Former Labour Deputy Leader Lord Thomas Watson, now Senior VP at Palantir UK, wrote to me defending their public contracts. Instead of trading letters, I’ve challenged him to an open, public debate. He can defend Palantir’s ethos; I’ll argue for public accountability. Will you accept, Tom?

Pleased to hear that Anne Carson has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Look at the way she breathes life into this fragment of a poem by Sappho:

"Whoever he is"

Anne Carson Whoever he is who opposite you sits and listens close to your sweet speaking and lovely laughing--oh, it puts the hear...

favoritepoems.diehoren.com

Today, selling a £1m house and moving to a £400,000 flat won’t change your children’s IHT. The estate is the same size. Under the Tory proposal, the £1m house was exempt from IHT, but the £600,000 you released is fully subject to IHT. Your house move caused £240,000 IHT.

There aren't many days when you can kayak off Start Point, renowned for one of Britain's most dangerous tidal races. But yesterday the stars aligned, so I bunked off work. Delighted to see Rupert Kirkwood (the Lone Kayaker) out there. He took this picture of me +1. Before you ask: yes, it's real. 🧵

Democrats seem headed for big wins, but one avenue for self-sabotage would be adopting R's framing on trans rights. @billiejsweeney.bsky.social spoke with insiders incl Lanae Erikson of Third Way and Rep. Sarah McBride for this substanial piece of new reporting. assignedmedia.org/breaking-new...

Democrats Lose by Punching Down on Trans Issues, Strategists Say - Assigned Media

Insiders, including at centrist think tank Third Way, are cautioning Democratic candidates against echoing Republican talking points on trans rights.

assignedmedia.org

As long as the Tories are threatening to leave the ECHR, they aren’t a serious party. Consider it the ultimate red flag. Any party who’d take this entirely unnecessary and ruinous risk with our rights and our country’s security and wellbeing should never get its hands on power. (Letter, Times)

1/🧵 A serious analysis. This is disingenuous. We all know there are two legal meanings of the EHRC Code: a generous one and a fair one. The generous legal meaning is that it suggests that trans-exclusionary provision is “legally” safer. The fair one is that it requires trans-exclusionary provision.

Lee Hurley@hleehurley.com · 4d ago

"Transgender rights activists are spreading misinformation about guidance that protects single-sex spaces by claiming it erodes trans people’s rights, the equalities regulator has said." [Times page 2]

All ethnonationalism is racism. Sorry to burst bubble. You can't run around criticising boat stabbers for their 'English patriotism' and then say 'oh but all ethnic groups deserve their own homeland' like @owenjones.bsky.social What, anyway, is an 'ethnic group' if not race by another other name?

Are we living in a computer simulation? Scotland’s Astronomer Royal provides the answer I talk to Professor Catherine Heymans about her new book exploring the possibility that the entire universe is a virtual world created in an experiment My mind is still blown In @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Are we living in a computer simulation? Scotland's Astronomer Royal gives her answer

Could the Big Bang have been the launch of a cosmic computer programme? Scotland’s Astronomer Royal Catherine Heymans explains the science.

heraldscotland.com

It was great to be featured on the @polphilpod.bsky.social with Toby Buckle to discuss what an ethical response to refugees would be, and how it may be possible www.politicalphilosophypodcast.com/refugees

What we owe refugees with Bradley Hiller-Smith

With the world becoming more repressive, what would an ethical policy even look like?

politicalphilosophypodcast.com

The Department for Health and Social Care has written to us demanding we take down our video criticising Palantir’s NHS contract – we won’t https://goodlawproject.org/is-this-the-first-ever-slapp-by-our-own-government/

Is this the first ever SLAPP by our own Government? | Good Law Project

The Department for Health and Social Care has written to us demanding we take down our video criticising Palantir’s NHS contract – we won’t

goodlawproject.org

Sir Ian McKellen orates 'The Stranger's Case' from 'Sir Thomas More' by Shakespeare about the Evil May Day xenophobic riot of 1517 in London. This passage was written 400 years ago, but times never change. Humanity refuses to change its unwarranted bias against 'others'.

**OVER 1000 SIGNATURES** Friends, we have reached over 1,000 signatures - we are absolutely blown away! A huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to sign the letter. We will be closing the link tomorrow evening, so if you haven’t signed yet, there’s still time. Blessings, Rev Karen

I saw the clip of Judge Judy too. I wanted to punch her through my phone

“We were elected to make tough choices, and today we have made the tough choice to not make any tough choices”

I can’t speak from the position of being a person of catholic decent in Northern Ireland but let me speak about being one here in Scotland and exactly why the orange order is a fascist organisation which should not be tolerated in a modern society

I'm not sharing the Braverman posts because every single one of them addresses the wrong problem. The problem is not a fringe politician expounding on her 19th century racial science theories. The problem is a publicly funded broadcaster platforming and normalising them. Several times a day.

On this day of action against Palantir, here’s a handy thread of the Nerve’s ongoing Palantir investigation. From the web of gigantic state contracts to the revolving door between government/ civil service and their top team, with a manifesto for technofascism along the way… 👇👇👇

THE NERVE@thenerve.news · 3w ago

1/ The Nerve has been investigating Palantir for the past year Our first story, by @mc00.bsky.social & @charlienotold.bsky.social, mapped the firm’s UK contracts Revealed:Palantir deals with UK state total at least £670m, including £15m with nuclear weapons agency www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-t...

Bacon: “The problem is that lots of liberal activists and elites are having their perspectives shaped by the nyt in 2026.” Me: For the past 4 years, the nyt has consistently misshaped news about trans ppl, promoting medical falsehoods and repeating right-wing fabrications.

Perry Bacon@perrybaconjr.bsky.social · last wk.

"A liberalism that forcefully confronts authoritarianism, oligarchy, climate change, and the numerous other enormous challenges that we face will almost certainly be one that is less attuned to the views of America's most influential paper." newrepublic.com/article/2160...

I don't wanna COUCH my words here: I know JD Vance, his eyeliner, and absent Ashley Moody are used to running away from people when things get tough because they care more about themselves and their billionaire buddies than the people they represent. But this is my home. /1

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last wk.

JD Vance on Angie Nixon: "Get the hell out of here. You don't belong in America"

"His remarks are particularly likely to be welcomed by EU members, who have been frustrated by the UK’s inability to have an honest conversation with itself about its relationship with the bloc." An excellent article from @alexhh.bsky.social in @bylinetimes.bsky.social And already....

Byline Times@bylinetimes.bsky.social · last wk.

📌 ICYMI — ‘Andy Burnham’s Plans to Make Britain Great Again Are the Polar Opposite of Trump’s’ — @alexhh.bsky.social If Burnham succeeds where Trump has failed, the whole MAGA agenda will be exposed, argues Alexandra Hall Hall

I talked to Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer about the radical transformation of US foreign policy, away from a process designed to help all Americans and towards the interests of a few people in the administration or close to the president youtu.be/vn4i_Jk_khc?...

Anne Applebaum on the Grifters and Ideologues Behind Trump’s Agenda

YouTube video by The Long Game Podcast

youtu.be

#R4Today is normally so obsessed with small boats and catching smugglers...

RFI English@en.rfi.fr · last wk.

Paris court jails six men for manslaughter over mass drowning in Channel

One thing that really struck me during my book research is just how many big contentious topics of British politics (the voting system, Brexit, the organisation of the armed forces, social cohesion) ultimately lead back to one topic that still gets far too little attention:the future of the union.

Integrating into the Single Market and a Customs Union but not full membership for the UK should be the realistic target set by Brussels. If UK state elites as well as voters can't cope with either the trade-offs of full membership or lack of input on Single Market rules without it, well tough.

Britain Elects@britainelects.com · last wk.

On rejoining the EU Support: 55% Oppose: 34% ... but on the conditions of single currency and Schengen membership Support: 35% Oppose: 43% via YouGov, Jun 2026 britainelects.substack.com/p/is-rejoin-...

"Was Habermas meinte, war dies: Eine demokratische politische Kultur sollte auf universalistischen Prinzipien erbaut werden. Aus dem Gedanken ergab sich für Habermas sein Gegenmodell zum Nationalpatriotismus: der Verfassungspatriotismus." www.fr.de/kultur/gesel...

Habermas antwortet auf Noltes Thesen: „Der einzige Patriotismus, der uns dem Westen nicht entfremdet“

Im Juli 1986 veröffentlicht Jürgen Habermas seine Replik auf Ernst Noltes Thesen zum Nationalsozialismus in der „Zeit". Nolte hatte den Holocaust als Reaktion auf den Bolschewismus erklärt und ihm dam...

fr.de

Drumcree Orangemen desecrate the memory of the dead Seven people - three men, one woman & three children - were killed by loyalist terrorists because of Drumcree in the 1990s. I covered the terrible events. Is this forgotten? What’s happening now mocks their loss. In @heraldscotland.bsky.social

Shame on them: Drumcree Orangemen desecrate the memory of the dead

Our Writer at Large covered the Northern Ireland Troubles extensively. Here, he remembers the lives lost over Drumcree and says Loyalist protestors…

heraldscotland.com

It's remarkable to watch people on the left launch with gusto into a campaign to delegitimise and undermine trade unions, using lawfare and relentless media attacks, because they've been persuaded that hating trans people should be their top priority. The right must be rubbing their hands with glee.