Morning...

So I gather the following from Labour supporters: 1) It's not fair to ask Labour to be better, because the other lot would be worse. 2) It's not fair that the PM gets more scrutiny and criticism than other people who aren't the PM. That's not, and has never been, how politics works....

I see that the DVLA is still issuing road tax refunds by sending a cheque in the post....

😬

More loyalty to his sugar daddy than his country.... www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cl...

For those that can’t remember tiny bits of news from September 2025: Lord Mandelson failed security services vetting & agency officials went on the record saying Mandelson was a bad idea. This was ignored by UK Gov/PM.

I worry that Gen Alpha/some Gen Z think the last 10 years of Brexit/Trump/far-right/disinformation/gaslighting/depravity/democide/xenophobia… are the norm because they will have never known a world where Western Liberal democracies were by large admired and assumed to be the stable desirable norm.

You have to wonder how someone with apparently such a poor memory keeps landing these important, well-paid jobs?

NEW: Previously unreported Epstein emails show Peter Mandelson discussing a Panama-linked tax avoidance structure for a £750k Rio apartment - with Epstein as his "chief life adviser". Exclusive Tax Policy Associates report:

I bump into the occasional conspiracy theorist when out canvassing, and in my experience they haven't just bought into "15 minute cities". They tend to go for the whole trolley full - anti-vax, chemtrails, WEF etc.

"They arrested the wrong Don" 👏👏👏

Pressure grows on ministers to end secrecy over UK medicines deal with Trump

I'm not prone to exaggeration but this is probably the biggest scoop I've ever been involved in Mandelson's partner took £10,000 from Epstein to pay for his osteopath course while Mandelson was de facto UK deputy prime minister, according to new files more to follow www.ft.com/content/c950...

If I was a UK defence investor, I wouldn't find this nonsense from Luke Pollard very reassuring. This attitude benefits primarily the US. Set up a sales office in the UK flogging products designed/manufactured in the US, with IP owned in the US and subject to ITAR - get treated as British.

Every time someone gives you a key to something, whether at home or at work, label it. Otherwise over the years you'll accumulate drawers and boxes full of keys, without a clue what they're for.

Hello everyone. No idea if I have followers in the Lake District (or within striking distance) but I'll be speaking at the Keswick Book Festival on 14 March at 1430 about my new book on the geopolitics of climate change. Tickets at this link👇 www.theatrebythelake.com/event/arthur...

Hard day at work honey? - Same old, same old. Pepper sprayed some kids and shot a dude dead.....

Maybe Trump is worried that US competitors will defect and seek asylum in Europe, like Russian athletes used to during the Cold War? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This is stupid, counterproductive, and once again shows an almost total lack of understanding. How would this be enforced? Why would a foreign VPN company (which is most of them) with no business presence in the UK bother to comply? Big winners will be dodgy 'free' VPNs in foreign jurisdictions.

Reform don't believe in climate change, but they're big on recycling.

Apart from the dystopian premise of massively expanding facial recognition and tying it to AI (sounds like a job for Palantir), is there any actual evidence that this will save 6 million police hours?

Not even 'both sides' here - the crucial bit is removed out from the parents' statement (giving the false impression that they did not rebut the administration's lies), while the administration's lie is presented without rebuttal. Truly appalling stuff.

The publication of the US National Defence Strategy proves once and for all that the 'Special Relationship' is a fantasy. It doesn't mention the UK even once - we are lumped in with 'Europe'. So let's cooperate and respond with Europe. Stronger Together 💪.

@joshbabarinde.bsky.social writes: Trump can go f**k himself. Sometimes you just need to say it like it is. www.libdemvoice.org/josh-babarin...

🎶 An offer that sounds like music to your ears: From Jan 12–25, buy a Murena Fairphone (Gen.6) at murena.com and get Fairbuds for free. With privacy-respecting /e/OS and sustainable hardware, the Murena Fairphone is ethical inside & out. 👉 murena.com/products/sma...

Fantastic result for Craig Thurling and the Cotswold Lib Dem Team. Reform firmly in third place 🎉

Given these results, on top of the fact that shingles is deeply unpleasant itself, I don't understand why the UK doesn't expand the complicated vaccine eligibility criteria and start administering it at an earlier age (say 60)?

Our Home Secretary, Ladies and Gentlemen. Probably thinks the former East German Stasi were soft on crime...

NEW REPORT: the gov’s proposals for judge-only trials will deliver only marginal savings and distract from the real route out of this crisis: reversing recent falls in court productivity.

And we're back. The moment the danger passes, people rush to pretend everything is alright again. It isn't and will not be.

The US granted visas to Jews but only allowed 30,000 in from Germany a year. You had to wait for your number to come up. Meet Robert Smallbones. An unassuming British diplomat who 'hacked' this system so effectively (saving 48 THOUSAND Jews) the UK government kept his scheme secret for decades /1 🧵

The absolute top, number one news topic for over a week has been Greenland. Trump gets confused with Iceland. From the man who praised 'Nambia' during his first term...

This survey appears to be missing the important 'I'm vaguely aware but don't give a shit' option.

Where we have led on calling for closer integration with Europe, others are following - including senior members of government. Our allies are more important than ever. Liberal Democrats will continue to make the case for closer relations with Europe to boost our economy, defence and security.

I’m delighted to have heard the news that after my campaigning work in Parliament, funding has been approved for Junction 10 of the M5. This is great news for ensuring the Golden Valley development can reach its potential, supporting thousands of new jobs in cyber and tech. 1/3

Donations to the access fund regularly do not meet demand for the access fund, Lib Dem folks, so if you've got a spare tenner it'd be much appreciated. ODDLY increasing access to party democracy is not something big donors like to donate to, so the access fund relies on lots of little donations.

1. If only someone had written a book explaining Arctic security and climate change, the energy transition, critical minerals, the decline of American power and the rise of China. A book that identified the real Arctic threat (it ain't Greenland). Oh wait, they have!👇 uk.bookshop.org/p/books/elem...

67% of Britons support retaliatory tariffs against the US if Trump imposes tariffs as a result of UK opposition to his attempts to take over Greenland Support: 67% Oppose: 14% Net support by 2024 vote Green +73 Lab +65 Lib Dem +64 Con +60 Reform +29 yougov.co.uk/topics/inter...

You’ve got to hope that MI6 has found out that Trump has only a few weeks to live. Because if that isn’t the case, Starmer is making a real mess of this.

Apparently the way forward is a 'calm discussion' with the senile, narcissistic madman. If the EU decide on a more robust response, which is likely, then Starmer is going to have to pick a side. I won't ever forgive him if he chooses wrong, and neither will our neighbours.

If the US hits us with tariffs, again, for no good reason, then we are already in a tariff war. Are we going to let Trump's behaviour be entirely consequence free? We must cooperate with the EU and present a united front, potentially including retaliatory tariffs. There is no pain-free solution.

Córy Doctorow with another verbal bullseye: pluralistic.net/2026/01/13/n...

Lib Dem source: “Just 45 more Tory defections until Ed becomes Leader of the Opposition.”

Quite right too, after the 'Spycops' scandal and the case last year when MI5 covered up their employment of a violent neo-nazi misogynist.

european-alternatives.eu For people who don’t want to depend on US technology

See how /e/OS protects my device from tracking attempts! Why mobile apps trackers are one of the most impactful threats regarding your privacy and your freedom: read our Privacy Guide at e.foundation/wp-content/u...

We are abusive relationship territory now. Trump already binned the 'Tech Prosperity Deal', now the deal to pay more for drugs in exchange for zero tariffs on pharmaceuticals is dead. Starmer needs to be clear that we are now keeping that £3bn per year for the NHS. www.mirror.co.uk/news/health/...

This time, will it trigger a stronger response than a frown and an offer of a state visit? www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c1...

Out canvassing in Upper Rissington for next week's Cotswold District Council by-election. Big @libdems.org.uk crew out today, but Tories and Reform have also been spotted.