In the 2010s, the Icelandic tv station Channel 2 accidentally added subtitles from a gritty crime drama to an episode of Teletubbies. I have translated some of the highlights

There is such huge opportunity cost to each Trump tantrum. So many people with critical jobs have lost another week when they could have been doing something useful.

Interesting list, which shows the dominance of U.S. brands. Unilever holding out like a Risk Oceania, down on the bottom right...

Canadian PM Mark Carney says criminals exploit “irresponsible American gun laws” and weak U.S. border enforcement to move illegal firearms into Canada, saying U.S. platforms have become “seas of racism, misogyny, antisemitism, Islamophobia, and hate.”

In all seriousness, the UK and Europe should consider banning Trump from his golf course in Scotland if he moves on Greenland. Feels much more likely to stay his hand than most of the consequences the U.S. would/could face.

Banning X would have loads of upsides and really not many downsides for the government. The argument for shutting it down (distribution of CSAM) is incontrovertible, the people who are its most avid users hate the government anyway, and it would address threats to social cohesion and public order.

I appreciate a lot of us will think "they've always been like this" but the utter moral decay on the right in the last few years has been notable. A shift from love the sinner, hate the sin fig leaf to "yeah, kill she/her, haha, pronouns in bio."

I was listening to @thebulwark.com's Next Level podcast today and they were thinking through the chance that Trump actually tries to seize Greenland and there was a @jvl.bsky.social sort of 'I kinda hope he does it to drop the mask entirely' and I just cannot scream loudly enough: No, You Do Not. 1/

Surely someone must have made the XXX joke by now?

Nice to see some domestic opposition to Trump flexing its muscle.

'If you’ve broken the rules then those around you should be saying 'you’ve broken the rules'' Senior Labour MP Emily Thornberry urges the UK government to condemn Trump's military action in Venezuela #InternationalLaw #Rules Peter Stefanovic | Tweet @peterstefanovic.bsky.social Thread 3/3🧵

Dumb NATO question ... if Venezula counter attacks the US now, are the U.S' erstwhile allies oblidged to come the the U.S' defence under Article 5?

French Foreign Ministry: “The removal of Maduro from power and the violation of sovereignty constitute a serious act of aggression against the dignity of the Venezuelan people and their right to determine their own future.

This is lovely. Happy Christmas all

US evidence also shows that fertility drops as you ascend the household income scale until you get near to the very top where it shoots up again.

Just found out that Gavin Newsome was married to Kimberley Guilfoyle, Don Jr's since fiancée and now die-hard MAGA ambassador to Greece. To what extent is it fair to judge a man by the actions of his ex? V poor judgement no? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

This is a fab article by J Oliver Conroy & articulates something I feel strongly resonates here too; to me it feels central to why everything feels like it's falling apart. "For most of history, living was cheap and things were expensive. Now it's the opposite". www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

Feel like I'm going mad. The Budget's 'headroom' is based on frankly irresponsible and wildly optimistic claims about what Labour will do in the final year of the forecast, and on ignoring a bunch of upward pressures on spending, and the claim is that she was being exaggeratedly *pessimistic*?

I'm hoping to unite Left and Right - they'll all hate my piece in today's Sunday Times, saying that successive Budgets have overtaxed the highest-earning 20%, and under-taxed both the median earner and the richest 0.1%.https://buff.ly/BqRFpJr

Boom.💥 Great to see a robust defence of The Republic.

My column in today’s FT: the vision since 2016 has been that the lever British governments pull to fight poverty is to increase the minimum wage. Time for government to start pulling its weight again too:

I’m going to become the joker

It's interesting that a lot of the commentary appears to under pricing the impact of the salary sacrifice change by only factoring in the impact of employee NICs and ignoring employer NICs. The latter are probably much more significant in terms of their cost and impact.

Take pride in our fellow American, Sen. Mark Kelly, vigorously standing up for the Constitution and against a violence-inciting White House occupant who is failing to intimidate this good man and honorable public servant.

Longer assessment here. There are genuine positives to be found. But by christ there's a lot to criticise too. share.google/FhopmLj9Eaat...

The OBR's commentary on the salary sacrifice changes is interesting:

Such a cool Senator.

It's important to understand what this ad does and why it is so threatening to the Trump admin. It gets to social identity theory, which posits that we have many identities, and the one which is salient in a given context will dictate how we think/behave in a particular situation. 1/

Much enjoyed this conversation with @andyostroy.bsky.social

This does feel like a major crossing of the Rubicon – the world's best-funded and in many ways most powerful public health agency is now actively pushing disinformation. I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.

A lot of it is stuff Cooper refused to do, which is why she was moved, but yeah the detailed policy work hasn't been done.

My pet theory is if they actually gave up on winning and Governed like they at 3.5 years to accomplish everything they ever can in politics that they'd actually be *more* likely to win the next election.

If I seem disappointed with this government it's not because I think the one before was way better. It wasn't at all good. It's because we need this one to be way better than that one. Because the next one could be way worse

This is what I think of as the most important chart in British politics. It shows the amount people spend on retail sales and the amount they get. Compared to Feb 2022 people are spending about 16% more but consuming 4% less.

This is why pushback matters. When forced to actually defend racism they get into a muddle. (See also Tory ILR plans).

This is just mind-bendingly wrong-headed. ‘Let’s just adapt, tech will save us’ has always been a reckless strategy, but as evidence mounts that natural carbon sinks are failing it really does start to sink into a form of climate denialism. www.newsweek.com/bill-gates-d...

Really interesting insight. Ironically, there's probably now a stronger case than ever for a sort of One Nation Conservative approach aimed at the young. Socially liberal but less economically progressive/redistributionist.

Really interesting insight...

We take no joy criticising a young left-wing UK political figure who has often spoken up for workers' rights and progressive causes. But these barely coherent comments from Zarah Sultana on Ukraine sum up much of what is wrong with her wing of the left www.instagram.com/reel/DQT62ys...

So my daughter is back from Cambridge just for Sunday lunch. She wants a proper roast dinner with roast spuds and Yorkshires. Takes a bit of work on the timing but no problem, we will have a lovely chill time. I thought. /1

All to avoid the shame of acknowledging the horrible, psychologically troubling truth. Labour has for a long time been a party of the PMC, by the PMC, for the PMC. It’s just, here’s the thing about the PMC. They are the electoral majority. And they are how Labour won, will win, and can only win. n/n

🚨🚨 "Keir Starmer is betting everything on an America that doesn’t exist any more". Great column by @rafaelbehr.bsky.social on the gamble of British foreign policy

'Texts, plans and a confession: startling details in Charlie Kirk shooting.' So Charlie Kirk's killer was of the Left, having politically decoupled from his MAGA parents. Very much a lone wolf killing. His boyfriend was shocked when the killer told him. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

On days like today, it’s important to remember the words of the wonderful Jonathan Miller when challenging the dog-whistling of those who wish to divide us for political or financial gain.

Not going to pretend today wasn't depressing but the far right has been stronger in the UK before. Mosley packed out Earls Court and was backed by several large newspapers. Enoch Powell had the support of 74% of the population. Musk has a net popularity rating of -52%

I'm never going to forgive the Starmer government for making me like a Banksy piece.

"For the government it’s quite mad to keep using X. It’s active participation in its own destruction and against its own interests. I cannot fathom the logic of doing it. It would be like a Reform government communicating entirely through the Guardian comments section."

The Guardian on our study published today: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I understand the need for additional tax but a 5p increase in the basic and higher rates of tax feels like more than a 'moderate' increase. 😬 www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I prosecute and defend the most serious sexual offences in our courts. The overwhelming majority of offenders are British-born. Overwhelmingly the victim is someone known to them, either a partner or relative. Anybody purporting to care about protecting women might start there.