Painful to watch, but revealing, too, of the tactical problem for the Tories of pitching Reform-like messages whilst also trying to differentiate themselves from Reform. And good to see dogged questioning from Lewis Goodall.

In the time I've been a member on Bluesky, if there is one topic I've come across that appears to have more support than most topics, and almost universal support within the circle I'm part of, is.... ...appreciation of @jessphillipsmp.bsky.social and the work she does.

Seems Nigel is a performative fraud.

The end logic of this if you’re in the UK btw is DEFEND THE BBC. Complain about it, protest bad coverage of course, but we won’t get another institution that makes safe, publicly funded, reliable, human-created, vetted content for kids if we let the BBC get destroyed.

The number of times I’ve litter picked up a can, poured the inch of Stella down a drain, stamped on the can to flatten it and put it in a bin!

Oh the joyful comments.

An Israeli football team some of whose following has been involved in riots has more concern for safety and reputation than a UK government that appears oblivious to the risk of what could have happened after over-ruling police for rather unclear reasons.

I'm actually quite angry now. In the last year, we have moved from far right riots drawing broad condemnation from across the spectrum to mass deportations being not just a policy platform, but one the government do not feel able to condemn. This is both an absurd radicalisation, and pure cowardice.

This is excellent - the kind of forensic principles based analysis of Lam’s mad idea that Peston so signally failed to provide yesterday. Respecting rules and obligations is a duty on states as well as citizens.

"A third attempted to join them but struggled to remove his jacket." observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Amazing story in The Times. Reform UK failed to pay VAT to HMRC on its sales (tickets, merchandise). About £400k in all. Not tax avoidance. Not tax evasion. They just didn't realise when you sell stuff you have to charge VAT.

Hi Americans your president is siding with a war criminal and threatening Ukrainians with annihilation if they fight back, just fyi, if that even bothers someone

Higher taxes on gambling probably would cost some jobs. But employment has to be weighed against other social costs. That's why we don't have brothels and ketamine stores on every high street. It was a terrible mistake to let gambling shops become such big employers. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This. The whole premise of 'the international rules-based order' is that everyone *doesn't* want to be "nice" to each other.

Wearing a crown, no less.

Britain is a lot better than Reform and the Conservatives think. They should get out, smile and talk with people.

The Declaration of Independence specifies 27 grievances with King George III and Britain. Donald Trump and his regime have committed at least 20 of those same offenses highlighted in yellow. #NoKings

A bleak dystopia where Sharia law predominates, while economic and cultural divisions mean that the different communities live parallel, segregated lives. Oh, wait, that’s Dubai …

Got my bowel cancer screen test kit yesterday and have just done it ready to post back. More straightforward in some ways than a Covid home test and yet less straightforward in others… Genuinely amazing that these tests can be done at all in this way, yay science!

Maccabi TLV fans are at risk of antisemitic attacks by antisemites (as they were in Amsterdam), and Muslims are at risk of anti-Muslim attacks by some Maccabi TLV fans (as they were in Amsterdam) Why do so many struggle to hold multiple facts at once? I feel like I’m losing my mind

The alternative is...? The UK doesn't engage with a global superpower? There's a lot of folk with delusions of grandeur on behalf of their country.

Yesterday I had an emotional conversation on the phone with Arteja. She was trafficked into this country and terrible exploited by gangs before finding safety and community in Liverpool. Now she’s been detained and is set to be deported back into the hands of those who caused her so much trauma.

Your occasional reminder that Mone can not be stripped of her peerage without an act of parliament. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

"There is no doubt that the impact of Brexit has been severe and long-lasting", Rachel Reeves tells Sky News, as she suggests that taxes will now have to go up as a result to "make sure the numbers add up".

Delighted that the hostages have been released. Can’t help but think of homeless Palestinians returning to rubble. Clean water? Food? Electricity? Security? Work? Medical services? Sewage? Didn’t Iraq welcome Saddam’s overthrow, but turn against the allies because of failure to maintain services.

Reading this from @stephenkb.bsky.social and wondering if he's met some of the people I know, those who would once have been known as Thatcherites for their economic views, but vote Lib Dem because the Conservatives no longer believe in them www.ft.com/content/a65f...

As so often, @laylamoran.bsky.social finds gracious, unifying words. "I choose to believe that peace is possible. Everyone who went on a protest, wrote to their MP, cares about it, shouted at their TV - from whatever point of view - what were those deaths for, if not for a sustainable peace?" ~AA

A thing that never stops being weird to me about social media is the sheer number of people who have hallucinated a version of a political figure who is completely different from the person whose opinions you can, you know, read about in books.

Fabulous hour spent listening to this whilst creosoting a garden bench. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/f...

Blooming heck. I know a few of these ... some friends.

A UK presenter shouldn’t crow about an audience’s ignorance of Nathan Gill who took bribes from Kremlin agents & was a close ally of Farage . It shows they have failed to do their job . What next , telling us that Watergate was one of the lowest points in investigative journalism 🥺 ?

It's always good to see priests who still remember there are *seven* Catholic social principles. Also, that noise you hear is the USCCB screeching to the Vatican and getting back nothing, lol

A 54 year old who calls himself "Kid" and who sports a stripper's hat and indoor shades....has no right to judge what is and is not "stupid."

Abolition of stamp duty would be worth £80,000 to the average person whose girlfriend buys him a £900,000 second home in Clacton

An observation test for you - for your inner 8 year-old “The artist has hidden 12 things in this picture. How many can you find?” Treasure magazine, 1964 Official answers coming soon (Even if you don’t reply, could you please ‘like’ or share this one? 🙏)

This matters.

I do wonder if Labour might look at the sorts of people dominating the discourse and dominating the content wars and maybe, just maybe, rethink the sorts of grey figures they routinely put up for interviews, instructed at that to be as cautious as possible. Things have changed. Their comms hasn’t.

🧵🚨 The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation - over the past 5 months I've been working with @martinmckee.bsky.social to map out their vulnerabilities and it's not good news. Today our report is published! www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n... 1/11

Please let this peace plan work. At last there is hope. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

I know statistics are poorly understood and are misused. But facts matter Between the 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021 Census *every* ethnic group in the UK has become *less* geographically segregated and *all* groups, majority and minorities, are more likely to interact with people not like them

We have a black Tory leader who seems ok with this. Not quite sure how we’ve arrived here.

The proposal by some to follow the UAE model is a good example of how politicians on the extremes often ignore realities in order to catch headlines. So UAE - 80% immigrants, 70% male, sharia law, ...

Am wondering if all of those suddenly deciding they’re against communities living “parallel lives” might reconsider their support of religious schools? Or indeed private ones?

Chris Philp: "Now, what I've got to tell you now will shock you. There is a so-called Anti Racism Commitment Plan that literally says: policing should not be colour-blind." Only, it literally does not. It just explains the difference between equality and equity. ~AA

This is a lie. There are many criticisms you might sensibly and truthfully make of the Sentencing Council and the Sentencing Guidelines. I’ve been making them for years. But this is an outright lie. Pure fabrication. A fraud on the public.

There is a decency agenda absolutely in tune with majority feeling in the country that would be an open goal for the government if it wasn't also inclined to lurch towards an unpleasant space. Indeed it is one Keir Starmer could have personified if he could escape "Blue Labour" unpleasantness.

Yesterday, a 90 year old friend, still mentally sharp and wise, said that for the first time in a while, a friend had bought him a quality Sunday newspaper. He said that he read through a number of pages and couldn't find any article containing love - as in "Love your neighbour as yourself".