Another outstandingly good thread. Emma Monk (‪@monkemma.bsky.social‬) is fast approaching national treasure status, I reckon.

Utterly cruel, pointless and harmful. It does not minimise how bad Conservatives were to say Labour are now the most anti-asylum government in most people's living memory. This prevents people feeling any sense of safety and security after fleeing persecution. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Reform win a seat: The true Volk have spoken and we all must listen. Greens win a seat: Early reports that Muslims may have ‘voted’ (an ancient Islamic practice designed to steal elections). How severely should the franchise be limited in response?

There have been plenty of muddled and at times outright false justifications offered by presidents for past American wars, but it's something different to have no coherent rationale at all, no comprehensible stated goal, and no meaningful attempt to rally public opinion.

The inflammatory generalising (or simply fantasising) about ethnic and other social groups is something many mainstream politicians had managed to avoid doing, until fairly recently. One expects it of Reform. Now the leaders of both our largest parties are also doing it. We know where this leads.

The discourse seems to have lost some time ago the point that coming without permission if you are a refugee is actually something we are committed under international law to accepting and responding positively to, not something Ministers ahould be rejecting and stoking resentment towards.

In the interest of balance it is only fair that I show you this. Ed Davey, 13 minutes, Zack Polanski 15 minutes, Keir Starmer 45 minutes. Reform Ready to Rule, the only interview with a title and 59 minutes.

Perhaps Nige would like to get the Ball rolling and start working from work. The king of the side hustle should do one job. Wonder what’s his next Trumpian Triumph will be?

She's an immigrant. Stop using ex-pat.

As you would expect from Mackenzie Crook I mean of course. (The man's a genius)

I recommend Small Prophets. A slow build over the series as you would expect, but always amusing and laugh-out-load (plus other emotions) by the end. youtu.be/wLKL8vK5PgA?...

If someone uses AI to translate a short idea into verbose trash and I use AI to summarize long messages into short ones- we both could have saved time and added clarity by simply using our own words without embellishment or reductionist layers of technology added to the task

This! Writing is the act of transforming ideas into words to communicate something. It’s not just the physical putting pen to paper or typing at a keyboard- it’s the developing the thought into the words. If you use AI and only think in prompts you’re adding layers between your ideas and a reader.

If I were redesigning the curriculum, I'd wrap up linguistics, grammar and neurology into a package about the miracle of human thought and how it's marshalled and conveyed through speech and writing. It should be a joy and a wonder, not a chore that people want to outsource to a machine.

One of the worst things about AI, for me, is that it takes away from people the sheer joy of writing. Schools don’t often make this point, but writing should be fun. Putting words together, finding ways to express yourself, the pure pleasure of a well-crafted sentence. 1/5

Tropical forests generate vast rainfall through “flying rivers,” meaning farms & cities may depend on ecosystems far away. Even small-scale clearing can reduce precipitation, threatening agriculture, river flows & hydropower. In the Amazon, this rainmaking service is worth tens of billions yearly.

Beautiful

So tonight I watched episode 2. I can't watch all three at once because each episode makes me so angry I need a break but despite that I'm going to urge all of you once again, to watch it. An urgent and essential series. And the Guardian is right. Nationalise the English water companies now.

'I heard ten thousand whispering and nobody listening'

Three separate Labour scandals in one day is quite an extraordinary number. They're benefitting from the attention of the whole world being elsewhere thanks to Trump's bloodthirst.

It's almost as if, with Starmer-McSweeney era Labour, EVERY rock you look under will have something damning lurking under it.

"I will hit you so hard you'll experience next week before the rest of us. Neener neener."

While we're all distracted by Iran, Shabana Mahmood is continuing Labour's sprint Right... In my over half a century on this Earth, I have never seen a British political party more determined to lose the next election. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Starmer to Reform voters: "I called us an Island of Strangers, booted tons of foreigners out, and went along with the "immigration crisis" charade. I am making life ever more miserable for people here legally. I let the USA use our bases to bomb Iran. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?!" Reform voters: Reform.

Today i've sold 17 books. I've sold absolutely no bombs. I think this is conclusive proof that bombs are rubbish and books are ace.

Watch out! fox unnews is at again. Think we wouldn’t know? GTFO

Isabel Oakeshott must be so pleased she moved to Dubai because London is such a dangerous no-go war zone.

Just naked racism from Farage and the Mail. Only British and commonwealth citizens are allowed to vote. It's not 'stealing' to legally take part in your own country's elections

The Mail on Sunday peddling Farage’s racist, fascistic, undemocratic agenda is hideous. Howling to disenfranchise voters. And wanting to remove our rights to make sure we can’t object. Ask yourself whether this is an admirable response to losing? Or the ugly tantrum of vengeful, entitled bigots.

Our thought and prayers are with Richard and Isabel at this difficult time.

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed." -Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953

Hi Nigel Farage, are you elderly or infirm? Because in 2024, when you stood for election you voted by post (in Kent because you didn’t, and still don’t live in Clacton). Please don’t tell us all you don’t practice what you preach. #PostalVoting

Nazzi Farridge and hypocrisy are old friends

Another lying article from the Guardian with not a single bit of evidence produced to back up its fake headline. Labour are the greenest government the UK has ever seen. But a long, long way. Labour are doing more for the environment than ever before. They remain committed to net zero.

OK, the Gorton and Denton by-election, I have some thoughts! Let's take a look at some of the FACTS and burst a few of the more ridiculous takes doing the rounds But first up, can we acknowledge just what bad losers Reform are?!🤣 Right, let's get started... 🧵 1/

How is it possible that the media does not report the £7.5bn of money saved by Labour from fraud in our public services. The savings secured are equivalent to the cost of employing an additional 230,000 nurses or repairing every pothole in the country. This is big news!

But they said he was “The peace president.” 🥴

Fab pic, two beautiful Lambretta LCs

75 PANAME C'était Paris en 1950 📷 le scooter a eu son heure de gloire une autre epoque !

LAMBRETTA, 1954. - source Moto Vitelloni - Wheels n’ wings.

As Nigel Farage is now so concerned about the influence of "foreign-born voters" can he finally explain why a Kazakhstan-born billionaire appears to be bankrolling his own political party?

Dear Sadiq. Could you and your friends please pop over to Downing Street and stage an Intervention?

👇👇👇

Green Party leader Zack Polanski says Keir Starmer should go on television and “condemn these illegal strikes” #BBCLauraK

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 Happy St David’s Day 🌼

Weird that Reform is OK with Irish citizens voting but not commonwealth ones. Wonder what the difference could be?

The remarkable story of the YMCA’s Jewish service in the First World War, now on my Substack:

Disappointed (but not entirely surprised) this #cartoon didn't find a home. #doglife #dogs #business