Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
@robertsburton.bsky.social
Occasional writer. Always a reader. Sometime musician and voice actor, more often sound engineer. Cement-punk overtones with a philosophical subtext, served amidst the aroma of the world's end.
He/Him/His.
He/Him/His.
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
🧵On our revelations today about the BBC Coup and the Prescott Dossier.
The leaked ‘BBC Bias’ memo Trump used to attack the BBC was authored by Michael Prescott — a Hanover lobbyist paid by US tech/media giants tied to Trump. Full story: bylinetimes.com/2025/11/11/b... 1/12
The leaked ‘BBC Bias’ memo Trump used to attack the BBC was authored by Michael Prescott — a Hanover lobbyist paid by US tech/media giants tied to Trump. Full story: bylinetimes.com/2025/11/11/b... 1/12
'BBC Bias' Memo Was Authored by Lobbyist Tied to Pro-Trump Tech Giants
The leaked memo that fuelled Trump’s attack on the BBC was written by a lobbyist at a firm paid by US tech giants tied to the President
bylinetimes.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:19 PM
🧵On our revelations today about the BBC Coup and the Prescott Dossier.
The leaked ‘BBC Bias’ memo Trump used to attack the BBC was authored by Michael Prescott — a Hanover lobbyist paid by US tech/media giants tied to Trump. Full story: bylinetimes.com/2025/11/11/b... 1/12
The leaked ‘BBC Bias’ memo Trump used to attack the BBC was authored by Michael Prescott — a Hanover lobbyist paid by US tech/media giants tied to Trump. Full story: bylinetimes.com/2025/11/11/b... 1/12
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
November 10, 2025 at 6:40 PM
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"Theresa May’s former communications chief who was appointed to the BBC’s board during Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister"
November 11, 2025 at 7:35 AM
"Theresa May’s former communications chief who was appointed to the BBC’s board during Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister"
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
Important to be clear here that the proposed homes wouldn't mean demolishing the 18th century garden - it's just that they might possibly be visible from it. What appallingly selfish behaviour.
November 10, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Important to be clear here that the proposed homes wouldn't mean demolishing the 18th century garden - it's just that they might possibly be visible from it. What appallingly selfish behaviour.
Yeah. Sorry in advance everyone.
Two pointers for the #ThoughtBubble weekend in Harrogate:
(1) Don’t assume I will immediately remember who you are.
(2) Don’t be offended when I inevitably don’t!
Something along the lines of “Hi Andy, I’m [name] from [organisation/project/comic]” will work wonders for us both.
(1) Don’t assume I will immediately remember who you are.
(2) Don’t be offended when I inevitably don’t!
Something along the lines of “Hi Andy, I’m [name] from [organisation/project/comic]” will work wonders for us both.
November 10, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Yeah. Sorry in advance everyone.
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
Media: it's really bad how young men don't read anymore
Also media: Lol look at these dickheads READING in PUBLIC
Also media: Lol look at these dickheads READING in PUBLIC
November 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Media: it's really bad how young men don't read anymore
Also media: Lol look at these dickheads READING in PUBLIC
Also media: Lol look at these dickheads READING in PUBLIC
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
Happy Walking Circulatory System In The Kitchen Day to those who celebrate.
November 10, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Happy Walking Circulatory System In The Kitchen Day to those who celebrate.
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
The BBC isn't perfect, but it belongs to Britain not Trump.
Political leaders across the UK must unite in defending its independence from the White House.
Political leaders across the UK must unite in defending its independence from the White House.
November 10, 2025 at 4:24 PM
The BBC isn't perfect, but it belongs to Britain not Trump.
Political leaders across the UK must unite in defending its independence from the White House.
Political leaders across the UK must unite in defending its independence from the White House.
What must be understood re BBC bias it that it's less towards one political wing or another, it's towards British institutions (like itself) more broadly; royal family, army, police. That's small-c-conservative. But that's it. Every UK poltical movement thinks it should be 'on thier side' and isn't.
November 10, 2025 at 8:15 AM
What must be understood re BBC bias it that it's less towards one political wing or another, it's towards British institutions (like itself) more broadly; royal family, army, police. That's small-c-conservative. But that's it. Every UK poltical movement thinks it should be 'on thier side' and isn't.
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
“The report found that the heaviest AI users are thought leadership writers (84%), PR/comms professionals (73%), and content marketing writers (73%).”
How can you be a thought leader when you don’t think? Fraud. Scam. Grift and nonsense!
How can you be a thought leader when you don’t think? Fraud. Scam. Grift and nonsense!
November 9, 2025 at 5:08 PM
“The report found that the heaviest AI users are thought leadership writers (84%), PR/comms professionals (73%), and content marketing writers (73%).”
How can you be a thought leader when you don’t think? Fraud. Scam. Grift and nonsense!
How can you be a thought leader when you don’t think? Fraud. Scam. Grift and nonsense!
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
There it is
November 9, 2025 at 5:17 PM
There it is
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
Drax still burning 250-year-old trees sourced from forests in Canada, experts say
Drax still burning 250-year-old trees sourced from forests in Canada, experts say
Exclusive: report by Stand.earth says subsidiary of power plant received truckloads of whole logs at biomass pellet sites
Drax power plant has continued to burn 250-year-old trees sourced from some of Canada’s oldest forests despite growing scrutiny of its sustainability claims, forestry experts say.
A new report suggests it is “highly likely” that Britain’s biggest power plant sourced some wood from ecologically valuable forests as recently as this summer. Drax, Britain’s single biggest source of carbon emissions, has received billions of pounds in subsidies from burning biomass derived largely from wood. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Drax still burning 250-year-old trees sourced from forests in Canada, experts say
Bloody hell searching the internet for any actually useful information about 3i Atlas is like trying to find diamonds in a pile of smashed glass
November 9, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Bloody hell searching the internet for any actually useful information about 3i Atlas is like trying to find diamonds in a pile of smashed glass
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
Until I was 14, I thought that women were tired when pregnant because they had to concentrate on building the tricky bits of their baby's body. I always assumed that eyes would be really hard. 5 kids now. Very tiring. No idea how to build an eye.
November 9, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Until I was 14, I thought that women were tired when pregnant because they had to concentrate on building the tricky bits of their baby's body. I always assumed that eyes would be really hard. 5 kids now. Very tiring. No idea how to build an eye.
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
To be honest one of the scariest things you'll read this year. A prison system permanently on the brink because it will never be a priority for scarce public resources, but politicians will not admit that.
New post just out:
Why the criminal justice system should be top of No. 10's "shit list".
No part of the public sector is more broken or brings with it greater political risk. As we saw these past two weeks.
It desperately needs a new approach.
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/f...
Why the criminal justice system should be top of No. 10's "shit list".
No part of the public sector is more broken or brings with it greater political risk. As we saw these past two weeks.
It desperately needs a new approach.
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/f...
Flashing Red
Why the criminal justice system should be top of No. 10's "shit list"
open.substack.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:18 PM
To be honest one of the scariest things you'll read this year. A prison system permanently on the brink because it will never be a priority for scarce public resources, but politicians will not admit that.
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
There is something really wrong with people who need workers to be not just competent, but slavishly fake-happy. "Slavishly" used on purpose, bc that's where this grotesquerie comes from.
"Store employees are now required to smile if they are within 10 feet of a shopper.
They also must make eye contact with and wave to or greet the customer.
If they’re within four feet, the employee should ask how the customer’s day is going or if they need help."
🙄 Won't stop the boycott, y'all.
They also must make eye contact with and wave to or greet the customer.
If they’re within four feet, the employee should ask how the customer’s day is going or if they need help."
🙄 Won't stop the boycott, y'all.
Target is now requiring its employees to smile more
As the holiday season fast approaches, Target is urging its employees to add a little more “jolly” to their work routine.
www.wilx.com
November 8, 2025 at 5:12 PM
There is something really wrong with people who need workers to be not just competent, but slavishly fake-happy. "Slavishly" used on purpose, bc that's where this grotesquerie comes from.
The world makes you, and if you find it in need of revision and so act to change it, the people your new world makes will be made differently. So why be surprised when they too find it in need of revision in new ways? Did you think you'd crafted perfection? On the basis of what we're looking at?!
November 9, 2025 at 12:49 AM
The world makes you, and if you find it in need of revision and so act to change it, the people your new world makes will be made differently. So why be surprised when they too find it in need of revision in new ways? Did you think you'd crafted perfection? On the basis of what we're looking at?!
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
"Seizing Brexit opportunities to deregulate" was mostly unspecified magic fairy pixie bullshit then, and it's not going to get any more realistic in the hands of a bunch of Reform clowns who don't know how anything works, don't care to learn and disdain anyone that might.
November 8, 2025 at 9:18 AM
"Seizing Brexit opportunities to deregulate" was mostly unspecified magic fairy pixie bullshit then, and it's not going to get any more realistic in the hands of a bunch of Reform clowns who don't know how anything works, don't care to learn and disdain anyone that might.
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
this top post should be read alongside the second post where the prof offers a theory as to why she did this
But on the face of it: ??????????
But on the face of it: ??????????
#BREAKING: Justice Jackson has issued an "administrative" stay, temporarily pausing a district court order that would've required the USDA to continue using contingency funds to pay SNAP benefits.
The stay expires 48 hours after the First Circuit rules on USDA's request for a stay pending appeal.
The stay expires 48 hours after the First Circuit rules on USDA's request for a stay pending appeal.
November 8, 2025 at 2:39 AM
this top post should be read alongside the second post where the prof offers a theory as to why she did this
But on the face of it: ??????????
But on the face of it: ??????????
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
This is true (and the WSJ breakdown is great) but I can’t stress enough how low a bar some of the milestones are compared to what Musk touted over the years.
He used to say Tesla would make 20M cars *per year by 2030*. Now he only needs to sell 20M by 2035 — and Tesla has already sold 8M!
He used to say Tesla would make 20M cars *per year by 2030*. Now he only needs to sell 20M by 2035 — and Tesla has already sold 8M!
easy to miss in the punditry about Musk's pay package:
he only becomes a trillionaire if he meets *a bunch* of milestones
payouts begin at $2 trillion market cap + other conditions
here's a handy graphic
www.wsj.com/business/aut...
he only becomes a trillionaire if he meets *a bunch* of milestones
payouts begin at $2 trillion market cap + other conditions
here's a handy graphic
www.wsj.com/business/aut...
![graphic: Tesla proposed a $1 trillion pay package with 12 tranches [now passed by shareholders] and for Musk to get the first tranche, Tesla must achieve:
* $2 trillion in market capitalization PLUS any one of
* $50 billion Ebitda (a measure of earnings)
* 20 million cars delivered
* 1 million robots sold
* 1 million robotaxis in operation
* 10 million Full Self Driving subscriptions](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:fwks525g7gw5wc7ul2wg4wj5/bafkreie4ria67kwkysdoelkwmh2ol4kphfem6umc4oakwtfhvt25jxskcm@jpeg)
November 8, 2025 at 1:05 AM
This is true (and the WSJ breakdown is great) but I can’t stress enough how low a bar some of the milestones are compared to what Musk touted over the years.
He used to say Tesla would make 20M cars *per year by 2030*. Now he only needs to sell 20M by 2035 — and Tesla has already sold 8M!
He used to say Tesla would make 20M cars *per year by 2030*. Now he only needs to sell 20M by 2035 — and Tesla has already sold 8M!
Reposted by Rob Burton, once and future non-existent entity.
Trump on SNAP: “Our country has to remain very liquid because of problems, catastrophes, wars… We have to remain liquid. We can’t give everything away.”
REMINDER: Trump just have $40 billion away to Argentina.
REMINDER: Trump just have $40 billion away to Argentina.
November 8, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Trump on SNAP: “Our country has to remain very liquid because of problems, catastrophes, wars… We have to remain liquid. We can’t give everything away.”
REMINDER: Trump just have $40 billion away to Argentina.
REMINDER: Trump just have $40 billion away to Argentina.