James A
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exeterdormouse.bsky.social
James A
@exeterdormouse.bsky.social
820 followers 630 following 1.2K posts
Drinks tea. Writes a bit. Prone to accidental hibernation. Nests with @literatelady.bsky.social & a cat.
#TheArchers
🇪🇺
#XR
@[email protected]
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exeterdormouse.bsky.social
Very useful summary of yesterday's Parliamentary Debate on ME/CFS, courtesy of Polly West
Parliamentary Debate on ME/CFS – 19 November 2025 Many of you may already know about the parliamentary debate on ME/CFS that took place on 19th November 2025. For those who couldn't watch the full discussion, here’s a summary of the key points raised. I hope this helps anyone who finds long videos or transcripts difficult to manage. 1. What is ME/CFS? ME/CFS is a serious, long-term illness affecting many body systems. It is not just tiredness. Severe cases mean people cannot move, speak, eat, or tolerate light and sound. There is no cure and very few effective treatments. 2. Scale of the Problem Around 1.35 million people in the UK may have ME or ME-like symptoms (including long COVID cases). Women are five times more likely than men to develop ME. About 25% of patients are severely affected (bedbound or housebound). Economic cost is estimated at £7-20 billion per year. 3. Current Issues NHS care for severe ME is described as "non-existent". Patients often face disbelief and stigma. Many families provide care with little or no support. Waiting times for NHS referrals can be 9 months or more. Some patients die from malnutrition because hospitals do not know how to treat severe ME. 4. Government Delivery Plan (July 2025) Promises better attitudes, research, and services. Includes small research grants (£200k each), new service specification for mild/moderate ME, and e-learning for healthcare professionals. Criticism: No major new funding, no clear deadlines, no accountability. 5. What MPs Called For Funding: UK spends about £10m over 12 years on ME research (~60p per patient per year). Germany pledged €500m for ME and long COVID research. MPs want ME to be a strategic research priority with ring-fenced funding. Specialist Care: Urgent need for specialist NHS services for severe ME. Interim solutions needed now to prevent deaths. Training for GPs and hospital staff is essential. Research: DecodeME study found genetic signals linked to ME (medical, not psychological). MPs want long-term investment and a post-infectious disease research hub. Support for Children & Education: Many children miss school due to ME. Schools often fail to provide adjustments. MPs want Department for Education to engage fully. Benefits & Welfare: People with ME face systemic disbelief and repeated assessments. Planned welfare reforms could harm ME patients (loss of ESA, changes to PIP). MPs warn this could increase financial dependence and risk of abuse. 6. Personal Stories Shared Patients bedbound for years, living in dark rooms. Some cannot hug loved ones due to pain. Families fear calling ambulances because hospitals make symptoms worse. One young woman in hospital for 17 months, now on palliative care. 7. Minister's Response Acknowledged failings and stigma. Promised to continue implementing the delivery plan, improve training and awareness, explore specialised services for severe ME, and work with NHS and researchers on next steps. Said: "We hear you; we value you; we believe you." 8. Main Takeaways ME/CFS is serious and life-changing. Current NHS care and research are far below what is needed. MPs demand urgent action, proper funding, and specialist services. Government says the plan is a starting point, not the end.
November 20, 2025 at 10:59 PM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
Please finish the joke.

A man walks into a police station, clutching a copy of "Five Held on Suspicion of Murder" and says...
Guardian headline: Man walks into police station days after five held on suspicion of his murder" Mock Famous Five book cover "Five Held on Suspicion of Murder"
November 20, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Reposted by James A
exetercouncil.bsky.social
Council Leader Phil Bialyk has spoken out in support of Exeter’s diverse communities ahead of planned demonstrations in the city centre this Saturday.

More: news.exeter.gov.uk/council-lead...
Graphic with green and white background. Top text reads, “Our diversity is one of Exeter’s great strengths,” followed by “Statement by Council Leader Phil Bialyk.” Below is the Exeter City Council logo, featuring a grey castle icon on a green diamond and the text “Exeter City Council.”
November 20, 2025 at 3:45 PM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
Forget jam-first vs jam-on-top.

This is one of the bigger questions of our time...
Cakes placed on serviette Can anyone tell me why cafes put the cake on top of the serviette rendering it useless. It has been happening for many years but today I broke and decided to ask for expert advice. Too scared to ask the waitress for fear of upsetting them. No banana for scale but there are raspberries. M66 UK size 10.5 (shoe) looking forward to finding out the reasoning for this. Thank you. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19wmEq4Lm4/
November 20, 2025 at 4:50 PM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
I swear meteorologists make up a sexy technical term every now and again just for attention.

(Not saying they're unique in that!)
November 20, 2025 at 12:02 PM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
Reminds me of a former academic colleague who used the same flawed research method, except with good intentions (to explore potential discrimination).
libdems.org.uk Liberal Democrats @libdems.org.uk · 2d
GB News broadcasted a package last week on analysis of people with "foreign sounding" names.

Peddling unverified and racist statistics on national TV is dangerous and we must call it out.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on Ofcom to investigate and take swift action.

Anna Sabine MP
November 20, 2025 at 11:44 AM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
Cold but beautiful day. Ayla is wearing her best fleece
A light-coloured, curly-coated labradoodle standing on a carpet of autumn leaves in a sunlit park. The dog is wearing a bright red fleece jacket and looks relaxed.
November 20, 2025 at 10:51 AM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
Tessa Munt MP calls for the government to fund research into ME (including CFS and related Long Covid conditions).

"Don't think of this as a sunk cost but as investment in a group of people who are *desperate* to contribute to society"
Parliamentlive.tv
Westminster Hall
www.parliamentlive.tv
November 19, 2025 at 4:41 PM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
#TheArchers
Natasha said "I will get another tattoo one day..."

What are we thinking she's got at the moment?

(Boring answer is the matching hiraeth tattoo she and Tom got)
Woman in a field. Bridge Fresh and Summer Orchard logos on each arm plus Welsh dragon covering her back.
November 18, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Reposted by James A
stthomasfoodfight.bsky.social
A great video about the vital work that St Petrock's does for those who are homeless in Exeter.

If you're in a position to donate money or your time, please consider St Petrock's.

youtu.be/i4Z3moucVDQ
Christmas Appeal 2025
YouTube video by St Petrock's Exeter
youtu.be
November 18, 2025 at 4:36 PM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
#TheArchers
We've had wild beavers back in Devon for a few years now.

Now wildcats might return.

Could Borsetshire be next?

I can't imagine Ambridge's shooting fraternity would approve of the threat to their birds.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Once-extinct European wildcats set to make a comeback in England
Fifty wildcats could be reintroduced to the countryside in south west England, conservationists say.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 18, 2025 at 12:16 PM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
#TheArchers
TONY: "What a lovely chap!"

HELEN: "Yes, I can't imagine anyone would think Finlay is some kind of traitor"
Publicity photo from "The Traitors"
November 17, 2025 at 7:13 PM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
#TheArchers
Is anyone filling in the details of the logistics of everyone's movements for this holiday on some kind of planning tool?

I feel there must be some kind of inner meaning we're missing...
November 17, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Reposted by James A
profnaomifulop.bsky.social
My Dad escaped the Nazis in 1939 on the Kindertransport.

He went to night school then University, trained as a physicist. Married my mum, brought up 3 kids, all work in public sector.

Under these proposed rules, he would have been deported.

100% 'performatively cruel' @stellacreasy.bsky.social
November 17, 2025 at 5:50 PM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
The insensitivity of this Labour Government to history still has the power to shock, and that's even after the Prime Minister deployed the phrase "island of strangers"
Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, has joined those criticising the government for saying the government saying it might take jewellery from asylum seekers to help cover the costs of processing their applications. He said: "This proposal has deeply troubling echoes of some of the worst treatment of refugees in history. The government is losing sight of the fact that we are talking about real people who have fled unimaginable horrors in places like Sudan and Afghanistan and arrived here with almost nothing. To take away the few precious belongings they still have would be cruel." https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/nov/17/immigration-asylum-keir-starmer-labour-shabana-mahmood-uk-politics-live-news-updates Archive photo of jewellery confiscated from prisoners by German guards at the Buchenwald concentration camp and later found by soldiers of the Third US Army after the liberation of the camp. Buchenwald, Germany, after April 1945. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/gallery/buchenwald-photographs
November 17, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Reposted by James A
johnharris1969.bsky.social
I think you can get the measure of the deadness of someone's soul from the fact they kick up a stink about [checks notes] autistic kids wearing ear defenders
November 17, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by James A
sarahowen.org.uk
A strong immigration system doesn't need to be a cruel one.

It shouldn't need saying - but refugees & asylum seekers are real people, fleeing war and persecution.

This daughter of an immigrant is proud of our British and Labour values of respect and not turning our backs on people in real need.
November 17, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Reposted by James A
smattocks.bsky.social
Kate will be an absolute nightmare for poor Phoebe.

#TheArchers
November 14, 2025 at 7:16 PM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
"KEEP THE !@#$%* OFF MY FRIES!" 🤬

A vital new research finding in *the* major issue of our times.‡

‡ other major issues are available.

newatlas.com/biology/seag...
Seagulls don’t respect you until you speak up, according to science
You won't find us endorsing aggression towards animals very often, however, scientists have discovered that raising your voice to seagulls – especially if you're male – will make them think twice abou...
newatlas.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:15 PM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
Don't look up 😞
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
World still on track for catastrophic 2.6C temperature rise, report finds
Fossil fuel emissions have hit a record high while many nations have done too little to avert deadly global heating
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 10:55 AM
exeterdormouse.bsky.social
It sounds a bit like the end of a John Le Carré or a Graham Greene, depending on whether being a spy or an adulterer weighed more heavily on the conscience
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/no...
Elizabeth Olsen believes she will die old and alone in a foggy English coastal town. Here are her options
While promoting new film Eternity, the actor outlined a specific end-of-life scenario that should be cold, wet and include one cheese shop
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Reposted by James A
rivercavy.bsky.social
It’s not just pets that are distressed by all these sodding fireworks ALL week.
Wild life should have a right to live in peace too.
November 8, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Reposted by James A
dougclow.bsky.social
I absolutely love this. I do optimistic, central, and pessimistic forecasts for a living. Sometimes you can draw the spread nice and tight, sometimes uncertainty means it needs to be wide. This is … quite wide.
hetanshah.bsky.social Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 13d
‘Al could end scarcity, end humanity - or boost trend growth by 0.2
percentage points’

Well that’s the best chart of the year in this @johnthornhill.bsky.social column and basically sums up where we are
on.ft.com/4qMMkJd
Al could end scarcity, end humanity - or boost trend growth by 0.2 percentage points
November 7, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Reposted by James A
pbowker7.bsky.social
I am completely Team Susan on this. George is a dick but an ex-offender volunteering in a community shop is surely the best example of community payback he could do, isn't it? #TheArchers
November 7, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by James A
exeterobserver.org
FEATURES // Exeter homeless death rate highest among English cities featured in annual Museum of Homelessness campaign charity report

21 people died while homeless in Exeter in 2024, nearly three times as many as previous year.

exeterobserver.org/2025/11/06/e...
Exeter homeless death rate highest among English cities featured in annual Museum of Homelessness campaign charity report - Exeter Observer
21 people died while homeless in Exeter in 2024, nearly three times as many as previous year, but council says nothing despite report publication during city homeless awareness week.
exeterobserver.org
November 7, 2025 at 1:15 PM