Graham Simpson

5 political parties in double figures. Does anyone think FPTP can cope with this?

Half of Brits want another EU referendum in five years as Brexit support slumps A new poll of more than 2,000 people found 29% of Brits would vote to leave the EU if the Brexit vote was repeated, compared to 52% in the referendum in June 2016

Brexit had its day in the sun, now it’s an embarrassment. We need politicians to wake up and smell the coffee!
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

The Guardian view on water boss’s undisclosed bonus: Labour won’t fix a system it won’t confront Despite tough talk on sewage and pay, ministers refuse to challenge the water industry’s broken model – leaving private capital in charge of a troubled public service

“Most countries retain public ownership, recognising water as a public good, not a commodity. The idea that better people could fix the system is a fantasy – decades of extraction, debt-loading and dividend grabs show the model itself is broken” 👍
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

If you, regular person, did anything like this after a fatal car accident, you would be prosecuted for a variety of crimes, including insurance fraud.

If you then repeatedly lied to the courts about it, like Tesla did, you'd get prosecuted for that too, plus stiff monetary sanctions.

War in Gaza: Rare aerial footage shows scale of destruction Videos captured by a French news broadcaster showed a rare glimpse of a levelled Gaza from the air.

The wholesale destruction of Gaza by the Israeli state…
news.sky.com/video/share-...

Keir Starmer issued warning over Jeremy Corbyn's new left-wing party Polling expert Sir John Curtice told The Mirror that Keir Starmer's Labour won't be able to 'relax' even if Jeremy Corbyn's and Zarah Sultana's the new party fails

The new Corbyn party will further split the anti Tory/Reform vote. FPTP may then result in a far right government on less than 30% of the vote. Could this be the catalyst for Labour to introduce a fairer electoral system?
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

"If there are hose pipe bans, there need to be bonus ban too."

@TimFarron.bsky.social

Chart showing Estimated annual cost and reduction in the number of children in relative poverty after housing costs, various two-child limit options, 2029-30: UK

The most cost-effective way to reduce child poverty is to abolish the two-child limit, which would cost £7,480 per child lifted out of poverty.

If it is not scrapped then one-in-three children will be in poverty by 2029-39, including half of children in large families 👉 buff.ly/oiV5Re2

Liberal Democrat MP and Vice Chair of the Fair Elections APPG Lisa Smart highlights the importance of electoral reform to enable more voices to be heard.

#MakeVotesMatter

The influence of money over our democratic system is a crisis 'I didn’t come into politics to watch our democracy auctioned off to the highest bidder.'

🧹 "We need to clean up the system. Strip out the influence of dark money. And make sure power in this country lies where it should, not with oligarchs, tycoons, and corporate lobbyists, but with the people."

✒️ @mp4stratford.bsky.social

Only 29% would back Brexit now!
archive.ph/2025.08.03-2...

The Guardian view on an EU army: leadership and unity remain elusive | Editorial Editorial: Calls for a European fighting force grow louder, but decades-old divisions, political hesitancy and reliance on the US persist

Calls for a European fighting force grow louder, but decades-old divisions, political hesitancy and reliance on the US persist - This has to change!
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

We need a fair and open electoral system and constitution, we need policies based on evidence not dogma, we need justice and compassion, we need news and information untainted by money and undue influence, we need things a lot better than we have now. Is it too much to ask?

No the best way is a fair electoral system so the centre left don’t split their vote

A Reform Parliamentary majority on less than 30% of the vote. Can anyone still justify our old, unfair electoral system???

Pic of Trump

Trump is the most egotistical, tyrannical, idiotic, vengeful, lying, dangerous, thin skinned, hateful, unconstitutional person ever to hold high office. There goes my chance of visiting America. Not that I want to while he is in charge!

Revealed: Yorkshire Water boss was paid extra £1.3m via offshore parent firm Company says extra payments relating to work for Kelda Holdings were covered by shareholders not billpayers

The boss of Yorkshire Water, one of Britain’s biggest water suppliers, has received £1.3m in previously undisclosed extra pay since 2023 via an offshore parent company - Nothing dodgy I’m sure…
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

The man is an idiot…

A social media post from Donald J. Trump on Truth Social, dated July 31, 2025, at 5:29 AM, reads: "Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine. That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them. Oh’ Canada!!!"

By trying to bully nations out of recognising Palestine, Trump is making himself the biggest hurdle to a two-state solution and a lasting peace.

The UK must stand strong with Canada and our allies, we should recognise the Palestinian state right now. No more delays.

The Hamas attack on October 7 was a horrendous crime against humanity. But the only relationship between it and the even greater crimes against humanity being perpetrated in Gaza today is that it is being used as an excuse for what certain Israeli ministers and generals have long wanted to do.

How Britain privatised itself into failure Britain outsourced its state – now private firms profit while public services crumble. In Failed State, Sam Freedman explains what went wrong

🚨How Britain privatised itself into failure.🚨

Britain outsourced its state – now private firms profit while public services crumble.

In 'Failed State', Sam Freedman explains what went wrong.

Others have noted that this means foreign-born people are LESS likely than UK-born people to be in prison. What I want to note is that The Times is now referring to foreign-born UK citizens as ‘foreigners’. This includes Boris Johnson, Sir Mo Farah, Emma Watson, Rory Stewart and little old me.

Trump posting that jobs figures are rigged…

According to Trump anything that doesn’t go his way is ‘rigged’ be it television ratings, presidential elections or jobs figures. A persecution complex perhaps?

COLBERT: You warned everyone…he would prosecute political enemies, cut Medicaid, alienate our allies, give tax cuts to the rich. I know you're not here to say 'I told you so' but would you like to?

HARRIS: You're correct. I did predict a lot of that. But what I did not predict was the capitulation.

Trump has based his whole career on lies. He wants the Bureau of Labour Statistics to lie as well…

Lib Dems call for cap on SEND school profits The party says an 8% profit cap is needed to stop money meant going "into the pockets of shareholders".

Lib Dems call for cap on SEND school profits - Research commissioned by the party has found some firms make tens of millions of pounds annually, with profit margins exceeding 20%.
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Headline: How Israel caused a famine in Gaza

“How Israel caused a famine in Gaza” - The inhumanity of an apartheid state…

Statement by Prime Minister Carney on Canada-U.S. trade.

My statement on Canada-U.S. trade:

Headline: Trump raises Canada tariff to 35% as US announces new levies for dozens of countries

It’s just a game to Trump, he doesn’t care about real world consequences of his capricious and grievance motivated actions.

Is this tough US-EU trade deal a triumph for Brexit Britain? Only in leavers’ most delusional fantasies | Polly Toynbee Yes, Britain secured better terms with the US than most other countries. But compared with the huge loss of European trade, it’s a drop in the ocean, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

As Polly points out the proposed US trade agreement is worth just 0.16% to our economy while Brexit resulted in a 15% loss in trade and a 4% reduction in our economic productivity…
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...