@leemurg.bsky.social
Modern British myths. Economic competence of Conservative government The Loch Ness Monster Train Wi-Fi
On the #Burnham interview I think he did well & would rate it 7.5/8 out of 10. Good on domestic but needs stronger lines on Trump. Could also have challenged framing of #LauraK questions which were shallow & designed for gotcha headlines. A better journo would have done a more interesting interview.
@leemurg.bsky.social · 2w agoBurnham's media strategy has been superb but FWIW I would not have done this as it validates #LauraK as serious. By all means do a big interview but pick a better journalist (Nick R, Michal, Ridge) & send message that WE set the agenda-not you @sturdyalex.bsky.social @steverichards.bsky.social
It's been instructive to watch the RW media wet itself this week with 'unfunded' stories & attempts to whip up 'tax bombshell' stories. This from @iandunt.bsky.social captures it perfectly.
Rodri is having a superb game. He looks almost as good as Adam Wharton. #ARGSPA #SPAARG #WorlsCupFinal #cpfc @cpfc-tampa.bsky.social @cpfchq.bsky.social
Nice suits boys #SpaArg To be hoped Wayne, Joe and Micah do a Temptations song and dance after the final. The way you do the things you do...
Catching up on #Gove doing media round to justify billions wasted on #Covid contracts reminded me of @sturdyalex.bsky.social observation that Gove is a 'Method Liar'. Completely correct. Gove should not be platformed on TV as he gets off on 'defending the indefensible'. He loves it. It's his 'thing'
Very good of @miattafahnbulleh.bsky.social to do #LauarK job for her today and raise Farage's grifting with crank supporter Zahawi. Laura now bowling underarm to Mel Stride while eulogising Widdecombe. It is staggering how bad Kuensberg is at her job as Political Editor of the BBC.
Admire @bbc5live.bsky.social John Murray and think he's a superb broadcaster, but that final question to Elliot Anderson was unnecessary. In that moment it was very badly judged, extremely unfair on the player & completely unnecessary. #ENGDRC
Trying to watch #ENGDRC on a train, my experience seems to have been broadly the same since the England players #WorldCup2026
Presumably Yaxley Lennon will have his boys marching to Stockport over this and we can expect to hear from #Farage very soon.
Watched @bbc Newswatch a few times recently in which the public make objective complaints about poor BBC news output.Yet it has no impact on largely rubbish BBC coverage of news & politics. What is the point of it? It's like a CSR department set up to be nice while everyday operations act poorly.
Question: Has anyone been listening to @thenewsagents.co.uk of late? Enjoyed it at first but then it got too overheated, dramatic & focused on intrigue. Has it calmed down yet as I always thought Emily was a fair & balanced analyst?
Well done @iandunt.bsky.social for not letting Reform cllr Alex Wilson take the high ground for what Farage did.
Every leak I am seeing about the England squad is leaving me staggered. It's as though Tuchel - who I have always rated highly - is doing everything to make things as difficult as possible and guarantee failure. Just confirms that being England manager drives everyone mad eventually. #ENG
bylinetimes.com/2026/05/20/r... Excellent work by @bylinetimes.bsky.social on Reform's 'salt of the earth' candidate Rob Kenyon. If he's "only saying what everyone is thinking" as Reform tells us they are, why has he deleted his account?
Reading the Riot Act: Reform UK’s Makerfield By-Election Candidate During the Summer of Trouble
The archive of Robert Kenyon’s suspended X account reveals intense activity after three children were murdered in Southport in 2024
bylinetimes.com
@mrjamesob.bsky.social Burnham should use Streeting's intervention to "make the argument" for the EU and progressive politics. This is the biggest failing of Starmer/Labour they NEVER EVER make the argument.
@mrjamesob.bsky.social One of the most significant yet underplayed issues that has created the current mess is the rise of the "Bad faith poltician". The epitome of this are Johnson, Farage & Gove. 2 of them will now be given a 2 month platform to spout their betrayal narrative & spread their lies.
No feeling for Man City but Antoine Semenya seems like a very nice chap, so nice to see him win ans score such as excellent decisive goal. #FACupFinal #MCICHE
Well said Robbie and Judith on BBC Newswatch just now. Can we have more of them and less of Mason and #LauraK? Far more incisive and with much better journalistic values.
I know there is a lot going on right now but can we all please take some time to recall how much of a bellend @samcoatescymru.bsky.social made of himself yesterday when he poured petrol on the flames and ended up burning himself.
𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝖄𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖘 𝕬𝖌𝖔… The Eye delved into Christopher Harborne's background - his dual identity, his cryptocurrency connections, his enormous political donations - long before his undeclared £5 million personal gift to Nigel Farage. From the Private Eye archive. Issue 1511, December 2019.
I cannot promise it will make anyone feel better. What I can promise is that being curious about stuff is always a balm, because it ensures a part of you stays detached, going "huh, I didn't expect that, how weird". I can also promise that @zoesqwilliams.bsky.social was as ever a brilliant partner.
Alex Andreou@sturdyalex.bsky.social · 3mo agoEditing @quietriotpod.bsky.social locals preliminary reaction now, to put out tonight, hopefully, with full wash up during Sunday School. xx
A wall of crypto money is powering Nigel Farage, both politically and personally. And much of the British media just shrugs app.prospectmagazine.co.uk/story/73421/...
Britain's broadcast media boasts of its strict adherence to impartiality rules. Mentions per MP. LibDems: 645 Tories: 5,116 Greens: 7,763 Labour (the actual govt): 27,438 Reform: 70,732 Anyone surprised they're ahead? bebroadcast.co.uk/politics-who...
#Politics Who gets heard – and who doesn’t – on UK broadcast? | Be Broadcast
New analysis of 1.5m mentions reveals which UK parties are overexposed or underrepresented on broadcast – from Labour and Reform to the Conservatives and Lib Dems.
bebroadcast.co.uk
@mrjamesob.bsky.social Media refusal to acknowledge madness of Trump shown y'day when John Kay on Bkfast asked Darren Jones "why is relationship with USA so bad?" Like it isnt glaringly obvious! Maybe Kay should have said "how difficult is it for govt to deal with such an unpredictable US leader?"
@mrjamesob.bsky.social going in on a fascinating subject today. Why do some people support racism that, if taken to its natural conclusion, would harm them and their family. Will be interested to hear what people have to say on this as its an issue that leaves me puzzled.
Sounds like Dacre adopted the "confused old man" successfully deployed by Murdoch at The Leveson Enquiry @mrjamesob.bsky.social
The UK media's positioning of the Royal Firm as 'concerned citizens' & everyday dupes that are getting information in the same way as the rest of us (while previously pony-ing up £10m to keep the victims quiet) says so much about what is wrong with public life today.
