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William French

@wtfrench76.bsky.social
656 followers 444 following 4.7K posts

Head of Communications at @theelders.bsky.social. Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before. 🇬🇧🇩🇪🇪🇺

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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The peerless Marina Hyde leaving @theguardian.com definitely feels like a ravens/Tower of London moment. Maybe they could recomission the Diary column in an attempt to fill the gap? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
It's true: this is my final column. You have exactly 24 hours to complain before my inbox self-destructs | Marina Hyde
Yes, after 25 years I’m signing off, and I’ve cherished every moment – especially storming the French embassy with a (toy) AK-47, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 02/10/2026
"There is no reason to give these people any thought. They aren't getting any of my attention. I have little time for stupidity in real life, and none on social media either." 💕 www.bundesliga.com/en/bundeslig...
bundesliga.com
Germany coach Jürgen Klopp takes clear line against racism
New Germany coach Jürgen Klopp said football dressing rooms can inspire the world ahead of his side's UEFA Nations League clash against Serbia, after racist comments about his team were made on social...
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"Nearly".
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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
New from @timnitgebru.blacksky.app and me: "It is high time for us to regulate usage of systems sold as “AI”, not because they are magical machines, but because they are error-prone products that shouldn’t be used in high stakes scenarios." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Forget ‘superintelligence’: error-prone AI nearly sparked world war three this month | Timnit Gebru and Emily M Bender
The risks of AI aren’t what we think they are, as a recent security incident between China and the United States reveals
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Was für eine Schande.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Tallis' glorious Spem in alium on @bbcradio3bot.bsky.social. As Georgia Mann says, he invented the Wall of Sound long before Phil Spector. I'd also credit him with being the godfather of shoegaze too.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"This speech was daring, moving and – potentially – transformational. Burnham has had a good week, and today it got better." Amid all the noise, nonsense and partisan bluster on social media, Andrew Sparrow's thoughtful and measured analysis remains indispensable.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A better Labour Conference slogan would be the one you used to see on the side of French autoroutes in the 80s and 90s (and maybe still today, it's been a while): "Ici l'État investit pour votre avenir."
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
New post from @ldfreedman.bsky.social On the still ongoing, horrific, but little covered war in Sudan. How it illustrates the difficulties of ending wars, and whether there is any route to ending this one. (Free to read) samf.substack.com/p/the-sudan-...
samf.substack.com
The Sudan War: is there any way out?
Since April 2023 Sudan has been consumed by a vicious war that gets far too little attention in the West.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Its now becone OK to say Brexit has been an economic disaster. Better late than never" says ex-Cabinet minister Hilary Benn. It brought a lot of poison to politics & to the relationship, but a lot of that has "drained" & closer trade deal is of mutual interest, he says @policyatkings.bsky.social
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Whether you want to sell the public on further cuts in public spending, on the need for greater resilience against foreign adversaries or on guarding our democracy from attack, politics... is harder in a world where we can remain cut off from the news and from our own country's policy debates."
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
as a satire on so-called late stage capitalism how could one beat investors pouring a trillion into a company offering to wipe out humankind
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Important point here by @gideonrachman.bsky.social that EU membership remains the best bulwark against far-right extremism. Hence every Fascist's glee over the past decade at Brexit (and what's the Russian for "cui bono"?) www.ft.com/content/7783...
ft.com
Why Europe’s centre will hold
The 1930s are not a good guide to the politics of the 21st century
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Blimey.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"Die Befürworter waren im öffentlichen Raum omnipräsent, mit viel Geld, aber ohne überzeugende Botschaft." Gut gemacht, Eidgenossen.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better."
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Working Class History @workingclasshistory.com · 27/09/2026
#OtD 27 Sep 1936 1000 uniformed fascist Blackshirts led by Oswald Mosley in Leeds, UK, were confronted by 30,000 anti-fascist locals who attacked them, pelted them with stones, hitting Mosley, and drowned out speeches by singing The Red Flag stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/9965...
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
A 90s throwback we could all do without.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The American spelling is the least offensive thing about this Guardian article. Rebarbatively ignorant, self-obsessed twerps. www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/s...
theguardian.com
‘A couple of times people walked out’: how an Anne Frank musical became the hottest theater ticket of the year
The creators and stars of Slam Frank on their off-Broadway production - which reimagines the Holocaust victim as a pansexual rapper
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Talking of dodgy newspaper Top 100 lists, I hope @stuartmaconie.bsky.social and @markradcliffe.bsky.social sue The Guardian for every penny they've got. www.theguardian.com/food/2026/se...
theguardian.com
‘They smell of urinal cakes!’: 100 unusual crisp flavours, ranked – from truly awful to totally scoffable
Move over ready salted, salt and vinegar and cheese and onion. Gourmet crisps are everywhere, but which are actually worth trying?
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Fascinating interview, and delighted at the choice of the @britishlibrary.bsky.social caff, where my Dad and I enjoyed many happy lunches in years gone by. Former US intelligence chief Avril Haines: ‘Trump trusts his gut more than the expertise’ - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT
giftarticle.ft.com
Former US intelligence chief Avril Haines: ‘Trump trusts his gut more than the expertise’
The security expert on the chances of a Trump-Xi deal on Taiwan, her interactions with President Biden — and why a third world war is a ‘plausible scenario’
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Includes this gem of a quote: "Il n'est pas interdit de penser que parfois, il y a en lui une part de désintéressement personnel."
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Starring Martin Clunes and Marijne van der Vlugt.
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The Elders @theelders.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
No nation should be above the law. Impunity must not be normalised. Speaking at Columbia University, Mary Robinson urges us to reject a world ruled by force, underscoring The Elders’ call to leaders at UNGA to stand up for the international rule of law. youtube.com/shorts/P08ks...
youtube.com
"Stand up to bullies. Defend International Law" | Mary Robinson at UNGA
YouTube video by The Elders
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
In today's "Old Man Shakes Fist At The Sky" news, Radio 3's 7.30 news headlines included use of the word "likely" à l'américaine. Would never have happened in @petroc.bsky.social's day.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
"Mais tout de même, qui peut imaginer qu’un pays laisse sa propre capitale être attaquée et n’apporte aucune réponse à une situation pareille ?" Quel surprise, quelle honte.
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Tom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Not to harp on this, but one man has now coordinated the disruption of a port, two separate attacks on the RNLI, and interference with the border force and the police have no further questions? And the Home Secretary has not noticed?
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A powerfully-written report with a haunting last line.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
"But apart from that, Mrs. Lincoln, what did you think of the play?"
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Our Head of Art (who incidentally was the spitting image of Bruce Forsyth) once did an assembly where he brought a tape player on stage, said "I thought you might find this interesting", and played us an interview from In The Pschyiatrist's Chair with... Jimmy Savile. Autres temps autres mœurs.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Tusen tack Sverige! 🇸🇪🇬🇧🇪🇺
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A "long-term campaigner against migrants"? Hell's absolute bells, BBC.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Four years! Feels like a lifetime.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Cognitive dissonance as Georgia Mann opens her show with what I still think of as the theme music to What The Papers Say.
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András Forgács W @andraswf.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Live now at @columbiauniversity.bsky.social: Mary Robinson speaking on "Rules or Power? Defending International Law in a Changing World". #UNGA81 worldleaders.columbia.edu/live
worldleaders.columbia.edu
Live | World Leaders Forum
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
No relation, but an insult to the family name quand même.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Which led to the eponymous Miners' Hymn, as explored on this lovely programme. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b...
bbc.co.uk
BBC Radio 4 - Soul Music, Gresford, the Miners' Hymn
Exploration of the haunting melancholy of Gresford, the Miners' Hymn, by Robert Saint.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
《Ce serait une question œcuménique.》
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Andrew Sparrow @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Burnham urged by ex-cabinet minister to join allies calling for compulsory, pre-release testing of frontier AI models - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
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German Embassy London @uk.diplo.de · 22/09/2026
AI must remain under human direction, oversight and control Ahead of the UN General Assembly, 22 world leaders, among them Chancellor Merz, have signed a declaration calling for control of frontier AI models that "must be developed and used in line with international law".
A Call for Control of Frontier AI Models
September 2026
Artificial intelligence is an extremely powerful technology. It has potential to improve lives, advance science and strengthen our economies.
At the same time, the rapid development of frontier AI models poses serious risks to safety and security if not appropriately managed.
Recently we have seen capable AI systems circumventing testing safeguards, exploiting vulnerabilities and gaining unauthorized access to real-world systems. Leading scientists and executives are warning that the pace of development could outpace our ability to manage emerging risks. To realise AI's potential, industry, governments and society must act now. We must address these risks and strengthen oversight — without widening the gap between countries in access to the benefits of AI. 
AI must remain under human direction, oversight and control. It must be developed and used in line with international law.
We therefore welcome the recently launched initiatives that aim to manage the risks related to frontier technologies, and call for:
1. Companies to develop transparent safety protocols, including mandatory predeployment testing and independent evaluation, with qualified evaluators granted sufficient access to assess risks.
2. Governments and regional organisations to further develop and coordinate common standards, strengthen transparency — including shared reporting of serious safety incidents — and ensure that countries across all regions have access to scientific capacity, expertise and trusted evaluation.
3. UN member states to build on existing international mechanisms and explore creating an international institution, able to set standards, enable
verification, and convene states when capability thresholds are crossed.https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/35b2ea6933304966bd739ff4b8107300/a-call-for-control-of-frontier-ai-models-final.pdf
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John Lister - johnlisterwriting.com @johnlister.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The tuition fees are £9,000 a year but you get a free 2:1.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Mark Zuckerberg, apparently.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Very good then (in the dim and distant Year of Our Lord 2023) and very good now. Am currently reading Northanger Abbey (better late than never), in which one oafish character describes another as being "as rich as a Jew". It jumped off the page, for sure, but would it warrant a "trigger warning"?
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The Elders @theelders.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Responsible leadership on AI is needed to protect humanity from growing risks. The Elders are calling on leaders to adopt these ten principles on AI governance and put people before profit and power.
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Peter Ricketts @lordrickettsp.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I’m struck that there has been nothing from senior ministers here echoing the very stark public warnings from Macron and Tusk last week of an escalation in Russian hybrid attacks on European countries. And there will no parliamentary opportunity to quiz them on this for three weeks.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Chris Huhne will be pleased, I guess.
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Friedrich SCHMerz, nicht wahr Leser?
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Good to see the excellent and indefatigable Israeli human rights and anti-settlements expert Yehuda Shaul quoted in @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social's latest column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
This Israeli election could be the country’s last – this week I saw that for myself | Jonathan Freedland
Spend time on the ground and you see how high the stakes are for next month’s contest – for Israelis and Palestinians alike, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
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William French @wtfrench76.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Reading Northanger Abbey for the first time, and enjoying Jane Austen's "drive-by" on The Spectator in the opening chapters. Wise before her time comme d'hab.
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