Regret to inform you that heresy is, apparently on the march in East London.

A lot of political coverage also tends towards being framed like sports or showbiz coverage.

We had months of discussion about "there might be a hung parliament" when Labour were polling 20pts ahead

Yes - Reform's success relies on both "Immigration should be lower than 2023 levels" and "Return to 1950s demographics" voters thinking they are going to deliver for them.

And in the short term at least, if you wanted a conservative immigration policy, migrants from close to parity economies who could come and grow freely was probably the best way of doing it.

Feel like the ultimate story of the fakeness of cancel culture was that influencer who used a slur while singing along to a song, got backlash, spun it rapidly into being a rwing tradlife influencer, then they turned on her after convincing themselves she was secretly Jewish.

There's a point in every scam where the victim goes in double because it is psychologically easier than admitting they've been had.

ATS has always seemed like a terrible idea to me for anything except the most generic roles, or basic of filters. You are basically marking people on whether they have learned the rules of a game they may not even know exists.

Saw a shot of Westboro Baptist Church protesting(?) the Kirk event. Feels like a real deep cut for mad Americana fans

So google maps updated some satellite footage, here’s one single Ukrainian village. One out of thousands

Reviewed Nick Clegg’s book. Didn’t think much of it, except for: “Nadine Dorries, while secretary of state for the department overseeing the internet, ‘once called me in high dudgeon, demanding to know why I hadn’t taken down tweets … I had to explain to her that Twitter was a different company’.”

So as a bit of an FCDO website nerd, I can confirm Palestine has been added to the list of countries. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Tadej Pogačar 🤝 Rishi Sunak Rwanda plan not working

Perhaps similarly, I think this is why a lot of political comedy falls flat because to properly lampoon something you have to both understand it and have a bit of affection for it.

John posting his Ws

Always feel slightly weird doing the 🚨personal news🚨 thing, but anyway, I am somewhat excited to be starting a masters in International Security and Global Governance at Birkbeck this coming week.

Comeback's on, lads.

Drums, flags, orange - are the Lib Dems tilting into Ulster Unionism?

Do think a real risk for Reform is ending up as biggest opposition party after 2029 and then having five years of a parliamentary party unravelling without having even tasted power.

Rip Edmund Burke, you would have loved "Marie Antoinette Style" at the V&A

Taken me a while, but here is a summary of all the death and destruction I have managed to find this morning. Russia's huge attack, a spit in the eye for those who want peace, has killed 3 and injured 28, but numbers may rise. #RussiaIsATerroristState

Meanwhile in Downing Street:

Not to excuse these companies at all, but if you are publicly posting images of your school age children fully publicly you are at best naive in the extreme.

The right shouldn't be looking to unite with the far right.

At this point it looks more intentional than reckless.

Ok, but who on the left of British politics has both the power and incentive to make this lot act like a bunch of massive tits?

Why is he holding his glasses like he's been cast in a Demon Headmaster reboot?

I maybe have too free of a morning.

NEW BLOGPOST Tory-Reform defections are increasing, and the Cons should be worried. Not because of the value of the "talent" they are losing, but because it's market signal that they are no longer the party to build a career with on the right. open.substack.com/pub/joxleywr...

Hope I'm not doing the redoubtable @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk a disservice by saying this would be a great piece to kick off a UG seminar discussion on UK/US relations. Also full of excellent quote for anyone setting an essay and wanting a 'Discuss' question.

@stephenkb.bsky.social, this you?

Political parties being run as limited companies, especially with the political protagonists as company officers, does raise some interesting issue when company law will apply to them.

We *really* need to reinstall moral virtue on the right. Even if you dont think the Tate's are criminals, their wider (admitted and celebrated) treatment and attitude towards women is utterly reprehensible. They are scum and the modern right is trying to rehabilitate them.

HMK is also not wearing a "formal tuxedo", because (1) a tuxedo is a semi-formal outfit and (2) what he is wearing is not a tuxedo, it is a tailcoat THE VERY THING A TUXEDO WAS INVENTED NOT TO BE.

look, it is comforting to think that your political opponents are, at the end of the day, just people like you who really want us all to live together as Americans. it's just very obviously not *true* in MAGA's case, as you can tell through, well, what they say and do.

Really enjoyed this conversation - hopefully you'll enjoy listening to it.

Gatwick-Alicante, 8ish on a Friday morning. We were the only people on the flight not on a stag or hen.

I spoke to 'the only Tory on Bluesky' @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk about what's become of his party. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/b...

"When I became Prime Minister I took the view that it was time to understand a little less and condemn a little more. By that I meant that we shouldn’t explain away why people commit crime. We should just say bluntly: “it’s wrong”." - John Major, 1995

Wu‐Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit

Mis-read this at first as an "extra-large gourd", as though we had rustled one up from a village show.

They just hit a university

[me, a journalist who spends all day every day on a social media app where the discovery algorithm is personally controlled by its owner, captain birdseye] you know, a lot of people are talking about fish fingers, we should probably cover that

These words from a Tory activist in Kruger's seat deserve some attention.

TLDR: Make racism shameful again. While you’re at it add fascism too.

A sizeable chunk of anti-Trump sentiment in Britain and Europe is snobbery and anti-Americanism before it is anti-MAGA