Leonard Symeonides

Runner, father to a German Shorthaired Pointer and to a little human (in order of appearance) and occasional blogger (

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

Outdoor #exercise, esp. #running, is the best way to improve #mentalhealth. But what happens when mental state becomes a barrier?
This is my 6month journey from reasonably fit marathon runner to overweight non-runner. And back?
https://t.co/LfJ0XzmXOz

#depression #cycling

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

@Dr_da_Vinci @ChrisO_wiki Of course : that's where the EU is threatened.

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

@JayMitchinson Great writing, thank you James. And I learnt something new, as well!

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

https://t.co/4ibFQCIjUK
Chapeau monsieur!

[Ben Phillips @benphillips76]

On “strangers”. Ian McKellen reciting a beautiful, powerful and utterly current bit of Shakespeare.

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

@runnersworlduk I ran a 2 minute mile the other day. It was one of the 200meter miles.

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

@thenerve_news The last paragraph is the kicker!

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

@RoryStewartUK To be fair, he does have a point (even if he's out by 383 years... )

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

@RoryStewartUK Watched it. I see no discrepancy between what you said then and what you stand for today. The same conflict between e.g. tradition, the countryside and social values means I feel no affiliation to any one party (but I could never express this as eloquently as you).

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

@Tom___Scott @carolecadwalla Thanks for the clarification: I was going from @carolecadwalla 's previous post (attached). I don't understand why the gender of the founders is seen as relevant, when their race, age, sexual orientation end other demographic information are (rightly, in my opinion) not.

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

@HughRJWilliams @carolecadwalla @thenerve_news Or "all white" (judging by the photo). Nonetheless I have great respect for @carolecadwalla , have followed @thenerve_news and look forward to its content.

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

I would welcome an in depth discussion on this in an upcoming @RestIsPolitics @RoryStewartUK and @campbellclaret . How realistic is it as a solution to current problems, and how realistic is an expectation that there might be a future PM radical enough to deliver it?

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

We'll have you Άγγελε!

But then again we (@lcfc) sacked Ranieri the year after winning the PL and while we were 1-1 with Atletico in the #ChampionsLeague
Quarter finals... We probably don't deserve you.

https://t.co/ODR60MiXyW

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

Wow indeed! Very well said.

[Celestial Skeptic 🌍 @Calzeto1_]

My God. Scott Galloway on uncensored leaves Piers Morgan speechless as he brutally ends the career of Elon musk in just a few sentences that perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with the Tesla personality and his ride or die supporters on social media

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

You called it @Scaramucci !

BBC News - Trump 'disappointed' with Musk's attacks on budget bill
https://t.co/CSvEZ16soQ

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

@JayMitchinson From someone you don't know, but who can share your feelings of loss, I am very, very sorry to hear...

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

@AndreSaetre At the very least, it deserves a once only special! I can't wait to hear a @RoryStewartUK explainer on the past 10 years of @LCFC 's history!

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

@RestIsFootball @RoryStewartUK @GaryLineker @alanshearer @MicahRichards @RestIsPolitics @campbellclaret Who will head the inaugural "The Rest is Bowls"?

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

And worse, far worse than all that, they take themselves seriously!

[Bricktop_NAFO @Bricktop_NAFO]

‘Why The British Don’t Like Trump’🇬🇧

- Written by Nate White🇬🇧

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed. So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump’s limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.

Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever. I don’t say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman. But with Trump, it’s a fact. He doesn’t even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty.

Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers. And scarily, he doesn’t just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness.

There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It’s all surface. Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don’t. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He’s not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He’s more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.

And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead. There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless – and he kicks them when they are down.

So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think ‘Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy’ is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:

• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and mostly are.

• You don’t need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.

This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss. After all, it’s impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

And a remorseful Doctor Frankenstein would clutch out big clumpfuls of hair and scream in anguish: ‘My God… what… have… I… created?' If being a twat was a TV show, Trump would be the boxed set.

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

@theatreofchips @RoryStewartUK Unfair: As much as I deplore the man, his ideology and his actions, at least he volunteered to fight for his (adopted) country, distinguished himself in numerous battles, and was decorated. The other is a draft dodger.

[Leonard Symeonides @Kaneis]

As a dad to an 8yo boy, I can identify with every word you wrote. I dread watching #Adolescence , but I know I will -and must. And thank you for making this free to read.

[James Mitchinson @JayMitchinson]

Adolescence: Netflix masterpiece scarified the conscience of my parenting, leaving in its wake bagfuls of thatch for me to ponder ... and there's a real-life parallel - that haunted me into writing this - that all dads should see👇

https://t.co/c9vkc9qAUO