Matthew Goodwin's selection may genuinely be the biggest unforced error in Farage's political career.

Very real risk he eats most of their literature.

One of those headlines that shows you are too online for even understanding.

At Fabian Conference, Lucy Powell just compared Keir Starmer to Pep Guardiola and Andy Burnham to Erling Haaland.

Oscars really decided to go big on horror. Success of Sinners (though I think that's horror-ish), Frankenstein, and even Amy Madigan for Weapons. Silence of the Lambs eat your heart out.

Only Oscars Best Picture nomination I've seen is Sinners, and yes it was good, but also not THAT good. Was enjoying the first half a lot more before [spoilers] happens.

Choosing to believe this is entirely Robert Jenrick's doing.

It is a testament to just how desirable the UK is culturally, strategically, financially, that we manage to muddle on through despite multiple attempts at self sabotage and years of bureaucratic malaise.

One incidental thing about Carney's speech, it really demonstrates the difference between a speech made of assertions and a speech making an actual political argument. Latter not something much of UK politics currently trades in.

It comes with a $1bn fee??

Increasingly impressed by Mark Carney.

Polanski is still acting like a student politician playing model UN, and is far too condescending in his behaviour for someone as clearly uninformed on as many of the issues he likes to pontificate on as he is.

The US Democrats don't seem to be appreciating how the current daily news cycle from Washington is going to impact their relations with the world whenever they re-enter the White House too.

Jenrick making Liz Truss look like a political virtuoso.

Senior Tories all defecting at once just when the party starts to stabilise in the polls

Its spiritual companion, the proposed True South flag for Antarctica, absolutely slaps.

Reminder that most political journeys and policy positions held by individuals don't make much sense from an outsider's perspective, it's only when you average them all out against each other that the trends look reasonably explainable and logical.

Re MP's use of short form video platforms, this event next week might be of interest - bsky.app/profile/smft...

This was our social campaign strategy in Richmond in 2024. You are either dealing with Reform controlled groups or anti politics groups and so candidates and MPs are restricted, you need a team of 10 minimum joining and posting in all groups daily really.

My first job in Westminster was as social media manager for an MP. At the time most understanding was very low, a friend differentiated between Facebook and Twitter strategy in his interview and was hired on the spot to a large extent only for having had the thought.

The rhetoric used about Reform and public opinion in the press would suggest a party at 34% or 44%, not 24%.

Pretty clear from this that the trigger for the end of post WW2 absence of the hard right in Europe was the 2008 crash, after which it began to rise and never stopped. Also clear the inverse relationship between the success of hard right and conservative parties is a near perfect mirror.

Personally enjoyed the Stranger Things finale a lot. Some slightly dodgy exposition as per, but some lovely stuff in there too.

Sadiq's commitment to the bit remains exceptional.

Congratulations to Ms Springsteen and Mr Z on their lucrative partnership.

Why does no good mash up of Anxiety and Somebody I Used To Know exist yet

Who says you can't accomplish anything at Christmas? I finally beat Baldur's Gate 3 for the first time today after 110 total hours and for some demented reason now just want to start all over again.

A pub quiz where the only question involves being given this map and having to draw the rest in.

Definitely one for Bluesky

I know I listen to a lot of Europop but I have literally no idea what Italo Dance is.

So I'm just back from Wicked For Good, and my flaming hot take is that it is a Western movie in disguise. Walking away into the sunset, showdown in the middle of a morally questionable town, the noble outlaw, the racist sheriff etc. The tropes are all there!

"The Rest is Science, Michael here with Hannah Fry. Fry. The act of cooking that typically utilises a pan and a hob. Hob. Hub. A place that things collect. Collect. Connect. CONNECTION. How things relate to one another. Did you know there are more atoms in the universe than goalhanger podcasts?"

People like explanations with counter measures, something can always be done to prevent the cause behind bad things, not just the events themselves. But for a large number of people their alienation is of their own making and some acts of extremism would be happening in harmonious societies too.

Should go a bit left field with it so its not accused of being an imperfect copy by going for previous winners. Stacey Dooley and Bill Bailey.

Ring Doorbells being affected by the AWS shutdown is vindication for every canvasser.

I have finally 100%ed Silksong and can now say unequivocally that it's better than Hollow Knight by one notch across every single metric and all the complaints about difficulty, runbacks, diagonal pogo, currency etc etc etc are not only not a problem, but actively make the game better.

Apropos of mostly nothing, I do feel like when nobody in politics talks about personal responsibility, and the broad right has truly given up on it, the gap between what is achievable in politics and what people think is achievable in politics just balloons beyond management and populism explodes.

What five events defined your childhood? In chronological order Developing an acute addiction to buying Yugioh cards Going to a melting pot comp school Beginning drumming lessons New Labour's School Rebuilding Programme Local music centre being threatened with closure from Osborne austerity

Having got to the end of Act 2, can now confidently say the Silksong is a masterpiece by the way.

South Korea really seems intent on putting all other world political domestic crises in perspective.

Whereas Hollow Knight movement/battles felt like paragliding with sword combat, Silksong feels like dancing with kung fu.

Faro. Airy, quick, and about 50% chance on any given day in Summer that you bump into a member of the England Squad.

The 2010 to 2015 era of Labour Party history looking more dignified and respectable by the hour.

Watched five masked kids try to knick a parked motorbike today while sat outside a bar. One who unlocked it and tried to kick start it crashed it within 10 feet, got leapt on by four blokes, his friends ran, and after demasking it turned out he was about 15 and had *a broken right arm in a cast*.

God knows how these parents would have reacted to Baldur's Gate 3.

Reminded quite acutely today of how much of a complete sewer the other place is.

Now even Popbitch has become bad, is there a single genuinely good gossip/diary piece published anywhere in the UK?

Only "single moment" answer here is the crash, and refusal to make use of the ultra low borrowing costs to that marked the entire period of austerity to invest.

They don't say this stuff because they are unaware it is not true.