Owen
@owenk77.bsky.social
Picked up a new (for me) car on Saturday from Middleton in Manchester. The flags were everywhere - every lamppost, lots of windows, St George's flags on street signs. The lovely (Asian) salesman said they had been up for about 3 weeks, put there by the 'fake patriots'.
October 13, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Picked up a new (for me) car on Saturday from Middleton in Manchester. The flags were everywhere - every lamppost, lots of windows, St George's flags on street signs. The lovely (Asian) salesman said they had been up for about 3 weeks, put there by the 'fake patriots'.
Whenever you turned off, I think it's safe to say it got worse. It oscillated between a Lord Farquhart speech in Shrek, with the choreographed applause and cheers, and disinformation that Stalin would have considered a bit OTT
October 13, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Whenever you turned off, I think it's safe to say it got worse. It oscillated between a Lord Farquhart speech in Shrek, with the choreographed applause and cheers, and disinformation that Stalin would have considered a bit OTT
People who routinely and quite deliberately see and portray 'other' as sinister, less worthy, inferior, rather than splendidly, joyously different. Once you view and characterise people as less than human or even just less than yourself, all bets are off.
October 5, 2025 at 4:21 PM
People who routinely and quite deliberately see and portray 'other' as sinister, less worthy, inferior, rather than splendidly, joyously different. Once you view and characterise people as less than human or even just less than yourself, all bets are off.
I agree. The government has really screwed up here - can it really be that holding up a placard saying 'I support Palestine' or 'I support Action in Palestine', is legal, but a placard saying 'I support Palestine Action' is illegal? It's clearly an absolute self-inflicted nonsense.
October 4, 2025 at 10:37 PM
I agree. The government has really screwed up here - can it really be that holding up a placard saying 'I support Palestine' or 'I support Action in Palestine', is legal, but a placard saying 'I support Palestine Action' is illegal? It's clearly an absolute self-inflicted nonsense.
Da stellt sich die Frage, was das über diejenigen aussagt, die diese abgelegene Abteilungen besuchen .... 😉
October 4, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Da stellt sich die Frage, was das über diejenigen aussagt, die diese abgelegene Abteilungen besuchen .... 😉
The lyrics are joyous and positive, too - celebrating being in love. Wonderful. Merviglioso.
October 4, 2025 at 9:32 AM
The lyrics are joyous and positive, too - celebrating being in love. Wonderful. Merviglioso.
with 'ah, but you're stupid AND smelly'
October 4, 2025 at 9:31 AM
with 'ah, but you're stupid AND smelly'
It's probably the best way of dealing with the criminal in the White House, but it's a rather depressing reflection on quite how completely quality political discourse has collapsed over the last 10 years or so. It's a bit like cheering on a 4 year-old who, having been called stupid, has retorted
October 4, 2025 at 9:31 AM
It's probably the best way of dealing with the criminal in the White House, but it's a rather depressing reflection on quite how completely quality political discourse has collapsed over the last 10 years or so. It's a bit like cheering on a 4 year-old who, having been called stupid, has retorted
They're angry. Angry and scared. Understandably. And he's a legitimate(ish) target to shout at. I think it boils down to that.
October 3, 2025 at 11:40 PM
They're angry. Angry and scared. Understandably. And he's a legitimate(ish) target to shout at. I think it boils down to that.
Nobody is suggesting they are responsible. It's not about blame, it's about compassion, empathy and solidarity.
October 3, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Nobody is suggesting they are responsible. It's not about blame, it's about compassion, empathy and solidarity.
Was never a fan of Keeping Up Appearances, but she was utterly wonderful as Kitty, written by Alan Bennett and Victoria Wood. Extraordinarily good.
October 3, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Was never a fan of Keeping Up Appearances, but she was utterly wonderful as Kitty, written by Alan Bennett and Victoria Wood. Extraordinarily good.
'Right / far right', obviously. Apologies.
October 3, 2025 at 6:17 AM
'Right / far right', obviously. Apologies.
I was responding to your first assertion that she was defending 'the left / far left in this country', when to me, she was doing nothing of the sort on this occasion. I agree with your more general point about their idiotic dislike of the centre-left, though.
October 3, 2025 at 6:16 AM
I was responding to your first assertion that she was defending 'the left / far left in this country', when to me, she was doing nothing of the sort on this occasion. I agree with your more general point about their idiotic dislike of the centre-left, though.
I googled the toaster brand yesterday - they look very nice
October 2, 2025 at 12:30 PM
I googled the toaster brand yesterday - they look very nice
Spot-on. If today is anything to go by, he'll get increasingly irritable, defensive and chippy, and before long he'll either throw in the towel or join another party or say something way beyond the pale.
October 1, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Spot-on. If today is anything to go by, he'll get increasingly irritable, defensive and chippy, and before long he'll either throw in the towel or join another party or say something way beyond the pale.
She wasn't in any way defending Farage and Reform in particular, or the Far right in general. She even said she thought it was good to see Farage getting a good kicking, but that there was a balancing act between attacking Farage and giving him free publicity. Personally, I disagree with her.
October 1, 2025 at 8:46 PM
She wasn't in any way defending Farage and Reform in particular, or the Far right in general. She even said she thought it was good to see Farage getting a good kicking, but that there was a balancing act between attacking Farage and giving him free publicity. Personally, I disagree with her.
She absolutely didn't say that. Not even close. I disagreed with what she did say, but that wasn't what she said. It was more of a discussion of tactics. She started by saying she agreed with the notion of giving Farage a good kicking.
October 1, 2025 at 8:44 PM
She absolutely didn't say that. Not even close. I disagreed with what she did say, but that wasn't what she said. It was more of a discussion of tactics. She started by saying she agreed with the notion of giving Farage a good kicking.
I thought she was right up to now. The time to call him and his nastiness out is now. Ignoring him hasn't worked. I agreed with Billy Bragg on this one. There's nothing wrong with what Diane was saying; it's just no longer the most effective means of countering Farage and Reform.
October 1, 2025 at 8:41 PM
I thought she was right up to now. The time to call him and his nastiness out is now. Ignoring him hasn't worked. I agreed with Billy Bragg on this one. There's nothing wrong with what Diane was saying; it's just no longer the most effective means of countering Farage and Reform.
I feel your pain. I ran out of orzo yesterday, halfway through cooking an orzo bake, so had to think on my feet and use lentils instead. It wasn't the same. #TheCrossesWeBear
September 26, 2025 at 7:41 AM
I feel your pain. I ran out of orzo yesterday, halfway through cooking an orzo bake, so had to think on my feet and use lentils instead. It wasn't the same. #TheCrossesWeBear
Conversely, I'm watching the wonderful Simon Reeve on BBC1, and can't help wondering why some billionaires don't get seriously, properly involved in marine conservation - they could make such a positive difference and the love for them would be enormous.
September 24, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Conversely, I'm watching the wonderful Simon Reeve on BBC1, and can't help wondering why some billionaires don't get seriously, properly involved in marine conservation - they could make such a positive difference and the love for them would be enormous.
Yeah, she's as tough as a soggy blancmange. Unlike our other cat, who took down a pheasant last year, and a rat the size of a medium buffalo about 2 nights ago. She's much more affectionate and cuddly, but once she's outside, she is evil psycho killer queen. The black and white one can't be arsed.
September 24, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Yeah, she's as tough as a soggy blancmange. Unlike our other cat, who took down a pheasant last year, and a rat the size of a medium buffalo about 2 nights ago. She's much more affectionate and cuddly, but once she's outside, she is evil psycho killer queen. The black and white one can't be arsed.