79. American citizen.

Burnham's speech shifts beyond confines of PR to mass social housing, technical education, transport. "These are the ideas I'm putting forward. I think we need to debate them as a party. I've launched a debate on our direction." Adds: "I am here to support the government."

Labour 4 PR rarely so interesting

“There’s nothing more unstoppable than an idea whose time has come - and PR’s time has come.” 💬 @andyburnham.bsky.social 🌹 #Labour4PR #Lab25

Burnham says he is "speaking out for the thousands of councillors” and “mllions of good people who want a more hopeful direction for the future. “

Burnham says Starmer's Labour Party has "a climate of fear". People are suspended for liking tweets and losing whip. "You can't be narrow and shallow, you need to have everyone in play." It is less tolerant of debate than Blair.

“I want to see the people I speak to every single week embrace and have confidence in the democracy we have in this country. I think through electoral reform we can restore trust in our democracy” 💬 @rachelblakemp.bsky.social 🌹 #Labour4PR #Lab25

Burnham speech - linked need for new political pluralism nationally (thru fringe’s ostensible subject of PR) with a newly tolerant big tent approach to party management (got biggest cheer on that) - Ambition palpable despite protestations this is just a “debate” - Bond market line finessed a bit

“I really do think that Proportional Representation is finally coming of age in this Parliament.” 💬 @alistrathern.bsky.social gives a shout out to the @labour4pr.bsky.social campaign 🌹 #Lab25

Sadly, not all the team that created the festivals are still with us. Ken Hulme died in 2010. Dick Muskett died at the end of last year. Remembered with great warmth. #GLCworkingforLondon

This was the poster for the second Jobs For A Change festival - here is the poster for the first one.

This is excellent.

Angry at insinuations that judges who granted or overturned Epping injunction were politically biased. I've known both Cons & Lab lawyers who've become judges. Whatever their previous politics they take seriously their judicial oath to do justice without fear or favour

A courteous but very impressive rebuke to Nigel Farage from the Bishop of Oxford. "I heard no compassion in what you said...". "I disagree profoundly with your attempts to ... increase fear of the stranger in our communities". Do read. blogs.oxford.anglican.org/an-open-lett...

Just a few days left to grab this deal!

🚨 NEW on Substack, my post on the Weoley Castle Estate, Birmingham. As Neville Chamberlain proclaimed on opening Birmingham's 40,000th council home on the estate, it offered 'everything that science and ingenuity can provide’ municipaldreams.substack.com/p/the-weoley...

Immigrant advocate groups in Los Angeles gathered at MacArthur Park calling for a 24-hour community stoppage protesting against continued ICE raids. #ice #immigration #protest #raid #losangeles

The curse of spellcheck. A hypocrite in the hypocaust.

When will govt agencies understand this and shift to here??

A new settlement to power up our regions, rebuild local government and empower communities. Long overdue, now happening with a Labour government.

The devastating flood in Texas. Elon’s third party (and racist AI chatbot). Trump’s cruel cabinet. There’s a lot to get into this week. Join me for a new Coffee Klatch. https://youtu.be/PontEtl0sgs

Anyone who was in London on 6 and 7 July 2005 will have their own memories of a strange, pivotal 48 hours in our city's history. Here are mine. www.onlondon.co.uk/richard-brow...

The Telegraph obit for Lord Lipsey is excellent and contains this corker www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2...

If you need a dose of true patriotism this July 4 weekend—not the phony mockery of American values promoted by Trump & MAGA—read this piece by an FBI agent who resigned out of duty & an unwillingness to go along with Trump & Patel's weaponization of the bureau. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/good...

David Lipsey was adviser to Crosland for 5 years until 1977. Dick Leonard had been Crosland's pps in parliament. They produced an 1981 Jonathan Cape book, commissioned by the Fabian Society as its tribute to Crosland.

RIP David Lipsey, 77, who has sadly drowned swimming in the River Wye. One of the first modern political advisers, aged 24, with Crosland in 1972, he was a social democrat who stayed Labour across a varied half a century in politics, journalism, the Lords & public life www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Saddened to read this news. David Lipsey made an important contribution to social democratic thought and politics in the UK. He also once opposed social care legislation that I worked on in No10 and helped stop it in the Lords. Such is politics. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

David Blunkett: ‘The first year is always hit and miss. But we now need fast transformation, not tinkering’ labourlist.org/2025/07/davi... – via LabourList

David signed me up as a Labour Party member in 1969. I had known him for more than 55 years. A sad loss. Moving tribute by Denis McShane. Tribute: ‘David Lipsey’s joie de vivre is missing in Labour politics today’ labourlist.org/2025/07/comm...

RIP David Lipsey. A warm, brilliant and inspiring man. Thinking of his wife Margaret and the kindness they both showed my family. Labour peer dies while swimming in river www.bbc.com/news/article...

Very sad to see this. David Lipsey was a consistent and skilled advocate for electoral system reform in the UK. news.sky.com/story/lord-l...

Very sad news. I gave evidence to the lord’s committee on polling that David Lipsey led and he was a very thoughtful and welcoming chair.

Using threats of violence to gain power. Targeting political enemies. Undermining the free press. Pumping huge sums of money into the police state. Just a few months into his second term, Donald Trump is already following the dictator's playbook to a tee. Watch. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSxJ...

The Trump-Republican budget would be a disgrace under any circumstance. At a time when inequalities of income and wealth in America are wider than they have been in more than 80 years — with the richest Americans taking home near-record amounts of both — the bill is shameful.

33-year-old Muslim socialist wins Democratic primary to be New York’s mayor

“Blue Bottle Coffee employees at four East Bay locations paused the flow of lattes and cold brews on June 17 to announce their intent to join a nationwide independent union, powered by super-majority support among workers.” 48hills.org/2025/06/blue...

It's excellent. Starmer comes across as a deeply decent and principled man - someone driven by his own wounds to pursue human dignity for others. The question we're left with is whether that's enough?

Trump at Les Miserables 😂😂😂 youtu.be/HKMlBqvBuAA?...

An eternal classic

remember Tom Lehrer's Werner von Braun song? "A man whose allegiance Is ruled by expedience." www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9...

What would you choose to spend public funding on? The Lower Thames Crossing? or Thousands of electric double-decker buses?

Well payed, Harvard, well played. Harvard offers FREE American Government course.

14/52 - bought “Empireworld” and decided that I should read the original before the sequel. An important read for any Brit as it really highlights our refusal to look at our own empirical past and how it still effects us today

'It is a commonplace to say that the war has done much to level incomes. There should be even less discrepancy afterwards, and this should be reflected in the Plan'. My post on the radical ideals and proposals of the 1943 County of London Plan: municipaldreams.substack.com/p/the-county...

‘In Chicago, a little-known recently appointed cardinal retweeted another attack on Vance’s statement: “J.D. Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others.” That cardinal was Robert Prevost.’ Colm Tóibín on what Pope Leo can expect: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Pope Leo 😎