Paolo Sandro

Russia rejected their own peace plan?

This is sooner or later going to turn into a lawsuit and there's a decent chance he wins, at which point US companies are going to be stuck between violating sanctions and getting absolutely wrecked in European court and leaving Europe entirely.

Free Birth Society shows how disordered discourse fills gaps left by institutional failure. When people feel harmed or unseen by formal systems, parallel worlds of knowledge become compelling, even when dangerous.

The result is a simulated VDA regime; symbolic verification, symbolic deliberation, symbolic accountability. All the procedural shapes of reasoning with none of the real-world safeguards.

This isn’t institutional capture. It’s a parallel epistemic system built outside medicine, using influencer dynamics, curated anecdotes, and spiritualised autonomy to replace verification, deliberation, and accountability.

What are the legal implications of Labour’s new asylum reforms? | Institute for Government Some of the government’s proposals are thin on details, others are likely to be tested in the courts.

What are the legal implications of Labour’s new asylum reforms?

Former permanent secretary of the Government Legal Department @sirjjkc.bsky.social examines some of the main legal implications of the proposals www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/lega...

Five things we learned from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry report on Module II | Institute for Government What does the report tell us about governance and decision making by ministers and the civil service during the pandemic?

Five things we learned from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry report on Module II

Our IfG experts unpack what the inquiry's report tells us about governance and decision making by ministers and the civil service during the pandemic www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/covi...

'Radical responsibility is the closest thing FBS has to a doctrine. Saldaya took the term from a self-help book aimed at CEOs and business leaders, The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership.'

Of course she freaking did.

'Free Birth Society promotes a version widely seen as extreme, even among freebirth advocates: it is anti-ultrasound, which it falsely claims harms babies, downplays serious medical conditions and promotes wild pregnancy, meaning pregnancy without any prenatal care.'

This just broke me.

Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world A year-long investigation reveals how mothers lost children after being radicalised by uplifting podcast tales of births without midwives or doctors

Influencers made millions pushing ‘wild’ births – now the Free Birth Society is linked to baby deaths around the world www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

@eliothiggins.bsky.social captures - in only 28 words - the main factor behind the crisis of constitutional democracies around the world way better than any pompous book or article written by certain famous academics

The deeper problem isn’t just misinformation, its the collapse of shared verification environments and the rise of influencer-led moral-epistemic systems that feel more authentic than institutions.

The Guardian’s investigation into the Free Birth Society is a clear example of a closed, high-risk counterpublic. It can be examined directly through the lens of disordered discourse described in my work.
demos.co.uk/research/ver...

Boris Johnson ‘beyond contempt’ for attack on Covid inquiry’s findings Families of the Covid bereaved have reacted to horror to the lack of contrition in the former prime minister’s weekly column

Apparently, according to Boris Johnson, covid bereaved are ‘wrangling on’ about deaths.

I have no words. Just utter contempt.

@cbffjuk.bsky.social

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

For a guy who is an ideological ally of Trump, this is probably as close to a rebuke as we can expect

Protest in support of abortions in private clinics in Kazan, December 2023. The poster reads: "To give birth or not is a woman's choice." Photo: Business Online

Abortions effectively banned or restricted in nearly half of Russia’s regions

According to The Insider’s estimates, more than 30 Russian regions now enforce either full or partial bans on abortion procedures.

📰 theins.ru/en/news/286765

The ‘Danish model’ is the darling of centre-left parties like Labour. The problem is, it doesn’t even work in Denmark | Cas Mudde This week’s local elections are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they’re making a mistake, says academic and author Cas Mudde

Cas Mudde spells out what has become largely the consensus among researchers: moving right on immigration will not weaken the far right nor strengthen social democracy. If your reaction is "but in Denmark" please at least familiarize yourself with Danish politics

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

BBC Radio 4 - The Briefing Room, What can the UK learn from the rest of Europe about asylum reform? Is Denmark the right model for the UK's asylum policy?

A must-listen on this issue. Superb, fact-packed discussion of how the UK compares. Really great questions from @davidsonofaaron.bsky.social and really great answers from @msumption.bsky.social, @andrewpgeddes.bsky.social and Susi Dennison. "The Briefing Room" really is the BBC at its absolute best.

US 'peace proposal' includes Russianisms prompting questions about authorship of text - analysis Luke Harding in Kyiv Some of the phrases in the US’s “peace proposal” for Ukraine appear to have been originally written in Russian. In several places the language would work in Russian but seems distinctly odd in English.

NEW: It’s takes a moment for this to really sink in.

Guardian reporting that key parts of Trump’s peace plan was drafted IN RUSSIAN first.

*sigh*

Mahmood/government should say explain *objective* of increasing time to settlement for 15 years for care workers who arrived 2022-24

Is it

A) to get them to leave? Why?
B) to save money? Then why not just restrict benefits?
C) to "encourage integration"? How? Will do opposite.

YouTube video by ESPN Audi Crooks HIGHLIGHTS 🎥 43 PTS & 7 REB vs. Valparaiso 🔥 | ESPN College Basketball

Right now the conversation for best basketball center in the world has only two names: Nikola Jokic and Audi Crooks. She's just amazing

www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1lE...

Quite the correction by the Telegraph. The publication in question is @freemovement.bsky.social

We need to talk about where Brexit funder Arron Banks gets his money openDemocracy investigations raise fresh questions about Arron Banks's wealth and the real source of the Brexit campaign's largest donations.

Might be time to revisit this www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemoc...

Which UK regional economies are most reliant on international students? - HEPI Join HEPI for a webinar on Thursday 11 December 2025 from 10am to 11am to discuss how universities can strengthen the student voice in governance to mark the launch of our upcoming report, Rethinking ...

'The economic impact of international students in the UK surged from £31.3 billion in 2018/19 to £41.9 billion by 2021/22. On average, every parliamentary constituency in Britain benefits by £58 million.' 1/3

you know what? good advice.

Now I can't help but wonder if they asked him how he makes carbonara during the confirmation hearing

Ouch

I already have a counterproposal:

Russia pulls forces/proxies out of Ukraine—all of it—and removes offensive weapons from regions bordering Ukraine.

Pays for all war damage—and reconstruction.

All Russians engaged in war crimes stand trial.

And Ukraine can join any alliance it damn well pleases.

“I don’t mind” isn’t really a buddy-buddy thing, it’s “you need my permission and I know you think this so if you’re not saying it it‘s because you’re scared of me.” but you can’t call it out without looking like the asshole.