Top recent posts by Global News and Politics Professionals on Bluesky

It'll be two years, this Monday night. Time, at last, to write about Agnes.

There is only one side in American politics that consistently supports and endorses political violence. People need to stop being afraid to say so.

Seagull drinks coffee, steals mug of man installing anti-bird spikes www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Jacob Rees-Mogg, a man whose political success in part came from pretending to be as posh as David Cameron, a man whose political success in part lay in pretending to only be as posh as Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Reflectively I want to hate this feature providing an AI summary of the 4,147 comments on this article, but I…quite like this?

Wonderful piece about Agnes Frimston, who I still think about and miss every day, from @jonnelledge.bsky.social as we approach the second anniversary of her death. In a word, she was glorious – that could encompass gloriously kind, gloriously funny, gloriously bitchy, or any number of other things.

Exactly this. PIP allows you access to many other things, like travel access. Cutting people off from PIP will cut them off from much of society.

The astounding hypocrisy of the UK’s DOGE-obsessed politicians

Thinking today (and frankly, always) of Grenfell tower. Of the 72 people who lost their lives, their bereaved families, survivors and all those impacted by the fire. Justice must be served.

Also this shocking photo of her injury (from The Onion/s)

Important story this, for both London and UK politics:

What a joke approach to governance...

Ah well, nevertheless.

“Israel is reliant on the US being on its side. Despite that, its government felt confident that it could publicly and spectacularly disregard the wishes of Trump, undermine his negotiations, and get away with it. As public displays of disrespect towards an ally go, there are few cases to match it.”

Went to Glyndebourne. Cos Bluesky told me to. www.thetimes.com/article/f348...

shout out to the TWO paying subscribers who saw this latest post and thought "Oh fuck that I'm off", genuinely slightly in awe

Trying to make sense of what the tube graffiti viral video really *means* and the Dom Cummings-backed group behind it. Plus a picture of Kemi Badenoch’s new personalised confectionery range, featuring her wit and wisdom as inspirational quotes. www.londoncentric.media/p/looking-fo...

Rachel Reeves proving an unlucky Chancellor. Week after Budget: Trump elected. Week after Spring Statement: “Liberation Day”. Two days after Spending Review: Israel strikes Iran, biggest oil price spike since 2022.

Congratulations to my friend, coauthor and colleague @profstoker.bsky.social‬ who has been awarded an OBE in the King's Birthday Honours for services to local governance and to the study of democracy!

The Telegraph is not really a newspaper anymore, it's a campaign group with products attached. Via Staines' blog (Telegraph to offer Reform UK members free subscriptions)

👇 This is v astute. Obviously I write for a business newspaper so the focus of my columns on gaming is “why you, the leader of a major organisation, should take this medium seriously”. But there’s a challenge to much *of the industry* to treat the medium seriously.

70% of Americans are positive about Britain, while 50% of British people are positive about America. The radical right 'Britain has fallen' view pushed by Vance & Musk (and parroted by their allies on the UK media ecosystem) is a minority view even within the US right

Politico: Campaigners against the government imposing VAT on private school fees have lost their court battle to overturn the move. My snap analysis: haha! Full judgement here: www.judiciary.uk/judgments/al...

You should follow Rachel because she's a great reporter, has to put up with me, and has been bullied onto this platform by me despite being Gen Z and therefore not understanding why anyone ever bothered with Twitter.

Genuinely unsure if this is active misinformation or just taking the mickey out of the sort of people who lap this stuff up (Telegraph writers, Robert Jenrick, Matt Goodwin, etc) youtube.com/shorts/3nkVy...

I noticed the phrase“military-aged males” was deployed by Zia Yusuf and I do wish that either the host or another panellist had drilled him on why, exactly, he was using that particular phrase. What did he mean by it? As I think when it’s used people should have to say the quiet part out loud.

Remember that the Trump administration has been arresting and intimidating elected Democrats who have tried to exercise their right to inspect these facilities.

ICYMI - Politico: "Former Conservative MP Craig Williams and 14 other defendants will appear at Southwark Crown Court on July 11 charged with gambling offenses relating to the 2024 election. Williams did not enter a plea when appearing at Westminster Magistrates Court this afternoon"

Right wing/far right commentators need to familiarise themselves with the no recourse to public funds rule

Really good piece this.

Why is it that like clockwork when I write something I actually like, three weeks later I don’t like it at all? Is there a cure for this?

Wake up kids, Nigel Blackwell just released a new song about complete bellends! open.spotify.com/track/2nrYYW...

Durham Reform UK councillor Darren Grimes claims he faces suspension for refusing to take part in voluntary 'DEI' and 'net zero' training. I'm just not sure it's, you know, actually true? Durham contacts / Reform-watchers, get in touch...

Meanwhile in Gaza: "Gazan medics: At least 15 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire near aid center; no comment from IDF" www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ent...

I am writing a column about the air crash tragedy and British-Indian relationships So I putting the spending review and politics of the government on hold as a theme, for the anniversary of the election instead

Reform are reactively policing the racism boundary when overtly racist candidates are exposed by others. But this incessant producer of racist harassment against me (long ago muted) is keen to post proof that he is a party member, active in his local branch. He calls Zia Yusuf a "gay paki"

Nervy Washington DC braces for Donald Trump's tank parade: 'This is f*****g weird" www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

The Spending Review already includes a tax rise - assumes 5% council tax rise each year. Politically necessary? Maybe. But a bad policy choice. Council tax = only regressive tax - hits poor harder than rich. Raising income tax would be massively fairer & more rational.

Friends and relatives of passengers killed in the Air India crash are still in deep shock One woman I spoke to found out her friend had died a stranger who had seen the flight manifest sent her a message request on Instagram, others learned through news coverage www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/w...

These numbers have started to move, but aren't done yet. Data via @gelliottmorris.com.

Press release summary of the proposed EU/Switzerland treaties ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Welcome to martial law America.

The Banshees of Innisheeran is just so unbearably sad.

NEW: A good news media story! The Assembly, whose interviewers are autistic, neurodivergent and learning disabled people, had more international commissions than The Traitors last year. Commissions in 19 countries already. Authentic, new - & just a great show: www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

If (like me) you've lost track of what's going on with 'Trump Tariffs', then @samuelmarclowe.bsky.social's guide is invaluable. And it contains his best ever diagram - 5 colours no less! (But also a typo: 'veichle' should be 'vehicle')

This is a beautiful piece of writing about a truly marvellous person. I never met Agnes but I never forget how she reached out on DM when I was really struggling in lockdown. She was so kind.

The extraordinary persistence of the idea that London - all of it - is "rich": trustforlondon.org.uk/news/poverty....

IMO obvious to anyone who plays Football Manager that this tournament is not going to last - the juice is not worth the squeeze for the biggest clubs.

London depends massively on public transport and its public transport is massively used. That is why it needs masses of public transport. Does it get an unfair share? Don't think so: www.onlondon.co.uk/rest-of-uk-r....

Brexit law Implementing (part of) the reset - EU Member States to adopt their negotiation positions on formally extending Brexit deal rules on fisheries and energy next Tuesday - www.consilium.europa.eu/media/50ylhz...

On the balcony at Dover House this morning

Was walking up the Royal Mile in Edinburgh circa 2012, saw Bill Murray, said "shit, you're Bill Murray" and he just replied "yup" and shook my hand.

John Bolton on BBC R4 PM claimed the only ballistic missile attack in history was on Israel by Iran. What were the 3,000 V2s launched at Britain then? No wonder people struggle to understand history and geopolitics when nonsense like this goes unchallenged?

For anyone else who like me missed this earlier in the week, here's the head of US intelligence repeating Russian propaganda, obviously as part of the ongoing Trump administration campaign to surrender Ukraine to Putin

Thomas Frank seems like a very good appointment for Spurs: troublingly so. So I enjoyed this smart @jonawils.bsky.social piece, which set out many of the reasons I am fearful but also explained why it might end badly:

Finnish govt supports proposed changes to EU asylum law re "safe countries of origin", including common EU list

I have been suggesting *for ages* that Labour branches do stuff like this every other month. But we’d rather discuss pointless motions on foreign policy that will do nothing. Community activity should be core to a leftism that gets beyond the seminar room. We shouldn’t cede it to the right.

I don't know much about Sabrina Carpenter or her genre, but please tell me the album is called "Smell the Glove"...

Outcome of today's meeting of EU home affairs ministers www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/...

Everything is fine.

NEW: Darren Jones finally admits he was wrong to say most small boat arrivals are babies, children and women. But he's also right to say Zia Yusuf's claim that more than 90% are men was also wrong. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/darren...

In the latest ep of The Northern Agenda podcast, me & @robparsonsna.bsky.social chat to the always ace @henrimurison.bsky.social about what the Spending Review means for the north We also laugh at cringey Commons questions and talk about Rob’s hangover pain podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r...

Waking up to three killed and dozens wounded in central Israel from five barrages of Iranian missiles overnight. Iran reporting at least 78 killed in Israeli strikes, including senior military officials, and 320 wounded as Israeli strikes continue www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Saturday listening fun: Mosquitos! POWs! Bouncing bombs! Amnesia! His best mate's wife!

Farewell for a while to Vietnam. Homeward stretch now but a stop in Malaysia.

Seagull sips coffee, steals mug of man installing anti-bird strikes www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Spent a very productive 2 days in Prague, discussing the current state of transatlantic relations, the outlook for US/EU trade negotiations and the Ukraine war, the end-June NATO summit and European Council, and what Europe can do to bolster its own competitiveness #GLOBSEC2025

Always useful to find a piece whose premise one disagrees with so comprehensively (NB not about Wilson specifically). www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

When is steak really good?

It’s Donald Trump’s birthday tomorrow, and he’s getting just what he’s always wanted.

Come and join me at 10 @brumradio.com - this week talking about the great Magazine with their biographer @helenchase.bsky.social PLUS some great #newmusic Listen live here brumradio.com

Labour’s chief drawback is a lack of radicalism, particularly in its approach to the national balance sheet

NEW: Rachel Reeves laughed and joked with Labour MPs - and had a pop at police chiefs - after delivering her spending review. But she was quickly brought back down to earth the very next day. Our read on a momentous week - and what might happen next. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/rachel...

Good summary of what spending review means for #london & Londoners by @susanamendonca.bsky.social: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... A purportedly pro-growth national government has made an overt political point of declining to put fuel into the growth engine of the entire UK economy. Risky.

Truly gorgeous piece of writing. I didn't know Agnes very well, but the beauty of the writing reflects the woman I did know a bit and makes me sad I didn't know her more.

Once more, for those not paying attention at the back. London is, apart from wider southeast and east, the only part of the UK that gets less spent on it than it contributes (graph from Commons library). You want it to give still more? Then don't cheer when it gets starved:

Given Current Events ™️, anyone remember this absolutely insane tweet from Khamenei?

A reminder that Israel’s strike against Iran could bring benefits beyond the Middle East

Don't mention the capital, which produces nearly a quarter of all UK economic output & generates a massive tax surplus that stops the rest of country's rainbows turning black and white. Otherwise, Nigel might call us the metropolitan elite: davehillonlondon.substack.com/p/on-london-... #CSR #labour

Happy Trump's Birthday everyone. Here's what you missed overnight. 5 unhinged Donald Trump moments as storms threaten his birthday tank parade www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Shabbat shalom x

The government can boost the entire UK economy and all its nations and regions by backing its capital city or it can let Faragism set its agenda. It can't do both: www.onlondon.co.uk/dave-hill-sp.... #london #spendingreview

NEW: Substack’s founder talks about speaking to Washington Post about the Post hosting pieces from Substack writers. Part of plans to start curating opinion pieces (after narrowing its own) Hamish McKenzie: It “could be really good for everyone” Cc. @maxtani.bsky.social @brianstelter.bsky.social

It’s not an either/or decision or zero sum game. A weakened London economy is bad news for the entire UK economy, which depends on it heavily, and means lower tax revenues for supporting public services and investment in the rest of the UK. A strong London is good for the whole country.

Delighted to see this anxiety dream, though it has reminded me of a time when in a moment of sheer panic I described myself to the Evening Standard Diary as the Jarvis of Post-Truth (because Matt D’Ancona and Evan Davis had a book of the same title out the same day, and were the Blur/Oasis).

South Africa not falling into a heap in a final - brave new world. #WTC25

Four Weeks Today I am doing a 10k walk for Race for Life and I would love it if you would consider donating.

Good morning! My first lily of the year...

It also helps when many of the people are all for your jingoism

What has Israel hit in Iran and who were the generals and nuclear scientists killed? www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Hold on a moment. A genuinely good song - Bernard Butler's Stay - got bumped for the dreadful All Around the World. No wonder #totp was circling the drain by this point.

Horrific. Political violence in the US continues to both widen and deepen.

Sister in law’s birthday present for Otti’s 2nd birthday next week will blow everyone else’s out of the water

I Won't Let the Sun Go Down On Me and Wouldn't It Be Good (especially the latter) are proper tunes. #totp

Correct position bsky.app/profile/andy...

You always know a song is good when the film it soundtracked is barely remembered. #totp

Check out my latest show @brumradio.com ... 🎙️ @helenchase.bsky.social talks about the legendary Magazine 🎵 Mama ft Antonella @theassistband.bsky.social White Stripes @niluferyanya.bsky.social The Fall, Swansea Sound www.mixcloud.com/BrumRadio/ad...

Some of those cartoon clips were massively racist. Still, every little bit helps the BBC cater to its Reform-supporting viewership. #totp

A very moving piece about a beautiful person

Jesus fucking Christ.