Andrew Brightwell
@andbwell.bsky.social
Communications director for the Centre for Governance & Scrutiny some of the time and a sort-of journalist when not. Based on the UK's south coast. All views, however unoriginal, are solely mine and not those of my employer.
This is definitely the maddest ashes hype story of the lot - with a v confusing slug www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/n...
‘I made mistakes on TV, he made his on a field’: Panesar strikes back at Smith’s Mastermind jibe
Australia’s first Test team announcement was overshadowed by Steve Smith’s extraordinary verbal attack on Monty Panesar
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:54 PM
This is definitely the maddest ashes hype story of the lot - with a v confusing slug www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/n...
What’s not to like about building a toilet in a giant block of Stilton?
On the left, the refurbished Lincoln bathroom. On the right, picture I took in Saddam Hussein's palace in Basra in 2005.
November 1, 2025 at 10:51 AM
What’s not to like about building a toilet in a giant block of Stilton?
It took three paragraphs to have me blubbering
October 8, 2025 at 6:37 PM
It took three paragraphs to have me blubbering
Maybe we should propose a European steel community or something
EU plan to match Trump steel tariffs spurs ‘existential threat’ to UK steel industry
Starmer says UK in discussions with EU over Brussels plan to double import tariff to 50%, which unions warn could kill UK steel industry
www.theguardian.com
October 7, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Maybe we should propose a European steel community or something
Chuckling listening to Zohran Mamdani on Football Weekly, discovering the first politician to talk authentically about their love of football in the British media is in fact an American
September 12, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Chuckling listening to Zohran Mamdani on Football Weekly, discovering the first politician to talk authentically about their love of football in the British media is in fact an American
Having a reshuffle almost immediately follow a transfer window has broken my tiny, tired brain. Keep expecting to read, “pending a medical” after each ministerial
announcement
announcement
September 5, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Having a reshuffle almost immediately follow a transfer window has broken my tiny, tired brain. Keep expecting to read, “pending a medical” after each ministerial
announcement
announcement
Personal view on the low birthrate thing is the key demographic with lived experience that can help to unpick this knotty policy problem is older parents and we’re all too tired to explain anything
September 2, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Personal view on the low birthrate thing is the key demographic with lived experience that can help to unpick this knotty policy problem is older parents and we’re all too tired to explain anything
Carlos Alcaraz scores for Everton. What
August 27, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Carlos Alcaraz scores for Everton. What
Imaging a bunch of unemployed renegade sub editors who have got together and are doing this
I know no one has money anymore but publications should probably consider getting proper editors and fact checkers in again, as opposed to "overworked people who'll give your copy a quick look over before publishing", which is what most of them have now
August 21, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Imaging a bunch of unemployed renegade sub editors who have got together and are doing this
When people ask me why I haven’t made my first billion yet this is how I reply
August 12, 2025 at 4:59 PM
When people ask me why I haven’t made my first billion yet this is how I reply
TIL.the committee system for council decision-making in England can trace its roots back to 1835!
But it's being shown the door, with the government signalling its final demise earlier this week. Find out more about what this means from my @cfgs.bsky.social' colleague @se13ed.bsky.social
But it's being shown the door, with the government signalling its final demise earlier this week. Find out more about what this means from my @cfgs.bsky.social' colleague @se13ed.bsky.social
What the committee system's end means for councils facing transition - CFGS
As the government announces an end to the committee system for local government, we examine its wider consequences for councils
www.cfgs.org.uk
June 27, 2025 at 3:22 PM
TIL.the committee system for council decision-making in England can trace its roots back to 1835!
But it's being shown the door, with the government signalling its final demise earlier this week. Find out more about what this means from my @cfgs.bsky.social' colleague @se13ed.bsky.social
But it's being shown the door, with the government signalling its final demise earlier this week. Find out more about what this means from my @cfgs.bsky.social' colleague @se13ed.bsky.social
Karma Police, arrest this fridge
Samsung’s fridges now recognize family members by voice
Samsung’s fridges now recognize family members by voice
So they can pull up your calendar, show off your photos, or activate custom display modes.
buff.ly
June 11, 2025 at 10:08 AM
Karma Police, arrest this fridge
Reposted by Andrew Brightwell
Pls pass this on to any aspiring political journalist- especially those that might not be able afford unpaid internships in London totalpoliticsgroup.bamboohr.com/careers/73?s...
The House Magazine’s Lord Cormack Fellowship
The Lord Cormack Fellowship is a month-long paid fellowship with Parliament’s magazine, The House.
The fellowship aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to political journalism, magazine produc...
totalpoliticsgroup.bamboohr.com
June 5, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Pls pass this on to any aspiring political journalist- especially those that might not be able afford unpaid internships in London totalpoliticsgroup.bamboohr.com/careers/73?s...
Reposted by Andrew Brightwell
A fifth of Local Govt Pension Scheme Pension Cmte members & Pension Board members (who control the c£400bn of LGPS assets) had no 'awareness' of LGPS before taking on the role. lgpsboard.org/images/CRC/1...
June 3, 2025 at 3:18 PM
A fifth of Local Govt Pension Scheme Pension Cmte members & Pension Board members (who control the c£400bn of LGPS assets) had no 'awareness' of LGPS before taking on the role. lgpsboard.org/images/CRC/1...
Reposted by Andrew Brightwell
Those interested can learn about councillors' rights to access official information in our guide to the subject, published in 2023! (1/3) www.cfgs.org.uk/wp-content/u...
June 2, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Those interested can learn about councillors' rights to access official information in our guide to the subject, published in 2023! (1/3) www.cfgs.org.uk/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Andrew Brightwell
"It is estimated that 46 per cent of the world’s population depend on rivers originating in Tibet"
✍️ Sir Liam Fox on India’s suspension of the Indus treaty with Pakistan - and how quickly water can be weaponised
#IndusWaterTreaty
bit.ly/3HktjeR
✍️ Sir Liam Fox on India’s suspension of the Indus treaty with Pakistan - and how quickly water can be weaponised
#IndusWaterTreaty
bit.ly/3HktjeR
India’s suspension of the Indus treaty with Pakistan shows how quickly water can be weaponised
South Asian countries are increasingly seeing water as a strategic asset rather than a shared resource
bit.ly
May 22, 2025 at 3:14 PM
"It is estimated that 46 per cent of the world’s population depend on rivers originating in Tibet"
✍️ Sir Liam Fox on India’s suspension of the Indus treaty with Pakistan - and how quickly water can be weaponised
#IndusWaterTreaty
bit.ly/3HktjeR
✍️ Sir Liam Fox on India’s suspension of the Indus treaty with Pakistan - and how quickly water can be weaponised
#IndusWaterTreaty
bit.ly/3HktjeR
A thing that has occurred to me from listening to six music. People who grew up listening to acid house have come of age and are making music. And they are using Roland 303s cos that’s what they heard when they were weans
May 15, 2025 at 7:35 PM
A thing that has occurred to me from listening to six music. People who grew up listening to acid house have come of age and are making music. And they are using Roland 303s cos that’s what they heard when they were weans
This is where the humble ‘is’ would be helpful
May 15, 2025 at 7:30 PM
This is where the humble ‘is’ would be helpful
Pretty sure that Island of Strangers were a short-lived new romantic band set up at Leeds uni in the early 80s
May 12, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Pretty sure that Island of Strangers were a short-lived new romantic band set up at Leeds uni in the early 80s
Was really hoping the answer to this question was 'there's a network of tunnels throughout the Capitol for an army of cats and dogs who have their own staff and quarters paid for by a little-known branch of the federal government'. But sadly no
i was reading the New York Magazine piece on john fetterman and, sorry, not relevant to the article at all but: why is there a gremlin doorway in the US Capitol building
May 6, 2025 at 11:04 AM
Was really hoping the answer to this question was 'there's a network of tunnels throughout the Capitol for an army of cats and dogs who have their own staff and quarters paid for by a little-known branch of the federal government'. But sadly no
Really fascinating piece on Blue Labour of (I think) the more interesting but less high profile of the two co-founders. Just not sure how effective a move to influence Labour can be if it’s hosted by Policy Exchange!!
NEW: Interview with Jonathan Rutherford, the lesser-known Blue Labour co-founder with the ear of No 10
• 'Destroy' Treasury, put it in No 10
• Labour's culture is 'dead, incurious'
• his 'Future of the Left' project & its link to Munira Mirza
• & lots more 👇 www.politicshome.com/news/article...
• 'Destroy' Treasury, put it in No 10
• Labour's culture is 'dead, incurious'
• his 'Future of the Left' project & its link to Munira Mirza
• & lots more 👇 www.politicshome.com/news/article...
Blue Labour's Jonathan Rutherford Is Helping No 10 Find Purpose, Energy And A Story To Tell
Can Blue Labour help Keir Starmer’s government develop a clear direction and sense of purpose? Sienna Rodgers talks to Jonathan Rutherford, a polit...
www.politicshome.com
May 3, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Really fascinating piece on Blue Labour of (I think) the more interesting but less high profile of the two co-founders. Just not sure how effective a move to influence Labour can be if it’s hosted by Policy Exchange!!
It’s so so so weird to see people talking/thinking/writing about Labour’s electoral strategy in the context of a US president playing Hokey Cokey on tariffs. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, let alone 2029. Normally it would be silly but right now it just seems absurd
April 22, 2025 at 2:56 PM
It’s so so so weird to see people talking/thinking/writing about Labour’s electoral strategy in the context of a US president playing Hokey Cokey on tariffs. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, let alone 2029. Normally it would be silly but right now it just seems absurd
Streisand effect up and running on heat pumps, I see
April 22, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Streisand effect up and running on heat pumps, I see
This is a huge public policy success - a cross party, consistent effort to reduce the harm of tobacco. Let's shout it from the rooftops!
Once widespread, smoking is now uncommon in Great Britain 🧵
April 22, 2025 at 9:37 AM
This is a huge public policy success - a cross party, consistent effort to reduce the harm of tobacco. Let's shout it from the rooftops!
There just isn’t much point in internal combustion engines for cars with these levels of charging and range
April 21, 2025 at 5:44 PM
There just isn’t much point in internal combustion engines for cars with these levels of charging and range