Michael Batey
@mbatey.bsky.social
Content Director at If Collective.
The written word; house, disco and Balearic vinyl; active travel, running and cycling; Sheffield United
The written word; house, disco and Balearic vinyl; active travel, running and cycling; Sheffield United
Right, I think I’ve got a handle on how the draw works
December 5, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Right, I think I’ve got a handle on how the draw works
I’m trying to laugh at it, but it’s just fucking excruciating #WorldCupDraw
December 5, 2025 at 6:13 PM
I’m trying to laugh at it, but it’s just fucking excruciating #WorldCupDraw
Reposted by Michael Batey
The USPS posting a NINE BILLION DOLLAR LOSS!!! sounds terrible. Certainly worse than if you said "USPS costs thirty dollars per person per year" even though that means the same thing and more accurately describes a government service
December 5, 2025 at 1:31 PM
The USPS posting a NINE BILLION DOLLAR LOSS!!! sounds terrible. Certainly worse than if you said "USPS costs thirty dollars per person per year" even though that means the same thing and more accurately describes a government service
Reposted by Michael Batey
yay Cloudflare shit the bed again
December 5, 2025 at 9:06 AM
yay Cloudflare shit the bed again
December 4, 2025 at 1:38 PM
I don't like my Spotify Wrapped this year, so I'm not sharing it. Also Spotify are bastards
December 4, 2025 at 9:25 AM
I don't like my Spotify Wrapped this year, so I'm not sharing it. Also Spotify are bastards
Reposted by Michael Batey
The Grinch: Asda, McDonalds… I thought he didn’t like Christmas, the big fucking green sellout
December 3, 2025 at 9:10 PM
The Grinch: Asda, McDonalds… I thought he didn’t like Christmas, the big fucking green sellout
Reposted by Michael Batey
"Pairing free buses with paid parking says we value people in motion more than cars at rest."
💯
💯
New Yorkers: read this piece, makes total sense. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/o...
December 3, 2025 at 7:01 PM
"Pairing free buses with paid parking says we value people in motion more than cars at rest."
💯
💯
Reposted by Michael Batey
Reposted by Michael Batey
If Admiral Bradley didn’t realize before that these cowards were setting him up to take the fall, he knows it now. Time to hire a good lawyer.
December 2, 2025 at 12:44 AM
If Admiral Bradley didn’t realize before that these cowards were setting him up to take the fall, he knows it now. Time to hire a good lawyer.
Sheffield muesli-belt cliche alert – climbing wall in the garden
www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/r/9d8e6687?m...
www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/r/9d8e6687?m...
Woodbank Crescent, Meersbrook S8, 3 bed end terrace house for sale, £270,000 - Zoopla
3 bed end terrace house for sale in Woodbank Crescent, Meersbrook S8, selling for £270,000 from Whitehorne Independent Estate Agents. See property details on Zoopla or browse all our range of properti...
www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk
December 1, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Sheffield muesli-belt cliche alert – climbing wall in the garden
www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/r/9d8e6687?m...
www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/r/9d8e6687?m...
Reposted by Michael Batey
Chris Mason is not a columnist. He's there to report. There are conflicting views on what Reeves said and meant and I actually think it's pretty outrageous what he's saying here. That's not his job at all.
December 1, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Chris Mason is not a columnist. He's there to report. There are conflicting views on what Reeves said and meant and I actually think it's pretty outrageous what he's saying here. That's not his job at all.
Current work status: started using ampersands because they're 'Christmassy'
December 1, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Current work status: started using ampersands because they're 'Christmassy'
Reposted by Michael Batey
I’m quite enjoying the 180 turn on a six pence from “you’ve wrecked the economy and created a black hole” to “there was no black hole and this is even worse”.
November 30, 2025 at 9:39 AM
I’m quite enjoying the 180 turn on a six pence from “you’ve wrecked the economy and created a black hole” to “there was no black hole and this is even worse”.
Reposted by Michael Batey
The government’s cycling and walking investment strategy does NOT mention pavement parking.
Respond to the consultation (which ends midnight 15 December) and highlight this important issue.
actionnetwork.org/letters/help...
Respond to the consultation (which ends midnight 15 December) and highlight this important issue.
actionnetwork.org/letters/help...
Help make cycling and walking the fun and easy options!
In June, Transport Action Network won a historic victory in the Court of Appeal, the most significant case for active travel in English legal history. Following this, the government is consulting on a...
actionnetwork.org
December 1, 2025 at 9:01 AM
The government’s cycling and walking investment strategy does NOT mention pavement parking.
Respond to the consultation (which ends midnight 15 December) and highlight this important issue.
actionnetwork.org/letters/help...
Respond to the consultation (which ends midnight 15 December) and highlight this important issue.
actionnetwork.org/letters/help...
Reposted by Michael Batey
When it comes to health “do X no matter what the scientific consensus is” is generally terrible advice.
🔺UPDATED: Start prostate cancer testing regardless of advice, Wes Streeting told
Start prostate cancer testing regardless of advice, Wes Streeting told
Start prostate cancer testing regardless of advice, Wes Streeting told
www.thetimes.com
November 28, 2025 at 2:51 PM
When it comes to health “do X no matter what the scientific consensus is” is generally terrible advice.
'We saw you from across the HMO development opportunity and we really like your vibe'
November 27, 2025 at 11:56 AM
'We saw you from across the HMO development opportunity and we really like your vibe'
Reposted by Michael Batey
Only a sixth of the public know that immigration is now falling (significantly) from its peak levels. It is a challenge to the politicians and the media to do their distinct jobs more effectively by communicating this, so we can have a more informed debate
www.britishfuture.org/immigration-...
www.britishfuture.org/immigration-...
Immigration falling but public still thinks it is going up – new research - British Future
Findings from the British Future/Ipsos Immigration Attitudes Tracker into what the public thinks about immigration for work, study and asylum
www.britishfuture.org
November 27, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Only a sixth of the public know that immigration is now falling (significantly) from its peak levels. It is a challenge to the politicians and the media to do their distinct jobs more effectively by communicating this, so we can have a more informed debate
www.britishfuture.org/immigration-...
www.britishfuture.org/immigration-...
Reposted by Michael Batey
In 2020 UK endorsed the Stockholm Declaration call for default urban/village 20mph. Welsh and Scottish Govs have set 20mph as national urban/village norm whilst UK Gov has done nothing for England and Northern Ireland.
Not a "crying shame", more a "dying shame" www.20splenty.org/gb2024stats
Not a "crying shame", more a "dying shame" www.20splenty.org/gb2024stats
November 27, 2025 at 9:01 AM
In 2020 UK endorsed the Stockholm Declaration call for default urban/village 20mph. Welsh and Scottish Govs have set 20mph as national urban/village norm whilst UK Gov has done nothing for England and Northern Ireland.
Not a "crying shame", more a "dying shame" www.20splenty.org/gb2024stats
Not a "crying shame", more a "dying shame" www.20splenty.org/gb2024stats
Reposted by Michael Batey
It'd be cool if the "increasing the cost of motoring hurts poor people" people cared anything like as much about cost to people who rely on public transport - who are disproportionately likely to be poor and disabled, and who consistently face far greater increases in cost.
November 26, 2025 at 12:11 PM
It'd be cool if the "increasing the cost of motoring hurts poor people" people cared anything like as much about cost to people who rely on public transport - who are disproportionately likely to be poor and disabled, and who consistently face far greater increases in cost.
Reposted by Michael Batey
This www.transportxtra.com/publications... by The Car Expert ed made me so angry I replied: www.transportxtra.com/publications...
I'm fed up of rhetoric from gov & motoring 'lobby' that we must never unfairly hurt poor drivers in pocket. That reducing "running costs for ordinary families" means...
I'm fed up of rhetoric from gov & motoring 'lobby' that we must never unfairly hurt poor drivers in pocket. That reducing "running costs for ordinary families" means...
Cutting the cost of motoring is expensive for communities
It's rare I'm ever incensed enough to write in to the august pages of respected publications such as TransportXtra, but Stewart Masson's opinion piece on t
www.transportxtra.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:49 AM
This www.transportxtra.com/publications... by The Car Expert ed made me so angry I replied: www.transportxtra.com/publications...
I'm fed up of rhetoric from gov & motoring 'lobby' that we must never unfairly hurt poor drivers in pocket. That reducing "running costs for ordinary families" means...
I'm fed up of rhetoric from gov & motoring 'lobby' that we must never unfairly hurt poor drivers in pocket. That reducing "running costs for ordinary families" means...
Reposted by Michael Batey
My usual experiment to find out how bad LLMs are at technical instructions (wiring a UK plug) as applied to grok. It's just as bad as any other LLM out there:
November 26, 2025 at 9:12 AM
My usual experiment to find out how bad LLMs are at technical instructions (wiring a UK plug) as applied to grok. It's just as bad as any other LLM out there:
Got to hand it to Cov - 40 points and a goal difference of +30 after 17 games is ridiculous
November 25, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Got to hand it to Cov - 40 points and a goal difference of +30 after 17 games is ridiculous
Reposted by Michael Batey
Since 2011 the fuel duty freeze has cost the Treasury £133 billion.
This huge amount could have paid for lower train and bus fares, better stations, safer walking, wheeling and cycling and much more!
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
This huge amount could have paid for lower train and bus fares, better stations, safer walking, wheeling and cycling and much more!
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Rachel Reeves will freeze fuel duty to dodge ‘political suicide’
The chancellor will also highlight a rise in the minimum wage and plans to cut energy bills as she tries to win over voters by focusing on cost of living
www.thetimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Since 2011 the fuel duty freeze has cost the Treasury £133 billion.
This huge amount could have paid for lower train and bus fares, better stations, safer walking, wheeling and cycling and much more!
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
This huge amount could have paid for lower train and bus fares, better stations, safer walking, wheeling and cycling and much more!
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...