So, to be clear, Reform UK want a state strong enough to carry out mass deportations but identity cards would be a step too far in terms of state power?

I'll just leave this here 🤣

This is well worth your time

UK Bluesky arguing about digital ID, while here in Belgium I'm buying some train tickets... this is a much better argument for government ID than "you have to have this so government can be tougher on migrants"

Bungle is having an overnight vet stay. I don’t think I’ve been in a house without a cat for 20 years. It’s unnerving.

Once a professor who used to have quite interesting things to say. Now a madman.

The British really hate the idea of anyone knowing what they are up to. Despite the fact that we are never up to much.

The vacuum at highest levels in talking about this dark turn in British life over the last few months HAS to end.

As if

Those Swans and Carp will be the death of Toad.

Trump’s British mini-me, Nigel Farage, has now claimed that migrants are eating swans and carp from the Royal Parks. It’s an old lie from The Sun (prop. R Murdoch) which was debunked 20 years ago. Toadface Farage thinks it’s time to try it again. 🙄 Once again, the Royal Parks have denied it.

Autistic readers and their loved ones found the whole conversation distressing, as it frames neurodivergence as some kind of terrible plague. “All this railing against autism and all these conspiracy theories.. At what point does it sound like a call to eugenics?” said one autistic reader.

Do listen! Truly inspiring words from our respected and beloved ex Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The young people of this country need to: Swear MORE Drink MORE and Shag MORE! 👏👏👏👏👏

I think the key problem here is a continuing assumption, in traditional media, that when the White House speaks on a major topic, this is a big news story. That model can't cope with a president with no regard for truth, who's in constant broadcast mode, & who veers around from one day to another.

This is very exciting! A small clinical trial using gene therapy for Huntington's disease has been successful. microRNAs were used to edit the Huntington mRNA, stopping it making mutant protein that can damage neurons. Huge hopes now for treating such a devastating condition

Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Helen Morgan: "Nigel Farage wants to impose Trump's dangerous anti-science agenda here in the UK. Peddling this kind of nonsense is irresponsible and wrong. "It seems Farage would rather see pregnant women suffer in pain than stand up to his idol Donald Trump."

Mrs R: "There was a woman on the ward today who didn't want to take paracetamol. We've had to explain that we're not giving it to her because she's got a fever and we want her to feel better, but because she's got a fever and if we don't get her temperature down then her baby is going to die."

When I'm in charge all recipes will be written for one person and you will scale up if you needed to cook more, instead of the other way round.

I was at the press preview of the Turner Prize today, in my capacity as a volunteer for local community radio. (BCB 106.6FM) It’s fabulous!

Summary of Trump’s speech to the UN today: 1. Your countries all suck. 2. None of you know what you are doing. 3. The US is better at everything. 4. All because of me. 5. I’m right about everything. 6. You should listen to me & do what I say. 7. And give me lots of awards.

GMB has given extensive coverage to the Trump/paracetamol/autism story. Guests have rightly said how wrong it is. But after a while, I worry about the extent of this coverage, recalling the adage 'if you're explaining, you're losing'. There's one headline: 'Trump talks bollocks on Paracetamol'.

We have bought some pain killers.

Trump: "We've got a lot of stupid people in this country running things."

Europe should tell Trump and RFK Jr. it exports an amazing alternative to Tylenol called paracetamol and use that as leverage in tariff negotiations.

US President warns against taking paracetamol.

For an English audience. This is paracetemol. Totally and completely nuts.

I know I am only a humble speech pathologist, but for the professional record I reject everything that RFK says or will say about autism, and it’s important to recognize what he’s really saying is that to be neurodiverse is worse than to be dead

We do not need balance on the absolutely insane bullshit coming out of politicians on both sides of the Atlantic. Just say it’s bullshit

“Some say”, “controversial”, “experts disagree”. Just say they’re talking bollocks, man, the world is ending and we haven’t got time for this

Names for the three-in-a-row game, around the world… *Tic-tac-toe (US) *Noughts and crosses (UK) *Crosses and buns (Denmark) *Butter, cheese and eggs (Netherlands) *Sausages (Latvia) *Cat (Mexico) *Game of the old lady (Brazil) *Tripp-trapp-tresko (Norway) *Pubic louse (France) *Hobo chess (Sweden)

Thousands of Londoners have indefinite leave to remain. They have legal rights and are our friends, neighbours and colleagues, contributing hugely to our city. Threatening to deport people living and working here legally is unacceptable.

Reform are now coming after people with permanent residency. It'll be citizens next. No one is safe from authoritarian governments.

What we can do is take action each day, every way we can. Smile at neighbours whether or not we know them, use local shops, take public transport, call thanks to the bus driver, join a library or choir, walk in parks, pick up a piece of litter and bin it, volunteer at a charity. Chat to strangers.

The true question right now is whether you believe in the moral character of the British public. If you do, you'll want to have the fight with Reform. You'll believe that the public will hate the idea of breaking up families, spying on & deporting people who've worked here for years.

Reform’s new position on indefinite leave to remain is even more extremist than Donald Trump’s crackdown on US immigration. If any of Reform’s political opponents fancied saying they publicly, that might be nice. Handily, it’s even true.

💯. Progressives have to stop franchising out their consciences to the courts. Politics is about moral choices. The problem with Reform's proposal isn't that "the courts won't allow it". It's that it's grotesque and inhuman. If we're democrats, we must believe that this argument can be won.

And this is why Ed Davey has to make announcements on log flumes - how can he compete when Farage lobs a hand grenade into the political debate and everyone seems to try to discuss it like it’s reasonable, not just bigoted hatred dressed up as an immoral and impractical policy.

So if you have Leave to Remain and your benefits are taken away, you get all your National Insurance contributions back right? Right?

The ITV exposé on COVID now turns its sights on testing. I was stunned in 2020 when Sir Paul Nurse - Director of the Francis Crick Institute - told me he’d written to the government to offer the services of the Crick (the biggest biomeolecular lab in the country) - and never got a reply…

“And now the male shifts slightly and says ‘right. Bed.’ And yet, despite the clear intent in his voice, he will now do something very strange, continuing to sit on the sofa, scrolling on his phone, for another hour or more. It is one of the great unsolved mysteries of the natural world.”

Congratulations to Chris Mason for being nominated for 'Political Journalist Of The Year' in the London Press Club Awards. He was nominated for his "fearless commitment to unbiased, objective reporting" by a Mr N Farage of Clacton.

I did some drawing today, in the welcome warm sunshine. I don’t do this often enough.

Weirdly nobody ever says this of Trump leaving X for Truth Social

Reminder: The existence of these in most Scottish supermarkets and corner shops is proof that anyone shilling for the notion that multiculturalism can't work on this island is a charlatan

INCREDIBLE WORK FROM THE NETHERLANDS! #Disney

This is good but he should say it in front of a TV camera! takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/this-is-en...

It’s the 21st night of September 🎶💫 The song of my people, the groove of the season, and the soundtrack to joy itself. 💃🕺 Crank it up and celebrate with Earth, Wind & Fire! 🚀 👉 youtu.be/Gs069dndIYk?... #September21 #EarthWindAndFire #TheSongOfMyPeople