Trump 2.0. Why would anyone in any part of the UK vote for these right wing neanderthals?

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

"His ease in the milieu of sleazy plutocracy, his fluency in elite codes of geopolitical clientelism – these were his courtier’s calling cards. The traits that should have disqualified him from the job were mistaken by Starmer for credentials."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Yes, I do know Starmer made a dire decision over Mandelson, but I'm surely not the only woman watching this whole political handwringing feeling ready to vomit over the irony that *he* might be the first major male casualty of the Epstein fall-out and not any of those other yet-to-be-named wa****s.

Cabinet Office suggested Mandelson did not need security vetting, says Robbins as he describes ‘constant pressure’ from No 10 – live Olly Robbins was sacked as Foreign Office permanent secretary over the Peter Mandelson security vetting revelations in the Guardian

Let's be honest, we all know this is what happened. The Cabinet Office didn't give a damn about Mandelson's unsuitability, in fact that's precisely why they wanted him to deal with Cockwomble Almighty. Use a smarmy crook to coral a narcissistic crook.
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Peter Mandelson: a timeline of his appointment as UK ambassador to US Keir Starmer details vetting procedure overruled by the FCDO and culminated in his decision to appoint Mandelson

This timeline is quite something. So Starmer announced Mandelson had the job *before* they started the security clearance process? Talk about arse over elbow. I've done more due diligence hiring a babysitter.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

We have an announcement.

WE HAVE CHERRY BLOSSOM! 🌸❤️

Thanks once again to the Orkney Japan Association - our tree is one of 30 cherry trees planted across #Orkney as part of the Sakura Cherry Tree Project. 🌸

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Brian Cox: Vote for Scotland. Vote for independence. Vote for the SNP on Thursday 7th May.

anyone who knew someone with pancreatic cancer knows how big of a deal this is

He ain't going to get beyond the begats....

Opinion | A Stunning New Verdict Rewrites the Rules of Corporate Morality

Well, finally some good news. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/17/o...

When your life becomes a case study in karma.

‘My life has become a rollercoaster’: Francesca Albanese on death threats, danger and dread after accusing Israel of genocide When the UN special rapporteur published her report Anatomy of a Genocide in March 2024, she was lionised by some and demonised by the Trump government. She describes what happened next

www.theguardian.com/law/2026/apr...

Trump Family Crypto Project Rocked by Raging Investor Revolt One of World Liberty Financial’s biggest investors accused the company of “treating the crypto community as a personal ATM.”

Guys, you won't believe this, but the Trump family's Crypto scheme locked investors out and just transferred their money directly into Trump's pocket.

Anyone with a brain cell saw it.

If you invest with Trump, you deserve to be placed in a conservatorship.

www.thedailybeast.com/trump-family...

“Some of the studies are testing new treatment regimens for drug- resistant tuberculosis,” I explained, hoping I could convey the very real danger in terms that would register with this audience. “Thousands of enrolled patients are at risk now that their lifesaving treatment is stopped. But that’s not the only danger. We only have limited options to treat drug- resistant TB. We’re using our antibiotics of last resort in these trials. Interrupting treatment midstream risks the development of new, even more drug-resistant strains that could be untreatable. For an airborne infectious disease, that is a serious national security risk.” Adam thought for a moment and then responded, noting that the political appointees at USAID were “not health people.” It would be hard, he surmised, for nonexperts to understand this issue. And so he suggested that we draft a simple, “Barney-style” set of slides to help the political leadership grasp the dangers, referring to the purple dinosaur of children’s television. He recommended that we use the term “Super TB” instead of “drug- resistant TB” to describe the mutations that can develop when treatment is interrupted, because it might be more likely to “catch their attention.”

A Trump guy who was part of the team dismantling USAID didn't think political appointees could grasp the concept of drug-resistant tuberculosis so he asked workers to explain it as "Super TB" in "Barney-style" slides.

www.thehandbasket.co/p/trump-usai...

My Year in Paris With Gertrude Stein by Deborah Levy review – wonderfully entertaining Biography mingles with fiction as Levy explores the avant-garde writer through the story of three female friends in Paris

You had me at 'Deborah Levy'...
www.theguardian.com/books/2026/a...

Canadian mother held by ICE with daughter, 7, speaks out on families ‘suffering greatly’ in detention Tania Warner and her daughter were detained in Texas facilities deemed ‘unsafe and degrading’

"She is from British Columbia but moved to Texas in 2021 when she married her American husband.

The family was driving home from a baby shower when they were stopped at a border patrol checkpoint. She and Ayla, who has autism, were fingerprinted and detained..."

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Appalling decision.

a journalist actually asking difficult questions of a transphobic politician? in Scotland? waow

my… word

A complete lack of human decency. I always imagine Amazon like Sinclair's The Jungle.

Not the first time even. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

In the country of my ancestry and my heart, my books have been shrink wrapped and considered pornography because they contain gay characters. He controlled books and the media, shuttered universities, and was a foot on the country’s neck. There’s a long road ahead — de most, a pezsgő. 🍾 🇭🇺

By Natalie Allison The inyolvement of Vice President JD Vance had raised hopes around the world that the weekend negotiations in Pakistan would solidify the ceasefire with Iran and put an end to the war within reach.

In what universe did this take place

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

The United States is destroying itself | Rebecca Solnit The daily news can’t adequately convey the administration’s sabotaging of our government, economy, alliances and environment

"At some point if the ship doesn’t turn around, maybe it will start taking on water or listing badly or hit an iceberg, or perhaps the iceberg has been there all along and is named Donald Trump."

Donald Trump launches extraordinary attack on Pope Leo calling him ‘weak’ and ‘terrible’ President says US-born pope is ‘not doing a very good job’ and is ‘a very liberal person’ in unprecedented assault on leader of Catholic church

Tiny Do-nuts is in a flounce. Going tootsie-to-tootsie with a Pope with an inside track on what Jesus would *actually* do is so Not Fair!
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Your regular reminder that the US had a pain-stakingly negotiated and workable deal with Iran when Trump came to power, but he tore it up. He's now desperately trying to secure a deal much worse than the one he set aside.

Labour don't deserve a majority at the moment. People are blaming the Greens for 'enabling Reform' through having a focused, strong left-wing agenda rather than slamming Labour for not getting a grip on policies.