Reform leaders in Scotland and Wales: Malcolm Offord and Dan Thomas pose as champions of the people & anti-establishment. Not only are both ex-Tories. They were appointed by Nigel Farage, have no party mandate & could be sacked at a moment's notice by Farage.
This format is not going to work as a game show and should be junked: party leader so called debates. Voters do not gain any insights from it; it is a bad & lazy political format & bad & lazy media. Tonight: Welsh leaders on #c4news
So much for the superficial critique of what is wrong in UK govt all being down to a weak political centre.
Does Keir Starmer know why he is Prime Minister & what the point of a Starmer Premiership is? As Marina Hyde writes: "Cleaning up after himself has become a full-time job." Can't wait to have it all explained in the Tom Baldwin revised biography.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The task of de-Trumpification of science and public health will take a generation and a "Marshall Plan" to rebuild. Without a bold, expansive vision to guide us, there is no coming back. Small-bore, poll-tested versions of the future will not help us. www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Peter Mandelson is a product of a broken, corrupt politics & broken, corrupt media. Too many powerful figures & platforms in the media colluded & feted Mandelson looking to venerate him, gain access to him & validate his corporate class view of the world.
Whatever happened to the Keir Starmer and his ten pledges he was elected Labour leader on? Seems from the outset of his political career he has had a very elastic relationship with the truth.
Keir Starmer did not appoint Peter Mandelson. Starmer appointed Morgan McSweeney who was mentored by Peter Mandelson. McSweeney then advocated appointing Mandelson. The person ultimately in control of this dysfunctional process was NOT Starmer; it was Mandelson. #OilyRobbins
A day with destiny and what does the chap behind Oily Robbins to the right of Dave Penman wear? Blazer, striped shirt, red pocket square and strange leopard skin thing around his neck.
The deliberate deception of the British establishment. The new elite using the codes and traditions of the old elite to provide cover for their misgovernance and malfeasance.
Surely: Small islands. And part of another island. As in These Islands.
“The Civil Service Code along with the Book of Common Prayer is one of the two things I hold in memory" says Oily Robbins answering questions on Peter Mandelson becoming US Ambassador. A bureaucratic system clinging to theology to justify the tyranny of process to aid rotten outcomes.
Looking forward to the paperback edition of Andrew Lownie's Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York: updated with new material. One of the most consequential books on the modern UK royal family.
Sad to hear Helena Kennedy on #Newsnight try to dismiss the Starmer-Mandelson scandal claiming lots of criticism of Starmer is "political posturing." Peddling an unconvincing & dwindling Labour loyalist line to defend Starmer.
Matt on Keir Starmer: the PM who does not ask questions.
Everyone should take responsibility according to Keir Starmer apart from Keir Starmer. Below: Morten Morland.
Labour Cabinet minister Nick Thomas-Symonds is a biographer of past successful Labour PMs: Clement Attlee and Harold Wilson. He is on #c4news defending the tawdry leadership of Keir Starmer who misled Parliament & did not apologise for that today.
The Labour benches have emptied as Keir Starmer fights for his political life. The Starmer Premiership is winding to an end. The only questions are how and when?
Keir Starmer cannot answer the Mrs. Merton question on Peter Mandelson. What drew Starmer to appoint Mandelson as US Ambassador? Mandelson's track record was widely known: his Epstein connections; his links to Russian & Chinese interests; twice being sacked as a Cabinet minister.
Barry Gardiner is not the problem.
Keir Starmer has few Labour MPs coming to his defence. This is because Starmer has few allies on the Labour backbenches. This matters in what are now the last fag end days of the dying Starmer Premiership.
Kemi Badenoch has risen to the occasion of the Starmer-Mandelson scandal. She has asked the right forensic questions of Starmer.
Starmer on the ropes. Labour Govts only come along occasionally in post-1945 Britain. Starmer is only the FOURTH Labour leader to win an overall majority from opposition. And only the THIRD Labour leader to win a majority after being in opposition for a full term. Starmer has blown his opportunity.
Not much political judgement going on here if Isabel Oakeshott does not realise that Farage & Tice are senior members of the British establishment. Relevant here is that Oakeshott is the partner of Richard Tice jumping to the defence of Tice & his tax evasion.
Here are details of the history & authorship of the Gleneagles history panels: put up 11 years ago. www.heraldscotland.com/news/1320789...
"The Bannockburn Myth", "The Wars of 'Independence'" and "separatist politicians" at Gleneagles Railway Station. Dubious history with no author or agency taking ownership.
The Downing Street operation is putting more effort into defending the beleaguered Starmer than it has ever done running Downing Street properly. That is down to Keir Starmer: the UK PM who never really arrived in office & does not understand govt. HT @pippacrerar.bsky.social
Surely there is a middle ground here? I have many years ago missed a couple of flights: one from London; while I once had 15 minutes to a flight from Helsinki and the staff walked me out on to the runway and my flight taking care of me when my lateness was my fault.
Channel 4 News likes to think it is alternative. But yet again in the football news section not one mention of the Scottish game. The thrilling Scottish Cup semi between Celtic & St. Mirren went unmentioned. Sadly typical of Londoncentric UK media. FAO @channel4news.bsky.social #c4News
Manchester City 2 Arsenal 1. Looks like Arsenal have thrown away the English Premier as Man City win to close the gap at the top as they gather strength. Maybe English football can eventually do something abt Man City's industrial scale cheating; Scottish football addressed it with Rangers.