Richard Vaughan
@richardvaughan.bsky.social
Director, Media at Public First/Stonehaven. Generally tired.
Andy Burnham stepped onto the stage today to The Farm’s Altogether Now. It was used as Evertons FA Cup song in 1995 (The last trophy the Blue Noses have won lol). BUT! Peter Hooton is a MASSIVE Red & is part of Spirit of Shankly supporters group. Which I always think shows the city in a good light!
So are the people of Piddington now illegally residing in the UK, if they have voted to leave?
If only Ed Sheeran had some warning signs that this Macklemore fella was a wrong’un…
Bayeux Tapestry good but massively upstaged by seeing a cat in a ruff right before
I’ve never met Antonia Romeo, but what I like about her is she often has an expression I think I would have if I found myself, say, standing for a new season team photo inside No10. One of utter bemusement.
I’ve no doubt the Irish Times’s (and Dubliner) Mark Paul will be *delighted* to be snapped looking like a Reform delegate alongside a Crusader in today’s papers 😆
“Reaches deal”…I‘ve another term for it www.nytimes.com/2026/08/28/b...
Trump Says U.S. Has Deal for Control of Large Share of Venezuela’s Oil
The president said an agreement between the countries covered more than 65 billion barrels of reserves. A U.S. official said it would involve a partnership with a private company.
nytimes.com
Exc: Shabana Mahmood’s controversial immigration reforms will deepen the staffing crisis in social care, a union has warned, with analysis showing British workers are not filling vacancies left by fewer migrant staff inews.co.uk/news/politic...
Crackdown on migrant carers 'must be scrapped' after numbers plummet by 75,000
The number of international recruits hired into care jobs has plunged - and this has not been offset by British workers entering the sector
inews.co.uk
"The Burnham bounce is real" Labour takes five point lead over Reform, according to BMG/The i Paper poll inews.co.uk/news/politic...
Labour take five-point poll lead over Reform in new 'Burnham bounce'
If repeated at a general election, the results would make Labour comfortably the biggest party but still just shy of an overall majority
inews.co.uk
Do the Germans have a word for the dread you feel when you’re added to another WhatsApp group?
Am struck from focus groups this week how much the lack of lectern for Burnham’s No10 speech has cut through and as a Starmer contrast, psychologically seems to have landed as bolder/removing a barrier.
King and Queen arrive at Commonwealth Games in Doctor Who’s Tardis www.thetimes.com/article/253d...
Reasonsimbroke Larry David
ALT: Reasonsimbroke Larry David
static.klipy.com
Officials are not "actively considering" rent controls, I'm told, despite Burnham saying he would look at it earlier this week... inews.co.uk/news/politic...
Rent controls set to be ditched from Burnham's cost of living blitz
Freeze on private rents not under active consideration by Whitehall officials
inews.co.uk
It remains likely that visible arrivals will be reported + that less visible trends will go under-reported on this major theme. There has yet to be a BBC online analysis piece on the key theme "why have small boat crossings fallen - by over a third/nearly half - and will it be sustained"
Jon Featonby@jonfeatonby.bsky.social · 2mo agoNo arrivals by small boats for the last 10 days now. As of yesterday, 12,469 people had arrived so far this year across the Channel, down over 11,000 (47%) on the same time last year. More than 10% down on 2023 as well, which was when crossings were, by comparison to other years, lower.
Hugging Face? I know tech bros are into sci-fi but this is getting a little silly...even for them
One of the more overlooked decisions in Burnham's Cabinet reshuffle is the elevation of Kanishka Narayan, who will attend Cabinet as AI minister. A seriously impressive individual and shows not *all* of Burnham's appointments were based on loyalty but also on talent...
Without wanting to be too pessimistic, this doesn't bode well...
Cassia Rowland@cassiarowland.bsky.social · 2mo agoThe day’s first casualty: James Timpson resigns as prisons minister. This is a big surprise! Timpson had a long history as a prisons reformer before entering government and seen as one of Starmer’s more innovative & exciting appointments. He’s also delivered a big change programme in gov. So: why?
I remember interviewing Burnham when he was shadow edu sec & he spoke of how he used his walk to Goodison to discuss policy with his teacher brother. So will Burnham go from the “People’s Club”* to the “People’s Prime Minister”? *It’s not the People’s Club (it’s a no trophies in 31 years club)
The entire world outside Argentina celebrated that
I'm betting he'll deliver it from a partial reconstruction of the Hacienda...
Ah, don't worry. He finished his speech to New Order. Phew!
Richard Vaughan@richardvaughan.bsky.social · 3mo agoI think something must have gone wrong... the backing music for the Burnham livestream is not playing New Order/The Smiths/Stone Roses... It's just generic muzak. Is everything ok over there?
I think something must have gone wrong... the backing music for the Burnham livestream is not playing New Order/The Smiths/Stone Roses... It's just generic muzak. Is everything ok over there?
Trump's soft power (or lack therein) in action...
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 3mo agoPeople in many countries around the world now view China more positively than they do the U.S., a new international survey has found, in a significant reversal of public opinion that comes as the two superpowers increasingly vie for global influence.
