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The reason I’m not posting about the massive reform breakthrough that puts Farage on the doorstep of Number 10 in an unstoppable tidal wave of support is simple: It did not happen.

This is a map, in full, of all the additional councils that Reform now run following their acquisition of 26% of the national vote share on Thursday. Those votes came in amounts varying from practically none to just over 50% depending on the area of the country; there’s a good case for comparing their results to the historic record of the Lib Dems - sometimes regionally significant, no indication of being close to government.

The total vote share for right wing parties was 44%, the vote against was 56%. 44% is the absolute average scored by the right wing in the UK in pretty much every election since the war. This time they split it between two parties instead of putting it all behind one.

Reform are statistically no closer to government than they were on Wednesday. Their controlled councils do tend to be a bit chaotic, Kent is a ridiculous mess for a start, and it’s a shame that good local representatives (whatever party they chose to sit for) have lost their seats, replaced by people who have a strong view on grandstanding about immigration, which they have no control over, and have no idea how to empty the bins, which they are legally obliged to do.

It remains the case that we need voting reform, which we’ve needed for at least fifty years, and that the fractured nature of left-wing politics has kept minority interests in majority power for pretty much my whole lifetime. Not the time for complacency, sure. But that was the case before Thursday.

The winners of the Musuc Week Grassroots Venue: Spirit of the Scene Award is… The Globe, Newcastle

I have three new notebooks!

Which one do you think you feature in?

I’m having a superb afternoon reliving my 90s clubbing years with Indigo, Blow Up and Smashing. Absolutely excellent stuff!

We are ready to go with a full day of talks, panels, presentations and films presented by @musicvenuetrust at the fantastic @vamuseum

Starts from 10am, events all day. Free to get in, just make your way up to the Lecture Theatre!

To the Bloomsbury Theatre for the cultural gift of an evening inspired by Ivor Cutler performed by @hamishhawk & friends.

Tuesday night jazz at @mattandphreds

I think this might be the best deal for a night out in Manchester. Free to get in, great music, buy two drinks and get a free pizza.

Having it explained to me that Butthole Surfers were basically a Springsteen Tribute band.

Burglar at @gulliversnq in Manchester on a Monday. Superb. So good I’m going again in London on Thursday to @dublincastlecamden

You should come… Something happening here.

Agent of Change enters its eleventh year of debate and discussion. And still the government thinks that a planning process held up by bad development, swamped in excessive cost, and hamstrung by imbalance is ‘working well’.

In this week’s Substack I lay out the pitiful progress towards common sense in planning law that everyone agrees is the right thing to do but no one can make happen. There’s another chance tomorrow, the article tells you how to write to your MP to see if we can finally get it done.

READ HERE: https://markdavyd.substack.com/p/wont-get-fooled-again

I publish an article about music, the music industry, politics, creativity and culture, usually with obscure lyric jokes, every Sunday. If that’s the sort of thing you might like reading over your cornflakes, please do subscribe.

New Substack available now. Link in bio.

Farage attacking his core voter base of pensioners seems a strange move, but I’m here for it.

Cut their pensions Nigel! Then the NHS!