Jim Waterson
@jim.londoncentric.media
Journalist. Editor of @londoncentric.media, a modern news outlet covering London in the old-fashioned way: www.londoncentric.media
Reposted by Jim Waterson
GB News now broadcasting calls to remove the ethnic minority MPs from parliament
December 3, 2025 at 7:07 PM
GB News now broadcasting calls to remove the ethnic minority MPs from parliament
Babybel has rebranded from “upbeat bouncy red plastic cheese you buy to shut up children for five minutes” to “serious protein source for bro deadlift power up”. In this essay on what this says about our changing culture, I will…
December 3, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Babybel has rebranded from “upbeat bouncy red plastic cheese you buy to shut up children for five minutes” to “serious protein source for bro deadlift power up”. In this essay on what this says about our changing culture, I will…
Reposted by Jim Waterson
Its official twitter policy that racist abuse is okay, so why is the BBC reporting this like its a mystery of something? www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
Football abuse: Premier League and WSL stars targeted by death and rape threats
More than 2,000 extremely abusive social media posts were sent about managers and players in the Premier League and Women's Super League in a single weekend, a BBC investigation finds.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 3, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Its official twitter policy that racist abuse is okay, so why is the BBC reporting this like its a mystery of something? www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
Nice one, the kid's wearing their Oval Invincibles top and crying.
December 3, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Nice one, the kid's wearing their Oval Invincibles top and crying.
Things that will interest Bluesky; Misha Glenny, author of McMafia, replaces Melvyn Bragg as host of In Our Time.
December 3, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Things that will interest Bluesky; Misha Glenny, author of McMafia, replaces Melvyn Bragg as host of In Our Time.
I volunteer with a London youth club that does amazing things on a budget with low overheads.
This week we're running a matched funding campaign. For every £1 donated the club gets £2.
And if you donate any amount, I'll give you a free month of London Centric.
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
This week we're running a matched funding campaign. For every £1 donated the club gets £2.
And if you donate any amount, I'll give you a free month of London Centric.
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
Westminster House Youth Club Christmas Appeal – Big Give
We're a busy youth club providing after-school opportunities, support, and education to young people in south east London. We've got …
donate.biggive.org
December 3, 2025 at 11:33 AM
I volunteer with a London youth club that does amazing things on a budget with low overheads.
This week we're running a matched funding campaign. For every £1 donated the club gets £2.
And if you donate any amount, I'll give you a free month of London Centric.
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
This week we're running a matched funding campaign. For every £1 donated the club gets £2.
And if you donate any amount, I'll give you a free month of London Centric.
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
RTing not for the praise, honestly not, imagine doing that… but to flag the second story hidden at the end about London’s trees!
London Centric consistently the best reporting for Londoners.
Also in this story, bad news for trees :(
Also in this story, bad news for trees :(
Among other issues with Zipcar's model in London: Having to negotiate individually with 32 boroughs, some of which charged thousands of pounds per car. Meanwhile, Croydon council outsourced much of their employee car fleet to Zipcar and may be a bit screwed. www.londoncentric.media/p/zipcar-lon...
December 2, 2025 at 8:50 AM
RTing not for the praise, honestly not, imagine doing that… but to flag the second story hidden at the end about London’s trees!
Among other issues with Zipcar's model in London: Having to negotiate individually with 32 boroughs, some of which charged thousands of pounds per car. Meanwhile, Croydon council outsourced much of their employee car fleet to Zipcar and may be a bit screwed. www.londoncentric.media/p/zipcar-lon...
Why Zipcar gave up on London
The car-sharing scheme was hit by rapidly increased costs, a new congestion charge, and a lack of support from councils.
www.londoncentric.media
December 2, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Among other issues with Zipcar's model in London: Having to negotiate individually with 32 boroughs, some of which charged thousands of pounds per car. Meanwhile, Croydon council outsourced much of their employee car fleet to Zipcar and may be a bit screwed. www.londoncentric.media/p/zipcar-lon...
Zipcar is shutting down its UK operations, basically the only car club that worked in London. Massive kick to anyone who tries to live in capital without owning a car. Having been a customer for 17 years and used Zipvans to move house repeatedly, this is.... very bad! (Zipcar is owned by Avis)
December 1, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Zipcar is shutting down its UK operations, basically the only car club that worked in London. Massive kick to anyone who tries to live in capital without owning a car. Having been a customer for 17 years and used Zipvans to move house repeatedly, this is.... very bad! (Zipcar is owned by Avis)
the processology of the budget leak really isn't anything more than a footnote but nonetheless I want to note that it appears a reporter (who I assume is @bruceandy.bsky.social) was just spending the morning hitting refresh on a hunch they *might* at some point upload it early and I respect that
December 1, 2025 at 2:49 PM
the processology of the budget leak really isn't anything more than a footnote but nonetheless I want to note that it appears a reporter (who I assume is @bruceandy.bsky.social) was just spending the morning hitting refresh on a hunch they *might* at some point upload it early and I respect that
Don’t say this lightly but Birmingham Mail’s gaming of its position on Apple News/Google to farm clicks makes it one of the most effective spreaders of false information in the country.
Could list a dozen way more egregious examples of fake ragebait it’s pumped out recently.
Could list a dozen way more egregious examples of fake ragebait it’s pumped out recently.
An online Birmingham Mail headline "Drivers with cruise control urged to press button or face £73 charge in June" breached the Editors' Code as there was no such charge - in fact drivers could "save" £73 on fuel www.ipso.co.uk/rulings/0226...
02269-25 A man v birminghammail.co.uk - IPSO
A man complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation that birminghammail.co.uk breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) of the Editors’ Code of Practice in an article headlined ‘’Drivers with cruise…
www.ipso.co.uk
December 1, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Don’t say this lightly but Birmingham Mail’s gaming of its position on Apple News/Google to farm clicks makes it one of the most effective spreaders of false information in the country.
Could list a dozen way more egregious examples of fake ragebait it’s pumped out recently.
Could list a dozen way more egregious examples of fake ragebait it’s pumped out recently.
“What does running a bootstrapped news organisation involve?”
“Well aside from having to do the reporting, editing, commissioning, invoicing, and payroll… you also spend a lot of time posting garden implements to competition winners.”
“Well aside from having to do the reporting, editing, commissioning, invoicing, and payroll… you also spend a lot of time posting garden implements to competition winners.”
November 30, 2025 at 6:31 PM
“What does running a bootstrapped news organisation involve?”
“Well aside from having to do the reporting, editing, commissioning, invoicing, and payroll… you also spend a lot of time posting garden implements to competition winners.”
“Well aside from having to do the reporting, editing, commissioning, invoicing, and payroll… you also spend a lot of time posting garden implements to competition winners.”
Pitch: A deep dive into the exclusion of Slade from the default “Alexa play Christmas Music” type playlists and what this says about the power of streaming services to normalise old Kelly Clarkson songs.
November 29, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Pitch: A deep dive into the exclusion of Slade from the default “Alexa play Christmas Music” type playlists and what this says about the power of streaming services to normalise old Kelly Clarkson songs.
Out of the three phone hacking/illegal information trials involving Prince Harry that I covered this was always the messiest and least slam dunk case.
It’s interesting the Mail is wanting to put Paul Dacre in the witness box when the Sun paid enormous sums to keep Rebekah Brooks out of court.
It’s interesting the Mail is wanting to put Paul Dacre in the witness box when the Sun paid enormous sums to keep Rebekah Brooks out of court.
Former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre to be witness in trial brought by Prince Harry and others
Former Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre to be witness in trial brought by Prince Harry and others
Judge warns he will not permit case ‘to descend into a wide-ranging public inquiry’
The former editor of the Daily Mail, Paul Dacre, is to be called as a witness in the legal action brought by the Duke of Sussex and six other household names against the newspaper’s publishers over allegations of unlawful information gathering, the high court was told.
Antony White KC, for Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), said Dacre, 77, now the editor-in-chief of ANL’s DMG Media company, and Peter Wright, a former editor of the Mail on Sunday, could be called as early witnesses in the trial, scheduled to begin on 19 January. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Out of the three phone hacking/illegal information trials involving Prince Harry that I covered this was always the messiest and least slam dunk case.
It’s interesting the Mail is wanting to put Paul Dacre in the witness box when the Sun paid enormous sums to keep Rebekah Brooks out of court.
It’s interesting the Mail is wanting to put Paul Dacre in the witness box when the Sun paid enormous sums to keep Rebekah Brooks out of court.
Absolutely brilliant prick tease of a story, contains barely any facts, just a load of hyperventilating men talking in code about what will turn out to be a small wall at an angle no one has seen before, 10/10, great content. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'Extraordinary discovery' at Orkney's Ness of Brodgar Neolithic site
Archaeologists are to resume digging at the site after 3D radar technology uncovered a mystery find.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Absolutely brilliant prick tease of a story, contains barely any facts, just a load of hyperventilating men talking in code about what will turn out to be a small wall at an angle no one has seen before, 10/10, great content. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Lol congratulations to whoever briefed that the chancellor was going to axe Cycle to Work, then didn't. Whatever was going on behind the scenes, you've just done wonders for London's bike shops pre-Christmas.
If my group chats are anything to go by, Treasury briefing "we're going to end the cycle to work tax break that enables people to buy a large family-sized e-bike" has done more than any other advertising campaign to boost the uptake of family-sized e-bikes. Sales must be through the roof this week.
November 26, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Lol congratulations to whoever briefed that the chancellor was going to axe Cycle to Work, then didn't. Whatever was going on behind the scenes, you've just done wonders for London's bike shops pre-Christmas.
Rachel Reeves just thanked Joe Powell in the budget for his representations on high street tax evasion and pledged more resources to track down "fraudulent business owners who vanish without paying their taxes". This is one of the issues Joe raised with the chancellor.
What's up with the Harry Potter shops in central London?
London Centric's investigation into their finances was raised in the House of Commons by Kensington and Bayswater Labour MP Joe Powell. He asked ministers what it will take to get HMRC officials to check the shops are paying their taxes.
London Centric's investigation into their finances was raised in the House of Commons by Kensington and Bayswater Labour MP Joe Powell. He asked ministers what it will take to get HMRC officials to check the shops are paying their taxes.
November 26, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Rachel Reeves just thanked Joe Powell in the budget for his representations on high street tax evasion and pledged more resources to track down "fraudulent business owners who vanish without paying their taxes". This is one of the issues Joe raised with the chancellor.
Reposted by Jim Waterson
From now on, when discussing the budget, please use “is this measure bigger than the cost to the exchequer of gen Z drinking less” as your metric for assessing whether something actually raises or costs a significant sum
November 26, 2025 at 12:28 PM
From now on, when discussing the budget, please use “is this measure bigger than the cost to the exchequer of gen Z drinking less” as your metric for assessing whether something actually raises or costs a significant sum
I used to cover budgets* and the bit that no one sees is when reporters run to post-speech briefing and fire off Qs as they're handed OBR docs. V quickly THE GAFFE and THE NARRATIVE is chosen by herd mind.
I think this is better?
*today I am on floor trying to fix a washing machine reading bluesky
I think this is better?
*today I am on floor trying to fix a washing machine reading bluesky
November 26, 2025 at 12:23 PM
I used to cover budgets* and the bit that no one sees is when reporters run to post-speech briefing and fire off Qs as they're handed OBR docs. V quickly THE GAFFE and THE NARRATIVE is chosen by herd mind.
I think this is better?
*today I am on floor trying to fix a washing machine reading bluesky
I think this is better?
*today I am on floor trying to fix a washing machine reading bluesky
The big changes to UK pensions will come in April 2029, just before the next election? (Or just after it!)
So either a massive incentive for everyone who can to ramp up their pensions in the intervening years or (cynical brain) some sort of thing they can cancel if the economy picks up?
So either a massive incentive for everyone who can to ramp up their pensions in the intervening years or (cynical brain) some sort of thing they can cancel if the economy picks up?
November 26, 2025 at 12:12 PM
The big changes to UK pensions will come in April 2029, just before the next election? (Or just after it!)
So either a massive incentive for everyone who can to ramp up their pensions in the intervening years or (cynical brain) some sort of thing they can cancel if the economy picks up?
So either a massive incentive for everyone who can to ramp up their pensions in the intervening years or (cynical brain) some sort of thing they can cancel if the economy picks up?
Oh fuck I used to be a political reporter, can't help myself. Here's the big tax policies from the leaked budget.
November 26, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Oh fuck I used to be a political reporter, can't help myself. Here's the big tax policies from the leaked budget.
lol here’s the full OBR book someone pressed publish early here’s the budget obr.uk/docs/dlm_upl...
obr.uk
November 26, 2025 at 11:54 AM
lol here’s the full OBR book someone pressed publish early here’s the budget obr.uk/docs/dlm_upl...
Love to be trying to work out if the entire budget just leaked on a financial newswire that I'm reading via a knock-off third party aggregator so can't tell if it's real.
UK OBR: MILEAGE-BASED CHARGE ON ELECTRIC CARS RAISES 1.4 BLN STG IN 2029-30
November 26, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Love to be trying to work out if the entire budget just leaked on a financial newswire that I'm reading via a knock-off third party aggregator so can't tell if it's real.
Decided to provide some budget counter-programming, here’s some London transport trends over the last year. www.londoncentric.media/p/tfl-london...
Less WFH, more Lime, slower buses
What's really going on in London transport?
www.londoncentric.media
November 26, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Decided to provide some budget counter-programming, here’s some London transport trends over the last year. www.londoncentric.media/p/tfl-london...
Reposted by Jim Waterson
new favourite New York Times term for a British thing just dropped
November 26, 2025 at 10:05 AM
new favourite New York Times term for a British thing just dropped