George Packer

The Tax Payer's Alliance criticism of Civil Service salaries is a perfect indication of their narrow minded idiocy and why they should be completely ignored

On the other hand…

I stand by the assertion that this is thought management. "You aren't clever enough to see the negative aspects of this argument so we won't let you hear it"

Actually I was referring to the "deplatforming" of speakers at events in the UK. There were a series of these in the last few years. The speakers booked held views that the left disliked and they thought this meant it ok to threaten violence if they spoke.

Maybe a fair point

Well we don't get those widely reported over here so I'm unsure how accurate your point is.
But, it's not going to be effective to moan about them without acknowledging the overreach on the left.
If Vance said something similar I guess it goes to show even a stopped clock is right twice a day

The problem is this ignores the point that the traction the right got on this point was in some way a reaction to left wing free speech overreach (thought management). That still needs addressing. It's not ok just because the other side are worse

Ed Davey, "Elon Musk has applied to sell energy in this country"

"When someone is calling for the overthrow of a democratically elected government, we should take that seriously"

"I don't think Elon Musk is a fit and proper person for us to do business with"

Farage says his partner bought the house with family money. The BBC can’t find that family money:

“Her parents, Bertrand and Chantal, live in a flat worth around 350,000 euros (£302,000) in a Strasbourg suburb. They, and their two daughters, co-own the flat.”

Ah, Jeremy Clarkson's favourite council. They are astounding morons

Had to do some driving in France. The autoroutes are perfectly smooth, no potholes, no rough spots, no congestion and a 130kmph (80mph) speed limit, all for the bargain price of about 10 euro cents per km. Privatise the highways!

An increasingly dictatorial president is deploying the military and police against their enemies, and is using ‘emergency’ powers across the board.

This is a common phenomenon, the world over.

If you think it is somehow different because it is the US, then you have fallen for exceptionalism.

Where Is the Political Leadership Against This Violent Far-Right Movement Terrorising Britain? The silence of senior mainstream politicians and media organisations against the rise of a new well-organised far-right movement on Britain's streets is a disgrace, argues Adam Bienkov

This is an urgent and important question from @adambienkov.bsky.social

Again this summer, British citizens are being terrorised by the organised far right and the silence of mainstream media and our political leaders is astounding and dangerous

bylinetimes.com/2025/08/20/w...

Quick reminder: if the EU wants to deter Putin and have a seat at the table on Ukraine, there's no need for joint EU debt issuance or lots of military spending. Just shut down Putin's shadow fleet in the Baltic (gray). That doesn't cost anything and can be done today. All that's needed is courage...

Ok. Next step add a zero to my bank account and go when they've next got good snow.
Obvs tricky whilst still working
Hoping there's a chance of a snowstorm for you

Yep. Only for the mega rich some time in the next 20 years. Sorry for your situation. Astonishing there's no booze to take the edge off!

I'm sad to say that since leaving Twitter/X my sales for live shows have dropped quite a lot - it turns out that even though it's a dreadful place it was still useful for getting the word out about events. So any shares / RTs of my posts about live shows are hugely appreciated!

Revealed: How foreign billionaires pump millions into British politics The Elon Musk-shaped hole in Starmer’s Election Bill

🔴 NEW: Foreign billionaires are using UK companies to pour millions into British politics — legally.

We found £6m+ in political donations from UK firms owned by foreign nationals — people who can’t vote in Britain.

New on Democracy for Sale (🧵)

democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-h...

Keir Starmer's Government Still Hasn't Reviewed Use of Musk's X Despite Platform 'Amplifying Hate Speech and Misinformation' Downing Street continues to refuse to explore communicating through alternative platforms, like Bluesky, despite the role of X in last summer's violent disorder

Keir Starmer's Government is still refusing to explore whether it should stop using X, or use alternative platforms like Bluesky, despite Musk's site amplifying unfiltered hate and misinformation, and despite its in-house AI bot referring to itself as "Mecha-Hitler"
bylinetimes.com/2025/07/31/k...

Oh my days.
How do they not learn to stop wasting our money on these meaningless "investigations"?

No one disputes that the Executive has a duty to follow the law. But the Judiciary does not have unbridled authority to enforce this obligation

This quote from the US Supreme Court’s judgment (via @davidallengreen.bsky.social ‘s excellent substack) is quite extraordinary.

Britain in 2025: sick man of Europe battling untreated illness crisis As poverty deepens across Britain, the Guardian visited some of the hardest-hit places where leaders are aiming to shift healthcare from hospitals to communities

Fascinating piece on (another) unseen health timebomb, which also helps explain a lot about both pressures on A&E and arguably on sickness benefits www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

This report is paper thin. There is clearly insufficient evidence to draw a firm conclusion.
China continues to withhold sequencing information that would help.
Don't bet loads on it being a zoonotic event

World class relaxing

Not really. If half the people wavering between these 2 go one way and the other half go the other neither gets anywhere. Remove that choice and everyone for whom these are their preferred choices goes the same way

Sorry I'm not that George Packer.

2011: Donald Trump says a weak and ineffective President will start a war with Iran

2025: President Trump attacks Iran

Beyond parody.

Ukraine is convinced that Iran's nuclear program must be brought to an end so that it never again poses a threat neither to the countries of the Middle East nor to any other state. Peaceful efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons have been ongoing for years, but they have not yielded effective results. As early as this spring, the United States warned Iran of the consequences in the absence of constructive steps. We assert that it is precisely the aggressive actions of the Iranian regime and its long-standing destructive policy aimed at undermining international peace and security — including its hostile attitude toward Israel and many other nations - that have led to the current developments. Iran is complicit in the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The Iranian regime is providing military assistance to Russia, including the supply of UAVs and technologies that Russia consistently uses to kill people and destroy critical infrastructure. We have repeatedly drawn the attention of the international community to the fact that such actions by Iran constitute a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015), in particular Paragraph 4 of Annex B to that document. These actions demand an appropriate response. At the same time, Iran continues to destabilize the security situation in the Middle East through its proxies, creating increasing threats to peace and stability in the region. We are convinced that the measures taken by the United States and Israel against Iranian nuclear facilities have sent a clear message to the Iranian regime - a message that the continuation of policies aimed at destabilizing regional security is unacceptable.

Ukraine, which has made the largest contribution in human history to nuclear disarmament, understands better than anyone the level of threat posed by weapons of mass destruction. Ukraine has the moral right to state that the elimination of Iran's nuclear program would make the Middle East and the entire world safer. As for Iran's future, we firmly believe that the Iranian people — with their proud, millennia-old history — deserve a dignified, free, and happy life in peace and mutual understanding with Israel and all other nations of the world. They do not deserve to live under the domination of the current regime, which is driven by war, terror, lies, and perpetual confrontation. Once again, we call on Iran's leadership to cease its assistance to Moscow in its war of aggression against Ukraine. We are confident that a decisive policy of "peace through strength," which is already depriving the Iranian regime of the means to spread terror and destabilization, is capable of strengthening international peace and security not only in the Middle East but also in Europe. Bringing an end to Russia's aggression against Ukraine also requires determination, leadership, and increased pressure on those who fail to demonstrate constructiveness in the pursuit of peace. This primarily involves sanctioning Russian oil revenues and its military budget, increasing pressure on Russia, and boosting Ukraine's defense capabilities. Finally, we note that the situation in the Middle East remains extremely volatile. We join the international community in calling on all parties to de-escalate tensions in the region and prioritize diplomatic solutions at the negotiating table.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry out with a strong statement on the situation in Iran.

Sorry Ukrainians but your lives are not valuable enough.
#UkrainianView