Ok. They’ve pissed me off. I’m back to tell you 3 things about ID cards: 1. Migrants ALREADY HAVE biometric ID cards & govts have been trying to digitise them for years w repeated fuckups & failures causing complete chaos - they don’t work, you do not want that system for you.

Blimey. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Right, this is actually the use case for government ID - should empower citizens issue a token that says absolutely nothing, cannot be used to steal your data, but does say to an estate agent 'yes this person can rent this home, yes this person has the right to work'.

UK and EU reportedly negotiating British return to Erasmus programme inews.co.uk/news/politic...

We are overtaking the Conservatives and on the cusp of overtaking Labour too. More and more people are backing the Liberal Democrats to stand up to Reform and stop Trump’s America becoming Farage’s Britain.

We also bonded over all our team having o level German. Ausgezeichnet!

Great team effort at pub quiz this week and we won! @fechtbuch.bsky.social @robertramsay.org also I somehow remembered deplantis' new high jump record height

The Express asked us about awarding the Patsy Carlton Prize to Cllr Chris Northwood. We responded: "This prize acknowledged an exceptional woman in Cllr Chris Northwood. The message it sends to women members and voters is that the Liberal Democrats honour and value all of our women members."

If you are fed up with the two old parties letting you down. If you are scared of the rise of racism and extremism. If you believe in decency, tolerance and the rule of law. Join us. Because we believe in the British people. We love our country. And together, we can change it for good.

As we await Ed Davey’s big conference speech, here’s my analysis of a Lib Dem conference that was simultaneously quite boring in news terms, hugely fascinating in what it showed about the party’s sheer focus and ambition, and potentially quite consequential. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Leaving the ECHR won’t “Take Back Control” – it will hand your rights to politicians The myths are seductive, the reality is very different – without the ECHR your freedoms rest on whichever Home Secretary wakes up grumpy @eastangliabylines.co.uk eastangliabylines.co.uk/politics/jus...

There should be a high bar for politicians attacking the media, but maybe Ed Davey has half a point here? For example, the first three paragraphs of this BBC story repeat Reform's £243bn figure without saying that the thinktank behind the estimate now disowns it. (This is mentioned in paragraph 35)

I would be swapping cat pics with him

Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski addressed Russia at the UN Security Council meeting:

Whisper it softly - as it really doesn't fit the narrative - but the AfD has markedly underperformed in a series of recent mayoral elections in Germany's eastern states. Often where the rival candidate was a dynamic local figure commanding broad "popular front" support.

Proper "use up veg in fridge" and "start clearing the freezer" meal tonight. @nigella.bsky.social fear-free fish stew, and clafoutis with apple, pear and whisky soaked raisins

On X I used data to show London does not have the highest crime rate in the world. 10 mins later a right winger linked to my book. 10 mins after that I got 40 1-star reviews from unverified accounts (previously 4.9 star avg). Fair play to Amazon - they removed them all. But that's how it works.

For those who pay attention to UK politics, the Liberal Democrats and #LDConf A bunch of TERFs tried first thing this morning to impose a transphobic policy on our internal elections (they wanted to exclude trans women from the gender balance criteria) They failed, spectacularly.

Do yourself a favor and read the judge's order tossing Trump's lawsuit against the @nytimes.com because it was so badly written. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said illegal immigration needs to stop and the UK has to do more with its foreign policy to make sure people do not need to flee persecution and war. #EdDavey #LibDem #Immigration www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

"27, Plymouth Argyle" "Will play" "13, Crewe Alexandra" "That concludes the draw for the third round of the Sherpa Van Trophy. Ties will be played on the 17th and 18th of October"

If this is what it took for you to be pushed into fascism you were probably already there

Scoop: Business Insider informed its staff this week that they are allowed to use ChatGPT to generate first drafts of their stories, while also indicating the newsroom will not disclose such A.I. use to readers. Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/business-i...

Forget the ‘special relationship’ — Britain needs to be more transactional on.ft.com/41WrAnK | opinion

I can't remember the details, and can't find them now, for my favorite Robert Redford anecdote, but: When Indecent Proposal was being discussed, someone asked a film critic if she would sleep with Robert Redford for $1 million, and she replied, "Yes, but where would I get the money?"

Why what is happening in the United States shows the need for the United Kingdom to repair its own constitution Our polity is there for the taking Substack emptycity.substack.com/p/the-pointl... Personal blog davidallengreen.com/2025/09/the-...

Culture wars are economically damaging. Globalisation is equally strong to the nation state. Lessons of the modern world that few want to acknowledge, but in case of what? That we realise our leaders aren't all powerful? Worked that out...

Want to be clear that the predictable violence against the police wasn't the only problem with yesterday's march It's that 100,000 angry racists gathered in London for the biggest racist march in 50 years, and anyone not white had to steer clear The govt can't see that because they are inadequate.

Bohemian Rhapsody at the Last Night Of The Proms. Now THAT'S British culture. #LastNightOfTheProms

Troubling piece (but excellent reporting) on the US far right billionaires funding Tommy Robinson and his revival observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Henry Mance: “on the face of it he (Trump) wrote more of Epstein’s birthday book than he did of his own bestseller The Art Of The Deal” www.ft.com/content/dc6b...

Shot, chaser Young men more likely to vote Green than Reform. Young men second most progressive group of any demographic. Combined right-wing vote barely bigger than Green vote alone for young men

True fact, I know the words to Rule Britannia! because we had to sing it primary school. So when you listen to the amazing soprano on #lnop just imagine a choir of primary school kids attempting that

In my colleague @sophiealichurch.bsky.social’s story about the Lib Dems’ media strategy, she reveals their MPs are rewarded with a KitKat when they have achieved something, or even if they’ve just had a tough week

Love the BBC athletics commentators

insight into right-wing info asymmetries: “Democrats must be gracious, empathetic and call for calm Republicans can mock the victims, blame only one side and demand more violence. a single post..will be treated as a statement from “the left”, while the outpourings of the right’s…get a free pass.

Gretchen Felker-Martin getting her comic cancelled for echoing this exact sentiment is *wildly* on-the-nose

The PM must urgently appoint a new ambassador who will stand up to Trump, not cosy up to him and his cronies. He also can't keep dodging questions about why Lord Mandelson was appointed in the first place, and the extent of what was already known about his links with Epstein.

Sudan receives insufficient high-level diplomatic attention, action or media coverage – despite enduring the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with 14 million people displaced.

Oof on.ft.com/3VFbNpI

This is an excellent and constructive piece from the chief executive of the CBI @cbieconomics.bsky.social, calling for real tax reform (VAT, property taxes, road pricing). Business lobby (like others) often self-serving but this is clear, honest and serious. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

[opposing devastating cuts to welfare] You can no longer be a Labour MP [sending birthday messages to convicted paedophile, sex trafficker and "best pal" Jeffrey Epstein then continuing contact after his first conviction] Well now hold on a second he's said he's sorry jeez

Interesting.

Adjusted for inflation Spirited Away cost $22 million to make. The Triplets of Belleville cost $16.5 million, Cartoon Saloon's Wolfwalkers cost $14.28 million, and Oscar winner Flow cost only $4 million. These critically acclaimed, made by real people films, cost less than this pile of actual vomit.

Wow! Covid vaccine development and delivery cost $79.4 billion, but the health and economic benefits of vaccination were valued between $4.83 trillion–$37.8 trillion. A return on investment of $59.8–$475 per dollar invested!! This is why vaccine equity matters! www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

They never change unless we make them: www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

I was initially surprised that Rayner hadn’t sought more advice on her tax liability. And £40k is a lot of money. But @timleunig.bsky.social makes a good point here, especially as a court told her to set up the trust. Goes to show quick takes can be bad ones. open.substack.com/pub/timleuni...