... it looks like the Iran war is going to mess everything up.
And then people are probably going to blame Rachel Reeves for this but this is an international crisis that looks like it's going to hit Britain hard just as signs of growth were looking promising.
It does say however:
"Unfortunately though, there are widespread fears that Donald Trump’s illegal war in Iran will torpedo much of the good work put into the economy by Labour."
Also the Guardian article I shared said noted that February had a better than expected rise GDP -- BUT ....
BBC News - Japan on high alert for 'huge' second quake after issuing tsunami warning
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
🙏
This is where Reform Supporters live
General Bonespurs is winning once again.
Ulysse Nardin Ulysse Nardin Classico (Reference UN815-031350). A limited edition rose gold automatic wristwatch with enamel dial. Circa 2014 International shipping available Customs duties and taxes may apply. Learn more Ships from: Hong Kong, Hong Kong Taxes not included VAT and other taxes are not reflected in the listed pricing. Read more
Oddly enough every time I seem to post something related to finance on Bluesky I get adverts elsewhere for ridiculously overpriced items - just now a $141,200 horse design watch.
That's the pre-tax price but it does come with complimentary free shipping 🙃
Apparently business confidence has shattered by the US-Israel war on Iran - so it seems the mechanism towards some sort of recession is already in motion.
All this without the crisis in the Middle East being over yet and Britain still in its self-created Brexit financial straightjacket.
I'm absolutely sure that not so long ago - a Home Secretary would probably have personally reviewed a case like this behind the scenes - seeing as it was a major disaster covered globally - and quietly greenlit the visa application without anyone knowing about it.
Today however - meh, bye bye.
Elon Musk’s X ‘becoming very dangerous place’, says Nigel Farage
You know things are bad when even Farage says “X is now becoming a very unpleasant, very dangerous place" - the same Farage who once applauded Musk's takeover of Twitter.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Nothing she writes ever seems to stand up to any sort of scrutiny whatsoever. The Telegraph at least had modicum of respectability about a decade ago - now it just seems to have transformed into a tabloid masquerading as a broadsheet.
"Hormuz domino effect: How the Middle East crisis affects food, flights and global supply chains"
Global supplies of jet fuel, fertilisers, industrial CO2 and naphtha have already been affected, potentially leading to shortages of food and other essential products.
www.france24.com/en/middle-ea...
"Dad whose entire family died in Air India crash told he can’t stay in UK"
At the same time as the refusal, the Home Office also put him on immigration bail, which stops him from working and bars him from potentially applying for a Skilled Worker visa to stay in the UK.
metro.co.uk/2026/04/19/d...
"Bulgaria: Pro-Russian Radev set to win parliamentary vote"
The party has reportedly gathered some 38%-39% support, with its closest rival, the pro-EU GERB, coming in at around 15%. The reformist PP-DB coalition is expected to place third, hovering between 13% and 14%.
www.dw.com/en/bulgaria-...
"Zelensky Says Oil Sanctions Relief Provides Billions for Russian Military"
"Every dollar paid for Russian oil is money for the war" and is used for devastating strikes on Ukraine, Zelensky said
Moscow is benefitting enormously from the Iran war.
www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/04/19/z...
Oakeshott, the tax-dodging propagandist from Dubai, mixing war rhetoric with those seeking asylum - interesting to note that if the UK was a transit route then she'd be arguing that we should do our best to get them moving onwards towards their preferred destination.
*not just Romania but anti-vaxx sentiment had been pretty much fringe opinions that were boosted during the initial onset of COVID.
Romania in particular seems to be being hit hard by now entrenched anti-vaxx sentiment with parents more worried about vaccinating their children than of the measles.
The fall in vaccination rates were due to misinformation and fear of side effects spread on social media.
There seemed to be a concerted push of anti-COVID misinformation on social media a few years ago that then branched out and attacked vaccinations in general.
This has now gone mainstream*
I wonder what the outcome has been since austerity and then Brexit?
She probably will at some point - and then end up complaining the locals haven't bothered to learn English.
one thing Hitler depended on ‘his rejection of a rational and factual world and his ability to convince enough people to believe in an alternative reality he created for them’.
When good people abandon politics leaving only rabble rousers to rule.
"Second vaccine offered after meningitis B outbreak"
The NHS is to offer a second dose of the vaccine against meningitis B following a fatal outbreak in Kent during March.
The incident saw 20 confirmed cases in total and claimed two lives.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
‘My council tax rose to more than £4,000 – I want to leave rip-off Britain’
The Valuation Band in the article has been obscured out but it's probably Band G or H. Also it's a Reform led council with no indication of whom the complainant voted for, I suspect Reform.
inews.co.uk/news/council...
Not particularly
Starmer accused of 'skulking' and shunning Sarwar in Scotland
To be fair to Starmer - it wasn't that long ago that Sarwar failed in his attempt to force Starmer to back down.
This from someone Starmer thought was a staunch and close ally.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"You’re probably going to end up in an HMO"
The rise of HMOs, shared houses that unrelated people rent, in the UK is a symptom of the housing crisis that far from abating - seems to be getting worse.
www.newstatesman.com/housing-hell...
If it's true they kept him the dark - I don't think it was fear but equally, how could he have not read up on the man. Just the fact he'd been fired from government several times in the past even without the Epstein related stuff.
*it's still early days but the legacy of Orbán and existing energy agreements for one seem to make it hard to change course.
Also years of state propaganda on television and on social media seems to have created a substantial cohort in the population who are to varying degrees against the EU.
"How Hungary’s new leader is turning into a bigger friend to Putin than anybody had thought"
Even as he publicly distances himself from Putin, some of Péter Magyar's policy decisions are more favourable to Putin than many in Hungary would like*
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/e...
'We're desperate': Sons of jailed former Prime Minister Khan criticise Pakistan's government
Despite Pakistan's performance on the world stage as peace negotiator - internally the treatment of their former Prime Minister is a cause for concern.
www.itv.com/news/2026-04...
"The German who recovered from a stroke to seal Olympic first"
Kathrin Marchand was an elite rower for years before becoming a doctor. But a stroke at the age of 30 changed everything. Despite the challenges, she has now achieved something no other Olympian ever has.
www.dw.com/en/the-germa...