Christian Morris

@erfon Missing you too Erfon. Also loving LK. Let’s see you and him reunited!

Missing you all each Thursday but love that LK is back!

I've always liked a good 'Sanctus.' Here's one I prepared earlier.... youtu.be/vfmFPUxoXRw?si…

@erfon Just checked in here to see if everything was ok. So sorry to read this Erfon. We miss your dulcet tones on the CultCast, but family comes before everything. Take your time and most of all take care of yourself.

To my fellow Govs - some news: I've decided to take a break from The CultCast. About three weeks ago, suddenly, and without warning, my beloved brother passed away, throwing our family into despair. It's a reality I've found hard to comprehend. Some of you have been with us since episode 1! Hanging out with you is one of the highlights of my week. I love the laughs, the comradery, and talking with my friends about anything and everything. I'm going to miss it. The show is in great hands with Lewis, Griffin, Leander, and some special guests, and it will continue on eeeeevery Thursday night. At some point I'll re-emerge, and when I do, I'll be sharing that here. I might even make a cameo on my long-neglected YouTube channel: youtube.com/erfonelijah In the meantime... I want to thank you Govs for your support over all these years (13!).

What makes the music of Welsh composer William Mathias so compelling? I try to answer that question by exploring a school song he wrote (and I sang!) whilst attending Whitland Grammar School at the tender age of 11. youtu.be/eoFF4dvDU7E?si…

Another little piece performed by the brilliant choir of St. James's Church, Sussex Gardens, conducted by George de Voil. Just 3 short minutes, if you have time ;-) youtu.be/_YH3QwBlbOI?si…

First fruits of a choral recording session at St James's Church, Sussex Gardens—a short and sweet Tantum Ergo, one of a set of three. youtu.be/JuzNU0dTe2Q?si…

An absolutely fabulous afternoon recording some bits and pieces with the small but perfectly formed Choir of St James's Church, Sussex Gardens. Such a talented bunch of people. And a privilege to work with them!

@QuietRiotPod @sturdyAlex Thank you for this gem of a pod. It made be rethink my own reactions to the Biden story over the last weeks and months. The entire commentariat should give it a listen.

@IanDunt Such a joy. Thank God.

France oh my god. You absolute fucking beauties.

@carolvorders @votedannorris Truss, Truss and Truss

@electoralreform @stoptherot_uk That picture does not make me want PR

Our research team has spent the day crunching the results to make the most accurate possible model of how the 2024 parliament would have looked with a proportional voting system. electoral-reform.org.uk/how-the-2024-e…

@bctallis Would be great to see a discussion of this @RestIsPolitics, @RoryStewartUK, @CampbellClaret

10 Points on UK Elections. Including on: - democratic merits of Britain’s First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system - vote share vs seats - right/ left shift - delivery & safeguarding democracy 1. At first glance it looks crazy that Labour would achieve such a crushing victory with such a mid share of the total vote. BUT 2. Key to UK elections is ⭐️voter efficiency ⭐️(getting the most seats per vote) - Starmer’s Labour absolutely nailed it [while Corbyn’s totally failed to] 3. To do this you need to appeal broadly, across a lot of different constituencies (you have to get more votes than any other party in each of those locations- and all of them are trying to do that) 4. That requires a strong, non-toxic, flexible and transferable brand, a broadly appealing offer & good local candidates. 5. You cannot rely on heartlands alone to deliver you victory - you have to reach out and convince others of your Programme, credibility & competence - a real strength of FPTP. 6. The local connection (all MPs are directly, locally elected & accountable) is FPTP’s other great democratic strength. 7. FPTP also generally delivers majority governments which have a better chance of delivering on a strong clear Programme (not guaranteed of course) but looking at past listlessness [merkel era] & current infighting & coalition govt failure in eg Germany one can see the benefit. Given delivery is a key issue that drives satisfaction or discontent with democracy itself, this is important - & it’s something Starmer has prioritized. Now he has to deliver on delivery. 8. Some claim there has been a rightward shift. This is not credible given Tory+Reform are down 5.5% on last time in total & Lab-Lib-Green are up 6.4%. Actually the right shifted further right (to reform) but the Centre strengthened. [even if reform casts a nasty shadow] 9. Which brings us to another merit of FPTP. Extreme parties start, by definition, as having fringe appeal to small numbers of people in any given area. FPTP helps keeps it that way - whereas PR/ list systems link them up across different areas, helping them gain publicity and credibility and translating that into positions of power - as we can see happening in France, Germany & elsewhere 10. It is not undemocratic to say you don’t want anti-democratic & extremist parties to succeed via the ballot box (b/c they will destroy our democracies). FPTP may be better at ensuring this doesn’t happen - need for broad appeal outside heartlands (need to win the Centre), locally connected & accountable MPs, Majority governments have possibility to implement & deliver, doesn’t amplify extremes. So please bear this in mind before jumping on the total vote-share/ seat share disparity & condemning then UK system! - there are downsides too of course & many merits to PR/ lists … but let’s assess these properly in relation to FPTP. #UKElection2024 #UKElections2024

@TrollFootball Tío?

99% of football fans don't know Pepe’s full name

@IanDunt We did this last week and couldn’t agree more. Best televisual Christmas ever.

If you're into small achievable NY resolutions, I recommend cutting one or several of your streaming subscriptions & getting Mubi instead. It'll be a genuine improvement to your quality of life.

@Baerenreiter Oh God, that's awful.

The terrible news that Dr Lenka Hlávková, Director of Musicology at Charles University did not survive yesterday's Prague shooting

9 November 1928 | Dutch Jewish girl Jenny Trui Spier, was born in Amsterdam. She was deported to #Auschwitz from #Westerbork in November 1942. She was murdered in a gas chamber after arrival selection.

@carolinefrmus I feel air from another planet...

Happy birthday #Schoenberg! 4 songs from his Book of the Hanging Gardens were given a Paris premiere in 1920 alongside works by Les Six, including the Quartet by #Tailleferre

@erfon Just for you. :-)

Did my eyes just deceive me - are they upgrading iCloud+ storage!!?!?! #AppleEvent

@LeeAndersonMP_ Thanks Lee. That's great news.

I said "It looks like Labour are gearing up for a quick return into the EU. Be in no doubt, this is a clear statement of intent to re-join the EU at the earliest opportunity." What promoted this remark? Find out below 👇 #ICID=Android_ExpressNewApp_AppShare" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">express.co.uk/news/politics/…

@erfon That’s a relief. I was sitting in a padded cell with a bucket, ready to go cold turkey.

CultCast is LIVE discussing new leaked iPhone 15 features, Apple's "Watch X", and this week's best Apple news and stories! Come hang out or we'll track your IP and pay you a little visit.... youtube.com/live/3K1XKEZeh…