me

@dcsandbrook Children of men, pd James. Thank you

It's going to be ENORMOUS FUN and we welcome thoughts on future choices - that's the point of a book club! We can't wait to see what people make of the first episode, next Tuesday 17th. In fact, you can see from this casual behind-the-scenes picture how excited we are.

Today I'm thrilled to be announcing a new show - THE BOOK CLUB (@bookclubpodhq). Every week we'll explore some of the world's greatest stories, starting with WUTHERING HEIGHTS on Tuesday 17 February.

@dcsandbrook More french intellectual dress code very welcome. Roll necks at the very least

@wrathofgnon Very interesting thank you. How is bamboo sunscreen made?

Every single part of the bamboo is useful. When harvesting bamboo you cut off the twigs, which are left in the field. In winter you return to collect the twigs and shake off the dried leaves (fertilizer). The twigs can be used to make sunscreens, brooms, eaves for your home, etc.

@Kev_L_Smith @cormac_mcginley @TG4TV @ScreenIreland @CNaM_ie @TourismIreland @Paddyhayze It looks great. Do you know how I can watch from England?

Here’s a few winter shots from our documentary ‘Aillte’, now playing on @TG4TV player. nasc.tg4.tv/Aillte Series focus on some of the highest sea Cliffs in Ireland Supported by @ScreenIreland @CNaM_ie @TourismIreland

@alys_key @BritishProgress I love William Morris. But not sure his economics fits with this progress vibe?

Testing a slightly different image format for the @BritishProgress newsletter

@Louise_m_perry 💯 please can someone remake a better film of the book!

“As Bear’s pawrent (a Dogs Trust survey found two thirds of 25 to 34-year-olds see themselves “as their dog’s parent”) I buy him pupcakes, puppuccinos and a wardrobe of clothes: he has a Barbie-pink raincoat, a selection of jumpers and, in most rooms of my house, his own chaise longue.” In ‘The Childen of Men’, PD James predicted that this fucked up behaviour would be directed at cats. thetimes.com/article/c3cda1…

@cormac_mcginley @kevlsmith Any chance of English viewers seeing it somehow ?!

Sliabh Liag cliffs under a winter sky. "Aillte" Very proud to announce that a wee project my good friend Kevin Smith @kevlsmith and myself have been messing around with for over 4 years has finally got a show date on TG4. Keep an eye out on January 14th and January 21st for both episodes.

@GarettJones Are there data gaps (black?) or zero £ results?

Assimilation myth: "Progress in wealth accumulation among most UK‑born ethnic minority groups has been minimal..." Source: The Ethnic Wealth Divide in the UK: Mapping Disparities Across Time, Age and Immigrant Generations Eleni Karagiannaki, London School of Economics

@wrathofgnon That walled garden is spectacular

In 1932 Scott and Helen Nearing left New York and built their home from local stone, in Vermont and later Maine, by hand, without any experience or machinery and little to no money. They used the slipform stone masonry technique, usually considered the easiest and most beginner friendly stone building method. They built many structures the same way, all still standing.

@MarcherReborn @TheSecretAcct @Chris_arnade

@GarettJones What's the best evidence for making some amount of immigration humanitarian Vs purely meritocratic?

On immigration reform: Less talk about positive versus negative. More talk about more positive versus more negative. More talk about more abundance. As The Economist said, if you're only letting in so many people, you should just start with the best, work your way down.

Now, the American version: "The most fiscally burdensome immigrants are Salvadorans, who increase the national debt by over $50,000 over 30 years, followed by the largest immigrant group, Mexicans, who, on average, increase the national debt by $10,000 each over 30 years." -- @DanielDiMartino

@harrytlambert Where can we watch the full thing?

Glasman: Labour will leave the ECHR in the end as judges - "a bunch of arrogant, unaccountable, useless people who protect Albanian drug dealers from getting deported" - won't take the hint from Mahmood

@Chris_arnade Can our NHS fix you?

I apparently wasn't physically prepared for slippery leaves. Twisted my ankle on a leaf covered mud hole -- well. That's the end of this walk.

Today’s walk — was not mentally prepared for snow though

@Chris_arnade A particular secrecy hotspot is Surrey. The database reveals that properties worth tens of millions of pounds in Guildford, Runnymede, Woking, Elmbridge, Virginia Water and the Mole Valley are now owned by a bewildering variety of trusts in Jersey, the British Virgin Islands...

@Chris_arnade It's a great place to commute into London or fly out of Heathrow/Gatwick on your business trips. Or wash cash

14 miles done. Celebrate with some local cuisine

@wrathofgnon In the bottom left image what are the sloped grass like coverings lower down on the buildings?

Until you let us build climate appropriate human scaled streets and neighborhoods and towns like this I don't want to hear another word about climate change or carbon emissions. Places where you do not need to be hooked up, where you and your family has roots, or can be rooted.

@C20Society @charlescwcooke @Hillingdon What % of local residents completed the survey?

@charlescwcooke @Hillingdon 68% of local residents disagree.

📞 Good news in the neighbourhood: The brutalist Hayes North Telephone Exchange has been added to the London Borough of @Hillingdon's local list, recognising it as a building of architectural and historical significance. Designed 1964-68 and constructed in 1970-72, the exchange is an exemplar of public building works by the Property Services Agency (PSA: successor to the Ministry of Public Building and Works) and Gray Associates. It’s notable for the involvement of George Reginald Yeats, senior PSA architect, who is best known as the senior architect for the BT Tower (1961-65). The complex massing and unashamed sculptural pre-cast concrete also echoes the works of Kenzo Tange, Kisho Kurokawa and the Japanese Metabolism movement. Following a six-week public consultation by the council earlier in the year, an overwhelming 68% of respondents supported the inclusion. The council’s Cabinet requested further investigation into the buildings redevelopment potential if it was added to the list and after completing a review, it was formally approved last month. C20 Society enthusiastically supported the local listing and believes the building would be well suited to future conversion and adaptive reuse.

@Chris_arnade 100%. I think good curry "pop-up" in an old school pub maybe best of both worlds

lol. Sorry. Old school high street Indian with real table settings crushes pub food.

@Chris_arnade What's instead of the hash brown?

Now, for some trad Kunming breakfast!