Adam Butterworth
@adambutterworth.bsky.social
Tweets about rocks, film and politics
Editor of the Alpine Journal. Digital and Comms for the Alpine Club, Mount Everest Foundation & others.
Opinions are my girlfriend's, but you wouldn't know her. She posts on a different app.
Editor of the Alpine Journal. Digital and Comms for the Alpine Club, Mount Everest Foundation & others.
Opinions are my girlfriend's, but you wouldn't know her. She posts on a different app.
Pinned
I'm not used to having this many non-bot followers.
Hello 👋
You can mostly expect to read posts from me about:
- Rocks and climbing on rocks
- Pictures of my dog
- Occasional thoughts on films
- Fun tidbits of mountaineering history
I predict you will mostly engage with:
- Pictures of my dog
Hello 👋
You can mostly expect to read posts from me about:
- Rocks and climbing on rocks
- Pictures of my dog
- Occasional thoughts on films
- Fun tidbits of mountaineering history
I predict you will mostly engage with:
- Pictures of my dog
My mother is currently undergoing a protracted stay in hospital, but, due to the wonder of the Internet, she has still succeeded in turning the house into what can only be described as a Christmas-obsessed prepper's wet dream.
The woman was wasted in social services. She could have run armies.
The woman was wasted in social services. She could have run armies.
November 29, 2025 at 1:42 PM
My mother is currently undergoing a protracted stay in hospital, but, due to the wonder of the Internet, she has still succeeded in turning the house into what can only be described as a Christmas-obsessed prepper's wet dream.
The woman was wasted in social services. She could have run armies.
The woman was wasted in social services. She could have run armies.
Mabel has had a tough week.
November 28, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Mabel has had a tough week.
"Sparksnotes ideologue" mid-thread is the modern equivalent of one of those devastating 19th century literary drive-bys that used to appear 100 pages into a thesis on economic theory.
And that becomes a problem if your party leader doesn't know his own mind (Miliband), is an empty vessel (Starmer), or is a sparksnotes ideologue (Badenoch)
You don't, imv, need to communicate your intellectual pathways, but you do need to have some rhyme, reason and mental road-test to what you do
You don't, imv, need to communicate your intellectual pathways, but you do need to have some rhyme, reason and mental road-test to what you do
November 28, 2025 at 7:08 PM
"Sparksnotes ideologue" mid-thread is the modern equivalent of one of those devastating 19th century literary drive-bys that used to appear 100 pages into a thesis on economic theory.
Wish I could like this twice.
Some of the only facts I retain from my past life as a (poor) medical student are that Urology consultants hate PSA and putting people through prostate biopsies unnecessarily would do a lot of harm.
Some of the only facts I retain from my past life as a (poor) medical student are that Urology consultants hate PSA and putting people through prostate biopsies unnecessarily would do a lot of harm.
once more I am begging everyone to do policy based on evidence, not on vibes from the loudest-shouting pressure groups. What the NHS is leaning towards - targeted screening for those most at risk - is the right way to do this. Blanket screening with an unreliable test causes harm.
🔺UPDATED: Start prostate cancer testing regardless of advice, Wes Streeting told
November 28, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Wish I could like this twice.
Some of the only facts I retain from my past life as a (poor) medical student are that Urology consultants hate PSA and putting people through prostate biopsies unnecessarily would do a lot of harm.
Some of the only facts I retain from my past life as a (poor) medical student are that Urology consultants hate PSA and putting people through prostate biopsies unnecessarily would do a lot of harm.
Perpetually amused by Linktree's AI title suggestor which always offers the formulation:
'Explore <Noun from page title>'
'Explore <Name of parent website>'
as its two options.
This is why people sneer at AI. Companies insist on adding it to products even when it is clearly less than useless.
'Explore <Noun from page title>'
'Explore <Name of parent website>'
as its two options.
This is why people sneer at AI. Companies insist on adding it to products even when it is clearly less than useless.
November 28, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Perpetually amused by Linktree's AI title suggestor which always offers the formulation:
'Explore <Noun from page title>'
'Explore <Name of parent website>'
as its two options.
This is why people sneer at AI. Companies insist on adding it to products even when it is clearly less than useless.
'Explore <Noun from page title>'
'Explore <Name of parent website>'
as its two options.
This is why people sneer at AI. Companies insist on adding it to products even when it is clearly less than useless.
As Pullan notes towards the end of this piece, this is only going to become more common in the years to come.
There are going to be a lot of families reliving losses and making surreal journeys to reclaim remains.
There are going to be a lot of families reliving losses and making surreal journeys to reclaim remains.
Climber Who Died in 1994 Found on Swiss Glacier - Gripped Magazine
Climbers on Ober Gabelhorn found the remains of the missing climber and alerted authorities
gripped.com
November 28, 2025 at 10:00 AM
As Pullan notes towards the end of this piece, this is only going to become more common in the years to come.
There are going to be a lot of families reliving losses and making surreal journeys to reclaim remains.
There are going to be a lot of families reliving losses and making surreal journeys to reclaim remains.
I hope that our few remaining friends give up on trying to save us,
I hope we come off with a fail safe plot to piss off the dumb few that forgave us,
I hope the fences we mended fall down beneath their own weight,
And I hope we hang on past the last exit,
I hope it's already too late.
I hope we come off with a fail safe plot to piss off the dumb few that forgave us,
I hope the fences we mended fall down beneath their own weight,
And I hope we hang on past the last exit,
I hope it's already too late.
November 23, 2025 at 8:44 PM
I hope that our few remaining friends give up on trying to save us,
I hope we come off with a fail safe plot to piss off the dumb few that forgave us,
I hope the fences we mended fall down beneath their own weight,
And I hope we hang on past the last exit,
I hope it's already too late.
I hope we come off with a fail safe plot to piss off the dumb few that forgave us,
I hope the fences we mended fall down beneath their own weight,
And I hope we hang on past the last exit,
I hope it's already too late.
My sixth form timetable had huge gaps in the middle of the day and climbing wall membership at the leisure centre over the road was £12 a month.
November 23, 2025 at 9:44 AM
My sixth form timetable had huge gaps in the middle of the day and climbing wall membership at the leisure centre over the road was £12 a month.
Always here for a bit of Castle posting and this is a very good bit of it.
This week is Road Safety Week & a chance to talk about Barbara Castle!
Barbara was Transport Minister for three years yet she was able to introduce the Breathalyzer, a proper integrated transport strategy & more!
This was done despite fierce opposition.
📸 Photo from the Parliamentary Achieve
Barbara was Transport Minister for three years yet she was able to introduce the Breathalyzer, a proper integrated transport strategy & more!
This was done despite fierce opposition.
📸 Photo from the Parliamentary Achieve
November 19, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Always here for a bit of Castle posting and this is a very good bit of it.
Just realised that I've now edited 10 issues of the AC newsletter.
(And the latest even has the peak on the logo fixed!)
(And the latest even has the peak on the logo fixed!)
November 18, 2025 at 2:50 PM
Just realised that I've now edited 10 issues of the AC newsletter.
(And the latest even has the peak on the logo fixed!)
(And the latest even has the peak on the logo fixed!)
Crimes of the Future (2022)
Dir. David Cronenberg
Dir. David Cronenberg
November 18, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Crimes of the Future (2022)
Dir. David Cronenberg
Dir. David Cronenberg
Yesterday began with a quick scramble in the Llanberis Pass.
While 'The Dragon's Back' looks spectacular as you drive down the pass, it's unfortunately a little grassy and inconsistent up close.
Still, never a bad morning when you can put a few hundred metres under your heels and enjoy this view.
While 'The Dragon's Back' looks spectacular as you drive down the pass, it's unfortunately a little grassy and inconsistent up close.
Still, never a bad morning when you can put a few hundred metres under your heels and enjoy this view.
November 17, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Yesterday began with a quick scramble in the Llanberis Pass.
While 'The Dragon's Back' looks spectacular as you drive down the pass, it's unfortunately a little grassy and inconsistent up close.
Still, never a bad morning when you can put a few hundred metres under your heels and enjoy this view.
While 'The Dragon's Back' looks spectacular as you drive down the pass, it's unfortunately a little grassy and inconsistent up close.
Still, never a bad morning when you can put a few hundred metres under your heels and enjoy this view.
Going to need the pope to drop his Letterbox account.
November 17, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Going to need the pope to drop his Letterbox account.
Reposted by Adam Butterworth
At some point we have to ask why British politics keeps producing leaders who struggle to do the job.
That's partly about the pressures of the role itself, but it's also about the "pipeline": how likely are our procedures to generate leaders with the skill-set to manage those pressures?
[THREAD] 🧵
That's partly about the pressures of the role itself, but it's also about the "pipeline": how likely are our procedures to generate leaders with the skill-set to manage those pressures?
[THREAD] 🧵
November 15, 2025 at 2:15 PM
At some point we have to ask why British politics keeps producing leaders who struggle to do the job.
That's partly about the pressures of the role itself, but it's also about the "pipeline": how likely are our procedures to generate leaders with the skill-set to manage those pressures?
[THREAD] 🧵
That's partly about the pressures of the role itself, but it's also about the "pipeline": how likely are our procedures to generate leaders with the skill-set to manage those pressures?
[THREAD] 🧵
The Gorillaz song Feel Good Inc from 2004 is currently back in the charts...
November 15, 2025 at 1:56 AM
The Gorillaz song Feel Good Inc from 2004 is currently back in the charts...
Apropos of nothing in particular, would once again like to make my pitch for the 'Reality' pressure group whose contribution to every discussion is simply to point out things like: our ageing population, the cost of a functioning public realm & to ask how every proposal helps address these issues.
November 14, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Apropos of nothing in particular, would once again like to make my pitch for the 'Reality' pressure group whose contribution to every discussion is simply to point out things like: our ageing population, the cost of a functioning public realm & to ask how every proposal helps address these issues.
"As for the four other peaks, only two of them remain ice-capped. Liberty Cap, a sub-peak of Mt Rainier, and Colfax Peak, a sub-peak on Mt Baker, have a few remaining meters of ice."
Mount Rainier Has Shrunk, and Its Summit Location Has Changed » Explorersweb
A new study shows that all five ice-capped peaks in the Lower 48 have shrunk, including Mt. Rainier, which has lost 10 feet in height since the 1950s.
explorersweb.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:24 PM
"As for the four other peaks, only two of them remain ice-capped. Liberty Cap, a sub-peak of Mt Rainier, and Colfax Peak, a sub-peak on Mt Baker, have a few remaining meters of ice."
Enjoyed discovering that the quote isn't something someone said about the film, it's the film's actual logline.
‘A Ukrainian witch kicks the crap out of Russian soldiers’: the new wave of horror films taking on Putin’s army
‘A Ukrainian witch kicks the crap out of Russian soldiers’: the new wave of horror films taking on Putin’s army
Homegrown, female-driven scary movies in which witches and zombies lay waste to invading troops are proving popular in Ukraine. But why seek out horror on screen if you have so much of it in real life?
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Enjoyed discovering that the quote isn't something someone said about the film, it's the film's actual logline.
Look, I don't want to lean into stereotypes here, but I would be frankly amazed if the historical fiction that Reform voters are into isn't almost universally Sharpe and Flashman novels.
📕 With the Booker Prize winner set to be announced tonight, how does voting intention vary by favourite book genre. Reform’s highest score is with fans of horror, while Labour enjoys a landslide lead among fans of self-help books. *Read* into that what you will.
November 11, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Look, I don't want to lean into stereotypes here, but I would be frankly amazed if the historical fiction that Reform voters are into isn't almost universally Sharpe and Flashman novels.
I know the whole Lib Dem schtick right now is attacking Trump because it pleases wet, lib losers like me, but you can do it without pretending Davie was a good DG.
I had my disagreements with the BBC under Tim Davie but he was a decent man doing a difficult job.
To see Trump's White House claiming credit for his downfall and attacking the BBC should worry us all.
To see Trump's White House claiming credit for his downfall and attacking the BBC should worry us all.
November 9, 2025 at 9:09 PM
I know the whole Lib Dem schtick right now is attacking Trump because it pleases wet, lib losers like me, but you can do it without pretending Davie was a good DG.
Does Dog TV help with the firework fear?
Mabel says: "What fireworks?"
Mabel says: "What fireworks?"
November 7, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Does Dog TV help with the firework fear?
Mabel says: "What fireworks?"
Mabel says: "What fireworks?"
Back at my folks' place this week and I'd forgotten that the local church rings the bells to mark Nov 5th, which you have to say, several hundred years on, feels a little OTT.
November 5, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Back at my folks' place this week and I'd forgotten that the local church rings the bells to mark Nov 5th, which you have to say, several hundred years on, feels a little OTT.
This sounds like an I Think You Should Leave sketch where Robinson is recounting the incident as if he's having a Vietnam flashback.
Border Patrol agent Lairmore testifies that he was not injured by the sandwich, but he felt the impact through his ballistic vest.
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
November 4, 2025 at 9:38 PM
This sounds like an I Think You Should Leave sketch where Robinson is recounting the incident as if he's having a Vietnam flashback.
Would once again like to point out that the best way to stigmatise SUVs is to characterise them as unBritish because they are, ultimately, a vulgar American import.
There should be a tax on ridiculously bloated road boats registered in urban areas, because (a) they cause obvious problems in such areas (b) they are bad for the environment (c) they are dangerous for children (d) they are awful, and driving them should be expensive and socially stigmatised.
Cars the U.K are up to 55% larger today than they were in the 1970s and there are twice the number of motors on our roads as there were 30 years ago, but anti-Low Traffic Neighbourhood and anti-cycle lane campaigners keep claiming they 'cause congestion'.
Okay.
Okay.
November 4, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Would once again like to point out that the best way to stigmatise SUVs is to characterise them as unBritish because they are, ultimately, a vulgar American import.
Why yes phone, I would like to download this gif again. And I'll have a little less of the attitude, thank you!
November 3, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Why yes phone, I would like to download this gif again. And I'll have a little less of the attitude, thank you!