Clive Simpson

Morgan McSweeney says he takes ‘full responsibility’ for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson – UK politics live McSweeney, who masterminded landslide 2024 election win, resigns as PM’s chief of staff after Mandelson revelations

McSweeney was Labour’s Cummings.

www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Post-Brexit sales of British farm products to EU fall by 37% NFU warn it could take years to restore Brexit losses despite efforts to smooth negotiations on farming and other elements of UK-EU reset

The NFU and many farmers pretty much believed the Brexit lies and voted for their own demise. Don’t make the same mistake with the vacuous promises of Reform UK.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Gordon Brown ‘deeply regrets’ bringing Peter Mandelson into his government Former prime minister says revelations about Epstein’s influence on UK politics caused him revulsion

Gordon Brown continues to show political leadership

Accepts his mistake with dignity

Makes proposals to improve the health of our democracy

What a waste that the gutter press destroyed his chance to be our prime minister

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Looking forward to meeting up with @authorbnugent.bsky.social at #Astrofest in Kensington Town Hall, London, today.

Brendan will be signing copies of his new #AI thriller #TheSentientOnes in the upper exhibition area.

Do drop in & see us if you're attending!

#Booksky #author #astronomy #thefuture

This is the report I spoke of on #bbcaq just now - ministers tried to suppress it, were finally forced to release it after an FoI, but shamefully only published a redacted version. The first duty of Govt is to protect its citizens - that starts with being honest with us about scale of threat we face

Busy afternoon at European AstroFest in London and plenty of interest in ROOM Space Journal.

There's an irony in the Tories - who fought tooth and nail not to disclose their WhatsApp messages and private emails handing out enormous public contracts to their buddies - now asking Labour to hand over their comms with Mandelson (which don't appear to involve any public money).

Yes, quite. It's the biggest scandal of this administration, so far, probably. It's an average Tuesday under Johnson.

NASA has updated its potential launch window for its delayed Artemis II Moon mission and is now targeting 6-11 March. It's a moving feast and further updates will follow. Photo by Jacques van Oene at Kennedy Space Center.

More pointers as to how disastrous Reform in government are

Flawed economic models mean climate crisis could crash global economy, experts warn States and financial bodies using modelling that ignores shocks from extreme weather and climate tipping points

Climate crash.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Exactly the point @zackpolanski.bsky.social just raised on Newsnight. Palantir UK government contracts need to be torn up for good.

Lincolnshire climate leadership reversed Lincolnshire goes from national leader to climate change blocker despite the science not changing and local impacts getting worse

Reform UK’s denial stance leaves #Lincolnshire people even more vulnerable to effects of changing #climate.
centralbylines.co.uk/news/environ...

‘It’s sick’: Trump administration uses mascot called ‘Coalie’ to push dirtiest fossil fuel Cartoon lump of coal with giant eyes was spotlighted by US interior secretary in X post saying: ‘Mine, Baby, Mine!’

As climate change plunges us deeper into the mass extinction event that we are all living through. And more people get sick and die as a direct result of the activities of the fossil fuel industry, this is truly twisted and evil

#TheSentientOnes #climatechange

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Top chef on what Brexit has done for UK fishing and the question you should always ask when buying fish | Money News - Ireland News Beep Our Money team interview top chefs from around the UK every month, hearing about their cheap food hacks, views on the industry and more.

#Brexit - a disaster for many who voted for it. “Brexit has done… nothing good for UK fishing. Our fishermen have lost access to 12-mile limits, while French fleets continue to fish in our waters. Exporting to Europe has become more expensive and tangled in red tape.”
www.newsbeep.com/ie/279979/

Mandelson scandal shortens odds on Starmer following him out the door Appointment of the ex-ambassador despite tarnished past raises potentially fatal doubts about judgment of PM and his team

A PM is only as good as his most trusted advisors. Sir Keir should have been a bit more street savvy but McSweeney was pulling the Mandelson strings and, if I were the PM, he (Morgan McSweeney) would be out of the door tomorrow.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

What is Moltbook? The strange new social media site for AI bots A bit like Reddit for artificial intelligence, Moltbook allows AI agents – bots built by humans – to post and interact with each other. People are allowed as observers only

When I heard a report about this social media site for #AI bots on the radio this morning I immediately thought of @authorbnugent.bsky.social and his new #novel #TheSentientOnes - if you think Moltbook sounds interesting then you should definitely ready it!
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Beautiful shot this morning of the Artemis II stack as seen from the VAB at Kennedy Space Center by @roomspacejournal.bsky.social photo-journalist Jacques Van Oene. Go NASA!

Starmer vows to take UK deeper into EU single market Seemingly buoyed by a positive reception and a smaller-than-anticipated backlash, the British PM is now doubling down on his Brexit reset.

🇨🇦 PM Mark Carney put it well in his book Values: society has confused “value” (market price) with “values” (social, moral and ethical principles).

The EU is a values-based system: rule of law, democracy and human rights, checks on power...

Align wisely, UK.

🇬🇧 🇪🇺

www.politico.eu/article/keir...

‘Homes may have to be abandoned’: how climate crisis has reshaped Britain’s flood risk As rivers swell and homes are cut off, scientists say UK winter rainfall is already 20 years ahead of predictions

www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

The River Slea in winter’s camouflage and looking full after the week’s rains.
#author #photography #landscape #Lincolnshire

Back to the Moon with Artemis

room.eu.com/news/back-to...

The Lincolnshire Fens desperately need new flood defences The iconic landscape of the Fens faces an uncertain future unless funding is urgently secured to protect them

The #Lincolnshire #Fens desperately need new #flood defences.

centralbylines.co.uk/news/environ...

Always look in your rear view mirror.
#author #photography #landscape #Colorado

Greens launch major push for Gorton and Denton after Burnham blocked Party ready to pour resources into byelection after ‘game-changing’ barring of Greater Manchester mayor

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Effects of climate change Climate change is already having visible effects on the world. The Earth is warming, rainfall patterns are changing, and sea levels are rising. These changes can increase the risk of heatwaves, floods...

The Earth is warming, rainfall patterns are changing, and sea levels are rising. These changes can increase the risk of heatwaves, floods, droughts, and fires.

#TheSentientOnes #climatechange @cliftop.bsky.social #FloodWatersDown

weather.metoffice.gov.uk/climate-chan...

It says lot about the editors running the BBC News website that they have opened the reader comments on ALL the news stories about Labour, but have not done so for the one about Reform Ltd which is leading the website

Ex-Tory Home Secretary Suella Braverman defects to Reform UK The MP was unveiled as the party's latest recruit by leader Nigel Farage at a rally.

Reform UK rapidly becoming a care home for failed Tories as another rat jumps ship.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Google won’t stop replacing our news headlines with terrible AI “This feature performs well for user satisfaction,” claims Google.

The Verge has criticised Google for continuing to replace its headlines in Google Discover with AI-generated "clickbait nonsense". The outlet reported Google said the AI headlines are a feature, not an experiment, and that they perform "well for user satisfaction" www.theverge.com/tech/865168/...