iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by James Leach

sky @iamspacegirl.bsky.social · 04/08/2023

hey, I just met Zeus and this is crazy but he's a swan and I'm having babies

James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Latest newsletter is live: loved geeking out on the long lost story of The Cage and the Pike TOS that never was. Plus @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk’s piece on why the UK government is nowhere on confronting far right thugs itsallstorytelling.substack.com/p/the-week-i...

itsallstorytelling.substack.com

The Week in Storytelling: 13th September, 2026

This week: the Star Trek that never was, the Falling Man revisited and what election campaigns can learn from football tactics. Plus, why is the UK government afraid to confront far right thugs?

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Really feels like Iran and its proxies blocking our major shipping routes wasn't a coherent strategy until Trump put the idea in their heads. Fucking idiot.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Jesus if someone you knew had been *legitimately* scammed, wouldn't you stop feeling sympathy for them if they gave you this response.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

So we’re all going to spend the next four weeks tearing apart everything James Orr has ever published and looking into Cambridge’s hiring policies. Right guys? Guys?

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

There’s Deputy Leader Richard Tice, a weird, damp towel of a man. Tice’s eyes seem permanently affixed with a look of mild terror, as if he’s constantly worried that he’s going to shit himself at any moment itsallstorytelling.substack.com/p/why-reform...

itsallstorytelling.substack.com

Why Reform’s rise suddenly looks very resistible

The four key stories that suggest Nigel Farage’s latest political party could be in trouble.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

@stephenkb.bsky.social excellent on The News Agents tonight. And got me thinking that we are too eager to divorce vetting scandals from specific institutional context. If Arday had been appointed ambassador to a G7 country we’d be more outraged about the people who vetted him.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Your reminder that Reform clutch their pearls if someone is mean about them but Zia Yusuf can call people traitors to his heart’s content.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

To @iandunt.bsky.social’s point, ChatGPT has started saying ”that makes me smile” in responses and I’ve begged it to stop as it’s fucking terrifying.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Sorry to read this. Listened to an interview @lewisgoodall.com did with her back in Feb and she sounded like an incredibly brave and compassionate woman. Natalie Fleet leaves 'triggering' safeguarding minister role www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Natalie Fleet leaves 'triggering' safeguarding minister role

The MP for Bolsover has spoken about how she was groomed and raped as a teenager.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Agreed. Just seems (for now) indicative of a man who is listening.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Not sure which bits of House of the Dragon S3 are more @stephenkb.bsky.social adjacent - the fact HBO made me wait so long that I’ve forgotten who half the cast are, or that Rhaenyra is making Keir Starmeresque blunders, governing erratically and needlessly pissing off her core supporters.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Why not soothe your distress about England’s first Tuchel era disappointment by reading my gripes about “Dear England”, the rather long winded TV dramatisation of the Southgate era. itsallstorytelling.substack.com/p/what-dear-...

itsallstorytelling.substack.com

What 'Dear England' gets wrong about football

As Thomas Tuchel's England is knocked out of another World Cup semi final, the BBC's dramatisation of the Gareth Southgate era already feels curiously dated.

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Rachel Cunliffe @rmcunliffe.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I am confused. I thought when Josh Simons quit as an MP to call an unnecessary by-election it was a huge waste of taxpayer funds and an insult to voters?

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Latest newsletter has a useful explainer on the differences between Tuchel and Southgate’s managment styles. Plus I read Keir Starmer’s Substack so you don’t have to open.substack.com/pub/itsallst...

open.substack.com

The Week in Storytelling: 5th July, 2026

This week: a belated post-mortem for the Kamala Harris campaign. Plus, Keir Starmer's forgettable Substack, Tuchel and Southgate compared, and the weirdness of Daniel Craig's Bond era.

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Reposted by James Leach

Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Are we sure this isn't Le Chiffre?

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

This is probably true but as my dad, a useful bellwether of the moderate voter, said to me this weekend - "Yeah but no one likes him."

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Reposted by James Leach

Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

But please, tell us again how arbitrary and joyless Net Zero is

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

What? These are just like those banking ads with the shit performance poetry.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Latest from me: why the myth of Andy Burnham is more powerful than the man - and the unfortunate parallels starting to emerge with both Starmer and one Boris Johnson. open.substack.com/pub/itsallst...

open.substack.com

Cometh the hour, cometh the Mayor

Why the idea of Andy Burnham might be more powerful than the man.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

I'm unashamedly writing about Anthony Head in the second week in a row. Namely how he flirts with Sharon Maughan over coffee WHEN HE'S ALREADY ON A DATE WITH ANOTHER WOMAN itsallstorytelling.substack.com/p/the-week-i...

itsallstorytelling.substack.com

The Week in Storytelling: 15th June, 2026

This week: I want your ideas for newsletters! Plus, memories of Euro '96, what 'Rivals' gets wrong about the 1987 General Election (it's everything) and some bonus coffee erotica.

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Reposted by James Leach

Holger Nehring @holgernehring.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

The problem is: like Starmer, he has a strategy of winning. He does not have a strategy for governing (cf his now rowed-back Waspi women comment; his evasiveness about fiscal rules etc.). My prediction: Burnham will resemble Johnson in government.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Ok this analogy from @edzitron.com to describe the stupidity of LLMs made me laugh so hard I nearly fell off my chair.

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Reposted by James Leach

Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

Not that dissimilar to the argument Dawkins made himself about religion, hence the irony in the Claude Delusion. Something mysterious happens which my science or education can't explain, therefore must be a powerful deity.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Both Thompson and Ezra Klein are symptomatic of this really tedious “I’m just asking questions” liberalism that entertains any old bollocks.

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Reposted by James Leach

Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

funnily enough there was a kid at my school whose dad was actually Knight Rider

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Reposted by James Leach

Chris Terry-Enescu @cjterry.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

The plans to make Andy Burnham PM have an increasingly "here's how we get a government of national unity to stop Brexit without Jeremy Corbyn being made Prime Minister" feel to them

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

@zoecrowther.bsky.social Not sure this is the "gotcha" everyone thinks it is, given a lot of political speeches are written in a certain staccato tone. It's actually just as likely that ChatGPT is trained on speeches on this, hence why they sound alike.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

This morning’s election coverage a good example of what @samfr.bsky.social discusses in Failed State about Westminster media’s obsession with its own past. Heard an Anthony Meyer stalking horse joke from Jeremy Vine on LK and someone wanging on about Roy Jenkins on Trevor Phillips. Who cares?

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Brb guys I’ve got about 8 hours of emergency local election podcasts to listen to

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Loved this from @stephenkb.bsky.social in my inbox this morning. Racism and competence are often treated as two separate things. "Yeah Greens hate Israel, but at least I'll get a new garden waste bin" doesn't quite track. If you're racist, you lack decency, impulse control & common sense.

It is considerably easier to judge whether a candidate has made egregiously racist remarks on social media than it is to work out whether your new candidates have the ability to say, run children’s services, or adult social care, or oversee the maintenance of housing, whether for social tenants or for owner-occupiers in former council housing, or manage refuse collections, all of which will be among the in-trays for new Green councillors.

Saying racist things is a sign you are unfit for office, both because of the fundamental moral issue but also because racism is an issue of poor judgment and incompetence.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

The prequel trilogy is thematically deeper and better plotted than the sequel trilogy.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Polanski loves to say he wants to “make hope normal again”. He could start by making it clear that anti-Semites are not welcome in the Green Party. That might give hope to British Jews who are forced to endure this horrible, endless bile. itsallstorytelling.substack.com/p/the-return...

itsallstorytelling.substack.com

The return of left-wing anti-Semitism

Let's be honest, it probably never went away.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Charles sticking it to Trump with this speech. while simultaneously kissing his arse. Soft power indeed.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

This week’s newsletter roundup is mainly me raving about how much I’ve enjoyed “Failed State“ by @samfr.bsky.social And how he’s sadly convinced me that booting Starmer out of office won’t fix our problem - though nor will keeping him. Oh and MJ puns. open.substack.com/pub/itsallst...

open.substack.com

The Week in Storytelling: 27th April, 2026

This week: the new Michael Jackson biopic is bad....it's bad....it's really, really bad. Plus, the dark side of international student recruitment & the end of cheap AI.

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Twlldun @twlldun.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

It’s like sitting in the back seat of a taxi driving incredibly slowly towards a cliff and the taxi driver has turned around and is talking to you *and* he’s talking fucking nonsense

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Twlldun @twlldun.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Starmer’s self image is “I never lie, I always follow the rules”. Jeremy’s self image was “I have been an anti-racist all my life”. Look at the sniffy fury both of them display when their self-image is challenged. That inability to accept criticism and grow is their original sin.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Since this prediction by Schulman about mass AI unemployment seems to be doing the rounds on my feed, thought it’s worth sharing my fairly blistering take down of another such warning back in February. open.substack.com/pub/itsallst...

open.substack.com

The AI revolution will be monetised

A close reading of Matt Shumer's viral essay reveals how AI entrepreneurs sell us ill-informed prophecies of doom, in the hope of compelling us to buy their products.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

As others like @lewisgoodall.com have also flagged - the “we all knew he was a wrong un” narrative coming out of Westminster is BS. We treated him like a guru. We treat all these political advisers like gurus until they’re not. See also Dominic Cummings.

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

An example of what I was talking about in my piece last week. Just stop overanalysing Trump. itsallstorytelling.substack.com/p/the-end-of...

itsallstorytelling.substack.com

The end of Trump Rationalisation Syndrome

Can we finally admit he hasn't a clue what he's doing?

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

How did we go from “we choose to go to the Moon” to “dead raccoon penis”in one generation?

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Janine Gibson @janinegibson.ft.com · 18/04/2026

You're going to be talking about Starmer this weekend even to the teens, based on my Friday night, so read @stephenkb.bsky.social so you have something intelligent to say as.ft.com/r/18df925a-e...

as.ft.com

The Starmer-shaped hole where a prime minister should be

Mandelson scandal shows he has never successfully made the transition from an opposition mindset to a governing one

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Bookmark this for the next time one of these goons weighs in on a footballer taking the knee Or a company using a trans influencer to promote a beer brand. What’s that? Oh they’re rank hypocrites. Fine www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

theguardian.com

JD Vance defends Trump amid spat with Pope Leo: ‘Stick to matters of morality’

Catholic vice-president effectively tells Leo to stay in his lane after pope criticized the White House over the Iran war

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James Leach @jecleach.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

@stephenkb.bsky.social A good case study: Starmer was interviewed by Peston last week. Peston made the valid point that employer NICs rises were kinda batshit if you want to turbocharge growth. Starmer: Something something something businesses will grow better with happy workers.

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

An organisation’s culture is set by its leader, Starmer dislikes making an argument for anything (because he’s bad at it) and that attitude spreads all the way down the party.

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