Frankly astonishing piece by @alexisconran.com on all the data our phones keep on us and what they do with it (it's not good). open.substack.com/pub/scamproo...
Ian Dunt
@iandunt.bsky.social
Journalist. Author. Podcaster. Liberal extremist.
How to end the cycle of mistrust between the Treasury and everybody else - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Must read from @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social The need to micromanage is really hard to uproot. Something for Healey's advisers to think about too
How to end the cycle of mistrust between the Treasury and everybody else
The lesson from Manchester is that it takes time for public investment policies to show up in GDP
giftarticle.ft.com
Nigel Farage just took a question from a 'journalist' at his press conference, who turned out to be his former chief adviser Raheem Kassam, who asks him why the media are being so unfair to him
Standards watchdog investigating Reform UK’s Richard Tice
Standards watchdog investigating Reform UK’s Richard Tice
Party’s deputy leader accused of a possible failure to declare an interest, commissioner says on its website * UK politics live – latest updates Britain’s parliamentary standards watchdog is investigating Reform UK’s deputy leader, Richard Tice, over a possible failure to declare an interest, the commissioner said on its website on Monday. More details soon … Continue reading...
theguardian.com
It’s long been clear that Reform is beatable – Farage’s terrible personal ratings, toxic brand, mass tactical voting against them. The narrative that victory for them is inevitable was based on superficial analysis + wishful thinking on the right.
Fascinating change in BBC news bulletins about Reform. Farage announcement on small boats only gets the third spot and is balanced by critics saying he's trying to distract from allegations over his finances. Quite the change from the uncritical coverage earlier this year.
Diane Abbott here speaking at a Stop Some Wars rally, calling Putin's continuing brutal war against Ukraine "the NATO campaign against Russia". FFS. youtu.be/SMBjoiMskxA?...
Diane Abbott MP
YouTube video by StoptheWarCoalition
youtu.be
"We are making history here. This is where democracy beats totalitarianism. It’s like George Orwell. But this time Big Brother loses" www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
‘This is where democracy beats totalitarianism’: Ukraine’s drone strike force takes the fight to Russia
Exclusive: at a launch site in the Ukrainian countryside, members of the elite ‘Magyar’s Birds’ brigade are turning Russia’s vast size into a weakness
theguardian.com
'Every day Infantino remains in power is a fresh stain on an institution whose reputation is on the floor' www.theguardian.com/football/202...
There can be no letup. Humiliated Infantino must stand down at Fifa or be removed | Nick Ames
Uefa’s decisive call for a boycott and declaration of no confidence must be the opening salvos in a concerted push to dethrone the game’s global leader
theguardian.com
It's ridiculous how immune spider-man is from box office slumps or superhero fatigue. He basically saved cinema after covid and now here he is again.
Pop Base@popbase.tv · 4d ago‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ ($168M) passes ‘Avengers: Endgame’ ($157.4M) in earning the biggest opening day at the domestic box office in history.
Not sure I agree with this. Firstly, counterfactual arguments are not very convincing (if the situation wss very different then x…) and, secondly, in this case, the specific counterfactual is surely Cleverly and its not at all obvious he wouldn’t have done a better job.
Luke Tryl@luketryl.bsky.social · 4d agoAs I say in this thread from our groups and polling I think Badenoch leadership critics ignore the counterfactual of not badenoch when the party could have collapsed entirely. In other words I think she might be inlynthing holding them at ~20%. bsky.app/profile/luke...
Once again, I think we can all agree that the real story here is Kemi Badenoch’s miraculous resurrecting of Tory fortunes.
Glad someone senior from the sector is pushing back. Labour MPs need to understand the serious real anger from graduates and the people who produce them. And the dangerous financial situation they have allowed to fester, or indeed worsened, in one of Britain’s leading sectors.
Labour has harmed universities as much as Trump, London School of Economics head says
LSE vice-chancellor Larry Kramer points to domestic student fees freeze, international student limits and rise in employers’ national insurance
ft.com
I've been seeing a lot of people responding to this with "there ought to be a law," but importantly, we haven't needed a law for this sort of thing because no prior president wanted to be known as a leader who would literally kill people in their hour of need for not voting for him
Seth Masket@smotus.bsky.social · 6d agoThis is honestly one of the most shocking images coming out of this administration and that’s saying something
This statement by UEFA on FIFA attempting to sell off the World Cup gave me goosebumps, what a statement - the beautiful game deserves no less “As so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”
The Farage drop is, I think, potentially more consequential medium term than the Burnham bounce (which will fade I'm sure). Reform are a one man band, built around Farage's brand. If he becomes toxic (a) he might quit politics (as he has before) (b) whether he does or not they have no plan B.
Luke Tryl@luketryl.bsky.social · 6d agoLatest leader approvals 🌹Burnham bumps up to +19, 8 higher than Keir’s high of 11. 🌳Badenoch down slightly to break even 🔶Davey drops back to -11 💚Polanski is at -24 ➡️Farage drops to another low, by far his lowest since the election at -32
Exempting care workers from new ILR rules would make a big difference. Most told 15 years would lose their legal status long before that. This deal with three-quarters of that. But 250k people still could lose status if chefs, lab technicians not exempt too. www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcar...
Foreign care workers could be exempt from tough new visa rules
Andy Burnham is considering an exception to Shabana Mahmood’s reforms that increase the timeline for permanent residence from five to 15 years
thetimes.com
But Burnham deserves credit for -unlike Starmer - immediately realising that Mahmood's proposals to effectively expel hundreds of thousands of care workers would not win a single vote back from Reform at the same time as alienating anyone with a shred of decency.
Trump is not sane and nothing is gained by pretending that he is
Doing the papers on Sky tonight, 8pm-10pm. I'm so used to going there full of despair and irritation that it feels weird to do so feeling upbeat about the day's developments. Very much doubt I'll be allowed to get used to this, but I'd like to.
Burnham's comments today were a kind of anti-populism: a rejection of easy answers, an acknowledgment of trade-offs and a commitment to solve seemingly-intractable problems. Early days, but incredibly refreshing.
Totally normal thing to do, nothing to see here www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Revealed: George Cottrell transferred $2m to his mother days before her donations to Reform UK
Exclusive: Sources say Fiona Cottrell told bankers the transfers, received 24-72 hours before her donations to Reform, came from her son
theguardian.com
It's depressing that this moved me so much, but did. First time I've heard a politician praise a group of immigrants, without caveat, for a long while.
Farrukh@implausibleblog.bsky.social · last wk.Andy Burnham, "To me, carers should be the best paid people in society, not the worst" "Many people from other countries have been caring for my dad" Andy Burnham praises migrants to the UK who care for our elderly, a stark contrast to Keir-island-of-strangers-Starmer
Spot-on from @mrjohncrace.bsky.social: www.theguardian.com/politics/202.... /1
Andy Burnham wants to fix social care. It’s personal for him and for a lot of us too
Finally a grownup is in charge who speaks to voters as fellow adults. If he fixes this, he’ll achieve more than most other PMs
theguardian.com