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mikeparker.bsky.social
Writer in the damp Welsh hills. Books include All the Wide Border, Map Addict, On the Red Hill, The Wild Rover, Neighbours from Hell? "No-one maps the secrets of the UK quite like Mike Parker" - Ayesha Hazarika, Times Radio
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The idea that President Zelenskyy should apologise for his behaviour in the Oval Office is so unbelievably twisted, it’s like telling an assault victim that if they say something nice to their assailant it won’t happen again. We really cannot normalise this narrative.

“Why don’t you say thank you”

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus, pawb 🕊️ As well as being our nation's saint day, it's a reminder of the often magical lives of the medieval saints, their hagiographies embedded in our landscape. Plenty of room in folk magic for your local saints! Heddwch 🕊️ www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/cy/node/126

March 1st, Aberdare #community #cymunedoli

We had years of this insufferable man taking the taxpayer for a ride, as MEP & AM. There were scandals galore around him, but the Welsh media looked away. How many more times do we have to have the far-right being properly investigated only when their reign is over? www.bbc.com/news/article...

We had years of this insufferable man taking the taxpayer for a ride, as MEP & AM. There were scandals galore around him, but the Welsh media looked away. How many more times do we have to have the far-right being properly investigated only when their reign is over? www.bbc.com/news/article...

GWERFUL!!

Leafing through a 1990s Wales from the Air book, and surprised to see that Caerfyrddin/Carmarthen appears to be built around a cosmic phallus. Is it Merlin’s?

Truly the stupidest self-inflicted injury is cutting your finger nails too close, hitting blood, and wincing with pain every time you touch anything for days and bloody days afterwards.

Phone now sends me transcriptions of voicemails. Very confused by this one until I listened to it. Turns out ‘sexy literally’ is in fact ‘Specsavers Bletchley’

It’s ours now.

Dafydd El was such a one-off. A trailblazer but always a one-man band, his greatest legacy is steering (and steadying) the ship as Llywydd for the early years of the Senedd, but losing that job - for which he was so well-suited - hit him hard, and made him look for fights where there weren’t any.

If the enemy wants you to despair it is actually politically useful to explore hope as a discipline, as a practice, something to do, a verb. Want some help? Spend some time listening to and reading James Baldwin.

Remembering Brian Murphy, and also how much I loved the Eurythmics.

Lee’s podcast from the inside of Welsh government is really worth a listen. Infuriating at times, but always illuminating.

Spaces booking well for these retreats supporting screenwriters to develop their dream spec pilots. Check out all the details below 👇👇 10% discount for @writersguildgb.bsky.social members and anyone who ever wrote a Doctors ep! ✊🏻

This.

I'm on 'Ramblings' with Claire Balding on Thursday 6 February at 3:00pm, Radio 4 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

In the Legion, boys are arguing about whether you get two shots on the black or not, someone googled it and read out English pool rules, and someone goes "What about Welsh Pool" and the guy shouted "that's in fuckin Powys"

Next Monday, 3 Feb at 6.30pm, I'm giving an illustrated lecture at the Royal Geographical Society @rgsibg.bsky.social, entitled 'A Nation of Map Addicts'. There'll be history, politics, art and fun. Tickets available, and it will also be livestreamed for free. Details: www.rgs.org/events/upcom...

Next Monday, 3 Feb at 6.30pm, I'm giving an illustrated lecture at the Royal Geographical Society @rgsibg.bsky.social, entitled 'A Nation of Map Addicts'. There'll be history, politics, art and fun. Tickets available, and it will also be livestreamed for free. Details: www.rgs.org/events/upcom...

I'm going to be busy travelling the country in the Spring! Can't wait to introduce everyone to my new novel - The Best Of Everything. Come along - I would love to see you there!