Man of the people cannot be arsed to represent them. Bit awkward as that's literally his job. Well, his main one at any rate.

There are many reasons why I deeply dislike the Trump administration, but their equivocation and seeming indifference to Russia's war crimes is high up there.

Look, I'm not saying my home city is small. But I did go to watch Pears v Bears at New Road and ended up sitting next to a lad I used to play cricket with as a teenager. Someone I've not seen for the best part of 20yrs.

Higher taxes on second homes seem to be working so far House prices plunge in most desirable seaside towns www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/eba0640...

This is both the morally correct thing to do, and is good politics. If you make fantastical claims, without (it appears much evidence) to try and deflect serious allegations of impropriety, then you should be held to account. share.google/rd9B7GjivTUt...

I think the key thing is - particularly here on Bluesky - seeing an actual event where he is held to account. The £5m donation does seem to such an opportunity. No other politician could have survived accusations of both anti-Semitism and racist behaviour. He, somehow, has.

According to the Samaritans, in 2024 the male suicide rate was 17.1 per 100,000, compared to a female suicide rate of 5.6 per 100,000. Males aged 50-54 years were found to have the highest suicide rate (26.8 per 100,000). So, with no due respect - shut up. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/05...

If you're wondering how things are going in corporate America. Patagonia the brand, that situates itself as being 'in business to save the planet', is suing Pattie Gonia the drag queen, who heavily focuses on environmental issues over copyright infringement.

Jesus.

Eternally grateful that my late mother died with sod digital footprint or video of her online. This is horrific.

Guardian's longer quote from Case below. Having worked on the environmental side of Brexit for a few years, it was always true that the only way to deliver Brexit in reality was to promise (to UK civil society & the EU) to not scrap social & environmental protections. So nothing really changed...

Leaving aside everything else. Harassing people doing their job and posting it via an anonymous account is really shitty behaviour.

This is cool.

Eyeballing the data, it looks like there was a bit of divergence in terraced houses/flat prices post-Grenfell, then the covid and post-covid spike was much more pronounced in houses, and then over the last two years terraces have done ok and flats have done very badly.

This does depend on the original purchase price, zoom out past 2005 to the 90s and one would assume the longer term trend is still positive. This is also just London. Geographical variations do apply.

🏠 London flat prices are back at 2006 levels in inflation-adjusted terms. London house prices are back at 2014/15 levels in inflation-adjusted terms. 🪴 Are we ready for a conversation about whether the obsession we have with property as a wealth generator is misplaced?

Tony Blair is another example of a person incapable of accepting their lack of relevance, and failing to further develop or evolve their base position.

Landlords remain one of the single most unlikeable group of people. Even when (as here) they come off as not complete arseholes. share.google/uUGMm7bJAICU...

This is a extremely useful tool from @beckymontacute.bsky.social and the SMF team but, also.... FOR FUCKS SAKE

RIP Marble. U up there wid da angelz now.

American politics is weird, extreme and utterly repulsive. Why we think we have anything in common with these guys is beyond me.

Like, obviously my politics is centre left, and I want a government that fits that bill. But it's likely to be a good position to defend from. Yet is largely ignored by the party - Labour - best placed to deliver it.

Purley coincidental, I'm sure. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Reform, still, has a Russia problem.

A not insignificant number of problems stem from the fact politicians are afraid of increasing tax on the pay packets of voters. So they shift the burden elsewhere, though even that isn't necessarily enough. Difficult choices mean exactly that. Otherwise we continue on the road of managed decline.

Petition to lean into emo and / metalcore song titles as replacements: The She Drove Me to Daytime TV-ers (Left Behind) The Guys Like You Make Guys Like us Look Bad (Anywheres) The Ohio is for Lovers (Heartlands) The Mr. Highway's Thinking About the End (Somewheres)

I note the considered interventions of Gordon Brown on matters of particular interest compared to Blair's rambling, sprawling essay. Yes some of it is correct. But if you through enough spaghetti at a wall, some of it will stick.

It's not funny, ex Labour PMs only do rambling essays completely undermining the core tennants of the party when they're in severe stress.

Pardon, what now?

Good news, after knee and hip issues, I'm back pause squatting 160kg. Bad news, Tony Blair is staging an intervention.

Leaving aside the moral outrage of Reform's policy - figures tend to be based on the lead tenant. Joint tenants will still, potentially, have the right to stay. The property won't be emptied. Even Jenrick's proposal - based on income is likely to fail - pay to stay was a damp squib in 2010s.

Performative Christianity is coming to UK politics. Delightful.

In central London tomorrow on a mini break. The cold dread of dealing with the underground in this heat. I am going to melt.

The Migration Observatory states that in 2021 circa 7% of those living in social housing in England and Wales had a non UK passport. Assuming ≈ 4.2m social housing households in England this will impact nearly 300k. It is truly evil and far worse than stuff the BNP came up with.

Currently listening to the Sword of Shannara on my long (2hr, one way) commute. It's basically Lord of the Rings, but with a sword. Isn't it?

This is very much worth a read. Both an enjoyable and informative debate. More like it, please.

Keynes once stated that 'Capitalism is the belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wicked things for the greatest good of everyone'. Increasingly of the opinion that politics is now expecting the most inept communicators to honestly explain the choices & constraints we operate in.

'Leftwing' does not have to mean fiscally loose. "More open policies on migration and Europe and a fairer tax system would be economically “left” of the present government. But they would improve the public finances and reduce the deficit." Me in @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/7235...

This is good, and would like to see more of it. Full disclosure, I worked with Jamie, and I know of Pete through social media. Interesting discussion on social housing with two folks I both agree, and disagree with - worth a read. open.substack.com/pub/peteapps...

Cool, can you do the same for over 65s? Or at least create a prevent programme specifically focusing on the harm online radicalisation does to Grandads and Grandmas.

Part of me thinks that instead of focusing on predictions of economic Doomsday in the event of Brexit, the Remain campaign should have said - wanna get to Bordeaux without issue? Vote remain. Otherwise, I hope you like playing I Spy at Calais to keep the kids entertained.

Why would a party with a massive majority throw that away? There's been one, maybe two polls showing a theoretical Burnham bounce in polls. Absolutely no guarantee that a) he'll win the by-election b) that will translate into a general election win. This is utter madness.

Appreciate it's all a bit gloomy right now, but policy wise it's probably the most positive period for social housing in living memory.

I dislike the Saudia Arabian regime for many reasons. The fact it's finally getting scared of the money it's throwing away on random extravagance is beautiful to watch.

These guys are gunna go wild when they find what the Germans are like on a Sunday...

A not insignificant part of me thinks the reason why so many boomer men generation go reactionary is that no one is required to laugh at their shit jokes anymore now they're retired. Not so much raging at the dying light but unable to come to terms with one's own irrelevance.

It is quite clear that Farage can't handle scrutiny, this story keeps evolving because he keeps adding to it. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Back in the 2010s I repeatedly questioned the Conservative Party's long term strategy of taking younger voters for granted, and in many instances actively making life harder for them. It would appear Labour is intent on following the same approach (with some honourable exceptions).

Well, this is grim. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

There's going to be a lot of thought pieces on why the French have dominated both the domestic and intentional European championships. They have a fully professional second tier, massive budgets in the Top14 and a quality coaching set up. It ain't hard, kids.