Emily Thornberry going for it and the PM struggling to respond.

Thanks Samira!

So how does this Middle East adventure end? Hope someone’s worrying about that. No off-ramp in sight.

When do you think politicians will work out that what most people want is good governance, not drama?

My beating heart - or is that the internet connection going down? My mother learned to speak English by reading The Times and listening to what in the early 1960s was, ‘The Home Service’.

open.substack.com/pub/ritula/p...

I have been thinking about what it is to be human and how it is being eroded by power and money.

And is ramping up its renewables - but never let the facts get in the way etc

It was a proper ‘laugh out loud’ from me. I had to check it was the President and not a parody.

On Sovereignty January is never the best time to focus on self improvement.

Events have moved so fast I almost abandoned this but I think the question of sovereignty is fascinating. I’ve only scratched the surface.

open.substack.com/pub/ritula/p...

In Trump’s Second Term, Far-Right Agenda Enters the Mainstream

In Trump’s Second Term, Far-Right Agenda Enters the Mainstream www.nytimes.com/2025/08/23/u...

And the UK too?

Overheard on the train -
“They were planning a big wedding?”
“They decided to buy a house”

Thanks Jim!

Yay! Go Lionesses!

The Books That Made Me, with Professor Dame Marina Warner FBA YouTube video by The British Academy

If you want more Marina, here she is from our event earlier this year in long form conversation with @ritula.bsky.social about the books that inspired her
m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4L_...

What a woman! An absolute joy talking to her. Agree wholeheartedly @catrionaseth.bsky.social

Parliament has changed – Keir Starmer’s welfare reform challenge won’t be a one-off | Institute for Government The prime minister needs a new way of working with backbench Labour MPs.

As someone who pays attention but less than I used to, Hannah White points to the trends which seem to be fairly ‘in yer face’ to everyone except the government

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/parl...

When We Are All Enemies of the State - Boston Review A recently discovered 1974 speech by Stuart Hall on Walter Rodney—and why fascists fear ideas.

A recently discovered 1974 speech by Stuart Hall on Walter Rodney—and why fascists fear ideas.
www.bostonreview.net/articles/whe...

The ability of thoughtful people like Fraser to switch their ‘anti nativist’ radar on and off is astonishing. There is no point in integration if ‘white Briton’ is the only category that consistently counts.

Russia is at war with Britain and US is no longer a reliable ally, UK adviser says Government defence expert Fiona Hill warns UK to respond to threats by becoming more cohesive and resilient

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Not pulling any punches.

You go out for some dinner and all hell breaks loose. Rather enjoying dessert.
‘Breaking up is hard to do’ as Neil Sedaka once sang.

Immigration: Learning the Language In the days before social media, one of the great joys of working in radio was that people didn’t necessarily know what you looked like.

open.substack.com/pub/ritula/p...

I have to confess, I winced out loud on hearing this. But Labour has a track record - 1968 Commonwealth Immigration Bill?

Joseph Nye, who coined the term ‘soft power’, dies aged 88

So sorry to see this. I interviewed Joseph Nye a number of times and he was always generous and insightful. His death comes at a moment when America seems to be abandoning its soft power - difficult for those of us who value it.

India launches attack on 9 sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir The Indian armed forces launched "Operation Sindoor," hitting nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the government said in a statement on Wednesday.

India launches attack on 9 sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir reut.rs/4krsv6z

I agree Stephen and it is also a convenient and “visible” hook on which to pin (understandable) dissatisfaction about so many other issues

UK and India agree trade deal after three years of talks The deal will improve access for UK whisky and cars to the Indian market, and cut taxes on India's clothing and footwear exports.

In my superficial, self centred way, I looked at the UK/India trade deal and thought ‘ooh, lovely clothes may now be more affordable’. And then I read the comments. Instructive. In particular, the person who pointed out that we should wait for the detail. Hello devil.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Do join us at our Spring Conference on the 30 April in London - lots of discussions to be had about the future of public service media with @janemartinson.bsky.social @ritula.bsky.social @torindouglas.bsky.social To book head to payments.vlv.org.uk/event-search

My son has been yakking excitedly about this this morning. Wasted on a mother who prefers monastic silence first thing.

My son has been yakking excitedly about this this morning. Wasted on a mother who prefers silence first thing

Copy from The Times arguing that podcasts aren’t a suitable medium for serious interviews - unlike Radio 4

An interesting conclusion from James Marriott in The Times. Not least for those of us who were constantly defending ourselves from the criticism of ‘too many interruptions’. And while conducting an interview is on one level ‘just asking questions’ doing it well is more like playing chess.

In Trumpworld there are no friends, no allies, no mercy. Only potential deals. It is a ruthless business mentality applied to geopolitics. The ‘suckers’ - often the weaker party - get ‘done over’ (I won’t use the ruder term).