There are theses to be written. Not comprehensive, but here are some thoughts on Ireland and Brexit. It pays to take a wide-angle lens for this type of thing. The story is nevertheless informative A 🧵

It seems like everything that’s happening in the world (and ever did) was accurately depicted in Gene Roddenberry’s original Star Trek. Peoples living in peace, enjoying their planets’ respective bounty to soft music on rudimentary lutes … while vile shitheads smash everything up, laughing.

Not stellar. But then, I’m not really into stellar. Wordle 1,616 5/6* ⬛⬛🟨🟨⬛ 🟨🟨⬛⬛⬛ ⬛🟩⬛🟩🟩 ⬛🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I wonder how many reformistas are worked about small boats but relaxed about the much bigger Russian ‘research’ vessel pushing its luck in the North Sea.

We will probably be the last country in the world to realise we are in a global competition for people.

Don’t you feel as though you’ve stood in exactly that spot half a dozen or so times in your life? I do. How art can assure you you’re not alone.

Labour MP Brian Leishman: "The Government has surrendered to... the vile rhetoric of Reform. Does the Home Secretary not see that removing the legal obligation to support asylum seekers who will be otherwise destitute, is as far away from Labour Party principles and values as we can get?"

Any Labour MP with any conscience needs to get up and cross that floor. This cannot be tolerated. It just can’t. This isn’t a bit shady. This isn’t questionable. It isn’t uncomfortable. It’s full fat, over the line FACISM and you’re either part of it or you’re not. Do. The right. Thing.

Brits. Think of your country as a Time Machine.

It's hard to find words to capture quite how revolting, steeped in bigotry, irresponsible, morally unmoored, Labour has become. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Flag of St George defaced with Christian values.

You won’t be alone in this, Seth. A significant number of ‘British’ people are eyeing up and talking up trumpofascism and saying: ‘Yep, we need some of that over here’.

Briefers brief. Boss baffled. * BBC unbowed. * Streeting startled. * Davey speaks sense. *Framlingham sings. * Farage plays victim. Cryptic? Yes! Read all the latest stories and analysis in this week's Pecksniff's Diary ⤵️ eastangliabylines.co.uk/pecksniff/pe...

NEW: In his first interview since his arrest for protesting outside the Chicago-area ICE facility, @revdrmichaelwoolf.bsky.social tells me he has "bruises all over my body." Even so, he said, “the cruelty that goes on that facility … must be 100 times worse." religionnews.com/2025/11/15/a...

To suggest that having lived a life so grim that even an English tribunal will grant you asylum, and to have somehow managed to get here at great risk to life, is a "golden ticket" is absolutely fucking contemptible. Shame on this so-called Labour Party.

Aside from the cruelty of this, I’d just like to know why it’s ok to ignore and disappoint liberal/progressive voters. Why do governments chase Farage and his voters, thinking that will neutralise them. It’s NEVER worked. He’s leading in the polls and his ideas have ruined us. WTF are you doing?

Spoilers: this is not fascinating if you understand even the very basic mathematical concepts of LLMs. They are not 'thinking' by any useful definition of the word. More unchallenging regurgitation of desperate bubble-inflating flimflam from our journalists.

The BBC has given Trump the opportunity to steal a very large amount of money in an out of court settlement from UK taxpayers, by virtue of the corrupt kangaroo courts in Florida. The BBC will have no choice other than to settle or lose all of it's US operations.

Well, they lost my vote a fair while ago and this hasn’t made me change my mind. And it won’t be enough for Reform and Farage - they want to deport all of us, anyone who isn’t white, irrespective of where they were born. How far will Labour go to appease them? It’s a race to the racist bottom…

When they've lost Phillipson...

Who, indeed, will represent Jaywick on the world stage?

I know this is hard for commercial journalism to understand but LGBTQ ppl are not heard as virtue or vice signalling devices. We’re just ordinary ppl trying to live in peace as right wing politics tries to make our lives harder. Before you write a story about us, visit an ordinary gay bar…

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Spain already welcomes migrants, recognising that with an ageing population, it desperately needs then. As a result its economy is booming. Labour says it wants economic growth but is increasingly hostile to migrants. Economic madness. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

I've signed this cross party letter with many other politicians and leaders across civil society. The Labour Government is making a disastrous mistake with nuclear weapons expansion - this will not make us any safer. The opposite is true - more info below 👇🏼 @cnduk.bsky.social

I have a bug. I’m treating it initially with this dose of the Talisker. Adjuvant therapy with Toblerone to bd administered shortly.

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

UK readers, particularly Reform fans. Think of ‘Obamacare’ as a healthcare system more akin to the NHS (everybody covered) than not. Now imagine how, under Reform, the NHS *will* be dismantled in favour of the wealthy and the just plain lucky, exactly as these ghouls in the US are doing. Zealously.

Like a latter-day King Cnut, Sir Keir perhaps aims to demonstrate to us all the powerlessness even of the ever so high and mighty when faced with irresistible forces.

Follow the advice. Keep Reform out of government.

The ‘agent’ in this picture looks scared to me. People do unpredictable things when they’re scared 😟

Trump and his cronies have the BBC in their sights. Leaders can’t stay silent while one of our great institutions is attacked. We must defend its independence, end political appointments, and remove Robbie Gibb from the Board.

Email just sent to today @ bbc . co . uk #R4Today

Every poll, survey, opinion piece, research and documentary confirms the disaster that is Brexit. Immeasurable damage, economically, socially, scientifically, security, politically. It is utter madness not to start reversing Brexit. @labourlewis.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l0G...

You can cry, curse, or quit. Or you can read this and remember why we fight standing up, not curled up.👇 www.jackhopkinsnow.com

A Tale of Two Acorns Two acorns grew in their cups at the end of the same twig. In time both ripened to a deep greenish brown. One, facing the Earth, fell to the moist ground and began the next stage of its life. The other, facing the Sun, was held captive by its own weight and shrivelled.

A magnificent piece of work. Comprehesive, revelatory & shocking. Journalism this good is always rare & precious but never moreso than at times like this. Latter day Lord Haw Haws being plumped, preened & delivered to your doorstep in plain sight by a Nazi-saluting goon news.sky.com/story/the-x-...

The easiest thing and one of the best I was ever taught. Tortilla de Patatas Aceite, patata, cebolla, ajos, sel, huevo.

'Early morning' linocut by Olesya Dzhurayeva, contemporary Ukrainian printmaker #WomensArt #Sunday

The only alternative is to treat these people—yes, people—like criminals to be punished. Flaggeroos: “Yes, punish them like criminals and get them outta here!” Government: “We will punish them and send them away to camps and then film ourselves marching them onto planes and deport them!”

“No Forwarding Address. Return To Sender”

Wild how propaganda turns empathy into anger and billionaires into “job creators.”

1. This is a thread on freedom, and how easy it is to lose. Over the past 2,000 years in Europe, there have been few periods and places of freedom. For much of the time we lived under highly oppressive tyrannies of various kinds, whether small or grand, local or imperial, secular or religious.🧵

From the archive. Our (Ernest Hemingway and me) solution to Wordle #1601. The first two guesses were Ernest’s.

“System-justifying establishment stiffs” ✅

1. The approach of mainstream Democrats is summed up in this astonishing February advice from the Democratic strategist James Carville: “Roll over and play dead. Allow the Republicans to crumble beneath their own weight and make the American people miss us.” www.nytimes.com/2025/02/25/o... 🧵

“Sir, you can’t just install the Mayor you want in Gotham I mean New York City…” “Hold my Coke”

Chicagoland going for MVP: “This is beyond anyone’s wildest imagination in the best possible way,” Khan said. “It’s overwhelmingly amazing, and we just want to make sure we get food to people who need it the most.” www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/e...

This man is clearly deranged

The colourful history of the English lamppost. George Formby used one for stalking. Cats spray on them. Dogs piss on them. English ‘patriots’ cable-tie cheap Chinese-made flags to them.