Is Michael Gove attempting a very surprising return to politics?

And just like that, the historic Employment Rights Bill lands. Sick pay from day one. Day-one parental leave. Unfair dismissal rights after six months. Ban fire-and-rehire. Bereavement leave. Protections for pregnant women. Tougher redundancy rules. Fair Work Agency to enforce rights. #ukpolitics

I want to see people like Farage & Badenoch specifically asked who they want to win. Not 'does he have a point?'. Who do they want to win? Make them pick a side and let the voters see it.

Over a Billion £ in debt. That must be what the "sustainability" bit of PSR means 🤔 #nufc

Saw this video of Tristan Harris on Diary of a CEO sharing what AI-tech bros have shared regarding their motivations pursuing this technology. It’s horrifying. These tech ghouls have us all on a suicide mission because of their EGOS. 🫠

Every part of this is bonkers. The intro is bonkers. The transition to his health is bonkers. The mention that other presidents didn't need cognitive exams is bonkers. The claim that this screening test is somehow hard is bonkers. The idea that criticism of him is treason is bonkers. All of it.

Spurs capitulating to opposition bigotry like this is shameful.

Government has now - belatedly -published the impact assessment for the changes to skilled worker and care worker visas announced in May. Impact is estimated between -£2 billion and £-10 billion (central - £10 billion). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6937e6...

This is an abomination.

Reform juggernaut rolls on: local council by-elections since May local elections, compiled by David Cowling docs.google.com/document/d/1...

This is the point where the anti-Reeves stories tip into madness. Criticise her performance all you like but what the hell is this?

Bellingcat’s contact email has always been a magnet for people with fairly unusual views; paranoid delusions, sprawling conspiracies, the works. But recently, the pattern has shifted, we’re seeing more and more emails clearly written with ChatGPT.

They've also voted to allow dual membership, so we're getting the SWP front party

This is the most alarming story I’ve read today. Giving up the fight before it’s started

"Western civilization," the font, the 11 stars - 11 states in the confederacy, for the record. Why is this never news? Why are we letting our government agencies do this sort of thing while the news agencies report on hallucinated trade deals and act like everything is normal

also this @alicettimes.bsky.social col on yoof leaving Uk looks prescient given today's emigration stats - hear this more & more from parents of uni-aged kids, wondering if they'd have more prospects overseas (watch those figs if we do a proper youth mobility deal) www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

1/5 It was entirely predictable that The Telegraph would jump on @DavidOlusoga’s Empire series to fight its right wing culture war for control of our public history. Let’s see what they’ve done:

On Truss & Kwarteng in ‘22. Allister Heath, Telegraph: “the best budget I have ever heard a British chancellor deliver". Alex Brummer, Mail: “a genuine Tory package elbowing to one side the Treasury's fiscal conservatism". These men will now be paid actual money for their analysis of today’s budget.

“I would never ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way” Nigel Farage responds to allegations of racist behaviour from when he was a teenager at school @itvnewspolitics.bsky.social

While I'm not quite at the point of losing my house, the harm ai has done to my animation work income is huge, like 80% gone and it makes me wonder how many freelance artists and animators ARE losing everything while billionaire con men continue to rake it in.

After another week of banging on about immigration, Keir Starmer's ratings fall to their lowest ever level. At what point do Labour strategists start to think that maybe this isn't quite the winning strategy they believed?

Hello @ec.europa.eu , or whoever is responsible for enforcing the rules, X's AI, Grok, is denying the Holocaust. Holocaust denial is illegal in France. Please don't make an exception when it comes to a billionaire, as usual. Please take concrete and firm action against this cruel disinformation.

I was just thinking the other day that it is mad that if this continues then the book I'm writing, about London 1560-1630, will contain basically no British Library manuscript material. Would have been unthinkable to me but there hasn't been a manuscript catalogue for two years now!

Someone should do these graphs with UK & Thatcher

The remarkable story we discussed this morning. (No paywall but do consider subscribing.) www.thenewworld.co.uk/james-ball-e...

That renowned and respected lover of truth and journalistic integrity.... THE KREMLIN.... has stepped up to defend Trump in his battle against the BBC. SO that's Farage, Netanyahu, Putin, and Boris Johnson...

Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments: One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.

1/ The US Government has quietly removed a memorial to Black soldiers who died in World War II from the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten, South Limburg. The move follows a complaint from the right-wing Heritage Foundation to the American Battle Monuments Commission. ⬇️

Incredibly sobering post but do bear this section in mind when you hear Chris Philp and Robert Jenrick getting on their high horse...

Dominic Cummings has this racialised take on David Lammy There is an increasingly prevalent kneejerk online rightwing trait to call the presence of any black or Asian person a diversity hire

Dick Cheney lived long enough to witness the horrors he had unleashed.

👇👇

Call them cunts and tell them they get nothing. Spit in their stupid faces. Put extra Asians in the Christmas adverts and explicitly say you're doing it to fuck them off. Tell them *no* for once Jesus actual Christ lads. Not "this is unworkable" or "this is expensive". Just no.

Wow - those are quite phenomenal headlines given the details of the story. Ahh look, he’s just a ‘nerdy’ guy. No harm done. You need to scroll down to paragraph 13 of the Sky piece to find the full story! 🧵 1/9

The "hard-men" of Gondor were getting their shit kicked in until they were rescued by foreigners and a girl. The Shire was doing fine until they let a fascist demagogue ("Sharkey" aka Saruman) take over, close the gates, impose a bunch of thug-enforced rules, and despoil nature for profit.

X is a cesspit led by an unhinged billionaire who is desperately trying to stir up civil war in Britain. Nobody with any sense or decency should be there. No organisations, government departments, or politicians should be there. Everyone who is, is enabling this monster.

He knew this question was coming and had plenty of room to devise an answer that avoided criticizing Trump but signaled the UK's approach under a Farage government would be saner, more legal and in line with basic human decency. It's telling he did none of that.

Poll watchers were a significant tool in stopping Black citizens from voting during Jim Crow. So it tracks that the white supremacist Trump administration is bringing them back.

That's twice Baleba has smashed Joelinton. If big Joe doesn't wipe him out soon I'm going to be very disappointed. #nufc

Reading this from @stephenkb.bsky.social and wondering if he's met some of the people I know, those who would once have been known as Thatcherites for their economic views, but vote Lib Dem because the Conservatives no longer believe in them www.ft.com/content/a65f...

In case you needed any further evidence he is crackers.

Big Nick! www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

I feel like this photo of masked, armed men pepper spraying a pastor protecting his community is going to be a defining picture of this moment in America for a long, long time.

The Great Fire of Newcastle and Gateshead began on this day 1854, leading to 53 deaths and hundreds injured. At least 800 homes and businesses were lost Caused by explosion at a worsted yarn factory owned by Wilson and Sons in Hillgate, Gateshead. (Pic: Illustrated London News.)

Barely a fortnight has passed since Kemi Badenoch’s reflexive and incredibly OTT hostility to the government’s proposals for digital ID.

Willie McFaul's sad passing reminded me of his appearance on kids' TV show "Jossy's Giants". #NUFC

The next general election is going to be unbearably awful isn’t it Just parties lining up to outdo each other in awfulness