Sylvia de Mars

🧵 I recently used a Bluesky list to block transphobes and was surprised to see a few people who I'd never seen take any position on trans rights disappear from my feed. I've gone back and unblocked but muted because a) I don't want to see transphobes, but b) I do want people to be able to learn. 1/

Great, new tariffs, worth the same as the other new tariffs, different legal basis. More of the same to follow. This is turning into PTSD of my PhD where nothing of substance was changing but the entry into force of Lisbon meant I had 250 pages of article renumbering to deal with. 🫠

Though if we were going to send some far away from the legislature so they can do as little harm as humanly possible, these three would be low on my list of candidates, tbh.

What kind of meal? Not to be ultra middle class here but that covers three days of meal delivery boxes for four people, let alone home cooking!!! These people have no idea what actual poverty is. (I don't either, but at least I know to shut the hell up about my privilege and not demand more.)

The whole point of increased defence spending is to build European capacity given our inability to rely on America for defence. I can't think of a worse appointment in that light.

It's a great topic on which I have many thoughts, most of which centre on Michael Gove basically cursing the UK to become obligated to rate vox populi over expertise. Also: someone should do one for universities themselves, ironically.

Yo - I know over in the academy we're all employed, but if you do any consulting or get any royalties on the side, fill this in, because you are very likely to have highly variable SE income and what they are proposing will be a nightmare to manage in your case. Promise.

Way to show off that you understand nothing of human history, mate.

Haha fuck everything

It does make sense: OpenAI was losing ground and mindshare to Anthropic. They are running out of money but couldn't IPO because SpaceX ruined it. This "our model is a Cyberweapon" is advertising directly to the Pentagon.

Idle thought this morning: Does Nandy actually *like* DCMS? ... How does that work?!

Rather despondent this morning. Each and every of Shabana Mahmood’s planned reforms will cause immense harm for no benefit, be hugely costly to implement, and cause extensive upheaval and complexity. The excellent recent letter by various Labour MPs explained this very well.

Keeping Mahmood in post is the more electorally meaningful decision, but letting Phillipson keep Equalities is the maddest one. You have already decided to make an enemy of her by taking away her main job, but then you decide to piss off everybody on the socially liberal side of Labour? Why?

Back into the Cabinet after two years in a silent monastery in Tibet.

Worrth remembering that Andy Burnham has a long record of being anti-immigration. He's kept Shabana Mahmood in place because he agrees with her

well he shouldn't be

BTW there's something absolutely deranged about reading Lobby commentary about these appointments when we all watched them have not a fucking clue of what was coming less than two hours ago. It's cute that they're just continuing like it didn't happen and their 'insights' are real!

It would frankly be v funny if Nandy was kept at DCMS, which is where I'm at emotionally now that I'm not at "maybe this will be 3% better".

From Liz Kendall's cabinet departure letter, posted on… you guessed it… X

Look, between Mahmood and Nandy somehow (????) probably getting a promotion, whatever faint hope I had for this change of government has been buried by partisanship and weak compromises already. Sure, chancellor better than expected (in that not Mahmood and someone with the background) but so what?

Fuck.

Really hoping Healey will start a war with Mahmood because he needs more money and UK immigration policy as it stands is the #1 thing that is precluding more of it from flowing in that the UK government actually has control over. I mean, not holding my breath, but Reeves definitely wasn't gonna.

Andy Burnham opts to keep Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary. A big mistake

Getting a cabinet job: it doesn't matter how good you are at it, unless you're mates with the new PM you just stand no chance of keeping your job. Meanwhile, over in Mateville, it's only a third rate concern if they've actually got anything to offer for those departments, they've got HIS BACK!!!

Hahahaha hAHAHAA look okay she also shouldn't stay in the Home Office, but at least she doesn't get to fuck the country even HARDER than she already does there, and lol @ the lobby, good god, what a shower. Fair play to Burnham, he gets a minor point for me here.

Everyone at The Anfield Wrap are deeply saddened to hear of the news that Liverpool Legend Kevin Keegan has passed away at the age of 75. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time. You'll Never Walk Alone.

I mean I'm sorry to say we need this kind of information now or we can't be licensed lesbians anymore (source: FWS [2025] UKSC)

I love how this is written like there's something nefarious about responding to observable trends in polling. You'd hope that he'd either prioritise what's best for the country or what will win, yeah? (They're the same thing here for Labour tbf - more super hot takes here at midnight!)

Lads I'm not following the speech because who cares what he says, they'll all by and large say things that people want to hear - it's what he does innit.

this is such a good and astute way to put it; so much gender critical feminism seems to stem from the belief that being a woman is a uniquely awful thing, and I mean no one's arguing that living in a patriarchal society as a woman is always a riot but what a depressing and pessismistic view of life!

Genuinely don't get why Ed has to move if it's not to something he's also clearly qualified for. It feels like compensation for being snubbed for Chancellor but leaves two departments with unknown quantities heading them, no? Pointless horse trading?