chawkes.bsky.social
@chawkes.bsky.social
ICM/Anaesthesia Consultant. Clinical Lead for Organ Donation. Likes tea and most biscuits.
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
Mark Carney's speech really is terrific: full text is here and very much worth your time.
The Carney doctrine
Open comment thread on the PM's Davos speech
paulwells.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Mark Carney's speech really is terrific: full text is here and very much worth your time.
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
h/i David Grinspoon
January 16, 2026 at 9:44 PM
h/i David Grinspoon
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Worth every second
January 15, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Worth every second
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Classic holiday news dump of testimony that makes it clear Trump is a criminal traitor
HERE Jack Smith sets out Trump’s direct culpability and complicity in the federal election interference case, including January 6th:
December 31, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Classic holiday news dump of testimony that makes it clear Trump is a criminal traitor
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another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
December 27, 2025 at 5:27 PM
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
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We should stop the boats because it's dangerous, and we should stop the scapegoating of immigrants because it's wrong and cruel.
Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵
Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵
November 17, 2025 at 11:03 AM
We should stop the boats because it's dangerous, and we should stop the scapegoating of immigrants because it's wrong and cruel.
Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵
Controlled migration is good for the country, helps build our economy and diversity strengthens our communities. (1/6) 🧵
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
From Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage: the gift that keeps on taking
November 14, 2025 at 4:31 PM
From Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage: the gift that keeps on taking
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"The populist thrives in an environment where people act on their intuitions; so does the scammer. This doesn’t mean every populist is a con artist, but it does mean that they are likely to package their message in a similar way" on.ft.com/49j3ND2
By @timharford.ft.com
Vindicates a 2015 tweet! 1/
By @timharford.ft.com
Vindicates a 2015 tweet! 1/
How populism became popular
It appeals more to a way of thinking than to a set of ideas — but is it just wrong?
on.ft.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:45 AM
"The populist thrives in an environment where people act on their intuitions; so does the scammer. This doesn’t mean every populist is a con artist, but it does mean that they are likely to package their message in a similar way" on.ft.com/49j3ND2
By @timharford.ft.com
Vindicates a 2015 tweet! 1/
By @timharford.ft.com
Vindicates a 2015 tweet! 1/
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
This is an international disaster. They targeted a disabled fishing boat in Colombian territorial waters and killed fishermen.
October 19, 2025 at 1:15 PM
This is an international disaster. They targeted a disabled fishing boat in Colombian territorial waters and killed fishermen.
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Don’t let the frogwater that’s boiling us alive let you skip over this: we murdered another country’s citizens in cold blood, and when their leader objected, we called him a drug dealer and cut off aid to his country. That’s freakish.
Petro objected to the US bombing a Columbian fishing vessel that had the emergency beacon on because they were broken down, that we subsequently bombed. One Columbian fisherman survived the attack.
This is the official US response to Petro's comments.
This is the official US response to Petro's comments.
October 19, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Don’t let the frogwater that’s boiling us alive let you skip over this: we murdered another country’s citizens in cold blood, and when their leader objected, we called him a drug dealer and cut off aid to his country. That’s freakish.
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
There is no need for a moral panic about the UK's welfare system.
Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts
Spending is controlled, not spiralling
Worklessness is near record lows
My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...
Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts
Spending is controlled, not spiralling
Worklessness is near record lows
My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...
October 15, 2025 at 12:35 PM
There is no need for a moral panic about the UK's welfare system.
Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts
Spending is controlled, not spiralling
Worklessness is near record lows
My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...
Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts
Spending is controlled, not spiralling
Worklessness is near record lows
My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
The even more unbelievable crime fact (which I learned relatively recently) is that burglary has fallen by more than 90% since the 1990s.
Did anyone notice? Nope. Does anyone believe it? Nope. But is is true? It is!
Did anyone notice? Nope. Does anyone believe it? Nope. But is is true? It is!
Useful reminder from Peter Kellner on the problems we refuse to acknowledge are getting better, and the politics of hopelessness that this breeds
open.substack.com/pub/kellnerp...
open.substack.com/pub/kellnerp...
September 23, 2025 at 6:53 AM
The even more unbelievable crime fact (which I learned relatively recently) is that burglary has fallen by more than 90% since the 1990s.
Did anyone notice? Nope. Does anyone believe it? Nope. But is is true? It is!
Did anyone notice? Nope. Does anyone believe it? Nope. But is is true? It is!
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
in light of the kimmel news, just a reminder that a few days ago a prominent fox news host literally called for killing homeless people. right afterward, someone shot up a couple homeless encampments.
that fox news host still has his job.
that fox news host still has his job.
Brian Kilmeade endorses euthanizing homeless people: "Involuntary lethal injection, or something. Just kill them."
September 17, 2025 at 11:23 PM
in light of the kimmel news, just a reminder that a few days ago a prominent fox news host literally called for killing homeless people. right afterward, someone shot up a couple homeless encampments.
that fox news host still has his job.
that fox news host still has his job.
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
I think much of the English right built their identity on Brexit, which they never believed in their wildest dreams would happen, but when they got it they realised it solved absolutely nothing, left them bereft of ideas and office, and now they’re thinking, “ah, f—k it, let’s try revolution.”
August 10, 2025 at 7:56 PM
I think much of the English right built their identity on Brexit, which they never believed in their wildest dreams would happen, but when they got it they realised it solved absolutely nothing, left them bereft of ideas and office, and now they’re thinking, “ah, f—k it, let’s try revolution.”
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
This 20 seconds is pure art. It’s like the essence of Trump - the fraud, the lies, the simplistic idiocy - is reduced to its singularity.
Nothing in high office, anywhere, will ever be this stupid again.
Nothing in high office, anywhere, will ever be this stupid again.
Trump: "This one chart really says it better than anything, if you look at this. This is great. But this chart is pretty amazing. Right here. All new numbers."
August 7, 2025 at 9:01 PM
This 20 seconds is pure art. It’s like the essence of Trump - the fraud, the lies, the simplistic idiocy - is reduced to its singularity.
Nothing in high office, anywhere, will ever be this stupid again.
Nothing in high office, anywhere, will ever be this stupid again.
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
A classic of the subtitles genre - should be the Chinese year of the *horse*...
August 5, 2025 at 7:11 AM
A classic of the subtitles genre - should be the Chinese year of the *horse*...
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Former US Green Beret who was one of the armed American security guards in Gaza,
"Without question I witnessed war crimes by the Israeli Defence Forces, without a doubt, using artillery rounds, mortar rounds, firing tank rounds into unarmed civilians"
"Without question I witnessed war crimes by the Israeli Defence Forces, without a doubt, using artillery rounds, mortar rounds, firing tank rounds into unarmed civilians"
July 25, 2025 at 9:36 PM
Former US Green Beret who was one of the armed American security guards in Gaza,
"Without question I witnessed war crimes by the Israeli Defence Forces, without a doubt, using artillery rounds, mortar rounds, firing tank rounds into unarmed civilians"
"Without question I witnessed war crimes by the Israeli Defence Forces, without a doubt, using artillery rounds, mortar rounds, firing tank rounds into unarmed civilians"
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
Shocking Video Captures Calm Police Officers Handling Situation Nonviolently
July 25, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Shocking Video Captures Calm Police Officers Handling Situation Nonviolently
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Not to put too fine a point on it, but for years I was a criminal defense lawyer whose practice as a public defender included being assigned child sex cases, and the only way I can describe the way Trump is acting is like someone trying to get away with having had sex with a child
July 8, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Not to put too fine a point on it, but for years I was a criminal defense lawyer whose practice as a public defender included being assigned child sex cases, and the only way I can describe the way Trump is acting is like someone trying to get away with having had sex with a child
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
During a Cabinet meeting, when President Trump was asked who ordered the pause of missiles and ammunition shipment to Ukraine last week, he said he didn't know.
July 8, 2025 at 6:31 PM
During a Cabinet meeting, when President Trump was asked who ordered the pause of missiles and ammunition shipment to Ukraine last week, he said he didn't know.
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
Today I learned "Mentor" was the name of a person in the Odyssey (the "older trusted advisor of Telemachus"). There is no verb "to ment". So "mentees" should apparently instead be referred to as "Telemachi". If you're looking for a pedantic, pretentious hill to die on, I don't think you'll beat this
May 13, 2025 at 3:42 PM
Today I learned "Mentor" was the name of a person in the Odyssey (the "older trusted advisor of Telemachus"). There is no verb "to ment". So "mentees" should apparently instead be referred to as "Telemachi". If you're looking for a pedantic, pretentious hill to die on, I don't think you'll beat this
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
Israel is preventing the WHO from sending incubators into Gaza.
Think about how savage, how barbaric, how evil, you have to be to defend that and defend the government doing that.
Think about how savage, how barbaric, how evil, you have to be to defend that and defend the government doing that.
May 10, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Israel is preventing the WHO from sending incubators into Gaza.
Think about how savage, how barbaric, how evil, you have to be to defend that and defend the government doing that.
Think about how savage, how barbaric, how evil, you have to be to defend that and defend the government doing that.
Reposted by chawkes.bsky.social
There's no US trade deal.
This is not an argument about semantics or about whether it qualifies as a "deal".
It's more fundamental than that: yesterday was a lie.
All that has been agreed is a non-legally binding framework for discussions towards a possible future deal.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
This is not an argument about semantics or about whether it qualifies as a "deal".
It's more fundamental than that: yesterday was a lie.
All that has been agreed is a non-legally binding framework for discussions towards a possible future deal.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
May 9, 2025 at 11:20 AM
There's no US trade deal.
This is not an argument about semantics or about whether it qualifies as a "deal".
It's more fundamental than that: yesterday was a lie.
All that has been agreed is a non-legally binding framework for discussions towards a possible future deal.
www.gov.uk/government/p...
This is not an argument about semantics or about whether it qualifies as a "deal".
It's more fundamental than that: yesterday was a lie.
All that has been agreed is a non-legally binding framework for discussions towards a possible future deal.
www.gov.uk/government/p...