Will Ross
@twistedbyknaves.bsky.social
Rather less angry than Chat GPT would have you believe. Also thinner on top.
Tries to keep up with sprogs 1-6 and all their mini sprogs. Hopelessly devoted to the Chair of Balham FC. Takes footie pictures.
Trying to get back into fencing.
Tries to keep up with sprogs 1-6 and all their mini sprogs. Hopelessly devoted to the Chair of Balham FC. Takes footie pictures.
Trying to get back into fencing.
I can only think of one.
January 18, 2026 at 9:06 PM
I can only think of one.
However, Labour seem to have fallen into the trap of believing that the Tories were evil and stupid, so that all they needed to do was be less evil and stupid and all would be well.
Reform/ Greens seem to be making the same mistake. They promise radical change: we need to see their workings.
Reform/ Greens seem to be making the same mistake. They promise radical change: we need to see their workings.
January 18, 2026 at 8:33 PM
However, Labour seem to have fallen into the trap of believing that the Tories were evil and stupid, so that all they needed to do was be less evil and stupid and all would be well.
Reform/ Greens seem to be making the same mistake. They promise radical change: we need to see their workings.
Reform/ Greens seem to be making the same mistake. They promise radical change: we need to see their workings.
Not just an opportunity: an existential challenge. One to which we simply have to rise.
But...
The fact that a project is too important for us to consider the possibility of failure does not in itself guarantee success.
But...
The fact that a project is too important for us to consider the possibility of failure does not in itself guarantee success.
January 18, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Not just an opportunity: an existential challenge. One to which we simply have to rise.
But...
The fact that a project is too important for us to consider the possibility of failure does not in itself guarantee success.
But...
The fact that a project is too important for us to consider the possibility of failure does not in itself guarantee success.
OK: maybe not satnav.
January 18, 2026 at 4:06 PM
OK: maybe not satnav.
Yes, we probably do need to call his bluff.
But we should be under no illusions as to how much we have abdicated to the USA in the last 80 years.
And not act all surprised when the internet, sat nav and the weapons of our military stop working.
But we should be under no illusions as to how much we have abdicated to the USA in the last 80 years.
And not act all surprised when the internet, sat nav and the weapons of our military stop working.
January 18, 2026 at 11:12 AM
Yes, we probably do need to call his bluff.
But we should be under no illusions as to how much we have abdicated to the USA in the last 80 years.
And not act all surprised when the internet, sat nav and the weapons of our military stop working.
But we should be under no illusions as to how much we have abdicated to the USA in the last 80 years.
And not act all surprised when the internet, sat nav and the weapons of our military stop working.
For the first 3 decades of my life, I lived in fear that it would be the Russians who nuked us to the stone age.
For the next 4 decades, I honestly believed we'd got away with it.
Funny old world.
For the next 4 decades, I honestly believed we'd got away with it.
Funny old world.
January 17, 2026 at 8:47 PM
For the first 3 decades of my life, I lived in fear that it would be the Russians who nuked us to the stone age.
For the next 4 decades, I honestly believed we'd got away with it.
Funny old world.
For the next 4 decades, I honestly believed we'd got away with it.
Funny old world.
For God's sake, Spurs!
January 17, 2026 at 4:59 PM
For God's sake, Spurs!
There is something uniquely pathetic about relying on Spurs to win…
January 17, 2026 at 4:55 PM
There is something uniquely pathetic about relying on Spurs to win…
Well, given that the decision was to lie to Parliament...
As always, it's the cover up that does you in.
As always, it's the cover up that does you in.
January 17, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Well, given that the decision was to lie to Parliament...
As always, it's the cover up that does you in.
As always, it's the cover up that does you in.
There is such a thing as "cognitive load", you know?
(AKA "life")
(AKA "life")
January 17, 2026 at 12:57 PM
There is such a thing as "cognitive load", you know?
(AKA "life")
(AKA "life")
If this was only happening in the UK, I might well be convinced.
But it seems to be happening in all the representative democracies.
Anand Menon's TED talk on the subject made a strong case that the unacceptable status quo itself, rather than the scapegoating, was a primary driver.
But it seems to be happening in all the representative democracies.
Anand Menon's TED talk on the subject made a strong case that the unacceptable status quo itself, rather than the scapegoating, was a primary driver.
January 17, 2026 at 12:49 PM
If this was only happening in the UK, I might well be convinced.
But it seems to be happening in all the representative democracies.
Anand Menon's TED talk on the subject made a strong case that the unacceptable status quo itself, rather than the scapegoating, was a primary driver.
But it seems to be happening in all the representative democracies.
Anand Menon's TED talk on the subject made a strong case that the unacceptable status quo itself, rather than the scapegoating, was a primary driver.
I will watch your progress with interest.
And some trepidation.
And some trepidation.
January 17, 2026 at 12:43 PM
I will watch your progress with interest.
And some trepidation.
And some trepidation.
A solid week of great work! As a cranky old git, I salute you…
(Random thought: is the feminine of "git", "gîte"?)
(Random thought: is the feminine of "git", "gîte"?)
January 17, 2026 at 12:38 PM
A solid week of great work! As a cranky old git, I salute you…
(Random thought: is the feminine of "git", "gîte"?)
(Random thought: is the feminine of "git", "gîte"?)
On a more serious note, I'm not at all sure that it is trying to present a logically coherent whole.
Which is fine, if it can achieve its effect by triggering subconscious pattern matching.
Which is fine, if it can achieve its effect by triggering subconscious pattern matching.
January 17, 2026 at 12:29 PM
On a more serious note, I'm not at all sure that it is trying to present a logically coherent whole.
Which is fine, if it can achieve its effect by triggering subconscious pattern matching.
Which is fine, if it can achieve its effect by triggering subconscious pattern matching.
Look, if we're too stupid to understand it, perhaps we shouldn't be passing comment?
:0)
:0)
January 17, 2026 at 12:24 PM
Look, if we're too stupid to understand it, perhaps we shouldn't be passing comment?
:0)
:0)
Curses: discovered!
January 17, 2026 at 12:10 PM
Curses: discovered!
Makes perfect sense to me.
<He lied, glibly.>
<He lied, glibly.>
January 17, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Makes perfect sense to me.
<He lied, glibly.>
<He lied, glibly.>
Indeed. And lecturing by technocrats (including us) won't cut it.
We need something like the Brown Commission recommendations to devolve real power.
We need something like the Brown Commission recommendations to devolve real power.
January 17, 2026 at 11:43 AM
Indeed. And lecturing by technocrats (including us) won't cut it.
We need something like the Brown Commission recommendations to devolve real power.
We need something like the Brown Commission recommendations to devolve real power.
Since the Remain case boiled down to "don't put the status quo at risk", this was always going to happen.
Fundamentally, the government didn't realise that the status quo was unacceptable.
They could have done a better job and won the vote.
But the populists would still have arrived by now.
Fundamentally, the government didn't realise that the status quo was unacceptable.
They could have done a better job and won the vote.
But the populists would still have arrived by now.
January 17, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Since the Remain case boiled down to "don't put the status quo at risk", this was always going to happen.
Fundamentally, the government didn't realise that the status quo was unacceptable.
They could have done a better job and won the vote.
But the populists would still have arrived by now.
Fundamentally, the government didn't realise that the status quo was unacceptable.
They could have done a better job and won the vote.
But the populists would still have arrived by now.
The Brexit vote was a symptom, not a cause.
It was the direct equivalent of capital flight. The government ruled out taxing the rich more for fear that they'd abandon the UK. But it never occurred to them that if they didn't provide adequate support, the people might abandon democracy.
It was the direct equivalent of capital flight. The government ruled out taxing the rich more for fear that they'd abandon the UK. But it never occurred to them that if they didn't provide adequate support, the people might abandon democracy.
January 17, 2026 at 11:34 AM
The Brexit vote was a symptom, not a cause.
It was the direct equivalent of capital flight. The government ruled out taxing the rich more for fear that they'd abandon the UK. But it never occurred to them that if they didn't provide adequate support, the people might abandon democracy.
It was the direct equivalent of capital flight. The government ruled out taxing the rich more for fear that they'd abandon the UK. But it never occurred to them that if they didn't provide adequate support, the people might abandon democracy.
The technocrats may have won slim majorities so far, but their "practical" politics has more than a whiff of fantasy. They accepted the unacceptable for far too long, and lost the trust of too many people.
If we are to persist with democracy, we need to rebuild that trust. A two way street.
If we are to persist with democracy, we need to rebuild that trust. A two way street.
January 17, 2026 at 11:29 AM
The technocrats may have won slim majorities so far, but their "practical" politics has more than a whiff of fantasy. They accepted the unacceptable for far too long, and lost the trust of too many people.
If we are to persist with democracy, we need to rebuild that trust. A two way street.
If we are to persist with democracy, we need to rebuild that trust. A two way street.
You could argue that the Brexit vote was a repudiation of austerity: that whilst people saw the logical argument, the practical impact was that many people had to put up with unacceptable privation whilst watching the well off get richer.
This was a symptom of a managerial political class.
This was a symptom of a managerial political class.
January 17, 2026 at 11:22 AM
You could argue that the Brexit vote was a repudiation of austerity: that whilst people saw the logical argument, the practical impact was that many people had to put up with unacceptable privation whilst watching the well off get richer.
This was a symptom of a managerial political class.
This was a symptom of a managerial political class.
And yet with Brexit we received a wake up call that governments of all stripes had been accepting the unacceptable for far too long.
And our response? To demonise the people as gullible fools.
The Brown Commission was a sensible first step. It needs to be taken forward.
And our response? To demonise the people as gullible fools.
The Brown Commission was a sensible first step. It needs to be taken forward.
January 17, 2026 at 11:14 AM
And yet with Brexit we received a wake up call that governments of all stripes had been accepting the unacceptable for far too long.
And our response? To demonise the people as gullible fools.
The Brown Commission was a sensible first step. It needs to be taken forward.
And our response? To demonise the people as gullible fools.
The Brown Commission was a sensible first step. It needs to be taken forward.
The short term loss could be considerable. We could probably manage without sat nav, but losing access to the internet would be … inconvenient.
January 8, 2026 at 9:10 AM
The short term loss could be considerable. We could probably manage without sat nav, but losing access to the internet would be … inconvenient.