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Georgie Holmes-Skelton

@georgierose.bsky.social
1.2K followers 631 following 271 posts

Dabbler in nature, heritage, climate policy. Head of Public Policy for a UK conservation charity. Former House of Commons clerk and general purpose nerd. All comments in a personal capacity. She/her

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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Yes. That’s exactly it. The real mind virus.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
There’s a lot that I hate about this, but perhaps most of all I hate how much OP just wants to exist in a world dedicated to himself. No curiosity, no desire to explore anything new, experience stories other people want to share. Just marinade himself in a game version of his own existence.
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John Springford @johnspringford.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Conservatives double the cost of net zero with spreadsheet error. Spiky comment from the Climate Change Committee, whose estimates they messed up www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Tories overstate net zero cost by nearly £500bn in apparent spreadsheet error
Exclusive: Badenoch’s flagship conference policy document cites £957bn estimate, twice the total in climate advisers’ data
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
READ: If you haven’t seen this yet, please take a look. Motonormativity ("car brain") is a bias that stops people from making rational judgements about driving. This study co-authored by @ianwalker.bsky.social looks at where this bias comes from & how it works. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Screetshot of study title “Why Do Cars Get A Free Ride?” #CarBrain #Motonormativity
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Carbon Brief @carbonbrief.org · 16/09/2026
NEW – CCC: Heathrow expansion could push flights to ‘80% of UK emissions by 2050’ | By @joshgabbatiss.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/SBtfvG3
Aviation is on track to reach 80% of UK CO2 emissions by 2050 with Heathrow expansion, says CCC. Residual CO2 emissions in 2050 under the CCC balanced net-zero pathway, with the impact of a proposed Heathrow expansion, MtCO2. Horizontal bar chart showing aviation far exceeding all other sectors. Source: Climate Change Committee - (alt text generated by Google Gemini)
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Argh I’m sorry. I know this particular dynamic and it’s not an easy one.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
yes. They could just not do the thing that they claim is going to end humanity. It's a choice that is really in their hands to make.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
And I don't think it's that big an ask of officials to get external input into stakeholder mapping early in policy development if they don't know who is active in a policy sphere. It's not that hard to get right, but has a massive impact for later implementation and delivery.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I dont think anyone is necessarily asking for special treatment for charities when they're acting as a landlord or provider of goods or services. But some basic recognition that they're not acting in service of private profit but public benefit would lead to better outcomes for everyone.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
... and so the overall public impact of the change cannot be fully assessed by the Department or the Minister in making a decision. And on so many occasions when these impacts are highlighted the response from officials seems to be essentially a shrug.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
That has consequences for charities' ability to deliver their charitable purposes - either due to regulatory burdens or financial impacts - which ultimately impacts directly on the public. This reduction in charitable activity is not being identified as a risk during policy making...
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This isn't a genuinely considered desire to capture charitable activity within regulatory burdens and changes aimed primarily at rogue private sector operators, but a failure to even consider that such organisations could be impacted. A complete gap in terms of awareness and stakeholder mapping.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I'm usually the first to stand up for the civil service, but I have to say I have the distinct feeling that the quality of policy making is deteriorating. I've seen multiple occasions in recent years where policies have been pushed ahead with serious unforeseen consequences for charities and NGOs.
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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Spectacular Roman octopus mosaic from the floor of the women’s changing room at the Central Baths in ancient Herculaneum. 📷 by me #MosaicMonday #Archaeology
My photo shows a monochrome Roman floor mosaic depicting an octopus. The octopus is composed of small black tesserae (tiles) and has eight writhing arms with suckers and narrow curling tips. It is set against a white tesserae background. This octopus detail comes from a monochrome marine mosaic featuring Triton with a cherub and various sea creatures which include the octopus, dolphins and a cuttlefish. From the floor of the women's changing room at the Central Baths in Herculaneum.
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Louise, Prof/Dr @louiselocock.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Oh blimey, here we go again. Time to vote in the National Trust AGM to keep so-called 'Restore Trust' off the council. Use the quick vote to ensure we don't split the anti-Restore vote. Or.... 1/2 www.nationaltrust.org.uk/who-we-are/a...
nationaltrust.org.uk
Annual General Meeting
Your Annual General Meeting will take place online and in person on Saturday 7th November 2026 at the STEAM Museum, Swindon.
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PJ Onori @pjonori.com · 13/09/2026
It’s hard to watch this as a design system practitioner and not have a nagging, “are we the baddies?” moment. m.youtube.com/watch?v=HgjX...
m.youtube.com
Why Nothing Looks Cool Anymore
YouTube video by Design Theory
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Graeme Swanson @swansonian.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
“Is there anything to be said for another by-election in Clacton?”
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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 02/09/2026
again, the knowledge that coverage like this now happens because of some people who call themselves feminists drives me insane - must everyone who happened to have been born a girl be seen through the lens of "but what about breastfeeding"? is that really what we're doing, again?
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Is that more thunder in the distance? Oh no, just the main stage at the Reading Festival gearing up.
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William Shakespeare @shakespeare.lol · 25/08/2026
[Exit Queen.]
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Vincent Wildlife Trust @vincentwt.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Be part of VWT’s new annual Citizen Science Survey — Marten Month (September). Your pine marten sightings (dead or alive) will add to our records and to our understanding of how to help this species thrive. For more info bit.ly/4zDvsZX This survey has been made possible by @biggive.bsky.social
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Stephen Collins @stephencollins.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
Every ad now
[Scene is a kitchen - a middle aged woman called JANET is boiling peas at the stove. A younger more colourfully dressed woman named LIZ approached her.]

JANET:
Ugh...

LIZ:
What's up?

JANET:
I am so bored of cooking peas!

LIZ:
Have you tried...

AI peas?

JANET:
AI peas?

LIZ:
They're peas with AI!

[Liz holds up to us a packet of peas labelled: Pea-i AI - Peas with AI].

LIZ:
Al-powered peas harness the potential of your peas

JANET:
What

LIZ [Now a voiceover as we cut to a whizzy technology diagram of peas all connected by meaningless dotted lines]

Why not take your peas to the next level with Al Peas' new Al tools to power your peas?

[Show a techno diagram of a pea with a label reading 'AI' pointing to a random zone in it]

LIZ:

Each pea has Al in a way we haven't quite worked out yet but it's fine

[Show Janet and Liz now in a Matrix-style world of peas]

LIZ:
With Al peas you can supercharge productivity and make AI work for your peas!

JANET:
What

LIZ:
Shut up

LIZ:
Our game-changing Pea-Al gives you the freedom to unlock the potential of the power of the future of your peas workflow

From opening the bag of peas

to boiling the peas

to eating the peas

To spending millions on adding Al to the peas and then having to work out what that even means.

JANET:
Is it really necessary to-

LIZ [Grabbing Janet by the collar]:
THE PEAS HAVE GOT AI, JANET

[Cut to an advert ending screen, with the bag of peas and the slogan:

AI PEAS: Just 'Peas' for god's sake buy the AI peas.

[Ends]
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
One of the things the guys (always guys) hyper-rationalising on behalf of data centres seem to not understand is that these physical bits of infrastructure are also doing a lot of metaphorical heavy lifting for people who are ambivalent about and/or have low trust in tech
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National Trust @nationaltrust.org.uk · 24/08/2026
“For generations as a nation we've drained wetlands, straightened rivers and moved water off the land as quickly as possible. Here, we've reversed that approach and the results are remarkable." Aerial images of Holnicote in Somerset reveal the benefits of rewilding: bit.ly/4g9Linx
bit.ly
Rewilded land remains green amid drought-stricken English countryside, images show
National Trust’s Holnicote estate says restored wetlands and rivers offer proof of resilience to drought, wildfires and flooding
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Every time I see commentary like this in the US I wonder what voters there really understand by “democratic socialism”. Because I have a feeling it’s not what the rest of the world thinks it is.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I really think this is very under-acknowledged everywhere. Those couple of years had deep impacts on so many levels. I don’t think it’s the only thing in play, but it’s definitely very significant.
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Another Green @anothergreen.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Wow under 6% of this afternoon's electricity is from fossil fuels! #NetZero #LoveNetZero
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Richard M. Nixon @dicknixon.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Larry laid his mouse in front of the press to be photographed. Lest you ask, this is a real photograph via the Press Association.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Thank you! It’s among my least favourite tasks, but at least I’ve had a lot of practice 😂
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Wow this is quite a cull.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
So many stories I can't/shouldn't share. Being called, as a relatively junior official, to explain to an entire govt department's leadership group what a hypothetical minority govt might entail for govt policy making remains one of the more surreal. 2015 was a more innocent time, constitutionally.
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Dan Grey @dangrey.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Badenoch just said, on national TV, that UK's carbon emissions have gone up "in total" because of the 2008 Climate Change Act. They have, in fact, declined by more than half. Did #Kuenssberg break in to point this basic fact out? Of course not
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
You absolutely can do this, but it's probably because it's generally quicker to take a mainline train Reading - Paddington then get on the Lizzie line from there.
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Alice Lilly @aliceolilly.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
It's England's world cup semi-finals day. Forget team selection dilemmas and xG analysis. What you really want is a really nerdy deep-dive into football, pub opening hours, and what they tell you about the most important form of legislation that you may never have heard of. Let's go.
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Rosie (she/her) @airfriedrosie.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Remember Streeting's review into whether young people are being overdiagnosed with ADHD, autism, and mental health issues? Well, the interim report is out, and there's a reason the media are silent on it (spoiler: it proves what a lot of us have been saying all along)
In others, notably ADHD and autism, rising diagnoses and referrals appear to exceed changes in underlying epidemiological prevalence and are likely to reflect a combination of:

improved recognition
changing help-seeking behaviour
institutional incentives
pressures within existing service pathways
Across both ADHD and autism, best currently available population-based estimates remain relatively stable, while administrative diagnoses, self-identification and recorded service demand have increased substantially. In autism, the evidence also points to particularly rapid growth in identified need within educational systems, including increasing identification among girls and among young people without learning disability.These patterns suggest that rising demand is not simply the result of increasing prevalence, but of several processes operating simultaneously, including:

real increases in distress in some groups
improved recognition of previously unmet need
changing expectations about support
systems that frequently rely on formal diagnosis as the primary route to assistance
Across the system, support is too often accessed through pathways that are slow, fragmented and heavily dependent on diagnostic categorisation. While diagnosis remains essential for some forms of clinical decision-making, the evidence suggests that current arrangements do not always provide the most effective or efficient way of identifying and responding to need. In particular, where access to support depends heavily on formal diagnosis, demand for diagnostic assessment can increase more rapidly than systems are able to respond, generating long waiting times, duplication of assessment and pressure on specialist services.

The next phase of the review will therefore focus on clarifying the relationship between distress, diagnosis and need, and on examining how systems might respond more effectively to these patterns. A central objective will be to identify opportunities for developing more coherent, evidence-informed care pathways that enable support to be provided earlier and more proportionately, while ensuring that specialist services are available in a timely and appropriate manner for those whose needs are most complex.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I er. Did not see that plot twist coming.
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It's Pipes, Mum! Pipes is here! @scriblit.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Reject trumpist & fifa corruption, RETVRN to Original Rules Football (half of a whole working class town against the other half, played over several miles on Pancake Day, you're allowed to shank your neighbour if you write an apology to the pope, chance of the game starting a 6 month civil war)
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
👀
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National Trust @nationaltrust.org.uk · 28/06/2026
With its stunning scent and dazzling colour, is there anything better than swathes of lavender?
A furry bumblebee perches on the tiny purple flowers of a lavenderA sea of lavender stretches out in a purple blanket towards triangular green hedgesA regal stone statue of a naked man lifting an arm stands above a sea of purple lavender and triangular green hedgesA delicate white butterfly perches on a purple bloom of lavender, with a blurry purple background
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👻madeline bOoOoOoOodent👻 @oldenoughtosay.com · 25/06/2026
A short story
A photo of the house in question, brick built, standalone, surrounded by an empty field In 2013, using $600,000 in city capital funds, Parks & Recreation embarked on the first phase of the letitia House rehabilitation project.With help from an $80,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation, the Conservancy and the CDC oversaw phase two of the project,
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Kevin Smith @kevinjgsmith.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Climate emergency cancels Reform's "cancel the climate emergency" meeting - council members were due to vote on Thurs on a Reform motion to rescind the climate emergency.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Trying not to roll my eyes too hard at the journalists asking "What is wrong with british politics?" as if they've not thoroughly enjoyed every single time this has happened in the last decade.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Sigh. *brushes off the welcome letters*
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Good LORD London is humid today. I am unpleasantly moist.
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Georgie Holmes-Skelton @georgierose.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
This is a fun game. 1) Single parent family, on free school dinners for a time, descended from welsh miners and scouse ne'er do wells. 2) Attended a private school for sixth form, have a PPE degree.
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abby (sports) @stabbyabby.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Everyone shut up I finally got a video of Jyn doing her cartoon snoring thing
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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
To bring a smile to your face, here’s an ancient Egyptian sketch of a cat serving a mouse! 😄 Some 3,000 years ago, the artist used a flake of limestone as a sketchpad for this fun scene. 📷 Brooklyn Museum www.brooklynmuseum.org/en-GB/object... #Archaeology
The image shows an ancient Egyptian sketch drawn on a limestone flake (ostracon) using black pigment. It depicts a cat and a mouse in profile imitating human behaviour. On the left is a tabby cat with pointed ears standing on its hind legs facing right. It is serving a mouse seated opposite. The cat holds a piece of cloth in its left paw. In its right paw it holds a large semicircular fan with a long handle, and a roasted duck which it is offering to the mouse. Facing the cat, a seemingly female mouse sits on a folding stool with its long tail hanging over the back of the stool. The mouse wears a long skirt and has a lotus flower on her forehead. She holds out a dish or cup in her right hand perhaps to be filled, and in her left hand she holds a flower and a cloth (often held by pharaohs). Dimensions 8.9 x 17.3 x 1.1 cm. Dated  c. 1295–1075 BC. Animals imitating human behaviour are well-known in Egyptian art. Although their meaning is uncertain, it’s suggested they may illustrate a fable, or perhaps represent a satire of the royal family, or maybe they are just a sketch made for fun by the artist.
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Everyone on X and elsewhere who called for a violent response should be charged with incitement. Everyone involved in the pogrom should be locked up with exemplary sentences. Govt should make it clear that will be the response in future anywhere else. Enough.
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Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
We used to call them ‘race riots’ now we call them ‘anti-immigration protests’.
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Absolutely crucial piece of research on misinformation in local news on Facebook, X and Nextdoor by @smfthinktank.bsky.social Full report is here (www.smf.co.uk/publications...) but these are some key findings:
2 in 5 local Facebook groups and over four-fifths of X searches featured at least one piece of misinformation in their last 1,000 posts. Of 19 Nextdoor locations studied, 3 were found to contain misinformation.
Nearly 1 in 26 (4%) of news related posts on Facebook were misinformation; on X the ratio is over 1 in 4 (28%)
Places in local authorities with no or limited local news outlets (e.g. ‘news deserts’) had nearly 3 times as much fake news as a share of all posts as average on Facebook groups, albeit based upon 12 groups worth of data.
Conversely, places with a relatively high number of local news outlets (‘news oases’) have half as much misinformation as average, again based upon a limited sample (13 groups).
Places with local elections, on average, saw more misinformation in the run up to polling day than they did earlier in the year. Misinformation as a share of all posts increased from 0.12% to 0.15% (26% increase) and as a share of news grew from 8.2% to 12.9% (56%).
The rate of misinformation seen across four Gorton and Denton local Facebook groups was 26 times higher than in the wider Facebook analysis – 3% of 1,000 posts were identified as fake news, compared to 0.1% nationally. This is driven by far more news related posts on these groups, and a near doubling of the share of them being classified as misinformation.
Three in five misinformation posts (61%) in places with local elections in the week of the vote related to national politics or council issues, compared to 28% in the wider national analysis earlier in the year.
1 in 5 ‘fake news’ (19%) posts analysed on Facebook groups related to local issues, including planning, transport, local services and council politics. Our case studies revealed how planning applications could be misinterpreted into the “council selling off the beach”, or how local authority communications can be faked.
A third (32%) of misinformation found on X was anti-immigration or Islamophobic, far ahead of the next most common, h…
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