DavidMapstone

@post_liberal Similarly, “Flower of Scotland” written in the 60s

Mad to think that ‘The Fields of Athenry’ was only written in 1979. If someone had told me that it was written a 150 years ago then I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid.

@CDP1882 The first submarine to sink a ship by torpedo since the Second World War (1941-1945)

Pete Hegseth confirms that a US Navy submarine torpedoed and destroyed an Iranian frigate in the Indian Ocean last night. He claims it is the first time that a submarine has sunk a warship since WW2 but HMS Conqueror sunk the Belgrano in the 1982 Falklands War.

I’m dealing with a family emergency, so I won’t be doing broadcast interviews on the John Davidson Tourette’s tic at the BAFTAs story. Hearing the N word shouted at two of the most successful black actors in the world, on stage at the BAFTAs and broadcast on the BBC, was horrible. It made people uncomfortable. It should have. But it was an involuntary tic from someone who lives with Tourette’s syndrome. It was not chosen. It was not intentional. It was not an expression of belief. What’s astonishing is watching people who constantly lecture the public about inclusion suddenly abandon it the moment it becomes complicated. The same voices that demand respect for lived experience are now acting as if a neurodivergent man consciously decided to shout a slur for sport. Tourette’s is a neurological condition. It is not a political statement. It is not a moral failing. You cannot preach DEI and then punish someone for symptoms of their neurodivergence. Even the Royal Household has previously understood Davidson’s condition. Not even the late Queen was immune to his tics he said “F*ck the Queen” TO HER FACE. If that reality can be accepted there, it should not be beyond the rest of us. Two things can be true at once. The word is abhorrent. The tic was involuntary. If your commitment to inclusion collapses when it involves neurodivergence, then it was never inclusion in the first place.

Both Danny Blanchflower and Jack Kyle were born in Belfast 100 years ago today. That's pretty extraordinary.

@KillianM2 the thing is, this actually was a quiet day in the province.

Details of a quiet day in the province before you go to bed.

It wasn't just Starmer, the chatterati, the poderati, the lobby, Whitehall and all its Sir Humphreys....they all were saying a year ago, maybe to deal with 4 years of Trump we've all got to get a bit more Trumpy. Mandelson's appt was part of that panicky zeitgeist. 1/

If you watch one thing today, make it this

Trump says UK and other NATO troops stayed “mainly in the back” in Afghanistan. May I please introduce you to Lance Corporal Joshua Leaky VC - who ran into enemy fire to rescue injured US marines.

@CptHastings1916 100% agree (& also don’t forget the RAF). The British Empire forces in Europe in 1918 were maybe the most innovative & imaginative ever seen. I say “Empire” cos Currie’s Canadians & Monash’s Australians were among the best bits. Amazing what a disservice the WW1 stereotype gives.

The book is a good reminder that the defeat of Imperial Germany in the field in 1918 was probably the greatest ever achievement by the British Army. And obviously we weren't alone, and the RN blockade of Germany was crucial etc etc, but still.

Current reading. Given political & financial limitations on post-war Britain, & our traditional strategic priorities of imperial defence & freedom of the seas, hard to see how we could have retained an army remotely akin to that of 1918, but fascinating to see it all laid out.

Britain's providing the world with a pretty good picture of what deindustrialisation looks like, says @EdConwaySky And the pace is picking up. His short film on the chemicals industry is a must see. Link in reply -

As a child in that era I listened to late night crackly radio commentaries of European football ties. Football then seems a hard old world but John Robertson had a talent that transcended his time. How thrilled I was to watch him at Windsor park in 1981. This is a moving tribute.

@jo_bartosch It’s legal to earn a living as a “dominatrix”. That being so, shouldn’t her business have the same protections (eg on creative property) as others? Her business may not improve the sum total of happiness. But you could say the same about other kinds of businesses.

This woman has not only been referred to as an expert in parliament & praised by Jess Phillips, she's also been given uncritical coverage by everyone from Glamour mag to the Financial Times to the BBC about the same story. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

Morning Sport on @SkyNews done ✔️ Honestly don’t know why I bother posting on here to get quite so much abuse from strangers but then I think ‘ I’m still alive and well so I am going to post - sexist, ageist, haters you do you’ . That’s it.

Could we be invaded by aliens today? Probably not, but Harvard professor Avi Loeb has sparked a fascinating debate about scientific assumptions by raising the possibility. Link to good interview by @SkyNewsThomas in reply

There’s a real danger of complacency & blind-eye turning, but nevertheless this coincides exactly with my experience. (I believe the current expression is “lived experience”).

A review of an "An evening with Nish Kumar and The Guardian" for @TheCriticMag thecritic.co.uk/an-evening-wit…

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Survivors speak about the signs of grooming news.sky.com/video/share-13…