Xavier Greenwood

Trump’s Scotland visit will have local and global consequ... The president’s return to his maternal homeland has triggered the country’s biggest security operation since the death of the Queen

Trump’s visit to Scotland may have local, national and global consequences. @theobserveruk.bsky.social

Unite’s £112m white elephant | The Observer An internal report claims building firm behind trade union’s disastrous hotel project provided a private jet to take Len McCluskey to the Champions Leagu...

Unite’s £112m white elephant.

An internal report claims building firm behind trade union’s disastrous hotel project provided a private jet to take Len McCluskey to the Champions League final.

Read more:

Unite’s £112m white elephant | The Observer An internal report claims building firm behind trade union’s disastrous hotel project provided a private jet to take Len McCluskey to the Champions Leagu...

I've written for @theobserveruk.bsky.social about Len McCluskey, the Flanagan Group and Unite's £112 million white elephant.

I sobbed along to Oasis at Heaton Park. Why? It’s complic... The band’s return to Manchester has created a mix of powerful emotions. Even with the songs that have no meaning

I've written a short piece for @theobserveruk.bsky.social about Oasis and the songs that have no meaning. Lots to capture in 350 words, but I gave it a go

Esports is another plank in Saudi Arabia’s cultural takeover There are power plays behind the screen as a new era of gaming championships emerges

My piece for @theobserveruk.bsky.social on what esports has in common with traditional sports... Saudi Arabia for one thing.

France says au revoir to public smoking | The Observer This week’s restrictions are the latest step towards the country’s target of creating a tobacco-free generation by 2032

France says au revoir to public smoking. Me on the myths and realities of the French love affair with tobacco in today's
@theobserveruk.bsky.social

Zohran Mamdani: out of left field | The Observer Zohran Mamdani’s primary win in New York should be a warning for Democrats

Zohran Mamdani’s primary win in New York should be a warning for Democrats. Me for @theobserveruk.bsky.social

Canada seeks to break sport’s strangest losing streak Edmonton Oilers face-off against Florida Panthers with the weight of history – and geopolitics – on the line

Canada seeks to break sport’s strangest losing streak

Edmonton Oilers face-off against Florida Panthers with the weight of history – and geopolitics – on the line.

🖋️ @xaviergreenwood.bsky.social

Canada seeks to break sport’s strangest losing streak Edmonton Oilers face-off against Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup with the weight of history – and geopolitics – on the line

The Stanley Cup begins this evening with the weight of history – and geopolitics – on the line. Here's my piece for
@theobserveruk.bsky.social on sport's strangest losing streak...

Labour’s new immigration plans won’t beat Reform | The Observer But they might show voters that reducing migration carries an economic and social cost

My analysis of Labour’s immigration plans in today’s @theobserveruk.bsky.social.

They won’t beat Reform but may unintentionally show voters that reducing migration carries an economic and social cost:

A toxic takeover turned United from a powerhouse into football’s laughing stock | The Observer The 20-year anniversary of the Glazer family buyout does not mark a happy day for fans

A toxic takeover turned Manchester United from a powerhouse into football’s laughing stock.

The 20-year anniversary of the Glazer family buyout does not mark a happy day for fans.

✍️ @xaviergreenwood.bsky.social

Read more:

Also in the paper, available in all good newsagents, and many bad ones too.

A toxic takeover turned United from a powerhouse into football’s laughing stock | The Observer The 20-year anniversary of the Glazer family buyout does not mark a happy day for fans

In today's @observeruk.bsky.social, I've written about 20 years of the Glazers at Manchester United. Time flies!

They have — uncontacted refers to sustained contact!

Uncontacted tribes are under threat from developers, extractors… and influencers An isolated people that Marco Polo called ‘violent and cruel’ just want to be left alone

I’ve invented a new social media trend. It’s called the leave the Sentinelese people alone challenge.

My story in @observeruk.bsky.social today about the growing threats to uncontacted tribes.

Manchester United is a club used to success. But it is languishing in the league and saddled with debt.

This week's Slow Newscast tells the story of how one of the world's most successful football clubs fell apart.

🗣️ @xaviergreenwood.bsky.social

Listen now: lnk.to/HyBIHwBS

Manchester United’s long slide to irrelevance The story of the club’s decline starts, bizarrely, with a racehorse

And here is the accompanying newsletter piece:

How to ruin a football club The Slow Newscast · Episode

For this week’s @tortoisemedia.bsky.social Slow Newscast, I’ve told the two-decade story of Manchester United’s decline. Listen if you enjoy football, business shenanigans or schadenfreude.

Manchester United’s long slide to irrelevance The story of the club’s decline starts, bizarrely, with a racehorse

Feeling tired and depressed? Cheer yourself up H/T @xaviergreenwood.bsky.social www.tortoisemedia.com/2025/04/15/m...

How a dubious claim about whales went from fringe argument to presidential policy Tortoise’s Hot Air project shows how climate misinformation spreads

And read today's Sensemaker on how a dubious online claim became part of presidential policy:

Hot Air – Explore the Tool

@chefboibex.bsky.social @ktriley.bsky.social and others have been working on an incredible new tool to track climate misinformation online. Check it out here @tortoisemedia.bsky.social

Chief International Correspondent, The Observer

Some fantastic jobs coming up at the Observer, namely a chief international correspondent position as well as correspondent jobs in Africa, the Middle East, the US, Latin America and Europe. Take a look!

Chief International Correspondent, The Observer

Come work with us! The Observer is looking for a chief international correspondent and a slate of new contributors across the world. It's a fantastic chance to join a revamped international team and play a role in shaping global coverage in the new Observer. www.tortoisemedia.com/2025/03/13/c...

Exclusive: Labour fails to declare minister’s five-figure donation The party blamed an administrative error for not declaring the sum, revealed as part of a joint investigation between Tortoise and BBC R4’s The Naked Week

Exclusive: Labour failed to declare five figure donation to Cabinet minister, citing "administrative error"

The sum came from an opaque firm whose accounts don't show if it made a profit - something which the govt is considering banning

www.tortoisemedia.com/2025/03/07/e...

Such nice words for Football on Trial in the Project Brazen newsletter!

Listen to the first two eps on BBC Radio 5 Live at 7pm or catch the whole thing here now: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

@mrabutler.bsky.social @tortoisemedia.bsky.social

How a 'Beast Games' crew member was nearly crushed on set: 'I don't want to die' A 24-year-old crew member had been on the set of MrBeast's "Beast Games" for only a few hours when disaster struck.

Multi-millionaire stunt giveaway YouTuber MrBeast is one of the biggest influences on children. On the set of his Amazon series, a 24-year-old has been left disabled after part of a building fell on him. Team Beast offered him $1,000 in gift cards.
www.businessinsider.com/beast-games-...

Football on Trial: The Manchester City Charges - 1. A New Hope - BBC Sounds Clive Myrie tells the inside story of Manchester City’s takeover by Abu Dhabi royalty.

Have a listen to the full series here, or listen to the first two eps on Spotify/Apple. It was produced with the fantastic @mrabutler.bsky.social.

If City are found guilty it would pretty much guarantee their relegation from the PL. That's according to
a football finance expert who thinks City would face a 60 to 100 point deduction if they lost. Man City strongly deny wrongdoing and say they have irrefutable evidence to support their case.

Dozens of charges were dropped against Rui Pinto, the man behind Football Leaks, because of a visit to Portugal by the Pope. When Pope Francis went to the country for World Youth Day, the government put into effect a general amnesty for crimes committed by people younger than 30.

The Der Spiegel journalists who reported on the leaks from which the 100+ charges (and other major football stories) stemmed sifted through a 3.4 terabyte cache of data – almost twice the size of the Panama Papers. The journalists worked in a safe room and thought they were being watched.