This Week, I’m Handing Over the Mic
In a week where I’m too swamped to write, here are the voices keeping the conversation alive - and why they matter.
Morning All,
I am in a position this week where I have a bit of a dual storm of life happening - some wobbly things happening in SA as well as the NHS which is demanding its pound of flesh. I’m currently running 14 hour days and even my usual liminal spaces that I write in have been thoroughly consumed in the fiery demands that come from working for the health service in the winter months combined with ailing parents.
In light of this, and as something I’ve been thinking for a while, I would dearly like to point you to some other people on the Substack who do very similar things to what I do - and most of the time, do them even better.
This does go a bit beyond just referrals, and an ask from my side.
I have been exceptionally fortunate that in the five months since I moved all my writing over to Substack that my growth trajectory has been very strong (something I’m exceedingly grateful and also a bit baffled about, but we are where we are), but I still haven’t cracked the one thing I do actually miss from Twitter - the feeling of community.
And that community is going to be so important going forward - the overt attacks from right-wing forces against the BBC (which I am not hagiographic or hymnal about in any form) show us just how deep into the information wars we are. When the US President can threaten to sue a national broadcaster for $1bn, whether he can win or not, you know that we are in a deeply dangerous time.
Independent journalism is going to increase in its importance going forward, and what we need to learn to do is to become a network, not just a disjointed set of voices, all vying for attention. I’m personally very guilty of this myself, however, have been trying to work a bit more closely with some of the other excellent commentators and journalists that are hosted on this site, and if Substack (and places like it) are going be to the next great forum for honest voices, it starts with us supporting each other.
So on that note, below I’m going to share the work of other people whose voices are important. Some are journalists, some are satirists, some simply articulate the world through a lens that I find both grounding and utterly compelling. If you have the time, please give them a read, subscribe if you can and tell them The Bear sent you - there’s a helluva lot of courage and effort in what they’re doing.
I’ll be back probably towards the end of the week once the various metaphorical (and potentially literal) fires have been put out - but for the time being, I’m asking you to form a network that will give us the resilience and robustness to get what is going to be a hard few years.
Sam Bright
I’ve been fortunate enough to have
contribute some of his work to Bearly Newsworthy before. Sam is the one of the best examples of investigative journalists - he’s tenacious, sharp and meticulous. His newsletter probes thoroughly into the issues of the day, and I always find his pieces worth a read.The Golden Hour
This newsletter written by ex Washington Post journalist and commentator,
, is a brilliant view in what’s happening in the politics of the US media ecosphere - the politics that are now openly invading the UK’s ecosphere as we have all seen over the past week and a half with the BBC. There are lesson’s to be learned from Karen, and ones we in the UK absolutely should pay attention to. Now.My Goodness!
The My Goodness Substack by
is a political one - but one done through an exceptionally human lens. So much of our politics are discussed through the impact of risk, mitigation, impact, economy, demographics and statistics - Jo in her work, zooms in, and her pieces are human and compassionate, but in no way less hard hitting for it.Call to Action
Health politics, you will be unsurprised to hear, is a sub-section of the political conversation that I am very, very interested in, and one of the best, most well-informed and passionate commentators/experts on this front is
. Call to Action is a must read if you want to understand the picture of the NHS in nuance and detail.Normal Island News
Normal Island News, written by
is a blistering satire publication that does not hold back. It’s never shouty, but each word is razor sharp and catapulted onto your screen with vociferosity (yes, I am now basically just making words up). NIN has been around for ages, and the experience here shows, and it is a worthy companion for any political news.The Lead
The Lead is another independent news publication that digs. And digs, and digs and digs. Its pieces are well researched, brilliantly presented and excoriating in a professional way that I’ve never been able to manage myself. Its contributors include the inimitable
as their Westminster Editor, who has a fantastic view on the issues that affect communities around the country and who writes with brilliant clarity on systemic issues - among many others.The Flagging Dad
A discovery I recently made completely by chance (I don’t have children, and I’m worryingly politics obsessed), The Flagging Dad, written by
had me instantly hooked. With a mellow, slightly meandering and conversational writing style, I found myself enjoying reading something just because there was a nice story behind it. Whether talking about how much he’s earned over his writing career, trips to Bath or summer holidays in France, Flagging Dad is the break you didn’t realise you deserved.Ugly Politix
Ugly Politix, which includes contributors like
, and is a publication aimed at not only politics, but democracy - with both reform and protection being in their sights. The publication offers compelling opinion pieces that make me, for one, at least think about things differently. It goes beyond just the political news, and adds a constitutional lens that I’ve personally found very helpful.Bylines Network
I’ve written before about the importance of not only journalism, but also what the new media could possibly mean for how we interact with news, and
is a publication that delivers on some of the best promises within that. With a focus on the local impact of national policies, this is an important part of the story that we need to tell over the coming years - local narratives and real world impacts beyond Westminster.Abroad
A fellow import to the United Kingdom,
, produces two publications - Abroad and Mostly Cool Stuff. Neither is political - and all the better for it. I find that I can get into a doom loop, and having a read through any of Cristina’s posts makes me pause for a second and realise that there is life outside of just what’s happening in the constitution, democracy slowly being destroyed and Jacob Rees-Mogg being a twat. Everything that Cristina publishes is thoughtful, compelling and a lovely palate cleanser that makes you forget that the world is actively being burned down.Byline Supplement
Last, but by no means least, is
- a place that I was incredibly privileged to call home for a time. The publication features a diverse and incredibly impressive range of voices, including , , , , and . The articles published cover broad swathes of politics and the news, ranging from what’s happening in the United States right down to local council decisions that impact people right where they live.That, in brief, is my list. There are many other writers and voices that are well worth reading and supporting on this site. It won’t ever be Twitter, and that, in and of itself, is a good thing.
Thank you to everyone for sticking with me through the busy patches and quiet ones alike - I am, as always, very grateful.
Best,
Bear
No billionaire backers, no secret trust fund, just a tired, rapidly greying gay immigrant with too many opinions to keep inside. If you can chip in with a paid subscription, it helps me keep writing through the mayhem and may even one day be enough for me to release myself from the NHS and do it full time (we must all dream).
If you are not in a position to do so, which I understand many of us aren’t, a share will help just as much.
And if you’re on UC, a pensioner, student, or journalist - email iratusursusmajor@gmail.com for complimentary access. Thanks, as always, for bearing with me while the NHS and life both demand their pound of flesh.
Take good care of yourself Mighty Bear and rest assured, this community will continue to roar
Together we are strong
Thanks Bear - some familiar and some new names there.
You probably know of him already, but Im a big fan of Roy Lilley as a knowledgeable commentator on the NHS, huge supporter of its people and understands the operational complexities. He’s not a Streeting fan…