Simon Ashton
@simesa.bsky.social
Largely posting nerdy tech things, especially in the cellular world of broadcast.
Reposted by Simon Ashton
Just 2 gun rights advocates sitting behind a wall of bulletproof glass while enjoying a memorial for a gun rights advocate who got murdered by a gun.
September 21, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Just 2 gun rights advocates sitting behind a wall of bulletproof glass while enjoying a memorial for a gun rights advocate who got murdered by a gun.
Reposted by Simon Ashton
"Farage has given two contradictory versions of the purchase. One that he bought it and the other that his girlfriend owns it. If the second is correct then he has engineered a massive saving on stamp duty, larger than the one that forced Angela Rayner to resign." www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...
'Hypocrite' Nigel Farage didn't pay £44k stamp duty then blasted Angela Rayner
Last year Nigel Farage announced he had bought a house in Clacton, Essex, but in fact it was his partner Laure Ferrari, 46, who shelled out almost £900,000 for the property
www.mirror.co.uk
September 6, 2025 at 6:26 AM
"Farage has given two contradictory versions of the purchase. One that he bought it and the other that his girlfriend owns it. If the second is correct then he has engineered a massive saving on stamp duty, larger than the one that forced Angela Rayner to resign." www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...
Reposted by Simon Ashton
We are sad to report that longtime Blue Peter Editor Biddy Baxter has died at the age of 92. We salute a true pioneer, who navigated changing times in the television industry with instinct, tenacity and style.
August 10, 2025 at 7:51 PM
We are sad to report that longtime Blue Peter Editor Biddy Baxter has died at the age of 92. We salute a true pioneer, who navigated changing times in the television industry with instinct, tenacity and style.
Fingers crossed, I will be one of the guides taking people round Broadcasting House.
The ballot has opened to apply for Open House tours of the BT Tower and 10 Downing Street that will be taking place next month.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/bal...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/bal...
Ballot opens for tours of 10 Downing Street and the BT Tower
The ballot has opened to apply for Open House tours of the BT Tower and 10 Downing Street that will be taking place next month.
www.ianvisits.co.uk
August 5, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Fingers crossed, I will be one of the guides taking people round Broadcasting House.
Reposted by Simon Ashton
He's one of Britain's richest men. So why does Asif Aziz's property company keep leasing London gift shops to overseas students based in abandoned offices or flytipped car parks — before vanishing without paying millions of pounds in taxes? www.londoncentric.media/p/asf-aziz-l...
The billionaire and the tax evading gift shops
Asif Aziz's Criterion Capital manages a row of high-profile shops at Piccadilly Circus. So why does his team keeping renting them to students who vanish without paying millions of pounds in taxes?
www.londoncentric.media
July 22, 2025 at 6:48 AM
He's one of Britain's richest men. So why does Asif Aziz's property company keep leasing London gift shops to overseas students based in abandoned offices or flytipped car parks — before vanishing without paying millions of pounds in taxes? www.londoncentric.media/p/asf-aziz-l...
Crazy number of helicopters shuttling back and forth from Silverstone this morning
July 6, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Crazy number of helicopters shuttling back and forth from Silverstone this morning
Pretty rubbish frame dropping in the handheld cameras for the 1975.. Though I don’t really know them and have 30 mins of Self Esteem still to watch - probably going back there - it was fantastic. Mainly watching for the UHD..
June 27, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Pretty rubbish frame dropping in the handheld cameras for the 1975.. Though I don’t really know them and have 30 mins of Self Esteem still to watch - probably going back there - it was fantastic. Mainly watching for the UHD..
Shed Seven just reminding everyone of just how amazing they are.. Saw them lots in the 90s including their only other #glastonbury appearance.
June 27, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Shed Seven just reminding everyone of just how amazing they are.. Saw them lots in the 90s including their only other #glastonbury appearance.
Sky’s Isle of Wight coverage is bonkers. They seem to choose the songs which contain the most swearing then have to put noise over half the song.. Case in point Paul Heaton’s Don’t Marry Her with the f**k me lyric every 20 seconds. Last night Example swore every line in the one song they showed.
June 21, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Sky’s Isle of Wight coverage is bonkers. They seem to choose the songs which contain the most swearing then have to put noise over half the song.. Case in point Paul Heaton’s Don’t Marry Her with the f**k me lyric every 20 seconds. Last night Example swore every line in the one song they showed.
RIP Mike from Mike’s Carpets (his adverts were a staple on Yorkshire Televison) youtu.be/r9giGnsov94?...
Mikes Carpets Leeds Vintage 90's TV Advert 6
YouTube video by mikescarpetsvideo
youtu.be
June 21, 2025 at 1:59 PM
RIP Mike from Mike’s Carpets (his adverts were a staple on Yorkshire Televison) youtu.be/r9giGnsov94?...
Reposted by Simon Ashton
THANK YOU, LONDON!!
See you again tomorrow night!!
See you again tomorrow night!!
June 18, 2025 at 9:39 PM
THANK YOU, LONDON!!
See you again tomorrow night!!
See you again tomorrow night!!
Quite bonkers going to a Sparks gig and hearing songs which are half a century old but sound like they were written far more recently. Also nice - no pushing and shoving, and barely anyone drinking / pushing through to get to the bar.
June 18, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Quite bonkers going to a Sparks gig and hearing songs which are half a century old but sound like they were written far more recently. Also nice - no pushing and shoving, and barely anyone drinking / pushing through to get to the bar.
Reposted by Simon Ashton
I've not seen today's Doctor Who Eurovision special yet, but I assume this happens. #doctorwho #eurovision
May 17, 2025 at 10:21 AM
I've not seen today's Doctor Who Eurovision special yet, but I assume this happens. #doctorwho #eurovision
40 years ago walking over Ilkley Moor back towards Bradford on a school camping weekend we saw a thick black tower of smoke rising from the city. That night we watched it on TV, could still smell the smoke in the air from 4 miles away, wondering whether anyone from school had died watching football.
May 11, 2025 at 9:15 PM
40 years ago walking over Ilkley Moor back towards Bradford on a school camping weekend we saw a thick black tower of smoke rising from the city. That night we watched it on TV, could still smell the smoke in the air from 4 miles away, wondering whether anyone from school had died watching football.
Love, love, love the new Pulp single, Spike Island. Instantly boppy. And new album in June!.. Still, not quite enough to persuade me to go to the hellhole of the O2 having seen them on the last tour at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2023.
April 10, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Love, love, love the new Pulp single, Spike Island. Instantly boppy. And new album in June!.. Still, not quite enough to persuade me to go to the hellhole of the O2 having seen them on the last tour at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2023.
Probably my favourite London pub - great range of beers and cracking Szechuan food downstairs. Plus it’s round the corner from work.
There’s something special about having a pint in a Mews pub. This is The Jackalope in Weymouth Mews in Marylebone.
This former Sam Smith’s pub was established in 1777 and was previously called The Dover Castle. The pub was renamed The Jackalope in 2018. #mews
This former Sam Smith’s pub was established in 1777 and was previously called The Dover Castle. The pub was renamed The Jackalope in 2018. #mews
April 8, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Probably my favourite London pub - great range of beers and cracking Szechuan food downstairs. Plus it’s round the corner from work.
Reposted by Simon Ashton
R.I.P. Clem Burke, the man who put the ‘power’ into Power Pop. Think of any Blondie intro and imagine it with a bang-average drummer instead of Clem. Like this one. youtu.be/TU3-lS_Gryk?... Half the band. And he was SO enjoyable to watch, stick-juggling and bashing out the fills in his Perspex cage.
Blondie - Dreaming
YouTube video by BlondieVEVO
youtu.be
April 7, 2025 at 2:20 PM
R.I.P. Clem Burke, the man who put the ‘power’ into Power Pop. Think of any Blondie intro and imagine it with a bang-average drummer instead of Clem. Like this one. youtu.be/TU3-lS_Gryk?... Half the band. And he was SO enjoyable to watch, stick-juggling and bashing out the fills in his Perspex cage.
Reposted by Simon Ashton
As pointed out here, there seems to be little truth in the story, so of course Truss has picked it up.
So let’s have a little look at the Right wing media feeding off its own ecosystem.
Here’s
@TiceRichard
claiming NET ZERO caused the Heathrow shut down, while sharing a Telegraph article that appears to back up his claim
Must be true then, right??
🧐you know the drill…
🧵
1/
Here’s
@TiceRichard
claiming NET ZERO caused the Heathrow shut down, while sharing a Telegraph article that appears to back up his claim
Must be true then, right??
🧐you know the drill…
🧵
1/
March 22, 2025 at 6:55 PM
As pointed out here, there seems to be little truth in the story, so of course Truss has picked it up.
Is it still breaking news at 1100 when the fire happened overnight and Heathrow closed in the early hours of the morning?
March 21, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Is it still breaking news at 1100 when the fire happened overnight and Heathrow closed in the early hours of the morning?
Who knew that the SAS runs its own airline? 🤣
March 21, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Who knew that the SAS runs its own airline? 🤣
Reposted by Simon Ashton
Anyway, if MailOnline are going to stick their story behind a paywall then I'm going to make mine available for free for 24 hours. So have a read, stick this in your WhatsApp group, and just help me spread the word about where to get the real thing.
www.londoncentric.media/p/harry-pott...
www.londoncentric.media/p/harry-pott...
Harry Potter and the unpaid tax bill
A London Centric investigation reveals one of the capital's most garish gift shops owes hundreds of thousands of pounds in unpaid taxes — and uncovers its mysterious owners.
www.londoncentric.media
March 13, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Anyway, if MailOnline are going to stick their story behind a paywall then I'm going to make mine available for free for 24 hours. So have a read, stick this in your WhatsApp group, and just help me spread the word about where to get the real thing.
www.londoncentric.media/p/harry-pott...
www.londoncentric.media/p/harry-pott...
Reposted by Simon Ashton
"Why don't you wear a suit, it's disrespectful "
February 28, 2025 at 10:54 PM
"Why don't you wear a suit, it's disrespectful "
Reposted by Simon Ashton
Simon Hart on Boris Johnson's perpetual inability to take responsibility for his own actions, in this case, the Privileges Committee report, June 2023
![June 7/8
Harriet Harman calls by to tell me her privileges committee will publish the report into Boris [Johnson] on June 29 and hand it to him on Friday at noon. It will recommend a 20-day suspension, which will almost certainly result in a recall motion and by-election. Brace for impact.
I speak to BoJo, who is questioning whether there is any procedural route by which we can kill off the report or at least vote it down.
In any normal circumstances, a former PM asking for special treatment would be a big deal but this being Boris, it doesn’t surprise me at all.
Worryingly, it doesn’t even annoy me that much either.
So I remind him, as nicely as I can, that it was he who set up this process, he who approved its terms of reference and he who accepted Harriet Harman as its chair.
“But I was in India and I wasn’t concentrating,” comes the reply. “I left it all to the whips.” Not sure that will wash, even if it were true.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2kf2qj56o2vq7jfaq4x4ogp6/bafkreigxxzoxzwxehigj5oub3vuyrkurcvh5kqpiygdni65ge54ojgqcou@jpeg)
February 19, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Simon Hart on Boris Johnson's perpetual inability to take responsibility for his own actions, in this case, the Privileges Committee report, June 2023