Odds and Ends #6: An infuriating BBC News story
Plus more HS2 insanity, what we can learn from Texas about housing, and the strange history of TV is Israel.
Hello! It’s the sixth edition of Odds and Ends, your round-up of interesting links, videos, and other stuff that I’ve found interesting in the week. But before we get to that, an exciting announcement!
Subscribe to What’s Happening Now!
It has been an exciting few weeks in my professional life, as in addition to turning this Substack into an actual part of my business, I’ve also been working with my friend, the comedian Sam Hampson on What’s Happening Now.
Basically, we’re doing the thing that all men do eventually, and we’re launching a podcast. But also a newsletter! (Yes, another one!), and imminently we will be producing video content too, from a wide range of contributors.
The whole project is Sam’s brainchild, and the premise is to bring together comedians, journalists and generally clever people to help explain some of the big ideas behind news. And Sam invited me to get involved so that I can be the professional spoilsport, ruining the comedians’ fun by trying to bring facts and context into conversations.
Tonally, the show/broader project is going to be a bit different to what you get from my Substack. I know that Odds and Ends of History is for the ultra-nerds, who are brain-poisoned enough to spend their days thinking about politics. The hope with WHN is that we can reach people who might actually have a life too.
The first episode of the podcast and our first newsletter drop later this week, so please do like and subscribe, as they say!
Vote for Lizzi!
And now for a political endorsement that’s so important I’m including it above the paywall. If you happen to be in Morecambe and Lunesdale (you never know, right?), then I urge you to do everything within your power to get my friend Lizzi Collinge selected as the Labour candidate, and then elected to Parliament at the next election.
I’m not just saying this because I know and like Lizzi, but because if she gets elected, we’ll have an advocate of many O’Malleyist ideas in Parliament. Lizzi is pro-nuclear, pro-housing, and I am very confident that we’ll be able to persuade her about the Postcode Address File too. So vote for Lizzi!
And now, some more links behind a paywall for premium subscribers! Sign up and discover some interesting things to read and watch!
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