Today in the casual media normalization of wildly illegal & unconstitutional corruption, the complete bypassing of official channels of diplomacy, & unprecedented norm violation of having family members & cronies act in lieu of actual executive branch employees.

Judd Legum@juddlegum.bsky.social · 2w ago

News outlets that covered the US-Saudi nuclear deal without mentioning that Jared Kushner, Trump’s top foreign policy advisor, is getting paid by the Saudi government: WSJ NYT AP Reuters CNN NBC ABC CBS The Guardian Semafor Washington Post Fox News New York Post BBC Newsweek MS NOW

Gary Lineker among millionaires asking Andy Burnham to tax them more. Support for a 2% tax on wealth over £10m. Refreshing antidote to the right-wing claim of 'they will leave'. The poorest 20% pay a higher proportion of income in direct and indirect taxes than the richest 20%.

Gary Lineker among millionaires asking Andy Burnham to tax them more

A group including the former England footballer write to the new PM telling him "we can afford it".

bbc.co.uk

Good to see that we finally have a duty of candour enshrined in law A legal requirement to tell the truth is important but only a first step We need those with power to listen to those in whose service they should be working

Liam Thorp@liamthorp.bsky.social · 3w ago

Andy Burnham hugs Hillsborough campaigner Margaret Aspinall after a landmark Hillsborough Law finally passed through the House of Commons today A moment in history

£10 billion of public money was wasted on unusable PPE Much of it went to friends and associates of Tory ministers Government corruption, on a massive scale, that must never happen again

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 3w ago

Johnson government wasted ‘vast’ sums on PPE, Covid inquiry finds

‘These recommendations would fundamentally reshape how lobbying activity is captured, bringing the transparency that has long been missing. Mistrust foments in the dark, and sadly that’s where the overwhelming majority of lobbying currently occurs’ www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

All lobbying should be publicly declared in transparency laws shake-up, watchdog says

Ethics and integrity commission chief says overhaul is crucial to help restore trust in standards

theguardian.com

Trump is using his presidency to enrich himself, his family and his friends This is the opposite of public service and brings the office of the presidency into disrepute www.theguardian.com/news/video/2...

Crypto, Bibles and watches: how Trump made over $2bn last year - The Latest

Donald Trump cashed in on more than $2bn from crypto and other business ventures last year. Just how rich can a sitting US president get? Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian reporter Aisha Down

theguardian.com

How the jobs figures pan out. Net zero: massive new employment. Return to fossil fuels: mass unemployment. Don't ever let these grifters persuade you they have your interests at heart. They dance to the tune of their funders. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

A question for Nigel Farage – why is your nationalist party so obsessed with destroying British jobs? | George Monbiot

Claims that our prosperity depends on oil and gas are bunkum – unless you’re a Reform backer with fossil fuel interests, of course, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

theguardian.com

Language matters When we use language that denigrates others we fail to respect their essential humanity When political leaders do this they undermine social cohesion and the mutual respect that is essential to a flourishing democracy Badenoch should apologise www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Badenoch won't say sorry for language at fiery Commons session

The Tory leader used Prime Minister's Questions to attack government ministers and Labour MPs following Sir Keir Starmer's resignation as Labour leader.

bbc.co.uk

One of Starmer’s problems was the effortlessness of his rise. He became leader of the Labour Party after 5 years as an MP. He never had time to build up a following, a leadership style, a governing idea or cultural hinterland Up like a rocket is often down like a stick

Musk amplified Yaxley-Lennon's incitement to violence in Belfast last night He is using his platform to spread fascism and undermine democracy in UK Why would we permit this attack on our national security and social cohesion? It's long past time when the X platform should be shut down in the UK

Good news, and sounds clearly just:

Claes Holtzmann@claeshs.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Court holds Google liable for false claims in AI Overviews. Seems significant. "A regular search engine just points to outside websites. But AI overviews generate 'independent, new, and substantive statements' by evaluating and combining content from various third-party sites" the-decoder

Email leaks revealed that Johnson lobbied for Harborne. Both Farage and Johnson started lauding crypto around the time they received millions from him. Harborne is suing Ben Habib for suggesting Johnson and Farage colluded in the 2019 election. But they were both in his pocket

Carole Cadwalladr@carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 2mo ago

And it’s not just Farage. It was Johnson too. That’s the bit they’re missing. Same donations. Same pattern. 4/

Royal Mail privatisation Only 75.7% of UK first class mail delivered on time. Regulator keeps reducing targets, Royal Mail still doesn't meet them. Price of 1st class postage £1.80, 2nd class 91p. When privatized in 2013 by Tory/LibDem Govt: 1st class 60p; 2nd class 50p. We pay more for less.

Royal Mail delivering just three-quarters of first class mail on time

Royal Mail says its service is improving and that it is on track to hit the regulator Ofcom's reduced targets

bbc.co.uk

A former federal prosecutor in the US proposes creating a new law to prosecute those who deliberately tell lies that damage democracy Is this a useful way of protecting truthfulness in public life? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Americast - Does the US need new laws to protect elections? - BBC Sounds

And, why does Donald Trump want to “nationalise” elections?

bbc.co.uk

Demilitarise Education has exposed £2.5bn+ in arms partnerships at UK universities in the last 8 years. Now, 82% of UK universities no longer invest in arms companies. Jinsella Kennaway explains how campaigner pressure can shift policies towards arms exclusion. 👇🧪 www.youtube.com/watch?v=387F...

UK universities and the arms trade

YouTube video by Scientists for Global Responsibility

youtube.com

In the age of AI, we must ensure that human dignity remains at the centre of progress. Pope Leo’s recent letter resonates deeply with the Elders’ work in calling for governments to urgently govern AI & ensure that technological development does not override ethics, international law, or diplomacy.

“A killing spree on autopilot.” As the Trump admin.'s lawless boat strikes rage on, scrutiny from lawmakers has been waning. But advocates hope new lawsuits and investigations will shift the spotlight back onto these appalling, outrageous killings.

Trump’s ‘License to Kill’ Boat Strike Policy Faces a Reckoning

The administration is continuing to strike boats in the Caribbean and Pacific.

buff.ly

A disturbing account of the use of lies to spread hate and division by the Reform candidate in the Makerfield by election He is clearly not a suitable person to play any role in public life

Peter Jukes@peterjukes.bsky.social · 3mo ago

So I went on a deep dive last night into the archives of the suspended X account of Reform UK’s Makersfield election candidate, Robert Kenyon. This is what I found… bylinetimes.com/2026/05/20/r...

The international rule of law is under sustained assault by the very powers who were supposed to be its guarantors. Now is the moment for global leaders to renew their commitment to the UN Charter and to a world where rights, sovereignty and peace are upheld equally for all.

Yesterday, a new generation of civil rights activists marched from Selma to Montgomery to fight for voting rights. As states across the country try to make it harder for citizens to be heard, we need to learn the lessons of those who came before us and refuse to take our democracy for granted.

Thousands attend protests in Selma and Montgomery for voting rights | Alabama Reflector

Speakers at the All Roads Lead to the South events urge people to mobilize to oppose redistricting efforts by Legislatures in the south.

alabamareflector.com

We need to be sure that those who work in public life prioritize the public interest and not their own personal interest We cannot be sure of this while they take money from companies who might benefit from policies they could introduce

We Own It@weownit.org.uk · 3mo ago

This should be illegal. 60% of Wes Streeting's donations come from people and companies linked to private healthcare, according to @goodlawproject.org research. Our NHS should be protected from these private interests - not left defenceless against them. End privatisation in our NHS.

This sort of corruption was the impulse for the founding of QTIG Those in public life must operate for the public good, not for private grift We cannot allow the super-rich to buy our democracy and undermine the integrity of our politicians www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Exclusive: Nigel Farage was given undisclosed £5m by crypto billionaire in 2024

Reform leader changed his mind about standing as MP after gift from Thai-based crypto tycoon Christopher Harborne

theguardian.com

Lib Dems push for ban on MPs taking money from X, citing Maga threat. That won't cleanse UK politics. Must ban all political donations and second jobs for MPs. They must not receive personal benefit from any political bribe. Anything less won't free politics from the clutches of super-rich.

Lib Dems push for ban on MPs taking money from X, citing Maga threat

Ed Davey attacks Reform calling it ‘Maga franchise’ and says Elon Musk funnels far-right ideas into UK via X

theguardian.com

www.theguardian.com/media/2026/a... What if we found and boycotted all #WPP clients 🤔

Revealed: British ad firm’s billion-dollar greenwash of US oil industry

London-based WPP accused of breaching climate policy after report reveals firm linked to twice as much oil advertising as US rivals

theguardian.com

This is a UN-sponsored multilateral nuclear disarmament conference All our MPs who state they support multilateral nuclear disarmament should surely be supporting it shouldn’t they?

ICAN@nuclearban.bsky.social · 3mo ago

🧵The 11th #NPT Rev Con starts today at the UN HQ. As states gather there is little expectation that much will be achieved. @florianeblenkamp.bsky.social explains ICAN's new Cornerstone Report on how this happened, and what can still be done to implement the NPT. Read: www.icanw.org/the_cornerst...

Today is the deadline for submitting a nomination for our annual Quaker Truth & Integrity Award ‘in recognition of an exceptional contribution towards the enhancement of standards of truth and integrity in public life in Britain’ More detail here: quakertruth.org/truth-award/

BP's profits have doubled to $3.2bn in the first quarter, over 130% higher than the same period last year because of the US-Israeli war on Iran. It's time the gvt curbed corporate profiteering and supported people through the crisis. Our quote in the Guardian today.

Yesterday the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference got underway in New York. Read this from @una-uk.bsky.social to find out why it matters una.org.uk/publication/...

2026 NPT Review Conference: Why This Moment Matters - UNA-UK

The 2026 Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT RevCon) at United Nations Headquarters will be one of the most consequential conferences on the issue since th...

una.org.uk

The question is: who should pay tax for public services? If not those who can because they earn or have wealth. And Tice isn't suggesting a wealth tax or anything. He is just suggesting a more extreme form of capitalism. We don't need that. We need a focus on the common good.

Quaker Truth and Integrity@qtig.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Richard Tice is deputy leader of Reform, a party that aspires to government Quakers believe in fairness and that paying tax is a moral duty towards our society Avoiding paying your fair share of tax is incompatible with leading our country www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/ric...

In 2020, Keir Starmer said he would bring in legislation which would require any UK military intervention to have a lawful basis, viable objective, and approval by MPs. He has not done this - so I have, tabling the Armed Conflict (Requirements) Bill earlier this month.