Ben Kentish

Opinion | For much of the last century, Britain was the dominant power in the Middle East. As the last few days have made clear, it is now almost entirely irrelevant

🖋 @benkentish.bsky.social

Read more: trib.al/kODbut4

Caller Simon would quite like to move to France. But when a 'scrounger' on a small boat does it, he takes issue.

'So are you just jealous?' @benkentish.bsky.social asks.

But the wild slanders against all asylum seekers had nothing to do with people trying to burn down their hotels, apparently

Very kind - thank you 🙏

Thanks Chris. It’s the growing trend of adopting the Trumpian approach of playing the person rather than the ball. Maybe they think it reflects well on them

Anyone (legit) selling any Coldplay tickets for this weekend?

No, Jeremy Hunt, anxiety and depression isn't 'overdiagnosed' For years it felt like we were making big strides forward. Now, we are going backwards

Given that Jeremy Hunt is at it again, my recent column on politicians pontificating about mental health diagnoses from a position of complete ignorance. Read here: inews.co.uk/opinion/no-j...

❌ Cost of living crisis
❌ NHS
❌ Youth unemployment
✅ Migration

@benkentish.bsky.social challenges Lord Blunkett’s assertion that, of all the issues, migration must be Keir Starmer’s ‘top priority’.

‘Do we need to stop the boats? Of course.’
‘Is shredding human rights laws worthwhile? Of course it isn’t.’

@benkentish.bsky.social says current migration discourse is ‘bordering on collective hysteria’.

“Trump ended 6 wars.”
“Name 2.”
“Russia Russia Russia… fake news….”

A+ exchange on British 🇬🇧 radio

"There's no evidence for that is there?"
"That's not true. There is real concern out there."

Is the Lucy Connolly case an example of 'two-tier justice'?
@benkentish.bsky.social debates Richard Holden.

"I'm not going to answer your stupid childish questions."

Seb Gorka demands @benkentish.bsky.social 'grow up' after asking about Trump's promise to end the war in Ukraine 'on his first day'.

Inheritance tax only affects the wealthiest 4.6% and is paid on wealth being transferred to people who haven’t themselves earned it.

'Can we at least agree that inheritance tax is on unearned wealth?'
'...no, we can't.'

@benkentish.bsky.social tries repeatedly to explain how inheritance tax works, but caller John isn't having any of it.

LBC Presenter Fact Checks Nigel Farage's Claim Small Boats Have Made UK More Dangerous For Women And Girls Ben Kentish said it was "desperate stuff" by Reform UK.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/lbc-pr...

Thank you, that’s kind. It’s a shame they’ve infested this place with their nastiness too.

Which union are you a rep for, out of interest? Do they have a policy on people being verbal abused for giving an opinion?

Agreed. But far too many people don’t want to discuss or even debate - they just want to call you a c*nt.

Most of the other replies and quote tweets of the original post are also just extreme unpleasantness and abuse. I’d hoped this would be a place where genuine discussion might would be possible but it seems to have quickly become just as bad as X, if not worse. A real shame.

Bluesky was a really refreshing place for a while - much friendlier and with people more open to discussion rather than abuse. It’s a real shame that people like this have quickly made it barely any better than X.

“Don’t you think it’s a great idea?”
“No.”

Caller Colin thinks he’s solved the prisons crisis. @benkentish.bsky.social points out the flaws in his plans.

Saying that a country needs rules, norms and shared values to be united rather than a collection of strangers really does not make you Enoch Powell.

Six hours of live election results show done alongside @natashaclark.bsky.social! Huge thank you to the whole team for a stellar effort. The coverage continues on @lbc.co.uk

Really looking forward to hosting @lbc.co.uk election night special tonight, with @natashaclark.bsky.social guiding us through all the results and reaction. Join us 10pm to 4am for breaking news, analysis, discussion of what it all means - and of course plenty of calls. There's a lot to talk about!

Arron Banks proves it - Reform is still a circus For all the chaos, Reform should still not be underestimated

Opinion | Reform UK does not have serious solutions - they often do not even have serious candidates. And yet they are increasingly seen as the best option

🖋️ @BenKentish.bsky.social

Had the strangest dream last night that Barnet won the league and were promoted as champions to the EFL.

On the show tonight:

🔴 How will history judge Donald Trump’s handling of the war in Ukraine?

🔵 Why has celebrating Englishness become so controversial - and should it be?

🌑 Calls for the police to clamp down on people playing loud music in public. What’s gone wrong to make this necessary?

Thank you 🙏 Big shoes to fill!

A real pleasure to be sitting in for @mrjamesob.bsky.social this morning - join us from 10 @lbc.co.uk

Opinion | Dire predictions about their fate have not come to pass - this is what it tells us about British society

🖋 @BenKentish.bsky.social

inews.co.uk/opinion/we-w...