Ruth Dawson

‘Sparse’: Reality of election defeat hits home at Tory conference The Manchester venue shows tell-tale signs of Conservative decline and the party’s urgent need to regain relevance

Marvellous piece by my FT colleagues, tho the real star turn is from our photographer Charlie Bibby: www.ft.com/content/5a73...

Good lord. This would be a disappointing turnout for a school play.

INSIDE THE CHURCH OF NIGEL FARAGEOLOGY John Sweeney, our Reform UK correspondent, previews his new series reporting on every county council controlled by the party - an organisation that, as its leader proudly claims, welcomes public scrut...

Read John’s piece here: www.thenerve.news/p/john-sween...

Picture of news reporter John Sweeney

NEW FROM THE NERVE

Inside the church of (Nigel) Farageology!

We’ve signed award-winning investigative reporter @johnsweeneyroar.bsky.social as our Reform UK correspondent. Here he previews a new series in which he will report on every UK county council now controlled by the party ⬇️

For the actual fucking love of god.

The person responsible for the gaslighting of thousands of people with ME/CFS with CBT and torturing them with graded exercise therapy, both of which were then tried again on Long Covid patients.

An absolute menace to the sick or vulnerable.

We're experiencing the circular nature of history in this year of 2025. Lewis observed U.S. politics a century ago. History doesn't necessarily repeat itself but the elements of human nature swirl in incredibly recognizable patterns. Lewis was very good at sharing those patterns.

🤣🤣

Stephen Miller is a dangerous madman living in a world of his own making. I really can’t believe there isn’t more discourse around the madness we are witnessing each day.

"the Bad Faith Threshold" is a great coinage.

The first wave of comments on a post, from those who do actually follow you, is usually interesting or fun or both.

But the later waves are of scolds, humourless reply-guys, "sorry to be pedantics", "whatabouts", and "why are you insulting".

In other news, residents of Handsworth complained of seeing a complete and utter twat.

Yes - gonna write on this in my newsletter tomorrow - in some ways the most significant comment at conference is the *shadow business secretary* going 'ooooh, Brexit was good' - if you want to be a party of successful people in their 30s, 40s and 50s you can't be out of sync with them on this!

This is a must-read

Bruiser.

Also, how will they establish if someone's a globalist or communist?
A membership card? 20 questions?

As a globalist with a 10-year visa, am I blocked?

YouTube video by Culture Vulture Rises Dame Patricia Routledge Remembers Miss Pym's Day Out (BBC)

And to follow up-

youtu.be/RaO0PgRVjJg?...

YouTube video by S Holmes MISS PYM'S DAY OUT (Patricia Routledge) (1991)

Miss Pym’s Day Out’. Barbara Pym is played by Patricia Routledge, and early on there’s a cameo by Jilly Cooper, playing herself. Larkin said Pym wrote ‘good books for bad days.’

youtube.com/watch?v=mi8Z...

Top prosecutor is rejecting Trump pressure to charge New York AG A key federal prosecutor in Virginia, where James Comey was indicted, is resisting bringing charges against Letitia James.

NEW: A federal prosecutor in the EDVA has found NO probable cause to indict NYAG Leticia James despite intense pressure from the Trump administration to do so. How long before she’s fired? www.msnbc.com/msnbc/news/t...

A party conference where Margaret Thatcher's clothes are on display, but where no-one seems to have realised that none of them could write or deliver anything like her speeches in terms of depth of policy engagement and thought:

Robert Jenrick complained of ‘not seeing another white face’ in part of Birmingham Shadow justice secretary criticised for suggesting he could tell how integrated Handsworth was based on short visit

Can’t work out if this was leaked to damage him or support him:

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Tax authorities examine finances of key Nigel Farage ally Exclusive: HMRC conducts scoping exercise into Reform UK backer ‘Posh George’ Cottrell’s income from business and wealth

EXC from @annaisaac.bsky.social

The finances of one of Nigel Farage’s key confidants are being examined by the UK’s tax and revenue authorities amid questions over his income from wealth and business activities, the Guardian understands.

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

EU citizens living in UK shouldn’t be allowed welfare benefits, says Tory rising star Katie Lam — who is earning plaudits on the Conservative right — calls for Brexit withdrawal agreement to be reopened.

Not a serious person. Zero mention of what this would mean for the over a million British citizens whose own access to welfare in the EU is protected by the withdrawal agreement.

Robert Jenrick complained of ‘not seeing another white face’ in part of Birmingham Shadow justice secretary criticised for suggesting he could tell how integrated Handsworth was based on short visit

What on earth has happened to the Tories? This wouldn't have been acceptable in 1965 let alone 2025.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Seriously, this thing is happening at scale. Right in front of your eyes. And there is...no coordinated response to it at all. Amazing really.

Jeff Bezos hails AI boom as ‘good’ kind of bubble Amazon founder’s comments follow warning by Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon that ‘it’s not different this time’

Roses are red
Black cats can mean trouble
on.ft.com/48d00Xl

Watching the most electorally successful centre-right party self-immolate is actually a little frightening. There doesn’t seem to be any immune response or preservation instinct kicking in. It’s turtles all the way down.

Nice to see Tom Paulin in there - the man after whom I was named (and managed to tell this to over an accidental drink)

They didn’t last a year out of government, in which they spent at least a decade trying to do exactly this and failing, before they started claiming the exact same thing is bound to work. And back in 2010 people were pretty happy with the state of public service provision!

This isn’t an opinion. There is no factual way to do it otherwise (those five departments make up over 2/3rds of the civil service).

Which of those do the Tories think are so over-staffed they can take massive staff cuts?

The justice system? The military? HMRC? Border control? Job centres?