A clear-eyed description of what is happening. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/o...

ABC News Australia @news.abc.net.au is reducing its posting on X and directing followers to BlueSky. I wish the BBC would do this.

Right now getting Streeting is a 15% pay rise v Burnham / Starmer 0%. The difference in the value of the £ in and out of the EU.

Burnham falls at first hurdle because he loses to pro EU candidate? 😂

Burnham - pro EU / Lexiter / pro rejoin / no to rejoin - a man of principle.

We have now entered the age of AI paranoia. We all get to decide what is human output, and what is AI. And irrespective of its accuracy, if it’s AI, it’s shit.

May not keep this one up too long, but here is a temperature check of where we are at these days with formerly 'just a normal classical liberal' types

The more I hear from Burnham, the more I support Streeting.

In the mid 21st Century governments decided that to burn more fossil fuels to power the technology that would make their population redundant, was a great idea!

Little reminder for those Conservative Party and Reform plc politicians who think Britain should follow the US economic model :

The Labour government must go further and faster, including rebuilding our relationship with our European neighbours, with whom we share interests and values, also vital for our economy

Lisa Nandy: “I don't think anyone in this country wants to reopen the Brexit debate” Sorry, Lisa, there is GROWING who do as they see that Brexit bears no resemblance to what was advertised, costs a fortune, holds Britain back, and leaves us isolated in the world of Putin & Trump.

Even though it was expected, it's really striking to see a Labour leadership contender just straight-up say it out loud.

Quite remarkable that a march that Starmer SAYS is run by convicted thugs and racists is permitted when they try to ban pro Palestinian rights marches are banned. Talk me through that Met Police?

This whole thread is good - but this one about “antagonizing people” just because of who you are really hit me; as I’ve heard similar concerns here about letting another woman, or a gay, or black person, run for President in US for fear of “upsetting” voters. Straight white men always the default.

What always happens: Belief in a better way, compromise beliefs to gain power (after all you have to get elected to do the job), become a hostage to commitments, end up a useless loser.

Blazing saddles (definitely not Burnham in Wigan): What did you expect? "Welcome, sonny"? "Make yourself at home"? "Marry my daughter"? You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know... morons.

What is it about fascism that is so attractive to oligarchs?

Drawn by Dr Seuss over 50 years ago.

Imagine a company having the technology to deprive a nation of oxygen. We have a few tech companies that could ruin a country’s economic capacity by withholding their tech. We are very close to a world absolutely in the control of a few oligarchs.

Are we spiralling into economic (consequently political) ruin, or is it a straightforward nosedive? Asking for a pathetic, entitled, post imperial little island.

Was Starmer trolling his MPs with that speech? Essentially: I’m giving you nothing, on the other hand, you got nothing.

Starmer says “We will put Britain at the heart of Europe” The Prime Minister championed restoring the UK back to the 'heart' of Europe. While that resonates with the majority of the country, where is the path that drives over his red lines to get us there? northeastbylines.co.uk/news/europe-...

This is why American tech firms shrug off European threats of drastic regulation as largely empty, incidentally – Europe has spectacularly failed over the last two decades to generate even a single major tech player, and it shows. "Europeans regulate, Americans innovate" is reductive but…not false.

Why is it easier to say my bad, than I’m wrong?

#LateNightThoughts ...

Is this election going to finish Starmer & the Tory Party? Putin, sorry, I meant Farage / Polanski are wreaking havoc

When democracy leads to a country repetitively self harming. What is the possible intervention?

I’m not sure I get the narrative that the Greens have done more damage to Labour than Reform, when Labour are nearly 20 points down, and greens 8 points up. The fed ups are voting for Party for the fed up. Not because the FU Party has answers, but because Labour / Tories provably don’t.

Full disclosure: I’ve written about the case for not ditching pilot immediately, despite proximity of mountains, and for a transition that doesn’t make it look as if 99% of the country is completely shut out of some private Labour process www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The thread suggests that the Greens haven't actually thought through the details of this policy before announcing it. You can do this when you're polling 5%. It gets tougher the nearer you come to power (though as the easy ride Reform got for a MAD 2024 manifesto showed: not as tough as it should)

One day I will write about differences between getting manufacture of small batch specialist product in the U.K. v China. Basically we are screwed as a country. Investment, networking, enthusiasm, helpfulness, efficiency and lastly, cost. We are ridiculously bad.

Britain's broadcast media boasts of its strict adherence to impartiality rules. Mentions per MP. LibDems: 645 Tories: 5,116 Greens: 7,763 Labour (the actual govt): 27,438 Reform: 70,732 Anyone surprised they're ahead? bebroadcast.co.uk/politics-who...

The average amount of time taken to earn a pint on minimum wage has fallen from 32 minutes in 1999 to 25 minutes in 2024

Childhood’s End.

This is the most detailed 3D rendering of a eukaryotic cell to date, obtained using X-ray, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and cryo-electron microscopy datasets. 🔬🧪

I just read an article that referred to musicians and artists as ‘content creators’ and people like me who enjoy music and art as ‘consumers’. Gross. Clearly that author has never been to a concert or art museum. You cannot consume an experience.

There’s an Italian restaurant in Wapping where I literally have to go outside to change into a black T shirt before starting on my main course of seafood tagliatelle. I am clearly not alone.

The "famous" fishmonger hasn't sold a single haddock for a long time. He is the boss of a Newcastle tech company called Grid Smarter Cities and a "parking campaigner" who lost his case in the High Court back in 2010. Why Harron's opinion on any subject could be of public interest, only The O knows.

@johnstorgards.bsky.social - you all were phenomenal this evening. Thank you so much. #grandpianola

In Manchester? At a loose end this evening? John Adam’s Grand Pianola Music BBC Phil / RNCM Go on. Enhance your life immeasurably- still tickets when I last looked.

Interesting reference just now to "the left-leaning Daily Mirror" on the Today Programme. I hope this practice is going to become routine, & that we'll be reminded of the political affiliations of The Daily Telegraph, The Mail, The Sun, The Express & The Times. It would actually be quite healthy.

No it’s not true at all. Again beware the internet and political opponents … I told aviva to give a donation to our local homeless nightshelter for me coming to speak at their conference.

While our government finds ever more inventive ways to kill businesses.

Brexit benefits Income per capita in Poland forecast to overtake the UK

The owl-y trinity

Interesting analysis of Trump’s success by Syed ( @thetimes.com ) Basically it comes down to Trump makes not very nice people feel better about themselves. Democrats tell them they’re shits. He probably has a point. Most Americans (and people in general) are not nice, or fair, or well educated.

-325

They are still amongst us.

The Palantir pipeline also includes 4 members of the House of Lords, the ex head of MI6, 2 generals & a former chief adviser to the PM. 3/