Starting to think he doesn’t have the cards

Everyone knew AI was the wrong tool for the job when it was suggested, now those who pretended it would be fine will have to try harder pretending.

Reform mobilising non-voters looks to be a big story from this year’s locals. As so often, non-voters are the “dark matter” of politics - rarely discussed but so numerous they even mobilising a small slice can have big effects. Particularly in low turnout local elections.

this graduation speech moment is notable, and her amazed shock at having failed to read the room feels instructive. when you're inside the bubble, you think everybody else is. but everybody isn't.

Today, the University of Sussex won a resounding victory against the Office for Students (OfS) in the High Court, successfully overturning a £585,000 fine. Read more: www.sussex.ac.uk/news/focus/f...

Following our successful judicial review against the Office for Students (OfS) in the High Court, hear more from our Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Sasha Roseneil.

Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Sasha Roseneil reflects on the three-and-a-half-year investigation by the Office for Students and the subsequent High Court judgment, and the impact of the case on the University of Sussex and the higher education sector: https://ow.ly/jasR50YSmjk

This pioneering bill to combat corporate and dark money spending passed with bipartisan support today in the Hawaii state legislature. It was supported by all Democrats in both chambers and all but one Republican. issueone.org/press/hawaii...

LOSS: The Virginia Supreme Court has overruled the will of voters, approving a GOP bid to throw out the results of last month’s special election in which voters approved a new congressional map. The ruling gives Republicans a distinct advantage for the upcoming midterms.

ICYMI: As GOP lawmakers ram through unfair congressional map redraws, Black elected leaders and voters in Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina are showing the world how Republicans are rolling back their civil rights on President Donald Trump’s orders.

SCOTUS leaned on an erroneous claim that Black voter turnout now tops white voter turnout, in its recent ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act. However, the reality is that the racial voter turnout gap has been widening, in favor of white voters, as the court continues to dismantle the VRA.

A gerrymandering plan designed to strip Black voters of political representation has been signed into law in Alabama – even though voters have already begun casting ballots in the state’s active primary election. Here’s why the measure won’t immediately go into effect:

NEW: A new poll finds 44% of Georgia GOP voters approve of a federal takeover of elections. Also, 75% approve of the FBI’s ballot seizure in Fulton County. The results indicate that Trump’s oft-repeated lies about the 2020 election being rigged have taken hold among a large swath of Republicans.

ICYMI: South Carolina wants to cancel the state’s June primary election — to give more time to potentially pass a new gerrymandered congressional map — even though voting is already underway. Here’s how much it could cost taxpayers:

The NAACP has sued to block Tennessee’s rushed effort to dismantle the state’s lone majority-Black district. Instead of relying primarily on weakened federal voting rights protections, the NAACP’s lawsuit argues Tennessee Republicans violated their own state laws and constitution.

The voters love us demonising refugees, doing nothing about exorbitant rents, outsourcing public services, attacking disabled people, backing genocide, siding with the super rich & the profiteering utility companies that are ripping them off, we just have to explain it all better

I just signed this petition to stop private firms from draining the NHS, by demanding the Government introduce a cap on private profit. Can you add your name too?

Phillipson boasting about scrapping the two child benefit cap A reminder that the govt could have scrapped the cap in July 2024. Instead Starmer suspended 7 Labour MPs from the PLP for voting to scrap it & had to be dragged kicking & screaming to scrap it 20+ months later

Black is white, day is night. Many people are not blind or ignorant to this situation and wondering what the fuck is going on.

They have zero ideas. There's just nothing there.

The South didn't even wait for the ink to dry before gutting Black representation. If you need more proof that systemic racism is alive and voting rights are in danger, you’re choosing to stay blind.

Reform UK are roughly half as popular in Scotland as in England or Wales (slightly above half) 16-17% in Scotland 2026. 29% in Wales 2026 Reform 27% in English locals in 2026 (Were 32% in 2025) Reform got 7% in GE 2024 in Scotland, 14% across GB. (Highest - 17% in Wales - overlooked at time)

1.6 million voters approved the redistricting in Virginia. 4 judges denied them.

A feast of clichés and nothingness. Almost totally devoid of meaning. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Ron breaks down ABC’s free speech fight with Trump’s FCC, the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision—and why Dems are still likely to gain seats, soaring gas prices, and the growing economic and political fallout from Trump’s war. Read the Friday bulletin:

The votes are still being counted, but one thing is clear: First Past the Post is broken. 🗳️MPs elected while 2/3 of voters opposed them. Majority governments on a quarter of the vote. This isn't democracy. Sign the letter calling for electoral reform 👇 secure.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/page/191527/...

I tried to warn everyone what the Roberts Court was about almost ten years ago www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Starmer being Starmer, he'll consistently do the wrong thing by doggedly supporting FPTP and blaming everyone but himself for the results, only realising the desperate need for electoral reform when it's too late to do anything about it. Useless. What a wasted opportunity to do good.

A please @labouruk.bsky.social, stop saying that it's up to us to stop Reform. YOU could stop a Reform government in 2029, by introducing the proportional representation so many in the country have been clamouring for. The only way Farage can win is through our crazy first-past-the-post system.

We voted out the Tories, only to find that, after a long 14 years of waiting, a Labour government adopts and extends some of their worst policies, while entirely failing to excite or inspire. Now Labour and its supporters on this platform blame us for turning away. What aren’t they seeing here?

The conclusion "Reform won the seat from Lab therefore biggest vote swing is Lab to Reform" does not follow from this pattern. There are multiple vote flows here: Lab to Grn, Lab to abstain, Lab to Ref, Con to Ref, abstain to Ref...Lab to Ref is only one part of this, not typically the largest

A caveat to this - in strongly Leave areas Reform are now so dominant (with 40% plus of the vote) they can typically win without much split in their opponents. But in more mixed Lab places, what we see is Reform up most, Greens up a lot, Lab and Con both down. Reform then take the seat from Lab

If Labour react to this pattern by saying "we need to win back votes from Reform" they risk making a major misdiagnosis, one which could make their current troubles even worse.

I fear Labour people risk falling into an ecological fallacy visible from space when reacting to these results. Here is what is very clear in results so far: Labour are losing *seats* to Reform, but... Labour are losing *votes* to the Greens Greens split the vote, Ref comes thru middle

Nigel Farage's beaming face is featuring heavily in the local elections coverage, but the truth is that the real architect of Reform's gains is the man whose disastrous 'Blue Labour' strategy we were confidently told would prevent them bylinetimes.com/2026/05/08/l...

Good analysis by the Guardian. Racism is always built on lies. Supreme court’s Voting Rights Act ruling cited misleading data from DoJ www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Can reporters stop using the word deal? It’s an agreement, a settlement, a treaty, an understanding, an MOU etc. Using the word deal is accepting his simple-minded TV game-show framing and contributes to the bogus drama he is trying to create.

Chris Nineham: "We have, multiple times, asked the Met for corroborated examples of anyone from our demonstrations threatening or in any way causing intimidation to a Jewish person going to a synagogue or otherwise, they haven't been able to provide us with one instance.."