I feel like the next 24 hours in parliament are going to be really trying for those of us who dislike the passive voice

A picture of a packet of instant mash mix titled "smooth mashed potato"

[Sade voice 🎵]

europeans when asked to help unblock the strait of hormuz

The policies killing Britain's nightlife Britain’s nightclubs are disappearing - casualties of planning failures, punitive business rates and a policy framework that neglects the night-time economy.

For @newstatesman1913.bsky.social I wrote about nightclubs. They're great for British soft power and should have more support from Westminster. They don't.

In 2023, the night-time economy contributed £93.7bn to the economy. If Britain wants more economic growth and happy citizens... start here.

Albini Sessions (Benefit for Letters Charity), by Fugazi 12 track album

Stop literally everything.

Steve Albini's Fugazi sessions, widely bootlegged and full of lore, now available officially for the first time.

fugazi.bandcamp.com/album/albini...

Security Researchers Warn Age Verification Laws Are Building a Global Surveillance System The people who spent their careers building the security systems governments want to exploit for age verification have finally had enough.

371 security/ privacy academics, including a Turing Award winner, just issued a letter saying age verification laws are building global surveillance infrastructure. Every search, message, and article read would require ID verification.

Democrats are working w/ Republicans to push these laws through

"The trade was not that you were getting exposed to geopolitics when moving to Dubai."

Anyone Else Have Those Weird Dreams Where Sobbing Future Generations Beg You To Change Course? The human subconscious is such an interesting thing. No matter how much you think you’ve got it figured out, it’ll always spit out the most random stuff. Take me, for example. After coming home from a...

Commentary: Anyone Else Have Those Weird Dreams Where Sobbing Future Generations Beg You To Change Course?

The probation system is failing women Unable to trust restraining orders, some victims are tracking down their own abusers

For @newstatesman1913.bsky.social I spoke to Natalie (name changed) about why probation services failed to track her ex-partner down after she reported him multiple times for breaching restraining orders, its woeful performance, and the legacy of austerity.

www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

The long 2010s are finally over

No one asked but I bought some lovely records down in Angel and I am very pleased with them

Billionaire halts mass eviction after London Centric investigation Exclusive: Asif Aziz's Criterion Capital hoped to replace hundreds of tenants with more lucrative temporary accommodation. That plan has been shelved – for now.

Asif Aziz's Criterion Capital halts mass eviction after London Centric uncovered what was going on. Hundreds of Londoners now receiving bizarre door-to-door visits blaming misinformation and being asked to record videos saying they don't want to be evicted. www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...

A very good read from my colleague @rmcunliffe.bsky.social on the gnawing student loans scandal

Basically the next election is going to come down to whether or not "generalised, non-specific anger at the system" outweighs "realisation that the alternative is a bunch of weird freaks with deeply eccentric policy views".

a year is a long time in politics

Great piece from @dsquareddigest.bsky.social, which touches on one of the big theories for why English-speaking countries do especially badly at housebuilding:

Adversarial and litigious common law systems (Anglo) vs judge-led civil law systems elsewhere.

samf.substack.com/p/build-the-...

The secret to engaging in social media debate is knowing you will never win anyone over. The best you can hope for is to have people who already agree with tell you you're awesome. You might great a dopamine thrill from the righteousness of your anger! Fine benefits, all. But you will never win.

Where have England's health visitors gone? Health visitor numbers are down 40 per cent since 2015 and caseloads are at dangerous levels. Families are now struggling without support.

Health visitors in England have been cut by 40% since 2015. A&E admissions for under-ones have risen 42% in the same period.

Since under local authority control, and not the NHS, health visitors occupy a weird institutional no man's land. Read my article below: www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/he...

King says 'the law must take its course' after Andrew arrest published at 12:01 12:01 Breaking We have just received a statement from the King following Andrew's arrest. Here it is in full: I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation. Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all. Charles R.

My penny's worth: This is the cleanest, shrewdest way for monarchy to cauterize the wound: misbehaviour while in a politically-appointed civil position, rather than alleged sex offences enabled by royal status. My hunch is that no UK police force would arrest the King's brother without a Palace nod.

Good luck to anyone trying to publish any other news today.

Anneliese Dodds: "I felt Peter Mandelson was a clear blackmail risk" The former shadow chancellor on the Mandelson Affair, foreign aid and countering the tech bros

Anneliese Dodds: "I felt Peter Mandelson was a clear blackmail risk"

Samir Jeraj speaks to Anneliese Dodds for the Weekend Interview

The truth about immigrants and sex crime Corrosive innuendo about asylum seekers is helping no one

The truth about immigrants and sex crime

@anooshc.bsky.social

Both @andyburnham.bsky.social and @metromayorsteve.bsky.social on stage at @ntiaofficial.bsky.social conference.

Burnham brings up a book they wrote about leaving Westminster called Head North. He said: "the sequel, Head South, is currently on hold, but may be available some time in the future".

Angela Rayner today wearing Superman socks (?) at the @ntiaofficial.bsky.social conference. She wants to see a new minister to cover the night time economy: bars and clubs etc.

End of Q&A: “What we expect is to be treated fairly with respect. If you play by the rules, the rules will protect you.”

“I’m mad I can’t understand Bad Bunny’s lyrics because they’re not in English”

my brother millions of metalheads around the world have been happily listening to incomprehensible Finnish shrieks and Japanese death grunts since we were teens, you’re just boring and racist

Mornin’…

A testing ground for children's care reform More children are in care in the north west than anywhere else in England. A number of pilot schemes now underway could provide solutions for fixing a broken system nationwide.

England's children's care market is broken. Foster carers down 10%, costs spiralling, kids placed hundreds of miles from home. Can Greater Manchester's reforms fix a system in crisis?

Read my piece below for @newstatesman1913.bsky.social: www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/20...

the local government theory of everything

Benefits cuts threaten school-readiness target Starmer wants 75% of children school-ready by 2028. Benefit cuts put that in jeopardy

🚨 Exclusive: In a parliamentary question, the Department for Education confirmed it had not assessed how benefit reforms would impact its school readiness target.

Many teachers who spoke to me said it was "short sighted" to not do this.

Read more: schoolsweek.co.uk/benefits-cut...