Cost of living has exploded in the US. “GDP per capita, adjusted for differences in the cost of living, has increased by 70% in the United States since 1990, compared to 63% in the EU-27.” The tale of US “economic advantage” is based on some key myths…

Crockett: "Everyone wants to talk about how Maduro was illegitimate. As we sit here on January 6, I do want to be clear: somebody else was trying to be a Maduro of the United States. Somebody else wanted to do the exact same thing. The difference is Maduro was successful."

Not crazy to say there was a much clearer criminal case against MBS, who ordered the murder of an American newspaper columnist, than there is against Maduro.

It’s genuinely wild that the United States spent decades building an elaborate rules-based international order which de facto cemented its permanent status as the dominant global hegemon, sustained by ideology rather than might, and now is just blowing it all up for literally no reason

Reform UK now have multiple viable paths to power in Britain. They could reach No.10 without ever facing proper scrutiny – another critical failure of the mainstream press. Help us hold Reform to account in 2026 with a massive new wave of investigations👇 subscribe.bylinetimes.com/reformscruti...

Of course, in the UK "regulators" are never really regulators. Their raison d'etre is political: to dress political goals in regulatory clothing, to act as reputational buffer zones, to gaslight outsiders like you and I into thinking regulation exists. But never, god forbid, to regulate.

Darren Jones saying repeatedly the Labour Government won't comment on a hypothetical. It's not hypothetical - Trump is saying very loudly repeatedly what he's done and boasting about it. And yet the UK Government won't even say it's a breach of international rules. Shameful.

Absolutely this thread. The lack of spine from this government on rule of law has let down the UK hugely.

My personal view is that it all went wrong for Starmer when he couldn't bring himself to say that cutting off power and water to Gaza wasn't OK. He lost his credibility as a humanitarian and a human rights lawyer. He knew the answer. He couldn't say so. That was his moment.

BBC journalists have been banned from describing the kidnapped Venezuelan leader as having been kidnapped. The BBC News Editor has sent this to BBC journalists.

Worth repeating again. No British Politician should be on X anymore. The Government needs to leave immediately. Violence Against Women and Girls is an epidemic. Being on X and tackling this are not compatible.

On BBC News today: striking that it’s the two old establishment parties - Labour and the Conservatives - refusing to condemn the US breaking international law and doing what it wants. Feels like politics stuck in the past, while the public has clearly moved on.

The super secure SCIF Mar-a-Lago. What a pack of careless, incompetent amateurs.

financial mismanagement, a con artist and anti vaccination are the qualities this ex male model brings to the role of leader of Durham Council. And staggering hypocrisy, Reform in a nutshell 🤮 www.threads.com/@reformareno...

Not commenting on Venezuela is one thing, but Starmer's ministers not even being willing to say "no of course the US shouldn't invade a peaceful sovereign democratic NATO country, which is one of our closest allies" is quite another.

Agree or disagree with the merits of the operation, you can't help but be in awe of the Wehrmacht's Blitzkrieg of Poland

The United States will be in a major war by November and the regime will use it to suspend elections. They will further use the inevitable uprising to impose martial law and suspend constitutional freedoms. It is a near certainty at this point. The only question is who we will be at war with.

That one person can drag us into a war without consulting or even notifying Congress, or our allies, or fully explaining to the American people why this is necessary, is absolutely bonkers. Reminder that Congress has the power to stop all of this. Where the hell are they?

the biggest winners of the current Trump regime will be the Best Picture and Best Actor/Actress noms in about 20 years when we start getting shoot-and-cry movies about how hard it was for the US troops to murder Venezuelans

I'm completely shocked Elon lied about FSD capabilities. I am also from the year 2013. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

Bombing a sovereign nation and kidnapping the President is the behaviour of a cowboy state. The United States’ attack on Venezuela is illegal — and it is utterly shameful that the UK government refuses to condemn this reckless act of war.

This is excellent from ITV's International Editor, Emma Murphy www.itv.com/news/2026-01...

Not a blue tent in sight.

Trump is trying to force US oil companies to rebuild Venezuelan oil fields that are too expensive to invest in at current crude prices while a full blown energy revolution is happening with cheap solar and electrification growing exponentially. This is a dying empire shit.

💯 And I'm sure Mr Trump is prioritising giving him a "full account of the action taken"

There’s going to be a motion of censure at the UN and Starmer is going to have a decision to make.

The Hard Times is a parody punk news website and it is consistently one of the funniest things on the Internet.

Moulton: "When we had briefings on Venezuela, we asked, 'Are you going to invade the country?' We were told no. 'Do you plan to put troops on the ground?' We were told no. 'Do you intend regime change in VZ?' We were told no. So in a sense, we have been briefed, we've just been completely lied to"

“It’s fine to cut off food and water” will be his next position…. Compare with the French statement.

I bet he'd act if Trump was on benefits.

This man is utterly spineless www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Kaja Kallas and Ursula von der Leyen surely about to call for 'restraint' any moment now having been made fools of once more.

Performative military action to generate content. Reality TV commander in chief.

Amazing record for the FIFA

It’s time for the world to Boycott, Divest and Sanction the U.S Avoid the Olympics, World Cup and other sporting events. There’s no reason to celebrate the 250 birthday of this fallen nation

You voted to confirm Rubio.

The US is now responsible for the governance of Venezuela. Toppling the regime of a smaller country is always the easy part. The hard part is what comes after. Neo-cons always expect a pro-US nirvana. It rarely works out. But I suppose the oil companies can seize some assets.

Reform UK won’t say ‘private’ when talking about healthcare. Richard Tice uses ‘independent’: "Instead of giving £26bn to the already bloated wasteful NHS, we proposed easing pressure on the health service by incentivising those who can afford to pay more to go independent with a tax break."

Venezuela now, because he wants the oil. He wants the oil under Greenland too. And under Canada. He's openly called for them to be part of the USA. How long before he decides to bomb a couple of NATO members to get his own way? The USA is a rogue nation.

Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves — and that’s no coincidence. This is naked U.S. imperialism: an illegal assault on Caracas aimed at overthrowing a sovereign government and plundering its resources. Starmer’s Labour government must condemn this unequivocally.

Excellent reporting from @teesvalleymonitor.bsky.social on Teesside's least-favourite money pit www.teesvalleymonitor.com/funds-for-te...

Trump just illegally bombed Venezuela and sent in troops without congressional authorization. Innocent people are going to die because this demented bastard wants to waive his tiny dick around to force a regime change.

We love a bargain! However as gran used to say: "It's not a bargain f you don't want (or need) it." So even at £29 off and bargain basement price, we shall pass.

Where's KLF when you really need a Bonfire of the Vanities?

They spent months and months insisting he was an antisemite, with zero evidence, and then he chooses to get sworn in as mayor by America’s most famous and beloved Jewish politician. His critics are a mix of liars and fools.

podcasts

Whenever I hear people talking about podcasts*, this sketch comes to mind. (*Of course, there are rare treats of podcasts that are interesting but many remind me why most professional broadcasters have production teams).

The Israel lobby funded half of Keir Starmer’s cabinet. www.declassifieduk.org/israel-lobby...

uhhh yeah I can see why these childcare properties weren't eager to let in some rando dudes asking "where are the kids?"