Hari Ramanathan

I went swimming in Highgate Pond for the first time today.

My immediate reaction upon entering the water was to get straight back out, but my pal talked me into staying & I’m so glad I did. It’s actually lovely once you overcome the initial freezing shock.

That said, not going again till Spring! 😅

There were only seven proper Blairites (committed to public sector reform + economic liberalism) in Tony Blair's final Cabinet. The number of actual Blairites in Brown's Cabinet in 2007 was higher, for this reason.

If Liz Truss were more stable and shrewd, she could make a fortune from a public affairs protection racket.

"Nice campaign you've got there, would be a real shame if Britain's most disastrous PM endorsed it".

"To the many investors coming into the United States and investing massive amounts of money, my policies will never change. This is a great time to get rich, richer than ever before!!!" he wrote in all caps in a post on his social media platform.

🤔

The Art of the Dickhead

I know "I wonder what James Delingpole is tweeting these days" is a horrible, stove-touching impulse, but I was genuinely not expecting "Lily Philips and Bonnie Blue are government psy-ops".

Big day for corrupt insiders.

the one good thing about trade policy being run like a game of poker with a drunk chimp is that 'only 10% tariffs on the whole world plus whatever number enters Trump's head for China!' now feels like a great deal, phew, rather than the nailed-on crisis it would have seemed only last year

The penguins had a 10% tariff before and they have a 10% tariff now. They kind of lost. Now they don't have a competitive edge over Vietnam.

So what remains?

1. US-China trade blockade. Mutual damage with potential collateral damage to EU if China diverts exports there.

2. Mexico, Canada and steel/aluminum tariffs. Again, mutual damage.

3. 10% tax on US imports, global damage.

4. US credibility and leverage wrecked.

Biggest commitment to a 3 second joke I've ever seen

Well i hope everyone enjoyed the peace.

The Americans are about to log on again.

It's really important that the new American owners don't abandon the culture of W H Smith, like charging £7 for a packet of crisps in the airport or trying to aggressively sell you chocolate bars that you don't want at the checkout

it's now clear to me that the key demographic for Bluesky is 'people who had a Saturday job at WH Smith'

"Next year, the World Cup is going to be held in a country where people who have political opinions that displease the government are disappeared by the secret police"

In 1984, Canadian soldiers visited the island and planted a Canadian flag, also leaving a bottle of Canadian whisky.[10] The Danish Minister of Greenland Affairs came to the island himself later the same year with the Danish flag, a bottle of snaps, and a letter stating "Welcome to the Danish Island" (Velkommen til den danske ø).[11][12][13] The two countries proceeded to take turns planting their flags on the island and exchanging alcoholic beverages.[14] In 2005 a Canadian man and an unknown source on the Danish side also posted advertisements on Google to "promote their claims".[14][15][16] The minor border dispute was often considered humorous between the two nations, with diplomats displaying good humour. Despite the serious official nature of the matter, the manner in which the conflict was prosecuted was light-hearted, demonstrated by the length of time taken to settle the dispute, if nothing else. The two nations are on friendly terms, and are also founding members of NATO.

The two places Trump wants - Greenland and Canada - share a land border. They fought the so-called Whisky War over it for almost half a century, and it was basically adorable.

The demise of WHSmith reminds me of when my friend queued for ages to buy a protractor, only to get to the front and discover that it was Jeffrey Archer doing a signing

“You’re entitled to your opinion”

Translation: You’re entitled to be wrong.

Same.

Welfare reform: List of Labour MPs prepared to rebel against benefit changes - LabourList More than a dozen Labour MPs have said publicly that they will not back the government when proposed…

Running tally of Labour MPs opposing the disability benefit cuts: labourlist.org/2025/03/spri...

And what about us? Well, Europe will be left to fend for itself and decide its future free from US support and in effect, bullied into submission unless it gets its act together and form a united front.

Now, if only there was some organisation we could be part of…

This is pretty much the point @frasernelson.bsky.social was making on yesterday’s Spectator’s Coffee House Shots podcast. Trump’s isolationism potentially includes 3 spheres of influence: USA, Russia & China. They can act as they wish within it (ie vis-a-vis Greenland/Panama/Canada/Ukraine/Taiwan).

Forward Booking Snapshot: Canada - US Market March 2024 vs March 2025 Summer Season Bookings Month of Booking Snapshot April May June July August March 2024 March 2025 1,218,570 817,912 649,878 516,344 370,228 295,982 226,980 184,720 147,679 103,914 % Change -75.7% -72.2% -71.6% -71.4% -71.9% Source: OAG September 233,160 65,680 -71.8% OAG

Canadian travel to the US is absolutely cratering.

It's told by Thomas More at the end of his History of Richard III (c.1525): a fable that the lion announces execution of all horned beasts, and another with a lump on its forehead flees the forest: "Why fleest thou? That's no horn on thy head" "Aye, but what if he call it a horn, where am I then?"

A very old Soviet joke, from an especially dark time:

Foxes are fleeing the USSR in droves.
Q: Why are you running away?
Fox: The Soviets passed a new law that they’re going to arrest all camels.
Q: But you’re foxes!
Fox: Yeah, why don’t *you* try proving to the NKVD that you’re not a camel.

Ticket inspector: If you don't put the carrier on the floor I will have the British Transport Police remove you at Preston

Narrator: The British Transport Police did not remove the passenger at Preston.