I spoke to @stevefeldstein.bsky.social about how tech in transforming geopolitics. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/b...

Bytes and Bullets: Steve Feldstein on how tech is reshaping modern warfare

Podcast Episode · Behind The Lines with Arthur Snell · 3 August · 54min

podcasts.apple.com

@labourlewis.bsky.social is absolutely right about Palantir. And other European countries including Spain have already banned it from the government systems. We can too. bsky.app/profile/mike...

Clive Lewis MP@labourlewis.bsky.social · 2d ago

1/3 The dangers of the NHS's £330m contract with Palantir are well known. A subscription-based contract that leaves the NHS without meaningful ownership. Lock-in to a single supplier that risks future price gouging. Critical health infrastructure dependent on a shady spy-tech company.

Private equity firms made up 50% of the largest US corporate bankruptcies with $1bn+ in liabilities Jobs, communities destroyed for short term profit PE has devoured UK high street; controls vets, supermarkets, care homes, pubs, housing, restaurants. Shadow banking wreaks havoc, govts do nothing.

Private equity continues disproportionate role in 2026 bankruptcies

Since 2024, PESP has tracked and analyzed corporate bankruptcies, identifying the disproportionate role that private equity-owned firms have played in bankruptcy filings. This trend continued in the…

pestakeholder.org

** “The Slaveholders’ Rebellion” ** As Mr. Trump and his allies try to whitewash the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, we should return to an older and far more accurate name for the Civil War. We should once again call it the Slaveholders’ Rebellion.

Khashoggi's Ghost@urocklive1.bsky.social · 4d ago

Rebranding rebellion is nothing new. It wasn't always called the Civil War. At the time, it was primarily called an “insurrection” or a “rebellion.” Its current name is a result of decades of lobbying by Southern Heritage groups to rejuvenate the South’s image, ignoring its treason and slaveholding.

The funniest - and least discussed - aspect of this is that Farage, having reportedly told RefUK he'd only lead them if compensated for the £1m a year income he had outside politics, pocketed their five million, then kept earning from outside interests at the same rate anyway. He scammed even them.

Alex Andreou@sturdyalex.bsky.social · 4d ago

Important, because Farage's defence for not declaring Harborne's £5m 'gift' has always been very specific: he did not decide to stand until 3rd of June. Turns out this deal was struck mid-May (confirmed by RefUK) and facilitated by Farage's other big donor, convicted felon 'Posh' George Cotrell. 🧐

Important, because Farage's defence for not declaring Harborne's £5m 'gift' has always been very specific: he did not decide to stand until 3rd of June. Turns out this deal was struck mid-May (confirmed by RefUK) and facilitated by Farage's other big donor, convicted felon 'Posh' George Cotrell. 🧐

European Heart@bexbitchley.bsky.social · 5d ago

@mrjamesob.bsky.social @sturdyalex.bsky.social @pimlicat.bsky.social www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/nigel-farage-reform-leader-deal-george-cottrell-5gfrcrmb0

Beware of Groks bearing grifts.

Thames Water CEO went unchallenged on the BBC on the claim that public ownership means water investment competes with health and defence. This is a myth! 99% of water investment comes from BILLS. Take 2 mins to complain to Ofcom and the BBC vist.ly/5d5xb

Ofcom and BBC, correct the record: Thames Water CEO misled the public about public ownership

Thames Water CEO lied about public ownership on the BBC. It is time Ofcom and the BBC corrected the record

vist.ly

Who audits big companies for mega fees? On paper it is the big four accounting firms - Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC. But they use offshore networks. There people without proper control do audits remotely. For bigger profits. Offshoring of audits is not disclosed. archive.ph/MBclD

Big Four’s use of offshore auditors sparks concern from UK accounting watchdog

Financial Reporting Council says it will monitor how the largest firms manage their overseas teams for the next year

ft.com

Such an important thread from @chrischirp.bsky.social. I have a lot of respect for @lewisgoodall.com, and agree with him on most things. But when I heard him say that closing schools during the pandemic had been a mistake, I thought it was not as simple as that.

Prof Christina Pagel@chrischirp.bsky.social · 6d ago

🧵On @thenewsagents.co.uk yesterday, school closures and the lab leak theory were offered as two examples of legitimate questions that were hard to ask. Both have in fact been asked constantly since 2020. But here's a thread on why I think they were wrong and dangerous on school closures 1/12

How about banning disposable barbecues anyway? They don't really work very well and your food tastes like starter fluid.

Westminster City Council@citywestminster.bsky.social · 6d ago

Planning a picnic in the park? 🧺☀️ With the warm weather continuing, please remember that dry grass can catch fire very quickly. Disposable barbecues, cigarette ends and discarded glass can all increase the risk. Let's all do our bit to keep Westminster's parks safe and enjoyable this summer.

Carers' Allowance is capped at £86 a week. Or £70,000 a year if you're a private equity firm that has bought a care home.

While fires rage in large parts of Europe incl UK, farmers face crop failure and livestock loss, every RefUK or Tory politician on the news must be challenged on their "let's do away with costly net zero nonsense" stance, side-by-side with live images of the cost of inaction. Expose the charlatans.

Excellent question - "Compared to what?"

Simon Evans@drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 7d ago

🧵UK media has been duped about net-zero (again) The playbook is identical: 1️⃣ Find a big scary number 2️⃣ Speed-dial non-specialist hacks 3️⃣ Do say “serious economic damage” 4️⃣ Don’t say “we pretended gas is free” 5️⃣ That's it! Many papers still fell for it 🤷

The Home Office promised to put a stop on cheap inflatables crossing the Channel, but somehow Chris Philp's ego got through.

Alex Andreou@sturdyalex.bsky.social · last wk.

The French are trying to silence Chris Philp. 😂 🤣 😂

Jersey tiger moth.

A scaremongering falsehood about immigration and family reunion from the Shadow Home Secretary

Jonathan Portes@jdportes.bsky.social · last wk.

I see Chris Philp still has this up. Lies from start to finish x.com/CPhilpOffici...

Burnham: Social Care is a huge challenge that demands a proper longterm solution. It can be done if parties work together. Most parties: PM is right and we'll work with him for a solution. Tories: PM is right and we'll work with him for a solution. BUT ONLY IF HE CAN DO IT FOR FREE. Grow TF up.

It is with a heavy heart that I am today resigning from the Conservative Party and resuming my earlier career in organised crime. It just feels more honest that way.

Police investigation of donations to Reform party by Tice company www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Police investigate donations by Richard Tice company to Reform UK

Britain Means Business, owned by the party’s deputy leader Richard Tice, made two donations of £250,000 in the run-up to the 2024 general election.

bbc.co.uk

Lobbyists working for Lynton Crosby's firm told an undercover reporter they had "paid journalists to place apparently independent stories in newspapers." They boasted of having a "retainer" with at least one journalist to regularly write stories helpful to their clients

Lobbying giant filmed offering reporter payment for flattering client coverage in national press

Exclusive: Guardian investigation of CT Group uncovers practice that appears to seek hidden influence over public opinion

theguardian.com

Reform UK donor and Farage ally George Cottrell carried a fake Swiss passport under the name ‘Oscar Drewitt’. Cottrell was hired under the name by the future Reform treasurer Mehrtash A’zami. A’zami later vetted Cottrell’s mother's donations to Reform, now the subject of a police investigation

‘Posh George’, Two Passports, and a Fraudulent Identity: Convicted Fraudster and Nigel Farage Funder's Connections to Reform UK’s Murky Financial Structures

Why did Reform UK change from being a privately-owned company to a non-profit company limited by guarantee in 2025? Nafeez Ahmed investigates a fraudulent identity used by George Cottrell – and how hi...

bylinetimes.com

Boris Johnson says Miliband's appointment as foreign secretary will 'delight the Kremlin'. In the spirit of transparency, he should now publish the texts he sent Lord Lebedev on the night he slipped his security detail on a lads' weekend at that famous castle in Perugia.

The benefits of social cooperation is a fundamental law of nature! Quorum sensing has shown this principle for several billion years in the organisation of bacterial populations into self regulating commonwealths. Check out Prof Bonnie Bassler on Mindscape podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...

361 | Bonnie Bassler on How Bacteria Talk and Work Together

Podcast Episode · Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas · 20 July · 1hr 16min

podcasts.apple.com

Why is Kemi Badenoch never asked about the hefty funding the Conservative party has taken from the oil industry and its lobby groups whenever she talks about her decision to scrap her commitment to Net Zero?

It is hard for a rich man to get past the eye of a Neidle

Dan Neidle@danneidle.bsky.social · 3w ago

In May we said Nigel Farage probably didn't owe tax on his £5m gift. The Guardian now reports the gift followed talks where Farage said he'd need £5m to return to frontline politics. *If* that's right, we think there's a high risk of a £3m tax bill - payable by Reform.

They're great patriots. They're just funded by another country's government

Peter Geoghegan@petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 3w ago

Direct foreign interference in British politics - we have rules against foreign governments funding parliamentary groups, but this is fine?? Seriously?? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

After years of nodding along with the general sentiment "Palantir=Bad" I finally get precisely why the firm, its owners, business model, and products might just big a Big Ole Problem for this (or any) country. @petergeoghegan.bsky.social has an extraordinary ability to filter and share information.

Quiet Riot@quietriotpod.bsky.social · 3w ago

NEW B-SIDE: THE PALANTIR FILES We are joined by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social to understand: 🩼The taxpayer value from the £330m contract 🇺🇸 Why we're so hooked on US tech 🌹 Can Burnham find an alternative platform? 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/4c1x... 🍏 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/q...

Even if you've never listened to Quiet Riot before I'd urge you to tune in today. This is a very eye opening episode about the people and politics behind Palantir and the contracts they have with UK Government.

Quiet Riot@quietriotpod.bsky.social · 3w ago

NEW B-SIDE: THE PALANTIR FILES We are joined by @petergeoghegan.bsky.social to understand: 🩼The taxpayer value from the £330m contract 🇺🇸 Why we're so hooked on US tech 🌹 Can Burnham find an alternative platform? 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/4c1x... 🍏 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/q...