Richard Close
@richardclose.bsky.social
Immigrant.
Born in 🇿🇼, lived in 🏴 (mostly), 🇿🇦 and 🇺🇲. Now in 🏴.
Born in 🇿🇼, lived in 🏴 (mostly), 🇿🇦 and 🇺🇲. Now in 🏴.
Reposted by Richard Close
If Russia and the US were genuinely willing for NATO states, including the US, to provide an "Art. 5-style" security guarantee they could just suggest that Ukraine joins NATO. They are doing the opposite, which tells us all we need to know.
November 21, 2025 at 10:13 AM
If Russia and the US were genuinely willing for NATO states, including the US, to provide an "Art. 5-style" security guarantee they could just suggest that Ukraine joins NATO. They are doing the opposite, which tells us all we need to know.
Reposted by Richard Close
Robbie Gibb was appointed to the BBC Board by Boris Johnson, was an editorial advisor for GB News, and worked as Theresa May's Director of Comms.
He is not impartial or neutral. The government should remove him from the Board immediately to protect the BBC's independence.
He is not impartial or neutral. The government should remove him from the Board immediately to protect the BBC's independence.
November 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Robbie Gibb was appointed to the BBC Board by Boris Johnson, was an editorial advisor for GB News, and worked as Theresa May's Director of Comms.
He is not impartial or neutral. The government should remove him from the Board immediately to protect the BBC's independence.
He is not impartial or neutral. The government should remove him from the Board immediately to protect the BBC's independence.
Reposted by Richard Close
If they're smart, Labour and Lib Dem politicians should now go big on every inaccuracy broadcast by GB News, demand big on air apologies, and ask why there's one rule for the BBC and not one for a rival channel.
November 9, 2025 at 7:28 PM
If they're smart, Labour and Lib Dem politicians should now go big on every inaccuracy broadcast by GB News, demand big on air apologies, and ask why there's one rule for the BBC and not one for a rival channel.
Farewell Valaris Gorilla 6, we hardly knew ye.
(Seen from Tayport sailing away from Dundee Harbour).
(Seen from Tayport sailing away from Dundee Harbour).
November 8, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Farewell Valaris Gorilla 6, we hardly knew ye.
(Seen from Tayport sailing away from Dundee Harbour).
(Seen from Tayport sailing away from Dundee Harbour).
Reposted by Richard Close
dear US friends, when a sitting president (re)builds the seat of government, it almost always means the president has no intention of leaving at the end of term. your African friends with decades of experience
October 24, 2025 at 1:39 PM
dear US friends, when a sitting president (re)builds the seat of government, it almost always means the president has no intention of leaving at the end of term. your African friends with decades of experience
Reposted by Richard Close
According to this, they haven’t. No licences for asbestos removal applied for. Quelle surprise. The report also notes that the West Wing was laced with asbestos, until a 2019 removal programme - but that no such work has been undertaken in the East Wing.
www.rawstory.com/amp/white-ho...
www.rawstory.com/amp/white-ho...
Trump’s crew may be spreading asbestos with unpermitted White House teardown: expert
www.rawstory.com
October 23, 2025 at 8:36 AM
According to this, they haven’t. No licences for asbestos removal applied for. Quelle surprise. The report also notes that the West Wing was laced with asbestos, until a 2019 removal programme - but that no such work has been undertaken in the East Wing.
www.rawstory.com/amp/white-ho...
www.rawstory.com/amp/white-ho...
Reposted by Richard Close
Asbestos. I’m sure that in the Trump administration’s carefully-considered demolition of the East Wing of the White House (a structure largely built in 1942), they’ve remembered to safely remove any asbestos.
October 23, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Asbestos. I’m sure that in the Trump administration’s carefully-considered demolition of the East Wing of the White House (a structure largely built in 1942), they’ve remembered to safely remove any asbestos.
This business of defining somebody's value to society by their income is a morally bankrupt aspect of the Tory immigration policy (and Labour's, for that matter).
If you're underpaid for a hard job that the natives won't do, your presence is a positive.
If you're underpaid for a hard job that the natives won't do, your presence is a positive.
October 22, 2025 at 7:49 PM
This business of defining somebody's value to society by their income is a morally bankrupt aspect of the Tory immigration policy (and Labour's, for that matter).
If you're underpaid for a hard job that the natives won't do, your presence is a positive.
If you're underpaid for a hard job that the natives won't do, your presence is a positive.
Reposted by Richard Close
Not the best picture, but apparently it's an oil rig coming in for decommissioning. Not your average view from the office
October 16, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Not the best picture, but apparently it's an oil rig coming in for decommissioning. Not your average view from the office
Reposted by Richard Close
The Unipiper showed up. 💙
October 12, 2025 at 3:02 AM
The Unipiper showed up. 💙
Reposted by Richard Close
Oh, hello again, tech companies pretending to make huge deals with each other to boost the stock price.
CEMBALEST: “.. Oracle’s stock jumped by 25% after being promised $60 billion a year from OpenAI, an amount of money OpenAI doesn’t earn yet, to provide cloud computing facilities that Oracle hasn’t built yet.”
September 26, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Oh, hello again, tech companies pretending to make huge deals with each other to boost the stock price.
Reposted by Richard Close
it's so funny to see America's health insurance companies be like "look. If there's one thing we love it's denying you care. but we ran the numbers - and we cannot BELIEVE we're saying this - and it's cheaper for us to just pay for the vaccines than deal with you going to the ER."
Regardless of the disgraceful nonsense we will likely hear from this administration in the coming days on vaccine “recommendations,” Americas healthcare insurers issued a joint statement tonight saying coverage for Covid and flu shots will remain unchanged from prior years.
Speaks for itself.
Speaks for itself.
September 17, 2025 at 3:03 AM
it's so funny to see America's health insurance companies be like "look. If there's one thing we love it's denying you care. but we ran the numbers - and we cannot BELIEVE we're saying this - and it's cheaper for us to just pay for the vaccines than deal with you going to the ER."
Reposted by Richard Close
This is pretty spot on.
Politics should be the antidote to violence and the fertiliser of democratic not violent ends.
But in modern America too many espouse it and defend it, thus ensuring it “does” have a place in their political life even when it should not.
bsky.app/profile/fred...
Politics should be the antidote to violence and the fertiliser of democratic not violent ends.
But in modern America too many espouse it and defend it, thus ensuring it “does” have a place in their political life even when it should not.
bsky.app/profile/fred...
Thank you Michael Fanone. For those who do not recognize the name, Michael is one of the officers who defended America on January 6th and was left permanently injured as a result. He is a true hero of our Democracy.
September 11, 2025 at 12:03 PM
This is pretty spot on.
Politics should be the antidote to violence and the fertiliser of democratic not violent ends.
But in modern America too many espouse it and defend it, thus ensuring it “does” have a place in their political life even when it should not.
bsky.app/profile/fred...
Politics should be the antidote to violence and the fertiliser of democratic not violent ends.
But in modern America too many espouse it and defend it, thus ensuring it “does” have a place in their political life even when it should not.
bsky.app/profile/fred...
Reposted by Richard Close
The Barbican is a relatively recent building complex but it just feels totally beyond the capacity of our society to make anything this cool now, like the remnant of some fallen civilisation whose ruins we live amidst.
September 11, 2025 at 6:47 AM
The Barbican is a relatively recent building complex but it just feels totally beyond the capacity of our society to make anything this cool now, like the remnant of some fallen civilisation whose ruins we live amidst.
Listiening to the Mystery of Time (Kabeláč) again. Such a compelling piece of music. Feels vast and inexorable and alien.
#ClassicalMusic #NowPlaying
#ClassicalMusic #NowPlaying
September 7, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Listiening to the Mystery of Time (Kabeláč) again. Such a compelling piece of music. Feels vast and inexorable and alien.
#ClassicalMusic #NowPlaying
#ClassicalMusic #NowPlaying
Reposted by Richard Close
2/2 This in turn will trigger a huge groundswell of public antivax sentiment especially in the US, but also worldwide - which will set us back decades in the public health sphere. Gods help us all….
August 28, 2025 at 6:43 AM
2/2 This in turn will trigger a huge groundswell of public antivax sentiment especially in the US, but also worldwide - which will set us back decades in the public health sphere. Gods help us all….
Reposted by Richard Close
I'm not eligible but it might be worth reminding people it can be done privately, at a pharmacy. £80-90 last year, but well worth it IMHO.
August 22, 2025 at 10:29 AM
I'm not eligible but it might be worth reminding people it can be done privately, at a pharmacy. £80-90 last year, but well worth it IMHO.
Reposted by Richard Close
Tutsis were describes as "cockroaches" in the run-up to the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
August 21, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Tutsis were describes as "cockroaches" in the run-up to the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
Reposted by Richard Close
This is going to be interesting!
(getting more into Martinu at the moment)
(getting more into Martinu at the moment)
August 6, 2025 at 7:19 PM
This is going to be interesting!
(getting more into Martinu at the moment)
(getting more into Martinu at the moment)
Reposted by Richard Close
“INTRUDER INTRUDER WE HAVE BREACH ON THE ROOF OF THE EAST WING”
“This is Team Lead say again do you have visual confirmation”
“AFFIRMATIVE WE HAVE INTRUDER IT LOOKS LIKE … DOES GRITTY WEAR A SUIT? I THINK IT MAY BE GRITTY”
“Stand down that is Mushroom, Mushroom is on the roof, all clear.”
“This is Team Lead say again do you have visual confirmation”
“AFFIRMATIVE WE HAVE INTRUDER IT LOOKS LIKE … DOES GRITTY WEAR A SUIT? I THINK IT MAY BE GRITTY”
“Stand down that is Mushroom, Mushroom is on the roof, all clear.”
August 5, 2025 at 4:42 PM
“INTRUDER INTRUDER WE HAVE BREACH ON THE ROOF OF THE EAST WING”
“This is Team Lead say again do you have visual confirmation”
“AFFIRMATIVE WE HAVE INTRUDER IT LOOKS LIKE … DOES GRITTY WEAR A SUIT? I THINK IT MAY BE GRITTY”
“Stand down that is Mushroom, Mushroom is on the roof, all clear.”
“This is Team Lead say again do you have visual confirmation”
“AFFIRMATIVE WE HAVE INTRUDER IT LOOKS LIKE … DOES GRITTY WEAR A SUIT? I THINK IT MAY BE GRITTY”
“Stand down that is Mushroom, Mushroom is on the roof, all clear.”
Reposted by Richard Close
Because Israel needs to think this through.
If Israel does not complete its genocide and is actually stopped… there is a colossal case of reparations. Who pays?
Will the West pay for Israel *again*? The populations of US, UK & Germany might not like that idea — we might have reparations of our own
If Israel does not complete its genocide and is actually stopped… there is a colossal case of reparations. Who pays?
Will the West pay for Israel *again*? The populations of US, UK & Germany might not like that idea — we might have reparations of our own
July 27, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Because Israel needs to think this through.
If Israel does not complete its genocide and is actually stopped… there is a colossal case of reparations. Who pays?
Will the West pay for Israel *again*? The populations of US, UK & Germany might not like that idea — we might have reparations of our own
If Israel does not complete its genocide and is actually stopped… there is a colossal case of reparations. Who pays?
Will the West pay for Israel *again*? The populations of US, UK & Germany might not like that idea — we might have reparations of our own
We saw this very relaxed sparrowhawk perching on a garage roof in Newport yesterday evening. Wonder if he could take a pigeon? We see pigeon remains quite often.
#Fife
#Fife
July 11, 2025 at 1:38 PM
We saw this very relaxed sparrowhawk perching on a garage roof in Newport yesterday evening. Wonder if he could take a pigeon? We see pigeon remains quite often.
#Fife
#Fife
Reposted by Richard Close
The fact we are making ourselves more dependant on US military assistance, not less, is fundamentally insane. We cannot rely on the US as a security partner, how obvious can that possibly be before the UK security establishment takes it in?
June 25, 2025 at 8:26 AM
The fact we are making ourselves more dependant on US military assistance, not less, is fundamentally insane. We cannot rely on the US as a security partner, how obvious can that possibly be before the UK security establishment takes it in?
Reposted by Richard Close
The 5 cygnets at Boat Brae are getting big. #Fife #Newport-on-Tay
June 8, 2025 at 7:57 PM
The 5 cygnets at Boat Brae are getting big. #Fife #Newport-on-Tay