The Trump Doctrine: 1. America First - ex the 50%+ who vote DEM or Trump look different 2. Hard right friends and autocrats Second - Russia, Argentina, Hungary, China, North Korea, Israel current regime 3. Democracies and allies Third - NATO, Canada, EU, UK, Switzerland, Denmark, South Africa!

The world’s worst ventriloquist act. Wiggy and Bob.

Putin will be laughing his head off. NATO includes non-aligned Turkey. Trump has no intention of sanctioning Russia and has found a formulation to point the finger elsewhere. Despicable. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tube strike hell, Richmond Park. 😊

Well worth reading. Suggests Labour has nothing to lose by taking Brexit head on to shore up its core vote and improve the economy. Aping Farage only strengthens his minority support. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A sustained period of net emigration.

BBC News platforms a climate sceptic on Radio 4 World at One to back up Reform’s questionable view that fossil fuels are cheaper than renewables. The fact she also disputes global warming should be mentioned as essential context. www.desmog.com/2023/06/22/c...

Er, no.

'This isn't a football match. This is people's lives.' Francesca Albanese pushes back against the tendency to brand people 'pro-Palestine' or 'pro-Israel', telling @mrjamesob.bsky.social that 'one injustice does not justify more injustice.'

BBC news seems to have adopted what I presume is the government’s distinction between those crossing in small boats and ‘genuine asylum seekers’. They should reconsider, not least given the proportion of the latter who have their asylum claims approved.

Irvine Welsh (Trainspotting) nails the new addiction.

The Rainmaker returns www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Jeremy Corbyn has powerful backers.

This is deeply worrying.

This is spot on. Farage goes from strength to strength because his opponents think their best line of attack is to wear his clothes. 🤦

It will probably come as no surprise to anyone that Brexit has been slammed as a 'complete disaster' that 'ruined most of the country' in a poll marking nine years since the UK voted to leave the EU www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

What a joke.

Republicans' Big Ugly Bill is about one thing: taking away programs that give American families a HAND UP in hard times, to pay for a HAND OUT for the richest people on the planet. It's immoral and wrong. House Members must vote NO.

We’re going to have to take on the vested interests, says Farage, a millisecond after pledging loyalty to the fossil fuel lobby.

"Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has told an audience in Dublin that Brexit was the single stupidest thing any country has ever done." ~AA www.rte.ie/news/busines...

The South London Riviera. ☀️ 🌊

My @prospectmagazine.co.uk column from earlier this year on Trump “joking” about being a king. He means it, on a legal-constitutional analysis of his actions. He really believes all power flows from him. #NoKings www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...

#NoKings protest in Philadelphia

Is the AUKUS submarine review linked to the consequences America threatened when Britain, Australia and others announced sanctions on extremist Israeli cabinet members? Either way, Trump’s talk of a “kill switch” on planes provided to allies would make me think twice about ordering subs.

Sources said that even at the start of his second term, Trump was discussing with multiple advisers where & when it would make sense to send in federal troops, either for supposed crime control or in response to larger-scale public activism against his agenda. 🔗 www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Never post when drunk.

Checking in on our American cousins. Republican speaker calling to mind KKK punishments? Just fine. 🙈

And he describes other sovereign nations sanctioning Israeli far right ministers as “overreach”, saying the US will respond (in)appropriately.

I preferred “When they go low, we go high.” 😦

Pathetic British parody act rips off pathetic American parody act.

Was genuinely confused by the Kemi Badenoch speech yesterday. One minute Reform was just another left wing party wanting to increase welfare spending. The next she claimed victory for the Conservatives in getting winter fuel payments restored. 😵‍💫

There should be a national Brexit enquiry. Perfect vehicle for a much needed manifesto U-turn. 👏

Chilling threat from Putin’s spokesman.

Painting the last few figures before Against the Giants, a Gary Gygax classic I last played in 1980. Fighting might not be the best strategy, guys. #DnD #5e #Minatures

The results of our latest Eurobarometer are in. Europe remains engaged, optimistic, and united! ⬇️

Dystopian www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

🚨🚨Great @newsagents.bsky.social talk between @eddavey.libdems.org.uk and @maitlis.bsky.social. ED:" I think the customs union is the first big step, that would make a major difference to our industry, really boost growth". EM: "And if it is the fingers up to Donald Trump, so be it" ED: "Yeah".

Beware #sanewashing.

🚨🚨 I would like to say I am surprised but this devastating policy move by the #Trump administration is largely in line with its ongoing authoritarian crackdown on science, democracy, rule of law and all other values we hold dear in a modern liberal society. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

There is a horseshoe dynamic when it comes to Brexit supporting academics. In the 1990s right-wing scholars shifted from anti-Communism to viewing the EU as USSR 2.0 while left-wing ones portrayed the EU as a imperialist capitalist project. By the 2010s they were agreeing with each other on panels

New YouGov poll: - 66% would support the UK having closer relationship with the EU - This includes half of both Leave (52%) and Reform UK (54%) voters - Majority (53%) support Britain rejoining the European Union - Six in ten believe Brexit has been more of a failure than a success

🚨🚨OK, so let us take a step back and then review carefully what was actually agreed today between the EU and the UK. Tldr; small minor nibbles around the corner of the basic Frost-Johnson TCA deal which remain the cornerstone of the relationship. 🧵 ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

This is a superb new resource about rejoining the EU. rejoin.info It takes all the thorny questions, and the objections and obstacles people throw in the way of rejoining, and tackles each one slowly, factually and calmly. Bottom line: we can rejoin. It won't necessarily take a very long time.

Succinctly put. Labour hasn’t built a counter narrative and is stuck with apeing its opponents.

This is how Conservative/Reform gets in at the next election. Natural Labour voters will stay home. People who like the new rhetoric won’t vote Labour anyway.

The headline doesn’t quite capture the furious, biting sarcasm of this piece by @mrjohncrace.bsky.social - which is definitely worth a few minutes of your time www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

And politically stupid, too. Alienates core vote (& they do have places to go) in pursuit of votes he'll rarely get, & demolishes his core policy agenda of growth, making his re-election more unlikely. Even those (inc. me) willing to cut him a lot of slack feel betrayed. A truly awful day for UK.

This is Labour's core problem here. The right will never allow Starmer a win on immigration because the issue is central to their appeal and therey' daren't lose it. So whatever he does will never be enough.

What can we call this US-UK agreement? It won’t be broad-based enough to be a “trade deal” proper. Not knocking govt for doing it - it’s no doubt worth having - but US approach is roughly that of a bully taking your lunch money and then demanding concessions in exchange for giving some of it back.