iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 50m

I think some people - first the staff, then some lawyers, then the idiots in charge - are going to learn the words ‘plantar fasciitis’ before too long.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 5h

The panels representing the fate of massed ranks of Conservative councillors in the local elections in 2025 and 2026 are too upsetting to display to general audiences.

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Jennifer Williams @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social · 21h

Late to posting this as I’ve been walking round a reservoir in Lancashire in pissing rain, apparently trying to be as northern as possible The prime minister is a conscious user of language, but possibly also an unconscious one as.ft.com/r/d9b8ea73-3...

as.ft.com

The Burnham tell

The prime minister’s conference speech was authentically Andy

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

One of two by-elections yesterday where Restore arguably split the far right vote and stopped Reform winning (the other was in Blackpool).

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Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

if you have somehow missed the chance to read A History of the World in 47 Borders so far, then today's your lucky day: it's currently 99p from the ebook retailer of your choice

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I was shocked by how low the river Sihl, which flows into the Rhine, looked when I came through Zürich earlier this week.

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Stefan Stern @stefanstern.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

@lewisbaston.bsky.social A first year geography undergraduate I know is prepping for a seminar on borders tomorrow and is stealing an advantage.

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Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

He is not burning cash. He is investing money to shape political discourse and public opinion in line with his ideology and interests. And it's a successful strategy. Also, for a billionaire losing 10 million is like losing 1000 pounds for a middle class person.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Ah, I think of my childhood, and the bookshelves at home bearing the works of E.F. Schumacher, Erich Fromm, Douglas Hofstadter, and I feel out of my own time.

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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 30/09/2026

Israeli minister calls Shabana Mahmood an Islamist, because erm, erm, erm

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I’m actually sorry to see this. I hope someone independent and centre-right does cooperate with the commission, perhaps someone from the UUP?

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Arrived in Montpellier! A very smooth journey. I had wondered how Brno to Montpellier might work, and I’m a bit pleased with myself for doing it by train. I’ll be returning to London on the train in a bit.

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Dejan Pantic @serbianism.com · 29/09/2026

After Vučić's resignation, Ana Brnabić, the speaker of the parliament, is now the acting President of Serbia, making it the SECOND time Serbia has an LGBTQ person as a head of state or government. Amazing, huh - the most pro-Russian elective autocracy in Europe has a lesbian leader, again. ⬇️

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

🧵 - the niche knowledge (preservation of old media) that Jay is asking about may be available through the Doctor Who archive community and their friends. Have a read.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Artistic non-fiction but Gitta Sereny’s Into That Darkness. The portrait not only of Stangl and the utter depravity of what surrounded him is chilling. A man with the mentality of a small-time crook and a certain amount of bureaucratic ability did THAT. Don’t read it unless you feel very strong.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Slightly adapted from the original published in Pravda in about 1976.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I bring Sutekh’s gift of death to all humanity.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The next stage begins - waiting for the train at Brno 🇨🇿 to take me to Vienna 🇦🇹

A middle aged white man - me - at a station. There is a train in the blue and white livery of ČD, the Czech state railway, in the background but my imminent train is red and Austrian.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Oh silly me I forgot to put a meter on my intelligence before these people stole my book.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I don’t talk much about sex on here and I’m not going to start now except to say that the latest discourse is Insane. Really mad.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Ukraine never feels that far away but it’s even closer here. Brno was part of the same state as part of Ukraine (Uzhhorod) until 1939.

People in a central European street. The banner reads ‘Stop Russian War Crimes’.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I wish campaigns wouldn’t do this. It’s deliberately deceptive. And as Stephen observes it’s pretty pointless.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Local elections in Brno - the parties have street stalls in the city centre. This unsavoury right wing Czech party has several confusing aspects, it’s not just that it’s called ‘SPD’.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

This is what my operation was for in 2024. Unlike this fellow I hadn’t had a bleed on the brain and therefore many of his symptoms, although I was constantly running that risk. And as far as I know the surgeons didn’t drop a bit of my skull on the floor.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Indeed. Reading Gottfried Herder on the evils and hypocrisies of colonialism was quite eye-opening; rather surprisingly perhaps I give this philosopher of nationalism some love in my rather supra-nationalist book Borderlines.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

A street fountain in Brno. With toads! 🐸

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Exciting new opportunities for criminals, many of whom probably offer a wider choice of intoxicating substances already, to provide intermediating services.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Look at the number and extent of constituencies that have hatching rather than being fully shaded. It’s a chaotic environment.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I think we’re all being a bit too kind to Braverman by laughing at her and pointing out that her definition of Englishness is idiotic…

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Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

BlueSky doesn't need this reminder but remember that Headroom is, roughly, the difference between: - est. revenues a few years out, a >£trillion number - est. spending, similar - removing capital, a semi artificial construct - divided by GDP, Ditto - taken from a self-imposed allowable amount

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I’m (very early) Generation Floella. Somehow in the last 50 years she has become *younger* than me whatever the chronology might say. Happy birthday to someone good and kind and positive.

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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 23/09/2026

Are any Labour MPs going to have the nerve to say so publicly? If a Conservative Home Secretary had issued the statement Shabana Mahmood has put out today they'd be able to find their voices. So why not now?

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

It’s good to be back in central Europe - Brno to be precise. I find myself feeling oddly comfortable and at home although I am a stranger here.

Frontage of Barvic & Novotny bookshop, Brno. The signage is old fashioned and the building is turn of the 19/20 Century

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Social services should be involved in the case of this groomed child.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I thought Keir should have done one of these in October 2024 to do a fiscal U-turn. But Andy doing a broadcast now on ‘British values’ and the threat of the far right would be salutary.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Arrest this thug and proscribe his organisation. It’s a dangerous criminal conspiracy.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I really appreciate Julius’s work on German elections and his fantastic maps.

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Alan Beattie @alanbeattie.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Will keep boringly saying this (no disrespect to OP): it's not a health surcharge. It's not hypothecated to the NHS; you can't choose not to pay it and thereby eschew healthcare. You could equally call it an education or roads surcharge. It's using the NHS's sanctified status to rip off immigrants.

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

There seem to be strong house effects in British voting intention polls for Labour at the moment - YouGov still at around 23 per cent and no trend, Find Out Now a bit higher, while Opinium, Deltapoll, Survation all in the high 20s and (I think) an upward trend en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion...

en.wikipedia.org

Opinion polling for the next United Kingdom general election - Wikipedia

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Lewis Baston @lewisbaston.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

My Holborn & St Pancras by-election leaflet spread. I seem to have had more than some other electors (possibly where I live is easier to deliver to)

Three Labour leaflets, four Green and one Restore.

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Willard Foxton @willardfoxton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I think it's absolutely mad that today there's a *national news story* about 400 oil platform workers losing their jobs, and the government being blamed. 25% of the UK TV industry lost their jobs in the last 4 years and we never hear a peep about it! Some jobs are 'real jobs' I guess.

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