James Butler

UK launches operation to support thousands of Britons in Middle East Officials are understood to be working on plans to evacuate British nationals, should airspace remain closed.

What's happening in Dubai bolsters the argument taxes should be based on people's nationality, not just their country of residence (ie the US model).

If Brits living abroad can expect to be airlifted out by virtue of being British, they should pay some tax towards that.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

(I do think Magnus should have questioned his statements *made while a minister* about motivation given the information re: scope and material of the Electoral Commission hack was already public before the APCO commission.)

Massive accountability gap in British politics -- Simons can go around saying he was "cleared" of breaking the ministerial code, but the investigation can't concern itself with the smearing he commissioned before becoming a minister.

I don't dispute the Home Secretary's power to change terms through regulation, but if it's really as significant and 'existential' a shift as she claims she ought to have the courage to defend it in debate in parliament. She won't, because it's indefensible.

Watto is the epitome of labour machine politics so expecting him to recognise it's a problem is like asking a river to flow backwards

I'm enjoying all the finger-wagging geopolitical instaboffin posts about the difference between Khomeini and Khamenei which nonetheless manage to misspell the latter.

Fwiw Simons's statement is a disgusting repetition of smears against Paul Holden. But if I were a junior minister tethered to a clearly doomed PM I would consider a forced resignation to have a significant silver lining. Frees you up factionally come May...

'Josh'.

James Butler · ‘Need a lord on the board?’: Mandelson and the Lobbyists Why​ did a man whose political expertise was acquired in the departed era of broadcast television maintain such...

‘It is still common to hear people in Westminster talk of the government’s seriousness and focus on delivery. It is hard to square this with its apparent willingness to embroil itself in scandal.’

James Butler (@piercepenniless.bsky.social) on Peter Mandelson’s fall.

www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

I know I keep pointing this out but: if you want immigrants to contribute to British society, integrate across community lines, become engaged civic actors, you actually *want* them to get citizenship, and as soon as possible in fact!

James Butler | Just Voting The Green Party’s Hannah Spencer has won the Gorton and Denton by-election with 41 per cent of the vote. Progressive...

‘The hair’s breadth that appeared to separate the two progressive options – a split vote that might have enabled a Reform victory – turned out to be a chasm.’

@piercepenniless.bsky.social on the Greens’ by-election victory.

www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/fe...

Do they have secret parallel universe polling which suggests there is any support they can afford to lose?

On Politics: The Rearmament Consensus Podcast Episode · The LRB Podcast · 25 February · 1h 6m

On the podcast: Sam Jones, European security correspondent at the Financial Times, and Anna Stavrianakis, professor of international relations at the University of Sussex, join @piercepenniless.bsky.social to explore ‘hard power’ and Europe's militarisation:

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...

It's certainly an interesting choice for a party polling around 18% to decide it wants to *shed* support.

Neither Baldwin, nor his son, nor I have claimed that. That's your fantasy. It's entirely legitimate to suggest that a government can exert diplomatic pressure on a delinquent state by restricting or cancelling training or supply contracts, and impose/tighten end user standards.

My experience of the upper echelons of the Labour Party involved being condescended to by the incredibly thick & unpleasant, & thinking that in any other walk of life you would get punched in the mouth for treating people like that. Impossible to overstate how high on their own fumes they are.

A good overview. Also includes sound advice for Labour should it wish to revive its fortunes.

www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/fe...

James Butler | Just Voting The Green Party’s Hannah Spencer has won the Gorton and Denton by-election with 41 per cent of the vote. Progressive...

Cool and clear from @piercepenniless.bsky.social

www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/fe...

Thanks Anthony!

Thank you! (Irresistible...)

James Butler | Just Voting In her victory speech, Hannah Spencer argued that working people were being ‘bled dry’ in a country that works to...

‘All traditional parties were beaten by two insurgents taking 70 per cent of the vote. A wide field of plausible competitors under first past the post will make the next general election difficult to predict. ’

@piercepenniless.bsky.social on the Greens’ victory.

www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/fe...

www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/fe...

Yes that's perfectly right of course!

Wow, 'consequences', obviously. I shouldn't be allowed to type on a phone.

Wrote up the by-election, the Green victory and the conferences for Labour at the @lrb.co.uk www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/fe...

No, that he might not even last till then!

This is a startlingly mad missive. Like a total failure to grasp what's gone wrong. Above all, it's a series of completely implausible and self-flattering excuses. I was convinced they'd leave him to carry the can in May, but on the back of this I'm not so sure.

Even more insane - and a sign of how small-time and insular Labour politicians are - is blaming it all, somehow, on George Galloway. Never mind Green drugs policy, they should check the cabinet office for crack.

I don't think calling the people who voted for the nice woman who thinks working hard should grant you a decent life unhinged extremists is going to work out brilliantly for Labour.

For all their wretchedness at a national level, sometimes Labour in local government seem to have perfected a very nasty kind of cruelty.