My basic view on this Lib Dem drama is that timing your coup the day after the Greens have lost a by-election, and just a few days after a Tory conference where they have shifted focus onto your Southern seats, shows a lack of nous that should instantly disqualify you from running for the job.

Feels like a weird day to do this. Just at the point when a major source of Lib Dem angst - the rise of Polanski - has had a major setback.

Jim Pickard@pickardje.bsky.social · 3d ago

FT exclusive: the coup against Sir Ed Davey has begun... www.ft.com/content/523f...

Yep, when I catch up with other former Lib Dem Spads we just sit around cackling about how we destroyed the Tories by making them compromise on key issues. ‘Wow we totally screwed their electoral chances for a decade’ we say as we laugh into our drinks.

Andrew Harrison@nndroid.bsky.social · 6d ago

Badenoch on #R4Today claiming the Tories’ problems started with the Coalition when they “had to make compromises” and were perceived as “not proper Conservatives”. Cameron/Osbourne absolutely steamrollered the Lib Dems, got all they wanted, and left Clegg &c. as patsies. What is she on?

I know it’s not exactly a forgotten novel. But it baffles me this isn’t more widely read.

Tobias Wilson-Bates@phdhurtbrain.bsky.social · 2w ago

Some people claim that they haven’t read The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner: Written by Himself: With a detail of curious traditionary facts and other evidence by the editor but this book has been a banger for 202 years.

Well, that was an unexpected twist to me reading the four-year-old her bedtime story

This is a much more important group of disgruntled MPs than the hardcore group of (four? five?) Starmer loyalist MPs that some people have said could be a problem.

Stephen Bush@stephenkb.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The massacre of the Streetingites is in my view massively undercovered. Unlike “the essentially random group of people who were still in the Starmer bunker” it a) is an ideologically coherent group and b) has a record of actually plotting against the leader.

Taking the opportunity to repost this story (from John Boorman’s book) about how shooting the last shot of Zardoz caused Sean Connery to fall into so fierce a rage it led to a man changing his identity

Reactor Magazine@reactorsff.bsky.social · 3mo ago

If you've seen Zardoz, you already know it's a wild ride; it you haven't seen Zardoz, strap in: it's time to talk about the highs and lows of John Boorman's film, featuring false gods and failed utopias, and Sean Connery in thigh-high boots

AB, a 🧵

That whole 'calling the by-election means Farage can dominate the news agenda when Burnham thought it would be him' take is not aging well so far.

From the latest story in The Times about Mahmood to the Treasury. Minor point, but I’d say if you’re giving the press quotes like this then you’re not actually an ‘ally’ of Andy Burnham

As a public affairs consultant myself I get the frustration. There have been Burnham policies floated, including in the FT, that affect specific sectors with no way for companies to engage or understand. But realistically his team can’t be doing much business engagement when he’s not even PM

Duncan Weldon@duncanweldon.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Alternative headline: public affairs consultancies worry how to justify their retainers. www.ft.com/content/b8a2... Business worries about how to reach Burnham

There are many things Matterface would like to say.... And he's written them all down the night before and will spend the whole match ham-fistedly trying to insert his shitty puns and quips into his commentary.

I think Farage wins a second by-election whatever the commission says. But I don’t think it’s daft that the Tories might feel their best chance is to duck this first one in the hope that a longer period of scrutiny/trying to make him look thin-skinned and a bit silly chips away at him a bit

Stephen Bush@stephenkb.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I just think the 'ah, but the *second* by-election' stuff is daft. Ah, yes, what will change the reality on the ground in Clacton is a parliamentary committee with a funny name!

Right, so do the other parties do the hilarious David Davis thing and not stand?

Cannot believe people are sharing this as if it's actually true. He has not only touched the ball eight times in this tournament. he touched it eight times in the match

Worst thing about this red card thing is I now have to hope that rubbish Belgium team wins.

‘Preparation matters’ he says in the interview, before ordering a pizza intended for a family of four because the pub’s chef has a day off.

James Ball@jamesrball.com · 3mo ago

Morgan McSweeney ordered himself an 18" pizza, which he then *of course* couldn't even come close to finishing, and for reasons I can't quite put my fingers on that feels extremely apt.

This quote from the Morgan McSweeney interview is nuts. Labour had been miles ahead for years by this point. Every public affairs consultancy in the UK was preparing for an inevitable Labour Government. But Labour wasn't? Really?

And so, Penelope Keith goes to her grave having never faced justice.

With this and Al Carns, I’m starting to feel like serving in the military should actually disqualify you from being an MP

A decade+ since I was inadvertently invited to a Downing Street room with Facebook/Google/etc and Cameron walked in and asked everyone what they'd do to boost youth referendum turnout and a grand woman shouted "WE NEED GRIME ARTISTES, DOES ANYONE KNOW ANY GRIME ARTISTES" and I began to doubt Remain.

Al Carns reminds me of Owen Smith, in the way he gives strong vibes of someone who’s basing his whole style on some kind of ‘100 habits of successful politicians’ self-improvement book, and always manages to get it just a bit wrong.

Twlldun@twlldun.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Going to say that if you use a chisel down t’pit, it’s going to take you *fucking ages* to get any coal out

I can understand the argument on not abandoning X. What I don’t understand is actively boosting X by prioritising it over other social media

Roland Smith@rolandmcs.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Lammy says he doesn't think the Govt should come off X because that's where a lot of people get their information. FFS.

Amusing how the people claiming they hate AI because they prefer reading real human texts are often sub-sapient illiterate mobs living in their own hallucinations. Tokarczuk had to come out with the exact same statement, but somehow dumb it down even more (this won't stop "AI writer" comments).

One of the other things about this is that the negatives of Arsenal - perceived lack of atmosphere, self-entitlement of fans - only really matter to people who already support other clubs

Daley AF(C)@daleyafc.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Good piece this, makes the point that among other things, maybe Arsenal’s lack of recent success has helped grow its fan base. In a kind of weird hipstery way. You aren’t taking the easy route of following the nation state club.

People have gone mad expecting the Greens to stand aside. They’re going to have to criticise him if he’s PM, they can’t do that if they just basically decided to hand him the job. (Plus whether or not they stand will probably be of no relevance)

Andrew Sparrow@andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Polanski defends Greens fielding byelection candidate against Burnham, saying 'in democracy people must have choice' - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

A change of prime minister would be a big opportunity for Nandy, a high-flier who for some reason hasn't had a government job for the last two years.

David Wilcock@davidtwilcock.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Fun Sunday media round ahead. Lisa Nandy is technically out speaking for the Starmer government, but she pointedly shared a pic canvassing with Andy Burnham and Louise Haigh yesterday.

That Guardian book list is fine. Bit more traditional than I expect they hoped and some I don’t like. But some of the comments along the lines of ‘people don’t actually enjoy these books’ - fuck off!. Yes they do. If you don’t that’s fine, but it’s not a plot to pretend they’re good.

I don't think the Greens will campaign aggressively. It would be money spent in a race where they have no chance and in all likelihood wouldn't get many votes at all. Most by-elctions are instantly about two parties, with the rest being irrelevant - this feels like one of those

James Ball@jamesrball.com · 5mo ago

Makerfield is a *terrible* seat demographically for the Green Party. Don't think they could possibly win it. But they could potentially take 4,000-5,000 votes off Labour's total if they campaigned aggressively. That could prove decisive. Fateful even. *If* they campaign aggressively.

I'm afraid this is what a summer of sex looks like when Labour runs it