British Manufacturing History My exploration of the story of British Manfacturing

@leicestershireuk.bsky.social one of my passions is the University Library where i happily research for my books, currently the history of British Manufacturing britishmanufacturinghistory.uk

The rush to appease Trump led Keir Starmer into this ethical void | Rafael Behr Mandelson’s flaws were mistaken for credentials to represent Britain in the court of a rogue president, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

@rafaelbehr.bsky.social it is so easy to be wise after the event. At the time Mandelson was appointed we were all terrified by the prospect of Trump and many agreed that the crocodile Mandelson was likely to be best able to swim in the swamp. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Labour’s great green energy plan could be a legacy as vital as the NHS | Polly Toynbee Ed Miliband has a rare chance to do for the climate what Nye Bevan did for health: create something future generations will be proud of, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

Perhaps we have to accept that this Labour government may have only one term in office, yet it is in good company with Attlee. @pollytoynbee.bsky.social points out two other similarities. Nye Bevan gave us the NHS, Miliband may bequeath us energy independence www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Starmer pleading ignorance over Mandelson won’t wash. Tho... The prime minister’s excuse for misleading parliament is that he was kept in the dark – an abject alibi, but it’s the best he’s got

There are surely many instances where Civil Servants have followed the lead of Sir Humphrey especially when a government is new and swamped by inherited problems. For a man to make an error of judgement is surely human. Are Prime Ministers allowed to be human! observer.co.uk/news/columni...

@andrewrawnsley.bsky.social I am finding this all agonising. Keir Starmer is a decent man far removed from the cesspit of Epstein. He will have been persuaded that he needed to appoint to Washington one used to swimming in such waters. There is then the question of the Civil Service

It does look as if the Foreign Office for reasons known to itself thought it knew better than a newly elected government

A question for those desperate to cut benefits to fund defence: who exactly are you willing to impoverish? | Polly Toynbee George Robertson has joined Reform and the Tories in making the case. Look welfare recipients in the face and say that, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

My only sadness is that not enough people will read your common sense appraisal of the welfare/defence debate. @pollytoynbee.bsky.social I have argued before that from the Attlee government onwards our attachment to a nuclear deterrent was and is beyond our means www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Civil Service is quietly to blame for so many government failings

When prices rise, someone is making money. Thank you @theguardian.com for highlighting big oil as the beneficiary of the Iran war. I make no comment on the scope for insider trading.

The £577m suspension bridge that shows the UK's global power is in decline Britain's aid retreat in Africa is undermining its soft power — and China is filling the gap

This is the proverbial rock and hard place. Overseas aid in competition with defence and UK public services. We can’t do it all share.google/gG1G0Q7lqbto...

Thanks to Trump, we’ve edged closer to Europe, but the en... Hard lessons and harsher realities are steering us back towards our neighbours. Sadly, mistrust remains the biggest barrier

@andrewrawnsley.bsky.social wise words. We kicked the EU in the teeth. We must act as truly European, supporting wherever we can, if we can expect to be wholeheartedly welcomed back. observer.co.uk/news/columni...

@jonathanfreedland.bsky.social we live in a very strange world with manic right wing leaders who believe in strength only to fail, and for them to be replaced by even more right wing leaders who offer the same. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

In this horrifically dangerous world, Keir Starmer is setting the right course www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

A new economic superpower could spark a global retreat from fossil fuels | Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope Eighty-five countries have sought a roadmap to phasing out fossil fuels. A conference this month offers hope they could unite

@kylepope01.bsky.social a wonderfully inspiring report on how change for the better could emerge from the US Israel war on Iran. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Want to know capitalism’s endgame? Just look at private equity – it has captured our everyday lives | Hettie O'Brien These companies now own everything from nurseries to care homes, squeezing vital services for profit while we foot the bill, says Hettie O’Brien, author of The Asset Class: How Private Equity Turned C...

@hettieobrien.bsky.social this is such an important piece of work and echoes my research into British manufacturing. The exploitation under the radar of public assets is attacking the heart of society. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I guess I am assuming a rational electorate. June 2016 is evidence of the fallacy.

Thank you. I greatly value your weekly commentary.

Starmer may have won praise for standing up to Trump, but... Easter was supposed to be when the UK turned an economic corner and anger at Labour abated. That rosy scenario is dead

@andrewrawnsley.bsky.social you are right to point to trouble ahead and that the British electorate will blame the current government. But what is the alternative? Leaders of right wing parties who blow with the wind? Or a leader who has no experience of government? observer.co.uk/news/columni...

Iran war latest: Trump issues expletive-laden threat to Iran demanding Strait of Hormuz be opened In a post on social media, the US president says in Iran “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one” if the key shipping lane is not reopened.

Just take a step back. The holder of one of the most noble offices in the world posted expletive laden threats. Come on America, get a grip www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...

A ‘masculinity crisis’ is brewing in UK schools, union says Misogynistic abuse of female staff is increasing, leaving teachers feeling ‘traumatised’ and ‘humiliated’

The worrying misconception of masculinity in schools is probably not helped by a lack of sport. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Turning the tide in solving cricket’s state school problem Trusts and regional programmes, which already work so hard to engage the next generation of cricketers, are taking their initiatives nationwide

Playing cricket at school may be making a come back. If we look back to some of the greats, fast bowlers were often miners which was where they gained their strength. Walk though South London and kids are playing cricket. It breads a healthy attitude. observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...

Wise words in a very troubled world. However, the issue at the heart of the matter remains. How do people like Trump and Putin fool the people into giving them such power? 1930s Germany may offer answers.

As for its misuse by a Farage government, we must not elect one!

How tech giant Palantir was recruited by the police, NHS ... The US data analytics company is helping to fight crime, cut hospital waiting lists and bolster asymmetrical warfare. But is it a force for good?

@rachelsylvester.bsky.social excellent reporting. I have seen at first hand the serious downside of the lack of connectivity in NHS data and so I favour the use of Palantir with two provisos: we must encourage a UK competitor and we must legislate for accountability. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

We have learnt two things from Trump. Firstly get close to the EU, but secondly embrace renewables as fast as we can.

Attacks on synagogues and Jewish shops in the UK, Europe and the US don’t hurt Netanyahu. They just hurt ordinary Jews | Jonathan Freedland Too many want to cast acts of violence and antisemitism as blows against Israel’s government. But the fear and terror land on real people, thousands of miles away, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Fre...

@jonathanfreedland.bsky.social I have great sympathy with your argument, however isn’t this war about more? Two nations who for ancient religious reasons have sworn to destroy each other and a US president who needs another war for reasons only he understands www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Attorney general asks if Kemi Badenoch would object to Jewish public prayer Exclusive: Richard Hermer, who is Jewish, says Tory leader and shadow minister seem ‘to only have an issue with Muslim events’

Surely the norms of British culture are to welcome free expression by those of all faiths and none? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

It’s always been a fight to get children the early years care they deserve. It’s time to fight again | Polly Toynbee Labour recognises how crucial education is at the start of life, but still the poorest children are missing out, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee

@pollytoynbee.bsky.social thank you for yet again shining a light into darkness, this time the trap that the most deprived infants fall into through no fault of their own. This damages them, their parents but also society as a whole. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

There are two further points. With the international conflicts, with the exception of Ukraine it is hard to see who the good guys are - it is the innocent in the middle who suffer. The challenges are so big but those who could make a difference generally don’t. My pittance gets lost.

The Guardian view on falling donations to charity: rising living costs are part of the problem, but not all of it | Editorial Editorial: Lack of confidence in the voluntary sector seems linked to a more general fraying of social bonds

@theguardian.com I have been giving to charity for over sixty years, mainly regularly to specific causes. However, I have been aware that appeals now tend to pass me by. Why? Sadly, there are so many they get drowned out. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...