage on the descent to make up for it being a PITA on the way up
‘The government cannot spend as effectively as a single person’ - the words of someone who has never heard of buying wholesale
June 2, 2025 at 4:53 PM
‘The government cannot spend as effectively as a single person’ - the words of someone who has never heard of buying wholesale
Reposted by John Bate
J.K. Rowling is using her wealth attained from the "Harry Potter" series to create an organization dedicated to removing transgender people's rights "in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces.”
🔗: bit.ly/3ZBRxYk
🔗: bit.ly/3ZBRxYk
May 28, 2025 at 4:46 PM
J.K. Rowling is using her wealth attained from the "Harry Potter" series to create an organization dedicated to removing transgender people's rights "in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces.”
🔗: bit.ly/3ZBRxYk
🔗: bit.ly/3ZBRxYk
Reposted by John Bate
It doesn't get reiterated enough that "human on a bicycle" is not only the most efficient way that a person can move, it's the most efficient form of motion ***ever observed in land animals***.
May 23, 2025 at 2:53 AM
It doesn't get reiterated enough that "human on a bicycle" is not only the most efficient way that a person can move, it's the most efficient form of motion ***ever observed in land animals***.
Reposted by John Bate
Found a baby songbird? Here's a newly updated chart!
May 22, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Found a baby songbird? Here's a newly updated chart!
I knew it was still said the same, so I guessed that it was the formerly-Spanish Dutch spelling, but, on looking it up, Wikipedia points the finger at the Spanish rewriting the Latin ‘maiorca’ to have the letters that they’d usually pronounce that way
May 20, 2025 at 2:22 PM
I knew it was still said the same, so I guessed that it was the formerly-Spanish Dutch spelling, but, on looking it up, Wikipedia points the finger at the Spanish rewriting the Latin ‘maiorca’ to have the letters that they’d usually pronounce that way
It got the point across perfectly well, it just also derailed my train of thought to consider shepherd’s cottage pies of various mixtures and the possible culinary reasons for them not working. Might have to do some experiments.
May 20, 2025 at 1:24 PM
It got the point across perfectly well, it just also derailed my train of thought to consider shepherd’s cottage pies of various mixtures and the possible culinary reasons for them not working. Might have to do some experiments.
Well, now I’m wondering what the ratio is where it stops being a lamb cottage pie and becomes a beef shepherd's pie
May 20, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Well, now I’m wondering what the ratio is where it stops being a lamb cottage pie and becomes a beef shepherd's pie
Possibly an argument that they’re less likely to be properly sharp, since the blade is often riveted in place and a pig to get at with a whetstone
May 16, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Possibly an argument that they’re less likely to be properly sharp, since the blade is often riveted in place and a pig to get at with a whetstone
Reposted by John Bate
In short, Starmer has taken a massive hit among Labour voters, for no gain elsewhere, while boosting Farage's popularity, including doubling his ceiling among Labour voters.
I.e., the political scientists were right, Morgan McSweeney was horrendously wrong.
I.e., the political scientists were right, Morgan McSweeney was horrendously wrong.
Keir Starmer's net favourability rating has dropped 12pts in a month to -46, his lowest level ever, including a 34pt drop among Labour voters
All Britons: -46 net rating (down 12 from 13-14 Apr)
By 2024 vote
Labour: -5 (down 34)
Lib Dem: -13 (down 12)
Conservative: -76 (up 1)
Reform: -94 (down 5)
All Britons: -46 net rating (down 12 from 13-14 Apr)
By 2024 vote
Labour: -5 (down 34)
Lib Dem: -13 (down 12)
Conservative: -76 (up 1)
Reform: -94 (down 5)
May 16, 2025 at 7:58 AM
In short, Starmer has taken a massive hit among Labour voters, for no gain elsewhere, while boosting Farage's popularity, including doubling his ceiling among Labour voters.
I.e., the political scientists were right, Morgan McSweeney was horrendously wrong.
I.e., the political scientists were right, Morgan McSweeney was horrendously wrong.
So, they’re betting the farm on being von Papen rather than von Schleicher
May 16, 2025 at 12:33 PM
So, they’re betting the farm on being von Papen rather than von Schleicher
Reposted by John Bate
starmer is probably going to go down in history as the PM who had a chance to reverse the drive towards the farage reich but stood by and did nothing. but i don't really think that's fair.
we need to remember how much he's been pushing for that reich
we need to remember how much he's been pushing for that reich
May 16, 2025 at 8:12 AM
starmer is probably going to go down in history as the PM who had a chance to reverse the drive towards the farage reich but stood by and did nothing. but i don't really think that's fair.
we need to remember how much he's been pushing for that reich
we need to remember how much he's been pushing for that reich
Reposted by John Bate
They withdrew the whip and kicked Corbyn out of the party so they could give you a cabinet that’s slashing welfare, prepping the NHS for privatisation and demonising immigrants, and a PM whose ultimate grand strategy is playing bigot chicken with Nigel Farage. This cannot be stressed enough.
May 15, 2025 at 6:05 AM
They withdrew the whip and kicked Corbyn out of the party so they could give you a cabinet that’s slashing welfare, prepping the NHS for privatisation and demonising immigrants, and a PM whose ultimate grand strategy is playing bigot chicken with Nigel Farage. This cannot be stressed enough.
If anything, that’s *too* metric
May 14, 2025 at 1:26 PM
If anything, that’s *too* metric
Reposted by John Bate
3 months ago, I wrote this about centrist parties aping the far right, and how it's not just immoral, but suicidal. This is not secret knowledge. It's the most reliable effect in world politics. It's watching 40 guys getting killed by the same gorilla, one by one, and stepping up to take your turn.
May 12, 2025 at 10:49 AM
3 months ago, I wrote this about centrist parties aping the far right, and how it's not just immoral, but suicidal. This is not secret knowledge. It's the most reliable effect in world politics. It's watching 40 guys getting killed by the same gorilla, one by one, and stepping up to take your turn.
Reposted by John Bate
just a really long sustained and, as it goes on, increasingly obviously sarcastic round of applause to every Democratic op who is still pushing the utterly failed "culture war stuff is just a distraction" narrative and using "woke" as a pejorative.
Republicans are gross weirdos just keep saying it.
Republicans are gross weirdos just keep saying it.
Democrats just flipped the Omaha mayor's office with ads like this. The right-wing obsession with genitals is starting to backfire.
May 14, 2025 at 9:09 AM
just a really long sustained and, as it goes on, increasingly obviously sarcastic round of applause to every Democratic op who is still pushing the utterly failed "culture war stuff is just a distraction" narrative and using "woke" as a pejorative.
Republicans are gross weirdos just keep saying it.
Republicans are gross weirdos just keep saying it.
Reposted by John Bate
🧵 The recent miscarriage of justice in the UK Supreme Court, where it created a class of people with fewer human rights than others, has led to two key developments. It has created an intersectional backlash against systemic transphobia in the political class, as well as embolden transphobes. [1]
May 14, 2025 at 7:47 AM
🧵 The recent miscarriage of justice in the UK Supreme Court, where it created a class of people with fewer human rights than others, has led to two key developments. It has created an intersectional backlash against systemic transphobia in the political class, as well as embolden transphobes. [1]
Yeah, mostly just silly comments, and then you telling someone off for joining in on the anti-rabbit conversation with recipes. If I was ‘bossy’ and ‘mansplaining’, it was only to the same degree as your fine example.
May 13, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Yeah, mostly just silly comments, and then you telling someone off for joining in on the anti-rabbit conversation with recipes. If I was ‘bossy’ and ‘mansplaining’, it was only to the same degree as your fine example.
90 is still bigger than 77, isn’t it?
Seems like someone doesn’t know what ‘most’ means.
Seems like someone doesn’t know what ‘most’ means.
May 13, 2025 at 3:26 PM
90 is still bigger than 77, isn’t it?
Seems like someone doesn’t know what ‘most’ means.
Seems like someone doesn’t know what ‘most’ means.