Jon Ossoff has the oratory of Obama and the substance of Truman. #Ossoff2028
Michele Grant
@michelegrant.bsky.social
Living life beyond a career in the news industry but still rooting for public service broadcasting and old school journalism. Also ... housing and urban issues, Liverpool #YNWA, feminism, politics, walking.
BBC’s coverage of Reform’s welfare plans is frankly bizarre. Headlines in Ten, leading on some radio networks. Reform are not even the official opposition and the plans have less credibility than Count Binface. Will BBC News do the same for Lib Dem and Greens policy two years out from an election?
Our latest voting intention sees cross over. Labour move ahead by 4. Their first lead since March 2025 & highest share since Nov 24 🌹 LAB 28% (+4) ⏩ REF 24% (-2) 🌳 CON 22% (nc) 🔶 LIB DEM 12% (+1) 🟢 GREEN 8% (-3) 🟡 SNP 2% (nc) N = 2061| Dates 24-27/7| Change w 22/7
There are two kinds of people. People who stand on a travelator and people who walk on a travelator.
open.substack.com/pub/rorycell... My GP surgery got an AI in to answer the phones. At first it seemed to deal with the problem of the 8 o’clock rush for appointments but then patients revolted.
Dear AI EMMA -You're fired!
GP surgery decides AI receptionist is not up to the job
open.substack.com
If this isn't "designed to stir up hatred" against Jews, what is? Why are the Met not arresting them?
The thing about political leadership is that it's made up of two components: the job and the game. Starmer treats it as a job. Johnson treated it as a game. Blair and Brown between them managed both. The Westminster commentariat is only interested in the game.
Fabulous listen thanks to @garius.bsky.social and @grindrod.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/johngrin...
Monstrosities Mon Amour: Stevenage with Gareth Edwards
#17. John Grindrod meets historian and podcaster Gareth Edwards for a trip to the dreamy cycle paths of Stevenage and the pleasures of a corned beef sandwich
open.substack.com
Your Party, proclaiming their support for a multi-property buy to let landlord whose main policy was promoting car use and ripping out LTNs. 🙄
"Posts liked by Polanski include one asking “how much does Israel pay him” of Starmer, and another claiming “Labour has been bought by and happily promotes an apartheid genocidal state”.
We need to talk about Zack Polanski
The charismatic Green leader is close to a breakthrough - yet must answer legitimate questions about his past and his social media likes
thenewworld.co.uk
What new laws have been passed since the election in a nutshell 👇
Maybe not your usual celebration of May Day but a real demonstration of what a progressive Labour council could achieve for its people - a Bermondsey Metropolitan Borough council float from the 1930s.
Its important the Green Party, during + beyond this electoral cycle, set out much more clearly what they will exclude as antisemitic hatred + hostility, and to articulate how to criticise Israel's govt & support Palestinian rights without antisemitism vs Jews [or this type of hate vs Israelis+Jews]
Francis Sedgemore@hesgen.com · 4mo agoNewcastle Green Party candidate Tina Ion says "Israel must be eradicated. Even if it means killing every single Zionist.". Is Ion one of the "99%" of candidates whom party leader Zack Polanski stands behind?
You can, unfortunately, get away with a lot of bigotry and be a viable party for national power. But I don’t think you can be open to positions like this one on crime and be viable.
Left Outside@leftoutside.bsky.social · 4mo agoSo, naively, I thought it would be the likes that got Zack into trouble. But here he is attacking the police rescuing people from an anti-Semitic rampage.
Forgiving Kanye West is Melvin Benn's personal choice. Giving him a three-night headline slot is a commercial one. This statement confuses the two spectacularly throughout.
Twlldun@twlldun.bsky.social · 5mo agoThis is the most spectacularly self justifying bullshit
Fascinating to read the comments on this boilerplate post, in which the word Zionist (never defined but broadly applied) serves as absolution for racism. It's such a convenient word.
Zack Polanski@zackpolanski.bsky.social · 5mo agoHorrified by the antisemitic attack in our city. Antisemitism is vile and has no place here. Solidarity with the Jewish community in Golders Green - and with our communities across the country who will be feeling this today.
'One in five students would be reluctant to, or would never, houseshare with a Jewish student, 23% have seen behaviour that targets Jewish students for their religion or ethnicity and 47% have witnessed justification of the 7 October attacks by Hamas.' www.theguardian.com/news/2026/ma...
Antisemitism has ‘become normalised’ on UK campuses, says Union of Jewish Students
Poll of students of all faiths and none found almost a quarter had seen Jews targeted for their religion or ethnicity
theguardian.com
'China’s disillusionment with Iran’s leaders means that Beijing is not inherently opposed to regime change. Because its priority is to ensure that Iran remains a viable economic partner, it is regime agnostic.' reader.foreignaffairs.com/2026/03/05/w...
Why China Won’t Help Iran
Beijing Cares About the Oil, Not the Regime
reader.foreignaffairs.com
While we wait to see if war with Iran is going to happen this BBC explainer on what happens to the world economy if Iran blocks the strait of Hormuz is very useful. BBC News - Strait of Hormuz: What happens if Iran shuts global oil corridor? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
What is the Strait of Hormuz and why does it matter?
Iran's threat to block the world's most vital oil transit point has raised fears of major global economic consequences.
bbc.co.uk
Excellent analysis from Mark Urban on how Westminster lobby correspondents drown out the real news.
Did the Lobby Misread the Starmer Story?
Our political press can be an asset or liability
open.substack.com
'Oligarchs gonna oligarch. And if your motto is “Move fast and break things,” it turns out that a lot of what gets broken is what the rest of us value most.' open.substack.com/pub/tinabrow...
Bafflement with Bezos
The whole debacle of the Washington Post brand hara-kiri last week dispatched the myth that a tech billionaire could save serious journalism.
open.substack.com
The 8:10 Today interview with Gordon Brown is an utter tour de force. A towering intellect matched by the deepest integrity.
'The deadliest two-day protest massacre in history, according to documents reviewed by Iran International's Editorial Board.' www.iranintl.com/en/202601255...
Over 36,500 killed in Iran's deadliest massacre, documents reveal
More than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during the January 8-9 crackdown on nationwide protests, making it the deadliest two-day protest massacre in history, according to documents re...
iranintl.com