That’s right.
Much of this is in the books “Get in”, “The Fraud” and “The Starmer Project”
(Or - you could just pretend you’re somewhere else and read a novel based in Spain or Greece)
The latter is better for yr mental health.
*Pressure from No10*
“Often described as Mandelson’s protégé, McSweeney was reported to have consulted him on candidate selections & it is believed he later played a key role in bringing Mandelson back into frontline politics as Britain’s ambassador to the United States.” www.itv.com/news/2026-02...
Initially, at least, the colonisers were Normans not English and that was only after they'd destroyed the North of England and invaded Wales. The English did not cover ourselves in glory for the rest of Irish or indeed world history.
It sounds like a good film
Yes to all you’ve said…
He’s on the right of Labour. He demonised left wingers and he’s pro Blue Labour (don’t get me started on that one! 😤). Maurice Glasman (Baron Glasman to you/me) is allegedly friends with Trump and was invited to his inauguration
The English colonized Ireland, exploited the Irish, built big country houses ... rebellion and trouble followed.
It was watching an old film with Stewart Granger about this that made me read about the history of Ireland.
Where is McSweeney on the political spectrum?
THIS!!!
(And btw - how many people are leaving Google and Gmail because of big tech ? Quite a lot!)
What a hassle! 😞🤦♀️
I know - but this was hugely important
To tackle political lies why not have mandatory MP training? Making MPs do work experience might help then realise the difference between what they say in elections and what they do in government.
My latest article in @thecanaryuk.bsky.social.
www.thecanary.co/opinion/2026...
Here's a link to the full article, on independent news site @northeastbylines.co.uk
northeastbylines.co.uk/.../former-n...
@greenparty.org.uk has selected me to run for Monument ward in May. That’s the ward I represented before I was Mayor. I’ll be part of an increasingly strong Green team. Greens won the recent South Jesmond by-election. Labour vote fell from 43% to 17%, most switching to the Greens.
Article below.
Or for standing on the same platform as the legendary director Ken Loach!!
@jamiedriscoll.bsky.social knows something about that !
Since before GE24 I’ve kept returning to a ludicrous idea (because it sounds too far-fetched) that after the GE McSweeney’s motive was to damage 🇬🇧 in response to what the English did to 🇮🇪.
And let’s be quite clear: the British were absolute bastards to the Irish ☘️ - but most British have no idea.
Cabinet Office suggested Mandelson did not even need security vetting, Robbins tells MPs – UK politics live www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
open.substack.com/pub/morningc...
What gets me is that PM - so shady that he’s referred to as “The Dark Lord” - and someone who’s been sacked x2 - was considered ok (+ possibly not even NEED vetting as he was a “Lord”) whereas longstanding Lab members have been expelled for tweets/simple mistakes
Thank you 🙏🏼
(Will it plunge my despair into even lower depths?)
🎯
That sounds like a possibility, except that I read a few days ago that Starmer hates it when MPs/staff give him “problems” so they avoid going to him.
That article would have been in The Guardian, Observer or NS. I don’t know which one.
In December the UK government signed a deal with Donald Trump to hike NHS drug prices - putting the NHS and thousands of lives at risk in order to inflate pharma profits.
MPs can now object to these changes - write to yours today and urge them to act!
actionnetwork.org/letters/ask-...
substack.com/@martindavie...
Utterly disgusting!
So who is it ethical to shop with these days?
A supermarket that doesn’t screw their customers or their workers?
It's also complicated, meaning it's reasonable to argue the civil service was duty bound NOT to tell the PM about the vetting failure (as allies of Olly Robbins argue), as it would undermine the whole system. It's muddy.
I'm sure we'll get weeks more of frenzied argument either way...
3/ I have heard the evidence. I have read the reports. I have listened to accounts of pollution, regulatory failure, and companies putting profit before the public good.
But nothing prepares you for sitting in a room with people who have lived the consequences.
2/ Many of you will know that since introducing my Private Member’s Bill to bring water back into public ownership, I have been raising these issues in Parliament and beyond. I have heard the evidence.
1/ We hosted the people behind Channel 4’s Dirty Business. It tells the true story of campaigners and families who have spent years fighting not just water companies, but a system that was meant to protect us and has too often failed.
In the more than decade I have had the privilege of serving as your MP for Norwich South, I don’t think I have ever attended a meeting quite as moving as the one we held in Parliament this week.
🧵
Although, as you know, I only read the LW press.
Thames Water wants to set its own rules. The Board of Ofwat is split over whether to let them. Tip the scales in favour of people and planet: email the Board now, and urge them to reject Thames Water's creditors: tinyurl.com/85m396az
When Nazi Germany seized territory from their neighbours they called it Lebensraum.
Then they went on to invade Europe, North Africa & the Soviet Union.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebensr...
