Two weeks is a long time in US politics. Seems I was two years and one presidency too late.

one immediate dramatic consequence of the Hungarian result:

Magyar has promised to repair relations with the EU and unblock a €90bn EU loan for Ukraine

Péter Magyar victory speech:

"We want to make a country where no one is persecuted because they think differently or because someone loves in a different way to others."

He may not have campaigned as a liberal. But this is a huge change of direction and rhetoric from Orbán’s anti-LGBTQ+ crusade.

Unpaid carers impacted by unclear guidance to have debts cancelled Tens of thousands of unpaid carers affected by confusing guidance on their earnings are set to have their debts reduced, cancelled, or refunded, in a major reassessment of cases launched by the govern...

Uk government to cancel/review debts of unpaid carers
www.gov.uk/government/n...

What’s Next for Europe? A Series with Matthew Goodwin - How Mass Migration is Reshaping the UK and Implications for Europe Join us for an insightful discussion with political analyst Matthew Goodwin on the evolving impact of mass migration in the UK and what it could mean for Europe’s future. Explore key trends, policy ch...

In absolutely chef’s kiss timing, Matthew Goodwin is due to speak at Orbán’s in-house propaganda group MCC *today*

Badloss strikes again.

Hungarians celebrated the landslide defeat of Orban by singing "We Are the Champions" out in the streets

Or, and stick with me here, Trump just makes stuff and says it? That's not exactly a hot take at this stage.

Trump wants to appear as having backing and support on Iran, so he'll just say anything to give that impression. Doesn't mean Starmer, or any other leader, has said anything to enable him.

Hungarian election results.

Péter Magyar victory rally.

One way that Orbán sought to entrench power was adopting a new Hungarian constitution in 2011 that classified many policy areas as 'cardinal laws' that require a two-thirds majority vote to change.

With almost 100% of votes counted, the Hungarian opposition has just achieved what seemed impossible.

How did Hungary's biggest cities vote?

Budapest - Tisza+33
Debrecen - Tisza+23
Szeged - Tisza+39
Miskolc - Tisza+29
Pécs - Tisza+31
Győr - Tisza+25
Nyíregyháza - Tisza+31
Kecskemét - Tisza+25
Székesfehérvár - Tisza+22
Szombathely - Tisza+19
Érd - Tisza+26
Szolnok - Tisza+29
Tatabánya - Tisza+24

Hungary opposition delivers ‘regime change’ as Orbán suffers big defeat With its huge mandate Péter Magyar’s Tisza can prepare to change the constitution and restore rule of law

Hungary opposition delivers ‘regime change’ as Orbán suffers big defeat ft.trib.al/SkqTSwm

Iran state media: Iran says it will withdraw from the US ceasefire agreement if Israel continues to violate it by attacking Lebanon.

Sorry, Trump's not on the verge of death - if he was there'd be huge movements in Polymarket due to all the insider trading.

That's the spirit, we should just busy ourselves! As the saying goes, a watched artery never clogs...

US air operations in Iran today:

- F-15 shot down by Iran.
- One crew member rescued, one still missing.
- A-10 Warthog "crashed" near Hormuz.
- Black Hawk hit by Iranian fire during a rescue mission for the F-15 crew.

It's been 23 days since Trump declared total victory in Iran.

Notes from the much larger and more significant war: in March Russia gained no net territory in Ukraine, and lost more soldiers than it was able to replace.

When you throw in the sudden urge to try new grifts like crypto, lurching to extreme religiosity, weird ideological spasms, abrupt abandonment of lifelong tribal affiliations, the whole thing resembles nothing more than a coordinated male midlife crisis, for which we must all suffer

OK, let me explain this really simply for those struggling with reading comprehension. Just because MPs do things that you dislike (and maybe I dislike too!), does not automatically make them out-of-touch. Politics is fundamentally about trade-offs, external pressures and wicked problems.

I'd warn that you can't have reasoned conversation with the cult members, but we already learnt that between 2015 and 2020. It's the same groupies, with the same shrieking delusion and denials of reality, but they worship a different lead singer these days.

Image 1

Newsmax’s Carla Babb states that she can now confirm a U.S. Air Force UH-60 Black Hawk was struck by Iran during ongoing search-and-rescue operation for the downed crew of an F-15E Strike Eagle. The helicopter’s crew is accounted for and is safe, having since exited Iran via…

Original post

a man with a mustache is clapping his hands in front of a group of people with the word magic written on the screen . ALT: a man with a mustache is clapping his hands in front of a group of people with the word magic written on the screen .

You have to wonder how the Iranians are managing to down US aircraft, given their air defences have been obliterated.

Maybe...

NEWS: A second U.S. Air Force combat aircraft has gone down in the Persian Gulf region, per NYT. Officials say an A-10 Warthog crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, with the pilot safely rescued. This comes as an F-15E was shot down over Iran—one crew member recovered, search ongoing for another.

Ah, the Greens have a genius plan no one has ever thought of - wealth taxes. They'll make squillions to pay for everything. The wealthy *definitely* won't have access to the very best tax advice, find loopholes, or shield their wealth. To suggest otherwise means you support genocide...or something.

The Greens talk more bollocks than Reform these days.

What I learned from my first few weeks as a Green MP? Most politicians have no clue how tough things are out there | Hannah Spencer With this escalating cost of living crisis, so many are really suffering – yet Labour lacks the imagination, boldness and will to do anything about it, says Green party MP Hannah Spencer

This sort of facile populism is really damaging to trust in politics. Most British MPs are highly attuned to the cost of living crisis and challenges faced by their constituents.

Might I suggest starting with this one, still as relevant today as ever.

bsky.app/profile/expl...

We're awake. We're going to force Trump to make that decision all on his own, with as few reasons as possible available for Congress to support it and push the required votes through.

Trump then has a choice - circumvent the Senate, or don't leave NATO.

It's Americans that need to wake up.

👇👇

My honest assessment is that the No Kings movement misses the point. Trump doesn't want to be "King of America", he wants to be a feared and revered dictator. All the world leaders he idolises are those who fleece public money and terrorise their peoples into "loving" dear leader.

Until the US attacked Iran, there was an argument for letting the Royals "do their thing", in the hope of improving/stabilising the UK/US relationship. Not sure I bought that argument, but it was a possibility.

Now though, particularly with Trump rhetoric regarding UK/NATO, it should be cancelled.

Interestingly, I’m seeing on X a lot of hostility to the royal visit not just from Trump critics, but also Trump supporters who’ve lapped up his attacks on the UK and are asking why they should host representatives from a country which is not supporting the US in Iran. Lose-lose visit all round.