Steve McDowell
@cowsmellcj.bsky.social
A skeptic with a healthy curiosity.
1.5 hrs? Commendable resilience on your part. I barely survived the 17min edit without entering a state of despair. That such a deeply flawed human being should have held high office in our govt is a damning indictment on our politics and of those who currently subsidise his 'journalism'.
November 4, 2025 at 5:12 PM
1.5 hrs? Commendable resilience on your part. I barely survived the 17min edit without entering a state of despair. That such a deeply flawed human being should have held high office in our govt is a damning indictment on our politics and of those who currently subsidise his 'journalism'.
If they did that, the first question on the survey would have to be; " On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you rate your interviewer's ability to tolerate and engage with your views?"
October 16, 2025 at 5:13 PM
If they did that, the first question on the survey would have to be; " On a scale of 1 to 5, how do you rate your interviewer's ability to tolerate and engage with your views?"
Still longing for a latitudinal ladder? Your aspirational horizons are geometrically challenged. Break free and get a mobile elevated working platform (MEWP). If you consider reading is more dignified than working, call it a MERP. Be an early adopter and become a style leader for librarians
October 10, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Still longing for a latitudinal ladder? Your aspirational horizons are geometrically challenged. Break free and get a mobile elevated working platform (MEWP). If you consider reading is more dignified than working, call it a MERP. Be an early adopter and become a style leader for librarians
Sounds like a round of " Whose Line Is It Anyway?" John Sessions would have been in his element
October 10, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Sounds like a round of " Whose Line Is It Anyway?" John Sessions would have been in his element
What took you so long? Perhaps you are as much a creature of habit as a man of principle? Most of us are. Which does not bode well for a civilisation that needs to 'switch lanes' to avoid a crash.
October 7, 2025 at 4:39 PM
What took you so long? Perhaps you are as much a creature of habit as a man of principle? Most of us are. Which does not bode well for a civilisation that needs to 'switch lanes' to avoid a crash.
It's time to steel yourself for a progression from romanticism to sustainability. A time to savour the joys of reading a tablet in a well-insulated dwelling, impervious to the rain, and conditioned by a heat pump. The cinnamon rolls may be retained as a vital link to the days of yore.
October 7, 2025 at 4:30 PM
It's time to steel yourself for a progression from romanticism to sustainability. A time to savour the joys of reading a tablet in a well-insulated dwelling, impervious to the rain, and conditioned by a heat pump. The cinnamon rolls may be retained as a vital link to the days of yore.
"Respected journalist" used to a rare accolade, then it became a contradiction in terms, now it is a pseudonym for an extinct species.
October 2, 2025 at 6:38 PM
"Respected journalist" used to a rare accolade, then it became a contradiction in terms, now it is a pseudonym for an extinct species.
Yes, it's the same thing every 3 months and often the same people wondering; is really fair that vulture capitalists, who have converted a company's debt into dividends and failed to maintain its assets, should be deprived of further opportunities to fleece its customers? Nationalise now.
October 2, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Yes, it's the same thing every 3 months and often the same people wondering; is really fair that vulture capitalists, who have converted a company's debt into dividends and failed to maintain its assets, should be deprived of further opportunities to fleece its customers? Nationalise now.
Anticipating October in mid September is somewhat precipitous
September 25, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Anticipating October in mid September is somewhat precipitous
The invention was not widely adopted because the uninitiated were more likely to piss than scream into it, which had unfortunate consequences for the next user.
September 4, 2025 at 6:22 PM
The invention was not widely adopted because the uninitiated were more likely to piss than scream into it, which had unfortunate consequences for the next user.
In the short term, change impacts; confidence, inflation, investment, etc. Incumbent powers tell ordinary folk that their lives are threatened by those metrics, but we are more resilient than that. We need conviction politicians, not centrists, to overcome inertia and make us believe in ourselves.
September 3, 2025 at 6:02 PM
In the short term, change impacts; confidence, inflation, investment, etc. Incumbent powers tell ordinary folk that their lives are threatened by those metrics, but we are more resilient than that. We need conviction politicians, not centrists, to overcome inertia and make us believe in ourselves.
Is that a hypothetical question to provoke thoughtful debate, or a desire to live out your life in groundhog days? Anyway, to answer the question; if the world is the same in 10yrs time, it would mean that we managed to resolve the climate emergency- which would be 'nice'
September 1, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Is that a hypothetical question to provoke thoughtful debate, or a desire to live out your life in groundhog days? Anyway, to answer the question; if the world is the same in 10yrs time, it would mean that we managed to resolve the climate emergency- which would be 'nice'
Farrukh, if you are suggesting that a sensible leader should maintain the same policy 9 years after a momentous event, in vastly different circumstances, then you haven't given this much thought.
September 1, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Farrukh, if you are suggesting that a sensible leader should maintain the same policy 9 years after a momentous event, in vastly different circumstances, then you haven't given this much thought.
Either you don't understand the difference between immigration and net migration, or you are deliberately attempting to misinform. The BBC manages to report this factually, yet this simple piece of research is beyond the Chief Political Commentator at the Independent.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
How many people come to work and study in the UK?
The number of visas issued to people wanting to work, study or join family members in the UK has fallen.
www.bbc.co.uk
August 25, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Either you don't understand the difference between immigration and net migration, or you are deliberately attempting to misinform. The BBC manages to report this factually, yet this simple piece of research is beyond the Chief Political Commentator at the Independent.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
If you were to write a piece entitled "Trade Policy in the year 2525 ", it is inconceivable that it would present a more dysfunctional scenario, but who knows? www.google.com/search?clien...
Google Search
www.google.com
August 18, 2025 at 3:06 PM
If you were to write a piece entitled "Trade Policy in the year 2525 ", it is inconceivable that it would present a more dysfunctional scenario, but who knows? www.google.com/search?clien...
Even in your most far-fetched whimsy, it would be difficult to go down to the Highlands. Unless of course, you plan to take 'the low road' and get there afore your true love. But that would be an extreme price to pay for tea and scones.
August 18, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Even in your most far-fetched whimsy, it would be difficult to go down to the Highlands. Unless of course, you plan to take 'the low road' and get there afore your true love. But that would be an extreme price to pay for tea and scones.
Shame? Is that a thing anymore?
August 15, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Shame? Is that a thing anymore?
Would it be the request to deter users from exceeding the 300 character limit?
August 15, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Would it be the request to deter users from exceeding the 300 character limit?
Rather rude of you to cut across the conversation. I know this is social media, but a respectful pause might be in order before you pitch in with your two penny worth.
August 15, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Rather rude of you to cut across the conversation. I know this is social media, but a respectful pause might be in order before you pitch in with your two penny worth.
Woolfie Smith lives!
Seriously, fair play to the guy for expressing a matter of conscience. I wonder how many 18 year olds understand the importance of speaking truth to power.
Seriously, fair play to the guy for expressing a matter of conscience. I wonder how many 18 year olds understand the importance of speaking truth to power.
August 15, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Woolfie Smith lives!
Seriously, fair play to the guy for expressing a matter of conscience. I wonder how many 18 year olds understand the importance of speaking truth to power.
Seriously, fair play to the guy for expressing a matter of conscience. I wonder how many 18 year olds understand the importance of speaking truth to power.
Judging by his performances in the Commons and on TV, Philp is incapable of opening his mouth without causing offence, so he would be well advised to keep it shut when he ventures out into society.
August 13, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Judging by his performances in the Commons and on TV, Philp is incapable of opening his mouth without causing offence, so he would be well advised to keep it shut when he ventures out into society.
Hansard records "It is vitally important that those seeking to protest peacefully... can continue to do so. The right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Should Parliament vote to proscribe, that right will be unaffected."
There is a mismatch between those words and reality.
There is a mismatch between those words and reality.
August 10, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Hansard records "It is vitally important that those seeking to protest peacefully... can continue to do so. The right to peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Should Parliament vote to proscribe, that right will be unaffected."
There is a mismatch between those words and reality.
There is a mismatch between those words and reality.
The worrying thing is that many teenagers find that kind of communication 'weird'. I am not a parent, but if I were, I wonder how I would engage with and inform my teenage children without seeming like a cultural misfit. These days, cultural mores are passed up, not passed down.
August 9, 2025 at 6:31 PM
The worrying thing is that many teenagers find that kind of communication 'weird'. I am not a parent, but if I were, I wonder how I would engage with and inform my teenage children without seeming like a cultural misfit. These days, cultural mores are passed up, not passed down.
I trust the other topics included the recent Lions rugby tour, the forthcoming Ashes cricket series and the start of the soccer season. A good education should cover all the bases.
August 9, 2025 at 5:41 PM
I trust the other topics included the recent Lions rugby tour, the forthcoming Ashes cricket series and the start of the soccer season. A good education should cover all the bases.