There are multiple reasons this is a bad idea

I'll go through each one by one for anyone who can be arsed to find out

The only people who won't be arsed are people who think this only for ideological, NOT rational reasons

1/🧵

https://twitter.com/zatzi/status/1878420213869187495

1. Subscription media models are a TERRIBLE model

There are only a flat number of total subscribers

Once you reach this level, further growth becomes impossible

As the BFI will tell you, being a library isn't a profitable business model

2/🧵

We've known since the Fenians the way you stop terrorism is enfranchisement, education, opportunity and prosperity

Yet 200yrs on, the mantra is STILL "blow shit up" even after Afghan shows how useless that is

Men annoy me. Their "bash problems and they go away" drives me crazy There is a world of difference between annexation and terrorism. Every geostrat analyst knows that. Yet hardcore hawks will never accept socio-economics as a tool of geostrategy, if it doesn't explode, they just will not take it seriously. It's the worst kind of toxic masculinity

Long thread on anyone confused over the Chinese Debt thing. But it's a long story, so in 3 parts, an epic of money, power and hopefully not war

And it's not what you think

This week, episode 1: The Great Savings Flood

1/n 1980s

China opens up to the world & rapidly becomes an economic powerhouse. New Model? No, just a very large underemployed agrarian labour force and a historically capable massive bureaucracy to seriously mobilise it

2/n

Been so many financial stats on UK monarchy vs US President the one takeaway as an emotional monarchist, not a financio-economic one, was the sudden - and today years old - revelation

That republics with presidencies are hugely cost and process... inefficient 😲 1/ Given the disproportionately high cost of a president vs monarch, active role vs nominal role, constitutional monarchies are stable and democratic and achieve just as good as (if not better) social, financial and politically stable benefits as republics... for half the cost

2/

Confession time

I am a woman of exquisite taste, impeccable, actually. But I have one or two fatal flaws

One is unforgivable

I like the Bewitched movie. It is truly, truly awful, and I cannot stand Ferrell

But I adore this film. It's like ice cream when I'm down. Like now Probably because Kidman has such an enormous sense of fun in it, and I saw it when I was having a tough time in life and it cheered me up ❤️

I even remember going to see it on my own at Richmond cinema as none of my friends wanted to see it

What makes Hans Zimmer Live in Prague so extraordinary is not just his music

That in itself blows the mind

But the depth and artistry of how each piece is built with talented musicians in their own right, skills, inspiration

1/ Endless sessions with the musicians working on pieces, layering them, bringing out their ideas and talent to bring each part to life

Hans is less a composer and more an adventurer, seeking out musical treasures, and then bringing them together

2/

Car just had eye-watering service and MOT and got treated to brand new wiper blades to keep its happy little windscreen

Brick in road turning a corning. Goodbye all-weather nearside fore tyre and alignment

Fuckingfucksake First one to mansplain "what you need to do is..." gets lamped. FYI

It's difficult to explain to people overseas, and even to republicans, why monarchy matters here despite the apparent elitism or irrationality of it.

It's complicated and yet simple

1/ Truth is we don't like or trust politicians much, we make our premier live in a terraced house so they don't get ideas above their station

Democracy here evolved into what it is, there's no emotional "we got together as a nation and got freedom" archetypal identity

2/

Okay, this is annoying me now

I am seeing a lot of analysts I respect rolling out the "if Putin can turn it round and secure a quick victory he can recover his political capital..."

Stop it

Firstly, only the most dimwitted of his supporters wanted a war like this

1/ Ordinary Russians are shell-shocked and devastated

They have friends, relatives and cultural ties to Ukraine, his winning a quick war won't salve their shock and horror

Secondly, there is no "win"

2/

The All Sir Garnet’s Team – teamwork for GSD – A thread

Ask someone to name a ‘Great’ General, and Sir Garnet Wolseley, despite his awesomeness, is unlikely to crop up. So, here’s a ‘short’ thread explaining why he’s my favourite (yep, even over Wellington (gasp 😱))

1/14 Almost invariably sent in after (yet another) major politico-military cock-up, Wolseley was Whitehall’s Troubleshooter. In this context, quibbles around Sir Garnet’s (in)famous arrogance & ambiguous ‘victories’ thus often completely miss the point: he GSD (Got Shit Done)

2/14