Susie Batchelor

So far, 2025 has felt like living inside a Hieronymus Bosch painting

Many Labour MPs will have been active in fighting the far right for their whole lives. Number 10's unwillingness to condemn racism and extremism will not help the PM's shaky position.

Elon Musk openly called for violence on our streets yesterday.

I hope politicians from all parties come together to condemn his deeply dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric.

Britain must stand united against this clear attempt to undermine our democracy.

Appalled by the violent scenes of police being attacked at the Tommy Robinson rally today. Those responsible should face the full force of the law.

These far right thugs do not speak for Britain.

Case closed! 😄

To be fair, many of the flag-shagging Tommy Robinson supporters demonstrating their alleged patriotism today have some things in common with Churchill, in the sense that they’re bald, overweight, and drinking in the daytime.

Why indeed?

Oh wow! I’m out of date with the shop! Those corgis might end up in my basket 😂

Far too early for the C Word!

Should be a good selection of Tudor themed socks in the gift shop, not sure about the slippers. 😆

The UK gov should be past assessing a ‘risk’ of genocide in Gaza. Israel is committing genocide - top legal experts agree. In 2024, the ICJ ordered “immediate & effective measures” to protect Palestinians. This ‘finding’ & refusal to end arms exports to Israel breach the duty to prevent genocide.

Stepford Wives 🤮

The only country to have left the ECHR in this century is Russia... and they were expelled.

Is that really the example you want Britain to follow?

Unbelievable. Yet frighteningly believable.

Are you looking at this, @teamlabouruk.bsky.social? Are you seeing what happens when you validate the nationalist right for short term political gain? Are you ashamed of not fighting them?

So it's ok for the thugs to slap him with their board & call him "pedo" but not ok for him to say the thugs are causing more trouble than the refugees...
What say you Farage to 'freedom of speech'

It's horrendous. These thugs need to be in court for harassment at the very least.

Urrghhh... it was right for Rayner to step down (but what a stupid, avoidable cock up for someone who knew the eyes of the world were on them...) but now can we please hold all those oh-so-dodgy Reform and Tory tax avoiders to the same standard, please???

The Telegraph Rayner tax scandal - £40k tax dodge - Statement Angela Rayner dodges £40,000 stamp duty Deputy Prime Minister reduces tax bill for Hove flat by declaring it as her main residence [Photo: Angela Rayner pictured at the weekend in Hove, where she has just bought a flat Credit: Dan Charity/The Sun on Sunday] Robert Mendick Chief Reporter. Amy Gibbons Political Correspondent 29 August 2025 8:57am BST

The Telegraph Money > Property > Second homes How to avoid tax on your second home From stamp duty to council tax, shield your wealth from Labour's tightening net [Photo of houses around a bay - Areas such as Cornwall have added a premium to council tax bills for second homes Credit: iStockphoto] Fran Ivens Senior Money Writer 29 August 2025 1:21pm BST

On the same day in the Telegraph:

Nigel Farage uses private company to pay less tax on GB News earnings Exclusive: Reform leader’s use of personal services firm is a practice criticised across the political spectrum

Told everyone he’d bought a house but it’s been put in his partners name to avoid higher stamp duty apparently. So that and this 👇need highlighting in PMQs together with his lies to Congress about free speech and how he hasn’t banned certain journalists. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Farrago seems to have a free pass on so much of his hypocritical and dodgy behaviour. Sickening.

So inspiring to see Nadine Dorries joining Reform UK to continue her long and heroic battle with logic, coherence and the English language.

‘Labour has failed to communicate any message over anti-migrant protests’ | The News Agents The England flag has been weaponised in protests across the UK by masked groups angry at the number of asylum seekers entering the country. This unrest has been fuelled by the hard-right, but Labour…

Keir Starmer says he has the England flag in his home. Yvette Cooper’s shed is covered in Union Jack bunting.

The far-right continue to weaponise the St George’s Cross and the government does nothing. Where is the pushback?

Prominent UK women tell rightwingers: stop linking immigration to sexual abuse Exclusive: Open letter says politicians are exploiting violence against women ‘to fuel hate and division’

“We reject the far right’s racist lies about ‘protecting’ women and girls. They are not defenders of women – they exploit violence against women to fuel hate and division." Words that very much need to be said.

Each day I am astounded and mortified by this country’s descent into open and brazen racism

I am equally astounded and mortified that rather than push back on the malign forces taking us to these dark places - an elected Labour government appears more interested in trying to learn from them

Ooh, they do look rather threatening! Great photo.

Tomorrow I will be a tabling a motion to force the government to release the legal advice it has received on Israel's military action in Gaza and breaches of international law.

Ministers cannot turn a blind eye to this humanitarian catastrophe any longer.

The Kingdom of Kent countryside

The first real rain in months, and there is a collective sigh of relief from everything that lives in our beautiful land

It is raining so hard here you can only just make out the male blackbird dancing in the splashes both the rain and his legs are creating in the overwhelmed grass of our lawn

How can it even be possible that #r4today lifts its lead story - a Tory witch hunt into Rayner’s taxes - direct from the Daily Telegraph? How can this be independent, national news on a day heaving with matters of international significance?

“This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs; when he first appears he is a protector"

Plato