The Government seems to lack the courage needed to pursue its convictions and this is primarily a leadership issue. Appearing rudderless and behaving in this way invites speculation into a policy void and leaves them open to the continuity Sunk charge.

The BBC and by extension the UK should follow in the footsteps of Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands and our neighbours in Ireland and boycott Eurovision unless Israel is banned from the competition. Please sign the petition 38d.gs/nd3w

Latest changes to Duolingo are yet another set that make it much poorer. Just not sure how much longer I can be bothered with it. #duolingo

Until the government is willing have an honest discussion about the negative impact of Brexit - Britain’s growth, productivity & living standards will continue to be weighed down by the structural handicap it has inflicted on the country & economy www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

‼️ Please Sign This ‼️ 🚨 Boris Johnson’s secret deals, shady lobbying & cash grabs exposed. Millions in private gigs and still taking £115K of OUR money while under investigation. Suspend his ex-PM allowance now. 38d.gs/yvgb?utm_cam...

Great to see @zoejardiniere.bsky.social repeating a series of sensible points on the disgraceful treatment of asylum seekers. As she says, the language around illegal migration needs to be tackled and - above all - people need to have the right to work

Fantastic to hear @zoejardiniere.bsky.social talk so eloquently and passionately on @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social about the need to treat asylum seekers and migrants with the dignity and respect all vulnerable people require, including the right to earn a living through work.

A few days in Norfolk preceded by @petshopboys.co.uk at Sandringham - we have seen too many gigs to remember them all, but this one was jaw droppingly good, stunning and immediately located in top few over past 40+ years. Pop art at it’s finest.

Found it.

‘I believe that damaging and destroying weapons of war is one way of waging peace: I can only conclude that for the British government, the waging of peace is terrorism.’ Huw Lemmey on the proscription of Palestine Action: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

When I was little, the U.S. military came to our home at gunpoint and took me and my family away. We were imprisoned for years in barbed wire camps simply because we were Japanese American. I have spent my life telling that story, hoping it would never be repeated.

Please sign below to demand an end to our broken electoral system and for the government to adopt Proportional Representation in our elections — so that every vote counts equally at every election. actionnetwork.org/petitions/20...

@lamornaash.bsky.social enjoyed your contact column in @newstatesman.com - busy working my way though backlog caused by late running postal deliveries so this may seem somewhat out of sync. So important to recognise, to celebrate the chance encounters that shape the best in everyday living.

Live Aid at 40 is a compelling watch. Shows an inspirational naive energy that makes a difference, barges it’s way onto a political stage and then grapples with forces that the largely working class catholic boys who started the ball rolling had never dreamt of at the outset. A fascinating journey.

I’m no expert but I would’ve got a person to do it.

Britain *is* broken. Brexit broke Britain. And Nigel Farage is benefitting from the wreckage. This was always my greatest fear with Brexit - that it would bring about stagnant conditions that favour extreme populism. Much like drug addiction causes crashes that make the drug more seductive.

Very perceptive and well informed piece amongst the huge amount published this week to mark the government’s first birthday. Well worth reading if you want to understand disappointment and the dangers facing the government as it starts to move freely in a space where there is no one else to blame.

Watch the full episode: zeteo.com/p/live-from-...

Trans people deserve safety, dignity, and the freedom to be able to participate fully in public life. They deserve to be treated as human beings, not a legal abstract. By @sophiemolly.co.uk northwestbylines.co.uk/news/equalit...

I work in Comms and my strength has always been writing, which I love. Everyone in the team uses AI for it now, which I resisted so I'm getting a rep for not wanting to move with the times. I've been gently told to start using it, so I did today. I'm only 37 and it saps my soul.

No council, or councillor, has the right to "ban" any books. The library service are the only body that makes decisions on stock selection. A councillor, as a member of the public, can *request* books are removed on a title-by-title basis, but the reply should come that under @cilip.bsky.social

Tonight. Share everywhere. 🙏

The loud drumbeat that companies should "embrace AI now or be left behind" has more in common with high-pressure sales techniques than biz strategy. And that's fine - tech firms have something to sell. But the rest of us needn’t confuse it with anything more profound. www.ft.com/content/4688...

While govt is slashing support for disabled people to save £6.7 billion, a #WealthTax on just multi-millionaires and billionaires could raise £24 billion. Great to meet @patmillsuk.bsky.social‬ and @taxjusticeuk.bsky.social‬ to talk about a fairer tax system.

Until a UK Government tackles the fact that Scandinavian level public services can’t be delivered on a US tax base then we’re in for a succession of failed Governments crippled by recurrent fiscal crises. Blue Labour is currently proving itself to be no more than oxymoron. Incredibly disappointing.

Rod Stewart looking like a legendary waxwork version of himself from one of those "guess who it is meant to be" Polish museums that do the social media rounds every now and again.

Brexit was a monumental act of self harm and stupidity. That we have a government allowing it to continue is unforgivable.

Spread the love and acceptance #pridemonth

I ran an experiment, simultaneously posting articles on Bluesky and X, and then testing to see how many people actually clicked and read them. The numbers on Bluesky are higher, both because the X algorithm downranks journalism, and because Bluesky attracts readers, not just shitposters.

🔴‘Keir Starmer’s Timid Refusal to Nationalise Failing Water Companies is a Symptom of a Government Cast Adrift’ Starmer’s administration is proving itself to be “devoid of moral compass or political courage”, argues Labour MP @labourlewis.bsky.social bylinetimes.com/2025/06/06/t...

Excellent piece from Ed Kiely in @lrb.co.uk on the state of the University and the underlying causes of the avoidable mess we’re in

We need to talk about Elon is a Hard Art project from Ian Bruce who’ll be painting portraits of Elon Musk while talking with a curated panel of guests, including Naomi Klein and Brain Eno. It is live-streamed for 5 days from 3pm, 19th May. Please subscribe here www.youtube.com/@IanBRUCEstu...

Arts University Bournemouth announces up to 75 compulsory redundancies as Durham University confirms departure of 200 staff www.timeshighereducation.com/news/arts-un... via @julietterowsell.bsky.social

Starmer needs to unequivocally tell the British people that Brexit has made them immeasurably poorer and that Farage has been the chief advocate of their losses .

As someone preping an oral history project/book, I thoroughly enjoyed and admired the craft of Bedsit Land: The strange worlds of Soft Cell by @paddyclarke.bsky.social Reminded me that one of best gigs I’ve seen was Soft Cell at Royal Court, Liverpool in 1983, I was far younger then. Stayed with me.

New paperback, out 1 May www.penguin.co.uk/authors/2896...

if you watch anything today, please watch this.

Bizarre story of man who represented various parties as a councillor in different places at the same - and then tried to stand in another as an independent.

Some personal news: the Department of Homeland Security has given me, an immigration lawyer born in Newton, Massachusetts, seven days to leave the U.S. Does anyone know if you can get Italian citizenship through great-grandparents?

NDAs can silence victims of abuse & harassment. Let's change this! Sign the petition to ensure the Employment Rights Bill bans NDAs in cases of misconduct. #StopAbusiveNDAs #EmploymentRightsBill you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/st...

You may not 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 but don’t you 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵? Subscribe here for just £1 per issue: mylrb.co.uk/QUEXT0225B

New from @alexlockwood.bsky.social ockwood.bsky.social and HardArt. A man drives his evil-tempered father to a funeral.They never arrive as their dysfunctional dynamic unravels in a climate-ravaged future. A parable for our times. Don’t worry, it’s a comedy! hardart.metalabel.com/release-dadd...

Why does @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social consistently invite Sebastian Gorka to contribute? Ask him a question and the response is always rude and boorish; he is a patronising bully with nothing to offer in discussion.

Did you see @ewandking.bsky.social talking about #SharedLives on BBC Breakfast this morning? If not you can catch-up now on the iPlayer. The segement starts at 7:21 on the clock (1:21 on the player) www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...?

Just looking into booking a train to visit family over Easter. Simple journey from London Euston to Liverpool. Obviously used to @avantiwestcoast.bsky.social so expecting extortionate fares out of sync with other countries but didn't anticipate three changes and two journey times of c5 hours. Dire.

The space for legitimate, constructive dissent continues to shrink. Youth group arrested at Quakers’ Friends Meeting House for holding a discussion on Gaza and Climate crisis. Wrong on every level. Disturbing echoes from other eras and places. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Seems blindingly obvious - the notion of a bridge between US led by Trump and EU is naive; far more likely for UK to be caught in the middle and ground down before choice becomes a necessity rather than an option.