Tom Hawkins
@nekomatic.bsky.social
Wait, what are you doing here? Who let you in?
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
Bored on train so made a starter pack listing all the House of Commons Library automated accounts on Bluesky:
go.bsky.app/4Giwged
Would recommend treating it as a pick list, rather than a normal starter pack. Some of the accounts - particularly written answers from departments - are quite noisy.
go.bsky.app/4Giwged
Would recommend treating it as a pick list, rather than a normal starter pack. Some of the accounts - particularly written answers from departments - are quite noisy.
January 29, 2026 at 8:36 AM
Bored on train so made a starter pack listing all the House of Commons Library automated accounts on Bluesky:
go.bsky.app/4Giwged
Would recommend treating it as a pick list, rather than a normal starter pack. Some of the accounts - particularly written answers from departments - are quite noisy.
go.bsky.app/4Giwged
Would recommend treating it as a pick list, rather than a normal starter pack. Some of the accounts - particularly written answers from departments - are quite noisy.
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
New Swingometer post now out - my look at the Gorton and Denton by-election, taking place down the road from me swingometer.substack.com/p/the-gorton...
The Gorton and Denton by-election: a tale of two Manchesters?
Unpopular incumbent + fragmented opposition + unusual seat = unpredictable contest
swingometer.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:50 AM
New Swingometer post now out - my look at the Gorton and Denton by-election, taking place down the road from me swingometer.substack.com/p/the-gorton...
This seems entirely fair comment, apart from ‘no revolt by members’ - I have left over the anti-migration rhetoric and policies and I don’t think I’m alone
My Trade Secrets today, in which it's fair to say I go off on one.
The Labour party is famously "a moral crusade or it is nothing". On aid, immigration and trade they're going for the latter option, with betrayals of principle both repugnant and pointless. 1/n
The Labour party is famously "a moral crusade or it is nothing". On aid, immigration and trade they're going for the latter option, with betrayals of principle both repugnant and pointless. 1/n
The abandonment of Labour’s moral crusade
[FREE TO READ] The UK is taking a cynical but fruitless turn to the reactionary and insular on aid, immigration and trade
as.ft.com
January 29, 2026 at 11:54 AM
This seems entirely fair comment, apart from ‘no revolt by members’ - I have left over the anti-migration rhetoric and policies and I don’t think I’m alone
Wild
Petrol and diesel in the UK are currently cheaper, in real terms, than they've been since (at least) 2003.
January 29, 2026 at 11:33 AM
Wild
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
Reminder for my fellow UK dual/multi nationals that from 25 Feb 2026 you MUST travel into the UK on a UK or Irish passport.
You will no longer be able to travel to the UK on another passport — quite the change from the status quo, and problematic for those of us who travel frequently…🧵
You will no longer be able to travel to the UK on another passport — quite the change from the status quo, and problematic for those of us who travel frequently…🧵
January 29, 2026 at 9:16 AM
Reminder for my fellow UK dual/multi nationals that from 25 Feb 2026 you MUST travel into the UK on a UK or Irish passport.
You will no longer be able to travel to the UK on another passport — quite the change from the status quo, and problematic for those of us who travel frequently…🧵
You will no longer be able to travel to the UK on another passport — quite the change from the status quo, and problematic for those of us who travel frequently…🧵
Entertaining, but predictable…🧵
I think I might take one of these "under 20 minutes" AI skills courses the UK Govt. seems very keen on everyone doing and live-post it here... Maybe we can all learn something together! The press release sends me to aiskillshub.org.uk/aiskillsboost/ - let's go and see!
AI Skills Boost - AI Skills Hub
aiskillshub.org.uk
January 29, 2026 at 7:57 AM
Entertaining, but predictable…🧵
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
I have left my comfortable liberal bubble in order to consume conservative content dozens of times. It has almost invariably been garbage. Telling me I still need to keep doing it is frankly now coming up against my belief in induction. Bayes' Law has worked, this is no longer a "prior".
January 27, 2026 at 7:08 PM
I have left my comfortable liberal bubble in order to consume conservative content dozens of times. It has almost invariably been garbage. Telling me I still need to keep doing it is frankly now coming up against my belief in induction. Bayes' Law has worked, this is no longer a "prior".
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
The ocean freighting industry is woke now (the containers spell Renee, for Renee Good).
www.reddit.com/r/Tacoma/com...
www.reddit.com/r/Tacoma/com...
January 27, 2026 at 4:13 AM
The ocean freighting industry is woke now (the containers spell Renee, for Renee Good).
www.reddit.com/r/Tacoma/com...
www.reddit.com/r/Tacoma/com...
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
Street art memorializing Alex Pretti in Seattle. Per r/Seattle, it was painted on a building facing Swedish Hospital in the First Hill neighborhood www.reddit.com/r/nursing/co...
January 27, 2026 at 4:01 AM
Street art memorializing Alex Pretti in Seattle. Per r/Seattle, it was painted on a building facing Swedish Hospital in the First Hill neighborhood www.reddit.com/r/nursing/co...
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
Women’s trouser style or personal insult? - an occasional series.
January 27, 2026 at 11:54 AM
Women’s trouser style or personal insult? - an occasional series.
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
Someone at 6 Music **really** likes I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun don’t they?
October 31, 2024 at 10:36 AM
Someone at 6 Music **really** likes I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun don’t they?
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
this is bleakly funny, but also - people at the NYT, BBC News etc DO think it's an exciting time for politics, that's really one of the fundamental causes for this, they think it's a fucking parlour game
Twice this week when meeting a new person I've gotten an excited "Wow, it must be an exciting time to be a political scientist!" and both times I've answered "Not really. That's like telling someone it's an exciting to be a surgeon when there's a 63 car pileup on the highway."
January 26, 2026 at 3:07 PM
this is bleakly funny, but also - people at the NYT, BBC News etc DO think it's an exciting time for politics, that's really one of the fundamental causes for this, they think it's a fucking parlour game
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
Back in the beforetimes of 2021, over on the other place, I set out to answer the age old question "is my wankpanzer bigger than a tank". Here are those findings for the Bluesky record.
Q1. Is my Ford Ranger bigger than a tank?
A. Not quite but getting there.
Q1. Is my Ford Ranger bigger than a tank?
A. Not quite but getting there.
January 27, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Back in the beforetimes of 2021, over on the other place, I set out to answer the age old question "is my wankpanzer bigger than a tank". Here are those findings for the Bluesky record.
Q1. Is my Ford Ranger bigger than a tank?
A. Not quite but getting there.
Q1. Is my Ford Ranger bigger than a tank?
A. Not quite but getting there.
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
UKHSA responds to the confirmation from @WHO that the UK has lost its measles elimination status.
Read more from WHO here: https://bit.ly/3YZuOFa
Read more from WHO here: https://bit.ly/3YZuOFa
January 26, 2026 at 2:41 PM
UKHSA responds to the confirmation from @WHO that the UK has lost its measles elimination status.
Read more from WHO here: https://bit.ly/3YZuOFa
Read more from WHO here: https://bit.ly/3YZuOFa
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
The nationalist right - our high streets are empty and it's killing communities
The government - let's explore making them more attractive and easy to navigate destinations
The nationalist right - woah, that is akin to the mass murder of millions of people by a totalitarian dictator
The government - let's explore making them more attractive and easy to navigate destinations
The nationalist right - woah, that is akin to the mass murder of millions of people by a totalitarian dictator
January 26, 2026 at 6:14 AM
The nationalist right - our high streets are empty and it's killing communities
The government - let's explore making them more attractive and easy to navigate destinations
The nationalist right - woah, that is akin to the mass murder of millions of people by a totalitarian dictator
The government - let's explore making them more attractive and easy to navigate destinations
The nationalist right - woah, that is akin to the mass murder of millions of people by a totalitarian dictator
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
Short thread- Not far from Crowborough is a place called Maresfield. An old army base there was used to house Vietnamese refugees (Boat People) in the late 70s/early 80s. Nobody was bothered about them being there at the time. No protest against them. Nothing.- www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Thousands march in Crowborough over asylum plan for former military camp
Protesters walk to Sussex market town from base where Home Office plans to house up to 500 asylum seekers
www.theguardian.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:41 AM
Short thread- Not far from Crowborough is a place called Maresfield. An old army base there was used to house Vietnamese refugees (Boat People) in the late 70s/early 80s. Nobody was bothered about them being there at the time. No protest against them. Nothing.- www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Top left, always the best corner.
"Not so very long ago, in the top left-hand corner of Wales, there was a railway..." Ivor the Engine puffed back onto TV in a new series of colour episodes starting #OTD 50 years ago. @radiotimes.bsky.social photographed co-creators Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin (Ivor background artwork on wall).
January 26, 2026 at 1:02 PM
Top left, always the best corner.
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
woke up this morning and mrs. @sxbond.bsky.social had launched her 100FAQ kickstarter and it's fully funded already. it's informative, it's funny, it has a bunch of my cool art. Know the Basics. Avoid the Blunders. kck.st/49EoEAt
100 FAQ On Making Comics
Know the Basics. Avoid the Blunders.
www.kickstarter.com
January 23, 2026 at 7:11 PM
woke up this morning and mrs. @sxbond.bsky.social had launched her 100FAQ kickstarter and it's fully funded already. it's informative, it's funny, it has a bunch of my cool art. Know the Basics. Avoid the Blunders. kck.st/49EoEAt
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
Do you vote by post? ✉️ You may need to reapply!
If you applied for a postal vote on or before 30 January 2024, you need to re-apply by 31 January 2026. If you don’t, your postal vote will lapse and you won’t receive a postal vote in future elections.
🔗 Renew today: www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote
If you applied for a postal vote on or before 30 January 2024, you need to re-apply by 31 January 2026. If you don’t, your postal vote will lapse and you won’t receive a postal vote in future elections.
🔗 Renew today: www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote
January 24, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Do you vote by post? ✉️ You may need to reapply!
If you applied for a postal vote on or before 30 January 2024, you need to re-apply by 31 January 2026. If you don’t, your postal vote will lapse and you won’t receive a postal vote in future elections.
🔗 Renew today: www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote
If you applied for a postal vote on or before 30 January 2024, you need to re-apply by 31 January 2026. If you don’t, your postal vote will lapse and you won’t receive a postal vote in future elections.
🔗 Renew today: www.gov.uk/apply-postal-vote
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
Quick reax piece on Burnham block. The 8-1 vote suggests his team hadn't prepared properly. Despite Starmer, there 4 extra votes he could reasonably have expected to win, which would have changed the result. That he didn't get any tells its own tale labour-uncut.co.uk/2026/01/25/t...
The NEC’s 8-1 vote to block Andy Burnham suggests his team hadn’t prepared properly « Labour Uncut
labour-uncut.co.uk
January 25, 2026 at 8:56 PM
Quick reax piece on Burnham block. The 8-1 vote suggests his team hadn't prepared properly. Despite Starmer, there 4 extra votes he could reasonably have expected to win, which would have changed the result. That he didn't get any tells its own tale labour-uncut.co.uk/2026/01/25/t...
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
as a left-wing American, I feel the need to warn the British something they already know: if you have a choice between milquetoast centrist fucks everyone hates and literal Nazis, please don’t make the same mistake that we did
January 25, 2026 at 12:28 PM
as a left-wing American, I feel the need to warn the British something they already know: if you have a choice between milquetoast centrist fucks everyone hates and literal Nazis, please don’t make the same mistake that we did
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
I always find some great reads in Snig's monthly favourites list! This time it's a great piece on the difference between American and British Chinese takeaway food, and the history and experiences behind it.
edition.cnn.com/travel/briti...
(See quoted post for Snig's blog)
edition.cnn.com/travel/briti...
(See quoted post for Snig's blog)
January 24, 2026 at 4:47 PM
I always find some great reads in Snig's monthly favourites list! This time it's a great piece on the difference between American and British Chinese takeaway food, and the history and experiences behind it.
edition.cnn.com/travel/briti...
(See quoted post for Snig's blog)
edition.cnn.com/travel/briti...
(See quoted post for Snig's blog)
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
Here's the original Little Rooms manifesto. I love it when a plan comes together, and this one really is: there's some amazing work coming straight off the back of other people reading this specific rant.
Little Rooms.
Great Things Start in Little Rooms. That's it.
joemuggs.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 2:41 PM
Here's the original Little Rooms manifesto. I love it when a plan comes together, and this one really is: there's some amazing work coming straight off the back of other people reading this specific rant.
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
Long shot but: is there anybody I know (preferably London or surrounding areas) who’s looking to get a cat? Our friends are moving overseas and can’t take theirs with them 😿
January 17, 2026 at 11:11 AM
Long shot but: is there anybody I know (preferably London or surrounding areas) who’s looking to get a cat? Our friends are moving overseas and can’t take theirs with them 😿
Reposted by Tom Hawkins
If you develop software for research, consider responding to this survey trying to help understand who develops research software and how they work so as to get more robust support: softwaresaved.limequery.com/611257?lang=en #chemSky
2026 International RSE Survey
softwaresaved.limequery.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:14 PM
If you develop software for research, consider responding to this survey trying to help understand who develops research software and how they work so as to get more robust support: softwaresaved.limequery.com/611257?lang=en #chemSky