Omg, I love her! Burnham recalled being an MP in his early 30s and thinking he had done well in interviews, only to find a text message from his wife that said, in capital letters: “ANSWER THE F***ING QUESTION.” Marie-france-van-heel - you're a star!
Andy Burnham reveals wife’s reaction to third Labour leadership bid
Burnham said his wife, Marie-France van Heel, took some persuading after he ran and lost in contests in 2010 and 2015
theguardian.com
100% agree with the arguments of Rhiannon Lucy Coslett. @andyburnham.bsky.social - abolish school fines for term time holidays. I've been there as a parent. This would make a real difference on the ground to family lives.
I’m all for the nanny state – but we should abolish fines for holidays in term time | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
Some parents are sticklers for the rules, yet mass civil disobedience by parents in England and Wales suggests many agree with me, says Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett
theguardian.com
In case you missed it, here's Count Binface's appearance on the BBC this morning.
"an expected Burnham-led government could champion “human rights, compassion, fairness and equality” while advocating control of UK borders, Dubs said.
Remove home secretary Mahmood and rip up her asylum plans, says Alf Dubs
Exclusive: Labour peer who fled Nazis as a child says Andy Burnham has chance to ‘correct mistakes’ on refugees
theguardian.com
What Jared and Ivanka want, Jared and Ivanka get? Not if Albania’s ‘flamingo revolution’ has any say in it | Arwa Mahdawi
What Jared and Ivanka want, Jared and Ivanka get? Not if Albania’s ‘flamingo revolution’ has any say in it | Arwa Mahdawi
Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to block the Trump-Kushners’ plans to build on a nature reserve. But they’re not the only billionaires acting as if the whole world was for sale, writes Arwa Mahdawi
theguardian.com
To understand Britain’s new politics, look no further than this Shakespearean saga in Worcestershire | Jason Okundaye
To understand Britain’s new politics, look no further than this Shakespearean saga in Worcestershire | Jason Okundaye
What should be a story of Reform incompetence instead speaks to the broader refusal of Westminster to adapt to multiparty democracy, says assistant Guardian Opinion editor Jason Okundaye
theguardian.com
Here’s a potential witness for the police officers investigating Andrew: the police | Marina Hyde
Here’s a potential witness for the police officers investigating Andrew: the police | Marina Hyde
Forgive me if I’m not congratulating officers for investigating Andrew now – instead of, say, many years ago when they were with him in Jeffrey Epstein’s house, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
theguardian.com
Here’s a list of things Zohran Mamdani has done in just four months | First Dog on the Moon
Here’s a list of things Zohran Mamdani has done in just four months | First Dog on the Moon
Note to politicians: you can just do stuff regular people actually need and want and it’s OK * Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are published * Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Keir Starmer's re-re-reset It’s always the right time for another Will Dunn's sketch
Keir Starmer's re-re-reset
It's always the right time for another one
newstatesman.com
"France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech" #digitalsovereignty techcrunch.com/2026/04/10/f...
France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech | TechCrunch
France's move to ditch Windows for Linux is its latest effort to reduce its reliance on American tech giants.
techcrunch.com
The everything shock From the price of food to the AI industry, the war in Iran will transform the world as we know it By Bruno Maçães
The everything shock
From the price of food to the AI industry, the war in Iran will transform the world as we know it
newstatesman.com
Another excellent piece from @willdunn.bsky.social it may have a frivolous opener - but ordering American troops to commit war crimes is not. War is not fun, it is not a game; the Iranian people are human beings who deserve the same compassion hegseth would want his captured soldiers to be shown.
Will Dunn@willdunn.bsky.social · 5mo agoWhat could be the cause of this mystery www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...
My latest piece for The Guardian: American democracy is now declining at a faster rate than in Hungary and Turkey. I spent the past week talking to Staffan Lindberg, founder of V-Dem Institute, about their alarming annual report on global democratic decline, which was released today.
‘Trump is aiming for dictatorship’. That’s the verdict of the world’s most credible democracy watchdog | Martin Gelin
Sweden’s V-Dem Institute warns that the US is no longer a liberal democracy. And autocracy is creeping across Europe too, says writer Martin Gelin
theguardian.com
When I’m feeling testy I hit them with the, “well I don’t want to repeat anything so tell me what you’ve tried…”
MJSwenson71@visadiva.bsky.social · 5mo agoThey want a solution that requires no effort on their part.
Ex-rapper Balendra Shah set to be Nepal PM after party’s landslide election win
Ex-rapper Balendra Shah set to be Nepal PM after party’s landslide election win
Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra party secures thumping victory in first poll since gen Z protests that toppled government Balendra Shah, the rapper turned politician and popular figurehead of a gen Z revolution, looks set to become Nepal’s next prime minister after his party won by an unprecedented margin. Shah, known widely as Balen, and his Rastriya Swatantra party (RSP) secured a rare landslide victory in the first election since youth-led protests during which dozens were killed and the former government was toppled. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
I've been running gdcparties.com for a few years now. Some shitty company BlueberryAI decided they'd just take all the source code for the work I've done and reskin it, advertising it as their own. Jokes on them...it was still linked to my events spreadsheet, and now their website looks like this 😉
NEW: Treasury confirms the Spring Statement would have been better like this www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
To anyone who thinks Trump can bring peace and equality to Iran – I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Going cheap | Marina Hyde
To anyone who thinks Trump can bring peace and equality to Iran – I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Going cheap | Marina Hyde
If POTUS can really bomb peace, stability and women’s rights into the Middle East, I’ll take my hat off to him. Judging by his role in Gaza, I won’t hold my breath, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
theguardian.com
As I say: “The voters see that the choice at the next election is between “socialism and barbarism”. Time for some socialism.”
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 5mo agoWhat does the Greens’ victory in Gorton and Denton mean for the future of British politics? Our panel responds
Excellent piece from @willdunn.bsky.social Who manages to make me laugh despite the shitshow.
Starmer has failed to stand up for his own principles
2026: Already a big year for impotent political handwringing
magazine.newstatesman.com
Moving piece by @anooshc.bsky.social on reading to her toddler and why the Bookstart scheme is a model of progressive universalism. www.newstatesman.com/politics/soc...
What baby books taught me about the British state
The Bookstart scheme, which gives books to newborns, is a remnant from a more beneficent political era
newstatesman.com
