and today we thank the internet gods for this wonderful gift

PS. Couldn't agree more that we need to stop people complaining about the 'unfairness' of a system that locks RefUK out of the loop, since they exist to dismantle democracy and replace it with autocracy. Anything that disenfranchises them is both vital and necessary. Bottom line: Fuck 'em.

I really wanted this Burnham speech to leave me hopeful and was actively rooting for it. I found it deflating - to put it mildly. Where it needed to be brave and expansive, it was small and meek. Let me give one example that I found quite instructive, since Andy used it as a framing device. 1/

Fully agree with Caroline here. It's a chance to turn a page in our democracy.

NUJ responds to Farage doxxing a photo journalist who was doing their job. www.nuj.org.uk/resource/nuj...

"I once said I was given £5 million for my security, then a few days later said it was a reward for Brexit"

Sorry for the plug but I feel obliged to reshare this. Farage told a podcast before running for election: “There’s no money in politics, there’s no money if you’re straight [i.e. not corrupt]." Around the time he got £5 million from a crypto billionaire before going on to back crypto deregulation.

This was stupid when the police were asked to investigate Zahawi and Rayner, and it's stupid now. There's no evidence of dishonesty by Zahawi/Rayner/Polanski and the police should simply say that and not get drawn into these games. Carelessly paying wrong tax is not a crime.

this is absurd

This is almost up there with Geoffrey Howe's resignation. A hard spotlight on ineffective leadership from a colleague who is desperate to protect the vulnerable but being stifled by a coward who is himself afraid to stand up to bullies.

Unthinkable that Farage should have access to the executive organs of the state and national security information. Or be allowed to crush working peoples' lives for an ego trip. It is Labour's duty to stop him. Burnham is one of the most popular politicians in the country. So it has to be him.

Nigel Farage: I want to deport all non-white people Zack Polanski: I want poor people to have more money Keir Starmer: Both of these people are the same. I am very smart.

There's a sort of core to Labour support, of people who feel a genuine connection to the party and see voting for - even working with - those of other parties as a betrayal. This group seems chronically unable to understand that *even among historically reliable Labour voters* they're a minority

Further evidence for this piece - a newly elected Reform councillor called the Holocaust a hoax - silence from all the voices who have said the Green Party has an issue with antisemitism.

I’ve written up a Substack all about how the results from this year’s local elections suggest that the Greens are a bigger threat to Labour’s vote than Reform. We had evidence of this from the polling, and now it’s been reflected in election data. patrickenglish.substack.com/p/local-elec...

joanna cherry, ash regan, john mason, kate forbes, fergus ewing, jackie baillie, anas sarwar, jk rowling, can you hear me jk rowling? your boys took one hell of a beating! your boys took one hell of a beating!

It never ceases to amaze me how many election pundits don’t understand the dynamics of First Past the Post, and how vote-splitting works under the UK’s electoral system. John Curtice does. Listen to John Curtice.

Do you think we need a national debate about Proportional Representation? 🕚 If so, please follow and share: @makevotesmatter.bsky.social @electoralreform.bsky.social @ewanhoyle.bsky.social @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social @appgfairelections.bsky.social @getprdone.bsky.social

Two years into the 'ruthlessly focussed on winning' Starmer project and they still haven't brought back preferential voting for the mayoral contests.

All three council seats in Keir Starmer's own constituency have gone Green.

The Alternative Vote (AV) would destroy Reform UK. open.substack.com/pub/ewanhoyl...

Hello, person now living with a Reform-run council, Now is a good time to get involved with local voluntary organisations that provide essential services to your community, as they are very likely to have their funding reduced in the near future. Love, a person living with a Reform-run council.

This deserves to be circulated. A former Red Cross staff member got in touch. She testifies about @zackpolanski.bsky.social's role. For transparency: her name is Brea Thibodeau. The whole thing is a desperate smear.

Hello this is my precious baby, I can get pretty close to guaranteeing you this will have more information than any broadcaster source because I bet you they still, on the 7th devo election, won't break down the list results by constituency, which is *essential* information!

It was clear a year ago that Labour was neglecting its progressive flank and it shouldn’t have taken No 10 this long to recognise that reality.

Introducing the 2026 Local Elections results spreadsheet which works to report ward-level results alongside our ward-level maps. docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Just spoiled a ballot for the first time in my life. As a Green member who doesn't support independence, I resent the fact that Greens aren't standing in constituencies, and so the SNP will sweep the vast majority and claim a mandate for Indy. It's Brexit on stilts. Put a 4 and 5 next to Tories...

The main effect of multiparty politics on Britain is seemingly to replace two useless parties with five of them. These elections are an embarrassment inews.co.uk/opinion/fara...

Times headline "Muslim voters rank Gaza over the economy in local election poll" is reporting a poll where the top issue for [some] Muslim voters was the cost of living (50%) ahead of Gaza on 25% and economy on 21% Anti-Muslim hostility on 22% Times headline gives an entirely misleading impression

Dear Labour supporters. If you want to put me off voting Green rather than Labour, the key is *not* to attack the Greens, but to ask yourself why I, a life-long Labour supporter, who has voted Labour at every GE since 1983 (my first), can't support Labour. Look at yourselves. Look at your party.

Greens work harder to deliver for their communities. Vote Green on Thursday. 🗳️ ✅

We’ve officially arrived at “vote for us or else” as a political strategy. Cool. Cool. Cool.

I left Twitter/X because of the torrents of abuse, including antisemitic abuse. I've been on a few Palestine solidarity marches and I didn't experience any abuse at all, even when carrying a sign that mentions I'm Jewish. Remind me where antisemitism is breeding.

If your constituency voted for Brexit, your constituency should pay 100% of the cost of Brexit. That town down the road that voted against it, but still lost 8% of its income anyway? We’re adding an extra 8% to your taxes to compensate them. Because apparently that's "democratic consent" now.

A serious media system would not continue to platform someone like Melanie Phillips

Lots of misunderstanding about Wales’s new electoral system — how it works, what it takes to get elected, and especially around tactical voting. Partly to sort my own thinking, I put together something that tries to make sense of it. Proper write-up coming soon. jaclarner.github.io/jaclarner/bl...

Keir Starmer who 'accidentally' said Israel could cut off water +electricity to Gaza and 'accidentally' made the racist "Island of Strangers " speech is enraged by a Zack Polanski re-tweet.

Disquiet is the only instinctive reaction I want in my politicians on seeing video of police repeatedly booting a man in the head who is lying face down in the street. "Crack on" is not the instinctive reaction I want in politicians when asked if an occupying force can block access to water.

I'm very happy to make the arguement. The proposals are economically disasterous and will destroy our fiscal headroom. They are politically wrongheaded and are actively alienating the social liberals who vote for Labour. And they are morally wrong and undercut people who came here in good faith

Zing! Nice one.

"The US Supreme Court..has calculated that Magna Carta is cited in at least 160...cases since 1789, not least as the foundation of the principle that executive power is subject to checks and balances." A British King just rightly checked the entire Republican Party on the Floor of the House.

Oh dear god metro.co.uk/2026/04/23/s...

Just to be clear, the results of the YouGov poll I commissioned showed the Green Party as the first preference of 26% of respondents, and Reform UK as the last preference of 51% of respondents (weighted). Standard voting intention polls aren't showing you the full picture.

This alone is sufficient evidence for the UK to withdraw all co-operation with the Netanyahu regime. One-state solution administered initially by the UN. Wide-ranging prosecution of war criminals. Truth and reconciliation and de-radicalisation programs for all communities. Equal rights for all.

BBC News leading all its bulletins on demands by former Government advisor Lord Robertson for more defence spending, without at any point mentioning his current paid senior role for US defence lobbyists

The evidence shows that safe consumption rooms save lives and reduce the harm caused by drugs. We need to follow the evidence. That's why we're be pledging a fully-funded rollout of these services as just one part of the public health response to Scotland’s drugs crisis.

If this isn't justification for withdrawing permission for use of our airbases and airspace, expelling all UK-based American forces and their ambassador, and initiating war crimes investigations, when does that happen?

Zack Polanski talking his usual anti-American anti-Nato pacifist rubbish. ... Oh, I'm sorry, it appears to be President Macron. My bad.