There is an imagined working class, that largely no longer exists and a modern working class that the political class rarely interact with outside of service provision.

Today, I'm introducing my wealth tax — and more than 50 members of Congress are joining me. It’s time for the government to start working for American families, not just the ultra-rich.

There is something profoundly unserious about demanding the country spends vast sums on reducing its carbon emissions and then calling for a massive fossil fuel subsidy to consumers the moment gas prices rise.

These people have a funny way of saying "Environmentalists have been proved right yet again."

Donald Trump is still continuing discussions with an unnamed Iranian leader. #wato

It is given to few to draft their own epitaph

Yep, largest TACO. The enemy gets a vote. Iran delivered PAIN to Trump via multiple paths: (1) Hormuz Chokehold (2) Gulf Kings (3) Financial meltdown Domestic politics of war termination then requires Trump to sell strategic defeat as Iran "crying uncle" & US "winning" bsky.app/profile/jeff...

Danish state broadcaster reporting how, after Venezuela, Denmark sent transfusion blood for combat casualties and explosives for runway demolition to Greenland. (American-made) Danish fighters sent for ‘exercises’ carried war loadouts of weapons www.dr.dk/nyheder/indl...

They said it would take 193 years to clean London’s air. We did it in nine. 💨 London has now met legal limits for nitrogen dioxide air pollution.

Reminder to avoid the Thiel distraction. A point we’ve been hitting on tour is the temptation to apply intellectual history methods to a regime of accumulation (digital capitalism) is misguided. You won’t understand the Tech Right by reading books (they don’t read). Look at how they run their firms.

The Secretary of War of the United States of America, ladies and gentlemen. Book now. Must close soon.

Why aren't Iranians rising up to challenge their regime, as they did in January? Many answers here in this insightful report by the FT's Teheran correspondent Najmeh Bozorgmehr as.ft.com/r/6e31d260-f...

They should put a monkey on the £50 note and a pony on the £10 note to confuse the hell out cockneys.

Lebanese are just dead. Israelis are killed.

I think this is about the temperature but honestly it works for decades as well

‘My father and I went to hand in our empty cylinder and returned with eight kilos of cooking gas. Other men were carrying cylinders home with children walking beside them as if they were guarding treasure.’ Hassan Ayman Herzallah in Gaza, new on the blog. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ma...

The war of theocracies

On being in Kyiv in 1991, and now

Remember when parties who lost elections used to be like "This is a strong message from the electorate and we will listen and learn and change" rather than "Fuck everyone who didn't vote for us, you're all extremists trying to destroy Britain"

I do feel like our national responsibility to evacuate UK citizens in the Middle East who went there on purpose to avoid paying UK tax is fairly limited.

Ukraine Has Passed a Point of No Return www.nytimes.com/2026/02/22/o...

The Supreme Court:

White museumgoers’ dismay at the restoration of ancient sculpture’s true colours

Okay, this is quite outstanding from Bedford Council.

Very much looking forward to this - do come along

Wow.

The caliber of person that Goodwin has campaigning for him in Denton and Gorton, via @manchestermill.bsky.social - 'I wouldn't touch a Jewish woman': Meet the Reform team in Gorton and Denton share.google/SJZ1GeUkW524...

Finally someone in Kyiv talking sense about the mad cycle of rebuilding mega plants the Russians are just going to destroy again

‘Georgescu’s political programme is based on the need to heal Romania by creating a synthetic medieval country, agrarian, artisanal, patriarchal, self-sufficient in organic food, purged of chemicals, purged of modernity, purged of everything and everyone he dislikes.’ www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Issue 48.03 is now online, featuring: Seamus Perry on pluralism and poetry James Wolcott on John Updike @jamesmeek.bsky.social on the Romanian right Claire Hall on Archimedes John Gallagher on early modern news @lalehkhalili.bsky.social on the US Special Forces Read online at lrb.co.uk

Re-upping this for the Monday crowd... I think my favourite, most revealing detail is that the guy seems to not realise he's in trouble because London Centric's reporting didn't hit anything like his view counts, so therefore it can't really matter.

The best Epstein account I’ve read so far: about the place of the women in those men’s world

On Wednesday 18 February, journalist, novelist and 𝘓𝘙𝘉 contributing editor James Meek will be at the @londonreviewbookshop.co.uk to discuss his latest novel, 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘔𝘦, with Lara Pawson. Tickets here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/james-meek...

Also grateful to Stuart Kelly for this, with I think a ten year old photo?

Thanks to Catherine Taylor for this thoughtful and insightful review in the FT www.ft.com/content/e88b...

This has come out into the world

HOW? HOW DOES THE BBC "UNDERSTAND" THESE THINGS? Ouija board? Cup attached to a piece of string?

My cover story for this week's The New World

Amazing insight into the tawdry detail of snouts in the trough favour peddling that hardly died with Epstein

Banned Wikipedia entry from 2027: The former democracy known as the United States of America lasted for 250 years, fewer than four lifetimes. Long after the end, residents would still describe themselves as living in a democracy, and as part of, even leaders of, ‘the free world’.

Highlighting the limitations

‘Ever since Trump’s obsession with Greenland emerged, he and his underlings have been coming up with reasons why it should become part of America, not one of which makes much sense.’ @jamesmeek.bsky.social in Greenland, from last year: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

From the ever sound Owen Hatherley

On passing through the veil into fascism