iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

We are starting to enter the His Dark Materials timeline. Hope you get an excellent daemon.

Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

It shows how far right and ethnonationalist a lot of the political discourse about Englishness has become that suddenly the Norman Tebbit cricket tests feels progressive by comparison.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I will only be able to hear that word in the accent of Colonel "Bat" Guano in the film Dr Strangelove. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ud9z...

youtube.com

I Think You're Some Kind Of Deviated Prevert

YouTube video by quicksilvermad

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Yeah, especially because of the trope about entitled parents nabbing other people’s seats. I felt I had to over-explain it was 100% a mess up by the airline.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I recall asking the 1st lady v politely and apologetically and she flatly said no (even though she was gaining an aisle seat from a middle seat). Think I said "Wait. You seriously want to spend a 9 hour flight with sole responsibility for a 4-year-old??" Anyway, it was the opposite of the trope.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The next time was on a BA flight from Southampton with a 4-year-old. We'd checked in online and arrived ridiculously early. They then changed our seats literally at the gate as we were boarding. They were apologetic but still made me board and ask a passenger to swap. Which was bonkers.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Once was on a flight out of Amsterdam with TAM. They didn't then allow seat booking till check-in - but also often insisted families needed to check in at the airport, so got seats last. Then the lady in her 60s next to my kid didn't want to swap...😲 Luckily a kind young American couple offered

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

There's a huge social media trope about entitled parents demanding other passengers move because of their poor planning. I've experienced the opposite twice: airlines ****ing up and changing carefully-booked seats, separating a parent from a small child, then asking you to sort it out on board.

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Reposted by Michael Shaw

John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

My teacher brother has just informed me that his primary school kids now refer to anything shit or old fashioned as "Brexit". Which has made my morning.

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Reposted by Michael Shaw

Tom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"Lord does the Park not have any brains these days? WHAT WERE THEY ACTUALLY DOING NEAR RAF FAIRFORD" "Dogging?" "Thanks for the offer Diana, but I'll pass if it's all the same to you, my knees aren't up to it and the citroen's gear stick makes me nervous. NO, THEY WERE ROBBING DIESEL."

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Kneecap fans regret using Google Maps.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I've seen AI massively accelerating software development. But whenever I hear anyone talking about entire products built using AI I think of the "FARCE OF HOUSE BUILT BY MONTAGE" headline in the Armstrong & Miller sketch.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

I think it’s very helpful that Reform has launched its Small Boats app so you can see how crossings look now under Labour… compared to two years ago when the Conservatives (who make up 5 of their 8 MPs) were in charge.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

When I heard this timely song a few weeks ago I was already aware of Peter Thiel’s lectures on the Antichrist. (There’s a great ‘Behind the Bastards’ episode on them). But I hadn’t known the involvement of Reform’s “contractor”, James Orr. open.spotify.com/track/1Bd9SR...

open.spotify.com

Peter Thiel

Ron Gallo · Peter Thiel · Song · 2026

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

If anyone (usually a kid) asks me “Who is your favourite superhero?”, many answer for many years has been “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girll”. Because she is. Reading these deeply funny and human comics with a family member has been a highlight of many weekends. Rest in peace, Will Murray.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

In Excalibur Arthur’s dad is Irish, his adopted father is from Surrey, yet he’s somehow ended up deeply Bristolian. Guinevere’s dad is a booming English Patrick Stewart - but she’s Irish. And Merlin swings between deep RP Shakespearean and camp Scouse in the same sentence. It’s a mess.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

My main pisstake of Highlander for years was that the hero is clearly French pretending to be Scottish while his mentor is clearly Scottish pretending to be Spanish-Egyptian. But in Excalibur they don’t bother trying at all. So the accents make zero sense - sometimes in the same sentence.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Finally saw John Boorman’s “Excalibur” (1981) and I’m genuinely furious at democracy that such a godawful, clunky mess has a significantly better rating on IMDB than Highlander, released only 5 years later (and which actually holds up far better).

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Certainly postal voters are more likely to vote Reform - just as they were more likely to vote for Brexit. So it seems a self-sabotaging move.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

"You cannot hope to bribe or twist, / thank God! the British journalist. / But, seeing what the man will do / unbribed there's no occasion to." (This now may need to be revised)

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

I first went to cover an initial hearing in a murder case BEFORE doing journalism law training. So the Evening Post news editor mocked me in a friendly way as he cut out all the *very illegal* specific details I’d included in my report. Why are newsdesks not doing this with the Widdecombe case?

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Reposted by Michael Shaw

Dominix @dominix.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

King Charles told me the public keeps eating his prime ministers so l asked how many prime ministers he has and he said he just goes to the parliament and gets a new prime minister afterwards so I said it sounds like he's just feeding prime ministers to the public and then his son started crying.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Yes - my kid and I spotted that too!

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

The “United Kingdom Of Butlins” teddy bear passport is really going out of its way to show it does not recognise the existence of Éire.

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Reposted by Michael Shaw

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Which still won't stop the troop of malevolent idiots on X banging on about "third worlders" with "medieval views about women" coming to the UK.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Finally got round to watching “Project Hail Mary”. Then listened today to Empire’s interview with the directors Lord & Miller And when they said “We were inspired by Harold and Maude…” …I expect @tansyg.bsky.social would ticked another box on her bingo sheet after her series on Solo.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

This Is Just To Say I have eaten the plums that were in your garden despite being nocturnal

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Is Kemi also claiming Bridget "displaced" 139,000 students from state schools over the same period? Or is someone going to explain The Basics Of Demographics? (The stats make a mockery of the claims taxpayers would be spending more on state schools because of a flood of ex-private-school pupils)

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Was out for dinner last week with an Irish friend. “What does make you proud to be English?” she asked. “Well, basically the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony - Shakespeare, Dizzee Rascal, the NHS…” “Thought so. You’d be amazed how many English people say the 2012 Olympics.”

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

This is the kind of nonsense that happens - in a HEATWAVE- if schools are overly attached to “zero tolerance” policies on uniforms. (From @londoncentric.media )

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Reposted by Michael Shaw

Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

This is significant – and while the Makerfield byelection is unusual because it has such national significance, this chart indicates again that the anti-Reform bloc will vote tactically to keep them out. Source: www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

“There was very little movement between the and right voting blocs in Makerfield since 2024.” Chart compares 2024 general election result with 2026 byelection result. Combined Lab/Lib/Green vote is almost identical, though in 2026 almost all of it went to Burnham. Combined Con/Ref (and in 2026 Restore) vote is also almost identical, though in 2026 most of it went to Kenyon. Effectively very few people stuck to voting Lib Dem, Green or Tory.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Yes! There was a Moonchild cameo tonight too! Just brilliant.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Self Esteem was phenomenal. An astounding gig.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

“Ik had nooit gedacht dat de luipaarden mijn gezicht zouden opeten…” 🐆

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

One indication of how my day's going is I've drawn Curaçao in the office World Cup sweepstake.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

I do think not enough is made of the fact the Reform candidate decided to make a video criticising buildings becoming mosques... in front of the very building the far right had fire bombed because it was becoming a mosque. www.wigantoday.net/news/crime/h...

wigantoday.net

Anti-Muslim thugs thought to be behind arson attack on a former Wigan church being turned into a community hub

An arson attack on a former Wigan church being converted into a food bank and Muslim prayer room is being treated as a hate crime.

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Reposted by Michael Shaw

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Interesting that the idea of another EU referendum is regularly discussed on broascast media as something that would cause division and thus a bad idea. But plans to deport literally millions of people are discussed as administrative questions.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Was reminded of this because various Reform fans are siding with Crewkerne today as it refuses to take down a hideous AI video of @carolvorders.bsky.social. Not a great look for a party that insists it's not full of far right racists. www.channel4.com/news/unmaske...

channel4.com

Unmasked: Man behind satirical ‘Crewkerne Gazette’ AI videos is convicted far right racist – exclusive

The key figure behind the Crewkerne Gazette has been identified by Channel 4 News as Joshua Bonehill-Paine.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Has The Spectator @thespectator1828.bsky.social ever apologised for its gushing profile last year praising the founder of The Crewkern Gazette as "the most important political satirist of the moment”? Even now its known that he's a convicted neo-Nazi, white nationalist and "proud antisemite"?

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Can anyone explain what the Conservative-friendly version of that image would be for primary schools? Or is he merely anti schools teaching about equality and equity?

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

The Telegraph school bias piece is based on a report by Tory MP Neil O’Brien. Stuff he’s annoyed about includes a Lancs primary “still using the terrible left-wing ‘boxes and fences’ picture to try and teach Year 1 kids about equity and fairness - a totally slanted introduction to these issues.”

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

How bad is the Punisher special? Well, let’s just say I’ve bailed after 20 minutes and I made it all the way through the entire series of Iron Fist.

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Talking to pro “free speech” UK right-wingers who admired Orban I have often referred to this detail - which I still find astonishing. (From @iandunt.bsky.social’s How To Be A Liberal)

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

I love the original West Side Story film (1961), especially the opening scenes. But the more years that pass the clearer it is that the Spielberg version (2021) is the better movie.

media.tenor.com

people are walking down a street in front of a sign that says supermercado

ALT: people are walking down a street in front of a sign that says supermercado

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Michael Shaw @mrmichaelshaw.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Getting the stickers ready for when the Bayeux Tapestry comes to London this summer.

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