Was is Watson’s racism reported passively? In 2007, he had said some anti-Semitism was justified “Just like some anti-Irish feeling is justified. If you can’t be criticized, that’s very dangerous. You lose the concept of a free society.” Nah, mate. You really wouldn’t

While US polarisation predates social media it doesn’t really predate the end of broadcasting impartiality Basically the US has been living with social media style partisan bias for decades, and now Europe is catching up (with similarly disastrous consequences) Will policy makers now respond?

Fantastic expose from my friend George Turner in the Guardian. So good to see George back in print. The two of us also have a *very* exciting project due to hit the airwaves in late 2026... 🫣 www.theguardian.com/film/2025/no...

This would 💯 happen in the UK if the same political dispensation took power here I feel like a sizeable chunk of British journalism is in complete denial about that

And frying their brains in ways they don’t even realise, never mind understand

Charles Ross, @petergeoghegan.bsky.social and I had a look at what the shadow ministers in the House of Lords were working at. Turns out many of them are being paid to ‘advise’ the same industries that they’re supposed to be scrutinising. democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-lords-...

🔴 MPs are banned from been paid to give 'political advice' - but Lords can. And guess what? Many Conservative shadow ministers in the Lords are being paid by the industries they’re meant to scrutinise. New on Democracy for Sale democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-lords-...

🔴 MPs are banned from been paid to give 'political advice' - but Lords can. And guess what? Many Conservative shadow ministers in the Lords are being paid by the industries they’re meant to scrutinise. New on Democracy for Sale democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-lords-...

Loving Mark Steel in Lerwick on Shetland on Radio 4 atm. Shetland one of my favourite places

Just checking this is Question Times’ ‘author and academic’ Matt Goodwin?

Anyone who will lie unapologetically about mass violent attacks to push their own profile and political cause is beneath contempt. There’s no need to book such people, to platform them, or to listen to them. That’s not because of their politics, or their views: it’s because of their dishonesty.

This is an absolutely lovely read. I used to walk past the Flatiron building every day for a year and often found myself dreaming about what it would be like to live in Also delighted to see my old urban sociology prof (and boss!) Sharon Zukin quoted at length. Legend 😊

Really interesting piece in Weekend FT on rise of Catholic right (something I’ve been following for a while) But shame to see ‘Leonard Leo’ misnamed as ‘Leo Leonard’…

I moved to the UK from the US (where was a student) on a scholarship that no longer exists aged 23 Doubt much chance if was 23 now I’d be moving here

On the left, the refurbished Lincoln bathroom. On the right, picture I took in Saddam Hussein's palace in Basra in 2005.

This *very* well timed piece by Will Lloyd in the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social is well worth a read www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

It’s almost like if cast tracts of the media go down an anti immigrant k-hole and supposedly ‘mainstream’ parties follow them, it has a significant impact on public attitudes Who’d a thunk it? 🤯

Having a bad dose of Covid really sucks, not least as I missed bringing the youngest to see Benfica on Saturday night. But having neighbours call over with soup, medication and hot food while I isolate and rest really makes a huge difference 😊

“If there was a pandemic tomorrow, you could see another VIP Lane being set up.” A really vital conversation about COVID corruption with @russellscott1.bsky.social on latest Democracy for Sale. youtu.be/QkXu3-RanEo?...

Great to talk about all things Covid contracts, VIP Lane and more with @petergeoghegan.bsky.social for the brilliant Democracy for Sale. Watch the full interview here: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-covid-... 📖 available here: viplanebook.com

Thank you bluesky for encouraging me to take a covid test. Having tested negative three times two weeks ago, now testing positive - which is good to now Less good, was due to flu to Lisbon this evening for half term

Whatever this virus is going around London at the moment, it's brutal. Got it, was sick for two weeks, recovered for about three days, and now it's back. Take care out there, folks

‘Labour polled 11% in a seat that the party has held for 100 years’ is the headline news this morning. Feels like a headline going to hear a lot in the next year. (Also result - Plaid win - does show that the fissuring of British politics isn’t all to the right)

Ed Luce watching democracy die in the United States of America

Exclusive: Two of Nathan Gill's fellow Ukip/Brexit Party MEPs used the same pro-Russia talking points in European Parliament, after joining him on a paid-for trip to Kyiv observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Wow! Democracy for Sale has been nominated for a British Journalism Award 🎉 Amazing to see how far we've come in such a short time. Am so proud of @jennacorderoy.bsky.social and @lucasamin.bsky.social (and me, tbh! 😊) Huge thanks to our supporters! pressgazette.co.uk/press-gazett...

Britain is in a really, really dark place. It also shows that once you start deporting people, you very quickly get to this place

Lol ‘professor’

Shame that Number 10 still hasn’t.

At a really important discussion on how the law is being used to attack journalists - including in the U.K.

Hard to argue with the message on the bottom of this bus, in Westminster 😬

More journalists have been killed in Gaza than in any other conflict in history. The EIC at Reuters, Alessandra Galloni, joins us to reflect on the last two years of covering the war on Gaza. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/podcasts/med...

12 hours into this story I think it’s actually the latter Tories are cast adrift in a hard right fever dream Labour is in government (Yep another reason, this Paddy - and many others - are wondering about their ‘settled status’ in GB, and even in UK)

Worth saying that despite asking for more than 12 hours we’ve had nothing back from Labour on this

Apropos of the internet outage, would recommend Colum McCann’s most recent novel, Twist Basically Heart of Darkness with undersea cables.

Would *really* recommend listening to New York Times' Jane Bradley talking about Farage and US, and Russian influence, on Democracy for Sale this week www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5p0...

This needs wider coverage. Frightening.

This must be the first war in history where the defending yourself is considered an escalation.

Not just me then. And we're used to being the most secure immigrant group over here, so I can't imagine how others must be feeling.

In principle, Lam should apply her argument to being willing to renege on promises to Irish people. (The case for not doing so becomes simply a practical one of gains/losses, so it may be too much of a headache to unravel anything, but she is never bound by a promise) bsky.app/profile/pete...

Would *really* recommend listening to New York Times' Jane Bradley talking about Farage and US, and Russian influence, on Democracy for Sale this week www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5p0...

A lot of Paddies I know in the UK (this one included) are listening to this sort of thing and wondering about our status in Britain Which would have *huge* implications for N Ireland if ever it with became a political football

This is a crucial point And why the ‘stay on X/Twitter so you don’t cede the public square’ is such a nonsense argument It isn’t Hyde Park, it’s a billionaire controlled algorithm *designed* to spread far right ideologies

There's always a tweet.

About to speak about how billionaires are buying democracy at the fantastic Zeg story telling festival at Finsbury town hall with @oliverbullough.bsky.social and @suehawley.bsky.social 😊

This guy is Senior Political Correspondent at the Daily Express. Good god.

“A savvy rich man can build an apparatus out of this to spot talent, pick winners, and control the flow of ideas. All of it is allowed – in 2025, only a fool or an unambitious man need bother donating to politicians or political parties directly.” www.thenewworld.co.uk/james-ball-p...

This is some tale. What I *really* didn’t expect was Colin Hendry popping up in the middle of it Must read