Keith Burnett
@virescitvv.bsky.social
Escaped management consultant, runaway civil servant, quondam public health campaigner, lifetime social worker and current PhD candidate. Always armed with a fountain pen... mightier than the sword.
I literally collected my degree in history & politics from Jim Callaghan (uni Chancellor at the time) so he'd better not reanimate for those chumps! It won't actually be someone well-known, though. Farago's fragile ego couldn't take the competition of a genuine 'big beast' in the same cesspit.
January 18, 2026 at 10:29 PM
I literally collected my degree in history & politics from Jim Callaghan (uni Chancellor at the time) so he'd better not reanimate for those chumps! It won't actually be someone well-known, though. Farago's fragile ego couldn't take the competition of a genuine 'big beast' in the same cesspit.
Not necessarily. It might just spell the end of US membership of NATO. Given that it's the only country to benefit from Article 5 thus far, that's ironic. But the rest of Europe, plus Canada, needs the alliance more than ever.
January 18, 2026 at 7:18 AM
Not necessarily. It might just spell the end of US membership of NATO. Given that it's the only country to benefit from Article 5 thus far, that's ironic. But the rest of Europe, plus Canada, needs the alliance more than ever.
It was the best of Times Literary Supplement, it was the worst of Times Literary Supplement.
January 7, 2026 at 11:18 AM
It was the best of Times Literary Supplement, it was the worst of Times Literary Supplement.
While it is interesting to see the Monroe Doctrine cited, one wonders which European power they seek to defy? The Venetian Republic was dissolved in 1797...
January 4, 2026 at 8:37 AM
While it is interesting to see the Monroe Doctrine cited, one wonders which European power they seek to defy? The Venetian Republic was dissolved in 1797...
It means that tactical voting is here to stay - and if Labour can't accommodate this, civic society will have to do it for them. Next round: Best For Britain vs. The British Union Of Faragists.
December 16, 2025 at 4:30 AM
It means that tactical voting is here to stay - and if Labour can't accommodate this, civic society will have to do it for them. Next round: Best For Britain vs. The British Union Of Faragists.
Afraid I must, m'lud. It is run by antidisestablishmentarianists, no doubt - but not by the civil service. More's the pity; at least they would have kept all the Latin.
December 15, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Afraid I must, m'lud. It is run by antidisestablishmentarianists, no doubt - but not by the civil service. More's the pity; at least they would have kept all the Latin.
We're a fair way off from worshipping the emperor as a living deity, thankfully.
December 15, 2025 at 9:39 PM
We're a fair way off from worshipping the emperor as a living deity, thankfully.
'Debatable. The head of state is coincidentally also the head of the Church of England, but there's no specific constitutional tie. The Establishment is built on sand - so they couldn't even get THAT parable right.
December 15, 2025 at 7:05 PM
'Debatable. The head of state is coincidentally also the head of the Church of England, but there's no specific constitutional tie. The Establishment is built on sand - so they couldn't even get THAT parable right.
1. There is no such thing as a 'state religion' in the UK, and 2. That guy doesn't sound like any sort of Christian.
December 15, 2025 at 1:36 PM
1. There is no such thing as a 'state religion' in the UK, and 2. That guy doesn't sound like any sort of Christian.
Given that the image extends the parliamentary debating chambers all the way across the Thames, to the point where MPs literally can't hear each other - it has to be Communication Breakdown.
December 11, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Given that the image extends the parliamentary debating chambers all the way across the Thames, to the point where MPs literally can't hear each other - it has to be Communication Breakdown.
"The terrible thing about fascism is that the only way to beat it is by using fascist methods". 'Not sure I agree, but it's a line that sticks in the mind...
December 7, 2025 at 7:00 AM
"The terrible thing about fascism is that the only way to beat it is by using fascist methods". 'Not sure I agree, but it's a line that sticks in the mind...
Thrillingly, I've only just discovered that a couple of pubs I know are in the list :)
December 6, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Thrillingly, I've only just discovered that a couple of pubs I know are in the list :)
List of oldest companies - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 6, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Go on, Kemi, tell us how transubstantiation is a figment of cultural Marxism.
November 28, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Go on, Kemi, tell us how transubstantiation is a figment of cultural Marxism.
Greetings from Leicestershire - the 'doughnut' that surrounds gloriously multicultural Lestarrrr. We're not all racist morons here, thankfully. But isn't it interesting to observe grim fantasy encountering reality?
November 23, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Greetings from Leicestershire - the 'doughnut' that surrounds gloriously multicultural Lestarrrr. We're not all racist morons here, thankfully. But isn't it interesting to observe grim fantasy encountering reality?
It's a non-starter. Publishing it was simply incompetent; those who allowed it to see the light of day have no place in a professional diplomatic service.
November 23, 2025 at 4:01 AM
It's a non-starter. Publishing it was simply incompetent; those who allowed it to see the light of day have no place in a professional diplomatic service.
I often show visiting Americans around Britain. It's a constant joy, and we certainly have plenty in common - but none of them would say we're the same.
November 22, 2025 at 9:45 AM
I often show visiting Americans around Britain. It's a constant joy, and we certainly have plenty in common - but none of them would say we're the same.
How difficult is this to work out? A social media platform controlled by a Nazi is surely a bad thing or a really, really bad thing - but HMG doesn't fit comfortably with its brand values either way.
November 20, 2025 at 1:29 PM
How difficult is this to work out? A social media platform controlled by a Nazi is surely a bad thing or a really, really bad thing - but HMG doesn't fit comfortably with its brand values either way.
Tuning in for the new BWV numbers!
November 18, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Tuning in for the new BWV numbers!
It is odd how we fetishise the poppy but can't have an honest conversation about mobilisation. Things are certainly serious.
November 15, 2025 at 7:58 AM
It is odd how we fetishise the poppy but can't have an honest conversation about mobilisation. Things are certainly serious.