Revealing to watch Farage trying to serve two masters in his remarks today on Greenland.

It seems to me that many Dems in US & politicians in general in UK are sufficiently scarred by primarily two past events - Trump's '24 victory for the former & Brexit for the latter (both signifiers for broader phenomena) that they may be struggling to perceive significant change & opportunity.

It’s revealing that Farage backed out of going on BBC’s Sun am show this wk. Trump’s increasing extremism is a problem for him. It also offers Labour/Starmer a route to reset terms of U.K./EU debate & their challenge to Reform. Whether Starmer/Lab can see this is another question.

When someone like Hunt says he can’t believe Trump would actually seize Greenland I really wonder if he’s been paying attention to the first year of the Administration.

Give him Rockall and tell him it is Greenland.

Greetings Friends! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 16th Jan 2026, or, The ICE Remains Unchecked Edition… (1/57)

A Tory spokesperson goes in two-footed: "Reform is fast becoming the party of has-been politicians looking for their next gravy train. Their latest recruit used to say he'd be 'frightened to live in a country' run by Nigel Farage, which shows the level of loyalty for sale."

Farage and Reform ought to get a much harder time from the media over the fact that they are becoming ever more a home for disgraced former ministers of the last disastrous government. It ought to present something of a challenge to their claim to be different/fresh etc.

I’d love to know why the BBC have got rid of the Counterpoint studio audience for the new series - just a complete lack of atmosphere now.

Bridge Into the Woods is excellent. A very strong ensemble and well conceived and directed production. Had tears in my eyes in the second half as usual. Highly recommended.

Hi there and hello and Happy New Year! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 9th Jan 2026, or, The Trump Administration Unrestrained Edition… (1/67)

NT Playboy of the Western World: Another underwhelming show from the new regime. Baffled as to why this was revived - struck me as a muddled, dull interpretation. Yet another intrusive overdone soundscape. The Pagan-like interludes were just bizarre.

It’s bizarrely presented here (& annoyingly broken into 2 parts since BBC radio appears to think nobody can cope with long form drama) but amazingly it seems R4 are doing a version of 1776 as part of their 250 Declaration series: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Greeting Friends! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 19th Dec 2025, or The Flirting with War Edition… (1/34)

My thoughts (a considerable number of them) on the Royal Opera's new Ariodante: www.wheresrunnicles.com/2025/12/ario...

I expected the ENO English translation to echo in my ears at Ariodante. I didn’t expect so many images from it to come back to my mind. To the detriment I’m afraid of Mijnssen’s new ROH production.

Hi there and hello! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 12th Dec 2025, or The Just Because I Narrated this Anti Vaccine Documentary Doesn’t Mean I Agree With It… (1/41)

A “Reform vs Not Reform” strategy is only going to work for Labour if they are seen as credibly “not Reform” by LD/Green curious voters. Every hardline intervention on immigration weakens that credibility but without persuading Reform curious voters.

The RSC have shown they can operate without the Barbican. The loss of the unusual in international theatre that Barbican still programmes will leave a big gap. Biggest problem at first glance looks to be for LSO: www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

ROH Last Days: Surprised this has merited such a swift revival. The ensemble does their best but for an opera there was for me a fatal lack of drama.

As a regular customer I’m finding the overly complex processes London theatre & opera venues seem to increasingly put you through in order to share tickets really quite irritating.

Greetings Friends! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 5th Dec 2025, or, The It Was Definitely Legal But If It Wasn’t It Was All the Admiral’s Idea Edition… (1/47)

I’m probably influenced by my recollections of Fein’s Oklahoma (wch I really disliked) but the new publicity image for his upcoming Bridge Into the Woods is making me worry that he thinks it’s a horror movie (it really isn’t).

Hi there and hello! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 28th Nov 2025, or The Redefining Sedition Edition… (1/35)

Greetings friends! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 22nd Nov 2025, or The Voyage Round the Cabinet Table Edition… (1/73)

Reading 2025: Devoured Tim Parks’s The Hero’s Way this week. Really felt I was walking with him and with Garibaldi. Occasionally dissented over his Brexit asides. Also wonderful on contradictions & gaps in the historical record. Highly recommended.

Apologies to regular readers of the US Politics Thread - we’ll be publishing on Saturday this week owing to commitments this evening.

A government of “foundational ineffectiveness”. A brilliant evisceration of the current govt from Ian Dunt: iandunt.substack.com/p/a-clown-go...

The whole ENO situation remains a mess. A small one in the grand scheme of things but as with many larger foul ups inherited from the previous govt not one the current govt seems prepared to do anything sensible to sort out: www.eno.org/press/englis...

My thoughts on the National Theatre's Hamlet: www.wheresrunnicles.com/2025/11/haml...

EIF site still down but the BBC seems to have the details - partnership with Avignon promising. Return of Berlin Phil notable. Ballo in Maschera looks like it’s directed by Adele Thomas (recent Glynde Semele underwhelming).

Been wondering what's going on with the EIF announcement that was trailed for today (when they're going to tell us what they're actually staggering booking for). No sign of anything so far except that the website's gone down!

Years ago I read Judith Kerr’s When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. Now I’ve finally got round to the sequel Bombs on Aunt Dainty. Moving & v powerful - particularly reading it while the govt unveils its latest anti-immigrant policies.

NT Hamlet: A lot goes wrong in the second half. The fact I felt compelled to stop and check with an usher that i hadn’t imagined the direction of Polonius’s death…one of the most baffling things I’ve seen for some time. Play within play ludicrous.

Hi there and hello! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 14th Nov 2025, or, The There’s Nothing to See Here Please Move Along Edition. (1/46)

I agree. But in order to make any progress there would have to be an agreement for major change to the REF. There seems to be no sector will to pursue this (& the union also seems uninterested in pushing for this):

I have written at length to explain why I think the Edinburgh International Festival's decision (announced in the Members newsletter last week) to open booking for selected events before the full programme is publicly available is mistaken: www.wheresrunnicles.com/2025/11/stag...

Greetings Friends! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 7th Nov 2025, or, The Obviously Grocery Prices are Way Down Edition…(1/58)

Personal archive note. When I started doing the US Politics Thread back in 2022 I didn’t always save a copy of the start of thread link. Have just realised that as I‘ve done little on Facebook except cross-post it’s fairly easy job to recover the links to early threads. Pleased.

Just received an email from the Edinburgh International Festival informing me that a selection of perfs will go on sale later this month. Staggered booking was a daft idea when Linehan proposed it for 2016 & had to walk it back. It is no better an idea now. EIF should reconsider.

V good on the ground reporting on the flag raisers: manchestermill.co.uk/the-men-who-...

Donmar The Maids: Despite the efforts of the ensemble I wasn‘t persuaded by the updating (the ending in particular just seemed bizarre). Overblown production wch as so often lately hindered rather than helped the drama.

It's been another heavy week at the day job but my evening has just been made by managing to pick up 5 of the BBC Classic Who novels I don't currently have in my collection at bargain prices from the Oxfam shop website. Slowly filling the collection gaps.

Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 31st Oct 2025, or, The For Sale. One Army. Only One Previous Owner. Anonymous Bids Welcome Edition… (1/47)

An excellent afternoon of escapism watching Back to the Future with live orchestral score courtesy of the RPO at the Royal Albert Hall.

Hi there and hello! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 24th Oct 2025, or, The It’s My House And I Can Do What I Like To It But I’m Definitely Not Behaving Like A King Edition…(1/73)

If any followers happen to spot anything on Ag Sec Rollins's plan for the US beef industry that analyses the plan in depth (rather than just describing what's in it) & gives some context/comparison to current arrangements please do alert me to it.

Not at all enthused after sitting through the Bridge's Lady from the Sea at the weekend about the prospect of Simon Stone returning to the venue in 2026...

An excellent thread on the Lam proposals:

People who have come to the United Kingdom legally, played by the rules and made it their home do not need to “go home”. This is their home. I've written to Kemi Badenoch to give her the chance to reject these divisive calls from her frontbencher Katie Lam.