Recent posts by Global News and Politics Professionals on Bluesky

No defection will surpass Carswell’s in its political meaning until the defector calls a by-election, and wins it. No competition until then

The next stage of fascism begins, based on a murder and a lie

"You can be English with roots that stretch back a 1,000 years, but you can also be English and look like me". About time. Need much more of this, and need the PM to come out and say it and challenge the politicians and media who've brought us here - not just Musk www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

According to various research studies conducted by groups from across the political spectrum inc ADF, CSIS, Maryland CCJS, the Prosecution Project, Cato Institute, and a host of others, right wing terrorism far eclipses that of anything comparable on the left.

I’ve seen several right-wing commentators today describe Danny Kruger as a “deep thinker”. I can’t think of a dumber phrase to describe how smart someone supposedly is

I’m in Nairobi!!!

I talked about Saturday's rally with Sarah Montague and Trevor Phillips on the World at One for Radio 4, at about 12 minutes in to the programme this lunchtime www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

I talked about Saturday's rally with Sarah Montague and Trevor Phillips on the World at One for Radio 4, at about 12 minutes in to the programme this lunchtime www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Apply the same rules to Elon Musk as to others is a good thing to keep pressing. He & his platform both act as if they are above the law. We need the rule of law for all

Apply the same rules to Elon Musk as to others is a good thing to keep pressing. He & his platform both act as if they are above the law. We need the rule of law for all

I talked about Saturday's rally with Sarah Montague and Trevor Phillips on the World at One for Radio 4, at about 12 minutes in to the programme this lunchtime www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

I talked about Saturday's rally with Sarah Montague and Trevor Phillips on the World at One for Radio 4, at about 12 minutes in to the programme this lunchtime www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

UK welfare state is v badly designed for this reason, but the difficulty with all these “it’s actually economics” is all of these things were true *in 2023* and there still isn’t a correlation with the people who say, do and believe racist stuff!

ICYMI On a visit to the biennial DSEI UK trade show in London at the weekend, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion Siân Berry found components of cluster munitions, prohibited under international law and banned from the trade show, "on full display by manufacturer Sandeep Metal"

So delighted to share I’ve been cast as Mrs Muller in a performance of Doubt at the Loft Theatre next year ✨ Those of you who have seen the movie will have seen Viola Davis’s incredible performance in the role on the big screen - so no pressure there 😅

Is any journalist trying to find out who “Mr Big” is/was? I feel like that could be a bigger story.

Completely agree- and I’ve travelled the same journey as @gideonrachman.bsky.social from sympathy always for Ukraine and also initially for Israel after October 7,to now concluding that they are indeed on “different sides of the moral ledger.”

I remember when freedom of speech used to be a thing.

"They are legitimising the extreme right by letting them dictate the terms of politics, and in so doing are paving the way for them ... This is appeasement pure and simple. It didn't stop fascism in the 1930s. And it will not work today."

Very interesting revelation in @kitty-donaldson.bsky.social's evening newsletter: Andrew Gwynne, one of the MPs rumoured to be thinking of standing down to make way for Andy Burnham, has applied to the Commons authorities to retire on medical grounds.

My new show @brumradio.com is rather good, even though I say so myself... Great music spanning SLF and Nina Simone PLUS James Skelly from The Coral talking about their new filmography www.mixcloud.com/BrumRadio/ad...

“Awareness, solidarity, and practical investment are key to countering misinformation and building communities that are fair and safe for everyone.” Bravo Ayesha. This is a full myth bust on asylum hotels 👇 open.substack.com/pub/bestforb...

It's International Day of Democracy today. Not much fanfare around it, in fairness... Other than proportional representation and Lords reform (as I know they'll be suggested lots), what policy changes do you think would improve democracy in the UK?

Random tube trivia question. What connects these, and only these, lines: Central, Northern, Victoria, W&C? (Actually, I say "only these": Bakerloo might also make the list depending on how you define terms. Hasn't always, though.)

A reminder that all of Ken's work comes highly recommended.

Solidarity with staff facing this.

Former Tory minister Steve Baker says Kruger's defection is 'seismic' political event - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Just a small thing, but, if Downing Street were serious about accomplishing its policy aims, it would, while firing all but three of the London MPs in the government, found a job for Helen Hayes in the DfE.

Five years after that fact, I guess the media will now notice the leaked submission to the EHRC inquiry that covered appalling racist behaviour by sundry Labour right wingers.

"As Trump arrives in the UK, he can be reassured that he is reshaping the country’s politics in its own image – more polarised, angrier…The president will be walking into a political atmosphere that will feel extremely familiar. As he walks through gilded surroundings, everything beyond smoulders."

🪫🧵With news the Government is drawing up plans to reduce household bills, our new research commissioned by @octopus.energy shows just how much energy bills are having an outsized impact in contributing to the mood of broken Britain and poor ratings for the Government

Brian Tamaki, NZ's Destiny Church “this is a religious war … Get rid of everything that doesn’t receive Jesus Christ. Ban any public expression of other religions in our Christian nations. Ban halal. Ban burqas. Ban mosques, temples, shrines — we don’t want those in our countries" Unite the Kingdom?

Why Paul Ovenden's resignation matters - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

This keeps happening...

More bad news for No 10: The commons speaker has granted a Conservative request for a three-hour emergency debate on the Lord Mandelson debacle under Standing Order 24 — it will be the first such debate since January 2023 Badenoch statement 👇

Larry Tesler, inventor of the cut, copy, and paste commands, dies at 74

The Times appears to have interviewed an 'ex Buckingham Palace cleaner' who supposedly divulges royal stain removal secrets but doesn't seem to exist, is possibly AI, and probably placed by a PR agency to boost SEO for a tiling brand. pressgazette.co.uk/news/royal-c...

A woman arrested at the recent Defend Our Juries protest against the ban on Palestine Action gets in touch: "No one that was arrested on Saturday has yet been charged because there were so many arrests they just sent people home. Shocking really, sending all those terrorists home..."

Wholly endorse this @tobyn.bsky.social

Why Paul Ovenden's resignation's resignation matters - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Reposting because it seems like a good time to remember how to deal with the politics of racism and how politicians and newspapers can draw red lines if they want to

MPs to hold emergency debate on Mandelson vetting process after Speaker grants SO24 application from David Davis - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

What this piece shows is that the scheme is already a mess. The Home Office is deporting people entirely at random. Those in detention don't have legal representation. Ten children have been erroneously detained and released. Legal challenges will follow. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

In which the Conservative party looks to the politics of America and says, yes, some of that please

The Spectator is just a few columns away from endorsing Advance UK

I felt this so strongly when I submitted the manuscript for my book on QAnon that I opened the book with this quote:

I mean, "Democracy Dies In Whiteness" was right there...

The algos reckon it's time I bought.... a gilet? WTF

US-style Christian nationalism making headway in the UK - among a certain type of Reform fundamentalist, anyway...

Security minister says he's 'extremely disappointed' CPS has dropped charges against two men accused of spying for China - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

The Foreign Affairs Committee has called for the Foreign Office and the Cabinet Office to give evidence on the vetting and security processes behind the appointment of Lord Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US... The Head of the Cabinet Office's Propriety & Ethics Team has been asked to appear.

🚨 Foreign affairs committee calls for hearing on Mandelson appointment and dismissal The committee is calling on the FCDO and Cabinet Office to give evidence on the vetting and security processes behind Mandelson’s appointment Chair Emily Thornberry comments:

My interview with @billybragg.bsky.social on England, patriotism and the far-right is now up at @bylinetimes.bsky.social for subscribers (and on doorsteps/news-stands shortly) Interesting chat if I may say so! subscribe.bylinetimes.com/edition/78/b...

We don’t know what the messages said, so it’s hard to comment on the details here. But more generally: things that once would now be phone or in-person conversations now leave a permanent written record. These chats dated from 2017. Can politics actually survive that level of relentless scrutiny?

Whatever you think of these messages, the reality is this story and Paul Ovenden's subsequent resignation has provoked pure fury from long-serving Labour aides. Many saying they do not believe Starmer should have accepted his resignation. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

It’s especially frustrating since several of these newsrooms built up specialist teams who actually understood these subcultures (or at least understood the Internet) and now either sideline them or have let them go entirely, right as they’d be most useful.

Farage claims byelection not needed after defection because Kruger will be voting in 'same way' as when he was Tory - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle just now on this story below: "I am a very unhappy speaker with what's happened, the fact that for two years, - two years - and it's taken till today for somebody to withdraw this case that is not good enough." Minister Dan Jarvis says many MPs will be "disappointed"

“As Trump arrives this week to survey a country increasingly riven by politics in his image, the answer becomes clear: Trump doesn’t need to talk about annexing the UK, because he’s effectively done it already. Welcome to the 51st state, Mr President.” inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...

"One MP called him a 'Conservative revolutionary', someone critical to the rebuilding project. His departure sends the message that he considers that project pointless." On Danny Kruger, Reform, and the reconfiguration of the right www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

Putting to one side the fact that 300 million people did not die from drugs last year, that's just a lie, there has still been no clarification that this was even a drug boat, Venezuela denies it being one or that any of the people on board were gang-affiliated.

For all the noise about leadership challenges, the most likely way we have a change of prime minister is if Starmer does a "Kevin Keegan-quits-in-the-loos-at-Wembley"

www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

Ovendon's exit likely won't be a huge story but he's seen as a big loss to Starmer Gov source: "Paul's been one of the best enablers of talent and a genuine force for good in the party. In government, he has been one of the few people cutting through the nonsense to make sure we deliver for voters"

Fair play to Ed Davey for this. Absolutely correct.

Deserved re-upping of the magnificent @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social long read about Britannia Hotels - it’s a Dickensian story in its breadth and depth, finding the connections between multiple social ills.

Not many people outside Westminster will know who Paul Ovenden is, but his departure is arguably more significant than Angela Rayner's, given the key role he played in No.10 and his importance to Keir Starmer. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/keir-s...

Starmer says he would never have appointed Mandelson ambassador if he had known at time full details of Epstein links - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Pleased to announce the next brand new Rock N Roll Politics show will be in the main hall @KingsPlace on Thursday September 25th...so much going on we'll be there until midnight. Tkts here: www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/wor...

“Ignoring Elon Musk and hoping he goes away hasn’t worked. X can mobilise violent mobs onto Britain’s streets, financially support its leaders, and radicalise casual users of the site – and its owner has made plain his agenda. The government has allowed a problem to turn into a crisis.”

Underlying problem is she chose to put him on the frontbench (not her craziest choice for the frontbench sadly!). Frankly the position for the Conservative party that gives them a reason to exist ought to be 'it's good that he has gone. They are extreme'.

Art history in western Europe: Medieval: can't draw people, only side perspectives, maybe as it was Too Dark? Renaissance: can draw people, can't draw baibes Enlightenment: Can draw people and babies Modernity: Why draw baby when you can draw cube?

Fantastic column by @stephenkb.bsky.social "Racism in the UK remains the preserve of an extreme minority — but one that is emboldened and growing louder. It is the result of a year in which neither the government nor the opposition have been willing to draw red lines." www.ft.com/content/fbbd...

EU Commission asks for mandate to negotiate treaty with South Korea on exchange of passenger name records - ec.europa.eu/transparency...

Labour Party spokesperson on Danny Kruger MP’s defection to Reform UK: "Every Conservative who defects to Reform ties Nigel Farage more closely to their record of failure. Nigel Farage can recruit as many failed Tories as he likes – it won’t change the fact that he has no plan for Britain."

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has called on the Prime Minister to rule out any future contracts the Government could have with Tesla after Elon Musk told protesters to “fight back or die” and that “violence is coming” at the far-right rally over the weekend

I would be....surprised if Mark Francois thought that was a good idea, let's just put it that way.

America will be moving to five year plans soon.

🔴 Give Big Fines to Firms Like X Promoting Hate and Disinformation, Democracy Groups Urge PM Without radical change, voters will “give their support to demagogues and extremists who crave power to further their own ends” the authors warn bylinetimes.com/2025/09/15/g...

NEW | on banging on about WW2 and making up news… BOBBY JENRICK VS. BERTOLT BRECHT Robert Jenrick and The Daily Telegraph are banging on about history teaching but their memories don't stretch as far as 2013. brokenbottleboy.substack.com/p/bobby-jenr...

Just a small point, I think quite a few journalists would dispute the characterisation in this case that the politician in question has 'good manners'.

It is not enough for the US media to lie about who Charlie Kirk was, they have to fire people who have the integrity to say who he was

I love how Renaissance painters are doing so well until they get to the babies and then it's like, "I have never seen a baby. Presumably they look like tiny, creepy old men?"

Of the eleven Conservative (mostly former) MPs who voted against the Sunak government's Rwanda Bill at third reading in January 2024, three have now defected to Reform Potentially some clues here as to who could be next to go?

Stop Trump Coalition today: “After seeing the UK’s largest far-right demo [on Sat], it is even more essential to turn out to protest against Trump’s state visit. Starmer’s response to this disgusting display was too little, too late...We do not want our [Govt] to trade away our democracy & decency.”

Interesting and mysterious.... This Ministerial Statement will take place in the House of Commons today (from approx 15:30:) Statement: Official Secrets Act – Minister for Security, Dan Jarvis MP

As I have said - once or twice - everybody should watch A French Village (or, as it called in the UK, where you can watch it for free on ITVX, 'The Line'). Terrific, gripping show. Anyway, because my partner and I are super-cool, we also intermittently pause and discuss the translation choices.

No 10: "We can confirm the first group of children from Gaza have safely arrived in the UK with their immediate families & are receiving the urgent medical care they need from the NHS. We will continue to work with local authorities to ensure families receive appropriate support during their stay."

youtu.be/zeIrmVqdAbE?...

One reason why the Liberal Democrats are not doing better IMV is that they have sitting councillors who say things like this - most of these policies it is not true, and on a number of them, the Liberal Democrat policy is (thankfully for the actual LD target voter!) to the right of Labour.

NEW: The rape survivor who sparked the campaign to abolish Scotland's 'not proven' verdict, Miss M, has called on MSPs to end the "harrowing process" for victims in a crunch Holyrood vote this week. www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

When we remember we beat fascism before, we must also remember that we kinda let fascism happen before we actually beat it. I'm not a historian but I think that the one lesson of history might be not to have to beat it in the first place.

Sorry just remembered in all the chaos that Keir Starmer said he would "never surrender to flags" instead of "never surrender to fascism".

How much danger is Keir Starmer in? Why all sides are now preparing for life beyond the Prime Minister. www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

My secondary concern about this stuff is that it makes me worry that the various ways generative AI can save time and improve efficiency are in practice quite dangerous, because 'this turns an hour long task to a five minute one you have to check rigorously' really dependents on 'check rigorously'.

A while ago someone emailed saying Gemini disagreed with what I had written. They then just flatly refused to accept me saying 'I mean, I know this is the case, because I reported on it and talked to Downing Street about it *at the time*'.

Kings Cross station wifi seems to be down. :(

I don't get it, there are so many big chunky frames that look good, why are smart glasses quite so *ugly*?

For instance, they'll struggle to access the Metaverse.

What the hell is going on? It’s 1pm on Monday and the Prime Minister still hasn't said a word about the biggest far-right protests on our streets in decades. Not a word about Elon Musk or Tommy Robinson or police officers assaulted by thugs. Nigel Farage and the right are being given free rein.