Wheels are off. CQC still hasn't replaced CEO Julian Hartley who quit last autumn. And now have to appoint a new chair first. And all this while the CQC is supposed to be reinventing itself.

so a month ago I was reading @markpackuk.bsky.social’s speech on Twitter in the lords and there were obviously fake stats the government used to justify Twitter’s UK reach and its continued importance to British audiences Rob has now found the source of the data was… Twitter

There's a strong similarity between McSweeney and Mandelson in that both convinced their leaders they were indispensable, but when you step back and look at what they've actually done, there's almost nothing there.

Odd story in The Times. It reports that the UK and France are neck and neck in what it calls the "wealth list", so presumably we are also heading for "third word status". You'd think that would be the story in a British newspaper. apple.news/AQItTdzxURHm...

who could possibly have predicted? www.ft.com/content/fc3c...

It already is, isn't it?

Don't get the Palace fans blaming Glasner for this situation. FA Cup, Community Shield, best ever PL season. Glasner's done his job, the board flatly haven't done theirs. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

Note the consultation happens AFTER "operating model" design and even after "detailed organisation design". So many #NHS & public service reforms go wrong because plans are set in stone before a lip-service consultation, which we all know is going to be ignored. www.hsj.co.uk/workforce/dh...

This is Reform doubling down and showing you exactly who they are. Believe them. apple.news/A3WlUssuNQCe...

Absolutely this 👇

Former this-and-that Jeremy Hunt and former this-and-that Mark Sedwill talking on Today like it's 2015 if you fancy a bit of nostalgia. #r4today

The people of Minnesota have executed one of the most impressive civil resistance campaigns I can remember: - Organized a city wide general strike - Maintained nonviolent discipline amidst violence - Mobilized 10,000s in subzero temps to protest and watch ICE - Flipped public opinion against ICE

For such a great "patriot", Farage does seem to spend a lot of time working for *very* rich foreigners.

An unfortunate way to describe your fleet considering what happened to the actual Armada. (Trump fans, look it up – it wasn't good). www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Farage's lame response to Trump's comments about British and other NATO troops in Afghanistan. In the video he calls them "not quite fair".

posted without comment, but the BBC needs to get a grip

According to its charter, Trump is personally head of this ridiculous body, not just because he's #POTUS. This looks like him trying to carve out a job for himself as 'world king', just in case the US constitution holds and he actually has to leave office in 2029. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cj...

This is a climbdown by Trump. I expect he was told to say this. He said it out the side of his mouth, but he did say it. (Doesn't mean he'll keep his word though.) www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

Trump's just spent 10 mins slagging off Switzerland because it makes a lot of stuff Americans want to buy.

Apparently, drug prices are coming down by "1000%, 2000%".

NEW: NEW: Standards commissioner finds Nigel Farage committed seventeen breaches of MPs code of conduct. He failed to declare £333,000 in outside interests (more than 3x MPs annual salary)…

Trump on NATO: "The problem with NATO is that we'll be there for them 100% but I'm not sure that they'd be there for us, if we gave them the call". We did get the call on 9/11. 26 NATO members sent troops to defend the US. Hundreds died doing so. It was the only time Article 5 has been activated.

Price of "gasoline" seems to have gone up since yesterday when he insisted it was $1.99 a gallon.

Another BBC report which fails to mention that the US government supported the Chagos deal until a couple of days ago.

Is Trump actually going to give a speech in Davos, you know a real speech in front of real people who aren't part of his cult?

I think the "free world" may have a new leader.

This is unbelievable. He can't even read stuff out from a piece of paper. I'm not sure he knows where he is. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx...

Can't help thinking there's some message behind Macron's new look. apple.news/Ab06sg1UwRc-...

I suppose we shouldn't be surprised at anything anymore but this did make me choke on my post-lunch tea.

If you listen very carefully, you can hear Charles de Gaulle screaming I BLOODY TOLD YOU SO from some rural French cemetery.

Could the 7 EU members avoid these tariffs by exporting their stuff to the US via another EU country (Germany, Italy etc)? Not an option available to us, unfortunately.

This is great! I’ve just framed my A-Level certificates and given them to my daughter. Now she won't have to sit the exams! www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Note Musk isn't going to stop Grok doing this, just block this functionality where it's illegal. In other words he'll (reluctantly) comply with the law but he thinks it's okay for Grok to be doing this stuff.

I waited a year longer than Marie to come to the same conclusion. It was hard to leave X behind because in my head it was still Twitter. But it's not and it never will be again. X deserves its inevitable fate. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

After telling trusts all year to prioritise cost cutting, Wes is now surprised they're missing their waiting list targets. He blames "over steering". But it's not an exact science, and the steer from NHS England has been crystal clear: hit your budgets at all costs. www.hsj.co.uk/finance-and-...

Plaid clearly favourites to lead the next Welsh government, but are they ready to tackle the crises in the Welsh NHS? Not yet, I reckon. My story from the last issue of Healthcare Manager. www.miphealth.org.uk/news/senedd-...

Wow, what a story

Why does it always take Starmer so long to do what we all know he's going to have to do eventually?

So, paying X customers can still make abusive images. Anyone can make them using Grok Imagine outside of X, and any X user can carry on distributing the abusive images across the network. Ofcom is being fobbed off if it accepts this pathetic gesture. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

America doesn't need to take over Greenland to defend the island from Chinese and Russian "aggression". Greenland is part of NATO, so an attack on Greenland is an attack on the US. Must be some other motivation. What could that be?

The Venezuelan opposition don't seem to realise they've been mugged off. Trump isn't interested in democracy, he just wants to steal Venezuela's resources. #r4today

Exactly this ⬇️ Ditto Starmer.

1. The US has definitely attacked Venezuela, blown things up and killed people. 2. The US has definitely abducted Maduro 3. Trump says he will be "running" Venezuela. 4. Trump says he's taking Venezuela's oil 5. Trump has threatened Greenland I think there's enough there for an opinion.

Starmer is out of his depth. True, he's in a very difficult position - there are no good options. But navigating difficult situations is what leadership is all about. This isn't good enough.

We're looking for leadership. We're not getting it from Starmer and it looks like we're not getting it from the EU either.

This is a bit rich from an Israeli government that failed to prevent an attack on 1,200 of its own citizens by terrorists it *knew* were operating just a few miles away. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Another weird paradox: the American right loathes the EU but it also wants a weaker Federal Government and more power for individual states... thus making the USA more and more like the EU.

NEW issue of Healthcare Manager is out, including an interview with the strikingly optimistic Daniel Elkeles, head of NHS Providers, stuff on the NHS and elections in Scotland and Wales, and, inevitably, loads on the chaotic NHS reforms in England & job cuts. Free to share. mip.social/hcm66