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Simon Kirk

@slowe76.bsky.social
483 followers 849 following 334 posts

Economic Development | Culture | People | Places | Music | Real Ale | Running I Trustee at Lincoln City Foundation | @Insplacemanagement.bsky.social

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Reposted by Simon Kirk
Michael Deakin @caskapital.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
This is a call to arms to go to the Harlequin if you haven't been before.
A picture of a pub with the caption "it is pub"A photo of a half pint of pale ale with the caption "pub has nice beer"A bhaji sandwich and chips with the caption "and top scran"A picture of a pub from across a river with arrows pointing toward it with the caption "go to pub"
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Then go straight into Andor and Rogue One 🔥
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Nick Webb @nickwebb2017.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
🏏BBC county championship cricket live text page gets 27.8 million page views across the summer, averaging 464K per day Thanks to all who’ve joined us to follow red-ball cricket this year 👏🏽😎
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Timeless.
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Tom Reagan’s Witch’s Hat @rufustsuperfly.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Ian McShane is 84 On how he came to be narrator on Grace Jones’ Slave To The Rhythm: ‘I was in a chip shop with my wife Gwen, & Trevor Horn came in, who I’d known forever. He said ‘Ian, what are you doing after supper?’ ‘Why?’ ‘Well, I need a voice & Orson Welles is dead.’ youtu.be/nAerTAjLpF0?...
youtu.be
Grace Jones - Slave To The Rhythm (HQ)
YouTube video by Oxygene 80
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
No island of strangers: why I’m using art to unite a fractured nation www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
theguardian.com
No island of strangers: why I’m using art to unite a fractured nation
Fear of outsiders is the defining issue of our times. But is it actually our own selves we’re scared of? And could art hold the answers? Here, the British Art Show’s curator reveals why he’s exploring...
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The London Economic @thelondoneconomic.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Lifestyle buyers of farmland have fallen to 11 per cent as farmer purchases hit a seven-year high.
thelondoneconomic.com
Inheritance tax changes for farmers have intended impact
New figures show agricultural inheritance tax changes brought in by Rachel Reeves are having the intended impact.
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Legend. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
bbc.co.uk
Ludek Miklosko: Ex-West Ham goalkeeper dies aged 64
Ludek Miklosko made almost 400 appearances for West Ham in the 1990s, and fans sang his name long after his exit.
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
When will policymakers recognise that the digital information environment is impacting views of London in a way that can hit investment and tourism? This is one clip from several vignettes outlined in @jim.londoncentric.media’s latest newsletter www.londoncentric.media/p/london-cri...
I was in Dubai at the end of last year, travelling for the F1 in Abu Dhabi and had a very odd experience with a taxi driver. I mentioned to him that I lived in London, and he immediately started talking about how dangerous it was and how I ought to be careful. He described how crime had been going up, how people were getting jewellery stolen off them in the street and that knives were everywhere.
The way he talked made him sound very familiar with the place so I assumed he had lived in or at least visited London recently. Only later did he say that he'd never been to London or the UK and that his entire impression was based on what he'd seen on social media and heard from other people in his cab.
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Wowsers look at what happened to posts on Twitter/X about London crime after monetisation of posts was introduced… economist.com/britain/2026...
X Posts about London Crime - large growth in number of likes after monetisation introduced
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
According to these figures London is safer than many if not all major North American cities. In 2025, there were 1.1 killings for every 100,000 residents of London, compared to 2.8 in New York, 5.6 in Los Angeles, 10.5 in Houston and 12.3 in Philadelphia www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
London’s homicide rate drops to lowest in more than a decade
Sadiq Khan says ‘public health’ approach has made the capital one of the safest cities in the western world
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
it’s weirdly fortuitous that the FT Magazine just happened to run a brilliant deep dive into James Orr yesterday morning, hours before the scandal broke: www.ft.com/content/c2d0...
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
From ‘psyops’ to ‘hysterical hysteria’: how GB News and Talk TV lost their cool in the heatwaves www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
From ‘psyops’ to ‘hysterical hysteria’: how GB News and Talk TV lost their cool in the heatwaves
Thousands of heat-related deaths in record-breaking temperatures appeared to only intensify hosts’ climate denials
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
There is no contest as to the film Curry remembers most fondly. “I would love to work with the Muppets again.” Another sad loss.... www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
theguardian.com
‘Risky is the best way to be’: Tim Curry on sexuality, surviving a stroke – and 50 years of stardom
From Rocky Horror to the Muppets, Curry’s extraordinary career made him world-famous. Then, a stroke left him paralysed. The actor talks about his cocaine years, his friendship with David Bowie – and ...
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BBC Radio 6 Music Now Playing Bot (Unofficial) @bbcradio6musicbot.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
BBC Radio 6 Music Lauren Laverne Now Playing The Rapture House Of Jealous Lovers
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BBC Radio 6 Music Now Playing Bot (Unofficial) @bbcradio6musicbot.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
BBC Radio 6 Music Lauren Laverne Now Playing LCD Soundsystem Losing My Edge
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Is 'Tiny Tourism' the antidote to mass tourism? I went to Dublin to try it out www.bbc.co.uk/travel/artic...
bbc.co.uk
Is 'Tiny Tourism' the antidote to mass tourism? I went to Dublin to try it out
A new travel philosophy preaches skipping tourist sights and doing everyday things instead. But will it really be a trip to Dublin if I don't visit Temple Bar?
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Could these alternative homes be the future in a hotter Britain? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Could these alternative homes be the future in a hotter Britain?
The Passivhaus standard is growing in popularity as UK homeowners adapt to hotter summer temperatures.
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Neil Miles @neilsmiles.com · 17/08/2026
29th August 1985 - An excited Michael Fish gets to deploy the rarely seen red number as the temperature gets up to an incredible 26 degrees in London!
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Travel e-sim boom threatens mobile industry’s roaming cash cow www.ft.com/content/64ed...
ft.com
Travel e-sim boom threatens mobile industry’s roaming cash cow
Usage set to rise by a third this year as travellers opt for cheaper alternatives to data roaming charges
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George Eaton @georgeeaton.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Ulez has delivered remarkable public health gains in a short period. Sadiq deserves more credit than he’s had for defying Labour pressure to U-turn after Uxbridge. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Ulez led to better lung size and function among London children, study finds
Researchers find capacity stunted by pollution restored after introduction of ultra-low emission zone
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Italy’s mythic ‘month off’ in August was hard won. It would be good for us all www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Italy’s mythic ‘month off’ in August was hard won. It would be good for us all | Jamie Mackay
The villeggiatura, a month-long break, was popularised in the 1960s when trade unions were strong – and so was economic productivity, says writer and translator Jamie Mackay
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Christina Martin @christinamartin.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Might text them back and warn them about fossil fuels.
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
A must-do for me no matter where I am www.bbc.com/travel/artic...
bbc.com
Why travellers are obsessed with foreign supermarkets
From Tokyo egg sandwiches to Greek dairy aisles, supermarket aisles are becoming one of travel's most revealing and beloved experiences.
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
It really is. Byrne and Lee - what a combination, and that band is 🔥
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I've just watched America Utopia for the first time. Completely life-affirming and ahh man, those Talking Heads tracks ❤️ www.derbyquad.co.uk/whats-on/dav...
derbyquad.co.uk
David Byrne's American Utopia
Spike Lee documents the former Talking Heads frontman's brilliant and timely 2019 broadway show based on his album tour of the same name.
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BBC Radio 6 Music Now Playing Bot (Unofficial) @bbcradio6musicbot.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
BBC Radio 6 Music Nick Grimshaw Now Playing Jeff Mills The Bells
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Listening to my generation talk about the 90s the way the previous generation talked about the 70s is tiresome. No that wasnt 'back when movies were good' or 'music still meant something'. There's loads of great shit coming out now and there was loads of slop back then. You just miss being young.
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Parody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Well, they're on their way back to Morocco actually, as they never had any way to reach mainland Spain, let alone the UK, but who needs facts when you're Bobby J the King of Bullshit.
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Greatest defender ever.❤️🖤 Franco Baresi, iconic former Milan and Italy defender, dies aged 66 www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
Franco Baresi, iconic former Milan and Italy defender, dies aged 66
Baresi was one of the most recognisable players of the ⁠golden era of Italian football in the 1980s and 1990s
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Amazing how many of the people currently creating havoc around the world were radicalised during covid.
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Paul Le Comte 🇳🇿🇨🇦📷 @paullecomtephoto.nz · 25/07/2026
I'll start with that bastard Gianni Infantino's 95,000-kilometre private jet travel generated an estimated 900 to 1,000 tonnes of CO2 during the World Cup Equal to taking over 800 round-trip commercial flights between London & NZ. 1 Kiwi produces about 6.2 tonnes per year
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Anthony Painter @anthonypainter.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Whoever designed this Times front page has a dark and wicked sense of ironic humour. Hyper-sensitivity to predictable technical challenges of energy transition. Meanwhile, Europe burns.
Times front-page combining net zero scare story with photo of Europe burning
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
‘Liberate the lidos!’ Who will win the war over Italy’s private beaches? www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
theguardian.com
‘Liberate the lidos!’ Who will win the war over Italy’s private beaches?
Almost all of the sandy stretches on the country’s 8,000km of coastline are run for profit. Now ‘free beach’ campaigners are fighting back against the mafia, the military and those profiteering from s...
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
It's driving me insane. The govt spends £1.4 trillion a year. Borrowing estimates are often by tens of billions over a year. But we're supposed to imagine money is budgeted to the last penny.
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Our new PM has already lost me www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
On the matter of tea-making, Burnham revealed he is a milk-first man. "I don't know why. I just have a feeling that it softens the teabag a bit and makes it stronger," he said. "Might be wrong. I know
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Postcard From The Past @pastpostcard.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
They say that "variety is the spice of life" but this is ridiculous.
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Makerfield-on-sea........
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
The Times reporting that Andy Burnham succeeded in persuading Shabana Mahmood to become Chancellor because it would give her more control over cutting immigration
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Lippy Kid @lippykidmusic.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Just catching up with The Guardian. Nice of them to include my tribute to Sam Neill inspired by my conversation with @staggerlee42.bsky.social. RIP Sam 🖤x www.theguardian.com/film/2026/ju...
theguardian.com
‘He annotated my letter from Spielberg’: readers pay tribute to Sam Neill
From teeing up a marriage to inspiring a career and giving 144 bottles of wine to his birthday band, the star’s admirers share their fondest memories
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Aww, that's a lovely comment
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Has the World Cup been a soft power failure for the US? theconversation.com/has-the-worl...
theconversation.com
Has the World Cup been a soft power failure for the US?
A string of controversies look set to turn the tournament into a lesson in how soft power can fail.
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Kath @kathyburke.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
At least we don’t have to listen to wonderwall.
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JosimarFootball @josimarfootball.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
New! Ny! Every World Cup is meant to have a legacy, this one could be the moment when the process of reclaiming and reforming the governance of football begins. By @davidgoldblatt.bsky.social josimarfootball.com/2026/07/14/d...
josimarfootball.com
Dystopia  - josimarfootball.com
Every World Cup is meant to have a legacy, this one could be the moment when the process of reclaiming and reforming the governance of football begins.
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Writer of “Rape Apologists Must Die!” @alexpagliuca.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
"We are deploying responsibly
developed Al to liberate humanity from menial labor and usher in an era of unparalleled creativity and abundance."
SAM ALTMAN

"You ingested the entire written output of human civilization without consent, without compensation, and without credit, to build a system whose primary commercial application is eliminating the jobs of the people whose work you consumed.
You are not liberating human creativity - you are strip-mining it and selling it back at a markup while calling the theft training data."
NAOMI KLEIN
@think_and_exist
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
‘The song got us signed but I hated it’: how Haircut 100 made Fantastic Day www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...
theguardian.com
‘The song got us signed but I hated it’: how Haircut 100 made Fantastic Day
‘In the early days, we hopped on every bandwagon going – punk, ska, mod, everything. Fantastic Day was always there, just in different styles. The original was more Talking Heads. I preferred that’
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No Score Draws ✍🏻⚽ @noscoredraws.com · 21/06/2026
Look at this gorgeous bastard
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Peter Smith @redpeter99.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
If the bloke wielding a knife and attacking passersby was a Muslim all today's rolling news and political programmes would be coming live from the streets of Edinburgh and Farage's ugly mush would be on every show.
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Mark Wallace @wallaceme.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
“Mother, I've weighed the risks - which I prefer to living in a world dominated by Nazis. Bill" Thank god for Bill and so many more like him (Pic from @profpeterdoyle.bsky.social on X)
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Simon Kirk @slowe76.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Alternative for Germany revives Nazi-era attacks on Bauhaus - www.ft.com/content/a9bb...
ft.com
Alternative for Germany revives Nazi-era attacks on Bauhaus
Modernist art institution fears AfD ‘patriotic culture’ push nearly 100 years after closing under Hitler
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