How Britain replaced the US as Russia’s villain of choice www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

I really cannot overstate how much you should read this book, might be the best bit of non fiction I've read this year

The best way to understand what is actually “driving the small boats” is “if something carried a one in a 100 risk of death, would you do it it it gave you ten more years of healthy life?”

Every time I hear a politician say that an issue is “dividing” this country they always then come down on the side of the right wing view of it. Just once I’d love to hear someone say “this issue is divisive, which is why I’m making the argument that kindness and compassion is important”

Today is not the day to argue "oh so you want Reform to win then" as an argument for Labour's indefensible and inhumane anti-asylum policies. At least be honest and own that you're defending racist policies promoted with genuinely far right talking points. Don't try and pretend this is "progressive"

This is the logical consequence of Labour’s appeasement of the far right - this is an arms race Labour should never seek to win

The Labour Government reeling off the same far-right talking points on immigration. And look who is celebrating. The far-right. There is a political alternative that won’t ever scapegoat those fleeing war, persecution and torture join.greenparty.org.uk

It’s not been thought through at all. It’s back of a fag-packet hate stuff, that’s all. Incompetent as well as viciously horrible.

Letter to my MP

Labour policy is being celebrated by Tommy Robinson. That's it. That's all you ever need to say to explain who Labour are.

The impression given by a morning scroll is that the politics of Europe and North America has largely become a performative sideshow detached from real life (though not of course if you are one of the designated 'victims')

We have a multi-party system, but without the voting system which might make it work. #BBCLauraK

This immigration stuff from Labour is very brexity. The wrong choices for the wrong reasons which will have a negative impact on people and the economy to please morons who are in a state of permanent grievance. It's unbearable watching Labour being so vile and stupid. Starmer must go. #BBCLauraK

Dear Mahmood/Labour, Once the strutting fascist, Yaxley Lennon, is taking credit for your policies, you must know you’ve completely lost your way. You need to get your head out of your arse and your account off X. Yours The real silent (fair-minded and ignored) majority of the UK

Shabana Mahmood on the BBC this morning talking about desperate people fleeing war and persecution as being given a "golden ticket" and "handouts" and saying she's got a "moral mission" to take them away from them Indistinguishable from the rhetoric of Reform www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/shabana-ma...

How many journeys is this guy taking?

Given that no complaints were received at time of broadcast, Gibb is at least as responsible for the current mess, with the BBC threatened with legal action by a foreign head of government, as those who made the programme. How on earth can he stay in post?

“‘He kept putting Robbie’s name on the list and Boris kept taking it off,’” Shipman reported one of his sources recalling, adding: “The plan to send Paul Dacre, the former editor of the Daily Mail, to run broadcasting watchdog Ofcom is from the same playbook.” @arusbridger.bsky.social on the BBC

A levy on foreign students is one of the closest things you're going to see to tariffs on services - except the UK will be putting it on its own exports... www.theguardian.com/education/20...

One version of the future is a pro-Rejoin coalition facing off against the Farage Party after Labour and Cons fall by the wayside. It would certainly reflect society's polarisation. I don't see it happening but Starmer is doing his utmost to make it happen.

If one assumes Starmer will be gone after May, then the more they try to appeal to the right now, the more that leadership election is going to be about tacking back. (Especially if the Greens do well in London and other cities).

Aside from the cruelty of this, I’d just like to know why it’s ok to ignore and disappoint liberal/progressive voters. Why do governments chase Farage and his voters, thinking that will neutralise them. It’s NEVER worked. He’s leading in the polls and his ideas have ruined us. WTF are you doing?

A heartbreaking response

If Trump still sues the BBC, notwithstanding their apology, he is in a far less strong position than if the BBC had not apologised. The apology was tactically a sensible, prudent move by the BBC whether Trump sues or not.

Chasing the xenophobic vote has destroyed the Conservative Party, why would Labour think it will work for them?

This from Trump is offensive gibberish, and the "anti-Trump" BBC is faithfully parroting every poisonous word. #R4Today

What is truly pathetic about Labour is that this is all they have got. They have failed so spectacularly already, despite a whacking great majority, to even attempt to govern positively that all they have is punching down on marginalised groups and saying "oh but Reform will be worse".

Farage, Boris Johnson & Rees-Mogg apparently plotting assaults on UK democracy with Bannon, who was reporting back to Epstein. Nothing to see here, newspaper folk… www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Home Office claims changes proposed on Monday are "the most significant shift in the treatment of refugees since the second world war" These changes are unlikely to significantly shift flows or deliver control. The language used is questionable in principle - and v likely to be untrue in practice

Trump's love of teenagers raises new questions about Biden's advanced age.

The book cited here is well worth a read. It’s called ‘How They Broke Britain’. Extraordinary to think that any new epilogue would now have to include Jeffrey Epstein.

This is the politics of blackmail. The alternative is not a Reform government. The alternative is maintaining our international commitments to being a compassionate nation

This is as bad as anything proposed by Reform. Leaving refugees in permanent limbo and unable to build a new life in the UK would be a complete abdication of our humanitarian responsibilities www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

It took three types of politician to get the Brexit ‘win’. Intensely cynical and dishonest egotists… prejudiced ideologues… and useful idiots. Absolutely no one in any of those categories is capable of admitting the mistake or accepting it is one.

Two stories you may not have seen this week that would be a big deal in a normal country: 1) The ‘dossier’ detailing the BBC’s editing of the Trump speech literally edited Trump’s speech. 2) The NBER calculated that Brexit’s longer term damage to GDP was greater than originally forecast.

Brexit detonated our economy and our politics. Since then, our country seems to have lost its mind, veering off to the right, reawakening the racism genie, ruining itself to try to hide the dishonesty and snowballing damage of it all. And now Farage could be PM ffs. Mindblowing self-inflicted idiocy

Bigger picture of Labour's tax shenanigans is to delay once again, possibly beyond the next election, the point at which UK politics makes some attempt to compromise with reality.

Ultimately it comes down to what you're going to say at the next election. Would you rather say "we broke our pledge but at least things are better" or "everything's still shit but at least we kept our pledge"?

Somehow UK governments seem to have decided that political leadership is best demonstrated by a series of leaks to newspapers which are then denied, and daily ministerial media rounds of denial in support of grid announcements nobody notices.

If I was being cynical I'd say they floated the income tax rise to push gilts down during the OBR measurement period. But that would require a level of advanced planning that seems unlikely.

I despair of Labour. Can we not just have a sensible budget, delivered on the day, that apologises for hard choices and then just gets on with giving us something that will give us some hope? All this briefing and speculation makes them look like clowns.

Farage earns more than any other MP for NOT being an MP. He says it’s “obviously sad” that part of his constituency is the most deprived area in England. But everything he’s ever done, said and wanted has made sure of it. This is the whole country if he gets into power. (Private Eye)

I’m not saying I won’t moan about it when the time comes to pay, but I think the Govt should raise my income tax because I am profoundly worried about the state of public services.

Starmer isn't Britain's worst ever prime minister, but he is Labour's worst ever prime minister and it's not even close

Weak, weak, weak. Looking back on electoral failure with the knowledge that you did what was fiscally right & necessary is very different from looking back with the knowledge that you bottled it.

👏 @petergeoghegan.bsky.social

He's undoubtedly planning the Mother of all Distractions but can't think of anything to top flying over a city in a crown dropping poo on American citizens.

Wtf

X is a radicalisation machine that pushes people into angry extremism, peddles disinformation and conspiracy theories and is run by an egomaniacal lunatic who threatens civil war on our streets and wants to trash our democracy. It does nothing but harm. So, yes. Government should stop using it.

I don’t want McSweeney sacked because of this briefing ‘war’. I want him sacked because he’s steered Labour down such an awful, xenophobic path and paved the way for Farage in number 10.