Elsewhere55 #FBPE

"Competitive authoritarianism" and America's slide toward it You can still vote. It just might not mean much.

"When experts talk about competitive authoritarianism, they are usually referring to countries like Hungary and Turkey. A leader is elected in a more or less democratic system — and then starts to work to break the democracy that put them in power."

"Competitive authoritarianism" and America's slide toward it You can still vote. It just might not mean much.

New in PN: The slide toward "competitive authoritarianism"

"Orbán subverted Hungary’s democracy with gerrymandering and by creating a nationwide right-wing media network. He put loyalists in the public prosecutor’s office, ensuring the judicial system would go after his enemies. Sound familiar?"

BBC apologises after Robert Jenrick accused of xenophobia A contributor to Radio 4's Thought for the Day slot made the remark about the shadow justice secretary.

'Honest Bob' Jenrick, a politician obviously & deliberately embracing xenophobia, does some weapons grade xenophobia & the BBC *apologises* for a Thought For The Day contributor calling it xenophobic. Licence fee payers need to know who makes these decisions & why. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Every day, politicians and the right wing media whip up hatred and fear of migrants. None of them say this is wrong. None of them make the positive case for immigration. None of them tell the truth.
And then, today, someone did speak out, and the sodding BBC sodding apologised for them.
I give up.

Two headlines in The Times today US claims human rights have got worse in Britain One extract: The report takes issue with Britains hate speech laws in general but also specifically with "public space protections (sic] orders" - used by local coun- cils to ban certain kinds of behaviour within limited areas - and "safe access zones around abortion clinics. Both are personal bugbears for Vance. Vance holds court to top Tories in the Cotswolds J D Vance discussed free speech, the Ukraine war an the future of the British riel with members of the shadow cabinet over tea in the Cotswolds on Tuesday afternoon (Katy Balls writes). The US vice-president met Conservative politicians including Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, and George Osborne, the former chancellor, in the garden of Dean Manor, the grade Il listed, 18th-century property that Vance is renting for his summer break. Visitors also included Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary; Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary; and Katie Lam, the 2024 intake Tory MP and former Home Office adviser. Also in attendance was Sir Paul Marshall, the owner of GB News and The Spectator. The gathering was organised by Osborne, who selected a group of people he thought would be of interest to Vance. The meeting ran for 90 minutes with a wide range of topics discussed, including border control, how the Tory party can recover and the possibility of a centre-right government in 2029. Afterwards, Osborne went on alone with Vance and the US Vice president's family friends from Ohio for dinner. The gathering was part of a series of meetings Vance has undertaken while in the UK as he looks to further understand and learn more about British politics. Yesterday morning he met Nigel Farage, the Reform UK party leader, for a breakfast meeting. Speaking after the conversation, Farage told The Times: "Good to catch up with my old friend JD Vance this morning. Everything we discussed remains confidential."

Where to start…
A startling example of projection…
An authoritarian christofascist, racist regime judges the UK and finds it wanting.
And our govt meekly apes the far right while Tory politicians wine and dine Vance because they’re all in this together.
Profiteering from prejudice. Repulsive.

Updated – Wasp nest found near nuclear site in US which exceeds by 10 times the radiation level allowed by the federal government, casts further doubt on Scottish Labour plans in the land of 200 000 T... Support Talking-up Scotland’s work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: if you prefer, a bank transfer, at sort code 089300 account 1421 7339 Professor John Robertson OBA In …

talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2025/08/13/w...

More from Newsom’s press office.

Narcissistic old man Donald Trump babbles about himself at the Kennedy Center.

"I'll give myself an honor...Next year we'll honor Trump."

Unhinged.

Senile old man Donald Trump is babbling about grass at the Kennedy Center:

"I know a lot about grass."

This guy is an embarrassment.

NEWS: Trump's pick to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, E.J. Antoni, was spotted in the crowd at the Capitol during the January 6th insurrection.

The White House says he was a "bystander" who wandered over after seeing news coverage. (NBC News)

NEW: Gavin Newsom announces a "HISTORIC" event this Thursday

The BBC has apologised for Radio 4 broadcasting a critique of Robert Jenrick MP saying "I certainly don't want my daughters to live in a neighbourhood with men from a backward country" which said "these words echo a fear many people have - fear of a stranger .. the technical word is xenophobia"

Nigel Farage v James O'Brien - Interview In Full - LBC YouTube video by LBC

If you've never seen it it's here

www.youtube.com/live/-pyYoL9...

Who is paying for this and why won't anyone tell us?

Because you know... if we're not told it's tempting as hell to think it's the British taxpayers

WTAF? If they didn’t have a warrant, they wouldn’t be getting anything from me. He can go on holiday somewhere else. 😡

And driving on the wrong side of our roads like so many other notorious American diplomats.
🤬

Utterly ridiculous.

What’s he doing? Moving house? Well either way, he can f right off.

Chris Philp, a consequence of Boris Johnson emptying the Tory talent pool in 2019 so there were no challengers for his feeble position.

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said the figures represented "the worst crisis in our history" and accused the government of having "surrendered our borders" with the consequences "being felt in our communities".

More raging hysteria about small boats in pretty much every paper this morning. And brexity xenophobe, Chris effing Philp, straight out lying about who’s responsible.
We screwed up our borders the moment we flounced out of the EU, you miserable article. Whose idiotic idea was that?
(Times)

...speak the language or believe it is good destination because of Commonwealth connections.
But it is a great distraction from real, everyday and serious problems.
Which is why it receives disproportionate attention.

Unauthorised migration in the UK - Migration Observatory This briefing examines irregular migration – also called ‘illegal immigration’ – in the UK, including the difficulties in defining and measuring it, and evidence on its nature and scale.

Far too much time is taken up pointing at desperate people crossing the Channel because they have no other way of reaching the UK to claim asylum where they already have family...
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/br...

🩸🩸🩸 I'm going to post this video every day so we never forget what the 34x POS convicted felon & adjudicated rapist & pedophile Trump did 🩸🩸🩸

But the plans were on display…” “On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.” “That’s the display department.” “With a flashlight.” “Ah, well, the lights had probably gone.” “So had the stairs.” “But look, you found the notice, didn’t you?” “Yes,” said Arthur, “yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.

This quote from the brilliant Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy sums up the Green and LibDem approach to rejoining the EU perfectly.

Your plan doesn't count if people don't notice it.

People won't notice it if you're not repeating it clearly, loudly and unequivocally every possible chance you get.

I did this in 2017, safe to say not much has changed.

"I do not like this Färagé twit..."

The Media Distortion Warping Britain’s Views on Immigration Unbalanced coverage of migration is twisting the public's perspective, argues Christian Christensen

🔴 The Media Distortion Warping Britain’s Views on Immigration

Unbalanced coverage of migration is twisting the public’s perspective, argues @chrchristensen.bsky.social

bylinetimes.com/2025/08/12/t...

image shows JD Vance convoy driving on the right hand side of the road during his current visit in England.

This is, quite simply, wrong.

Russian commentators are interpreting the choice of Alaska as the location for a summit between President Trump and President Putin as a symbolic gesture, highlighting historic ties and geographical proximity between the two countries.

Based on 'The plumb-pudding in danger' by Gillray

#ClimateAction

Mohawk Skywalkers: The History Stephen Miller Whitewashed The Kanien'kéhá:ka Haudenosaunee ironworkers were vital to building Miller's favorite monuments to modern America

Stephen Miller tried to claim only real "Americans" built the Empire State Building, but he left out the true stories of the Indigenous ironworkers who actually did. The Mohawk Skywalkers helped shape America's skylines—and shatter the lie behind Miller’s whitewashed nostalgia.

The FBI came to my house to intimidate me because I’m critical of Trump.

And they wouldn’t let my girlfriend take a picture of their badges.

They had printouts of my posts.