While the Queen was on the throne, it was a different matter. With her passing it's time to ask - perfectly reasonably - who the institution of monarchy serves and whether this one family should rule over us all in perpetuity... with almost zero accountability www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Always the Healthy & Wealthy who complain about the #NHS Until they are either unhealthy or no longer wealthy Fund the NHS www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/jeremy-...

I've had the pleasure of being interviewed by Mishal Husain three times. One of the most intelligent and accomplished people I've ever met. Here's Nigel Farage trying to shut her down with the words "Listen, love ..." like it was still the 1970s. I'd say it was unbelievable, only it isn't.

Discworld QOTD, from Feet of Clay

There may not be obvious parallels with Jan 6th, conduct-wise, but the message is identical: laws are to be abused in pursuit of Trump’s foes & ignored in relation to his allies. He is telling his base that they can commit crimes with impunity. Fascism 101.

How I feel about Starmer undermining UK police decisions on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters.

When was the last time you heard a politician in the media asked anything like- -How will you make sure asylum seekers can reach the UK safely & refugees are protected? -How will you make sure people coming to this country to work or study are treated equally & with respect? I cannot remember.

Discworld QOTD, from Wyrd Sisters

"I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and the country first." What absolute horse shit.

The problem might be that Trump, Vance and Miller know that. And will make sure that there simply will not be another election in three years from now.

Starmer's knack for making simple stories worse. Banning away fans from games is pretty common as this story says. Best not politicised, but he has to go there. Badly advised. www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Wait - so there was a peace deal in place under Biden, but Netanyahu met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago (tinyurl.com/4fn64wah) and scuttled it to give them both a political win? 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗬 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗦 𝗪𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘? Nobel?? More like the Hague. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner has rebuked the UK over the arrests of individuals who express support for Palestine Action and the status of trans people following Supreme Court judgment in For Women Scotland www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/strasbo...

Labour is telling you VERY LOUDLY who to vote for if you value human rights. And it's definitely NOT LABOUR.

On the centenary of Thatcher's birth, there have been predictable calls for a memorial to her memory. But Britain's 2300 food banks serve that purpose already.

Elon Musk is paying Tommy Robinson's legal bills. The British media and political establishment is still on X and maybe this is the wake up call they need. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Censorship, silencing and exile is never far away in so-called free world. Books that they banned or tried to ban Leaves of Grass Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Other Stories The Wizard of Oz The Great Gatsby The Sun also Rises Have we advanced?

I’m glad we can now talk about Brexit damage, says Wes Streeting The Prime Minister is gearing up to blame Nigel Farage and Brexit for Britain’s expected downturn in productivity at the November Budget It’s about time www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

I bang on about this a lot: I think the combination of a global pandemic, underregulated internet/SM, collapse/corruption of trustworthy media, plus now unregulated genAI, is a wildly toxic environment for radicalisation & mental health. We see the results of that in our politics & lives every day

Like a dog trying to walk a stick through a gate.

Yip!

Why does this tax exile 'foreigner' think our government should discuss policy with him? He should feck off back to Monaco. Made his choice based on his own interest, to avoid tax. Anything he has to say will be only in his own interests, again. buff.ly/6XvNGfT

Considering this administration has blown up four boats, killing 21 people, claiming they were cartel drug-runners without presenting any evidence of such … we’re in a place where if they decide someone is a “bad guy” or “antifa” they feel no inhibition of just going ahead and killing them.

One Small Step: my SKETCH of Kemi Badenoch, a leader unconstrained by reality.

For anyone else who's two weeks into the term and wondering if it was ever thus. This is "H2O", aka John Logie Baird, writing for his student magazine in November 1912.

Colon cancer is on the rise among young people – and research points to one major culprit | Devi Sridhar

“I’m pleased to see that, after five years... some people involved in this national scandal are starting to face consequences. But we cannot claim to have moved on from the venal political culture that brought us the VIP lane until the ministers involved face consequences too.” goodlaw.social/f2e9

The good news: Michelle Mone's company ordered to pay back £122m for supplying dodgy PPE. The bad news: the company has less than £1m and is about to go into administration. This will cost Mone fuck all and she still has a peerage.

So NOTORIOUS is on a deal. 99p on Kindle, and that's a bona fide bargain. I am so very proud of this book and really don't care how much you pay. So please rob me! www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0F2...

Help your local LOSER: A special charity appeal

Very well said 👏👏👏

Speaking of broken “promises”.

The COCARETTE was a cigarette made with coca & tobacco leaves, c.1885. The company claimed that coca was “the finest nerve tonic and exhilarator ever discovered.”

This is from a couple of years back but @mrjamesob.bsky.social nails it 💯, and his point is even more valid after Starmer’s announcement yesterday that he will refuse us a referendum.

I'm sorry but I refuse point blank to believe that Philip Faircloth-Mutton is a real person.

Dear USA Deploying troops against civilians will not go well. Yours Great Britain and Northern Ireland

UK not actually a voluntary union and democracy irrelevant, says guy claiming to care about democracy and rule of law news.stv.tv/politics/kei...

I am opposed to mandatory digital ID - people should be able to go about their daily lives without such infringements. That aside, by calling it BritCard, the Prime Minister seems to be attempting to force every Scot to declare ourselves British. I am a Scot. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Americans have "Trump Always Chickens Out", in Britain we have "Farage Isn't Being Serious" - FIBS.

This Trump quote😆: "I don't say it in a braggadocious way- but it’s true—I’ve been right about everything"

Farage is so determined to suck up to the Trump administration that he's willing to put the nation's risk at health through dangerous insinuation. That's what is really going on here and its disgusting.

Further evidence Ed Davey was right re Farage/Trump. - Farage is on LBC punting cryptocurrency. Specifically TETHER. - Christopher Harborne owns a large share of TETHER and BitFinex. - The same Christopher Harborne who has bankrolled Reform UK for £10m. If you see this, share. @lbc.co.uk

This morning, again, it's just endless coverage of the president's "change of tone" on Russia. Which, if the past is any guide, will change again tomorrow and the day after. We might as well analyse an angry toddler's "change of tone" towards bedtime, bathtime and whether he likes the colour green.

It’s not about facts: they have access to the same facts as you and me. They know paracetamol is safe. They know global warming is real. They know trans folk aren’t a danger to children. They know. But these facts don’t allow for the division and fear they need to take power. Hence their hate.

I think the key problem here is a continuing assumption, in traditional media, that when the White House speaks on a major topic, this is a big news story. That model can't cope with a president with no regard for truth, who's in constant broadcast mode, & who veers around from one day to another.

Why are the American president's claims about autism the first item on British news bulletins? He's not our president, the advice doesn't apply here and he's not presented any evidence to support his assertions. So why spread these claims? What make this the biggest story in the UK?

It is possible to cherish the BBC as an institution while also saying that BBC News is failing very badly, day after day, in its duty to inform and that it always fails in a right-wing direction. It desperately needs to recover its integrity

Reform is racist. Let’s just say it. Loudly and often. They’re racist. Don’t take them on on how they plan to fund their nonsense. They don’t care. They don’t say it because they’ve worked it out. They say it for headlines and for voters who want prejudice as policy. They’re racist. They’re failure.

Did anybody consider not endlessly platforming fascism until it became normalised? Just fucking wondering.