Kevin Gopal

* reaches for that Irish passport application form *

From @zackpolanski.bsky.social on Lab govt: “The alarm bells of authoritarianism are ringing loud and clear."

Chart from https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publications/benefit-cuts-dont-have-widespread-support/ showing that the majority of people do not support planned or expected social security cuts in the UK

📢 Benefit cuts don’t have widespread support

Amongst pro-migration voters - i.e. Labour's base last year and the easiest votes to recover in future - support for this policy is...0%. Nil. Nada. Zip. Zero.

Goals don't come more open than this. Labour should be attacking this proposal at every opportunity.

Just to ring the changes from having Farage top of the list?

Shame on Downing Street for going along with this. So much for being committed to a free press

Gone by tomorrow?

Anti-Islamic US biker gang members run security at deadly Gaza aid sites BBC identifies members of Infidels MC gang hired as armed security at US and Israel-backed aid sites.

One of those "it's hard to be shocked in 2025, but...." stories. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Statement from Rachael Maskell MP after at least three racist incidents in York recently: "these flags are more than just a flag of our country, for some they have been used to rally those who suppress the rights of others and perpetrate acts of hate"

Not sure what's worse - that she's lying or telling the truth.

Labour can’t turn voters against Nigel Farage if it doesn’t attack him If government won’t call out the dangers of the Reform leader’s policies now, when will it?

"Bluntly, if the government cannot make the point that it is a bad idea to give money to the Taliban, it is far from clear to me when a better opportunity to attack Farage is going to present itself."- on.ft.com/3HKB1zO via @stephenkb.bsky.social

It's Black Sabbath country I guess

🎶gammons gather in their masses
🎶 smaller than most evening classes

Butterflies galore in the Wenning Valley

Character in Martin Amis novel!

Rushed in before the ICO verdict? Regulator @infocommission.bsky.social‬ says: "We have recently concluded our audit of South Wales Police and Gwent Police and will be sharing our findings shortly.”

And a bit out of time for the early eighties - the Led Zep film The Song Remains the Same.

Israel murders five Al Jazeera staff in Gaza, including Anas al-Sharif Al-Sharif was killed along with Mohammed Qreiqeh two cameramen and an assistant in an Israeli attack on Gaza City.

The deliberate killing of five Al Jazeera staff has brought the total number of journalists killed by Israel since the start of the war to 237, according to Gaza's Government Media Office.

🔴 LIVE updates:

Penultimate paragraph undermines story: 'The researchers stressed their findings were observational and did not prove a cause and effect relationship' - www.theguardian.com/food/2025/au...

David Blunkett warned Tony Blair of ‘explosive’ research into immigration attitudes in 2004 Memo released by National Archives points to ministerial anxiety over how to manage issue in early 2000s

His wise counsel then included use of the word 'swamped' - 'David Blunkett warned Tony Blair of ‘explosive’ research into immigration attitudes in 2004' - on.ft.com/418nFUf via @FT

Kent Police appear to be arguing that 'reasonable suspicion' of support for Palestine Action is the offence itself

Police in Canterbury today informed a protestor that the phrase "Israel is committing genocide in Gaza" could be considered a declaration of support for Palestine Action and therefore a terrorism offence.

Higher Education is in financial crisis – and a closure could ruin a northern town Plus: Defections and scandal in this week's Reform Watch, everything our team recommends in the latest The Lead Digest, and more from the North of England.

Some politicians are happy to let universities fail — but the consequences on local economies and social mobility would be colossal.

Read @kevingopal.bsky.social's latest piece in today’s newsletter: national.thelead.uk/p/higher-edu...

Higher Education is in financial crisis – and a closure could ruin a northern town Plus: Defections and scandal in this week's Reform Watch, everything our team recommends in the latest The Lead Digest, and more from the North of England.

Me for @theleaduk.bsky.social this week on the higher education crisis, and what the real damage would be if Blue Labour's wish was granted and a university went to the wall - national.thelead.uk/p/higher-edu...

Like a sort of chain letter for dictators!

Something must be 'embedded' across all policy making

Niche Manchester/Salford property q. Does anyone know or remember a hotelier called Barry Parker, who bought Parkers hotel near Victoria station in the late 1980s (a former Co-Op building). Not sure if he’s still alive. Anyway if anyone has any thoughts please do drop me a message, much obliged

Freeports - backwaters or murky maelstroms? Me for @theleaduk.bsky.social this week - national.thelead.uk/p/the-lead-u...

"ICE agents then stormed into the courtroom, kicked out the attorneys, and detained everyone in the courtroom over the judge's objections. Really terrifying."

my g*d this is barbaric.

This form of exchange should be revived: MacIntyre was "in frequent debate with the Marxist historian EP Thompson, who used to stick notes on the windscreen of MacIntyre’s car urging him to publish his thoughts on socialist consciousness". www.theguardian.com/books/2025/m...