It’s mass involuntary expulsion of course, not migration. Followed by Israeli occupation. Any country that does not acknowledge that fact is complicit in a war crime and guilty by enabling it to take place. They will also be responsible for the consequences of it.

Loved these three. -esp the Saturday night hammer horror double bill that used to be on BBC after MOTD back in the day -one of them almost certainly on. What a fab picture of them 👏

A group of Irish citizens who were illegally detained in international waters by Israel while taking part in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla have returned home today. jrnl.ie/7048970

Yeah 🇧🇷 and 🇦🇷 will be all over that with their binoculars if 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 get that far 😂

Last Saturday, tens of thousands gathered in London in a powerful show of unity and solidarity as we commemorated 78 years since the Nakba – where over 800,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes.

The number of holidaymakers visiting Northern Ireland has risen by 9% – buoyed by tourists from Republic and GB.

‘Starmerism with a human face’?

Sadly the faux outrage is likely to remain rhetorical. If there is no action against Israel’s flagrant human rights abuses that hits them politically and economically then diplomatic statements are merely performative, as well as complicit.

Eleanor Donaldson has been deemed unfit to stand trial on alleged historic sex offences, a judge ruled today. The wife of Jeffrey Donaldson will now be subject to a trial of the facts.

Thanks Jack -that’s very kind of you and glad to hear you are getting something out of it. 👍

Belfast harbour operator to invest £1.3bn as NI economy grows

Burnham is to Starmer in May 2026, what Starmer was to Corbyn in March 2020, when he was also seeking to lead the Labour Party. His change agenda is unlikely to survive his pragmatic instincts.

Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE boycotted Eurovision 2026 for the first time since 1961 over Israel’s participation. RTVE said: “Eurovision is a contest, but human rights are not. There is no room for indifference. Peace and justice for Palestine.”

This voting system gives STV a run for its money though!

Tough for Hearts. This did make me laugh though! 😜

Difficult to see a scenario where Streeting can win this. If It’s too soon for AB to get into HoC then either Rayner or Miliband will beat him. If not he hasn’t an earthly chance of beating Burnham - in fact even Starmer would beat Steeting -he’s that unpopular. And then of course there’s Al Carns 😂

Looks like even the HMRC hates Wes Steeting! Though there is of course the possibility that the outcome was sorted ages ago and AR is demonstrating that unlike current leadership, she knows how to control a news agenda?

Of course if his protégé does launch a challenge, this should be known as ‘Mandelson’s Revenge’.

Solidarity to you and your colleagues. Leaving aside the horrendous impact on staff (and the students they teach) Any organisation that slashes and burns its R&D hasn’t got a viable future. The whole sector is now hitting the buffers after a generation of under funding and mediocre management.

Well perhaps - but announcing a desire to rejoin could potentially provide Labour with a popular and more radical policy agenda and limit voters haemorrhaging to Greens. Might also energise youth voters. It might not of course and certainly too late for KS in any event.

Assumption being that they will be let back in of course. UK can certainly reapply for membership, but it might not be on same terms as previously.

This is a really excellent piece -but it’s impossible to read it without hearing the dulcet tones of Hugh Bonneville in your head and feel like it is next instalment of W1A or Twenty Twenty Six. Which of course it very well could be. ‘so that’s all good’

I mean Johnson had to have boozy parties in No.10, get ambushed by a cake then break that swing in the garden. Liz Truss, had to hike our mortgages up till ours eyes bled & just seemed batshit crazy! But Starmer has just looked out of his depth from the start. Should have stuck with Sue Gray maybe

Turned on the Today programme for perhaps the first time this year. Instantly presented with three minutes of Chris Mason: glib, inane, uninformative, utterly banal. Turned it off again.

Turns out this ‘make or break’ speech was… break. It’s just confirmed what everyone already thought about him, rather than changing perceptions. That Starmer is an empty suit. When taking his final swig in the last chance saloon he basically said; Well, nothing of any substance. Incredible really

Yes I did read it in full. She has set out a radically different policy direction than the one being pursued by the PM and the Chancellor. And implicitly condemned their approach. I think it is highly unlikely they will want to pursue her vision for change.

Rayner makes her move -and issues a manifesto for leadership. I expect it is a co ordinated intervention with other senior colleagues, apart from AB. It’s the end for Starmer.

If you add ‘Discuss’ at the end, this would be an excellent summer exam question for this year’s 3rd year UG UK Politics modules! (only 1st Class answers would winkle out a counter argument)

Arguably a bigger political failure than Liz (Lettuce) Truss. He’s lasted longer but has squandered much more political capital than she ever had. Part of reason is that he clearly has no ideological project. She might have been bonkers but at least had a goal. Starmer is toast despite HoC majority

Life imitating art. Time this was broadcast again- but the line between documentary and fiction is becoming increasingly blurry.

‘He grew up with Glenn Miller and opera; I grew up with The Clash’… A wonderful tribute to the great man from Chris Packham in @bigissue.com Warm and empathetic-but also very insightful about the nature of broadcast media. Reading it will improve your day 👏

Strong JFK ‘ask not what your country can do for you…’ vibes -with a dash of Big Society waffle.

Really? Well if he’s serious why doesn’t he start by attacking the Times for this anti-Semitic attack on a Jewish politician?

Anyone looking for a good PhD project in UK politics could do worse than look at the scaling up challenges for the Green Party and Reform UK. Rapid expansion is a nice problem to have -but finding/vetting quality candidates & getting across full constituency coverage isn’t straightforward.

Precisely. The whole point of opting for a political appointment after Trump won was horses for courses. Who in the world would be able to empathise with the convicted sex pest, congenital liar and friend of Epstein? Who would have similar networks and, ‘tastes’? Mandy -just the man!

Very good piece on state of UK #Universities from @samfr.bsky.social In general ‘University leaders’ have totally failed to articulate the value of #HE. Sheffield is making brutal cuts as the chickens come home to roost following 2 decades of no long term strategy from government & HE leadership ⬇️

I can’t see a motive at all for any Manchurian candidate cosplaying. Though scenes of journalists reporting breathlessly about how they are feeling, is very 2026.

In other news -DFS sale still on.

I find they are way too complimentary to me to be believable, not to mention the corporate-speak gobbledygook about ‘circling back to discuss off-ramping the opportunity’ wha?

Ukraine is fighting not only for territory, but for memory. As Russian strikes destroy churches, museums and historic buildings, a Czech-led project is racing to digitally preserve what can still be saved. My story on 3D scanning a nation under attack: robjcameron.substack.com/p/scanning-f...

It’s a constant diet of stories focused on the most vulnerable in society and while they’re often uncovering illegal activities, they all but ignore the much larger but less easily uncovered corporate crime, tax evasion, fossil fuel lobbyists and dark money riddled through UK institutions.

I’m surprised fig isn’t higher tbh. A generation of under funding within the HE sector is now becoming manifest. Many unis now on the brink of collapse and clear that government is going to let that happen because -‘they’re businesses’ 🙃

Sunak talked about AI & the future of work. Surprise surprise the man now paid by AI behemoth Anthropic argues that we should all be using it more & that constructive engagement is the way forward. He’s asked ONE Q about Mythos and its global cybersecurity risk. Zero follow up Qs. Really? Come on!

Very clever marketing to make it €1 below €500! That will make us all think it’s good value. So only €1,497 for the three days! I’m sure local accommodation in Adare will be as reasonably priced 🫣

Hard to see how Starmer survives the omnishambles, principally because it’s entirely of his own making. He may limp on till the local elections, but his credibility with voters now looks fatally compromised. -ironically it’s all reminiscent of the Tory implosion prior to the last GE Psychodrama 2.0