helen bowman
@helybow.bsky.social
Buildings (mainly post-war) & politics. Insightful musings stolen? Procrastinator. Cornish/living in Edinburgh. Attempting PhD on New Labour and built heritage.
Reposted by helen bowman
The same people who convinced the British public to back a catastrophic Boris Johnson premiership are now pulling the same trick again with Nigel Farage
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-confid...
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-confid...
The Confidence Trick That Put Boris Johnson Into Power Is Now Being Used on Nigel Farage
The same people who convinced the British public to back a catastrophic Boris Johnson premiership are now pulling the same trick again with Nigel Farage
www.adambienkov.co.uk
November 22, 2025 at 11:12 AM
The same people who convinced the British public to back a catastrophic Boris Johnson premiership are now pulling the same trick again with Nigel Farage
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-confid...
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-confid...
Reposted by helen bowman
Postbox bollards outside the Post Office. Absolutely delightful.
#WorldBollardAssociation 📮
#WorldBollardAssociation 📮
November 22, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Postbox bollards outside the Post Office. Absolutely delightful.
#WorldBollardAssociation 📮
#WorldBollardAssociation 📮
Reposted by helen bowman
The UK isn’t a “soft touch” on asylum.
UK asylum seeker benefits are similar to European neighbours
No right to work before 12 months (it’s 6 months in France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands)
UK settlement after 5 years (it’s 3 or 4 in Germany)
Let’s cut out the alarmist rhetoric.
UK asylum seeker benefits are similar to European neighbours
No right to work before 12 months (it’s 6 months in France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands)
UK settlement after 5 years (it’s 3 or 4 in Germany)
Let’s cut out the alarmist rhetoric.
November 19, 2025 at 11:52 AM
The UK isn’t a “soft touch” on asylum.
UK asylum seeker benefits are similar to European neighbours
No right to work before 12 months (it’s 6 months in France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands)
UK settlement after 5 years (it’s 3 or 4 in Germany)
Let’s cut out the alarmist rhetoric.
UK asylum seeker benefits are similar to European neighbours
No right to work before 12 months (it’s 6 months in France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands)
UK settlement after 5 years (it’s 3 or 4 in Germany)
Let’s cut out the alarmist rhetoric.
Reposted by helen bowman
Massie: “[Speaker Johnson is] trying to say the rich, powerful men who flew to Epstein Island are the victims now. The only way a ‘Christian man’ can stand up there and sell a lie like that is if he’s already decided in his head that protecting them is somehow okay.”
November 19, 2025 at 7:03 AM
Massie: “[Speaker Johnson is] trying to say the rich, powerful men who flew to Epstein Island are the victims now. The only way a ‘Christian man’ can stand up there and sell a lie like that is if he’s already decided in his head that protecting them is somehow okay.”
Reposted by helen bowman
The Danish Social Democrats are currently on course for their worst election result since at least the Second World War, despite their brand of far-right accommodationism being touted as a blueprint for other centre-left parties.
November 18, 2025 at 11:58 AM
The Danish Social Democrats are currently on course for their worst election result since at least the Second World War, despite their brand of far-right accommodationism being touted as a blueprint for other centre-left parties.
Reposted by helen bowman
We're almost at 5K! Sign & share the petition to create a kinder future, free from testing on animals: act.animalrising.org/shut_down_mb... 🐶 #animaltesting #savethebeagles
July 14, 2025 at 8:21 AM
We're almost at 5K! Sign & share the petition to create a kinder future, free from testing on animals: act.animalrising.org/shut_down_mb... 🐶 #animaltesting #savethebeagles
Reposted by helen bowman
Breaking news! 🚨
Another not guilty verdict for protecting horses at the Grand National.
A Liverpool Crown Court jury took just 51 minutes to clear all five defendants accused of causing a public nuisance for entering the track during the 2023 race.
Another not guilty verdict for protecting horses at the Grand National.
A Liverpool Crown Court jury took just 51 minutes to clear all five defendants accused of causing a public nuisance for entering the track during the 2023 race.
November 13, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Breaking news! 🚨
Another not guilty verdict for protecting horses at the Grand National.
A Liverpool Crown Court jury took just 51 minutes to clear all five defendants accused of causing a public nuisance for entering the track during the 2023 race.
Another not guilty verdict for protecting horses at the Grand National.
A Liverpool Crown Court jury took just 51 minutes to clear all five defendants accused of causing a public nuisance for entering the track during the 2023 race.
Reposted by helen bowman
Finally the quintessential book on Scottish Brutalism has arrived!
Our Book of the Week is Brutal Scotland by Simon Phipps (@new-brutalism.bsky.social)
Lavishly illustrated in monochrome, it reveals the stark beauty of these monumental buildings.
Copies available in store and online.
Our Book of the Week is Brutal Scotland by Simon Phipps (@new-brutalism.bsky.social)
Lavishly illustrated in monochrome, it reveals the stark beauty of these monumental buildings.
Copies available in store and online.
November 17, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Finally the quintessential book on Scottish Brutalism has arrived!
Our Book of the Week is Brutal Scotland by Simon Phipps (@new-brutalism.bsky.social)
Lavishly illustrated in monochrome, it reveals the stark beauty of these monumental buildings.
Copies available in store and online.
Our Book of the Week is Brutal Scotland by Simon Phipps (@new-brutalism.bsky.social)
Lavishly illustrated in monochrome, it reveals the stark beauty of these monumental buildings.
Copies available in store and online.
Reposted by helen bowman
I asked this question because I think whether the government acts to mitigate this possibility is key to whether it can pass this policy
Asked if Keir Starmer believes British people want to "see refugee children pulled out of school and deported after 10 years in this country”, his spokesman says that “what the British public wants and what this government was elected on a mandate to deliver was to secure our borders"
November 17, 2025 at 2:52 PM
I asked this question because I think whether the government acts to mitigate this possibility is key to whether it can pass this policy
Reposted by helen bowman
In an open letter shared with The Edinburgh Minute, architect Malcolm Fraser, known for his work on the Scottish Poetry Library, Scottish Storytelling Centre, DanceBase and Dovecot Studios, argues against plans to demolish Argyle House: www.edinburghminute.com/three-reason...
November 14, 2025 at 11:34 AM
In an open letter shared with The Edinburgh Minute, architect Malcolm Fraser, known for his work on the Scottish Poetry Library, Scottish Storytelling Centre, DanceBase and Dovecot Studios, argues against plans to demolish Argyle House: www.edinburghminute.com/three-reason...
Reposted by helen bowman
Spoiler: The “one catch” is the annual Wicker Man, to which newcomers are cordially invited.
It stood out for its 'flourishing independent retail and food scene'
Delightful Devon town is one of the UK's prettiest - there's only 'one catch'
It stood out for its 'flourishing independent retail and food scene'
www.plymouthherald.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Spoiler: The “one catch” is the annual Wicker Man, to which newcomers are cordially invited.
Reposted by helen bowman
Reposted by helen bowman
Alan Dershowitz is one of those claiming Epstein was not a pedophile because he pleaded guilty to one count of having sex for money with a 17-year-and-10-month-old person. "That’s not a pedophile." See this important response from Julia Brown, the brave reporter who broke the news on this
November 15, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Alan Dershowitz is one of those claiming Epstein was not a pedophile because he pleaded guilty to one count of having sex for money with a 17-year-and-10-month-old person. "That’s not a pedophile." See this important response from Julia Brown, the brave reporter who broke the news on this
Reposted by helen bowman
MPs can’t even fix their own workplace. And they have failed to do so for more than a decade as it crumbles around them. There is no solution in sight.
Political metaphors don’t come more heavy-handed than that.
Political metaphors don’t come more heavy-handed than that.
A final decision on how to repair Britain’s crumbling parliament is likely to be postponed beyond the next general election, according to four people familiar with the matter.
Final decision on fate of crumbling UK parliament delayed to 2030s
It’s a fire-hazard that’s prone to tumbling masonry — but fear of a public backlash is again delaying repairs to the world famous building.
www.politico.eu
November 15, 2025 at 12:38 PM
MPs can’t even fix their own workplace. And they have failed to do so for more than a decade as it crumbles around them. There is no solution in sight.
Political metaphors don’t come more heavy-handed than that.
Political metaphors don’t come more heavy-handed than that.
Reposted by helen bowman
This is as bad as anything proposed by Reform.
Leaving refugees in permanent limbo and unable to build a new life in the UK would be a complete abdication of our humanitarian responsibilities
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Leaving refugees in permanent limbo and unable to build a new life in the UK would be a complete abdication of our humanitarian responsibilities
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays
Shabana Mahmood is expected to say the era of permanent protection for refugees is over, in major changes to the UK's asylum and immigration system.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 6:43 AM
This is as bad as anything proposed by Reform.
Leaving refugees in permanent limbo and unable to build a new life in the UK would be a complete abdication of our humanitarian responsibilities
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Leaving refugees in permanent limbo and unable to build a new life in the UK would be a complete abdication of our humanitarian responsibilities
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by helen bowman
Sickening rhetoric by Home Secretary. Denying access to human rights isn't "protecting the public". This is Labour further demonising those seeking asylum in language very reminiscent of the far right. Yes, some break the law, so should be prosecuted within the law. Removing rights is not the answer
November 13, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Sickening rhetoric by Home Secretary. Denying access to human rights isn't "protecting the public". This is Labour further demonising those seeking asylum in language very reminiscent of the far right. Yes, some break the law, so should be prosecuted within the law. Removing rights is not the answer
Reposted by helen bowman
Oh wow! A London Underground station being officially Listed is always great news - this one especially so. Southwark station, 1999 by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard, has just been Listed at Grade 2. Now for the other JLE stations. @c20society.bsky.social
historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-...
historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-...
November 11, 2025 at 6:08 AM
Oh wow! A London Underground station being officially Listed is always great news - this one especially so. Southwark station, 1999 by MacCormac Jamieson Prichard, has just been Listed at Grade 2. Now for the other JLE stations. @c20society.bsky.social
historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-...
historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-...
Reposted by helen bowman
#architecture #buildings #LocalHistory #Edinburgh #Brutalism #Modernism
Argyle House should be refurbished, not demolished. Think of the embodied carbon. The issue is not what it looks like. It is a question of sustainable resource management.
Argyle House should be refurbished, not demolished. Think of the embodied carbon. The issue is not what it looks like. It is a question of sustainable resource management.
The thread about Argyle House; “preposterously large and a potential rival to the Castle rock”
Brutalist buildings are the Marmite of architecture - passionately loved or loathed - and one in Edinburgh was much in the news yesterday when it was announced that plans had been lodged for the…
Brutalist buildings are the Marmite of architecture - passionately loved or loathed - and one in Edinburgh was much in the news yesterday when it was announced that plans had been lodged for the…
The thread about Argyle House; “preposterously large and a potential rival to the Castle rock”
Brutalist buildings are the Marmite of architecture - passionately loved or loathed - and one in Edinburgh was much in the news yesterday when it was announced that plans had been lodged for the demolition and replacement of Argyle House. But while other news sources make much click capital out of it having briefly appeared in some Netflix police show or another, here at Threadinburgh I prefer to get down to the nitty-gritty of the how, why and what of this much critiqued building. And just what it has to do with the Lyceum Theatre, Dalgety Bay and the Water of Leith Walkway...
threadinburgh.scot
November 13, 2025 at 8:31 AM
#architecture #buildings #LocalHistory #Edinburgh #Brutalism #Modernism
Argyle House should be refurbished, not demolished. Think of the embodied carbon. The issue is not what it looks like. It is a question of sustainable resource management.
Argyle House should be refurbished, not demolished. Think of the embodied carbon. The issue is not what it looks like. It is a question of sustainable resource management.
Reposted by helen bowman
The president of Syria, al-Sharaa, has had one wife. Trump has had three.
And to ask "how many wives do you have?" shows what a rude, ignorant xenophobe Trump is. And that Vance found the remark to be the epitome of wit shows what an oaf JD is.
And to ask "how many wives do you have?" shows what a rude, ignorant xenophobe Trump is. And that Vance found the remark to be the epitome of wit shows what an oaf JD is.
JD Vance: "I don't know if you saw this media circulating on social media, but the president met the president of Syria, al-Sharaa, in the Oval Office a couple of days ago, and he asked him, 'How many wives do you have?' Heh heh heh heh heh! Haaaaaa! Amazing comedic timing."
November 12, 2025 at 6:01 PM
The president of Syria, al-Sharaa, has had one wife. Trump has had three.
And to ask "how many wives do you have?" shows what a rude, ignorant xenophobe Trump is. And that Vance found the remark to be the epitome of wit shows what an oaf JD is.
And to ask "how many wives do you have?" shows what a rude, ignorant xenophobe Trump is. And that Vance found the remark to be the epitome of wit shows what an oaf JD is.
Reposted by helen bowman
I'm not sure that "jewel" is the right word to describe Argyle House, but it is a proper bit of architecture and much better than the politely bland ground scrapers of much recent Edinburgh redevelopment.
(The demolition of RBS Dundas Street was a real loss.)
(The demolition of RBS Dundas Street was a real loss.)
utterly depressing to read of the plans to demolish Argyle House, another modernist jewel potentially disappearing from Edinburgh’s urban fabric after the loss of the RBS building on Dundas Street.
November 12, 2025 at 6:07 PM
I'm not sure that "jewel" is the right word to describe Argyle House, but it is a proper bit of architecture and much better than the politely bland ground scrapers of much recent Edinburgh redevelopment.
(The demolition of RBS Dundas Street was a real loss.)
(The demolition of RBS Dundas Street was a real loss.)
Reposted by helen bowman
PAN submitted for demolition of Argyle House and mixed-use redevelopment of the site - hotel, residential & office use: bit.ly/4oTnsOV. Project architects are Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM).
November 11, 2025 at 7:38 PM
PAN submitted for demolition of Argyle House and mixed-use redevelopment of the site - hotel, residential & office use: bit.ly/4oTnsOV. Project architects are Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM).
Reposted by helen bowman
Good news, fellow taphophiles.
Conservation work has started on one of the most unusual mausoleums in the Roman Catholic world -- the Bedouin tent shaped tomb of Sir Richard Burton and his wife, Lady Isabel.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/res...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/res...
Restoration of Burton’s Mausoleum starts with aim to reopen the tomb for visits
Conservation work has started on one of the most unusual mausoleums in the Roman Catholic world -- the Bedouin tent shaped tomb of Sir Richard Burton and his wife, Lady Isabel.
www.ianvisits.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Good news, fellow taphophiles.
Reposted by helen bowman
Tim Davie resigning from the BBC over the edited Trump video is like Al Capone being jailed for tax evasion: sometimes the right thing happens for the wrong reason.
November 9, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Tim Davie resigning from the BBC over the edited Trump video is like Al Capone being jailed for tax evasion: sometimes the right thing happens for the wrong reason.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Zy...
He must be dog tired but he is so good at this, at not being shifted from his agenda.
He must be dog tired but he is so good at this, at not being shifted from his agenda.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani joins ‘GMA’ to discuss victory
YouTube video by ABC News
www.youtube.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:57 PM
www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Zy...
He must be dog tired but he is so good at this, at not being shifted from his agenda.
He must be dog tired but he is so good at this, at not being shifted from his agenda.
Reposted by helen bowman
Its worth noting that in Britain, Mamdani would have thrown out of the Labour Party by a small room full LinkIn weirdos and then replaced by a former private healthcare lobbyist who would go on to lose by 5,000 votes to a Reform candidate who was a convinced sex offender.
June 25, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Its worth noting that in Britain, Mamdani would have thrown out of the Labour Party by a small room full LinkIn weirdos and then replaced by a former private healthcare lobbyist who would go on to lose by 5,000 votes to a Reform candidate who was a convinced sex offender.