Tim Bale

A party which isn't even interested in talking about the most important public service to voters is not a party serious about returning to government.

😆

YouTube video by Sky Sports Premier League Late Van Hecke header leaves Wolves rock bottom! 📉 | Wolves 1-1 Brighton | EPL Highlights

We're becoming quite the escape artists!

(For those who count, this is about four weeks in office, even beating Liz Truss in the brevity of being PM).

EN DIRECT, gouvernement : Sébastien Lecornu a présenté sa démission à Emmanuel Macron, qui l’a acceptée Le nouveau premier ministre a démissionné lundi matin, au lendemain de l’annonce des membres de son gouvernement. La nouvelle équipe annoncée hier soir était critiquée de toutes parts.

That was quick 😬

New French PM Lecornu resigns, bringing the French government into full Zombie mode.

YouTube video by Conservatives Kemi Badenoch’s opening speech to Conservative Party Conference 2025

Not a single mention of the NHS--not least in the section on what the Tories did in government that, in her words, "lost us the trust and confidence of the public". Unless the Party gets the extent to which the crippling of key public services helped lose them the election, then they're truly sunk.

From Badenoch's speech. Not exactly a ringing endorsement or a huge celebration of the biggest decision the Tories took in government, is it? And, given Nigel Farage's various vehicles, the last sentence is no more true than her two main (long since debunked) claims.

‘It’s f**king serious’: Badenoch's last chance as Jenrick coronation threat looms Some Tories preparing for their conference are contemplating 'amalgamation' with Reform UK after a series of dire poll ratings

On a brighter note, you have indeed made 'coupon election' happen (about 2/3 of the way down this).

Wording rather suggests they will still deport them - just compassionately.

When your lecture is at 4 pm on the Friday before the Christmas break.

'As Long As It Takes': What does it mean to commit to Ukraine's security? Join the Mile End Institute for our fourth distinguished Hennessy Lecture by the legendary Professor of War Studies, Sir Lawrence Freedman!

Wednesday, Mile End, early evening. Should be fab. Tickets are freed (see what I did there?). There are a few left but get yours before they go.

Heart of stone not to laugh, etc.

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You know you're getting old when Grant Shapps is billed by @samblewett.bsky.social et al at Playbook as a Tory "Grandee".

Totally.

Fearing Farage, Britain’s Conservatives go full Trump Under-pressure leader Kemi Badenoch wants a migrant removal force inspired by ICE — but that kind of branding is a political risk given the British largely dislike Donald Trump and his approach.

Nothing about this strategy makes any sense. But fill your boots, I guess.

PS Can anyone point me to a full transcript of KB's opening speech?

To be fair, even in the glory days debates in the main hall weren't always exactly packed, but still....

How UK could leave ECHR Withdrawal would allow EU to end criminal law enforcement co-operation

The next Conservative government will take the UK out of the ECHR and repeal the Human Rights Act. Kemi Badenoch announced her decision after taking advice from Lord Wolfson of Tredegar KC, who had warned her that withdrawal would not be a “silver bullet”.

rozenberg.substack.com/p/how-uk-cou...

Ta.

Tories tout £47bn in spending cuts in bid to reclaim fiscal reputation Shadow chancellor says he will target welfare spending, overseas aid budget and civil service staffing to find savings

Not often I agree with the IEA but....

"The elephant in the room is age related spending, which is going to become a huge fiscal problem as time goes by. Ultimately, no political party is going to be able to balance the books only by cutting things their supporters don’t like.”

*gasp*

‘Trump’s decomposing ear of corn’: what does ‘hair certainty’ tell us about our leaders? From Starmer’s stiff quiff to the Maga movement’s glossy TV locks, how performative a politician’s hair appears can tell us much about the prevailing political winds

Obviously, I'd have gone for "Hair today but gone tomorrow" as the headline. But loved this anyway.

Ducks for cover....

"if this comes over my fence one more time you won't be getting it back"

This is a good test of the problems with aggregate vote change.

Q: In which type of 2024 constituency do you think Labour’s vote retention rate is strongest?

A: Labour is retaining a much higher proportion of its 2024 vote in Labour holds (52%) than LD gains from Cons (43%).

Just imagine what we do at uni! (Source: @roberthutton.co.uk thecritic.co.uk/if-something...)

From ping-pong champ to Nosferatu in just a few short years.

Peacehaven: Fire at East Sussex mosque probed as 'hate crime' Video appears to show two people in balaclavas at the mosque before a large blaze spreads.

Men in balaclavas set fire to a mosque in East Sussex last night. It's only appearing on the BBC's local coverage, rather than its main national headlines, despite coming just a week after the (also under-reported) firebombing of an asylum hotel in London last week
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

@joxley.jmoxley.co.uk is always good, but this - on post-literate political communication - is really, really good. www.joxleywrites.jmoxley.co.uk/p/playing-po...

Majority of Tory members oppose Kemi Badenoch’s net zero plans More than half of Tory members said they support Britain’s target of reaching net zero by 2050

More from @timbale.bsky.social's research here via Archie Mitchell www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

The Conservative Party is slouching towards oblivion It really is over for the Tories, says John Rentoul, which leaves Kemi Badenoch going through the motions at the party’s annual conference in Manchester. But the demise of the party of Margaret Thatch...

The Conservative Party is slouching towards oblivion. My weekend article for @the-independent.com www.independent.co.uk/voices/conse...