Nick Jowett

Daniel Hannan Britain has given so much to civilisation. Now the barbarians are inside The poisonous ideas of Vladimir Lenin have infected our progressive elite

Contemplate those elderly buffoons in blue berets who hand out EU flags at the Last Night of the Proms. Do you suppose they have any real interest in rejoining the EU? Do they strike you as having looked into the budgetary, migratory and commercial implications? Of course not. They just loathe the people they imagine having voted Leave. Listen to Sir Lenny Henry, who thinks that, as well as handing over squillions to the West Indies and Africa, we should pay black people in this country. So much for the notion of equality before the law. I could go on. The museums rushing to give away legally purchased collections to people who have never owned them, and who will very probably sell them on to private collectors. The diplomats longing to surrender British territories in defiance of the wishes of their peoples. The universities eviscerating the Western canon in the name of decolonising the curriculum.

“Colonialism-and-slavery” is proffered as a binomial phrase, like “law-and-order” or “gin-and-tonic”. Few kids in our schools are given the slightest notion that the first, at least in Africa, was driven by the desire to extirpate the second. Even fewer are taught that African kings fought to defend the institution. The Benin Bronzes, which our cultural leaders are so keen to give away, were seized to defray the costs of an 1897 expedition against a state that buried slaves alive. The British Museum, which owns most of them, dares not mention it. Instead it says the carvings were acquired during the “expansion of colonial power”

I realise I slightly go on about this, but I'm not sure enough attention is paid to the fact that a fair proportion of comment articles in the modern Daily Telegraph are utterly unmoored from any sense of even tenuous reality.

"Eye-catching..." is kinda how much of the West has ended up in this clown car hurtling towards authoritarianism. I think it's time to acknowledge that.

The ‘Anthropological Change’ Happening in Venezuela Maduro is still in place, but a pro-democracy movement is transforming the beleaguered country.

Congratulations to Maria Corina Machado, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize - her incredible optimism has already changed her country. I spoke to her, and wrote about her, at the beginning of this year:
www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

You have to admit it: this guy knows how to take a selfie!

Thames Water want to pollute illegally until 2040. Ofwat must say NO. Thames water want to make at deal with Ofwat, to pollute illegally for 15 years

🚨Urgent: Thames Water want permission from Ofwat to ILLEGALLY pollute rivers and seas until 2040.

🤮They want your bills to fill their pockets with gold, while they fill your rivers with sewage.

✍️Sign now. Tell Ofwat to say NO to Thames Water before Tuesday 21st October.

Nigel Farage earns over £1m from 12 'second jobs' - check how much your MP earns The Reform UK leader's most lucrative second jobs include hosting on GB News, serving as a brand ambassador for Direct Bullion and recording videos for Cameo

Twelve Jobs Nigel has earned over £1 million in additional income since the general election.

To understand the scale of it, since the July 2024 election he's earned roughly £100k more as a brand ambassador for Direct Bullion than Starmer gets as PM.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...

Pope Leo blasts economy that marginalizes poor while wealthy live in bubble of luxury Pope Leo XIV has blasted how wealthy people live in a “bubble of comfort and luxury” while the poor suffer.

Pope Leo XIV has blasted how wealthy people live in a “bubble of comfort and luxury” while the poor suffer. In his first teaching document Thursday, Leo confirms that he is in perfect lockstep with Pope Francis on matters of social injustice.

London hits clean air milestone 184 years early - ULEZ makes 'big difference' A professor has branded the success a 'truly remarkable turnaround for the city's air quality'

Thanks to London’s bold action, almost 10 million people are now breathing cleaner air.

That means fewer children will grow up with stunted lungs and fewer people will have to suffer from asthma, dementia and heart disease.

There are arguments against nationalising certain industries. The idea that the state can always do better is for the birds.

But when it comes to the water industry, we KNOW they're a bunch of greedy polluting sharks. So why the government haven't stepped in to snaffle it up is a real puzzle.

Sheffield Fair: John Simmons (1871–1944) Museums Sheffield

"Bright stalls, bursting with colour and carnival light, defy the smoggy shadows of Sheffield. Laughter and music cut through the gloom, a vibrant, temporary spark in the town's dark expanse."

Sheffield Fair: John Simmons (1871–1944)
Museums Sheffield

Enjoying the implosion of the Tories? That’s understandable – but completely wrong | Zoe Williams The world’s most successful democratic party is in a death spiral of its own making – leaving no moderate bulwark between the moderate and truly far right, writes Zoe Williams

"When the mainstream right loses its confidence, when it starts to chase the buzzwords and symbolic politics of the far right, it hands them the steering wheel." Top piece from @zoesqwilliams.bsky.social, referencing @dziblatt.bsky.social's excellent book.

This would have been a sackable offence for a front bencher once

Email your MP: unfreeze housing benefit Ask your MP to tell to the Chancellor to unfreeze housing benefit to prevent homelessness.

Housing benefit is failing to cover the true cost of private rent – and it’s forcing people across Britain into poverty, ill health and homelessness. I’ve asked my MP to urge the Chancellor to fix this at the UK Autumn Budget.
@crisis-uk.bsky.social‬ campaigns.crisis.org.uk/page/176493/...

24/7 Russian Propaganda Blitz Hit Moldova Before the Elections - VSquare.org Moldovans had faced months, if not years, of an information onslaught at levels beyond what just about any society has faced. In the end, the pro-European ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) w...

💥🔎🇷🇺 Our analysis reveals the scale of Russia’s massive propaganda offensive in Moldova: in 3 weeks, 9,900 TikTok videos were published and generated over 93 million views, created with artificial intelligence. Yet despite Moscow’s efforts, the pro-European PAS secured 50.2% in the Sept 28 election.

Robert Jenrick is another person who has cooked his brain on Twitter (“Activist judges” is a very American-brained phrase, and I’m also sceptical that 30 judges and mags are really in favour of “open borders”, as opposed to a slightly more liberal regime, or just helping immigrants get their rights)

Global renewable energy generation surpasses coal for first time Record solar expansion and steady wind growth driving world’s shift away from fossil fuels in 2025, report finds

Global renewable energy generation surpasses coal.

China & India lead the race for renewable energy.

The US increased reliance on fossil fuels.

With corporate donations Trump wants more fossil fuels. Farage and Tories promising the same. Banks pouring money.

The government must ensure fair distribution of income 'The average real wage of workers has hardly moved from the 2008 level whilst bosses never had it so good.'

The state we're in

UK full-time employee median wage, £30,816.
4.5m jobs pay less than the real Living Wage.
1.17m workers on zero-hour contracts.
34% of Universal Credit claimants are in work.
16m Britons live in poverty.

Can't build economy on poverty.

Must increase worker share of GDP.

Let's show Love is Stronger than hate!

Refugees are welcome here 🤗

Repost 💚

In other news, Robbie Gibb, former spin doctor for a Tory PM, former editorial adviser to GB News, & leader of the consortium that bought the Jewish Chronicle in 2020, is still responsible for "upholding the editorial independence of the BBC".

FFS utterly abysmal reporting

Senior Tories dismayed at Badenoch’s ‘catastrophic’ vow to repeal Climate Change Act Theresa May, Alok Sharma, business and church leaders say plan would harm UK and not even Margaret Thatcher would have countenanced it

Kemi Badenoch's pledge to scrap the Climate Change Act has now been condemned by Theresa May, Lord Deben (John Gummer), Alok Sharma, the Confederation of British Industry, the Church of England, the Catholic Church - all previously mainstays of the Tory party: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּֽנוּ לְהַדְלִיק נֵר שֶׁל יוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים

Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us to light the Yom Kippur candles.

Candles dimmed tonight in sorrow. Prayers for Jewish friends hurting.

Two dead after suspected terror attack on Manchester synagogue, police say, with suspect shot by officers – latest Keir Starmer to chair Cobra meeting as he condemns ‘appalling’ attack on synagogue during Yom Kippur

What happened today in Manchester is horrific, and my thoughts are with everyone marking Yom Kippur. There are going to be tough days ahead I suspect as we learn more about what happened, and I really hope the city can pull together through them

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live...

Streeting calls Farage ‘snake-oil salesman’ and says Reform UK would be ‘disaster’ for NHS – UK politics live Health secretary’s Labour conference speech attacks Reform leader as ‘anti-science, anti-reason, anti-health’

Streeting calls Farage "a snake-oil salesman of British politics", attacks his courting of anti-vaxxer quackery, says Reform would be a disaster for NHS:

www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Today, schoolchildren are taught about history’s worst crimes against humanity.

In the future, they will learn about those who enabled the genocide in Gaza.

They will also learn about the global movement for peace, and above all, the resilience of the Palestinian people.

I see Sky News is determined to big up Reform UK in Glasgow now, interviewing a random assortment of racists & bigots and making out they are representative of the city. The UK media will try to make the 2026 Holyrood elections a dry run for the next UK GE & will platform Reform at every turn.

Ring-fence our NHS from new PFI - take action now Rachel Reeves can protect our NHS from private finance in her Autumn Budget.

🔥28 good Labour MPs have already signed the Labour Manifesto Board, standing for a publicly funded NHS.

If you have a Labour MP ask them to sign now.

If you don’t have a Labour MP email Rachel Reeves directly. 👇

Amazing bit of 2019 footage this.

Frei doing a great job of trying to hold Farage to account as he and Nathan Gill go walkabout.

And I suspect Farage will come to regret his quip at the end about Russians if it does the rounds again.

Labour must fight rightwing billionaires undermining net zero, says Ed Miliband Exclusive: Energy secretary will hit out at the Tory and Reform ‘culture war’ and unveil target of 400,000 new jobs in clean energy

Farage’s Reform is part of a “global network of rightwing billionaires” who want to undermine net zero for their “vested interests”, says Ed Miliband - as he revives pledges for a Green New Deal & 400,000 new jobs in clean energy by 2030

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...