Sir Olly Robbins dropped his bombshells at the Foreign Affairs Committee very quietly and civilly. But they were bombshells nonetheless. @jamesrball.com in @thenewworldmag.bsky.social

So now we've established that Mandelson is a corrupting force that sullies everything and everyone in his sphere of influence, what are we going to do about the fact he hand-picked the entirety of Labour's 2024 intake of new MPs?

The Pioneering Novels and Kick-Ass Thrills of Alistair MacLean - Flashbak Alistair MacLean was working as a teacher when he won first prize in a short story competition. The competition was held by the Glasgow Herald newspaper in 1954. MacLean’s story was called ‘The Dileas...

“MacLean was interested in writing stories with unreliable narrators which could lead to double & triple-twists in the storyline… From 1963–1971, MacLean wrote a series of near-perfect thrillers… which established him as the most successful author on the planet”
💙📚
4/5
flashbak.com/the-pioneeri...

The insider trading suspicions looming over Trump's presidency | BBC News YouTube video by BBC News

Burdensome-Mix and other insider traders are making a killing by trading ahead of some of US president Donald Trump's Truth Social posts.

But who are they? Do hey include Trump himself or members of his family and administration?

Sir Olly Robbins dropped his bombshells at the Foreign Affairs Committee very quietly and civilly. But they were bombshells nonetheless. @jamesrball.com in @thenewworldmag.bsky.social

Robbins demolished a PM's excuses - just like Starmer used to The prime minister is in even deeper trouble after the civil servant he sacked took apart No 10’s latest tangled explanation of the indefensible

The simple story is that Starmer appointed Mandelson—a man fired twice from gov’t for dishonesty, who leaked confidential info to Epstein after the paedophile was jailed, and who spent 15 years as paid lobbyist for dubious global interests—as ambassador to the US ignoring civil servants’ objections.

Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's chief-of-staff at the time, was desperate for his mentor Peter Mandelson to become British ambassador to Washington, even though the Prince of Darkness’s close ties with sex trafficker and abuser Jeffrey Epstein were already widely known.

This is what I wrote about the failure to prosecute anyone at Royal Bank of Scotland / NatWest in Shredded.

This is what I wrote about the failure to prosecute anyone at Royal Bank of Scotland / NatWest in Shredded.

‘Throughout US President Donald Trump's second term in office, traders have been betting millions of dollars just before he makes major announcements.’

Chancellor could learn from new play’s about banking’s de... Make It Happen satirises the RBS collapse of 2008. It’s too close to real life for comfort

How is it that lessons are in fact, rarely learnt?

observer.co.uk/news/busines...

Chancellor could learn from new play’s about banking’s de... Make It Happen satirises the RBS collapse of 2008. It’s too close to real life for comfort

Thanks Richard. It is quite surreal. See my Observer article from last August.

observer.co.uk/news/busines...

Art by FAF - Landscape paintings 2026

My youngest (b 2003) has no truck with news or current affairs, but devotes many of her energies to hillwalking and landscape art! (She is nearly finished her final year at DJCAD).

www.floraannfraser.co.uk/portfolio/la...

Both of Harvard Business School’s ludicrous paens to Fred Goodwin's management of the Royal Bank of Scotland certainly fuelled his hubris!

The arrogant superbanker whose stunning hubris brought Britain to its knees Fred Goodwin's stewardship of RBS went more wrong than anybody could imagine

Excellent article by @jamesbloodworth.bsky.social. “It is difficult to understand the political upheavals of the past decade – from Brexit to the broader revolt against mainstream politics – without first understanding the fury unleashed by the financial crash.”

inews.co.uk/opinion/arro...

How to Invade Donald Trump's Speech With Swastika Golf Balls | Britain’s Greatest Hoaxer YouTube video by Channel 4 Entertainment

Yes that too. Full video of swastika balls here...

@simonbrodkin.com

Greenpeace targets Trump Turnberry in ‘wind farm’ protest Greenpeace UK activists targeted Trump Turnberry this morning, erecting a set of wind turbines on the golf course.

Protestors build wind farm on green at Trump Turnberry to protest against the US president’s opposition to wind energy. “More clean energy that doesn’t rely on the Strait of Hormuz or Russian pipelines can save us money, boost our security and tackle climate change,” said @greenpeaceuk.bsky.social

Distasteful, delusional, sacrilegious, (dangerous) AND cringeworthy. I hadn't seen that before but @jemima.bsky.social did refer to it in her column.

The insider trading suspicions looming over Trump's presidency The BBC has found a pattern of spikes in trades ahead of public announcements by the US president.

This is superb reporting by BBC News’ Nick Marsh on spikes in insider trading ahead of Trump’s Truth Social pronouncements and weirdly accurate predictions on the betting market Polymarket. Well worth a read.

“The insider trading suspicions looming over Trump's presidency”

Presidential Spiritual Adviser Paula White. YouTube video by lonegroover

Here’s Donald Trump’s spiritual advisor. Paula White-Cain.

In early Nov 2020 — with election results showing Trump would lose to Joe Biden — the televangelist appeared at a live-streamed prayer service at which she repeatedly tried to summon “angelic reinforcements” to secure Trump's reelection 🥴

Of course Trump thinks he’s the Messiah — his disciples tell him so The ‘devout’ Christians in the US president’s life are really just fawning sycophants

Jemima Kelly on Trump’s ‘God Complex’ and the evangelical sycophants such as Paula White–Cain who promote it.

”Earthset” filmed on 6 April by Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman through the window of the Orion spacecraft.

Reform dragged into tax row by Richard Tice’s unpaid £100,000 The party’s deputy leader says he will ‘pay what is owed if numbers need rechecking’ after more revelations from The Sunday Times

The total tax that Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice’s companies avoided through onshore and offshore entities, or simply failed to pay, in relation to Quidnet now amounts to almost £800,000.

Ave Maria (Schubert) - Wikipedia

No worries Dan. I know this lied (song) quite well. It's beautiful

Baking set to Schubert’s Ellens Gesang III (Hymne an die Jungfrau) Op 52, No 6, D 839.

The song is a prayer for protection and solace sung by the character Ellen Douglas from Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of the Lake; it is sung here by American soprano Barbara Bonney.

Trump is mutilating the English language.

Daniel Devaney, Reform UK’s candidate in the Bradford ward of Clayton & Fairweather Green for the 7 May local elections, says he wants to “blast [Muslims] all of the face of the earth [sic]”.

Reform UK local election candidate Daniel Devaney also described Muslims as “pure scum”, adding: “We’re being invaded by potential terrorists day in day out.”

Reform candidate wants to ‘blast’ all Muslims ‘off the face of the earth’ Reform’s local elections campaign in Bradford is off to a bad start. Although party leaders said they have the best vetting procedures in Britain, HOPE not hate today exposes one of their candidates f...

Reform UK leaders claim to have the best vetting procedures in Britain, but allowed Daniel Devaney to be their candidate for the Bradford ward of Clayton & Fairweather Green. Devaney wants to “blast Muslims off he face off the earth”.

@harryshukman.bsky.social @hopenothate.org.uk

‘Discussions Are Ongoing’, Pernod Ricard Says Amid Brown-Forman Merger Reports Two of the world’s largest spirits conglomerates are jostling for ownership over Brown-Forman, the powerhouse behind American whiskey staples like Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve. In a quarterly ea...

‘Discussions are ongoing’, says Pernod Ricard finance chief Hélène de Tissot about merger talks with Kentucky-based Jack Daniels owner Brown-Forman.

"Grief and Destruction" - Marsh Family parody of Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction" on war in Iran YouTube video by Marsh Family

Superb parody of Barry McGuire’s ‘Eve of Destruction’ mocking the US’s imbecilic war secretary Pete Hegseth. @marshfamilysongs.bsky.social