David Smith

I’m not sure ‘our national security developed vetting technique can be beaten if a candidate is prepared to lie’ is an especially helpful line to push.

Listening to the Mandelson debate, I can't see how this ends without resignations in no 10. It's the sense that what he did destroyed trust not just in one govt or party but in the political system generally, like the expenses scandal did. Someone is going to have to take responsibliity for that.

Starmer forced to admit he knew of Mandelson's continued relationship with Epstein after the first convicton when he appointed him ambassador. Eek this is a shocker.

Badenoch has nailed him on this.

Huge plaudits to @financialtimes.com which has led the way on exposing Mandelson and has also done great reporting on the corruption of Trump. What a contrast to @thetimes.com which did a soft interview with Mandy and has been hopeless on Trump

Former prince discussed with Jeffrey Epstein ways to get round investment rules Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared official documents while serving as a UK trade envoy

FT exclusive

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor discussed ways round restrictions on his making investments while an official UK trade representative and shared official documents from the role with Jeffrey Epstein, files released by the US Department of Justice show

www.ft.com/content/6b2f...

Wrote a book about it, feel free to link us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

Peter Thiel has been open about this for a long time. Trump is a way to break the republic, which can then be replaced by “free economic zones” with oligarchs as dictators and tech as a taskmaster for helpless humans without any rights. (1/2)

The Sánchez 🇪🇸 government has

- built Europe's boom economy
- hiked minimum wage from €736 to €1221
- cut insecure work from c.30% to c.13%
- regularised, not demonised, migrants
- stood up for human rights
- refused to humiliate itself before Trump

No wonder Musk hates it.

NEW: Who was John Pond?

This August 2009 email exchange which was forwarded to Jeffrey Epstein included Mandelson, the PM's PPS Jeremy Heywood, the minister/adviser Shriti Vadera and... John Pond.

Two sources have told the BBC that John Pond was in fact Gordon Brown, then the PM

Explosive from @faisalislam.bsky.social about that call that did take place with Dimon and Darling.

Messages have appeared on lamp posts on St. Aldate's which also bear the St. George's Cross flag. The installation of these flags is claimed by a group calling themselves 'Raise the Colours Oxford'.

The loss of the threat of revolution is one of the worst things to have happened for the calibre of our ruling class; it's led to a loss of standards. Competition matters.

Not quite one year ago as.ft.com/r/52c094cb-4...

every epstein file drop underscores how elite power operates through shared socio-economic networks, regardless of people's ideological differences, populist posturing, or public feuds

I’ve written this lengthy FT analysis overnight about the multiple multi-thousand pound Epstein payments to Mandelson’s husband

these particular paragraphs are worth reading slowly

www.ft.com/content/608a...

Genuinely thought that was a front page from like 2017

The UK's Independent gives the film one star out of five, saying: "[The] First Lady is a preening, scowling void of pure nothingness in this ghastly bit of propaganda ... Hitting cinemas as the streets of America remain filled with the angry and grieving - with the country on the verge of an irreparable schism - the vulgar, gilded lifestyle of the Trumps makes them look like Marie Antoinette skulking in her cake-filled chateau, or Hermann Göring's staring up at his looted Monet." The publication continued: "The "film" is part propaganda, sure, and part sop to Big Tech companies who require constant regulatory approval for financial manoeuvrings. Even then, it is bad. It will exist as a striking artefact - like The Birth of a Nation or Triumph of the Will - of a time when Americans willingly subordinated themselves to a political and economic oligopoly."

Now this is a movie review www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...

OK, that's a proper achievement (unfond memories of previous visa applications...). Sure to be trashed opportunistically by the other parties but this is something tangible.

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

I didn't realise this until now, but cinemas MUST show Melania as part of their contract with MGM Amazon. Otherwise they'd be wise enough not to waste huge amounts of money showing it to empty rooms.

Philip Glass pulls world premiere from Kennedy Center The pioneering composer announced that “the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message” of his Symphony No. 15: “Lincoln.”

Breaking news: Composer Philip Glass withdrew his highly anticipated Symphony No. 15 from its scheduled Kennedy Center performance, saying “the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony.”

ICE murdered Renée Good in broad daylight. Less than 3 weeks later, they killed Alex Pretti, shooting him 10 times. Every day, we watch as people are ripped from their cars, their homes, their lives.

We can't allow ourselves to look away from this cruelty. Abolish ICE.

UK loses measles elimination status, warns WHO Vaccination rates in 2024-25 among five-year-olds who had received both MMR jabs hit the lowest level in 15 years.

Arguably more significant than defections, internal party politics and the Beckhams…

In 2024 there were around 3,600 suspected cases of measles.

We need to challenge the nonsense spread by anti vaxxers and ensure children are protected.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

news.sky.com/story/uk-los...

Pope Leo’s Top U.S. Ally Says ‘No’ to Funding ICE Cardinal Joseph Tobin calls ICE a “lawless organization” perpetuating a “machinery of death” and urges Congress to defund Trump’s deportation force.

NEW: One of Pope Leo XIV’s top U.S. allies, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, is calling for the defunding of ICE.

Tobin says the “lawless organization” is a “machinery of death.”

This marks the first time a senior Church leader has called for ICE to be defunded. More are expected in the coming days.

Having listened to the full quote I see what Rutte was truing to do - to say there’s mutual dependence - but this was a damned stupid thing to say.

If Putin believes this statement by Rutte then we are in a very dangerous situation. Since it is unclear that he believes that the US would help us fight off a Russian invasion (do we?). For the leader of an organization whose raison d’être is to deter by projecting strength this seems foolhardy .

The decision follows Cherwell, Vale of White Horse, and South Oxfordshire – and the Oxford Clarion – withdrawing from the platform. West Oxfordshire and Oxford City are still on X, but the latter has not tweeted for over a month. The County Council’s Bluesky handle is @oxfordshirecc.bsky.social .

The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy. It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault.

Putin pioneered this. No opposition is legitimate. Regular, decent, “ordinary” people cannot possibly be against us because only we represent “the real people.”

Tell-tale sign of authoritarianism.

Maybe Trump's lawsuit is having the effect he intended?

I’m really quite surprised at the BBC website today. ‘Here is a video, some people say it does not show what it very obviously shows’ is not how you report this.