Jack Smyth

What’s 900 years between friends? 😳

A lot going on here and all ugly, but one thing I still can't get my head around is how any British government can do business with Thiel at this point.

The cost of government ministers (whatever their party) using ‘National Security‘ as an excuse to not disclose things is that at times like this Members of Parliament simply do not believe ministers.

In the past MPs may have nodded along, but today they rightly insisted on independent assessments.

Peter Mandelson is telling the truth on one thing: the idea he was bought for a $4k “bursary” or a $75k gift is ridiculous

The real incentive was a post-government payday - one so big he *rejected* a $3–5m-a-year offer

And Epstein enabled that payday

Here’s the evidence. 🧵

jaw dropping tweet from Feargal Sharkey. You'll want to be sitting down for this bit. Water companies are currently £82.7 billion in debt, have paid themselves £85 billion in dividends, leak over a trillion of litres of water per year, dump sewage for almost 4 million hours per year, have been convicted of over 1,200 criminal acts since 1989 and an average of 35% of your bill goes on nothing but paying more interest and yet more dividends. And not a single company has ever lost their operating licence. https://x.com/Feargal_Sharkey/status/2018618397278285891

Feargal Sharkey: "English Water companies are currently £82.7 billion in debt, have paid themselves £85 billion in dividends, leak over a trillion of litres p.a., dump sewage for almost 4 million hours p.a and roughly 35% of your bills goes on more dividends & interest payments".

The Universities’ Doom Spiral – Can Britain avert disaster? by Oh God, What Now?

In case you missed it earlier, I've been talking to the
@ohgodwhatnow.bsky.social podcast about my new book on the Blair governments and the crisis in Higher Education... Take a listen!
megaphone.link/NSR1340804685

It was the Fuck Around of Times, it was the Find Out of times

Nigel Farage Calls For Lifting Of Two-Child Benefit Cap Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage has called for the lifting of the two child benefit cap and transferable tax allowance for married couples.

Couldn’t make this up. Farage:
- WAS calling for the two child limit to be scrapped.
- NOW calling for the two child limit to be reinstated.
Reform aren’t just importing failed Tory politicians. They’re importing failed Tory policies.
www.politicshome.com/news/article...

lord mandleson in a room in his underpants looking at a tablet with a lady in a white dressing gown.

that dressing gown looks familiar.

But that's just cherry picking and only prolongs the pretence that "closer ties" will work.

A survey in late January found the vast majority of Brits favour European autonomy to American vassalage.

They don't want their leaders to continue surrendering to Trump in order to maintain what's left of the transatlantic alliance

Will Starmer listen to his citizens?
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...

@alextaylornews.bsky.social

It's not hard for voters in Gorton & Denton.

Greens who are in favour of a return to the EU and promise a referendum on same (A49) are the bookies favourite to beat Reform *and* Labour.

Hi Gyles. There are 2 issues I’m v cautious about commenting on. Ireland / NI and Gaza.

Both are matters where the Br Government has made huge historic fuck ups that resonate to this day leaving deeply embedded highly partisan and over time violent conflict.

🧵

The blasé ignorance of the Brexiters and now the their (because they are the same people) equally casual disregard for the potential affects of their desire to cut free from HR law brings with it the potential for either trouble or resolution.

That is down to happenstance and those involved.

I understand the concern about the UK government!

Also what steps might loyalists take to oppose such a process.

Brexit demonstrated their capacity to play a weak hand badly and fail to think in the least bit strategically.

As an aside imagine members of the DUP taking seats in the Dáil.

The DUP voted for Brexit, the country didn’t. The DUP wanted the hard border returned, the country didn’t. The DUP wanted never to have the border poll… you know the rest…

Signed, a Belfast resident.

I want to ‘restore’ the freedoms Brexit denied us…

Are bananas a little too bendy as well?

can't wait for this. sounds like a great cast and crew.

The Guardian view on the EU’s answer to Trump: trade without threats | Editorial Editorial: Europe’s India and Vietnam deals signal a historic shift away from coercion towards cooperation that respects developing countries’ sovereignty

“The US treats trade as a weapon: signalling dominance but corroding trust. On the other hand the EU treats trade as a way to share growth without demanding submission” says @theguardian.com 🇪🇺 👍
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Labour may not care about NI or the UK Union, but they will have to back track on their pro brexit red lines soon, anyway, I think.

It's simply not working.

"Oh, you mean THAT seventy-five thousand pounds"

It's amazing he was allowed to stay in the Labour party long enough to be forced to self-exclude from it because nobody booted him out.

The 11th commandment

He’s resigned from the Labour Party as he really had to given all these emails that are definitely from him…not to mention the Brazilian property company which gives lie to his suggestion he wasn’t involved in the Brazilian Property Market.

a man says are those my feet in front of a window ALT: a man says are those my feet in front of a window

after the interview finishes...

true. I think if that happens, losing NI will probably not be noticed as they follow through on their deportation of the 1m "illegals".

I don't see this happening. Labour and starmer will not want to be seen as the party that broke up the UK.

Labour will not want to be seen to be the party that brought about the break up of the UK and back peddle on their Brexit red lines.

If they don't. I wish Ireland all the best.