Phil Edwards
@philedwards.bsky.social
"Research fellow" (i.e. retired) at MMU; still writing. Interests: international law, jurisprudence (mainly Kelsen). Other interests: folksong, real ale, the Left, cinema, Bowie, Aickman. Blogs at gapingsilence.wordpress.com and ohgoodale.wordpress.com .
Maintenant c'est joué. I mean, seriously joué. Properly, properly joué. If you had any lingering doubts as to whether tu ne la verras pas, dispel them. Really, really joué.
November 13, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Maintenant c'est joué. I mean, seriously joué. Properly, properly joué. If you had any lingering doubts as to whether tu ne la verras pas, dispel them. Really, really joué.
If you see this post an album cover with a motor vehicle on it.
November 8, 2025 at 6:37 PM
If you see this post an album cover with a motor vehicle on it.
[Checks commitments for rest of day]
October 30, 2025 at 11:47 AM
[Checks commitments for rest of day]
[boomy robotic voice]
What *is* Haus?
What *is* Haus?
October 29, 2025 at 2:22 PM
[boomy robotic voice]
What *is* Haus?
What *is* Haus?
I saw this sign today, and immediately wondered why a car wash was trying to get my attention.
October 28, 2025 at 7:54 PM
I saw this sign today, and immediately wondered why a car wash was trying to get my attention.
So it was particularly bizarre to read Barney Ronay's take in the Graun, and to realise that he still thinks that what happened in Lewisham was... the successful policing of a provocative but legal march.
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
October 18, 2025 at 10:34 AM
So it was particularly bizarre to read Barney Ronay's take in the Graun, and to realise that he still thinks that what happened in Lewisham was... the successful policing of a provocative but legal march.
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
"Protect our honoured visitors the violent racists, but make sure they don't try any violent racism while they're here."
Reading this from Nick Lowles (of Hope Not Hate), I thought "my God, it's going to be another Battle of Lewisham!".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...
Reading this from Nick Lowles (of Hope Not Hate), I thought "my God, it's going to be another Battle of Lewisham!".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...
October 18, 2025 at 10:19 AM
"Protect our honoured visitors the violent racists, but make sure they don't try any violent racism while they're here."
Reading this from Nick Lowles (of Hope Not Hate), I thought "my God, it's going to be another Battle of Lewisham!".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...
Reading this from Nick Lowles (of Hope Not Hate), I thought "my God, it's going to be another Battle of Lewisham!".
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...
Making plain vs explaining (Gertrude Stein, recent LRB)
October 15, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Making plain vs explaining (Gertrude Stein, recent LRB)
Post you from a different era (2002)
The local paper used to run a 'Readers' chart', in association with a music shop that *only sold CDs* (modern!); you sent in an interesting list of ten tracks, they gave you three albums (on CD, mind).
I had this taken to go with it, in a photo booth.
The local paper used to run a 'Readers' chart', in association with a music shop that *only sold CDs* (modern!); you sent in an interesting list of ten tracks, they gave you three albums (on CD, mind).
I had this taken to go with it, in a photo booth.
October 13, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Post you from a different era (2002)
The local paper used to run a 'Readers' chart', in association with a music shop that *only sold CDs* (modern!); you sent in an interesting list of ten tracks, they gave you three albums (on CD, mind).
I had this taken to go with it, in a photo booth.
The local paper used to run a 'Readers' chart', in association with a music shop that *only sold CDs* (modern!); you sent in an interesting list of ten tracks, they gave you three albums (on CD, mind).
I had this taken to go with it, in a photo booth.
Like Western civilisation, I think this is less in the established fact category than in "would be a very good idea", but it's an interesting speculation (h/t Duncan Robinson, the Economist).
October 3, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Like Western civilisation, I think this is less in the established fact category than in "would be a very good idea", but it's an interesting speculation (h/t Duncan Robinson, the Economist).
October 1, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Oh dear God, it's "yeah well what about the *majority* culture?", again. They think they're so *clever*...
gapingsilence.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/s...
gapingsilence.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/s...
September 29, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Oh dear God, it's "yeah well what about the *majority* culture?", again. They think they're so *clever*...
gapingsilence.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/s...
gapingsilence.wordpress.com/2017/03/05/s...
"Think back to your childhood. Do you remember when the anxiety started?"
September 26, 2025 at 1:41 PM
"Think back to your childhood. Do you remember when the anxiety started?"
Or this, which was a genuine search result. I was looking for a clip of a demo of the unreleased song "In the Heat of the Morning", which appeared on the "Spying through a Keyhole" collection of 1968 demos. (Hey, it's a hobby.)
So I googled "Bowie keyhole morning", and I got:
So I googled "Bowie keyhole morning", and I got:
September 12, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Or this, which was a genuine search result. I was looking for a clip of a demo of the unreleased song "In the Heat of the Morning", which appeared on the "Spying through a Keyhole" collection of 1968 demos. (Hey, it's a hobby.)
So I googled "Bowie keyhole morning", and I got:
So I googled "Bowie keyhole morning", and I got:
Thing is, when I saw this tweet this morning I didn't for a second think it was genuine. I thought the text must be wildly exaggerating what Yvette Cooper was saying; either that or it was some weird Cassetteboy-type montage gag.
September 2, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Thing is, when I saw this tweet this morning I didn't for a second think it was genuine. I thought the text must be wildly exaggerating what Yvette Cooper was saying; either that or it was some weird Cassetteboy-type montage gag.
John Harris said in 2017 that Labour needed to have a message for the "UKIP-voting Fens". It turned out he was referring to five constituencies, only one of which had *ever* been Labour - and that was only 1997-2001.
gapingsilence.wordpress.com/2017/04/09/c...
gapingsilence.wordpress.com/2017/04/09/c...
September 1, 2025 at 9:57 PM
John Harris said in 2017 that Labour needed to have a message for the "UKIP-voting Fens". It turned out he was referring to five constituencies, only one of which had *ever* been Labour - and that was only 1997-2001.
gapingsilence.wordpress.com/2017/04/09/c...
gapingsilence.wordpress.com/2017/04/09/c...
Ok, hear me out. A Lord of the Rings remake, but with these two taking the One Ring to Mordor:
August 31, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Ok, hear me out. A Lord of the Rings remake, but with these two taking the One Ring to Mordor:
Second half of article in alt text. Last couple of sentences read:
It is this realisation, more than the current Eastern European infatuation with the free market, which explains the Left's demoralisation. It's good to lose your illusions, but it's hard to rejoice in the process.
It is this realisation, more than the current Eastern European infatuation with the free market, which explains the Left's demoralisation. It's good to lose your illusions, but it's hard to rejoice in the process.
August 27, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Second half of article in alt text. Last couple of sentences read:
It is this realisation, more than the current Eastern European infatuation with the free market, which explains the Left's demoralisation. It's good to lose your illusions, but it's hard to rejoice in the process.
It is this realisation, more than the current Eastern European infatuation with the free market, which explains the Left's demoralisation. It's good to lose your illusions, but it's hard to rejoice in the process.
Detto, fatto. I misremembered a few details - it was in response to 1991, not 1989, and it was a contribution to a symposium, not a standalone article - but I think the argument's interesting & still stands up (was "Leninism" ever the same again?).
August 27, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Detto, fatto. I misremembered a few details - it was in response to 1991, not 1989, and it was a contribution to a symposium, not a standalone article - but I think the argument's interesting & still stands up (was "Leninism" ever the same again?).
Hell of a section, that section 13. No intention required, just a 'reasonable suspicion' on the part of the police.
August 25, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Hell of a section, that section 13. No intention required, just a 'reasonable suspicion' on the part of the police.
Worth remembering that the legislation under which 500+ people have just been arrested was originally intended to catch people marching through Kilburn in camo and ballies.
August 10, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Worth remembering that the legislation under which 500+ people have just been arrested was originally intended to catch people marching through Kilburn in camo and ballies.
"Average rating 3.3. So it's just... kind of OK."
@kermodemovie.bsky.social @kermodeandmayo.bsky.social
@kermodemovie.bsky.social @kermodeandmayo.bsky.social
August 9, 2025 at 11:00 AM
"Average rating 3.3. So it's just... kind of OK."
@kermodemovie.bsky.social @kermodeandmayo.bsky.social
@kermodemovie.bsky.social @kermodeandmayo.bsky.social
The sun through the clouds, the smell of coffee, the first news story of the weekend…
July 26, 2025 at 8:24 AM
The sun through the clouds, the smell of coffee, the first news story of the weekend…
That rang a bell... From a FB post (not mine!) in 2021:
July 24, 2025 at 9:52 AM
That rang a bell... From a FB post (not mine!) in 2021: