One wonders if this might be the first impact of the ousting of Viktor Orbán?
The money he push to overseas groups has been brought to a shuddering halt.

Boris Johnson on his way back from a party

Kemi Badenoch can't believe Keir Starmer would allow anyone with links to the Kremlin anywhere near government

These two editorials by the Washington Post expose how the Republican Party and Democratic Party are held to completely different standards by the media.

Texas gerrymander: “Not a threat to democracy.”

Virginia gerrymander: “Power grab by Democrats.”

And that's enough Twitter for now

Is “Due Process” the new “Magna Carta”? #PMQs

Considering the Mandelson affair, might it be worth revisiting the #RussiaFiles ? Howe many from all parties were compromised? #PMQs

📢 new blog ✍️

Here's a longer take on this morning's UK inflation data and what might happen next... 🤔

julianhjessop.substack.com/p/subdued-mo...

She’s an “interesting” journalist. Cummings used her as his outlet for leaks when she was at The Mirror. Would seems her connections are being used to attack certain politicians.

IDF battles against religious takeover Israelis with a messianic and ultra-nationalist ideology are populating the military in increasing numbers

Huge issues coming in the next decades.

IDF battles against religious takeover www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/96da566...

After France, Denmark is moving too: its Digitalisation Ministry plans to phase out Microsoft, switching to Linux and LibreOffice in the coming months. The goal is clear—reduce dependence on a handful of global tech giants and strengthen digital sovereignty.

It’s saddening to see Times Radio become more like LBC, where they flog the same story to death for days. They are now day 2 on Mandelson & talking about how they’ll discuss tomorrow. Time to find a different radio station. It started with such promise way back in 2020.

Why America is falling out of love with Israel Public opinion and elite sentiment has turned decisively against Netanyahu

Interesting to see how this plays out over coming decades after Trump family regime.

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Why America is falling out of love with Israel

Chief Minister to meet Spanish Foreign Minister bilaterally in Madrid

Quite something www.gbc.gi/news/chief-m...

Unprecedented ruling finds Hungary's anti-LGBTQ laws in breach of EU values The EU's top court finds that the reforms breached EU values on a number of levels and broke the founding values of the EU treaty.

A big day for citizens of the EU (and EU-proximate territories…) 🇪🇺 bbc.com/news/article...

Always thought it’s the individuals right to work or not as long as they are not a burden on the state and that students are in reality employed as students.

I’ve never understood why students are included in these figures. In my student days I certainly didn’t even think about working, I was busy studying.

We’re now on day 2 of wasted parliamentary time with MPs talking amongst themselves and media elites about process. Can we get back to issues impacting the ordinary citizens?

This morning I’ve seen Olly Robbins’s appearance before the select committee described as ‘box office’, while a commentator flagged up another key political moment with the words ‘bring the popcorn’.

That’s one of our main problems right there.

Turns out the phrase “America First” is preceded by the words “Sell Out.”

Elections 2026: London There are local elections in the UK every May, and every year I do a preview.

New post:

"Elections 2026: London"

In my final preview I've split London into ten different battlegrounds to show how the capital's politics is evolving. With predictions for each borough.

In collaboration with the brilliant @londoncentric.media

(£/free trial)

samf.substack.com/p/elections-...

What are these 16-34 who are not looking for work doing, are they on state aid or self funding?
Do the inactivity figures also include people like me, 60 retired, totally self funding with no state assistance and not interested in working (enjoying the thousands of things FIRE brings).

For those who missed it: this was the moment The Strokes ensured they’ll never be invited back to Coachella again! I'm so proud of them

The Iran crisis has not yet peaked The war is currently more likely to escalate than to be resolved by negotiation

Very good piece (gift article)

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... The Iran crisis has not yet peaked

Nigel Farage fights for the limelight The Reform leader's deportation plans failed to make a splash

In other news, I watched Nigel Farage's press conference on deportating people who have been granted asylym so you didn't have to

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

The EU now requires all Mobile Phones to be sold with easily replaceable and standardised batteries, as they used to be.

From 2027 they all will be again, in Europe.

Olly Robbins had to implement something many people at the time believed to be a bad decision, badly made.

But enough of his time as Brexit negotiator.

Suspect @theobserveruk.bsky.social will be going the same way very soon. It’s a shadow of its former self. Kate Viner, will likely go down as one of the worst newspaper editors in recent history.

Standard website transfers to Independent with more than 30 staff leaving The Independent has completed a "long-term" deal to run the digital operations and print advertising of The Standard.

The Evening Standard employed 364 journalists and staff when Lebedev bought it for £1 in 2009.

It now has 16

pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/r...

I say all this as someone with no skin in the game. Who lead in the UK is not something that greatly affects me.

It painful to see how primed and pumped they all become when discussing process but find the rest rather dull.