The Abbey of San Pietro in Vale, Ferentillo, looking splendid today as it's reopened following two years of closure and restoration.

Donald got trumped!

Rutte praises Trump??? Can we get rid of him?!

Two interesting pieces side by side in Today's Guardian: Aditya Chakrabortty on a divided nation post Brexit and Nathalie Tucci on Europe's "liberation" from the US. Though the former is rather depressing about continued division (and the growth in racism) in the UK, 1/3

Only now do they question his mental state?? "Unhinged madman" describes him perfectly and implementing the 25th amendment is long overdue. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

It's Trump who is holding the entire world to random, not Iran. The US should be ostracised and the King most definitely should NOT be visiting! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

When do we declare the USA to be an enemy state, I wonder? If the senile orange madman carries on like this, I suspect cancellation of the King's visit is going to be very hard to avoid. www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Of course Farage cries foul when things don't go his way: he's following his orange hero's playbook. There do send to be real questions to be asked of these "volunteers." Their actions seem to me to be, at best, irresponsible. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

I generally avoid listening to Trump if I possibly can but I caught him as I was driving this afternoon. He sounded totally deranged and, frankly, senile in his press conference this afternoon. When, O Lord? When?

Well said, Richard Hermer. It's hard to see who is the bigger hater: Badenoch or Farage. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

First Trump says, re Karg Island, that he'll bomb it "just for fun." Now he says he can do "anything I want" with regard to Cuba. At some point the world has got to stand up and stop this madman. He's pushing us perilously close to WW3.

18 months ago this was an unusable space which lay at 45°. After a lot of hard work (and expense) it's finally beginning to look like a real garden. I'm enjoying it immensely. One needs all the pleasure one can get at the moment.

Anyone in the Chelmsford area on 28th March, I'm coming over to be the baritone soloist in the Brahms Requiem. It would be lovely to see you!

I see that stock markets have plunged the world over as oil goes over $100 a barrel. If Trump plays true to form I expect he'll buy millions of shares, declare an end to the war and then make a mint when the markets rise. He is a truly disgusting example of humanity.

Well Trump can f... right off. What he means is that the US is not what it was. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

I'm not sure whether I should say what I really want to say but it involves a four letter Anglo Saxon word, followed by Trump, Netanyahu and, I fear, the UK government. Blair's reputation never recovered after Iraq. I think the same is about to happen to Starmer.

This makes me weep. www.theguardian.com/music/2026/f...

I remember thinking, when Thatcher announced the privatisation of the water industry, that it was a privatisation too far. I really hope this gets people very, very angry indeed. That woman's legacy is one of pure disaster. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

These two women are suing Andrew Tate, alleging he raped them. Here they visit the social media companies that created Tate. Please share. *one voice altered to disguise identity

🔥 Caroline Lucas: "Your position is utterly incoherent." 🔵 "We've got a party that pretends to be an insurgent party, an anti establishment, anti-elite party, and yet it's stuffed full of old Tory retreads." 🤔 "I mean, it just doesn't add up."

Mark Rutte is either a fantasist or a sycophant. Maybe both. He's certainly not doing Europe any favours at NATO.

Baccalà in umido (salted cod in sauce). One of the great pleasures of Italian cooking which I don't think I would have known about if I didn't live here. Really easy to prepare, and absolutely delicious.

Keir Starmer is reported as saying that aiming to join the single market would be more helpful now than the customs union. But the SM means accepting freedom of movement. I thought that was one of his ridiculous red lines? I mean: good if he believes this, and that is the outcome.

I begin to wonder whether Trump's got something on Starmer. I can't come up with any other reason for him being so ready to be Trump's lickspittle. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

What's Farage's response going to be to this news, I wonder? Will anyone tell Trump, Musk and Vance so that they stop lying about London and the UK?? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

This is probably the end of the Tory Party as a serious party of government. People have been moving away from them for years because of their rightward drift. I think this will only accelerate if she continues on this direction. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

In a move which must surprise no-one, Cruella Braverman defects to Reform. Now that it's packed with the very people who broke Britain, why would anyone vote for them?

With all the shit going on in the world (mostly Trump inspired) I've been grateful this week to be involved in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Assisi. This view greeted me as I returned to my car this evening. I'm so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world. No

Really? I'm sure we all remember watching those body bags being unloaded at Wootton Bassett. Time to just ignore this total cunt. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

#peaceboard ##ethniccleansing

The US won the war?? In whose universe? They only got involved once they were attacked themselves, after the UK & Commonwealth had single handedly kept the Nazis at bay. The man is not only deluded and, quite probably, certifiably mad; he's a total cunt.

Carney is rapidly turning into the new leader of the free world. Will Starmer heed his call? www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Starmer's speech yesterday doesn't look quite so statesman-like now. When is he going to stop appeasing the dictator in the White House? Has he not studied history??? www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Nothing to add to this www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I read that there's talk of Cruella Braverman defecting to Reform. I understand that there's already a lot of disquiet (anger) about the number of failed Tories joining; to say nothing about the brown faces (it is, after all, a racist party). Could this be an unintentional Trojan Horse for Farage?

The US really is fucked. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

What a joke. Any feelings of support I may have had for Machado have well and truly disappeared. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Mandelson has always been a slippery piece of s..t. He epitomised the divorce of the Labour Party from its roots, and from its job if governing for the benefit of all: particularly the deprived and left behind. He's a Tory in all but name & his appointment by Starmer spoke volumes.

Novgorod Nigel doing what he does best: shilling for the Kremlin. #Farage #Putin #Hawhaw

From an opinion piece by Rafael Behr in today's Guardian: "Starmer's determination never too choose (between Trump and the EU) amounts to acceptance that vital choices for Britain will be made by others." Indeed.

This may be the only positive outcome of the Orange Shit's invasion of Venezuela: oil prices have fallen, which will put further strain on the Russian economy. How much longer can they keep going?

Listening to some US government spokesman on the radio. No, you're not protecting your people against drugs: it's just naked imperialism.

Once again our pathetic, brown-nosing PM refuses to condemn Trump for a blatant breach of international law. Maduro may be appalling and illegitimately holding power but that does not give Trump the right to invade a sovereign nation. Where does it end? Ukraine, Venezuela: What's the difference?

The US is a rogue state which needs completely isolating by the rest of the world. When the USSR invaded Afghanistan the west was quick to impose sanctions and to boycott the Moscow Olympics. It's time for other world leaders to grow a pair and do likewise to Trump's USA.

A very wintry good morning. 10am and it's -3°. This was normal 20 years ago but it's years since we've had such cold weather in December. Trump world probably say it proves that global warming doesn't exist!

Reading the latest YouGov poll, I see Reform are down to 25%, with Labour and Tories both on 19% and Greens and LibDems both on 15%. Imagine a LibDem -Green coalition in charge. Impossible? Or finally something to hope for?

Why isn't displaying Nazi symbolism illegal in the UK? Just think of all those Tommy supporters who'd have to get their tattoos removed! www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Who'd have thought it? Tariffs damage exports because no-one wants to buy US goods. Voting for Trump doesn't seem such a good idea now; certainly not if you live in Kentucky. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

What a pathetic excuse of a human being Kemi Badenoch is. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...