Vernon Baseley
@vernonbaseley.bsky.social
Rail operations specialist. Editor of "Outre-Manche" blog.
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
Did they leave a trail?
Thieves have stolen €90,000 worth of fine French snails destined for some of the country’s most prestigious restaurants
Thieves take €90,000 of snails meant for Michelin-starred restaurants
French police are on the trail of ‘experienced’ criminals who stole a whole year’s worth of produce from Jean-Mathieu Dauvergne’s L’Escargot des Grands Crus
www.thetimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Did they leave a trail?
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
Agree with every word of this
We've gone from 9% of social care staff coming from outside the UK and EEA in 2021/22 to almost 25% in 2024/25
The govt has no near-term replacement
It means either:
1) staffing shortages or
2) councils spending far more to attract staff, with no extra funding
We've gone from 9% of social care staff coming from outside the UK and EEA in 2021/22 to almost 25% in 2024/25
The govt has no near-term replacement
It means either:
1) staffing shortages or
2) councils spending far more to attract staff, with no extra funding
November 28, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Agree with every word of this
We've gone from 9% of social care staff coming from outside the UK and EEA in 2021/22 to almost 25% in 2024/25
The govt has no near-term replacement
It means either:
1) staffing shortages or
2) councils spending far more to attract staff, with no extra funding
We've gone from 9% of social care staff coming from outside the UK and EEA in 2021/22 to almost 25% in 2024/25
The govt has no near-term replacement
It means either:
1) staffing shortages or
2) councils spending far more to attract staff, with no extra funding
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
Welcome Shabana Mahmood to your next four years of headlines!!!
Foreign doctors trained by the NHS face deportation under visa rules
Foreign doctors trained by the NHS face deportation under visa rules
www.thetimes.com
November 28, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Welcome Shabana Mahmood to your next four years of headlines!!!
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
The woman you met in the ambulance passed away.
November 28, 2025 at 10:16 AM
The woman you met in the ambulance passed away.
December 13th: Day trip in 1960s rolling stock from Paris Saint-Lazare (RER E station!) to Amiens. Very reasonably priced. www.billetweb.fr/tdn-2025
Tickets : Train de noel 2025
Tickets : Train de noel 2025 - Billetweb
www.billetweb.fr
November 28, 2025 at 7:59 AM
December 13th: Day trip in 1960s rolling stock from Paris Saint-Lazare (RER E station!) to Amiens. Very reasonably priced. www.billetweb.fr/tdn-2025
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
One effect of our age of the rich: the flattery industry is booming. Call them luxury hotel concierges, personal trainers, Trump cabinet members, Musk "loyalists", wealth managers etc, but the essential job is flatterer. Me
@financialtimes.com on how the industry works on.ft.com/43SIvbR
@financialtimes.com on how the industry works on.ft.com/43SIvbR
How flattery became a big, beautiful industry
[FREE TO READ] Never before have there been so many rich people to be boosted
on.ft.com
November 27, 2025 at 12:58 PM
One effect of our age of the rich: the flattery industry is booming. Call them luxury hotel concierges, personal trainers, Trump cabinet members, Musk "loyalists", wealth managers etc, but the essential job is flatterer. Me
@financialtimes.com on how the industry works on.ft.com/43SIvbR
@financialtimes.com on how the industry works on.ft.com/43SIvbR
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
Somehow this got missed off the "Benefit Street" front pages today
70% of the additional spending from removing the two-child limit will go to families who are in work. This is targeting support for low-income working households who are being priced out of a decent standard of living despite doing everything asked of them.
November 27, 2025 at 10:37 PM
Somehow this got missed off the "Benefit Street" front pages today
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
A quick reminder of who Nigel Farage was most concerned about when Putin's tanks first rolled into Ukraine
November 27, 2025 at 8:22 PM
A quick reminder of who Nigel Farage was most concerned about when Putin's tanks first rolled into Ukraine
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
‘Speaking outside his chateau in France, former Brexit Party and UKIP MEP Coburn answered "no" when a BBC journalist asked him whether he had ever been paid to give a speech to promote pro-Russian campaigners.’
Great work from @BBCWales. Keep going
Great work from @BBCWales. Keep going
November 28, 2025 at 6:28 AM
‘Speaking outside his chateau in France, former Brexit Party and UKIP MEP Coburn answered "no" when a BBC journalist asked him whether he had ever been paid to give a speech to promote pro-Russian campaigners.’
Great work from @BBCWales. Keep going
Great work from @BBCWales. Keep going
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
An evening painting of Whitby, "Baiting the Lines" 1884 by John Atkinson Grimshaw. It was said that he captured the moonlit images of ‘the rain and mist, the puddles and smoky fog of late Victorian England with great poetry’.
November 27, 2025 at 8:42 PM
An evening painting of Whitby, "Baiting the Lines" 1884 by John Atkinson Grimshaw. It was said that he captured the moonlit images of ‘the rain and mist, the puddles and smoky fog of late Victorian England with great poetry’.
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
Yay!! I couldn’t be there but Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring just won gold at the APA podcast awards!!
Whole thing was crowdfunded by @the-citizens.bsky.social to highlight 5-year legal case to get an investigation into Russian interference in UK politics. Power to the people!
Whole thing was crowdfunded by @the-citizens.bsky.social to highlight 5-year legal case to get an investigation into Russian interference in UK politics. Power to the people!
November 27, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Yay!! I couldn’t be there but Sergei & the Westminster Spy Ring just won gold at the APA podcast awards!!
Whole thing was crowdfunded by @the-citizens.bsky.social to highlight 5-year legal case to get an investigation into Russian interference in UK politics. Power to the people!
Whole thing was crowdfunded by @the-citizens.bsky.social to highlight 5-year legal case to get an investigation into Russian interference in UK politics. Power to the people!
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
Worth noting the OBR reckons that if the fuel duty freeze does end in 2027 it will have run for 16 years and cost the exchequer a full £120bn. www.businessgreen.com/analysis/452...
November 27, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Worth noting the OBR reckons that if the fuel duty freeze does end in 2027 it will have run for 16 years and cost the exchequer a full £120bn. www.businessgreen.com/analysis/452...
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
"This morning I had another talk with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, and here is a paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine. Some of you perhaps have already heard what it contains, but I would just like to read it to you..."
⁉️ Putin says Russia can put in writing it will not attack Europe
Putin says Russia can put in writing it will not attack Europe
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has said that Russia has been ready to state in writing that it does not intend to attack Europe.
www.pravda.com.ua
November 27, 2025 at 4:15 PM
"This morning I had another talk with the German Chancellor, Herr Hitler, and here is a paper which bears his name upon it as well as mine. Some of you perhaps have already heard what it contains, but I would just like to read it to you..."
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
After being left out of pocket yesterday due to the problems of #CrossBorderRail between Belgium and France, I have just sent my open letter to Community of European Railways
Let's see what response I get 😀
Here's the letter:
jonworth.eu/an-open-lett...
Let's see what response I get 😀
Here's the letter:
jonworth.eu/an-open-lett...
An open letter, and an invoice for €59.94, to Alberto Mazzola, boss of Community of European Railways - Jon Worth
Dear Alberto, It is a little odd for me, a blogger and campaigner, to be writing an open letter to you as Executive Director of Community of European Railways (CER). But the combination of circumstanc...
jonworth.eu
November 27, 2025 at 4:51 PM
After being left out of pocket yesterday due to the problems of #CrossBorderRail between Belgium and France, I have just sent my open letter to Community of European Railways
Let's see what response I get 😀
Here's the letter:
jonworth.eu/an-open-lett...
Let's see what response I get 😀
Here's the letter:
jonworth.eu/an-open-lett...
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
Confused messaging from The Boy's school this week, a terse email from the Head complaining too many children being absent, please send your children to school followed up this morning with "I am sharing NHS advice regarding gastroenteritis as we are having to send home many pupils feeling unwell" 🤷♂️
November 27, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Confused messaging from The Boy's school this week, a terse email from the Head complaining too many children being absent, please send your children to school followed up this morning with "I am sharing NHS advice regarding gastroenteritis as we are having to send home many pupils feeling unwell" 🤷♂️
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
Can't believe you geeks are still talking about the budget when Your Party conference starts (and possibly ends) tomorrow.
November 27, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Can't believe you geeks are still talking about the budget when Your Party conference starts (and possibly ends) tomorrow.
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
when we say we want more streets to be pedestrianized, this is what we mean
November 25, 2025 at 4:46 PM
when we say we want more streets to be pedestrianized, this is what we mean
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
As someone whose Christmas diet is effectively four courses of Chocolate Orange a day, I'm going to have to try out this approach this year
Just seen a reel of an American eating a Chocolate Orange by just…..biting into it. Like an apple.
I need a lie down.
I need a lie down.
November 26, 2025 at 5:01 PM
As someone whose Christmas diet is effectively four courses of Chocolate Orange a day, I'm going to have to try out this approach this year
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
Previous Prime Minister Boris Johnson was born in the United States. I'd love for her to tell me that's different and then try to explain why without being racist.
Excuse my language but …
I am so fucking tired of shit like this.
I am so fucking tired of shit like this.
November 26, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Previous Prime Minister Boris Johnson was born in the United States. I'd love for her to tell me that's different and then try to explain why without being racist.
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
I know who Nus Ghani MP is - not because we always agree - but because she’s been serving her constituency (as well as lewks) since 2015.
Who the hell is Lucy White?!
Ah, a quick google search reveals her as a rentagob for GB ‘news.’
I know which one is qualified to chair the budget debate.
Who the hell is Lucy White?!
Ah, a quick google search reveals her as a rentagob for GB ‘news.’
I know which one is qualified to chair the budget debate.
November 26, 2025 at 10:31 PM
I know who Nus Ghani MP is - not because we always agree - but because she’s been serving her constituency (as well as lewks) since 2015.
Who the hell is Lucy White?!
Ah, a quick google search reveals her as a rentagob for GB ‘news.’
I know which one is qualified to chair the budget debate.
Who the hell is Lucy White?!
Ah, a quick google search reveals her as a rentagob for GB ‘news.’
I know which one is qualified to chair the budget debate.
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
Today's Private Eye story, picking up our Andrew Milne coverage.
Read all about it in today's Tribune: www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/new-detectiv...
Read all about it in today's Tribune: www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/new-detectiv...
November 26, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Today's Private Eye story, picking up our Andrew Milne coverage.
Read all about it in today's Tribune: www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/new-detectiv...
Read all about it in today's Tribune: www.sheffieldtribune.co.uk/new-detectiv...
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
It’s very sad, I worked at O2 for 10 years, they used to put the customer at the heart of their business. Since Virgin Media bought them, the American way seems to prevail. I expect O2 were relying on a majority of their customers not seeing or understanding the rise until it was too late.
November 26, 2025 at 5:44 PM
It’s very sad, I worked at O2 for 10 years, they used to put the customer at the heart of their business. Since Virgin Media bought them, the American way seems to prevail. I expect O2 were relying on a majority of their customers not seeing or understanding the rise until it was too late.
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
A few weeks ago I wrote to the Chancellor asking her to intervene as O2'd hiked its price hike; increasing prices by more than it told people when they signed up – a mockery of Ofcom's rules & hugely inflationary.
Today she sent me her letters to Ofcom & industry about it...
Today she sent me her letters to Ofcom & industry about it...
November 26, 2025 at 5:37 PM
A few weeks ago I wrote to the Chancellor asking her to intervene as O2'd hiked its price hike; increasing prices by more than it told people when they signed up – a mockery of Ofcom's rules & hugely inflationary.
Today she sent me her letters to Ofcom & industry about it...
Today she sent me her letters to Ofcom & industry about it...
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
Substantially more Republicans than Democrats support arming Ukraine!
November 26, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Substantially more Republicans than Democrats support arming Ukraine!
Reposted by Vernon Baseley
Bad news for anyone thinking of responding to the consultation on the new electric vehicle duty.
The consultation opens today, and closes last March.
The consultation opens today, and closes last March.
November 26, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Bad news for anyone thinking of responding to the consultation on the new electric vehicle duty.
The consultation opens today, and closes last March.
The consultation opens today, and closes last March.