I don't think we fully recognise how the crisis of faith in government is made worse by briefings / leaks. Presumably the gov. briefs journos to test public sentiment on a particular tax rise etc The problem is it gets front page attention - and spawns 100 TikToks - when it may never become policy

Unadulterated, unabashed racism is now rife in British politics. Fighting this rot will be the major political battle of the next few years. I commissioned my friend @shafimusaddique.bsky.social to give his thoughts on how we (normal, tolerant Brits) should respond 👇

If only we knew who was responsible for the things that Farage and the far-right are complaining about on a daily basis. Oh wait it’s the Brexit campaign.

Spot on from Andy Burnham in his New Statesman interview👇🏻👇🏻 “When you [the government] have lost control of housing, energy, water, rail, buses, you’ve lost control of the basics of life, but you’ve also then lost control of costs and public spending.”

🚩Saudi govt is using the Riyadh Comedy Fest to deflect attention from its brutal repression The festival takes place on the 7th anniversary of Khashoggi's murder Lineup includes: Jimmy Carr, Pete Davidson and others @mazjobrani.bsky.social @sammorril.bsky.social www.hrw.org/news/2025/09...

Nigel Farage is essentially declaring war on not just every immigrant in the UK, but on the post-Brexit immigration system. An immigration system brought about by… Nigel Farage

Tommy Robinson is now driving Nigel Farage’s policies and Labour needs to be pointing that out at every possible opportunity

One of the most unedifying things about the Windsor banquet - for both the government and the royal family - was the presence of Rupert Murdoch, seated next to Morgan McSweeney

Here’s the truth: Twitter no longer exists. X is something else entirely. It’s a megaphone for extremism, controlled by a deranged oligarch who has declared his hostility to sane, democratic politics. writesbright.substack.com/p/why-you-sh...

👉 @writesbright.bsky.social absolutely NAILS it (depressingly) open.substack.com/pub/writesbr...

One of the most unedifying things about the Windsor banquet - for both the government and the royal family - was the presence of Rupert Murdoch, seated next to Morgan McSweeney

Yet more embarrassment for the Times, which has printed a ludicrous – and almost certainly false – line about windfarms being “dismantled” near Trump’s Scottish golf course But why pick up the phone, as I did, when you can print nudge-nudge rumours instead? 1/

🔴 The nauseating Trump pageantry was in many ways a sideshow this week. The main event involved his entourage, who inked a Big Tech takeover that will further turn Britain into a vassal of Silicon Valley. 📝 New Substack 👇

🔴 NEW - The meat industry has been monitoring thousands of animal welfare activists, gathering information on their biological ties and even their romantic relationships. Vital, shocking exposé from @clarecarlile.bsky.social for @desmog.com

🔴 NEW 🔴 Trump’s ambassador to the UK has hundreds of millions invested in the Big Tech companies that will benefit from this week's trade deal. 📝 @desmog.com story 👇

Trump’s billionaire ambassador to the UK holds investments in the very companies which will now profit from the US-UK investment deals that he’s been negotiating. And this is all perfectly normal it seems Great piece @writesbright.bsky.social & thanks for the quote www.desmog.com/2025/09/18/d...

🔴 NEW 🔴 Trump’s ambassador to the UK has hundreds of millions invested in the Big Tech companies that will benefit from this week's trade deal. 📝 @desmog.com story 👇

Freedom of expression.

Badenoch is a spineless craven narcissist but her predecessors need to take so so much of the blame. They turned the Tories into a radical right-wing party. They purged the moderates and turned their party in a poor imitation of Farage. This is their mess.

I’ve seen several right-wing commentators today describe Danny Kruger as a “deep thinker”. I can’t think of a dumber phrase to describe how smart someone supposedly is

The best time to have left X was the instant he threw a Nazi salute. The second-best time is now.

🔴 NEW - Why you should leave X Here’s the sad truth: Twitter no longer exists. X is something else entirely. It’s a megaphone for extremism, controlled by a deranged oligarch. 📝 latest Substack 👇🏻

I don't think Peter Mandelson is PM's biggest problem. The biggest problem is not standing up to the literal violent racism on our streets, supercharged by the richest man in the world, and threatening the very fabric of our society. If he and so many commentators can't see this, we're truly lost.

Would love @evertonfc.com to leave X and lead the way for other football clubs to follow suit

Not just progressives. Anyone who isn't a straight up fascist.

Good on Sam for writing this. It's past time everyone left X, Musk's comments at "Tommy Robinson's" march really should illustrate exactly what people are actively supporting by remaining. That govt accounts remain after he called for a change of government and incited violence is absolutely insane

This …

🔴 NEW - Why you should leave X Here’s the sad truth: Twitter no longer exists. X is something else entirely. It’s a megaphone for extremism, controlled by a deranged oligarch. 📝 latest Substack 👇🏻

Tommy Robinson’s ties to Russia 👇🏻

EXCL: Reform's first councillor in London is a convicted "slum landlord" who rents out a 33-person HMO. While digging into him I found out one of his former tenants is new Green party leader Zack Polanski. www.the-londoner.co.uk/reforms-firs...

Yet more evidence that ‘mainstream’ opinion is getting soaked in extremism and disinformation on X.

I lived in Kansas for 4 months in 2016, you could buy a rifle and ammunition, in Walmart, when you're doing your shopping. And "No Open Carry" signs at the entrance to the mall And, a colleagues husband showed me their safe room (it's Kansas!) with his gun collection It's ingrained, and nuts

It looks like Charlie Kirk was shot from 182 metres. It’s bonkers that the supposedly most developed country in the world allows that sort of firearm to be wielded by civilians

I beg of the Labour Party, regardless of faction, to please stop it with the platitudes. “Real debate” “Robust” ideas “Hearts and minds”

🔴 An awkward episode for M&S 👇🏻

“Country estates, blood sports, and hedge fund portfolios.” Reform in a nutshell.

"Man of the people" Nigel Farage takes £100,000 from ... a Fox hunt master? 🤔 https://writesbright.substack.com/p/farage-takes-100k-from-notorious

Oh.

🔴 Reform received £100,000 in June from a fox hunt “master”. Truly a party of the people.

🔴 Reform received £100,000 in June from a fox hunt “master”. Truly a party of the people.

🔴 NEW 🔴 A leading press freedom watchdog has said it's "shocking" that Reform has banned journalists from its conference and has accused Farage's party of drawing from the "authoritarian playbook". 📝 @desmog.com report 👇

Blood sports enthusiasts & asset strippers - just the sort of wealthy backers conman & self-styled “man of the people” Farage loves to court. What a fraud he is. @writesbright.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/writesbr...

Reform’s climate policies would cost more than 60,000 jobs and wipe £92 billion off the UK economy. Our research referenced in today's @DeSmog.com report 1/2

🔴 NEW 🔴 Reform - which claims to represent left-behind Britain - received £100,000 in June from a fox hunt “master”. Johan Christofferson, a hedge fund manager, was the joint-master of a hunt in Scotland that was prosecuted for illegal hunting in 2017. He previously gave money to Boris Johnson.

I don’t think any piece about Reform’s conference speakers should be published without mentioning that they’ve allowed an anti-vaccine conspiracy group to host a panel. Sadly this story doesn’t flag it

🔴 NEW - Farage lies to Congress 🔴 His jaunt to Washington ended in him being royally skewered by Democrat Jamie Raskin. 👇

🔴 NEW 🔴 Reform's conference this weekend is set to feature a wide assortment of dark money campaign groups, U.S. climate science deniers, and anti-vaxxers. 📝 My @desmog.com report 👇

Kemi Badenoch has still not commented on her MP Gavin Williamson or her party's London mayoral candidate Susan Hall being on the advisory board of Lowe's political movement.

🔴 NEW - Farage lies to Congress 🔴 His jaunt to Washington ended in him being royally skewered by Democrat Jamie Raskin. 👇

1. Terrific that a US politician is holding Farage to account for his free speech hypocrisy 2. Why can’t we do this in the UK?? 3. Farage lies in this clip - claiming he doesn’t ban journalists from Reform conferences. I’ve been banned from the past two.