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Ben Yates

@benyates

Opsimath, betwixt fascinating rock and smart looking hard place. #OUFC

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Latest posts by Ben Yates @benyates

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I've used this place to shout into the void a few times. In cricket you get to bat twice. Some life events you think only happen to other people, and when they happen to you, it is scary to say the least.

Yesterday I bought my new house. It's only a wee place, but it's mine.

07.03.2026 09:39 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Starmer should have come back with β€œand as much as he’s trying, Trump is no Hitler”. Damp rag.

04.03.2026 10:46 πŸ‘ 101 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 0

This is what happens when you have a military lead by the kind of people who think wars are fought like Call of Duty games.

04.03.2026 10:07 πŸ‘ 497 πŸ” 149 πŸ’¬ 30 πŸ“Œ 3
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The @ipso.co.uk ruling of Telegraph’s preposterous β€œWe earn Β£345k but soaring private school fees mean we can’t go on five holidays”, reveals the article to have been a fabrication. There is no such family as Al, Alexandra, Ali, Harry and Barry Moy. Glad to have acted as lead complainant on this.

03.03.2026 19:40 πŸ‘ 410 πŸ” 128 πŸ’¬ 20 πŸ“Œ 14
03.03.2026 15:53 πŸ‘ 296 πŸ” 75 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 3

This is just to say

I am trapped
In Dubai
While my
Labradoodles
Are sick

Forgive me
My Mounjaro pen
Is in the ice box
So crisp
And so cold

02.03.2026 15:23 πŸ‘ 159 πŸ” 30 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 0

I absolutely adore this. It's stunning.

01.03.2026 19:12 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

If Reform had won, Labour's statement would be that this result is a stark reminder we need to listen and learn from voters who rightly feel betrayed by modern politics.

But the Greens won by a comfortable margin, so it's: these voters are stupid and also sinister and, ugh, Muslims

28.02.2026 09:31 πŸ‘ 2232 πŸ” 614 πŸ’¬ 13 πŸ“Œ 8

Whatever Starmer may think of her party, this is massively insulting and patronising to Hannah Spencer, who seems to be a thoroughly decent and sincere person who is in politics for the right reason.

27.02.2026 21:22 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Honestly, I've met pigeons who learned faster. The biggest majority in living memory, devoid of policy, and unable to grasp they're literally in the business of getting people to vote for them. There are 2 silos of voters now, and they will never cross.

27.02.2026 18:06 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

So Labour not just learning absolutely nothing from this, but leaning further in. Kind regards, previously a member for years.

27.02.2026 15:08 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
27.02.2026 14:50 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
simpsons meme: I tell you what's not so funny,
 matt goodwin's at home
crying like a little girl

simpsons meme: I tell you what's not so funny, matt goodwin's at home crying like a little girl

27.02.2026 12:47 πŸ‘ 71 πŸ” 23 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0

Absolutely all of this. Let's hope they never learn.

27.02.2026 13:40 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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27.02.2026 09:27 πŸ‘ 219 πŸ” 44 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1
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And Matt Goodwin who DID NOT win

27.02.2026 08:51 πŸ‘ 1273 πŸ” 262 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 2
Allister heath headline generator: 
Allister Heath
The catastrophic reality of manchester losing another plumber is finally dawning on the British public

Allister heath headline generator: Allister Heath The catastrophic reality of manchester losing another plumber is finally dawning on the British public

27.02.2026 08:01 πŸ‘ 564 πŸ” 92 πŸ’¬ 10 πŸ“Œ 7

"Friends" is a beloved American sitcom that aired from 1994 to 2004, following six young adultsβ€”Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebeβ€”living in New York City. The show explores their friendships, romances, careers, and personal growth over ten seasons.

26.02.2026 10:22 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

I need to shout into the void again.

I signed the contract on my new house this afternoon.

Months of every emotion. Such an anticlimax for something that is everything.

God this is hard.

25.02.2026 22:09 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Excellent shout. But stop for lunch at the chippy 😊

25.02.2026 08:27 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Trickle Down

24.02.2026 20:23 πŸ‘ 46 πŸ” 10 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Black n white Godzilla blastin a vehicle

Black n white Godzilla blastin a vehicle

I said it's pronounced JODzilla

24.02.2026 16:22 πŸ‘ 86 πŸ” 28 πŸ’¬ 6 πŸ“Œ 1
GILES COREN
Loyalty isn't a crime, even for Andrew's daughters
Preserve the parent-child bond and allow
Beatrice and Eugenie to be loyal to their father if they want to be
Giles Coren
Monday February 23 2026, 5.02pm, The Times

GILES COREN Loyalty isn't a crime, even for Andrew's daughters Preserve the parent-child bond and allow Beatrice and Eugenie to be loyal to their father if they want to be Giles Coren Monday February 23 2026, 5.02pm, The Times

Outrage is the least interesting of all human responses, so I do my best never to express it. But it's hard.
There are paedophiles out there,
rapists, child killers, bent politicians, Send kids driven to suicide, shady monarchies answerable to no one, narcissistic lawyers forcing puberty blockers on pre-teens to advance their political ambitions... you could spend your entire life being outraged.
But I don't. Because it's boring. Which is why I find the Andrew "debate" so tedious. Because it's all so bloody basic. There is no nuance. One can only be outraged, and everyone is. New story please!

Outrage is the least interesting of all human responses, so I do my best never to express it. But it's hard. There are paedophiles out there, rapists, child killers, bent politicians, Send kids driven to suicide, shady monarchies answerable to no one, narcissistic lawyers forcing puberty blockers on pre-teens to advance their political ambitions... you could spend your entire life being outraged. But I don't. Because it's boring. Which is why I find the Andrew "debate" so tedious. Because it's all so bloody basic. There is no nuance. One can only be outraged, and everyone is. New story please!

In my ideological neck of the woods - educated, urban, centrist β€” there is the added tedium of "I told you so" republicanism, which is the second most boring belief a person can hold, after atheism. And nobody is ever one of those without the other: "Hark at me, I don't need gods or kings; I've got a Ukrainian flag and Jarvis Cocker."
But the thing about those people is that deep within their liberalism beats a totalitarian heart.
And that is what I see in the widespread calls for Beatrice and Eugenie not only to "make a public statement" but to "go to the police with what they know"

In my ideological neck of the woods - educated, urban, centrist β€” there is the added tedium of "I told you so" republicanism, which is the second most boring belief a person can hold, after atheism. And nobody is ever one of those without the other: "Hark at me, I don't need gods or kings; I've got a Ukrainian flag and Jarvis Cocker." But the thing about those people is that deep within their liberalism beats a totalitarian heart. And that is what I see in the widespread calls for Beatrice and Eugenie not only to "make a public statement" but to "go to the police with what they know"

Do British liberals really want to see children denouncing parents to the world? Do they want to see daughters snitching on fathers to the security services? Because the only people who have ever demanded that in the past were fascist dictators. If Beatrice and Eugenie have broken the law, fine, lock 'em up. But allow them to be loyal to their father if they want to be. Because the insistence that children betray parents was one of the very darkest obsessions of Nazi Germany, communist China and Stalin's Soviet Union.

Do British liberals really want to see children denouncing parents to the world? Do they want to see daughters snitching on fathers to the security services? Because the only people who have ever demanded that in the past were fascist dictators. If Beatrice and Eugenie have broken the law, fine, lock 'em up. But allow them to be loyal to their father if they want to be. Because the insistence that children betray parents was one of the very darkest obsessions of Nazi Germany, communist China and Stalin's Soviet Union.

You can guarantee these lads will be there swords drawn, ready to fight, whenever a wealthy and important person is arrested. Particularly but not only for sex crimes.

24.02.2026 07:07 πŸ‘ 558 πŸ” 128 πŸ’¬ 72 πŸ“Œ 59

I need to go back in time & persuade Pru Leith to just go to the pictures that night

24.02.2026 12:40 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Russia launched its full-scale invasion exactly four years ago.

If anyone had told us, during that first month, that this would be the situation four years later, we would have instantly called it a massive Ukrainian victory and a staggering Russian defeat

23.02.2026 21:33 πŸ‘ 2403 πŸ” 635 πŸ’¬ 74 πŸ“Œ 30
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a year is a long time in politics

23.02.2026 18:01 πŸ‘ 2963 πŸ” 717 πŸ’¬ 69 πŸ“Œ 36
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23.02.2026 18:01 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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"John Prescott would be loving this"

23.02.2026 17:26 πŸ‘ 658 πŸ” 162 πŸ’¬ 5 πŸ“Œ 4
phoenix buchanan in paddington 2 dancing down the stairs

phoenix buchanan in paddington 2 dancing down the stairs

you know peter mandelson is gonna be in the slammer like this

23.02.2026 17:19 πŸ‘ 125 πŸ” 21 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0