🎯from @stephenkb.bsky.social

brb just off to the pub to process the trauma of my great-great-great grandfather in a Boer War concentration camp

Restoring the home of Parliament is an act of responsibility ✍️ Marie Goldman MP

There are so many reasons I feel deeply disappointed by this Government and its betrayal of what Labour should be. This is one of the most pointlessly cruel.

Really really excellent evisceration of IPSA's recent "bad behaviour" by my brilliant colleague @jensym.bsky.social in @thehousemag.bsky.social staff newsletter today. MP staff morale and confidence in IPSA is extreeeemely low at the moment.

There's something deeply wrong with the Home Office

Wow I'm so glad google has these completely unmarked extremely dodgy ads, makes it so easy to use

Of course we need an immigration system that is both credible and fair but what has been touted by the Home Office satisfies neither criteria. The idea of deporting children mimics Trump’s ICE detention of children. (1/3)

Finally! It was absurd that Hamish Falconer wasn't paid until recently.

The delivery style of someone who learned his politics from Milo Yiannopolous, Charlie Kirk and Ben Shapiro. Talk a million miles an hour and use endless filler so people don't realise you're just a Nazi.

I also just don't understand his argument, he's arguing we should focus on aspirational middle-earners... which is why we should back economically damaging & immoral immigration reforms? Nonsensical and over-written.

LFPME Statement on military escalation in the Middle East 👇

Parliamentary Staff Furious Over MPs Getting Bigger Pay Award www.politicshome.com/news/article...

The workload facing MPs and their staff is growing, in ways that aren't visible to the public: casework and the inbox. For @thehousemag.bsky.social, I delved into what the workload looks like, why it's growing, and what this means for how MPs can balance the different aspects of their role

As a dual national I'll concede I'm not sure of the problem here; rules are rules, lots of European countries don't allow dual nationality and if you ticked the box renouncing your british passport what did you think would happen

This is a huge issue. Govt not talking about it but somehow have decided to follow the US’ example in completely retreating from the world stage, especially Africa. Countries used to productive UK relations are now being ignored. Worst possible thing to do at this time.

This is a good piece, but so bleak. We've created a system where it's impossible to build anything but when we do it falls apart in months. I used to live in a "new build" apartment block. It was a mess - doors didn't fit the frames, wiring was loose, walls paper-thin. Needs a fix.

Didn’t know Keir Starmer had diehards like Corbyn but apparently they all live in Bluesky’s comment section

Looking forward to these swivel-eyed loons losing their deposit

The Home Secretary has several times said she thinks levels of net migration remain quite high + are comparatively high This is mainly a vibe. There are a few factual mistakes/over-spins in her explanation of why she thinks this but many journalists + MPs may not quite notice those.

Oh I’ve had an idea, set up an advisory board for design, architecture and aesthetics but with only one member: HM King Charles III

the current building is not fit for purpose, I would even go as so far to move the whole Parliament into a new, purpose-built building, the second-best solution is to fix the current one I'm sorry that democracy costs money.

I love the Palace more than most, I think it’s an absolute masterpiece. But if we could build a new, beautiful, functional parliament we should do that. Problem is I’m not sure this country could ever agree on a proper design or location

When I was a lowly work experience kid at Sky News in 2018 Jon Craig, Jayne Secker and @breeallegretti.bsky.social were a delight to me. Adam Boulton…. a bit less so

It’s time to ban social media for the over-60s, restrict their screen-time and implement upper-limit age verification.

“Oh no the male loneliness epidemic” well no duh if you live like this 🫠

Wonderfully niche bit of FCDO guidance here

Just out of this extraordinary production of my favourite play. Bryan Cranston, Paapa Essiedu and Marianne Jean-Baptiste are absolutely *extraordinary* and I will need at least a week to emotionally recover

"Corruption is only bad when I'm not doing it"

Quite glad that the big story in British politics is whether Andy Burnham will apply to stand in a by-election and not people being gunned down by state militias. Solidarity with Minnesotans resisting this barbarity.

The Trump lawsuit has rendered the BBC utterly spineless. Another victim of bullying and lawfare.

Only Elon Musk would be able to make me like Michael O’Leary

This would be funny if it didn't also feel like the end times

Keir’s had his weetabix today

This man is profoundly unserious

"Great Power Competition" bro this is not a paradox game

Interesting day for the Stars and Stripes to be flying in Parliament!

This is something I love about South African media. Every presenter, regardless of race, getting names like Gqberha or Hluhuwe or Qonce bang on

We were deriding you because you are patently unwilling to fund a viable alternative to consensual US hegemony in democratic Europe. You’d get to preen if you’d been calling for massive defence spending hikes, an independent nuclear deterrent, minimising out-of-home-theatre commitments and so on.

It continues to be a bad failure that essentially there's a policy debate that is obvious to you if you read a business newspaper OR the gov dot uk website or the MI5 threat update OR a decent policy Substack is basically invisible on the BBC and in 90 per cent of Commons debates.

Santa’s been 😍

Slow start to the political year? is he on crack?

Minister of State Alex Norris tells the BBC he won't personally come off X because it's important for communicating with voters. None of his tweets for the last month has more than 1000 views.

Glad this campaign is being picked up again - MP's staff operate in this weird nothing land of not being civil servants or employed by Parliament, so progression & opportunities available to them is cut off to us. Instead we are entirely dependent on our bosses. Ok for some, v bad for others.

It has become increasingly clear that X - a platform now actively producing explicit and abusive material against women and children - is not an appropriate platform to be using for our comms. I will keep pushing for action from the govt & relevant authorities in this area.

Commons women and equalities committee to stop using X amid AI-altered images row

Parliament is at its worst when discussing Foreign Affairs. How many troops would we send? What would their role be? Would we be in direct conflict with Russia? Badenoch and other leaders must know asking these questions at this stage is simply not serious.

A reminder of my @politicshome.bsky.social story from Nov in which MPs called for the government to carry out a *proper* review of its use of X We found out that the current review process is relatively informal & conducted without ministerial oversight on an ad hoc basis decided by officials

someone needs to tell the government that it can actually do things rather than "hope"

I’m so glad this continues to be the platform of choice for the uk political class 🫠