Time to ban social media for the over-18s.

Remember: Viktor Orban has built a corrupt, stagnant Hungary that is much poorer than it should be www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

The BBC World Service is less than two months away from its funding running out. What on earth is going on?

This is what happens when you get an entire political culture that prides itself on its exceptionalism and ignorance.

Reform's candidate Matthew Goodwin challenged for calling it "insane" to prosecute a man for "start the slaughter. Violence & murder is the only way now. Start off burning every migrant hotel then head to MPs’ houses & Parliament, we need to take over by FORCE’ www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

This is brilliant. Why are pubs closing? For the same reason everything else is falling apart - we have sold off the social fabric of the country.

Exactly. This is not a lot of money. And once destroyed you don’t get to rebuild it.

Perhaps I’m too harsh but I don’t have it in me to sympathise with “roll the dice” voters anymore when the dice keep coming up snake eyes

I'm not sure I could ever forgive this government if it allows the BBC World Service to die

Gary Lineker, "Jim Ratcliffe is a migrant himself, an economic migrant, he lives in Monaco" "A lot of the immigrants contribute enormously, and the facts show you that, in terms of revenue, paying tax etc" "Whereas Jim in Monaco, is doing everything he can to avoid paying tax"

i think this is what drives me nuts. people talk about how, say, the UN was founded by "starry eyed idealists" who didn't understand "reality." the truth is that the UN was founded by those who had just fought and *won* the bloodiest war in human history.

I never really sign stuff. But this was different. It's not about trying to facilitate or block a particular party's route to power. It's about an electoral system that's unsuited to the political realities we face today and risks giving us government after government with no convincing mandate.

Free piece just released. Marco Rubio called on tolerant, democratic, liberal Europe to destroy itself and embrace a Trump-like future. He received a standing ovation and we are told some people are reassured. If so, Europe will deserve everything coming its way. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

Does hearing the US and Europe will always be intertwined, coming from a MAGA mouth, really bring ‘relief’? Or does It bring to mind a Cyberman telling a hapless assistant of the Doctor’s that he is about to relieve him of his humanity? ofhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crk80vgrj2eo

When you’ve gone this far, why bother even to maintain the pretence of believing in elections?

They do care very much about our future. They want us all to be like Trump’s America. And they are heavily invested in it.

The Rubio speech was not a detente. It was the JD Vance message delivered with velvet rather than boxing gloves (h/t @fbermingham.bsky.social) He signalled 0 actionable compromises to the EU other than implicitly asking Europe to close its borders / round up migrants (and then the US offers what?)

Does hearing the US and Europe will always be intertwined, coming from a MAGA mouth, really bring ‘relief’? Or does It bring to mind a Cyberman telling a hapless assistant of the Doctor’s that he is about to relieve him of his humanity? ofhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crk80vgrj2eo

Fighting age man flees his homeland to seek asylum on overcrowded island.

I wrote for the Guardian about why Jim Ratcliffe's talk of Britain being "colonised" by immigrants crosses the line between legitimate debate and inflammatory rhetoric. It fuses echoes of Powellism with great replacement conspiracies of "civilisational erasure" www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Word.

Was the man from HMRC?

I went to London the other day and I didn’t feel safe in the city of my birth because there was a bunch of fascist thugs being cheered on and emboldened by people supported by useful ídiots like Zahawi.

I regularly post updates on this story because it's an atrocity on an incomprehensible scale but people don't really talk about it www.reuters.com/business/hea...

You know what helps make the streets safer? Paying your taxes

New to this annual Festival? Or a returning supporter? Well, Save the Dates! Join us & celebrate Scotland's shared values with Europe. Programme goes live on Feb 27 🗓️ & most events are free or low cost - with something for everyone! Talks, Walks, Films, Music & More! #Scotland #Europe Image: B Speed

First Past the Post can no longer deliver real mandates - only chaos. 60% of Brits want it scrapped. Yet the Representation of the People Bill won’t even touch our voting system, which leaves millions unrepresented. Tell Keir Starmer to change this. actionnetwork.org/petitions/th...

What a nasty and vacuous piece of briefing

Labour leadership, faced with a choice between electoral reform backed by its own members or retention of a system which risks giving absolute power to a party which doesn’t even believe in democracy as we know it. Why is this a hard choice?

Labour leadership, faced with a choice between electoral reform backed by its own members or retention of a system which risks giving absolute power to a party which doesn’t even believe in democracy as we know it. Why is this a hard choice?

Defeating Reform is the most vital challenge anyone in the UK under 80 has faced. Our very (imperfect) democracy depends on it. In that context, the most important question now is who in Labour is best placed to carry the fight to Reform by making people rediscover their shame. It’s not Starmer.

This is really encouraging. It's not too late to stop this.

Notable how little UK Govt, and specifically the health secretary, have to say about this. No sense that they can shape public behaviour. Very passive.

It’s not your language that offends. It’s your racism.

Ratcliffe is, quite obviously, factually, morally & intellectually wrong about immigration. But his racist comments will be 'both-sided' everywhere because people who simply don't like seeing non-white faces aren't ashamed to say so anymore.

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

Well done to Sky for correcting this bit of ignorance. As shown extensively in the Epstein files there's plenty of proof that being rich doesn't mean you have any great insights into the world.

Perfectly put

Of course Reform don’t do hustings. Hustings are for people who believe in democracy.

It is so embarrassing that it has taken nearly a decade for a British minister to say this, a statement of the absolute bloody obvious

To promote the integration we demand, we will diminish your feeling of belonging here. #R4Today

Indeed. A party invite for public officials, to be held in Mayfair no less, by a company that has recently been awarded a £240m public contract. The competition would be livid - had there been any.

Yes great, but the last time he said this he followed it up with asylum policies which divided people and played on their sense of grievance. Hopefully the departure of McSweeney means things will be different this time, but I'm sceptical.

Another engrossing conversation with Paul Sagar. Listening to this series is educational.

Children need their families. Refugee children are no different. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I know it’s a very busy day but this story *really* matters Josh Simons says he hired ‘a PR company’ to investigate a ‘suspected illegal hack’ But if you’re worried about a hack, why pay £30k to a PR firm? A lot about this story isn’t right. And a cabinet office minister is at the centre of it

Policy by Pub Bore. He's just that spittle-flecked Hate Guy in the corner of your done-up bar saying that modern beer is horrible and anyone under 50 is lazy and a loser. As beatable a politician as there'll ever be.

Reform UK is facing a police probe after being accused of deploying a campaign tactic similar to one used in Caerphilly last year, where voters received handwritten-style letters claiming to be from a ‘concerned neighbour’ ✍️Emily Price

The way Chris pincher has been basically been erased from boris downfall is really instructive in Westminster culture and how these people get away with it