I've had a lifelong but very private discomfort at saying 'Merry Christmas' to others (and 'Good Morning' but more opportunities to get accustomed to that). I just quietly asked my most autistic daughter about this and it turns out (a) she has it too, (b) it is an autism thing. Merry Christmas.

Claire should wear her ban as a badge of honour.

Extraordinary story.

Happy Christmas.

free speech news (seriously, if you don't recognise him as a fascist by now, there's something wrong with you)

Presumably Muslim policewomen with metallic fillings?

Did the first daffodil shoots always appear this early (before Xmas)?

The realisation among US right-wing think-tankers that they've been enabling bigotry.

It is always someone else's fault. Always.

This is one of the maddest things I've ever read. Truly at odds with all reality.

Abuse geese to own the libs.

The US is not our friend.

Free speech latest...

My abiding memory of Christmas Eve is sitting on a bench in the middle of a shopping centre and watching a lot of haunted-looking men scurry past gripping jewellery/perfume bags. Funniest thing ever.

Final voting intention of 2025. Reform lead the Tories by 6 (28-22). Lowest Reform lead since September. Lab just behind in 3rd on 21% ➡️ REF UK 28% (-1) 🌳 CON 22% (+2) 🌹 LAB 21% (nc) 🔶 LIB DEM 13% (+1) 🌍 GREEN 9% (-2) 🟡 SNP 3% (nc) N = 2,026 | 12 - 19/23 | Change w 15/12

'We're all going to hell in a handcart.... well not me personally.'

Morning.

Trump is now calling for Stephen Colbert to be killed

'Like The Thick Of It': Labour MPs In Despair After Starmer's Latest U-Turn www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/labour...

Harsh but fair. (Source: www.ft.com/content/11a8...)

'We're all going to hell in a handcart.... well not me personally.'

Yet strangely enthusiastic about the unelected, unaccountable, anti-woke elites telling the British people what they should or should not think about immigration - day in, day out, obsessively.

The day when all our dreams come true is getting closer.

But 'so very Starmer'.

Ooh hang on, hullo...

File in the 'Populism Has Peaked' drawer

A look back in some fun headlines in 2025... 🧵

I hope lots of other good arguments are deployed against Farage (when it matters during an election campaign) long before we get to this one, which I suspect will have no effect.

The Bruges Group are reminding people that their children's book, 'Charlie And The Spitfire', could make a wonderful Christmas gift for the budding Biggles in your life. It gets great reviews on Amazon...

Over 3k Retweets and 10k Likes for this sh!t-stirring Tommy Robinson fan's venture into a Salvation Army charity event. This is what we are up against. A sort of Moron Apocalypse.

The Bruges Group are reminding people that their children's book, 'Charlie And The Spitfire', could make a wonderful Christmas gift for the budding Biggles in your life. It gets great reviews on Amazon...

Over 3k Retweets and 10k Likes for this sh!t-stirring Tommy Robinson fan's venture into a Salvation Army charity event. This is what we are up against. A sort of Moron Apocalypse.

Oh hullo...

'How's Brexit going?' 'Oh fine, it's opened up great opportunities.' 'So how's the economy going?' 'Oh it's terrible.'

Tory MP Matt Vickers' car crash encounter with @lewisgoodall.com on #Brexit. LG: Do you accept you damaged the economy? MV: No. LG: Are you saying Brexit has been good for business? MV: It's created opportunities. LG: What about all the evidence? MV: You need to come up north. Huh? 😵‍💫 ~AA

The irony is that if ever there was a Minister who needed to speak up for freedom of movement, it’s the Health Secretary, presiding over a sector that carries tens of thousands of vacancies, inhibiting its ability to deliver.

Aye, there's the rub

Britain's attitude towards the EU is of a guy who's dating a woman who wants marriage & kids, but he keeps offering her a "friends with benefits" relationship and is surprised she's not interested.

AI does have some advantages. Morning. (Better with sound off.)

Good Morning, culture war connoisseurs.

Streeting seems to have ended up, 10+ years later, at exactly the same misunderstanding as Cameron's pre-referendum 'renegotiation'. Tedious and depressing. (Extract is from my Blogpost of February 2017: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/even...)

Not surprised Minaj turned out to be a wrong'un. Super-rich people who personally and culturally fetishise elite consumerism and conspicuous consumption? Yeah, they'll back a president for the one percent. They *are* the one percent.

I wonder how Nicki feels about Turning Point's attitude to, among other things: women, immigrants and non white folk.

The population may start shrinking just as it ages. And those who'll be most in need of immigration in the near future will include those over-50s who had voted to stop it.

Remember to stock up on food like a nuclear war is coming AKA the shops will shut for a day.

Illuminated car marques seem to have suddenly become widespread.

Apparently engaging with the EU is all about economics, while also avoiding freedom of movement. Sigh. Anyone hoping to rejoin has a very very long wait. Frankly, if you're a rejoiner over 50, I'd suggest taking up stamp collecting or bird watching instead. It'll be more fulfilling.

@implausibleblog.bsky.social Would you mind not reposting c.20 posts in a row. It's like spamming my timeline. Keep up the good work otherwise.

Morning.

At last, someone on the Right calls Trump a fascist.