Steve 🇬🇧 🇪🇸 🇪🇺

Sadly, until the loud jaundiced narrative changes the government needs to be seen to be trying to address immigration in whatever way it can. Too many don’t want to consider the difference they just put all immigration in one basket

Von der Leyen warns X, Meta, TikTok to play by the rules in Europe — no matter who’s CEO The European Commission will enforce its digital rulebook without fear, said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

🚨🚨 @ec.europa.eu president @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu has just declared that Big Tech companies including X, Meta, Apple & TikTok should be aware the bloc is ready to enforce its full digital rulebook no matter who is in charge of these firms or where they're located.🧵 www.politico.eu/article/euro...

Brexit means Royal Philharmonic can’t use its own lorries in Europe The orchestra says the vehicles have essentially been mothballed because of post-Brexit transport restrictions

Just checked. The question was there but very low on the ballot paper. ‘Should the United Kingdom leave the European Union and damage the ability of our orchestras to tour Europe?’ bit.ly/3Y7L8DG how did you vote?

Great idea.. should the whole administration should be subject to random drug testing?

It illustrates the completely unrealistic expectations of the electorate.. Labour inherited a shambles for which there are no easy options or quick fixes.. hopefully they’re thick skinned enough to stick to their agenda

Labour have lost their lead over the Tories on being the best party to manage the economy.

That's a pretty epic failure considering the 14 years of Tory misrule.

But then Labour have been nothing if not consistently inept in their choices and their comms.
britainelects.substack.com/p/labour-los...

I still assert that the EU would do a trade deal with the US tomorrow if they could .. it’s Trump’s clear hatred of the EU that is the only barrier.. to suggest therefore that the uk shouldn’t is bonkers.. macron state visit month shows uk determined to do both.. vegetarians need not worry 😉

Properly labelled food gives consumers the choice .. I’m a staunch rejoiner but also for free markets

In free markets consumers should be able to choose.. if we don’t want to buy chlorinated chicken then the market will determine that .. we can meet EU standards as well as offer the US inferior stuff .. it’s about individual choice

This is ridiculous.. the EU would jump at the chance of a deal with the US, but the fact is they can’t even get in the room .. we can have our cake because it’s consumers who ultimately decide in capitalism.. Britain has options where the EU hasn’t

Trump threatens to 'take a pass' on Ukraine peace talks The US has suggested it could abandon its efforts to broker a permanent ceasefire within days, having seemingly grown frustrated by a lack of progress. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Vladimir ...

When things get difficult, the orange narcissist just walks away

news.sky.com/story/trump-...

No they haven’t.. we still have an eu deal in the offing.. rejoining preferred but a better deal is coming

Oh, & I missed Reform off that posh boy/girl comment.. clearly Tice, Farage & Lowe ( when he was in) sat firmly in the posh boy hobbyist camp

It highlights that most labour governments aren’t made up of posh boy/girl hobbyists like the tories, but ordinary people with real skin in the game who have the same job security issues / concerns as most of the population.

Reduction of pollution in Paris over the past ten years through the deprioritisation of cars

UK Signals Openness to EU Court Oversight of Key Food Checks The UK is prepared to retain some regulatory alignment with the European Union and accept supervision of the bloc’s court over a deal to cut checks on imports of foods and agricultural products, a mov...

🚨🚨 WOW: UK is prepared to retain some regulatory alignment with the EU and accept #CJEU supervision over a deal to cut checks on imports of foods & agricultural products- in a significant a move on the promised EU-UK #reset five years after #Brexit.🧵 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Madeley will simply take the opposite side of any argument with a labour politician. The reality is we are closer to an agreement than others (Vance saying that, not me) . Let’s take the positivity that brings to market confidence & see the glass as half full..

Fair enough.. my concern is that some are blaming china for patently failed previous uk government strategy which is ridiculous.. Chinese investment isn’t sinister, it’s simply as risky as any other inward investment when the commercial viability of something hits the buffers..

A business that is losing vast sums of money is not viable for any private owner, Chinese or otherwise. We may decide that, as critical infrastructure, it is strategically essential but that’s got to be at the taxpayers expense .. it’s as simple as that. Nothing sinister in this

We were warned about a catastrophe for private schools – so what actually happened? — The i Paper Dire predictions about their fate have not come to pass - this is what it tells us about British society

So once again the right wing press sought to transfer their own little first world problems onto the masses.. the looming catastrophe of VAT on independent schools fees turns out to have been utter shite 🤷‍♂️

apple.news/AvP74C2IcSGK...

Absolutely, these so called “think tanks” operating covertly with huge influence over right wing politicians need to be made transparent. The right wingers decry the unions relationship with labour & the left whilst they themselves operate under the control of these sinister groups

Reform-linked think-tank secures funding pledges worth £1mn Resolute 1850 begins hiring staff as Nigel Farage’s party seeks to professionalise and strengthen its platform

The screenshot is from @tortoisemedia.bsky.social's excellent "Sensemaker" email. See also this recent piece in the @financialtimes.com.
www.ft.com/content/03d6...

Opinion: No, Donald Trump Does Not Know What The Hell He Is Doing — HuffPost UK Only Congress can save us from the consequences of his trade war right now. So … bon courage.

Well who would have thought 🤷‍♂️

apple.news/AX34u-KGIQ1q...

They’ve certainly done that I agree but the significant growth of concern is in lower working age groups rather than older groups you’d expect to be more prone to illness ..

Beyond pettiness one thinks..

Will be interesting to see how Badenoch plays in this one as compared to her supporting Israel barring sitting uk MPs for their critical comments.. 🤔

China for all it’s faults, isn’t constrained by populism.. in the face of economic warfare it has the capacity & indeed capability to defend itself irrespective of the opinions of it’s masses .. Trump is already losing face in this war he started & china most definitely will not.

Health-related benefit claims post-pandemic: UK trends and global context | Institute for Fiscal Studies How do post-COVID claimants of health-related benefits compare with pre-COVID claimants? Where in the UK are they? How do other countries compare?

My concerns don’t relate to the complexity or otherwise in claiming.. the anomaly in the rising trend in uk claimants compared to our peers is where my query lies . ifs.org.uk/publications...

Trump is going all out to destabilise the EU as an institution irrespective of their alliances .. Europe won’t ditch China until Trump recognises & starts to treat the EU as a trading partner, not an adversary to be eliminated.

This is Trump's Joe Biden hour: his credibility is collapsing — The i Paper It's remarkable how fast presidents can squander their political capital

The people need to wake up
& smell the coffee.. Trump is a dud

apple.news/ANdJTHSE0SEq...