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Jim Ostler

@jimostler.bsky.social
52 followers 116 following 174 posts

Bromley, books, evensong.

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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 1h
I've had some "pinch me" moments watching my daughter in St Margaret's Choristers, but last night's Mozart Requiem takes the biscuit. Wow. The girls are now a fully fledged (and hopefully enduring) part of @westminsterabbey.bsky.social 's choral tradition www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-events...
westminster-abbey.org
Concert: Mozart Requiem and Allegri Miserere | Westminster Abbey
The St Margaret’s Choristers give their debut concert in Westminster Abbey accompanied by The English Concert, singing masterpieces by Mozart, Allegri and Haydn.
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Royal College of Nursing @rcn.org.uk · 29/09/2026
The Home Secretary is right to recognise that her planned reforms on leave to remain are seen as unfair. They're also a direct threat to the success of a new national care service. (1/2) ⬇️
theguardian.com
Shabana Mahmood hints she could water down plans on leave to remain
Home secretary under pressure over changes that would make it harder for foreign workers to claim permanent residence
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Joel Morris @gralefrit.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Just noticed that Bod and Bond have the same title sequence.
The name’s Bod…… James Bod.
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Nifferama @nifferama.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
There is so much medical good news on a daily basis that it’s truly hard to get it promoted in the midst of all the chaos. Especially in the “wellness”/anti-public health contingent right now. 
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Great that @westminsterabbey.bsky.social can now stream services from St Margaret's. Chaminade,Vivaldi. www.youtube.com/live/j-Uy6Nq...
youtube.com
Sung Eucharist at St Margaret's Church | Sunday 27th September
YouTube video by Westminster Abbey
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 24/09/2026
Everyone, stop what you are doing. I've discovered there is a politician called Teresa May running for city council in British Columbia. And this is from one of her campaign videos. Never have two people with the same name had such different vibes.
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I have had hours of innocent fun here with Bob and Andy. Pure silliness. It's a privilege hearing a bona fide comedy genius working characters and sketch formats out right in front of you, not once, not twice but again and again and again. Sad Mince is gone, but we're all lucky it went on so long.
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Postcard From The Past @pastpostcard.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
No music at the Bungalow Tea Rooms.
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Liam Thorp @liamthorp.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
This is simply far-right terrorism. And right now it’s being done with impunity.
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Oh, this sucks.
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
UK politics has never been a level-playing field financially. The Conservatives have always outspent other parties, & smaller parties invariably struggle for cash. But this is a different order of magnitude. It's the difference between having a larger army & an atomic bomb. Parliament *must* act.
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David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Quite. Today’s Inside Politics newsletter by @stephenkb.bsky.social
As of this year, it is illegal to use a mask to hide your identity at a protest. It has been illegal for a lot longer than that to blockade critical infrastructure - like a port, say. — and it is corrosive to the foundations of liberal democracy to turn up in masks outside a newspaper's HQ because of a legitimate story you don't like.
Tackling this stuff is the bare minimum of what we should expect of any government. An administration that appears incapable of arresting the ringleaders or the attendees of such a protest is one that is visibly failing to do the basics of being a government. It feeds into a general narrative of malaise - that whether it is bike theft or responding to tricky geopolitical issues, Labour cannot govern. Taken together with Reform's difficulties, it is a gift for the Conservatives - if Kemi Badenoch can seize it.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
1934
Adolph Hitler, out of prison, took advantage of the groans. He told people that he would make Germany "great" again. He blamed Jews, socialists, communists and others for the troubles of the land. His blazing speeches gained followers for his "cause."
--The Hamilton Spectator, 4 Jan 1934
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/s... "It doesn't make our city look like the welcoming city it is." No, probably not.
theguardian.com
Protesters outside Portsmouth hotel mistake Pakistan U19 cricket team for asylum seekers
A group of masked agitators gathered outside a four-star hotel in Portsmouth after reports a group of asylum seekers had been taken there, when it was in fact Pakistan’s under-19 cricket team on a tou...
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Comics Covers @comicscovers.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Hercules Unbound 5 (3209)
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
90 years ago, Parliament responded to the rise of Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts by passing the Public Order Act, which banned political uniforms, private militias and the threat of force for political objects. The debates make very resonant reading today. Here's the Liberal Robert Bernays. (Short 🧵)
You cannot conduct a fair match when one side is playing with a ball and the other with bombs and, if democracy is to survive, it must be conducted according to definite and recognised rule. One of them is that no political party should resort to any weapon other than reason and argument. The introduction of private armies, as I see it, strikes at the root of democracy. I know it is contended that the Blackshirts are not armed and, therefore, are not an army, but I do not think that argument can be upheld. … Uniformed men in military formation suggest, and are meant to suggest, the idea of force. It is no argument to reply that at this or that demonstration no force is intended. It is an inescapable fact that a uniform in politics symbolises force, to be used either now or in the future.
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HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 06/09/2026
Patriot Platform, the far-right group whose black-clad masked members caused hours of disruption in Dover yesterday, calls itself a Christian “army of patriots” dedicated to protecting women and children. There’s a problem with that story.
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Phil Brickell MP @philbrickellmp.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
🧵1/ I worked in anti-corruption for years before becoming an MP. Nigel Farage has serious questions to answer following the undercover investigation into Reform UK's fundraising practices. This is now for the police and donations watchdog to resolve, but here is what I want to know:
theguardian.com
Reform officials ‘plotted to break law on foreign donations’ in undercover film
Investigation broadcast by Channel 4 News shows man posing as ‘impermissible donor’ paying for polling that helped Reform
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Royal College of Nursing @rcn.org.uk · 04/09/2026
"I strongly believe no nursing graduate should complete their degree without a clear route into employment when demand is rising and nursing vacancies remain unfilled across health and care" -Professor Nicola Ranger Sign our Committee's open letter to demand action: www.futureofnursing.uk (2/2)
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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation. 🔗 Read the exclusive story on Substack:
channel4news.substack.com
Exclusive: Nigel Farage filmed undercover celebrating secret new foreign donations
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation.
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Municipal Dreams @municipaldreams.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Not often you see a London bus commemorated in a church stained glass window. This is a memorial window for James Kenneth Roe, designed and made by David Griffiths in 2023, located in St Mary's, Downe, a rural village in the London Borough of Bromley, formerly part of Kent.
Image of single-decker London Bus 146 to DowneImage of stained glass windowExterior image of church
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Rob Davies @byrobdavies.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
"I want your children's lungs to be smaller and less functional" is a bold electoral strategy.
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I presume I won't ever be able to say "I just saw my daughter sing at Notre Dame" again, so: I just saw my daughter sing at Notre Dame. (This is not Notre Dame. This is La Madeleine, where St Margaret's Choristers of @westminsterabbey.bsky.social also sang a concert on their tour of Paris).
Royal Peculiar red robes! Astonishing altar sculpture! Happy-looking choristers.
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Joel Morris @gralefrit.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Carney should sign an executive order renaming President Donald Trump “Presidump Doofwad McFarts.” Big scroll. Fountain pen. Grave expression. Press conference.
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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Russia’s favourite cash machine
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Feel like I have used London properly this week: groundling for a lively As You Like It at the Globe on Sunday, a fun Prom on Monday, and now a fantastic day at Kew Gardens. The Henry Moore is unmissable.
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Royal College of Nursing @rcn.org.uk · 18/08/2026
Say this to the nurses collapsing in hospitals and the thousands of patients lining corridors every day due to extreme heat. Climate change is a public health emergency that’s getting worse in front of our eyes. The nursing profession doesn’t want out of touch interventions, but action.
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Absolutely amazing new piece by Gabriel Kahane performed by Anthony McGill at tonight’s Prom.
bbc.co.uk
Radio 3 - Listen Live - BBC Sounds
Listen live to Radio 3 on BBC Sounds
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Mark Jones @drmjones.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
@crumpledlinenpress.com’s first volume - an annotated manuscript facsimile edition of M.R James’s ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’ - is hitting doorsteps over the next few days!
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
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Adso of Menk @adsomenk.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
*Bernard Quatermass has entered the chat*
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
What a lovely piece. A few years ago, my sister conducted a Brahms Requiem with Stewkley Singers. Almost accidentally, she shored up the choir with my mum on alto, me on tenor and my brother on bass. It was dedicated to my late dad. A powerful evening musically, but even more so for us as a family.
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Choir of St George's Beckenham singing at Chichester from tomorrow (Friday and Saturday evensongs at 5.30 pm).
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 04/08/2026
A reminder to all NHS staff: you are loved, wanted and appreciated by millions of Londoners, and we collectively condemn the vile racism you continue to experience.
theguardian.com
NHS radiographers report rise in overt racist abuse by patients
Survey reveals medics were called ‘monkeys’ and ‘dirty foreigners’, and patients refused to be seen by black or Asian staff
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
As I kept saying before he took over all the "we have no idea what he wants to do" comment was so weird. Few incoming PMs have had a clearer set of priorities.
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Westminster Abbey @westminsterabbey.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Thank you to our departing St Margaret's Choristers, who sang their final service with the choir this month. We wish each of the girls the very best for the future as they move to the next stage of their lives - though we look forward to seeing them for our trip to Paris before they finally leave!
As founder members, all four of the girls have been part of the choir's journey from its very first rehearsals to singing regular services in St Margaret’s and the Abbey, performing in Parliament, and giving concerts to audiences of hundreds.
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Pip @pipmadeley.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
"Britain can't stop climate change. Scrap net zero and embrace Mediterranean life" - Torygraph twat A sea of molten lava advances towards a group of people from a parallel dimension.
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Re the Emily Wilson discourse - her Dad (A N Wilson) was the king of literary feuds. A good family tradition. Best one was his feud with Bevis Hillier who hoaxed him into including a fake letter in his biography of Bejteman where the first letter of each sentence spelt "AN Wilson is a shit".
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 23/07/2026
I've said it before: ignore the haters. Met data shows there were 35,000 fewer neighbourhood crimes last year than the year before. While some spread myths online, the Met is cutting crime and making our streets safer for everyone, with record funding from City Hall.
theguardian.com
If you’ve heard online that London is dystopian and dangerous – read this. It just isn’t | Sadiq Khan
Britain’s capital has faced social media, press and political attacks designed to make residents and tourists feel unsafe. Ignore that: we have the facts, says London mayor Sadiq Khan
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Jarrod Kimber @jarrodkimber.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
On the Bazall era open.substack.com/pub/wickets/...
open.substack.com
Death to Bazball
When they were flying, it felt like everything English cricket had ever wanted to be. When they hit the ground, it hurt.
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Dr Dean Burnett @drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
18 months on, this post has aged *terrifyingly* well
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Always love the writing of @philipreeve.bsky.social but the last 100 pages of his latest--an extended action sequence--are really special.
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
www.westminster-abbey.org/worship-and-... The last evensong of the year from @westminsterabbey.bsky.social 's girls' choir, St Margaret's Choristers. Leighton responses, Howells Coll Reg, and McDowall's rather moving I Know that My Redeemer Liveth.
westminster-abbey.org
Watch services from the Abbey | Westminster Abbey
Enjoy and experience regular and special services from Westminster Abbey from wherever you are in the world - either live or on demand.
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The Amazing Worlds of Doctor Who @worldsofdrwho.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Art c/o "DR.WHO AND THE DALEKS" (Dell Comics, 1966). Artist: Dick Giordano. #DoctorWho
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Slogan brainstorming: "Politics Is Rubbish. Chuck It In The Bin." "Vote for Me, The Only Serious Candidate" "I Pledge To Limit Gifts I Receive to £4M AT MOST" "Make Your Vote Count"
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Leighton 1 and responses, Gjeilo Ubi Caritas, St Margaret's Choristers and Consort of @westminsterabbey.bsky.social. www.westminster-abbey.org/worship-and-...
westminster-abbey.org
Watch services from the Abbey | Westminster Abbey
Enjoy and experience regular and special services from Westminster Abbey from wherever you are in the world - either live or on demand.
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
I always thought that if the Cottrell story cut through it would hurt Farage because it's not just corruption, it's weird. The guy calls him "Daddy".
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Mark Jones @drmjones.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Hydration break
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Harry Taylor @harrytaylor.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
News of England taking the lead against Congo has reached the House of Lords, and the steel bill
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Jim Ostler @jimostler.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Just fuck off.
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