Have to report the greens put a leaflet through my door today in Cardiff South and Penarth. Not especially focussed on assembly elections either.

Director General Of The Government Standards Watchdog: You got that propriety and ethics team yet? Experienced Safecracker: Sure did boss, real fuckin dodgy just like you asked

This is 100% going to blow up and take down the PM. Great journalism this.

Absolutely bonkers story about the Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team and its then head Darren Tierney. One for PACAC, surely. Fun fact: PET is currently the team investigating Josh Simons re Labour Together.

John Adams has entered the chat.

Wargh

Fun fact, this Hannan nonsense aside (you'd have to be 73 to remember decimalisation as an adult) you still sell rams in guineas (£1.05)

What I really fucking love about Hot Fuzz is that it is a rare piece of artwork that unapologetically defends liberal modernity. A representative of the impartial, uniform rule of law & depersonalized state beings justice to a lawless, backward community run by a wretched clique of local grandees.

Hah, Antonia Romeo, an appointment which is about to blow up for reasons in the public domain via a highly unusual, on the record briefing by a permanent secretary? Sorry I am 6 months too early.

So what Marie is saying, reader, is that you should be PM.

I thought it was mad at the time not to appoint a career diplomat. By appointing a politician, no. 10 owns all the risk and this will be an ongoing disaster for them. Didn't make any difference with Trump either, ultimately as American continues to unravel.

Not sure I think it looks destructively ambitious. Not sure how I would feel if I lived in Manchester. Probably balances out and he comes away with a tiny bit more name recognition?

And there’s the irony: in the attempt to avoid inserting itself into the argument, a news organisation which fails to distinguish empty statements from evidenced ones is doing exactly that. You cannot, in 2026, report passively and hope to be truthful. /ends

I mean another accurate verb I might have chosen is "murder" but still it's progress possibly.

Going to start blocking doomers. Being incorrigible pessimists they’ll have expected it

There can be no clearer evidence that the White House remains wedded to a Unipolar world.

Haven't watched Newsnight for a while but it can actually pretty good still, which is a nice change for BBC news output, which is sadly not what it was as a rule. Loads of actual insight from the really solid panel.

Bless them, putting 250 on the side is like when 5 year olds tell you they are "5 NEARLY 6"

Hahahahaha. Incredible trolling.

This is an incredible story. What a guy.

No this is fine. We are there.

Good. This is a much better position.

Starmer considering sending military to Greenland as Trump ratchets up rhetoric

I know some magicians and this is very clearly the dynamic.

He clearly has a thing about underwater banks.

A low bar but we at least cleared that.

Oooh this is a very interesting point.

Without expressing a view on the substance of this, as someone actually from a farming community, the replies to this comment contain probably the highest ratio of opinion to knowledge I have seen on BlueSky. So many myths about the countryside and rural life digested without question.

I honestly find anyone campaigning here *SO* tedious. Exchanging views for fun or to figure things out absolutely fine, but campaigning here is ineffective anyway, and boring to boot. Really enjoy the politicians on here who actually use this as a discussion platform.

I think this is a good point & probably what was missing from the end of history stuff. The vibe of "there's no alternative to this" didn't account for the "this" needing watering, not necessarily in a Jeffersonian sense.

This is a great point.

What does it even mean anyway, like mathematically. Presumably they mean assylum seeking is greater than half the net migration number? Because that's a totally different number to immigration, of which I imagine assylum seekers form a much smaller fraction?

Ok, this is a top fact. I'm sure the first sea lord (also writes in green ink traditionally) loved this at the time.

The real issue isn’t immigration, it’s the feedback loop: platforms amplify anxiety → voters feel it → politicians chase it → hollow policy follows. Until we break that cycle, we won’t get functional decisions or functional democracy.

Also, this is entirely easy to stand up. The BBC has to prove 1 x true story is true and the 100% claim is false.

Let's see what they do with the benefit cap here....

I know it's tough - but your tentative endorsement of cycle lanes on Bluesky could be the extremist action that makes voters in Normville turn away from Jennifer Nice, the now-tainted Democrat candidate, and instead reluctantly support her opponent, Shitlord K. Hitler

Charismatic leftist mayor of the largest city just has such competitive authoritarianism vibes.

This is a great point. A lightening rod for the worst cranks.

Safest for everyone

On the morning of Keir Starmer's conference speech here's a new post on an odd psychopathology in British politics - our main parties don't like the people who vote for them - the dreaded Professional Managerial Class. And so they are acting out like a divorced dad seeking cooler voters. 1/n

I want to have a take on this, but I have exceeded my quota.

The OP here has no idea whatsoever about maritime operations and what you can actually do within the scope of maritime law. I see this all the time on social media. People think the things the Aussie navy did (push back seaworthy vessels in intl water) are available in the channel. They aren't (1/2)

Twitter obsesses over Bluesky in the manner of a rejected partner convinced that they might still win their ex over Bluesky obsesses over Twitter in the manner of the partner who left, but who didn't get the last word and can't let it go

A banger. Agree.

I’m gonna go with Osborne. He was a smart guy and extremely effective but his cynicism was to understand the bad fiscal dynamics of the aging population and decide that the thing to do was to spare the Home Counties and squeeze the rest of local government. I find this to be a damming chart.

I think Julianna has put her finger on why I am so depressed about it all. I think it's possible to crush these guys but we're just collectively not. They aren't especially smart or strategic and they don't currently hold many important levers.

This is really good by @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk it should form the basis of both the governments response and a sensible centre right opposition response to Reform. I am certain that you can move towards a more liberal and practical solutions to boats if it's framed as both "fair" & "value for money"

I've done enough event work to know these lads backs are going to be done for at the end of the day unless someone gets them some litter pickers. You can't be bending over for every sweet wrapper.