Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Corporate greed, self-interest, insidious AI & the accelerating effects of climate change. Fast forward a few years and you have the world of Flood Waters Down – a gripping story of people, survival & landscape transformed. Bookshops & online. www.amazon.co.uk/Flood-Waters... 000
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Could Sham City be forced to fold and reform, possibly as a non-league club? In the circumstances that probably wouldn't be too severe. www.theguardian.com/football/202...theguardian.comSham City: verdict on financial breaches is damning and punishment must be severe | Jonathan WilsonHow can Manchester City be trusted under these owners after they were found to have devised £900m of ‘sham’ contracts? 000
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 30/09/2026www.theguardian.com/environment/...theguardian.comTwo million people in England unaware their properties are at risk of floodingEnvironment Agency warns residents of 6m at-risk properties to prepare for wet and windy three months ahead 001
Reposted by Clive SimpsonPress Gazette @pressgazette.co.uk · 30/09/2026The NUJ has responded to reports that Byline Times journalists have been denied access to the Conservative Party conference: "Political parties should not pick and choose which journalists and publications are able to question and scrutinise them" www.nuj.org.uk/resource/nuj...nuj.org.ukNUJ responds to reports of Conservative party banning Byline Times journalists from conferenceThe NUJ has responded to reports that Byline Times journalists have been denied access to the Conservative Party conference. 1116
Reposted by Clive SimpsonCliftop Publishing @cliftop.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Taking Flood Waters Down to sea. What could possibly go wrong? Two reader pics – Norway and the Aegean. Always great to see where a book ends up. Keep them coming! #FloodWatersDown #climatefiction #Booksky 062
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 24/09/2026“You maniacs! You blew it up!” More than half a century after Planet of the Apes, that final scene still has the power to shock. Flood Waters Down - a near-future #climate & #AI thriller. Different apocalypse. Same uncomfortable question: did we see it coming and carry on anyway? #Booksky #film 041
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 23/09/2026www.theguardian.com/environment/...theguardian.comUK shares findings of damning climate crisis national security report suppressed under StarmerEl Niño poses critical threat to nations’ defences, says Ed Miliband in presentation to global foreign ministers 000
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 21/09/2026'War warning sparks UK space push' - my article from last December takes on new significance by the week as events unfold in the Middle East and Russia/Ukraine. simcomm.blogspot.com/2025/12/war-...simcomm.blogspot.comWar warning sparks UK space pushTopical comment and travel writing 010
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Can fiction help close the climate "empathy gap"? I'll be at EarthLincs in Lincoln this Saturday talking about #FloodWatersDown, the flooded Fens, climate journalism – and why stories can sometimes make us feel what statistics struggle to convey. 📍 12 Mint Lane LN1 1UD 🕑 2pm 🎟 Free 051
Reposted by Clive SimpsonCliftop Publishing @cliftop.bsky.social · 02/08/2025The warnings keep coming. This BBC piece echoes the world of my upcoming novel #FloodWatersDown - a future-history thriller set in the flooded Fens, where survival and resistance play out in a land abandoned to climate collapse. Fiction - but now uncomfortably close. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukBillions needed for failing flood defences on Lincolnshire coastA breach could leave Lincolnshire communities under several feet of water, officials have warned. 263
Reposted by Clive SimpsonClive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 18/09/2026AI safeguards are only as good as those willing to abide by them. In #FloodWatersDown, the super-wealthy Baroness Lydia Frampton thinks she's in charge. But in a near-future ravaged by climate change, can even she retain control? Fiction – for now. www.amazon.co.uk/Flood-Waters...amazon.co.ukFlood Waters DownFlood Waters Down : Simpson, Clive A: Amazon.co.uk: Books 013
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 18/09/2026AI safeguards are only as good as those willing to abide by them. In #FloodWatersDown, the super-wealthy Baroness Lydia Frampton thinks she's in charge. But in a near-future ravaged by climate change, can even she retain control? Fiction – for now. www.amazon.co.uk/Flood-Waters...amazon.co.ukFlood Waters DownFlood Waters Down : Simpson, Clive A: Amazon.co.uk: Books 013
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Old gods in new machines - our shiny #AI future. A thought-provoking piece by @authorbnugent.bsky.social in the light of the current febrile super intelligence debate. centralbylines.co.uk/business/tec... @centralbylines.co.uk @bylinesnetwork.co.ukcentralbylines.co.ukThe old gods in new machines?Animism is seen as the oldest religion by many, are we on our way back to animistic belief in AI and our machines? 022
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Meditation on an autumn summer's afternoon. #Algarve #Portugal #travel #climate simcomm.blogspot.com/2026/09/alga...simcomm.blogspot.comAlgarve observationTopical comment and travel writing 032
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 16/09/2026More genuine journalist jobs being cut and lost forever. Reach and others seem to think the future is click-bait journalism powered by AI. www.theguardian.com/business/202...theguardian.comMirror publisher to cut 220 editorial jobs as readers turn to AI summariesReach, which also owns Express, makes decision because of ‘mammoth shift’ in how audiences seek out content 010
Reposted by Clive SimpsonCliftop Publishing @cliftop.bsky.social · 14/09/2026With warnings about AI's insidious growth dominating the headlines, the world of Flood Waters Down suddenly feels a lot closer. Climate collapse. AI control. Human self-interest. Bookshops & online now. www.amazon.co.uk/Flood-Waters... 023
Reposted by Clive SimpsonROOM Space Journal @roomspacejournal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026What happens when humanity moves from visiting space to living and working there? Our new issue explores reproduction beyond Earth, the future space workforce, commercial stations, Artemis, space economics, governance – and whether humans are really ready to stay. Print and digital - out now. 111
Reposted by Clive SimpsonCliftop Publishing @cliftop.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Delighted to see that Flood Waters Down has been chosen as Book of the Month by Holt Book Shop in #Norfolk. If you’re visiting #Holt, do pop in for a browse. Flood Waters Down is a haunting vision of #climatecollapse & #AI control set in the #Fens of eastern England. #Bookshop #reading #thriller 053
Reposted by Clive SimpsonCentral Bylines @centralbylines.co.uk · 14/09/2026Imagining climate futures at Threekingham Literary Festival The Threekingham Literary Festival unpicked the imminent threat of climate change to Britain, concluding with a call to action | Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.socialcentralbylines.co.ukImagining climate futures at Threekingham Literary FestivalThe Threekingham Literary Festival unpicked the imminent threat of climate change to Britain, concluding with a call to action 065
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 13/09/2026www.theguardian.com/business/202...theguardian.comGeorge Osborne calls for UK to rejoin EU customs union and boost tradeEx-Tory chancellor says economy has ‘fallen off a cliff’ since Brexit but rejoining union could be ‘quite simple’ 000
Reposted by Clive SimpsonBylines Network @bylinesnetwork.co.uk · 12/09/2026Imagining climate futures at Threekingham Literary Festival The Threekingham Literary Festival unpicked the imminent threat of climate change to Britain, concluding with a call to action | Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social @centralbylines.co.ukcentralbylines.co.ukImagining climate futures at Threekingham Literary FestivalThe Threekingham Literary Festival unpicked the imminent threat of climate change to Britain, concluding with a call to action 0106
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Imagining climate futures at Threekingham Literary Festival centralbylines.co.uk/news/environ...centralbylines.co.ukImagining climate futures at Threekingham Literary FestivalThe Threekingham Literary Festival unpicked the imminent threat of climate change to Britain, concluding with a call to action 011
Reposted by Clive SimpsonCentral Bylines @centralbylines.co.uk · 12/09/2026The Threekingham Literary Festival unpicked the imminent threat of climate change to Britain, concluding with a call to action | Clive Simpsoncentralbylines.co.ukImagining climate futures at Threekingham Literary FestivalThe Threekingham Literary Festival unpicked the imminent threat of climate change to Britain, concluding with a call to action 084
Reposted by Clive SimpsonBrendan Nugent @authorbnugent.bsky.social · 12/09/2026ASI is becoming a headline topic, and the public is only now encountering concepts that shaped my writing years ago. Fiction edging closer to reality — especially in The Sentient Ones and Thanatos Ascendancy. #Booksky #TheSentientOnes #ThanatosAscendancy www.theguardian.com/technology/2...theguardian.comUK lawmakers urge Burnham to back ban on superintelligent AI after chilling warningsLetter from 70 MPs and peers follows Anthropic employee’s claim new technology could wipe out humans 072
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Delighted that Flood Waters Down has been chosen as Local Book of the Month by Holt Book Shop in Norfolk. If you’re visiting Holt, do pop in for a browse. Flood Waters Down is a haunting vision of climate collapse & AI control set in the fens of eastern England. #Booksky #Holt #Norfolk #Bookshop 061
Reposted by Clive SimpsonClive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 25/08/2026When I wrote Flood Waters Down, I was imagining a near-future Britain reshaped by the effects of climate change & moral ambiguity. Today it feels all too close. #Booksky #future #media #books 083
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Here's a preview of the new cover of ROOM Space Journal which will be out next week. 000
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 04/09/2026www.lincolnshireworld.com/arts-and-cul...lincolnshireworld.comLiterary festival a hit among writers and book loversA Boutique Literary Festival was held for the first time at a village venue near Sleaford and organisers are already looking to expand it as an annual event. 031
Reposted by Clive SimpsonClive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 02/09/2026“AI systems are getting rapidly smarter. Right now, we’re still the cat, but soon we might be the mouse.” www.theguardian.com/news/2026/se...theguardian.com‘If you build something vastly smarter than you, it better be on your side’: can we stop AI from deceiving us?The long read: We are used to the idea that our fellow humans might intentionally mislead or manipulate us, but the idea that machines can now do the same is deeply unsettling. Researchers are racing ... 001
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 02/09/2026“AI systems are getting rapidly smarter. Right now, we’re still the cat, but soon we might be the mouse.” www.theguardian.com/news/2026/se...theguardian.com‘If you build something vastly smarter than you, it better be on your side’: can we stop AI from deceiving us?The long read: We are used to the idea that our fellow humans might intentionally mislead or manipulate us, but the idea that machines can now do the same is deeply unsettling. Researchers are racing ... 001
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 31/08/2026simcomm.blogspot.com/2026/08/fict...simcomm.blogspot.comFICTION FOR NOWTopical comment and travel writing 032
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 29/08/2026Top event today - Three Kings Boutique Literary Festival, Threekingham, Lincs. Great to do a panel with Amy Lilwall brilliantly chaired by Samantha Maw. 011
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 28/08/2026This kind of article is verging on the unhinged, yet it is being fed to millions of readers as establishment fodder. So many conflated arguments, disingenuous slurs and wilful distortions – all apparently designed to turn the reality of climate change into another front in the culture wars. 010
Reposted by Clive SimpsonCliftop Publishing @cliftop.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Corporate greed, self-interest, insidious AI & the accelerating effects of climate change. Fast forward a few years and you have the world of Flood Waters Down – a gripping story of people, survival & landscape transformed. Bookshops or Amazon now: www.amazon.co.uk/Flood-Waters... #climatecrisisamazon.co.ukFlood Waters Down : Simpson, Clive A: Amazon.co.uk: BooksFlood Waters Down : Simpson, Clive A: Amazon.co.uk: Books 033
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 25/08/2026When I wrote Flood Waters Down, I was imagining a near-future Britain reshaped by the effects of climate change & moral ambiguity. Today it feels all too close. #Booksky #future #media #books 083
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Love this cover for the latest issue of The Spectator (US and international edition)! And I'm looking forward to reading the article by David Whitehouse. Frankly though, a human mission to Mars is probably still in the realms of a TinTin adventure. Isn't it? 021
Reposted by Clive SimpsonCliftop Publishing @cliftop.bsky.social · 22/08/2026Climate change, AI and dystopian futures. There should be plenty for @amylilwall.bsky.social & @simpsonclive.bsky.social to talk about next weekend as they kick-off Threekingham's Boutique Literary Festival. Lots of other authors to meet & chat to as well - all in the lovely Three Kings Organic. 153
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 21/08/2026www.theguardian.com/environment/...theguardian.comRewilded land remains green amid drought-stricken English countryside, images showNational Trust’s Holnicote estate says restored wetlands and rivers offer proof of resilience to drought, wildfires and flooding 010
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Enjoyed a few days on the Norfolk coast near Cromer. Lots of good photo opps including this one of local fishermen returning to Overstrand beach with their boat and catch of North Sea lobster. #photography #landscape #norfolk 0100
Reposted by Clive SimpsonAmy Lilwall @amylilwall.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Excited to be at Threekingham Boutique Literary Festival with @simpsonclive.bsky.social on Saturday 29th August. All welcome and free to all 💙📚🌊 133
Reposted by Clive SimpsonCllr Dr Alex Powell @apowelllaw.bsky.social · 17/08/2026When climate denial runs out of road, the plutocrats try nihilism. Tice's intervention here where he invites people to 'enjoy' climate breakdown is fundamentally of the same (genocidal) logic as Boris Johnson declaring 'let the bodies pile high' during Covid. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...theguardian.comReform’s Tice says people should stop fighting climate crisis and ‘enjoy’ heatDeputy leader says it is ‘arrogant’ to try to halt global heating, despite UK being left reeling by summer firewave 33214
Reposted by Clive SimpsonClive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 13/08/2026"It was barely nine o’clock in the morning and already the outside temperature was edging towards thirty degrees centigrade..." When I wrote Flood Waters Down, I was imagining a near-future Britain reshaped by climate change & moral ambiguity. Today it feels all too close. Bookshops & online now. 043
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 14/08/2026www.theguardian.com/politics/202...theguardian.comHot topic: why is Burnham so reluctant to talk about the climate crisis?Extreme heat is harming wellbeing of ordinary people the PM champions, yet little has been said on the topic 000
Reposted by Clive SimpsonMet Office - weather and climate @metoffice.gov.uk · 13/08/2026Temperatures have already reached 35°C, and it's only midday This is now provisionally the 9th day in 2026 with temperatures reaching 35°C or more 🌡️ 23615
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 13/08/2026"It was barely nine o’clock in the morning and already the outside temperature was edging towards thirty degrees centigrade..." When I wrote Flood Waters Down, I was imagining a near-future Britain reshaped by climate change & moral ambiguity. Today it feels all too close. Bookshops & online now. 043
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Shadows of the eclipse. #photography #Lincolnshre #nature #eclipse 062
Clive Simpson @simpsonclive.bsky.social · 12/08/2026Woefully inadequate Cobra then if banning disposable bbq's is the big takeaway. Seems the whole #climatecrisis thing is too big for small-minded politicians - a kind of 'reverse denial' manifesting itself as the inability to act. In contrast @zackpolanski.bsky.social was great on Radio 4 PM. 020