Profile avatar
bencoates1.bsky.social
Author - 'THE INVENTION OF AMSTERDAM' out now! (https://amzn.to/2QJx3bh). Writer, aid worker, speechwriter, recovering Tory. Columnist @ADnl; articles NYT, Telgraph, New Statesman, Groene Amsterdammer etc. Still available on Elon’s hellsite too!
1,145 posts 4,060 followers 582 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
Posts 29 Comments 21

I am obviously not a military expert but amid all the celebrations of Ukraine’s daring attacks, it may be worth bearing in mind that whatever Ukraine can do to Russia today, Russia and others can potentially do to us tomorrow. If Olenya can be flattened by drones, so can Lakenheath or Volkel.

submitted 8 hours ago • 4 comments

An actual news story today What a time to be alive

submitted 8 hours ago • 3 comments

You have to wonder how long people will keep investing billions in aircraft carriers and fighter jets when this is what the opponent looks like

submitted 12 hours ago • 0 comments

⚡️Exclusive footage shows the SBU attack on strategic bombers at Belaya Air Field in Russia's Irkutsk region.

submitted 13 hours ago • 68 comments

Perhaps it is unachievable. Perhaps the gap in planning and technical abilities is too big. But I dearly hope that one day NATO is allowed to join Ukraine.

submitted 15 hours ago • 6 comments

An early contender for political misunderstanding of the year here (from a member of the Scottish parliament) - perhaps narrowly beaten out by Trump’s education secretary thinking “A.I.” was pronounced “A1”

submitted 14 hours ago • 0 comments

Thoughts and prayers for the writers of Black Mirror, who are presumably finding it hard to keep up bsky.app/profile/theg...

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

Truly one of the dumbest people ever to hold public office

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

A polite reminder that if you for some reason haven’t bought my new book yet then you are missing out on one of the all-time great reading experiences. It’s an instant classic; an extraordinarily good read. www.hive.co.uk/Product/Ben-...

submitted 9 days ago • 5 comments

Extraordinary NY Times article on Musk drug use - at a time when he was gleefully putting public services in the wood chipper, winning major defense contracts and dictating US foreign policy, he was so stoned that you wouldn’t trust him with a stapler www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/u...

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

‘The Netherlands is full’ update: www.dutchnews.nl/2025/05/majo...

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

After a dispute over airport fees, Ryanair says it will later this year stop flying to and from Maastricht - or as they call it, Paris North nos.nl/artikel/2569...

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

Final reminder for this bargain! You could waste €10 on a couple of beers on a Friday night, or you could wisely invest it in something fascinating to read. Or better yet, buy some beers and drink them while also reading the book.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Wilders is - somewhat unusually for a far right leader - always careful to portray himself as a supporter of gay rights. Yet here he is with a man who not only banned Gay Pride but installed facial recognition systems so police can track down participants. I hope at least some voters remember it.

submitted 3 days ago • 7 comments

the mass killings people still don’t talk about: since Trump took office, more than 50,000 adults and nearly 6,000 children have died from the withdrawal of HIV drugs. Just imagine it: your kid is HIV + but healthy and happy and fine - and then suddenly, a far-flung racist takes their meds away

submitted 2 days ago • 2 comments

Wilders is - somewhat unusually for a far right leader - always careful to portray himself as a supporter of gay rights. Yet here he is with a man who not only banned Gay Pride but installed facial recognition systems so police can track down participants. I hope at least some voters remember it.

submitted 3 days ago • 7 comments

Lovely stuff, thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

7am: I publish a newspaper column saying kids should be allowed to eat more sweets, and it’s fun how the Avondvierdaagse looks “like an explosion in a Haribo factory” 11am: news breaks that the country’s supply of Haribo is contaminated with cannabis 😬

submitted 3 days ago • 7 comments

Huh. I did not expect to see this. Nice!

submitted 4 days ago • 5 comments

Walking out of an office building in Amsterdam last night, I nearly bumped into a blonde lady talking to a group of men in suits. They made no effort to get out of the way and I thought they were a bit rude for it, as I wriggled past. Two minutes later I realized who it was…

submitted 3 days ago • 4 comments

Huh. I did not expect to see this. Nice!

submitted 4 days ago • 5 comments

Bargain of the week - currently only €9.99 for the paperback on bol.com ! www.bol.com/nl/nl/p/the-...

submitted 6 days ago • 4 comments

Passing through the Groene Hart today on the way to Rotterdam: the super yacht of Howard Schulz, former CEO of Starbucks. I guess this is a ‘venti’ not a tall.

submitted 4 days ago • 6 comments

The Anselm Kiefer show at the Van Gogh museum and Stedelijk in Amsterdam (split across two museums) was very good. To be honest I don’t like Kiefer’s stuff but this is truly epic work, thought provoking and beautifully displayed and worth a visit.

submitted 4 days ago • 4 comments

Reforming the debt brake Extra spending on defence and infrastructure Tougher on Hungary and Slovakia Relaxed restrictions on weapons for Ukraine Calling out Netanyahu If he keeps this up, I might end up having to like Friedrich Merz

submitted 4 days ago • 1 comment

I still spend a little bit of time on Twitter (yes, yes, I know). Current top stories dominating the timeline:

submitted 5 days ago • 14 comments

I still spend a little bit of time on Twitter (yes, yes, I know). Current top stories dominating the timeline:

submitted 5 days ago • 14 comments

Also, asking homeowners for permission would kill the burglary industry.

submitted 6 days ago • 27 comments

If you’re wondering why Wilders is desperate for attention and talking tougher than ever on immigration: his PVV is now running level with Green/Labour opposition and behind the VVD 👇 In this scenario it is entirely possible to shut him out of the next coalition, if the VVD wants to

submitted 5 days ago • 4 comments