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ditchster.bsky.social
@ditchster.bsky.social
Retired teacher, social historian & novice gilder. A participant in Brighton & Hove #revivedesignbrighton. Artist Open Houses #raspberrysurpriseoh
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Everything the British people needed to know about Boris Johnson, prior to voting for him. Great interview by Eddie Mair.
Eddie Mair tells Boris Johnson: "You're a Nasty Piece of Work" - The Andrew Marr Show, BBC 1
YouTube video by welshgit
youtu.be
November 23, 2025 at 12:33 PM
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This man is basically just a posh lout. His school reports indicated this; his membership of the Bullingdon Club indicated this; his previous political record indicated this; his mass media appearances indicated this. How on earth did he ever get to be PM?
Boris Johnson took four days off as NHS warned Covid could ‘overwhelm’ system
Files show then PM was walking dog, riding motorbike and hosting guests as pandemic planning stalled in ‘lost month’
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 12:31 PM
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This is clearly an intricate international conspiracy. The big question now is whether the democratic free west has sufficient cohesion left to deal with it. bylinetimes.com/2025/11/19/d...
Dinner with Mr Brexit: Bannon’s European Revolution – Planned with Farage, Backed by Epstein
Nigel Farage was the figurehead and his partner Laure Ferrari started it. Steve Bannon and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were providing almost daily support
bylinetimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:52 PM
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Oh yes... of course, another group of people who are just yearning for extra responsibilities on their plate.
No indication here of when those key staff get that time back. Or maybe they're being paid a massive rate, from the £1 per pupil?
Just another job on the to-do list of overworked staff.
November 20, 2025 at 7:53 PM
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Don’t forget the times when there would also be a governors meeting after that?!

For HTs of smaller schools, it is impossible.
November 21, 2025 at 6:51 AM
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These are all very legitimate concerns. SLT running breakfast clubs, SEN staff from every class… these things are not achievable and certainly not sustainable. As I HT I would often have to cover and could be with chn from 7:15 to 6pm. This could be the straw that breaks the camel.
This has been my worry all along with the breakfast club nonsense. You can talk about funding all you like, the long and the short of it is that school leaders end up with another job on the list, another extension to their working day, and the job becomes ever harder...
And this is from DfE advice!
November 20, 2025 at 8:40 PM
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A whole nation betrayed for a second time by its feckless ‘oven ready Brexit’ government. And still, no individuals have ever taken sufficient responsibility for any of this. #CovidInquiry #FBPE @bylinetimes.bsky.social @yorkshirebylines.co.uk @bylinesnetwork.co.uk
The Show Must Not Go On: Downing Street Parties and a Tragic Anniversary
By sharing the story of her brother on social media, Dr Pam Jarvis discovered how many others were suffering while Number 10 partied on #18thDecember last year. She has a plan to make sure that this i...
bylinetimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:20 PM
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Okay, I can't let this one go. I live in Ireland, not the UK, but the use of this image by a supposedly socialist party is so stupid and offensive, I'm going to get stuck in.

Let me explain to you why any experienced illustrator/designer could have stopped you making so many miserable mistakes. 1/
November 15, 2025 at 12:26 PM
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Listening to posh public school boys droning on about BBC left wing institutional bias just reminds me how captured the media is generally by white, male, upper class Tories. They're ubiquitous.
November 15, 2025 at 12:44 PM
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We saw this on the news last night and were baffled. I thought it was a wind up at first. How on earth did they tip this much waste without anyone noticing??
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Kidlington fly-tipping: Criminals dump mountain of waste in field
The enormous pile of rubbish is called an
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 9:16 AM
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All the flavour, none of the fuss: Slow-Cooker (Crockpot) Moroccan Chicken Stew is #RecipeOfTheDay. (And there are instructions for making it in a regular oven in the Additional Notes section below the recipe.) www.nigella.com/recipes/slow...
Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken Stew
This is a lightly fragranced golden stew that gains more succulence from having the bones of the chicken thighs in as well. The skin gives flavour, too, and both skin and bones are removed on serving ...
www.nigella.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:04 AM
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Without asylum:

Marks and Spencer wouldn't exist

Queen would have been without a front man

The other queen wouldn't have had a husband

Judith Kerr would never have written The Tiger Who Came to Tea

And thousands of less famous people wouldn't have been teachers, politicians, neighbours, etc
November 15, 2025 at 10:04 AM
@theguardian.com - Interesting article in your paper today. Should you always be grateful? Raises some really interesting points /thoughts regarding control & power. Do you have a link to it ?
November 15, 2025 at 11:25 AM
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Tomorrow 21.00 Acclaimed choreographer and director Sir Matthew Bourne discusses his groundbreaking reinterpretation of Tchaikovsky's classic ballet Swan Lake.
BBC Four - Remembers..., Matthew Bourne Remembers... Swan Lake
Sir Matthew Bourne discusses his bold reinterpretation of Tchaikovsky's classic ballet.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 8, 2025 at 7:29 PM
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We need Mr Gove in a Court of Law facing corruption, gross negligence and conspiracy-to-defraud charges, at the least. (I'd add a drugs test too).
🔴We Need to Talk About Michael Gove and Crony Covid Contracts

Gove claims he had no “active role” in the procurement of Covid PPE during the pandemic, yet evidence suggests he was involved in multiple VIP deals worth over £1billion, reports Russell Scott

www.bylinesupplement.com/p/we-need-to...
We Need to Talk About Michael Gove and Crony Covid Contracts
Gove claims he had no “active role” in the procurement of Covid PPE during the pandemic, yet evidence suggests he was involved in multiple VIP deals worth over £1billion, reports Russell Scott
www.bylinesupplement.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:21 PM
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May I suggest (yet again) to HM Government that what is wrong with utilities, education, health &care services in England is that they’ve been handed over to private companies who run them on the basis of maximum cash to the directors and the most basic service possible they can offer to the users?
November 6, 2025 at 12:18 AM
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The ECHR is 75 today. Like many elderly people, it is in danger of being taken for granted, and not being listened to anymore. So, happy birthday ECHR, please step forward into the spotlight and explain your history to us younger people here.
European Convention on Human Rights - ECHR Official Texts - ECHR - ECHR / CEDH
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, better known as the European Convention on Human Rights, was opened for signature in Rome on 4 November 1950 and came into f...
www.echr.coe.int
November 4, 2025 at 11:55 AM
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So from this account, it seems once the government stopped paying senior royals a ‘wage’ those not satisfied with what ‘mummy’ allocated to them began using their status to seek cash for the provision of connections. And that some were to dim to spot when they were being compromised. 🫣
How does he pay for it all? The mystery of Prince Andrew’s money
The disgraced royal has lived in luxury for decades despite being an outcast and having no obvious means of financial support
www.theguardian.com
October 25, 2025 at 11:16 AM
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Right, so what are we going to do about this, with respect to the people who lied and lied to accomplish #Brexit, and benefitted financially from it? And didn’t even attempt to backtrack/ tell the nation the truth in the window when that was possible? #FBPE
Impact of Brexit on UK economy even worse than critics predicted, says chancellor – UK politics live
Rachel Reeves also highlights austerity and lack of capital spending as key harms to UK economy
www.theguardian.com
October 21, 2025 at 12:17 PM
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Since it is Diwali, #RecipeOfTheDay is this fabulously easy Chocolate Pistachio Fudge. Wishing everyone sweetness and light! www.nigella.com/recipes/choc...
Chocolate Pistachio Fudge
I am willing to believe that a confectioner wouldn't call this proper fudge, but it tastes divine, and you won't need a sugar thermometer or have to test for frightening soft or hard ball stages. I li...
www.nigella.com
October 20, 2025 at 10:49 AM
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While it's true that the more people can remember, the more they know and can think about, joy and a diverse set of experiences are also important for children. Not everything that matters can be measured. 😘 #EduSky
October 19, 2025 at 8:22 PM
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In the BBC headlines today. After the first episode of ‘Traitors’ was apparently important enough to delay the 10pm BBC 1 news for 15 minutes to accommodate it. To watch showbiz lovvies on a murder mystery weekend. I can show them real traitors still walking amongst us, if they pay attention.
Celebrity Traitors: Episode two was as killer as Tom Daley's side eye
Alan Carr continues to worry the nation in the second instalment of this instant-hit celebrity spin-off.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 10, 2025 at 9:59 AM
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I'm glad he's actually concerned about something I'm concerned about.
The other aspect saw Sir Martyn Oliver state it was “staggering” that 84 per cent of children’s homes are now operated by private providers, with Ofsted concerned about “profiteering”.
October 14, 2025 at 4:16 PM
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CO2 emissions rose by a record amount in 2024. Terrible news. Warming is already affecting birdlife on the planet negatively & the damage is accelerating.

To slow it we can stop flying, drive less, eat plant-based & consume less.
Spread the word, be an example, keep talking & vote Green
#ukbirding
October 15, 2025 at 11:49 AM