Colin Ross cross by name, cross by nature

First Blackbird of 2024

@Archivedtactic Nice backwards step by number one in the stick

Paratroopers of C Company, 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment earn their US wings by jumping under T-11 canopies from a US C-17 with the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

@JonHartleyInBSE @walesintheworld @PrifWeinidog What is it?

@ColinRossCRoss @walesintheworld @PrifWeinidog There's a big difference between Plaid Cymru's performative bollocks and your economic ignorance.

First Minister for Wales @PrifWeinidog will hold responsibility for International Relations. He said: “This will be the most outward-looking government Wales has ever had."

@JournalismSEEN Check out Channel 4

‘MPs and women’s rights campaigners said there were “no more excuses” for the BBC to sit on the fence’

📣 New from @gordonrayner ‘BBC director-general under pressure to free corporation from trans ‘capture’’ He’s been urged to ‘weed out transactivists’..’Senior managers who allowed the BBC to become a mouthpiece for trans radicals are still in place’ telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05/2…

@JonHartleyInBSE @walesintheworld @PrifWeinidog He can blag for inward investment and to grow tourism, this is what he wants. Or he could reopen blast furnaces and coal mines

@walesintheworld @PrifWeinidog Foreign policy is a reserved matter. Wales can not have its own foreign policy. This is performative bollocks.

@Mr_Andrew_Fox Heart failure

Fun story: felt a bit rough yesterday. Cough, headache, dizziness, temperature, aches all over. Local GP sent me to A&E as I’ve just got back from Africa, and those symptoms are malaria-adjacent. Checking in at A&E, the waiting times are on the board: 15 mins until triage, then four hours for treatment. A long, boring wait at any time, but especially annoying because by this stage, I’m struggling to stay upright, sweating profusely, and just want to lie down. I see the triage nurse, who takes my vitals and immediately picks up the phone and books me a bed… in the *resuscitation ward*! Apparently the reason I was feeling so ropey was my blood pressure crashing through the floor whilst my pulse was racing. Cue a somewhat hasty wheelchair ride, arms full of needles, hooked up to bags of liquids. No four hour wait for this callsign… Positives: it’s not looking like malaria (one more day of tests to go) and I’m feeling a bit better. Also: against all odds, my liver is the only bit of me that passed the blood tests without an “abnormal” marker. Negatives: no clue what it is, arms full of holes already, more blood and other tests to go. Thank you for enjoying my exciting story. I’m off to go poo into a pot.

@nicholadrummond No Boeing for UK forces

The Boeing / Saab T-7 Red Hawk is in pole position to replace the RAF’s ageing Hawk trainer. Conceived as 5th / 6th generation training aircraft with fully digitised architecture, it would be ideal for training both F-35 and Tempest crews. A tie-up with BAE Systems will include UK assembly. And, of course, a certain aerobatic team could use it.

@MetroUK Oh yes you are

Trans people have been using gendered spaces for decades – we’re not going to stop now trib.al/AhfDdOJ

@specialopsmag He’s overdone the PEDs somewhat

Former British Special Boat Service (SBS) operator Anthony Stazicker in Afghanistan.

@Beretta_USA @langdontactical Every shot other than the first is a follow up shot, is it not?

The new 92G Elite Combat LTT takes the legendary 92 platform even further. With a threaded barrel, Toni System compensator, and tuned ergonomics, it’s built for flatter shooting and faster follow-up shots. Competition setup or tactical build? @langdontactical #Beretta #92GEliteCombat #90Series #LangdonTactical

@Sam_Cranny This thing has no gun, right?

Good times for the Royal Navy. The Martlet has officially reached its full operating capability after entering service in 2020. The latest trials showed it could be fired from an altitude of 50 feet. Also, Wildcats carry quite a few of these things!

@james_rogers Like in 1940

This soggy thinking is dangerous. There is a very real risk that Britain will be forced, at some point in the future, to fight alone.

@Lee_MJ_Chapman Patrolling is stupid, you are target practice

15 years ago today, Op Telic came to an end. I was 19 years old on my first tour of Iraq when this photo was taken. Looking back now, I was probably far too happy to be out on patrol… and probably far too unaware of just how dangerous it really was. For many of us, Iraq shaped the rest of our lives. Some came home with memories that never left. Some came home different people. And 179 British personnel never came home at all. We lost 4 men from 12 Regiment Royal Artillery, who I was attached to at the time. RIP lads. Today is about remembering the lads, the families, the sacrifices, and the bond shared by those who served there. I know many Iraq veterans will look back at photos like this and remember the heat, the dust, the fear, the humour, the routine… and the people beside them. Some of the best people I ever met were on that tour. Lest we forget. 🇬🇧

@Heidi_Labour High spreed rail means exactly that. Saying the UK is a small country eventually defaults to wondering if we need rail at all, let alone internal flights. Bite the bullet and reinstate the cancelled links

Another big rail moment today, as South Western gets its first GBR train. Since coming into public ownership, a new fleet of trains has been rolling out, giving passengers more spacious, comfortable & air conditioned journeys. We're building a railway you can be proud of. 🇬🇧🚆

@SarahWoods66 Apparently not as busy as in previous years, I am reliably informed???

Not my usual tweet but I want a little rant. I got gifted 2 tickets to the Chelsea Flower Show so went with a friend yesterday. We paid for an overnight stay in a hotel, train fares and food. I can honestly say it was AWFUL. It was unbelievably busy with huge numbers of people making it impossible to walk - we were just shoved along by the crowd. I couldn’t see any of the show gardens because the fight to see them was 5 people deep. Even if you did get to the front you were being pressured to move on. We gave up after 3 hours and went to the Chelsea Physic Garden along the road which was a much welcome oasis of calm. The organisers of the show should be ashamed of themselves. Visitor numbers need limiting and I feel so sorry for anyone for whom this was a first time long awaited visit #RHSChelsea #RHSChelseaFlowerShow @GWandShows @GWandShows @The_RHS

@palmettoarmory In the field = at the range

Whether this is your first AR-15 or your fifth, regular cleaning keeps your rifle and its components running reliably. This is not a deep-clean tutorial, but a quick field cleaning that you can do to keep your rifle lubricated and running. Add your tips in the comments!

@RealEmirHan He didn’t fool me

Hugh Laurie recorded an audition tape for then‑untitled ‘HOUSE’ pilot in hotel bathroom while filming a movie in Namibia. He fooled the producers with his American accent so badly that they said, “See, this is what I want: an American guy,” only to later realize he was British.

@ReturnofColin2 Ladies, size up with your jackets

God help us...... They're cloning 😲

@GermanSimply_ @NigelElrick Thanks, not going

@NigelElrick Well ssid. I do believe the exchange of ideas between Britain and Germany shaped more of modern life than most people realise.

Everyone tells you about Germany's efficiency. The punctuality. The engineering. The order. Nobody warns you about the other things. The things you only discover after you've already moved there. 10 of them. Right here. 🧵🇩🇪

@Gwynoro Remember that health scandal under him?

What I find intriguing about Burnham previous parliamentary career is - between 2005-10 (5 years) he held five ministerial posts - only two of them lasted just over a year. Why was that I wonder?

@TaraBull Who’s the daddy?

Adult star Bonnie Blue spotted taking shots with an enlarged belly 🧐