Labour lost almost four times as many voters to the Greens as they did to Reform UK in the local elections, according to new YouGov polling

Angela Rayner was dragged through every front page for weeks... HMRC's verdict: NOT deliberate. NOT even careless. Farage pockets £5 million and chooses not to declare it So where's the wall-to-wall coverage? Tell me this isn't a rigged game.

Nuance like this thoughtful, insightful piece is exactly what we need right now -

Should be mandatory reading in the UK. US commentators noting what some of us have been shouting about for at least 2 years -

1. The 2026 election Labour bloodbath was, arguably, McSweeney's final legacy - the roll out, in real time, of a country infuriated by Blue Labour's pathological hatred of the left and it's dogged, truly vote-shedding move to the right. The price has been paid.

I've thought through causes of the UKs political malaise: FPTP, the effects of economic crises, social media, far-right infiltration ... Causation is rarely unitary, but I now see the ability of our poorly regulated press to destroy politicians at will & determine election outcomes as pivotal.

westenglandbylines.co.uk/politics/cro... We hope some huge scandal will engulf Reform, or that, strained by the weight of Farage’s ego, the party will combust. But we can’t afford to sit back with crossed fingers. Election piece by Claire Jones for WEB, Left Foot Forward & Bearly Politics

The UK is holding local elections, today. ..... all I can think about is what Douglas Adams wrote of lizards.

That old amnesia again! Such a problem!

Melania Trump, "Most know my husband as the strong commander in chief, but his empathy transcends the role" The crowd starts laughing

"They perceive us, frankly, like we perceive them – as ill-informed, dangerously manipulated by propaganda, and a threat." By Claire Jones -

Why isn’t progressive messaging cutting through - despite all the facts being on our side? This piece from our regular contributor, @claireaj.bsky.social, argues the problem might not be the evidence, but the audience.

P

In an industry where 54% of publications are run by males, we are proud to say that 80% of our Editors-in-Chief across all 10 of our publications are not male. We are also proud to champion female voices, including this upcoming webinar on April 15th at 7 pm. www.tickettailor.com/events/bylin...

"Their workaday ennui only emphasises my own silent trepidation as I walk the final leg from safety to uncertainty" by Claire Jones

"All parties need ideological gurus, but it is a mistake to take them as seriously as they take themselves, or as a reliable predictor of policy. Their task is akin to that of a padre in a Marine battalion, adding a veneer of dignity and moral purpose to the bloody task of fighting the enemy." 👏👏👏

Why is this space mission different from all other space missions? In today's newsletter, the role of 'columnist desperately searching for an angle' will be played by me.

www.facebook.com/share/r/18Dx... ICE update

If flying is statistically safe, why does it feel anything but? This contribution from @claireaj.bsky.social captures the tension between fear and awe at 30,000 feet - and why our brains are perfectly capable of holding both at once.

we really are badly underestimating the parallels between Trumpworld and the UK's current highest polling party. Arguably, this is one of the most dangerous links of all - westenglandbylines.co.uk/politics/hum...

"Like Trump, he wants to be a cult leader insulated from the brutal, humbling process of electoral politics – willing to deploy the power of the state to silence dissenters." Important wake-up piece by Sam Bright on Farage / Trump parallels open.substack.com/pub/writesbr...

Since Facebook is blocking this Insta clip, I'm just gonna quietly put it here instead - US planes loaded with bombs taking off from RAF Fairford. Gloucestershire, UK www.instagram.com/reel/DWG4zBZ...

The Government needs to realise more regulation won’t fix our broken water system. We need to kick financial predators out & take it back into public control. But don’t just take it from me. Listen to a sewage campaigner who inspired Channel 4’s ‘Dirty Business’. @windrushwasp.bsky.social

Read this headline. Now read it again. Now read it again. You are not alarmed enough. It is later than you think. 🇺🇸 deadline.com/2026/03/trum...

BYLINES NETWORK, MAKING SENSE OF OUR TIMES POWER, PEOPLE & DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA Mike Galsworthy, in conversation with: Alexandra Hall Hall, Former UK diplomat, Washington DC Anouska de Georgiou, Epstein survivor Ben Meiselas, Meidas Touch Network LIVESTREAM WEBINAR Sign up here bit.ly/bookBN

More Epstein files consequences land. Bonus: article contains the phrase "Lords behaving badly" which is surely a rule 34 exception (do not google that)

For International Womens Day, Claire Jones exlores Reform's Epsteinian outlook and calls for women from across the political spectrum to come together to halt this poisonous backward slide on human rights - westenglandbylines.co.uk/politics/hum...

Two more deaths in ICE custody were reported this week, including a refugee who died after an untreated toothache. buff.ly/V4e2eYc

“Brexit.. caused the biggest voluntary loss of rights in British history, and economically was somewhere on the spectrum between a mistake and a disaster… The old voted to jeopardise the economic prospects of the young.” www.theguardian.com/inequality/2...

@lgbtiscotland.bsky.social westenglandbylines.co.uk/politics/hum... "Reform policy creators are re-positioning society in ways that orientate male thinking towards a future of increased sexual abuse" Claire Jones writes for West England Bylines to commemorate International Womens Day -

westenglandbylines.co.uk/politics/hum... "Reform policy creators are re-positioning society in ways that orientate male thinking towards a future ofj increased sexual abuse" Claire Jones writes for West England Bylines to commemorate International Womens Day -

The name of Trump's latest military foray reminds us they are a bunch of small boys drunk on power. ‘Operation Epic Fury’ is the kind of name my lads would have given their garden war games with Lego helicopters & Playmobile warships. Except they were 7yrs & didn't wipe out a classroom of kids.

Brainwashing, 2026 edition. This paper shows how X's algorithmic feed shifts people's views rightwards. It's a sophisticated, highly effective form of reorientation. And it is utterly chilling. If you're still on that platform, unhook yourself now. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

I hate to have to ask but, frankly, what are the chances of women and girls not being subject to varying kinds of abuse at the detention centres, some of it along Epstein lines (see, e.g. growing allegations regarding Dilly's Blue Butterfly Zones)?

NEW: Judges are asking increasingly pointed questions about why ICE is detaining pregnant/nursing mothers — and whether a 2021 policy sharply restricting the practice remains in force. They’ve ordered many released, warning of threats to safety/health. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

This is an incredible piece by @smencimer.bsky.social that really gets to the heart of—and the numbers that demonstrate—how terribly Trump is screwing over the communities that offered him the most support

guys if I'm murdered please don't turn it into interpretive dance I don't want that

Great summary of how economic inequality leads to plutocracy which in turn leads to democratic atrophy. According to the author, we need policy mechanisms to interrupt the cycle -

Britain is sliding backwards into open racism. Can we reverse this tragic shift?"" By Claire Jones. Full article in link - westenglandbylines.co.uk/politics/imm...

"... The terrible duo, or one of them, would be taking over at just such a volatile point. Authoritarians win using charisma, gaslighting, and lies, but stay by installing fear ..." By Claire Jones. Full article in link: westenglandbylines.co.uk/politics/ame...

From @wired.com: “Federal records reveal ICE is secretly expanding into 150+ facilities across nearly every state — many near schools, medical offices, and places of worship… DHS asked the General Services Administration to hide lease listings and bypass normal procedures…”🤔

Absolutely spot on. Trump’s transactional and feral nature is so unpredictable (and voters are so complacent about democracy enduring because they’ve ever known different) that he can flip and promise the opposite of any previous policy just so that enough people will decide to vote for him again.

"... The terrible duo, or one of them, would be taking over at just such a volatile point. Authoritarians win using charisma, gaslighting, and lies, but stay by installing fear ..." By Claire Jones. Full article in link: westenglandbylines.co.uk/politics/ame...

My latest - Is America enduring a "wild last-ditch attempt to salvage a failing administration or is neo-fascism tightening its grip in preparation for the midterms?" Full article in link - westenglandbylines.co.uk/politics/ame...

Britain is sliding backwards into open racism. Can we reverse this tragic shift?"" By Claire Jones. Full article in link - westenglandbylines.co.uk/politics/imm...