Dave Madden
@davemadden.bsky.social
Writer, editor, journalist, lecturer....all pretty much ex. Oh, and dad. Walking around Edinburgh most days. Opinions about books, politics, pubs, and, for my sins, MUFC, Hibs, and Scottish rugby. Typos my own.
Abdul El-Sayed’s win in Michigan is “the insurgent left’s most important victory of 2026—a year that has already featured many successful challenges to the Party’s establishment,” Jason Zengerle writes. www.newyorker.com/news/electio...
The Electability of Abdul El-Sayed
Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic primary with an unapologetically progressive platform—and a total defiance of the Party establishment.
newyorker.com
Finished Ian McEwan’s “What We Can Know”. Absolutely terrific work. McEwan is like Pep Guardiola in that he is a genius who is always experimenting and sometimes it works and sometimes he gets humped by Bayern Munich. This time it absolutely worked.
The chaos being created by Reform in local government is almost as scandalous as the issues around its funding at national level.
Reform Party UK Exposed@reformexposed.bsky.social · 11h agoReform UK Warwickshire under George Finch’s toxic leadership have haemorrhaged councillors. They have now just 17/57. He wouldn’t survive a vote of no confidence.
She read the email, typed one sentence, and hit send. The Justice Department has not recovered. www.dworkinsubstack.com/p/the-trump-...
The Trump Regime Wanted Every Colorado Voter’s File. Jena Griswold Refused.
They sued her. It went badly. Plus a $19 billion walkout and his worst poll yet.
dworkinsubstack.com
As ever, this.... www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Democracy is at stake when foolish humans bet on machines being intelligent | Rafael Behr
We need an enlightened US president to make the case for global AI regulation. Donald Trump is the exact opposite of what is needed, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
theguardian.com
Missing jigsaw piece: the (former) Nazi now runs a popular satirical website where Badenoch is treated as some sort of cross between Boudicca & Margaret Thatcher while Labour & even Reform are constantly mocked. So this whole sorry mess is just another symptom of her being terminally online.
James O’Brien@mrjamesob.bsky.social · 6h agoAnother glorious vindication of Kemi Badenoch’s impeccable political judgment. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'So we've heard the concerns of the Jewish community about standing a convicted neo-Nazi anti-semite as a local candidate and decided to give him a national job instead...'
I'd say failing crops, starvation, & societal breakdown is what should be averted, but what do I know, I'm not auditioning to be further right than Jim O'Callaghan & to lead FF into oblivion. #IrishPol
The Irish Times@irishtimes.com · 9h agoClimate Act curbs could be considered to avert infrastructure ‘paralysis’, Chambers says
Maybe Kemi can put him in the House of Lords. That would *really* own the libs.
Alex Partridge@alexpartridge87.bsky.social · 7h agoJoshua Bonehill-Paine steps back from being a Conservative council candidate following backlash
Fucking fuck's sake man what in God's name is the fucking matter with you? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Kemi Badenoch gives former neo-Nazi advisory role after he withdraws as Tory candidate
Joshua Bonehill-Paine says Conservative leader has asked him to work with party’s culture and integration commission
theguardian.com
Badenoch's two biggest flaws are that she's nowhere near as smart as she thinks she is and is incapable of admitting error. Both well illustrated by this fiasco.
Alex Partridge@alexpartridge87.bsky.social · 7h agoJoshua Bonehill-Paine steps back from being a Conservative council candidate following backlash
🚨 BREAKING: Former neo-Nazi Joshua Bonehill-Paine has resigned as a Tory council candidate "Kemi has instead offered that I become an adviser to the Conservative Party’s Culture and Integration Commission, specifically focusing on how young men become radicalised"
This is pure extraction of wealth from one group of people to another We urgently need: Windfall tax on oil giants Windfall tax on banks Both are creaming money off us during a cost of living crisis Even Thatcher had the balls to tax the banks Will you @andyburnham?
I wonder how many journalists penning opinion pieces about AI have used the most advanced paid frontier models? (The gap between the very best models and the freebie AI services available to anyone is like comparing jets to hang gliders.)
My answer is LOL ROFL (dickbrain) The terminally AI-pilled can't even *imagine* some people have *never* asked stochastic parrots to cheat at their job for them.
But will the council give some of it to Leith....
Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco@joshpizpom.bsky.social · 13h agoBREAKING: £5 million for Edinburgh to support fire recovery, ScotGov confirms. Details to be confirmed at crunch talks with City of Edinburgh Council this morning. @heraldscotland.bsky.social www.heraldscotland.com/news/2643825...
BREAKING: £5 million for Edinburgh to support fire recovery, ScotGov confirms. Details to be confirmed at crunch talks with City of Edinburgh Council this morning. @heraldscotland.bsky.social www.heraldscotland.com/news/2643825...
Scottish Government finally confirms £5m funding for Edinburgh following blaze
Last month's blaze at 109-112 Princes Street seriously damaged the B-listed structure and resulted in the partial closure of the city's…
heraldscotland.com
Lovely, hopeful piece this ...
Jonathan Calder@lordbonkers.bsky.social · 13h agoThe Hundred may be struggling for spectators, but cricket's One-Day Cup is thriving by using grounds that do not usually see professional cricket. Matthew Pennell explains why in a guest post for Liberal England. liberalengland.blogspot.com/2026/08/gues...
Trump's arse as the sliotar, the world swinging the stick.
It's more of a bouncy palace.@mrmunchertoyou.bsky.social · 13h agoWe could let him try the roots of golf. The Póc Fada course markings are still mostly intact. And there's plenty of good deep holes up the Cooley mountain
The greatest ever winner at golf should be forced to play his own golf course, with his caddy unable to move his ball - and then the highlights and his three figure score broadcast in Time Square.
The Irish Times@irishtimes.com · 13h agoMichael McDowell: Will Trump call to the Áras for an icy courtesy visit with Catherine Connolly?
"I do not see right now a way to create a balance of interests where the Trump administration walks away with something that normal humans would regard as a win" - as.ft.com/r/76e3e95e-7...
Donald Trump trapped between escalation and an Iran deal on Tehran’s terms
US president faces few good options to exit a war he once said would end swiftly with the Islamic republic’s surrender
as.ft.com
First, you tell me to get a hobby; now it's an “appropriate hobby”.
