Giles

Sure Start centres saved UK government £2 for every £1 spent, study finds New Labour initiative created ‘remarkably long-lasting’ health and education improvements, says report

One of the things that Blair's Labour got absolutely right was Sure Start - of course the Tories killed it. And sadly it's exactly the kind of state intervention that Starmer seems allergic to.

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/may/22/sure-start-centres-saved-uk-government-2-for-every-1-s

Lest we forget: scallywags, escorts and boltholes On VE Day, remember the Scallywags and the Coats Mission: Britain’s secret last line – prepared for the worst, needed to save King & country

On VE Day, remember the Scallywags and the Coats Mission: Britain’s secret last line – prepared for the worst, needed to save King & country |

By Stuart Burrell

‘Labour’s gone back on all their promises.’ Really? Labour is accused of abandoning its promises. But is this true, or is the activity simply not being reported?

Opponents, on left and right, like to claim that Labour has reneged on all its promises.

But three quarters of the most important ones are on track or achieved.

Stephen McNair reports on some of the stuff that the media miss

Britain next?

The UK’s inflation data has been seriously overstated FT Alphaville has an article this morning that has the headline: The UK’s inflation figures were wrong and now we just have to live with that I won't quote it at length, although it is good investig...

It's been revealed that the Office for National Statistics, which prepares the UK's inflation data, has been using the wrong prices to estimate it. They have used list prices, not what most people pay. The result? Serious overstatement of inflation. www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/04...

Farage, "7.2 million foreign-born people have registered with GPs in the last 10 years... All I'm doing here is giving you cold hard facts"

Farage forgets to mention all of the working adults pay tax

And the only reason we don't have enough GPs is because the Conservatives didn't fund them

Can it be cancelled due to ‘security risks’?

NHS England is being disbanded. Should we be worried? A cure or a symptom? NHS England’s demise raises urgent questions about what really ails with the NHS

Dismantling NHS England might cut costs, but it also cuts expertise. Here’s why it’s a risky cure for a fragile system.

Guy Chapman reports

Land use in England: what is the government now doing? The government is preparing a first Land Use Strategy for England to guide how we use the land. We summarise the key elements

The government is preparing a first Land Use Strategy for England to guide how we use the land.

@stephenmcnair.bsky.social summarise the key elements.

Meanwhile you can still have your say. The public consultation closes 25 April.

FACT: the president of the United States has a worse criminal record than 99% of the people he is deporting

#DonaldTrump

Wow!

This looks fake. No date. No author.

Is this true?

I share Labour supporters anguish. Caveat Emptor, sadly.

But, please, please, pretty please, let the bullish (read insane) policies of the US be seen as absolute ground to get closer to the EU and perhaps make some of the red lines dotted and pink!

Vigil to be held for jailed Bristol GP and medical activist Dr Patrick Hart Bristol GP sparks citywide debate on the duty of a doctor to prevent future deaths as a public health advocate

Dr Patrick Hart, a Bristol GP of 8 years and doctor for 11 years, is currently serving a 12-month prison sentence…

…for climate protest.

Could Mike Myers in a mask subtley replace the tangerine tyrant and slowly steer the US back towards sanity?

I’m so weary of weaponised ignorance among politicians.

Even the well meaning ones don’t appear to have the intellect to handle their ministerial briefs.

And let’s just gloss over the American Cabinet.

Say it takes 10 years to rejoin the EU...

If we start today, we'll be back in 10 years.

But if we wait a decade, it will take 20 years. Except that it won't, because we will have had 10 more years of diverging.

So it might take a quarter of a century.

Start today please. We owe it to the future.

Done much the same, playing with a digital streamer (instead of records)

I have been frankly astonished that MPs of all parties have failed to learn from recent prior example and done things which have been explicitly demonstrated to be bad for one’s career!

And that’s before they speak on politics!

Elon Musk's chatbot says there's a strong chance Trump is "Russian asset" Musk's AI chatbot Grok suggested Trump was 85 percent likely to be "a Russian asset" when simply asked if the president was one, without any qualifiers.

It will come as no surprise to anyone to hear Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok has declared that there is at least a 75 percent chance that President Donald Trump is a "Russian asset" who has been "compromised" by Russian President Vladimir Putin

www.newsweek.com/elon-musks-c...

The classic.

We’re going for some sausage casserole!

Absolutely @eddavey.libdems.org.uk

Repost & like, if you stand with President Zelensky!

BREAKING: WHO BEARS THE MOST RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE OVAL OFFICE ARGUMENT? WITH 79,312 VOTES 👏

Trump and Vance’s shameful behavior has embarrassed their country. President Zelenskyy is a hero. He should have been treated as such

Steve Reed: include public ownership as an option in your independent commission on the water sector. | We Own It Steve Reed must put public ownership back on the table.

🚨BREAKING - Steve Reed has just launched the biggest review into the water sector since privatisation.

But wait…..he says the commission can’t even consider public ownership. 🤯

We need to act quickly to change his mind. ⏰

Sign our petition now ✍️
weownit.org.uk/act-now/stev...

‘ I have no humility or self- deprecation’?

Can dog or cat be exchanged for ‘cup of tea’ or ‘glass of beer’ nearby?

I’ve had a thought.

Not only should we not buy online from American suppliers on 28th Feb, we should also try and ensure they’ve nothing to deliver either. That would shut down warehouses and delivery.

It may affect staff😥, but it’ll amplify the message.

I hadn’t heard this before, but it’s perfect.
@alicejolly.bsky.social