Richard

The Labour MP for Folkestone, Hytge & Romney Marsh, @tonyvaughanmp.bsky.social, was really impressive on BBC Radio 4 Today this morning on the pros & cons (there are both) of Shabana Mahmood’s proposed reforms to asylum, & here he clearly explains his concerns, which I share

I find myself looking back to the Tory government of 1924-29 as a comparison. And possibly the Liberals in 1880-85 although they did manage a substantial amount of legislation. As will this one, to be sure, although at this rate much will be washed away post-2029.

Remembering Rachel Cooke | The Observer

Beautiful piece by @TimAdamsWrites on the brilliant Observer journalist Rachel Cooke who could write wonderfully about anything, has died tragically young and will be hugely, hugely missed by so many people.
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Remembering Rachel Cooke | The Observer

This is very sad. Rachel Cooke gone much much too young. A lovely touching tribute from @timadamswrites.bsky.social

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Labour seem to have decided, this week, that the electoral punishment for breaking a promise no one much expected them to keep when they made it will be bigger than the punishment for failing to deliver on the core premise of their whole campaign (the slogan was "Change"). I'm not so sure.

Ultimately it comes down to what you're going to say at the next election.

Would you rather say "we broke our pledge but at least things are better" or "everything's still shit but at least we kept our pledge"?

I just don't think "reject rises in income tax rates, but pay for that in part by freezing the thresholds for so long that millions fall into the higher rate" is going to end well for the govt. The jump in tax paid is noticeable and people will notice it. "Your taxes didn't go up" won't be credible.

NEW - we've data showing huge numbers of people reducing their income to avoid high marginal income tax rates. Not just at the £100k point (as previously reported). But at the £50k point:

I know its just a council by-election but hard to square "25 point Labour to Green swing", "Labour in fourth behind two parties both advocating for tax increases to pay for public services" with "here's an electorate that won't stand for tax increases to pay for public services"

Is it even possible to split from a party that technically hasn't formed yet?

If you’re going to make your entire political pitch ‘only I can keep the bond market in check’, you sort of have to keep the bond market in check.

At the Budget the Chancellor needs to do 3 things: take decisive steps to improve the public finances &increase the financial buffers against her fiscal rules; address cost of living pressures for families &support the Bank of England in lowering inflation; and in the interest of growth make tax changes that improve the system overall. There is more than one way to skin this particular cat & we won’t know until we see the whole package whether she has achieved these 3 objectives. Much depends on the forecasts from the OBR. A significant economic deterioration would leave the Chancellor choosing whether to break the spirit or letter of her manifesto pledge on Income Tax. A more benign economic outlook will make it far easier to avoid breaking it at all. It is normal for economic forecasts &policies to change in the run up to the Budget. It is not normal for so much of that to be laid bare in public. The market moves this morning &in recent weeks suggest a serious look should be taken at

Excessive levels of Budget kite-flying risk exacerbating market uncertainty

@ruthcurtice.bsky.social responds to latest rumours that the Chancellor is no longer planning to increase Income Tax rates in her upcoming Budget, following rumours last week that this would be the centrepiece of the Budget

I know it’s always like this. But one striking thing from the budget kite flying and kite pulling back in, is how major policy decisions are constantly being buffeted around by iterative forecast changes.
All feels a bit of a silly way to be making major economic policy & political decisions.

For #FossilFriday & in honor of @alinemghilardi.bsky.social & colleagues' fantastic discovery of a new Cretaceous pterosaur in Brazil in a dinosaur regurgitalite ("fossil vomit"), here's a diagram I made for my book 'Dinosaurs Without Bones' (2014) showing the physics of a puking brachiosaur. 🧪🦕🤮🪨

Who supports Reform and why? The charts that show who favours Farage’s party Based on largest poll of supporters, these charts and maps show five distinct groups that could hand Reform a majority

Who supports Reform and why? Really interesting research by ⁦‪@hopenothate.org.uk‬⁩ with charts that show who favours Farage’s party, what their contradictory concerns & attitudes are, where different types of Reform voters live, & how they might be beaten www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

“The political strategy, at its core - get into power and instead of looking after your base, devote the first year to p***ing off your base, in favour of voters who will probably never come to you - is so poor and predictably disastrous that I don’t understand how McSweeney is still in Downing St.”

Why is the BBC so scared of the right wing media? Podcast Episode · Rock & Roll Politics with Steve Richards · 11/11/2025 · 44m

Well argued counter by @steverichards.bsky.social to my view that key to getting the BBC back on track is getting rid of Robbie Gibb who Steve values as a rare confident board member, though openly right-wing, which he feels needs balancing with other strong wills podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r...

MPs and BBC staff call for Robbie Gibb to leave broadcaster’s board Boris Johnson’s appointee is accused of pushing claims of institutional bias at the corporation after shock resignations

Good to hear that both MPs (publicly) and BBC staff (anonymously) are now calling for Robbie Gibb to leave broadcaster’s board www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...

A close look at Trump's $1 billion claim against the BBC The litigation letter is weak, but his underlying practical position is not weak

Great piece by David Allan Green on his Empty City law & policy substack, that gives me much welcome confidence that Trump’s threat of a libel claim against The BBC is not a strong one, but balanced by concern that BBC is a weak & unconfident defener open.substack.com/pub/emptycit...

You may disagree with one particular bit of Emily’s past work at the BBC (& I agree with you on that, btw), but I think it should be recognised that she & the other Newsagents are mostly fair, & it’s Gibbs & co who are using virulent transphobia, with other prejudice, to bully & overthrow the Beeb

You may disagree with one particular bit of Emily’s past work at the BBC (& I agree with you on that, btw), but I think it should be recognised that she & the other Newsagents are mostly fair, & it’s Gibbs & co who are using virulent transphobia, with other prejudice, to bully & overthrow the Beeb

Inside the BBC: What really went on Podcast Episode · The News Agents · 10/11/2025 · 35m

This is superb & makes me more & more convinced that this is a Coup at the BBC by the illiberal populist far-right & these 3 hugely respected ex-BBC journalists of unimpeachable standards, Maitlis, @jonsopel1.bsky.social & @lewisgoodall.com know of what they speak! podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

Living with the water: the Netherlands’ floating futures – photo essay Photographer Alessandro Gandolfi’s latest project looks at how sustainable floating neighbourhoods offer a way forward as the sea rises

The Netherlands’ floating futures – Photographer Alessandro Gandolfi looks at how sustainable floating neighbourhoods in the Netherlands offer a way forward as the sea rises, by embracing the philosophy of meebewegen: learning to live with the water www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...

David Attenborough describes how, after smelling blood, the predators (the right wing media) circle their prey (the BBC), with Trump as the savannah sun.

@bjennings90.bsky.social absolutely nails it. (www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...)

‘It will never be forgiven’: UN climate chief warns world to act or face disaster Faltering governments will be blamed for famine and conflict abroad, and face stagnation and inflation at home, says climate chief at start of Cop30

‘Governments failing to shift to a low-carbon economy will be blamed for famine and conflict abroad, will face stagnation and rising inflation at home, & will never be forgiven’: UN climate chief warns (& that means YOU, Trump!) www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The truth about impartiality at the BBC And the hysteria of the current "crisis"

Superb piece on the latest BBC Shenanigans by ⁦‪@lewisgoodall.com‬⁩, bringing his personal experience from within to shine a light on the right-wingers who think they’re impartial, Gibb & Grossman, blowing up trivial issues into threats to the BBCs future open.substack.com/pub/goodalla...

The truth about impartiality at the BBC And the hysteria of the current "crisis"

Superb piece on the latest BBC Shenanigans by ⁦‪@lewisgoodall.com‬⁩, bringing his personal experience from within to shine a light on the right-wingers who think they’re impartial, Gibb & Grossman, blowing up trivial issues into threats to the BBCs future open.substack.com/pub/goodalla...

The BBC is facing a coordinated, politically motivated attack. With these resignations, it has given in | Jane Martinson The corporation should have stood up to the Telegraph, Trump and the Tories. Now, its enemies know how little it takes for it to fold, says Jane Martinson, professor of financial journalism

Great by ⁦‪@janemartinson‬⁩.bsky.social on the bind the BBC has got itself into by not promptly apologising for minor errors & at the same time pushing back robustly again unreasonable extreme demands from a small number of right-wing haters! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Sky News just had Kelvin Mackenzie on, former editor of The Sun, one of the people at the centre of probably the most disgraceful front page in newspaper history, complaining about BBC journalists not being objective and 'fake news'. Astonishing. ~AA

The BBC: quite a big deal.