Robin Potter

The TikTok transfer raises worrying questions for allies like the UK The US takeover may allay fears of Chinese influence. But it sends a worrying signal to allies who are increasingly dependent on US technology.

The US takeover of TikTok may allay fears of Chinese influence. But it sends a worrying signal to allies who are increasingly dependent on US technology.

The government want more coercive powers for the state against protests, and the main opposition party wants more coercive powers for the state against migrants.

Our political-media culture continues in a loop where the response to every perceived problem is yet more coercive powers for the state.

A key driver of this is elites inhabiting online spaces that increasingly exaggerate and promote ideological extremes. The average British voter is not a culture warrior.

Rosyjski wywiad ukrył materiały wybuchowe na cmentarzu. Podejrzane puszki wjechały do Polski Kurier rosyjskiego wywiadu wojskowego GRU odbierał polecenia: kup łopatę, jedź na cmentarz, wykop puszki, zostaw niedaleko Łodzi. Puszki idealnie pasują do uchwytów mocowanych do dronów.

In Poland authorities have captured a Russian intelligence operative carrying explosive-filled cans, drone components, and SIM cards. In Lithuania, explosives were discovered in a cemetery.

All part of a big Russian plot to commit terrorist attacks across Europe.

In wake of US H-1B visa debacle - and appreciating UK gov says it will double global talent visas - is this really best way to hold onto that talent?

If it is the existential fight the PM says, and one he is engaged in - would be good to hear more about why he disagrees with Reform?

Usually he either accepts their main grievance is correct, or if they overstep a mark he gives a flat footed response days later?

Perhaps I’m missing something

Part of the problem of N10's 'strategy' to counter Reform is the unwillingness to argue for shared moral/political norms

The extreme right will keep pushing envelope - and are doing so alarmingly quickly (mass deportations now?) due to lack of push back from what should be the bully pulpit of gov

Sacrilège!

The Malicious Communications Act 1988 is a great reminder that the UK could pass silly, illiberal and overbroad laws long before the internet was a mainstream preoccupation, too.

Was just listening to @lewisgoodall.com interviewing Peter Kyle on LBC and think he did actually use the phrase "legitimate concerns" at one point

God help us

This needs explaining

Good grief

When in Warsaw I heard of bottom up pressure on shelters and alerting after public had witnessed Ukrainian systems

Their government taking action on both fronts - committing 0.3% of GDP

Poland is a NATO member, if they are targeted we will be too. UK so far from a viable civil protection system

When is the UK emergency alert mobile phone test and how do you opt out? The UK's emergency alert system will be tested for the second time on Sunday 7 September.

This emergency alert system came up during the "Wargame" podcast simulating Russian missile strikes on the UK. Great, Brit team thought, we can use it to tell the public what to do, but then realised they had no idea what to tell them because oops, no civil defence.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

get why she had to go but irksome she lost her job to something quite complex and, let's be honest, reasonably minor in the grand scheme of things, when shadow cabinet members get to merrily hang out with Eddie Swastika without any repercussions

Who could have possibly foreseen this

The odd statements about flags are indicative of a void where a confident vision of civic nationalism should be - the only alternative to increasingly ethnocentric narratives promoted by Reform and some in the Tories

Feels awfully like London is a thriving global capital rather than a "third world hell hole" or whatever Nigel Farage says, and Britain can still build transformational infrastructure projects. Maybe the government should make something of that?

Actually I find your flippant smearing of the critics seeking to prevent harms from this poorly evidenced practice of so-called “hypnosis” really problematic

Interesting piece from Minna

Reading about Finland/Sweden athletics champs couldn’t help but reflect on the upcoming Ashes series against Australia - best frenemies indeed!

Serious point is that with a more unreliable US, in Europe and beyond Britain must also renew and deepen its old friendships

Particularly as the policy answers are not wholly confined to the online realm

Means a plan and resources to rebuild the infrastructure for social cohesion that we lost in the austerity years - getting people meeting in real life, building trust in institutions, challenging misinformation

I do think X is seriously damaging the brains of the UK political class. It's wildly unrepresentative of actual public opinion but is still being treated as such.

(Bluesky isn't representative either obviously but no one treats it as such).

Not having a story or narrative for the country means your populist right opponents fill that void instead

Unconvinced that deliverism will see us through the next few years

I have not heard anything at all from government ministers nor the opposition nor many media outlets about the dangers of this epidemic of sweeping casual racism. It is sometimes seen as comical - as with Rupert Lowe and the rowers - but it is dangerous and dehumanising

Also still a lack of clarity in Western European governments about how to actually handle hybrid provocations

And what they want the public to do about it - look at the govts ‘resilience action plan’ - not a single mention of state threats

‘Whole of society resilience’ = look at a website

There’s a long running British phenomenon of politicians and officials fearing that greater transparency on security threats only provokes public and media panic

Just breeds distrust - public don’t trust govt and vice versa

Five survivors of Rotherham grooming gangs say they were also raped by police officers Three former South Yorkshire police officers arrested in investigation into claims by the women, as young as 12 at the time

How on earth has the IOPC thought it appropriate for South Yorkshire Police to investigate itself?

Starmer's response to far-right protests exposes Britain's moral decline Cowering in the corner will not save us from the extreme right

Yes yes and yes

Excellent from @iandunt.bsky.social - gov needs to robustly challenge the mainstreaming of far right narratives - one of the main areas where a political story is most helpful…

Was reflecting earlier on how far we’ve come from New Labour’s assertive multiculturalism

Important stuff this - UK gov wants “ambitious new science and technology partnership” with “like minded” US according to its security strategy

Critics would say deepens reliance and exposure to coercion

Compare and contrast with French security strategy published only a couple of weeks later…