The goal here is martial law. It’s martial law. Let’s be clear about that.

“There is a realpolitik justification for not calling out Trump’s military gangsterism, but it is also an argument for getting out of the White House protection racket as quickly as possible.” Is Starm’s reluctance to criticise Trump smart tactics or the sign of a man without a plan? | Rafael Behr

Yet another huge contract, awarded without any competitive bidding process, to Wes Streeting's favourite NHS supplier, the Hard Right US surveillance tech specialists Palantir, for military decision making capability.

For nonlawyers, it’s worth noting that statements like this have—as a formal matter—important legal effects as a matter of international law. If such statements are *not* made, and in volume, future arguments that Trump’s invasion sets a legal precedent will stand on much firmer legal ground.

As we look fwd to Christmas dinner, remember the migrant workforce who make it all possible on our farms, picking & processing our food🎄 These workers should be protected from exploitation but restrictive visa conditions make them vulnerable- @focusonlabour.bsky.social looks at solutions:

Great new signing for the Greens.

Colleague sends me this from the partner leave to remain application they are completing... I had not seen this before. Ask yourself, why would the Home Office need to know how your partner became British?

🚨🚨 BRANCH UPDATE 🚨🚨 With our current industrial action mandate nearly expired and strike action called off after winning our demand for no compulsory redundancies through most of next year, our branch saw the need to keep up the pressure against the administration.

"Human rights were never designed only for safe, comfortable times. They were written precisely for moments like this:.. when scapegoating becomes tempting". Strong piece by Steve on the inhumanity, and illiberalism, of Starmer's calls to restrict human rights. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

IMHO, Murphy's very sloppy. But UK fiscal policy since QE/QT amounts to MMT that dare not speak its name. Viz:Osborne et al spent ~£120 bln of the money created to purchase gilts in QE. Too much monetisation-financed fiscal spending, or too little? MMT could at least pose the question! As for QT 1/n

I think this is a great example of what migrant rights organisations need to do: speak for everyone. Campaign for housing and workers rights for all in ways that solve the asylum-specific problems.

Agree with @jomichell.bsky.social here. My earlier piece: "The claim that that MMT means that a future government can dodge hard choices about how to pay for decent public services is just plain nonsense." www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/econom...

I think the fact that there's not a broad base of outrage about this is extremely worrying.

Do these VCs imagine that rivals won't mention this to prospective students in our recruitment efforts? It's an absolute gift.

Nice of them to leave all the good names to the people who try next time.

It is very rare that we have a deep debate in any media setting where prominent pro-police advocates are forced to defend their views. I tried my best in this fascinating and contentious argument to hold those views up to scrutiny. open.spotify.com/episode/5zV5...

Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action... (from my presentation at the IMF last week)

Rachel Reeves can't "tackle the cost of living crisis" in her budget today without tackling PRIVATISATION It means YOU pay an extra tax on - your bills 💧💡 - your council tax 🧓🚸 - investment in your public services 🏥🏫 Time to end the 40 year rip off www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEoz...

This week we are running a thematic series on penal exports in Scandinavia. Penal exports are models, money, personnel, institutions, laws, technologies, and epistemologies related to the complex of crime and justice.

This is useful left-criticism of the Greens and Wealth Tax enthusiasts. At the same time, gathering support around an understandable policy that signals intent is a necessary strategy. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Rather than addressing the visa structures which exposed health & social care workers to such risks of exploitation gvt proposals will repeat these mistakes with other key workers including nurses creating insecurity & dependencies on employers www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Is the word 'salience' on trend at the moment or is it just me?

Go on Shabana. Learn from Denmark how to lose elections girl. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

The Labour Government reeling off the same far-right talking points on immigration. And look who is celebrating. The far-right. There is a political alternative that won’t ever scapegoat those fleeing war, persecution and torture join.greenparty.org.uk

This is such a dangerous way of doing migration politics if it's at all the case.

It's just disgusting. One of the richest countries in the world stealing the jewellery of the poor. Apparently some immigration officer is going to determine whether the jewellery of someone who has taken it across the channel is of sentimental value or not. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

I don't understand politics or economics but having a manifesto that sets up tax rises as cardinal sin, having fiscal rules that mean that everyone anticipates tax rises, dropping repeated hints about income tax rises that indicate you're breaking promises without any positive narrative on tax,

Very good.

Keir Starmer is obviously not a very inspiring political leader but what is really happening here is that our political system no longer generates legitimate governments

We have a paper on how Labour's strategy is disastrous. There's an exclusive coverage in @newstatesman.com www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

BREAKING: The International Association of Genocide Scholars declares that Israel's actions in Gaza "meet the legal definition of genocide" and "constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity." (Source: genocidescholars.org/wp-content/u...)

Feeling this so much.

Hard to express how fucked this is. www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/gaza...

I’m always pro-disabled people leading what affects them but the reality is, many disabled and chronically ill people are paying a huge physical price for fighting tomorrow’s welfare bill. Many are suffering more pain and exhaustion from campaigning, all whilst in a brutal heatwave. 1/2

Psyched for this - Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue is so influential to how I understand radical ethics. player.fm/series/whats...

After all the political disappointments and losses of the year, Mamdani's victory brings some hope. I'll take that for the moment.

We are all Palestine Action! We stand in unequivocal solidarity with Palestine Action as they resist the Labour government’s defamatory threats of possible proscription. #PalAction #PalestineAction #Palestine

I stand with #PalestineAction. Lock me up as a terrorist, Yvette Cooper. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

It's hard to get your head around the scale of the environmental vandalism the Labour government is hoping to unleash. The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is up there with Trump's executive orders. And the reason is the same: corporate power. This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Watching the spring statement, what will stay with me is the juxtaposition of welfare cuts and the grandstanding about being a 'defence industrial superpower'.

These people have nothing but contempt for us. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

As mass murder and genocide escalate in #Gaza, the UK government should denounce them, cut off all support to Netanyahu's government and assist in its prosecution. Instead, Starmer silences his ministers. In doing so, he facilitates the crimes.

The news today has been awful.

In what sense are they designed for men?

Headline says it all really. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

Indeed, the consistency of the trend since 2015 is also notable. Here the same thing is seen but with the quarterly totals shown on different vertical axes. That suggests macro-level factors are probably more important overall than anything the forces are doing.

If we survive the mask-off era, lets at least ensure that it's a pedagogical experience. "Personal liberties" means absolute impunity for rich white men "Free markets" means unfettered corporate power The right's abuse of this language has been indulged for far too long.

I don't watch Man Utd any more but still get score alerts and er the game looks aptly chaotic for our times.

I have just discovered Barry Harris and his teachings and I'm having a religious experience.

When I worked in UK academia I recall hearing of a Japanese man who was baffled at how Britain had decided to run its universities like firms. “Why? Your universities are excellent and your firms are terrible.”