Paulb
banner
paulb3964.bsky.social
Paulb
@paulb3964.bsky.social
Retired pharmacist from UK, Married, Spaniel owner, private pilot, EV (not Tesla) driver.
To be fair to Reform (which doesn’t come naturally) all politicians are experts in avoiding questions that they don’t want to answer. They either ignore, deflect or answer a subtlety different question.
Nigel Farage lashes out at a FT journalist and refuses to answer the question.

Is this how Reform UK would ignore media questions if they got into government?
February 17, 2026 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Paulb
Gisele Pelicot told us ‘shame must shift sides’

I have received this from one viewer ..

❤️
February 16, 2026 at 7:56 AM
Reposted by Paulb
Since a handful of hate filled people protested outside RNLI HQ yesterday because they're angry that crews don't discriminate in their rescues and work to save all lives at sea you might want to show your support with a one off or regular donation.

rnli.org/pages/ig/new...
Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea
Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.
rnli.org
February 15, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Paulb
15 years ago today I arrived on Downing Street in a cage.
I've seen off Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak and I'm still going strong.
Only two Prime Ministers have ever done longer stints here: William Pitt the Younger and Sir Robert Walpole.
Bill and Bob - I'm coming for you...
(Photos AP)
February 15, 2026 at 11:07 AM
“A package arrives but you can’t remember ordering anything.”

Is that really a thing…. I know *exactly* what I order online!

(Typical British house there in the photo)
February 15, 2026 at 8:05 AM
Reposted by Paulb
The word of the day is "Apricity" - the warmth of the sun on a cold winter’s day ☀️

Enjoy the sunshine forecast today 😎
a met office advertisement with a cartoon cloud and sun
Alt: A met office advertisement with a cartoon cloud and sun
media.tenor.com
February 14, 2026 at 7:40 AM
“Pharmacists have a seen a marked increase in patients turning to them for treatment for seven of the most common health ailments”

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Chemists treat more patients with common ailments, says Carlton pharmacist
Demand has increased for treatment at chemists after The Pharmacy First scheme was launched.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 14, 2026 at 7:50 AM
Reposted by Paulb
When ministers defended Starmer over Mandelson’s links to Epstein this week, they rushed to X - a platform that lets users strip photos of women and girls.

Is it surely time for the government to log off X? And is social media too toxic for all of us?

My col: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Given the toxicity of social media, a moral question now faces all of us: is it still ethical to use it? | Frances Ryan
With so many platforms rife with racism, misogyny and far-right rhetoric, there must be a point where decent people walk away, says Guardian columnist Frances Ryan
www.theguardian.com
February 14, 2026 at 7:22 AM
Reposted by Paulb
Judge only trials:

✅Still deliver justice for accused,

✅Protect jury trails for cases that need them

✅Rebalance power between victims & criminals

We cannot continue with a system where hell of being raped is made worse by hell of the court system.

www.theguardian.com/law/2026/jan...
Labour MP who was groomed asks colleagues to back judge-only trials
Exclusive: Natalie Fleet says power balance is with criminals not victims as delays make ‘hell of being raped’ worse
www.theguardian.com
January 24, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Wow!
"Epstein victims and Al-Fayed victims are watching what we do - they're not listening to what we say."

MP Natalie Fleet says it’s time to talk about the victims of sexual abuse with the same passion we’re talking about how bad the government is.

@lewisgoodall.com
February 13, 2026 at 8:31 PM
Reposted by Paulb
As there’s been some chat this morning about using alternatives to Amazon and Waterstones to buy books - here’s a reminder that I’ve done a list of and the UK and Ireland indie bookshops that I’ve found so far on BlueSky. I can make it into a starter pack if easier?

bsky.app/profile/did:...
February 13, 2026 at 10:06 AM
I’m sorry, but I took the easy root and ordered something from Amazon.

Isn’t their delivery tracking awful to the point of barely existing. Even EVRI do better.
February 13, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Reposted by Paulb
🆕 In their Comment, Peter Hanlon and colleagues discuss pragmatic prescribing for people with moderate or severe frailty in primary care
Read the full Comment here ➡️ www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Frailty, polypharmacy, and the case for pragmatic prescribing in primary care
Primary care clinicians are often caught between conflicting recommendations for clinical care. On one side, specialist guidelines and trial evidence urge intensive treatment, such as tight blood pres...
www.thelancet.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Is anyone else suffering a deluge of “unknown calls” from various mobile numbers and landline numbers from SW England (but probably India).

Why can @ofcom.bsky.social not do more to prevent this scourge?
February 13, 2026 at 11:45 AM
“Over the past year, we have spoken to scores of families whose lives have been torn apart by impulsive behaviours caused by a family of medications known as dopamine agonist drugs.”

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'My husband stole £600k for sex and antiques' - drug side effects tearing families apart
Side effects of a common Parkinson’s medications had devastating consequences on one family, BBC hears.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 13, 2026 at 11:38 AM
Are people in London really like this?

#Eastenders
February 12, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Paulb
I wanted to muse a little about this snort of derision inducing quote from somewhere in government — “a brilliant strategist, focused ruthlessly on what the voters think” — referring to you know who in @stephenkb.bsky.social ‘s excellent newsletter yesterday.
February 12, 2026 at 12:37 PM
Reposted by Paulb
I'm flabbergasted at the way the debate on Jim Radcliffe's comments on immigration has gone. People's offence at his language is not the point. His basic claim was wrong. He quoted fake numbers on immigration. Exaggerating the numbers more than fivefold...
February 12, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Reposted by Paulb
There's no patriot like a Monaco-based patriot.
February 12, 2026 at 9:23 AM
“Pharmacists in Wales remortgaging homes to stay afloat”

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Pharmacists in Wales described remortgaging homes to stay afloat
With costs escalating, pharmacies are making a loss on essential items such as aspirin.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 12, 2026 at 11:43 AM
Reposted by Paulb
It's International Day of Women & Girls in Science and I spoke to Emily Warner at The Pharmacist about the importance of supporting and championing more women and girls into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
February 11, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Paulb
🧵| Last year, RCN members working in the NHS in England voted to say: we deserve more.

We've been clear with the government – nursing staff need progress in both careers & through the annual pay award.

Today, we can announce that significant progress has been made on career progression. ⬇️
Government funding to improve nursing career progression in England | News | Royal College of Nursing
After sustained RCN pressure, nursing staff will benefit from a package to tackle barriers to progression
bit.ly
February 11, 2026 at 11:34 AM
Just received a personally addressed political campaign leaflet through the post from a party that I have no association with.

It seems that there’s no way to opt out of this. Surely in 2026 that is ridiculous. There are 100’s of parties in UK and all can just ask for electoral registers.
February 10, 2026 at 12:08 PM
Loving the fabulous drone shots during the skiing.

(Don’t normally watch much sport…. At least in skiing there’s no chance of GB being heartbroken by coming 4th!)

#WinterOlympics2026
February 10, 2026 at 10:32 AM
Reposted by Paulb
A cheerful thought for a Sunday night: We're already 29% of the way through February; by the end of the month the UK will have an hour and forty minutes more daylight each day than it did at the start. Spring is coming x
(Photo PoliticalPics)
February 8, 2026 at 11:29 PM