The Lionesses kicked off, then the public did
England’s win and government missteps have given Brits a chance to exercise their two favourite past times.
It’s no exaggeration to say the world is suffering through a time of division, and we can put the blame at least partly on the internet. Social media has given previously fringe voices a megaphone, and disinformation spreads like wildfire.
Despite the unrest, the politics and the angry discourse, there are two treasured national past times that bring all Brits together: complaining, and sport. Last week, the Lionesses’ historic victory at the Euros 2025 united us in celebration of the latter.
We’ve also been cheering for women here at Computing, this time off the pitch, in the pursuit of the professionals who will make up the shortlist at the Women in Tech Excellence Awards in November. It’s fair to say that, like the England team, each entrant has her own skills and deserves recognition – but with over a thousand entries and limited spots, only the very best of the best will be featured.
But we’re not only looking for professional success. It’s all very well to look impressive on paper, but we also take into account factors like teamwork, leadership and business impact. It’s a holistic process that considers each entrant as a whole person.
That, as Sarina Wiegman could tell you, is how you win a tournament.
To stick with the football metaphor, it looks like the Labour government has scored an own goal with the Online Safety Act. It’s difficult to argue with the intent to protect children, but there is plenty of justified public anger about overreach due to poor wording. Even Spotify, hardly an XXX website, now requires age verification.
The botched implementation and fears of increasing scope creep – Peter Kyle had to do a media tour last week to assuage fears that the government would not ban VPNs – have put Labour at a new low in popularity.
It hasn’t taken the UK long to return to our other favourite past time, after all.
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