I think the White House badly underestimates the strength of the pan-European folk memory of 1930s appeasement, and how deep it still cuts. I suppose this is what happens when you learn in school that WW2 started in 1941 in Hawaii.

it's more or less impossible to find issues that poll this badly and he's decided to make it a major, public priority www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-tru...

Superb!

Surely the Danish pastries will swing it!

When not running East Anglia Bylines, my other hat is a European one, chairing this lovely group. ⤵️ We've just joined Bluesky - if you're in Suffolk and pro-EU - please do give us a follow!

A new wildlife hospital has been refused permission – just as rescue demand is rising fast. The charity treats more than 1,000 animals a year. Full story in the article ⤵️

the European mission to Greenland was fourth in the BBC news running order this morning, which feels a bit like doing a light "and finally..." item about the archduke's motorcade taking a wrong turn in Sarajevo

I don’t think I’ve read anything quite so sobering and quietly terrifying about Trump’s America.

This has been the plan all along. - Foment violence and chaos in the streets of MN - Implement the Insurrection Act - Declare Martial Law - Suspend elections

Top trolling from the TUC! 👏

If you've lived in authoritarian countries (I have) this sort of thing is familiar (but still not okay - it makes people rightly angry). It's staggering to think that this has become a lived reality for many Americans in just one year.

This was such a fun series to curate - lots of different articles using the 12 days of Christmas as the basis for each day's theme.

Venezuela wasn’t just a US intervention – it was a stress test. And Starmer's reaction shows how little influence we now have when an ally acts unilaterally.

Just watched it and loved it. Highly recommended.

In this 2025 retrospective long-form piece, The Bear examines how cruelty, farce and institutional collapse became normalised. @eastangliabylines.co.uk @bearlypolitics.co.uk

My latest, showcasing the incredible work of The Waterfowl Sanctuary in Cambridgeshire. Watch the short videos of these 7 swan rescues ⤵️

As Musk found out with Twitter, Trump can rename it anything he wants - everyone will still call it the Kennedy Center.

The hypocrisy is strong with this one.

She’s so desperate to be relevant, it hurts.

On the 4th day of Christmas... The original 1780 lyrics gave us “four colly birds”. Today’s “calling birds” loses that meaning. There are 5–6 million breeding pairs in the UK. Find out more about these widely loved birds that are part of our gardens all year round ⤵️ @eastangliabylines.co.uk

Can we stop pretending it’s just young people who are harmed by this. In many ways the impact is *worse* on the middle aged. And the middle-aged vote.

The latest edition of the Bylines Network Gazette is out now! Breaking down climate change and sustainability from a citizen perspective, with articles from every corner of the UK and extra words from George Monbiot. Sign up to get your copy: bylinesnetwork.substack.com/p/december-b...

Still in a state of shock trying to process the tragic loss of one of the most gifted men in the entertainment industry & his wife when the Embarrassment-in-Chief disgraces common human decency with this repulsive, deranged statement. #NoWords 🤮

If you haven’t come across Pecksniff before, he writes a weekly political diary that’s always entertaining. Always worth a read and follow ⤵️

Reform UK have announced that they will be implementing a ‘one in, one out’ policy for Tory MPs wishing to join the party. 😬

Since Brexit, Farage has built his entire spittle-flecked identity around the arrival of small boats. If this becomes the new normal, he and his party face a serious problem of relevance.

Since Brexit, Farage has built his entire spittle-flecked identity around the arrival of small boats. If this becomes the new normal, he and his party face a serious problem of relevance.

The US government is now a mafia organization.

Interesting that the BBC will call National Rally "Far Right" (in an article about Bardella meeting Farage) - when they would never use that term for Reform. Their policies are very similar. If anything Reform's are more authoritarian.

A perfect storm of climate and commerce might explain why the Black Death struck Europe when it did. Understanding this may help our future resilience to pandemics. Fascinating research from Cambridge University 👇

In case it wasn’t clear. bsky.app/profile/snel...

The point is that the new NSS tells us nothing that wasn’t obvious in February. The only thing that has happened in the interim is that the US has showcased its essential weakness.

Manic week - apologies for multiple posts, but its all in plain sight now The Double Headed Eagle - Russia and America and Authoritarian Big tech The EU is the enemy of both pdjukes.substack.com/p/the-double...

Zia Yusuf - the unelected multimillionaire policy chief of Reform - makes his fourth Question Time appearance tonight. The party has five MPs

People sharing on social media made the petition impossible to ignore. Through shares and reposts, the call for an inquiry into Russian influence became a national demand. @eastangliabylines.co.uk

Just imagine having to find this every month. #FightForYourNHS

Farage favours private healthcare over the NHS. For those complaining about the NHS - be careful what you wish for.

As an ex-accountant I understand the logic behind the EV pay-per-mile scheme. Revenue from fuel duty will go down, so we need to replace it. This is why accountants make good servants but bad masters.

The Commons isn’t usually the place for sharp comedy, but today’s Budget delivered a moment that made even the frontbench blink. Let’s just say Russia came up… and Farage was the punchline. 🔥

The BBC’s own “impartiality briefing” for freelancers included not doing anything to annoy the DM. So - not impartial! Also not great for freedom of speech.

When the racist comedian Bernard Manning fell out of fashion in more tolerant times and stopped appearing on TV he defended his long history of appalling offensive "jokes" as nothing more than "banter"and insisted that he "had a go at everyone". This is the Bernard Manning defence.

Rachel Reeves says there’s a “hole” in the public finances. A new decade-long Brexit study explains it: a 6–8% hit to GDP – that's £180bn-£240bn a year – means less tax, less investment and less money for everything else. Brexit made Britain poorer. Much poorer. @eastangliabylines.co.uk

Devastating article from @eastangliabylines.co.uk Leaving Europe was, and remains, a very bad idea. Let's hope the UK is returning to rationality. @pecksniffsdiary.bsky.social @peterthurlow.bsky.social @annadamski.bsky.social eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/brexit/...

Whatever your convictions, if your first goal is to be informed instead of confirmed, you need to consult several news sources. These are today's UK front pages. Same story, different importance, different angles - to the point where the findings are actually distorted. #GoodMorning, everyone

I don’t want McSweeney sacked because of this briefing ‘war’. I want him sacked because he’s steered Labour down such an awful, xenophobic path and paved the way for Farage in number 10.

This speech never gets old.

The Trump regime is now telling states to unsend SNAP benefits. They want to do everything they can to make life harder for people. It’s said often, but always worth repeating: the cruelty is the point.

"It is estimated that more than 400 women and girls were abused and exploited within Mohamed Al Fayed’s Harrods enterprise. I am one of them." This is a survivor's account of the structural failure of British justice when confronted with money and power. A must read ⤵️

* Mamdani wins by daring to be radical – a lesson for Labour’s timid souls * Reform ditches more policies leaving racism still standing * LibDems are beating Reform in number of by-election gains * And Pecksniff’s Diary toasts 200 editions – gin optional, gossip essential Read the latest column ⤵️

Imagine how the cognitive dissonance is going to 🤯 the tiny minds of the “Londonistan is a dangerous hellscape” brigade. 😆 Well done London! 👏