Alan Fresco

Just a quick note to @greenparty.org.uk and @greenpartyhan.bsky.social - I was not consulted on being quoted on your leaflets and I have not endorsed your campaign (or any campaign in this seat). I think this note, like the bar chart next to it, is misleading and out of context.

Peter Mandelson is telling the truth on one thing: the idea he was bought for a $4k “bursary” or a $75k gift is ridiculous

The real incentive was a post-government payday - one so big he *rejected* a $3–5m-a-year offer

And Epstein enabled that payday

Here’s the evidence. 🧵

I think he's someone who takes a very poor view of breaking the rules.

It's great that Guy Martin is doing this, he has a lot of followers that are normally interested in stuff that burns fuels and goes fast.

I'd like to know where the photo came from.

The real Lord of the Flies: what happened when six boys were shipwrecked for 15 months When a group of schoolboys were marooned on an island in 1965, it turned out very differently to William Golding’s bestseller, writes Rutger Bregman

Have you heard the story of the actual kids that Lord of the Flies was based on? Lovely bunch who in reality looked after each other.
www.theguardian.com/books/2020/m...

Gordon was a great Chancellor but a disappointment as PM. I suspect his style of using his megabrain to micromanage worked when he was in charge of one department but when it came to running an entire country...
I'd have him back as Chancellor though.

It could be worse. We could have a US style supreme court.

...but yes, I wonder if the problem is deciding what it should be replaced with.

There's a phrase which I forget that describes people adopting a set of beliefs because they are attracted to one belief that a party holds, e.g. someone who thinks immigration is too high is attracted to Reform subsequently believes the NHS should be privatised.

You didn't get put on a list as well? Remarkable.

Vacuous idiot holding sign.

Of course some people seem to make an effort to post every thought that enters their head no matter how puerile but I guess that's not the sort of circles you're interested in entering.

Demand for UK rental properties drops as buying becomes more affordable Falling levels of immigration also reduce competition among tenants

Demand for UK rental properties drops as buying becomes more affordable - www.ft.com/content/1372... good news for inflation?

Bear in mind little was known when his appointment was made and no doubt he lied about his relationship with Epstein.

Peter Mandelson: Epstein is like dog muck; the smell won’t go away Peter Mandelson was sacked as ambassador to the US because of his links to Jeffrey Epstein. Now, he has resigned from the Labour Party. Is this the end for him?

This Katy Balls interview with PM, conducted before latest revelations, is quite something. He says of Epstein: “Perhaps he wanted to be a mentor and I was naive in regarding him as a good-faith actor. There was no reason to shun his advice, but I was too trusting.”
www.thetimes.com/article/22e6...

He was the perfect choice to brown nose the billionaires in the US government. Clever, charming, persuasive, fantastically well connected, hugely experienced and attracted to rich people.

I think that's to the credit of British society and shames the Americans.

We all knew it was the case, but it's still shocking to see it written down like this

Well well well. Looks like they were correct. They just lied about who it was.

Having analyzed this frame by frame like the Zapruder film my verdict is the president did indeed have an Unidentified Ass Event at 0:34

The gravy train has reached the end of the line.

He was someone who gave people what they wanted if they were nice to him and gave him things. Once he'd given you stuff it was probably in your best interest to continue to be nice to him in case anyone found out what he'd given you.

Only if the information is classified.

To answer your question, he was probably very useful?
Isn't history full of governments that have used dubious characters because they could deliver things that others couldn't?

Westminster Voting Intention:

RFM: 30% (-3)
LAB: 22% (+4)
CON: 19% (+3)
GRN: 12% (-3)
LDM: 12% (=)

Via Ipsos in the UK, 22-27 Jan.
Changes w/ 30 Oct - 5 Nov.

The Observer View: Lords are defying democracy over assis... The sabotage of the end of life bill by a small group of unelected individuals is unconstitutional

The fact peers ideologically or religiously opposed to the #AssistedDyingBill have made it almost impossible for it to pass should be recognised as a national tragedy and a crisis for our democracy. Time matters to terminally ill people. It should for the Lords too.
observer.co.uk/opinion-and-...

Paul has excellent judgement and has campaigned to save many historic buildings in Glasgow.
I'll trust his judgement.

Britain emerged from Trump's round of sanctions paying 10% when the EU paid 15%. That was the pressing need and Mandelson delivered.

So not a reason to break up the UK.

I know, it left many Scots damaged as well.
However the bald and sweeping statement "the Scots hate the English" is not true. Yes there are Scots bigots but they are a minority, not a majority.

I dealt with him in Brussels. He was the smartest and most impressive of the European Commissioners at that time, and cut through a difficult trade law case we were handling to get a swift and correct outcome.
You could see why people prized his abilities.