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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 23h

Great-uncles there are many more. I have a probable g-g-uncle (not quite clear if he's a brother or a cousin) who was on the Nile Expedition to relieve Khartoum (came back an alcoholic wreck, died of in a mental asylum, possibly of syphilis).

My mum's mum's family basically had a v. rough time

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 23h

"Ellis was mentioned in despatches four times"

I think you can take that as properly counting

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 23h

He was actually too old to be eligible, but had given a fake age.

But he gave a fake age a lot, so not sure if that was noble heroism, or an attempt to pretend he was born after his parents marriage (or he just didn't know his age - he was a workhouse orphan).

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 23h

Crikey, *both*. Almost all of mine were just the wrong age - grandparents too old for WW2, too young for WW1. G-grandparents too old for WW1.

My g-grandfather did sign up for WW1, but was discharged for being too unfit.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 23h

Yup. Internet memes, font of all bullshit

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 23h

I think you have to go back to the crimean war to find any of my direct ancestors doing any military service (all too young, or too old, or miners, or too unfit)

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 23h

So technically probably true within those narrow definitions, but far less damn8ng than it sounds

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 23h

His older brother saw military service too. I suspect the claim is based on direct ancestors *called trump*, and trump's own descendents (basically, trump's grandfather emigrated to avoid it, his dad avoided it, his kids have not served in the military, his grandkids are too young)

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 3d

That was the most bonkers bit. They've weighted it to be like that, from a sample with a older distribution. I'm sure there must be some logic there, but it should have raised some serious questions about definitions.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 3d

That definition of "the establishment" is basically "the public sector minus transport & local govt workers, plus lawyers".

Which is, well, a definition I'd be somewhat wary of. A nurse is establishment, a CEO isn't. A DVLA clerk is, a newspaper editor isn't. Nah.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 4d

Technically there is a disclosure committee than can hear complaints and direct a company to put up tables. But in 20 years I think it's had to actually meet twice.

As Pip says, its a voluntary association, so we all choose to follow the rules.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 4d

They do privately shame us too.

The enforcement mechanism is normally the BPC's secretary dropping the pollster a line and saying "could you put those tables up?", the pollster saying "Oops! Sorry!" and then doing it.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 4d

Those were very much done in the glorious pre-GDPR era.

(IIRC the actual reason for it was Phil Cowley & Rob Ford had decided "Sex, lies & the ballot box" was a great title for a book, and needed at least one chapter to justify the sex bit...)

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 10d

4 - 1,2,5,10

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 11d

I'd say post the photos, but, well, it doesn't need saying! :)

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 11d

Have you ever been up to see the old Victorian sewage pumping station in Erith. It looks absolutely magnificent -

The interior of the Crossness Pumping Station in Erith marshes, designed by Charles Driver in the 19th Century and full of extremely elaborate decorative ironwork. It looks like some sort of carnival palace, rather than a sewage pumping station.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 12d

Jeez. I didn't do yesterday's and just went back to try it and it foxed me completely by having what appears to be a bloody baseball ground in the second zoom.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 12d

I did it in two today. I think it must be the first time EVER I've managed to get it in fewer guesses than you!

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 12d

Don't take the risk. I turn the radio off at the appearance of any of the Van Tullekens. There appear to be absolutely hundreds of them.

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Reposted by Anthony Wells

BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 14d

This is my regular reminder to everyone that jstor is open to the general public now; a free account there will give you access to 100 papers a year.

Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 15d

regrettably if you try to point this out online you'll get yelled out by 79208 journalists going OH SO YOU WANT JOURNALISTS TO STARVE??? even if you're, say, a journalist yourself, and point out that while there are clearly no easy answers, the status quo isn't exactly working for society

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Reposted by Anthony Wells

Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 15d

Absolute must-read from @profjanegreen.bsky.social and @martamiori.bsky.social. It's hard to imagine how Labour could be getting it more wrong - not least by talking up the replacement of the Conservatives by Reform, which will only accelerate the cannibalisation of the former's vote by the latter!

Article - Nuffield Politics Research Centre

politicscentre.nuffield.ox.ac.uk

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 15d

9th paragraph (and, since it's a Reach website, scrolling past several hundred miles of adverts, spam & clickbait) before you get to the actual shares of respondents.

Reposted by Anthony Wells

Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 15d

The actual findings of this poll aren't as overwhelming as the headline and opening paragraphs make out. The 67% who supposedly support criminalising buying sex is reached by excluding the 36% of respondents who neither support nor oppose the policy. Only 43% actually support it.

Public backs plan to criminalise people who buy sex from prostitutes

EXCLUSIVE: Polling shows MSP Ash Regan has voters on her side as she tries to criminalise sex buying.

www.dailyrecord.co.uk

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 18d

You have to commission it first Tim. Though I think there is a strong case to be made to the ERSC that there's a gaping hole in our knowledge here.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 19d

Was wondering how long it would take you to spot that Will!

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