I Photoshop Paddington into a movie, TV show, or pop culture until I forget: Day 1765

So to get this straight, masked men, paid by the government, can simply kidnap minors without cause or evidence, dump them bleeding on the street, and that person then has no legal recourse. Some freedom, that is.

The authoritarian destruction of democracy in action. This is one of many reasons why removing Trump is only part 1 of dismantling American authoritarianism.

Why has the Arsene Wenger coat become such a big thing this year? I get that they're warm, but so are joggers and uggs.

"Your base supporters are crucial because they're the ones sharing, discussing, and framing these moments in everyday conversations. When they're demoralised, they either stay silent or actively undermine your messaging, allowing opponents to dominate the narrative space." [email protected]

A good example of why law, PR and accounts are separate professional disciplines...

If a new app was produced which had, as its core features, the generation of sexual deep fake images of children and calls for a violent global far-right revolution, then not only would it be swiftly banned, but you wouldn't have a single mainstream politician willing to associate themselves with it

A calm and philosophical reflection on the ICE killing in Minneapolis Epistemic disorientation: It was Hannah Arendt’s view, drawing on Heidegger’s critique of technological modernity, that totalitarianism mobilises drama and terror to de-centre a citizen’s sense of reality. 1/7

Good.

NEW: Labour's CAC has reversed its decision to block motions on ending the two-child benefit limit. Without an end to the two-child benefit limit, the Government's Child Poverty Strategy is doomed to fail. A statement from Mainstream's Interim Council below👇

There's overwhelming support amongst Labour's membership for a more radical offer on democracy, the economy, child poverty & more. We believe the voices of radical realists, the vast majority of the Labour Party, must be heard and heeded. Join us: mainstreamlabour.org/get-involved

Mainstream is serious about winning a democratic socialist future. We stand for: ⚡ Redistributing power and wealth ⚡ Defending rights and dignity at home & abroad ⚡ Creating a new political economy ..and much more. Our platform and our plan: www.mainstreamlabour.org/about

All governments are imperfect but they are NOT "all the same". The lazy trope that "it doesn't matter who you vote for" isn't just false; it feeds the nihilism on which the radical right prey. It's like a burning tyre, coating everything in acrid smoke, choking off any meaningful democratic choice

🚨NEW PUBLICATION 🚨 Though people have moved on from Brexit, they still vote in line with their Brexit preferences - with age/education still separating voters. Voters now back party blocs, which matters greatly for Labour's current appeals to Reform voters. 🧵 academic.oup.com/pa/advance-a...

"Our £5bn disability benefits cut will stop welfare state collapsing, says Kendall" Social security has been collapsing for years. This accelerates the trend and supports the politics.

A lot of things in politics make me think of this song m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gxd2...

So the strategy of trying to out-Farage Farage on immigration is going about as well as expected

It's a disaster that they haven't fallen to zero, or close to that.

We need serious changes on this, and we need them yesterday. Quick win for the government, if they want it. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Huge amount of this immigration stuff is hyperbole. I think the concentration should be on how we integrate people and get public services to work. In the meantime though, this is instructive and shows how the political context is set.

If it's hurting (them), it's working.

Indeed.

Reform UK’s new councillor for Redditch South, Worcestershire. Sue Eacock What’s her first priority going to be? Maybe reducing the number of Black people on TV. Or cancel the ‘gay parades’. Or ban the Muslim ‘ideology’ from your Christian country. That’s what you’ve voted for #Worcestershire.

British people made huge sacrifices and many paid the ultimate price for freedom in this country, and freedom in Europe. It showed the best of us and the lessons learned should never be forgotten. Here's to freedom and democracy. Happy #VEDay80 #VEDay ! 🇬🇧

New post from me about the elections of the last week, where the 'peak populism' hypothesis stands, and what lessons the Labour Party should be drawing. 1/n benansell.substack.com/p/labour-is-...

This is a sign of government not being able to deliver what people support and want. When we published the 'fiscal rules', those on the right of the party told me, to paraphrase, that members should blind faith it. Power first, policy later. Well, this is what happens without brave electioneering.

Good thread, and the quoted thread is really good too. Some useful bits on Farage and his base in there.

What an amazingly divided ward. Don't see his much!

Numbers suggest that the biggest 🇦🇺 Labor win in decades now delivered by a PM from the left faction. ALP left is way more collegiate than UK Lab traditional left; party relationships are better, and formalised. Still - this should be food for thought for our members and MPs. 👊

Excellent news.

Reform Amateur Hour begins. Having been on the Executive of a local authority I can confirm it is extremely hard work and extremely long hours. There’s going to be so much whining when the wake-up call hits.

Good to get a bit of coverage for some proper local government stuff. Read more here: www.mylondon.news/news/north-l...

This stuff is all going to end up being about unions in the tech and engineering sectors.

The idea that new oil & gas fields are a key lever for economic dynamism in the UK is completely at odds with the reality of the North Sea basin's inexorably declining contribution to the UK's economic & energy security--not to mention the costs of escalating climate change. Some thoughts: /1

Surprisingly accurate, given the complexity at play.

they called it GamerGate because it opened a portal to a hell. Anita Sarkeessian did nothing wrong.

they really need to invent a second type of money these guys can play around with separate from the money I need to buy food. Business Money. Money 2

"I'm so cool and my only emotion is irony" is not a strategy.

Bang on tbh.

To paraphrase, "If you won't agree with me eventually, I'm justified in forcing my beliefs on you. Just carry on paying your subs".

Frequently amazed by how openly centrist commentators give their approval to the Machiavellian way, without giving any credence to the very good reasons have for opposing it, or backing preferred alternatives (such as aspiring to virtue).

Love this.

I'm in @labourlist.bsky.social, arguing that Labour members are exactly who you think they are: liberals who like public services. As such, it's wildly unsurprising that they don't like welfare cuts and 68% of them think the government is going in the wrong direction. labourlist.org/2025/04/labo...

Free speech.

There is, of course, a mountain of visual evidence documenting the killings of civilians in Bucha. Claims by Russian government officials at the time that videos and images of dead civilians in Bucha were "staged" were so bad that they were easily debunked within hours.

Indeed.

Scenes from #Ankara on day 4 of the #Turkey protests. Thousands have gone on the streets again today despite the ban on demonstrations and harsh crackdowns.

NEW: Elon Musk’s X has suspended accounts of Turkish opposition groups, suppressing footage of anti-government protests. So, best we share all the footage we can here! This was last night’s massive demo against Erdogan’s government, which follows the arrest of his rival Ekrem İmamoğlu. 🇹🇷 #Turkey

"And the Tories should be worried..."