Fiona makes a bad start on #bbcqt - they’ll be discussing the “immigration row” started by Jim Ratcliffe. It’s not about immigration, it’s about racism.

How many car manufacturers are going to change their spec? Trump’s only got 3 more years [ed: you sure about that?] They’ll be launching the new models just as the law changes back.

Trump repeals scientific facts. What next?

Comedy gold.

Watching Sir Jim Ratcliffe be so spectacularly bad at the numbers around the UK population does go some way to explaining how Man Utd paid £80m for Benjamin Sesko.

Clearly, for Mason, Starmer has been aggressive to Ratcliffe for expressing legitimate concerns. Shockingly poor commentary. #r4today

Chris Mason failing to point out that Ratcliffe's immigration numbers were untruthful

He's on #r4today right now, still not pointing this out

And now Mason is doing it again on #r4today - both sides of the ‘row’ equally valid.

We are getting a stream of columns warning the Government off shifting "left" (whatever that means- things the author doesn't like usually). I take a different view: the only thing that turns things round is bolder state action, getting rid of the hostile environment, and taking Brexit head on.

And of course, there’ll be no paid-for content in your ‘AI’-generated results. No no no. Perish the thought. #r4today This message is brought to you by the World Wide Webb [TM]

Bemoaning the slowdown in construction on #r4today. All the government’s fault, apparently. Nothing to do with the developers (a) not having the capacity and (b) dribbling houses out so they maintain prices. Nothing at all. BBC only asks the developers for analysis, no-one else.

👏

Not sure whether it’s still true, post Ratcliffe’s Brexit, but I remember seeing that the biggest ‘immigrant’ nationality in London was French. I doubt Ratcliffe sees them as dangerous colonisers, given that he lives in Monaco: a state, but not a nation.

Chris Mason seeking to normalise Ratcliffe’s racism just now on BBC News. Would have helped if Starmer had actually called it out as racist nonsense.

🔴 Exclusive: Corporate donations British parties tripled over last three elections But here's key thing: almost none is from FTSE500/listed companies It's almost all companies controlled by super-wealthy individuals, or small, opaque firms New on D4S: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-c...

Got a reply from the Labour Party today. Clearly just a standard text. But this bit in particular made me chuckle. I’m ‘impatient’ am I? Well, I guess I was only a member for 45 years!

Even more relevant now. As the Starmer government resets (again!) just 20 months in, will the Labour Party finally get it?

The description of your continuing friendship with a sex offender after they’ve been convicted as “an error of judgment” is problematic. It sounds very calculated and transactional. Shouldn’t it be a question of morality - instinctive, even?

Nice to see Maxwell has a good supply of hair dye in prison.

BBC still majoring on a missing person in Arizona story. Astounding.

Some of the noises coming out of today’s Cabinet meeting suggest I might’ve been onto something here…

Given Sarwar’s political history, is it just a teeny bit possible that his Starmer-must-go speech was carefully choreographed? 1. It distances Scottish Labour a bit, meaning it’ll lose a little less badly 2. It bolsters Starmer by mobilising supporters OK - that may be far-fetched, but…

News bulletins always tell us whether economic data is in line with forecasts. So, when they are talking about the historically high amount of rain, it would be helpful if they pointed out that this is in line with climate emergency forecasts.

I left the Labour Party a month ago, quietly cancelling my subscription. The Party emailed, so I thought I should reply. There has been no further communication (I was probably correct in assuming no-one would read a resignation letter). But, when it comes to the ‘reset’, this is what I told them…

If only Keir could be a bit more like Ed. #r4today. Nick reads out the Daily Mail (surprise!?) headline - “Class war!” Ed: “oh, come off it…”

😡 Four former defence insiders hired by Palantir in a single year. A £240m MoD contract awarded without competition. A “strategic partnership” announced soon after. The revolving door between defence and big tech is spinning fast.

Mission (to destabilize a previously stable democracy) accomplished

Oh dear. Not much ‘change’ here! www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Starmer will never be great at this, and will have to go sooner or later, but he has a golden opportunity to stop kicking Labour MPs, members and voters in the head

Ironic that a man barely ever in his workplace should make such a call.

Seems ironic (and misguided) that the supportive statements of Starmer all seem to have been published on Twitter. #pm

That sound is even louder now. A sacrificial stalking horse? #sarwar

The Cabinet seems to have forgotten that general elections aren’t a vote for a Prime Minister.

It’s starting to sound like the Labour Together project is preparing to dump Starmer, rather than the other way round. He served his purpose, I guess. #wato

BBC asking the wrong question #wato. It’s not “do these resignations suggest that Starmer cannot survive?” It’s more “are these resignations (and more to come) the *only* way Starmer can survive?”

Just beyond parody at this point

Dear Keir You've been given an unbelievable opportunity to reset this government and remember (a) you're Labour and (b) what Human Rights are. Please take it. Yours in forlorn hope A voter

Has anyone who still mooches around on Twitter seen any posts from QAnon pointing out that they were right all along and there really was a global elite paedo ring. You think they’d want to take the credit. Apart from putting Trump on the side of the angels, of course.

Read this excellent piece as the story about Tim Allan’s ‘resignation’ broke. Which made this jump off the screen: “If your premiership is built on comms rather than conviction, removing the person who ran the comms does not reveal the values underneath. It reveals that there were none.”

Something magnificent about Kemi Badenoch's self-confidence, and her claim that the Mandelson affair is entirely down to her asking questions at PMQs. Like a toddler who thinks their plastic steering wheel is controlling the car.

This is superb. And, apart from the power of @williamcb.bsky.social’s substantive argument, a great example of the modern use of classical sociology!

There is so much to savour and appreciate in this fantastic, forensic essay from @williamcb.bsky.social. open.substack.com/pub/williamc...

Starmer “doesn’t do politics” we’re told on #r4today and elsewhere. Wasn’t the appointment of Mandelson - setting aside his previous record and his association with Epstein - ‘doing politics’? If Starmer had taken a moral position rather than ‘doing politics’, he might not be in this mess.

I remember reading Lord of the Flies as a teenager (that was in the ‘70s, folks!) I was underwhelmed - thought it was a bit obvious and shallow. Good to see that the TV adaptation captures this critique perfectly.

Looks like they’re still in a delusional state.

Realistically the best case for Starmer (and I'm not saying this is likely) is "Theresa May after Hill and Timothy resigned": complete change in strategy that allows for better governance setting up better conditions for his successor in the next GE

That’s step 1 of 3 done…

And *now* her ACL might be ruptured!

Avoiding tax is one’s patriotic duty. 🇬🇧