Jon Patience
@smoulderstoat.bsky.social
I mostly rant about housing.
Pinned
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was briefly so excited reading this until I realised he meant Davos
January 20, 2026 at 8:11 PM
was briefly so excited reading this until I realised he meant Davos
Reposted by Jon Patience
Yesterday it was cows using tools, today its penguins using satellite imagery.
January 20, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Yesterday it was cows using tools, today its penguins using satellite imagery.
Does anyone know what is happening near St Paul's Cathedral? Loads of police and ambulances there. Hopefully everyone is ok.
January 20, 2026 at 2:49 PM
Does anyone know what is happening near St Paul's Cathedral? Loads of police and ambulances there. Hopefully everyone is ok.
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Letter in Times today
January 20, 2026 at 11:54 AM
Letter in Times today
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Fairly sure it’s unintentional, but the end date on this mug being sold by the Smithsonian does make it sound a little like they’re saying America dies in 2026…
January 19, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Fairly sure it’s unintentional, but the end date on this mug being sold by the Smithsonian does make it sound a little like they’re saying America dies in 2026…
"I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace"
January 19, 2026 at 6:33 PM
"I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace"
It wasn't exactly "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat," was it?
January 19, 2026 at 9:50 AM
It wasn't exactly "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat," was it?
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I suspect the vast majority of those Americans assume that one day they can simply say 'reset' to us, and all will be well.
It won't be. America has never ever threatened a European democracy with invasion. Until now. We are in a new era.
It won't be. America has never ever threatened a European democracy with invasion. Until now. We are in a new era.
But Americans who want to save the alliance with Europe must have no illusions about how bad a condition this transatlantic partnership is in.
January 18, 2026 at 8:59 PM
I suspect the vast majority of those Americans assume that one day they can simply say 'reset' to us, and all will be well.
It won't be. America has never ever threatened a European democracy with invasion. Until now. We are in a new era.
It won't be. America has never ever threatened a European democracy with invasion. Until now. We are in a new era.
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De Gaulle would be absolutely insufferable if he could see what was happening today.
January 17, 2026 at 8:53 PM
De Gaulle would be absolutely insufferable if he could see what was happening today.
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I think the White House badly underestimates the strength of the pan-European folk memory of 1930s appeasement, and how deep it still cuts. I suppose this is what happens when you learn in school that WW2 started in 1941 in Hawaii.
January 18, 2026 at 1:04 PM
I think the White House badly underestimates the strength of the pan-European folk memory of 1930s appeasement, and how deep it still cuts. I suppose this is what happens when you learn in school that WW2 started in 1941 in Hawaii.
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It continues to be a bad failure that essentially there's a policy debate that is obvious to you if you read a business newspaper OR the gov dot uk website or the MI5 threat update OR a decent policy Substack is basically invisible on the BBC and in 90 per cent of Commons debates.
Maybe we can, oh I dunno, start to have a conversation with voters about this? The problem is not going to go away.
The way politics is being conducted by both the tories and Labour seems surreal to me. We have a lunatic in the WH who simply cannot be relied on to be an ally, indeed the opposite, we need to spend a ton of cash on defence and no-one seems to think voters might need to be, er, readied for all this
January 18, 2026 at 1:54 PM
It continues to be a bad failure that essentially there's a policy debate that is obvious to you if you read a business newspaper OR the gov dot uk website or the MI5 threat update OR a decent policy Substack is basically invisible on the BBC and in 90 per cent of Commons debates.
Reposted by Jon Patience
You just have to step back for a moment.
The US President is pledging to raise import taxes - paid by US importers - in a bid to seize the territory of a close NATO ally. Territory which, polling suggests, 75% of the American public do not want to acquire.
The US President is pledging to raise import taxes - paid by US importers - in a bid to seize the territory of a close NATO ally. Territory which, polling suggests, 75% of the American public do not want to acquire.
January 18, 2026 at 10:02 AM
You just have to step back for a moment.
The US President is pledging to raise import taxes - paid by US importers - in a bid to seize the territory of a close NATO ally. Territory which, polling suggests, 75% of the American public do not want to acquire.
The US President is pledging to raise import taxes - paid by US importers - in a bid to seize the territory of a close NATO ally. Territory which, polling suggests, 75% of the American public do not want to acquire.
Reposted by Jon Patience
We regret to announce that the emergency mission to retrieve Farage from Trump's colon has failed.
Nigel Farage had been due on BBC1's Laura Kuenssberg show, the latest in her series of party leader interviews. But at the last minute he has seemingly been replaced by Richard Tice. Hmmmm.
January 18, 2026 at 9:15 AM
We regret to announce that the emergency mission to retrieve Farage from Trump's colon has failed.
Can't see any unintended consequences of this at all, politicians won't be falling over each other to get their opponents locked up, and there definitely won't be a chilling effect on free speech. Absolutely not.
Wales is moving closer to political change that could set a global example. Lawmakers are discussing rules that would punish politicians who deliberately lie to the public. The plan focuses on Members of the Senedd & aims to bring real consequences when trust is broken.
Scotland should do similar.
Scotland should do similar.
January 18, 2026 at 8:16 AM
Can't see any unintended consequences of this at all, politicians won't be falling over each other to get their opponents locked up, and there definitely won't be a chilling effect on free speech. Absolutely not.
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If you listen very carefully, you can hear Charles de Gaulle screaming I BLOODY TOLD YOU SO from some rural French cemetery.
January 17, 2026 at 5:59 PM
If you listen very carefully, you can hear Charles de Gaulle screaming I BLOODY TOLD YOU SO from some rural French cemetery.
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Time to patriotically drink all the Scottish whisky we can't sell to the yanks any more I think
January 17, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Time to patriotically drink all the Scottish whisky we can't sell to the yanks any more I think
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If there’s ever been a case for the UK imposing retaliatory tariffs it’s here. I will gladly pay 10% to defend democracy 🫡
January 17, 2026 at 4:43 PM
If there’s ever been a case for the UK imposing retaliatory tariffs it’s here. I will gladly pay 10% to defend democracy 🫡
Reposted by Jon Patience
pretty sure he meant the other thing, grok, but very cool that those are your two things
January 16, 2026 at 4:55 PM
pretty sure he meant the other thing, grok, but very cool that those are your two things
Gotta hand it to him, ninety years old and still moonlighting as a phlebotomist.
SAUDI KING SALMAN CONDUCTS MEDICAL TESTS IN HOSPITAL
January 16, 2026 at 11:54 AM
Gotta hand it to him, ninety years old and still moonlighting as a phlebotomist.
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Reposted by Jon Patience
Considering the UK doesn't have armed, masked agents of the state shooting young women in the face I'd be very fucking circumspect about advancing this argument.
the uk is never ever going to beat the widely-felt, bipartisan "at least we're not the uk" sentiment. not being the uk might be the last good value america winds up having
This isn't satire. This is a real headline published in the UK.
January 16, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Considering the UK doesn't have armed, masked agents of the state shooting young women in the face I'd be very fucking circumspect about advancing this argument.
The Sentencing Council is running a consultation on guidelines for housing offences:
sentencingcouncil.org.uk/publications...
sentencingcouncil.org.uk/publications...
Housing offences – consultation
sentencingcouncil.org.uk
January 15, 2026 at 6:27 PM
The Sentencing Council is running a consultation on guidelines for housing offences:
sentencingcouncil.org.uk/publications...
sentencingcouncil.org.uk/publications...
Reposted by Jon Patience
the European mission to Greenland was fourth in the BBC news running order this morning, which feels a bit like doing a light "and finally..." item about the archduke's motorcade taking a wrong turn in Sarajevo
January 15, 2026 at 10:01 AM
the European mission to Greenland was fourth in the BBC news running order this morning, which feels a bit like doing a light "and finally..." item about the archduke's motorcade taking a wrong turn in Sarajevo
Rogue landlord is banned from letting properties for TEN years share.google/DIfQeHN61oco...
Rogue landlord is banned from letting properties for TEN years
News - Helen Gregory - A rogue landlord who took a ‘devil-may-care’ attitude to compliance has been handed a 10-year ban from renting out properties for ten years.
share.google
January 15, 2026 at 10:32 AM
Rogue landlord is banned from letting properties for TEN years share.google/DIfQeHN61oco...