Holy shit:

[eevaxtiina@mastodon.social]

@cstross Hell must be freezing over and definitely some horses disturbed.

[nibor4000@social.vivaldi.net]

@cstross
I can't help thinking he is being used as a distraction from people guilty of more/worse crimes mentioned in the Epstein files

[jonnybradford@mstdn.social]

@cstross a new resident for the Tower perhaps.

[linza@kamu.social]

@cstross is it even a monarchy if the people can't execute a monarch when they're total shit or the crops are failing (or both)

[dgold@goblin.technology]

@cstross bretaña, mañana, séra republicana

[steinarb@mastodon.social]

The case of the Crown vs Andrew Mountbatton-Windsor...?

Interesting times!

[tmcfarlane@toot.community]

@Nibor4000 @cstross fortunately we can deal with more than one bastard at a time.

[gf493d@theforkiverse.com]

@Linza @cstross I think crops would fail even worse if that Gobshite was offered up for sacrifice.

[cstross@wandering.shop]

@dgold If the King handles this properly (for PR values of "properly") it'll keep England a monarchy for at least another generation. (Scotland is already majority republican.)

[cstross@wandering.shop]

@GF493D @Linza I view Randy Andy as a proxy sacrifice for Chuckles the Third. Minimum Viable Monarch to exsanguinate to appease the media gods.

[masek@infosec.exchange]

@cstross Love your optimism ️

[gf493d@theforkiverse.com]

@cstross @Linza Maybe all we really need is a barBq. Charles can bring his big fat pedo #sausage fingers.

[bloognoo@retro.pizza]

@cstross

I love that in the BBC report of the police statement, the police say that they are not naming the suspect and care should be taken by publications so as not to appear in contempt of court, immediately followed by the link you just posted in bold

[cstross@wandering.shop]

@abstractcode

Both.

Admittedly swift action over the Epstein business is the only way to save the British monarchy at this point in time. Anything Epstein is radioactive kryptonite to the King, and the monarchy was already in big trouble as the halo of deference conferred by his late mother's longevity dissipated. (*She* was a national institution and symbol of unity: he's just a stuffy old billionaire in a fancy hat.)

[adrianh@mastodon.social]

@cstross <nods> The _in custody_ was the bit that most surprised me most earlier

[axx@mstdn.fr]

@cstross I really dislike the way the BBC keep calling him "Andrew". We are not on a first name basis. He's a shit. Don't make him familiar, call him by his full or last name.

It's one of the bad British things, assuming everyone is familiar and to some degree sympathetic to the royal family.

[deborahh@cosocial.ca]

@Klassika @cstross they'd have to append "alleged" which dulls the vibe.

[deborahh@cosocial.ca]

@GF493D body-shaming? Blocked.

[klassika@mastodon.social]

@deborahh
I know about libel, but they don’t need to use positive adjectives either

[jessfairbairn@aoir.social]

@cstross woah. I feel like this would not have happened before the Queen's death, which is depressing.