Stephen Clark

Two years after the October 7 attacks: British Jewish views on antisemitism, Israel and Jewish life

New from Institute of Jewish Policy Research: most comprehensive study of Jewish attitudes
> Rising experience + perception of antisemitism:feel less safe
> Growing (now majority) criticism of military campaign in Gaza; rising attachment to Israel
(July 2025 fieldwork)
www.jpr.org.uk/reports/two-...

Sending my condolences, prayers and thoughts to all those affected by this morning's horrific attack on a synagogue in Manchester.

To my many Jewish friends and the whole British Jewish community, we stand with you today and forever!

To the antisemites and the terrorists, you will never win.

Extract from article by Stephen Bush: "Badenoch may not be the only leader not to make it all the way to the next general election. Starmer’s government increasingly resembles Boris Johnson’s in the early autumn of 2021: struggling with inflation, hit by scandals and developing a reputation among its own MPs for a nightmare combination of bullheaded stubbornness and brittleness under pressure. There is a significant appetite among Labour MPs to believe that the government can still be turned around without a change of leader and all the instability that would bring. But a moment of crisis or panic could very swiftly make this government resemble Johnson’s in 2022: undone by panicking, unhappy backbenchers, blundering from landslide to disaster in a single term. "

I suspect Starmer would be in more peril if MPs still picked the leader.

Under the present rules, Labour MPs can fell a prime minister but they can't replace him. And right now, no one can predict who the membership would choose.

That will make many MPs nervous.
www.ft.com/content/1487...

The sea is rising, Eastbourne will flood – what’s the plan? Future flooding from the sea is now a reality. There are no clear long-term plans for this. What will this mean for towns like Eastbourne?

The sea is rising, Eastbourne will flood – what’s the plan?
Future flooding from the sea is now a reality. There are no clear long-term plans for this. What will this mean for towns like Eastbourne? | Susan Kerrison for @sussexbylines.co.uk

Possibly my favourite chart of the elections... the median vote reuqired to win hit its lowest point ever. The era of two-party politics is over.

The historical local elections data courtesy of the one and only Michael Thrasher (who wanted to plot the data back to 1889!).

Entirely this: I’d add that being serious about climate change is a hygiene factor for many voters. In not a single UK constituency does concern about climate drop below 50% - hitting 68% in Clacton. There’s a debate on the ‘how’ and particularly how to do it fairly but much less on the principle.

The other hand to Reform's gains are the Tories' horrific losses (41% of all seats). Not just poor for the opposition, but relative to total seats, it is the worst set of local election results for any party in British history, surpassing the Tory result in 1971 (losses at 38% of all borough seats).

This is the graph I've wanted to see all day... governments get kickings but this shouldn't be happening to an *opposition party*

National Estimated Vote predictably as bleak for two main parties (if we can still call them that) at record lows and unprecedented Reform win. Would add - it’s not main story but think the Greens really should be doing better at picking up discontent esp on the left; but are standing still.

To be fair, Trump has probably never in his life said something that would piss off Putin more than this....

Our second university shedding jobs today is Exeter, which I hear is re-opening its voluntary severance scheme. So Higher Education cuts in both Northern Scotland and Southern England today. There'll be more tomorrow, and more the day after that.

We find the West of England Mayoral Race is too close to call with victory possible for 4 & maybe even 5 parties. Labour's Helen Goodwin in the lead on 23%
🌹LAB 23%
🌳 CON 21%
➡️ REF UK 18%
🌍 GREEN 18%
🔶 LIB DEM 15%
⬜️ IND 5%

Donald Trump's revealed trade strategy looks bad news for the UK | Institute for Government The UK may have to pay quite a high price for any deal – and not get that much out of it.

Donald Trump's revealed trade strategy looks bad news for the UK

The UK may have to pay quite a high price for any deal – and not get that much out of it www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/dona...

Ukrainians lose out on jobs and homes over visa uncertainty Some employers and landlords are reluctant to hire or rent to Ukrainians because their visas are due to expire.

Ukrainians have to wait until their 3 year visa is in its final 28 days to ask for an 18 month extension, which impedes jobs & renting when there are two or three months left on it
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

В США задержали и отправили в иммиграционный изолятор россиянку, работавшую в Гарвардской медицинской школе – "Можем объяснить" Россиянку Ксению Петрову, работавшую в Гарвардской медицинской школе, задержали и отправили в иммиграционный изолятор. О ее задержании написала ее подруга и коллега Кора Андерсон, а друзья Ксении запу...

A Russian scientist who opposed Putin’s war, fled Russia and found work at Harvard was detained at Logan Airport returning from a French academic conference and has been sent to an immigration detention center in Louisiana for deportation to Russia.
www.currenttime.tv/a/rossiynka-...

Worth reading this thread of quotes from Mark Carney which would have been unimaginable from a centrist Canadian PM just a few months ago. Keir Starmer may still be trying to balance it out with Trump, but I wonder how long any Western leaders can do that.

I’ve been saying since the beginning of this admin that they’re going to start putting those statues back up. New Confederate statues would serve similar purposes to their boom time of 1900-20: statements of physical dominance of public space, designed to unite in-groups and intimidate out-groups.

Defence Intelligence UPDATE ON UKRAINE 20 March 2025 INTELLIGENCE UPDATE • The Russian Armed Forces have likely sustained approximately 900,000 casualties (killed and wounded) since invading Ukraine in 2022. Of these, it is likely 200,000 - 250,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, Russia's largest losses since the Second World War. • Russian President Putin and the Russian military leadership highly likely prioritise their conflict objectives over the lives of Russian soldiers. They are almost certainly prepared to tolerate continuously high casualty rates so long as this does not negatively affect public or elite support for the war, and those losses can be replaced. • Putin and the Russian leadership highly likely place significantly less value on the lives of ethnic minority Russian citizens from impoverished regions, with Russian recruitment efforts consequently focussed disproportionately on these areas. Slavic Russians from urban centres such as Moscow and St. Petersburg have contributed disproportionately fewer service personnel than their poorer, ethnic minority compatriots.

Latest UK Intelligence Briefing:

Cummings meets Farage to discuss remaking the state — and how to replace the Tories The Vote Leave strategist has been talking to Nigel Farage and some believe a pact between Reform and the Tories — minus Kemi Badenoch — is a possibility

Sunday Times story (March 16th 2025) is only that Nigel Farage had one meeting with Dominic Cummings before Christmas 2024

Cummings calls it "a friendly chat". Both sides are "adamant" there is no chance Cummings will work for Farage.

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Another household kept alive by American aid was that of Jennifer Inyaa, a 35-year-old single mom, and her 5-year-old son, Evan Anzoo, both of them H.I.V.-positive. Last month, after the aid shutdown, Inyaa became sick and died, and a week later Evan died as well, according to David Iraa Simon, a community health worker who assisted them. Decisions by billionaires in Washington quickly cost the lives of a mother and her son. "Many more children will die in the coming weeks," said Margret Amjuma, a health worker who confirmed the deaths of Peter and Achol.

Take a moment today to read about a few of the young children whom Trump and Musk killed by shutting down USAID. The blame for these deaths falls on them.

There will be hundreds of thousands more dead kids before their lethal crusade against foreign aid ends. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

He's a really nasty piece of work, but there are dozens like him among the 30-40 something generation of GOP politicians.

Inside the NHS England bombshell:

- Many stunned NHSE staff hadn't been told before Starmer announced it
- A source close to Wes Streeting insists abolition wasn't always the plan
- Why the DH-NHSE relationship is a loveless one
- An NHSE insider warns Streeting: with power comes accountability

It turns out Ukraine wasn't the blocker to peace. Fancy that, eh.

Many Chinese See a Cultural Revolution in America People in China are expressing alarm at what looks like a familiar authoritarian turn in the United States, their longtime role model for democracy.

America “is tearing itself apart with no outside pressure and this is similar to what the Communist Party did at the peak of the Cultural Revolution in 1966.”
www.my times.com/2025/03/06/business/china-donald-trump-cultural-revolution.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Trump’s tariffs will lead to the biggest tax hike in history for Americans - a whopping $1200 per year, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

The US economy is going to hit the rocks pretty soon if the course isn’t changed.

The last time this season's FA Cup quarter-finalists won the FA Cup (updated)

Man City (2023)
Aston Villa (1957)
Preston (1938)

Bournemouth (never)
Brighton (never)
Crystal Palace (never)
Fulham (never)

To add: Nottingham Forest (1959) or Ipswich (1978)

German exit polls are in.

-As expected, a comprehensive rejection of SPD, though could have been even worse. Nonetheless worst result since 1887.
-Disappointment for CDU to be sub 30, even though they'll definitely govern.

Global income distribution in 1800, 1975, and 2015

Economists know it, but politicians rarely say it—globalization massively reduced global inequality.

🧪 #EconSky

Pope's condition has moved into No1 slot on the BBC. They are scenting a story.

Cost of Brexit on UK’s tourism industry revealed – with the worst yet to come ‘The UK is likely to lose competitive share both within Europe and globally,’ says VisitBritain

Brexit's impact on UK tourism is stark: fewer visitors, higher costs, and new barriers like ETAs. We're losing ground to Europe.