The state of British journalism in 2026 …

Russia is inflaming the debate on immigration in Britain as part of “increasing ambitions to disrupt our way of life”, counter-terror police and experts say It has directly and indirectly paid right-wing influencers to spread messages that align with its political goals inews.co.uk/news/putin-i...

This announcement from Five Eyes is interesting but a little hair raising. Indeed I haven’t seen anything quite like it. www.ncsc.gov.uk/news/the-ai-...

Does it change our perception of our society to know that a fair chunk of extremist behaviour is in fact a Russian sabotage campaign? www.ft.com/content/8fa3...

What the BBC doesn’t say is that Nalobin adds a whole other layer of complacency/incompetence/cover-up by UK govt. Read this to understand backdrop to this whole story & ask yourself why UK govt *still* refuses to investigate Kremlin interference in UK politics www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

Tomorrow’s Independent front page:

Makes a change from all the people saying Europe will be nothing in the new world order. And the truth might be... somewhere in the middle?

Genuinely astonishing to me how little discussion there is of the impact of the societal and economic change of the last 30 years, like the famous frog boiling happened, only it started eating the other frogs, and we blamed rising prices. bsky.app/profile/davi...

In no sense has the US “won” its war against Iran. The Trump administration has instead used systematic censorship and misinformation to disguise the damage done by Iranian drone attacks on its own or its Allies’ infrastructure. youtube.com/watch?v=5gHe...

I hate to say it, but Scotland is becoming a true ripoff country. Just paid £15 to pick up family from the airport. The pay machine was £8 but didn’t work. I was told go to the barrier. By the time I got there, the price was £15. The State and its cronies look to gouge people however they can.

Pleased to contribute to this collection of expert analyses of the recent elections in Scotland. scga.scot/2026/05/19/m...

So we have full 2025 immigration stats - Total net down by 2/3rds in 2025 (3/4 from peak) - Small boat arrivals in 2026 down 40%. Asylum backlog down 48%; returns up 9% - Asylum seekers in hotels down 35% (down 48% from peak) YET PUBLIC PERCEPTION 49% think 2025 saw increase; only 16% know it fell

28% of all people under 25 live in Africa.

Pleased to have contributed to this important publication.

Scottish Election Analysis 2026: The Campaign, Voters and Policies Immediate thoughts, reflections and early research insights on the 2026 election from leading scholars in Scottish politics, elections, media and policy. @uofgsps.bsky.social @pjdelacour.bsky.social www.electionanalysis.uk

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com “U.S.-China summits can change the world,” the editorial board writes. But in both his terms in office, President Trump has weakened the United States relative to China. Now, “Mr. Trump arrives in Beijing without the aura of strength that he cherishes.”

Until the UK can come to terms with its place according to international investors - as a services economy - the political turmoil will continue. And even then finding good solutions to global issues such as large company dominance is a huge problem. ecipe.org/insights/res...

Just sent out my free midweek update. Little changed directly between the US and Iran (Iran is still stringing Trump along) but overall the US position is weakening. The US bombing campaign was less effective than Trump and Hegseth boasted, making US escalation… open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

Uh-huh …

"Ex- #NATO chief Rasmussen warns of ‘disintegration’ of alliance, calls for new European defense bloc." www.politico.com/news/2026/05...

People who want to make the argument politics in Scotland are fundamentally different than south of the border certainly have some grist with which to grind from these election results - at least so far.

If these estimates are at all accurate, the Trump administration will need to explain why it has been claiming the attacks on Iran’s military infrastructure have been a total success. It was the only argument they had that there was any point to the war they have been waging.

U.S. intel also indicates that Iran retains about 75% of its pre-war inventories of mobile launchers & about 70% of its pre-war stockpiles of missiles, per a U.S. official. The regime has also been able to recover underground storage facilities & repair damaged missiles

Except this article fails to mention that the Starmer government has not actually done anything of consequence. Its communications are terrible and it is incapable of conveying a vision of any kind. Democrats Should Pay Attention to Keir Starmer’s Fall www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/o...

Very true!

Why should anyone join a global order that is nakedly America first? Obviously that isn't going to happen. And even suggesting this diminishes US power in front of our very eyes because there are literally no partners.

Morgan McSweeney’s baleful influence over UK policy continues to cast a pall weeks after he was sacked.

It might be soulless. But it’s definitely stupid.

Melanie Phillips is appalled the *Pope* is anti-war.

Donald Trump’s idiotic war has damaged the global economy and left British families and businesses suffering. A total disaster backed by Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage.

"En effet, c’est parce que le soldat connaît l’épreuve de la guerre qu’il peut « souffrir de la violence [qu’il lui est] imposé de commettre », voire remettre en cause l’ordre donné, s’il le juge inacceptable."

Why @economyofhope.bsky.social? Because that's what Maynard Keynes offered the world in 1936. And there's no other economics worth considering.

A little positivity goes a long way …

The irony is that a large number of Americans who stayed at home or voted for Jill Stein did so because they could not bring themselves to support the “genocide” supporting Harris. Now they have a man who wants to turn Gaza into a beach resort and is waging illegal wars. Lesson to be learnt.

Crusader rhetoric from the Pentagon. Just when I thought nothing could possibly surprise me from this administration … I wonder how America’s Arab allies will respond to this language.

The bombing will continue until morale improves …

On the coherence of US grand strategy, President Trump yesterday: “… heavy and pinpoint bombing … will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD”. Oh dear …

A major report led by @alisonphipps.bsky.social calls for a renewed national commitment to supporting multilingualism as a core pillar of integration, education, and community wellbeing. It was launched at the @royalsoced.bsky.social New Scots Language Taster day. Read more: gla.ac/4tPdjFJ

Good thread

It is interesting to reflect on this superbly researched article by Guardian journalists in light of concepts and issues drawn from the historical study of intelligence. ://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2026/feb/20/a-war-foretold-cia-mi6-putin-ukraine-plans-russia?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

For months I have been reading interviews and op-eds by prominent American pundits and veterans of the US foreign policy and security community. I’m always struck by a lack of understanding of the damage that has been done to the transatlantic alliance. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/b...

This is a classic example of British reluctance to take the France fully seriously. Why is it so hard to give credit to France’s leadership for correctly identifying the crisis facing NATO in the late 2010s? The author, @spignal.bsky.social, ought really to know better.

Some geographical perspective on the war in Ukraine for Americans who do not understand why Europe feels threatened. If Los Angeles was Paris, the front would be in Tennessee.

❗️ ICYMI: read Dr Elisabeth Loose's latest research blog exploring if the UK is in fact as polarised as it is perceived to be. #Polarisation @uofgsocsci.bsky.social @uofgsps.bsky.social

NEW WORDS The trade deadline has come and gone which has me wondering...what does that mean for the Eastern Conference? sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/...

Just checking assumptions on the China domination theory... it will just make more and more in its own economy and therefore every other country's industry will be ruined? That doesn't hold up to much scrutiny. More selective? China dominating EVs? Then why not safeguards until technology transfer