iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

fun game here esp for anyone brushing up on faces & names ahead of party conference (courtesy of @jamesomalley.co.uk) toys.jamesomalley.co.uk/mprecall/

toys.jamesomalley.co.uk

MP Recall — How many MPs can you remember?

Name as many current UK MPs as you can in five minutes.

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Train is stationary at a south London station I’ve never heard of while the driver runs down the train in a hurry, is that good or bad for my chances of making my meeting in time do we think

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Gawain @niawag.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

There's a whole world-view, a Weltanschauung, in Kushner's phrase “NGOs and Terrorists”. It's worth noting and exploring because I don't think we've fully understood the Trump regime's view of civil society.

alexthurston.substack.com

“NGOs and Terrorists”

A throwaway phrase from Jared Kushner encapsulates a worldview and a shift.

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Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I want the Prime Minister to look into a TV camera and say the RNLI are heroes, that we do not change policy by street violence in this country, and that he expects any criminal action to face the full force of the law. That's it. That's all he has to do.

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Slightly confused by the decision making at this hotel, whereby the pool is not lifeguarded but *does* have a uniformed guy walking around with a falcon on his arm seemingly 24/7

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Just finished reading Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman on the recommendation of @stephenkb.bsky.social. A brilliant read - I am now pondering which is the gag that Stephen said he “thinks about all the time” in the newsletter

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

So bored of seeing AI on the front cover of the economist almost every week. I know it’s important but it is not the only important thing

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

What if it is not just some weird coincidence that people who care about poverty also tend to care about other forms of oppression? What if people who care about economic justice are also more likely to care about social justice because they are concerned with justice, equity, fairness in general?

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

I was absolutely convinced that New York flooding with Hurricane Sandy back in 2012 would be the turning point in public opinion…

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Michael Clemens @mclem.org · 24/07/2026

Yes, Musk's personal acts to destroy USAID, without the tiniest knowledge of or interest in or study of the consequences, caused mass death around the world.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Children at Risk: The Growing Impact of USAID Cuts on Pediatric Malnutrition and Death Rates

Click on the article title to read more.

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

@neillcameron.bsky.social Behold, Poseidon-nut! Created by my 8 year old daughter and “Lives under the sea! Is really salty!”

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Rare to be as excited by anything in politics as I am about Kirsty McNeill being appointed to FCDO. It’s a very good sign that the PM has chosen someone with so much expertise

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Interested in who will lead on the UK's forthcoming G20 and G7 presidencies - likely Louise Haigh in CO, although Hamish Falconer possibly involved too given his brief?

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Ed Jefferson @edjefferson.com · 20/07/2026

is this reshuffle going to penalties or what

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Lovely couple of examples of what Healey is like in person.

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Rollercoaster ride of a call with HMRC, during which I spoke to 4 people - two of whom were adamant that there is a credit on my account meaning I don't need to make my next payment, the other two of whom told me just as confidently that this complete rubbish.

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Ronald Cornetto has a great ring to it

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Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

You cannot score one goal and then never leave your half again — it’s so foolish to hand your opponent unlimited tokens to keep playing the slot machine

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Brian Larkin @derrymanc.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Colombia v Switzerland being referred to as Charlie v The Chocolate Factory.

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

The amount of time he’s spent in D.C. lately doesn’t really give the vibe of someone who is fighting for their British political career…

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Having been told that the dinosaur birthday cake I ordered would NOT be arriving I have now been told that it may, after all, be delivered, but not definitely. Kind of them to inject edge-of-my-seat suspense into the process of organising a child's 4th birthday party

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

This excellent description of racism as “OOGA BOOGA MY TRIBE YOUR TRIBE” will now pop into my head every time i witness it from now on

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

I was sure registration for Labour conference was open but the website is now just saying 'check back for further information ' am I going mad?

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Love to wait an hour for a delayed train and then stand up all the way instead of doing the work I had planned

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

He worked for Brown at the Treasury for years!

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

I agree with this - think his style would have suited an earlier era - though tbh I had pre ww2 in mind rather than 2004

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Lauren Dobson-Hughes @ldobsonhughes.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

I just finished a paper on the use of health aid as a tool for donor national interest Using health aid as leverage to secure market access or critical minerals is bad enough. Using health aid to punish countries for refusing to do racism is reprehensible www.politico.com/news/2026/06...

politico.com

Trump administration to phase out HIV funding for South Africa

The State Department said the country had failed to address the president’s concerns about treatment of its white citizens.

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Aside from anything else “my beloved working class” is just so patronising

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

The fact that New Yorkers are so *proud* that their mayor is Muslim must blow MAGA minds

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

Managing to have beef with *David Attenborough* is next level

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Trish Greenhalgh @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Every summer I repost this article on how to spot drowning. Please read it and pass on. In the last few years I’ve had SIX messages from people who saved a kid’s life after clicking on the link from my feed. slate.com/technology/2...

slate.com

Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

Drowning is not the violent, splashing call for help that most people expect.

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

I cannot wait til fashion moves on such that women’s clothing shops are not wall to wall brown (sorry, “chocolate”)

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Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

RE: new #Bluey episodes, a reminder that the reason Bandit (the dad) is an archaeologist is because dogs love digging up bones! However, Bluey’s creator Joe Brumm is also brother of renowned Stone Age expert, Professor Adam Brumm, who specialises in the earliest known cave art found in Indonesia…

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

This would be madness - this Govt has already made deeper (proportional) cuts than Trump, deeper cuts than the Tories, etc. It also would not actually help fund defence in any meaningful way. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

giftarticle.ft.com

UK officials discuss fresh aid cuts to help fund higher defence spending

MPs and charities warn against further reductions in overseas aid budget as government steps up military investment

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

This was fun and result feels about right

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

This does make me think that the stories about Tice not paying tax / Farage £5m bung etc may be much more powerful than any amount of pointing out racism, etc

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Does anyone know of travel insurance providers that would pay out for a holiday cancelled due to fuel shortages? Meant to be taking kids on first flying holiday in August, our usual provider have said they would not pay out in that instance…

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Joel’s right and it’s part of how parochial the British political class has become that hardly anyone says this, and that hardly anyone points out that Labour’s ODA cuts have literally killed people.

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

I knew levels of understanding of the good USAID did were low but the idea that a senior politician thought its health work was 'mostly abortions' has still blown my mind

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Lewes wins “creepiest playground” award

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oneoneoneone @oneoneoneone.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Hello Bluesky, this may be a bit of a longshot but does anyone on here know a penguin expert who might be up for answering a couple of questions about penguins for me?

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

My one and only addition to the Harry Potter discourse is to share that in Russia the sound ‘h’ doesn’t really exist so he is called Gary Potter

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

My three year old just came and told me “something peculiar has transpired, in my room” and I’m not sure whether to be more impressed by his vocabulary or worried about what sort of scene I am about to witness

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Looking at the map of road closures for Brighton Marathon that I’ve just had through the letterbox and I’m sorry but that is just such a very long way to run. Why would anyone want to do that

A map showing road closures around Brighton for the upcoming marathon

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

I registered a Ltd Co last week and have already received 3 pieces of personalised junk mail from banks and accounting software. Given that no other institution knows yet, can only assume HMRC or Companies House have sold my data. How is this legal/ GDPR compliant?

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Making light of the death of human beings in this way - even if they are “combatants”, however defined - is disgusting

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Hannah Graham @drhannahgraham.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Police Scotland fined after sharing contents of victim's phone – including intimate images and her medical records – with the officer accused of her rape, and sharing it with his Police Federation rep and his solicitor. Words fail me. news.stv.tv/scotland/pol...

news.stv.tv

Police fined £66,000 after sharing contents of victim's phone with alleged rapist

The information watchdog said it was a 'stark example of the devastating consequences of poor data protection practices'

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Charlie Matthews @charliematthews.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

How about animas who belonged to famous Britons on bank notes?

A statue of Hodge, “a very fine cat belonging to Samuel Johnson”

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