@sundersays.bsky.social
Director of @britishfuture.bsky.social Author How to be a Patriot https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/how-to-be-a-patriot-why-love-of-country-can-end-our-very-british-culture-war-sunder-katwala?variant=40518936559694 Evertonian
Absolute key to Trump two is "true believers'
Only those willing to say the election was stolen can serve.
Goodwin-2021 said the election denial of January 6th was more like fascism than populism. Goodwin-2026 says this is the model for Reform!
Hence the Reform "true believers" plan for power
"How can a Reform-led government look a lot more like Trump 2 than Trump 1?" - Matt Goodwin.
So this is NOT a narrative about a Reform government invented by critics of Reform, though they should ring the alarm bell about it. Its what Reform insiders say privately + what some advocate publicly too
The key to Reform's planning for power is that the strong view of party insiders that the model for a Farage government is "be much more like Trump's second term than his first'
But its a significant political risk - because Trump is unpopular and Trump 2.0 is toxic
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
He was then 17 at Arsenal
He was 16 and a half when he scored his first Southampton goal (October) having made his first team debut in August. His birthday is March.
If Arsenal had drawn tonight, Man City would be champions if they won every match (or if they beat Arsenal on 19th April + dropped fewer points than Arsenal elsewhere).
City now need someone else to take points from Arsenal: ie, must win their match on 19th April + make up points in one other week
The difference for Arsenal of winning v drawing (10 points/8 points, with City two games in hand) is that they could lose to Man City and win the league - if they match City's points in their other six matches. (The outcome was still in Man City's hands if Arsenal drew tonight, but it is not now).
Youngest ever Arsenal goalscorer and Premier league goalscorer
Arsenal were a bit lucky to have the one-nil lead on 89 minutes, though the Max Dowman goal was a historic achievement that may grow in iconic status in the months and years to come
Immigration behind lack of funding (40%), staff shortages (38%) and government policy (35%) as main causes of current pressures on the health service in May 2023. Cons (22%) more likely than Labour voters (5%) to cite immigration as a major cause of NHS pressure
www.health.org.uk/reports-and-...
I was also at the Norwich game, where Everton won the league, though it was hard to see the other end, where Pat Van Den Hauwe scored after 45 seconds
Everton's 1986/87 run-in
Everton's last league title-winning season involved a crucial win at Highbury with ten games to go in March 1987: I was there as a 13 year old!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjsQ...
Arsenal v Everton billed as a top eight clash
If European nations help Trump resolve the Strait of Hormuz situation, they should begin by offering strategic advice to help the US draft a plan.
The most important help the US needs is grown up supervision, not military assets.
If the delinquents are willing to listen, then perhaps we can talk.
Hard decisions for European leaders on the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump's juvenile military galavantry is 100% responsible for this situation. He should take responsibility for resolving it.
But hard reality - a prolonged US failure to do so will cause a global economic meltdown. Everyone will suffer.
Important news for EU citizens with settled status in the U.K. who naturalise - Home Office says you CAN use your other passport. Made change to gov.uk two weeks after telling everyone British dual nationals could not
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
There may be about a one in six chance of England winning in France tonight
www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/...
Ireland can celebrate the Triple Crown.
But they don't know if they might be Six Nations champions too without cheering on the English in Paris tonight (?!)
I've ran into more than a few immigrants who don't understand the NHS is free even after paying this big fee.
As a result they don't go to the doctor even if they could do with going.
We’ve paid it three times. Thousands of pounds a go. All while’s both also working and paying tax like everything else. The true impact of immigration on the NHS is that it’s keeping it alive.
This is Emperor's New Clothes stuff
- For everyone in his political tribe/coalition, the key may be fear of his influence in primaries. But it is going to tank politically now if they can't contain the real damage
- Other institutions including media have few excuses for lowering all standards
In principle good to increase awareness of the NHS surcharge
Govt doesn't try much
- public may say: why isn't it better then?
- Home Sec wants to say her changes will reduce a £ drain (much exaggerated)
Though overall govt push to reduce immig numbers more has net costs (fiscal + NHS £)
We do seem to hold Zack Polanski and Kemi Badenoch to much higher standards of scrutiny of their public statements than the US Congress or a good chunk of the media seem to attempt for this President
The baffling thing about this age is how this utter chump gets routinely held to much lower standards than anybody else anywhere just by normalising being an utter chump & everyone just accepting that's how it is and who he is
Trump says he has "destroyed 100% of Iran's military capability but its easy for them to send a drone, drop a mine or deliver a close range missile somewhere"
Here is my best Habermas story.
I am grad student waiting in LONG line for Habermas talk. There is a tall man waiting in front of me. Line moves so we are eventually visible to organizers, a woman looks over & makes horrified face. Runs out: "Prof Habermas! You don't have to wait in line!"
I think that is good for getting policy right. But it is very difficult to get significant public communication gains from better data, because few people will hear it. Five out of six people don't know there has been a fall in immigration from peak levels, though net migration is down 70-80%
NHS surcharge is probably the paradigm of a popular policy in principle. But ...
[Apart from the 1.5 million people who pay it & some others involved in recruitment of people. The double taxation point is not well known, and it has premises about net contribution aren't well known or intuitive]
A towering figure who leaves a long and lasting mark on our understanding of political thought.
(Though a German colleague once confided that he actually read him in English because the translator had been forced to unpack some of the densest German prose in history).