It was a mistake to appoint Peter Mandelson: on that pretty much everyone agrees, including the PM; all else is processology hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026... 1/6

Deep satisfaction when you’re asked to file 800 words and you file *precisely* 800 words.

This is absolutely it. You can't at the one hand go 'tepid bath of managed decline', then clearly signal who you want as ambassador and then be surprised that the process yields that outcome.

Of course, in the 70s there was a waiting list of a year to get a phone.

As they said in Harlan County, USA: “you’ll never shoot the union out of me”

Former Odeon Cinema, Morecambe - William Calder Robson for Harry Weedon and Partners, 1937 Image © Philip Butler

Odeon Cinema, Morecambe - William Calder Robson for Harry Weedon and Partners, 1937 Image © John Maltby

NEWS: The former Odeon Cinema in Morecambe (1937), now a hardware and bathroom supply shop, has been Grade II listed following support from C20 Society.

The Streamlined Moderne style cinema was one of 7 designed for Odeon by architect William Calder Robson; 3 of which survive, all are now listed.

Will social media addiction go the way of cigarettes? Smoking among the rich has declined dramatically — and digital dependency could follow a similar pattern

Really interesting column.

www.ft.com/content/154d... Will social media addiction go the way of cigarettes?

This is very good!

The Mandelson fiasco reveals the true nature of Starmerism This is a prime minister who does not understand the difficult trade-offs involved in governing

Keir Starmer famously said there was "no such thing" as Starmerism. He was half-right: there is no such ideology. There is however an approach to managing and running the country that is core to so many of the government's difficulties that we probably should call 'Starmerism'. In tomorrow's paper:

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

Dawn of the Dead was released on this day in 1978 ten years after Night of the Living Dead. George Romero will always be the father of zombie movies.

#Filmsky #Moviesky #Horrorsky #April

With the help of the Sandy Hook families, The Onion has reached a long-awaited deal to take over InfoWars.

We've enlisted the help of @timheidecker.bsky.social, who will be InfoWars' Creative Director.

Please stand by for more.

It was an effective speech. Had the House been misled? The prime minister had been misled first! The wicked Robbins had kept the truth from everyone. Did MPs think Starmer should have known? Well so did Starmer! In a very real sense, he was the victim here. He had been deceived at every turn. “I know many members across the House will find these facts to be incredible,” Starmer said, pausing to give opposition MPs a chance to cheer and jeer. It was a rhetorical trap. “I can only say they are right.” So persuasive was all this that one could almost forget that there was, in January 2025, a bit of information about Mandelson that was available to anyone with access to the internet. True, some bad things have come out since then, but there was already plenty that was bad enough.

The Man Who Knew Too Little: my SKETCH of Keir Starmer trying to pin the Mandelson blame on Olly Robbins. thecritic.co.uk/the-...

Sometimes the answer to “how do stupid things keep happening?” Is “people can find intelligent-sounding ways to rationalize anything”

It is literally the only poll that counts

It’s v often a fair point to say “the time’s not right” view.

Strengthened by Tory experience. 3 leaders in 5 years didn’t work.

So Labour needs the right person with the right platform at the right time.

Debate and diagnose the problem first. It’s a content problem not just a comms one.

The Mandelson vetting blame-game is causing serious damage to ministerial-civil service relations | Institute for Government The sacking of Olly Robbins has been badly handled by Keir Starmer.

There's so much to write about everything that's happening with Mandelson vetting fight (and always happy to explain the process, others have done so v well on here). But the v. aggressive approach from no10 is over the weekend is just so damaging - so have tried to capture some of that

« En Espagne, la démocratie se défend par la mémoire » : le gouvernement espagnol décide la dissolution de la fondation Franco

➡️ https://l.humanite.fr/f3h

MELBOURNE - entire run SOLD OUT (thank you)
CANBERRA (TUES) - SOLD OUT
NEWCASTLE (THU) - please come
SYDNEY (FRI) - selling fast
BRISBANE (SAT) - early show SOLD OUT, late show last few

Ed Miliband to double down on net zero with measures to combat Iran energy shock As fossil fuel prices soar ‘the era of clean energy security must come of age’, energy secretary will say

This really is the only answer. Our dependence on fossil fuels must end. For our planet, and for our society.

Federal judge unloads on ‘unserious’ RFK Jr., says anti-trans policy showed his ‘cruelty’ Judge Mustafa T. Kasubhai vacated the “Kennedy Declaration,” finding it unlawfully attempted to override medical standards and restrict care for transgender youth.

"Secretary Kennedy’s unlawful declaration harmed children,” the Judge wrote.

“This case highlights a leader’s unserious regard for the rule of law...

“Unserious leaders are unsafe."

www.advocate.com/politics/nat...

As a good heuristic for life, 'is this how I would have approached this activity ten years ago? Because if so, I should consider changing it' is a good way to either save money on things you no longer need and/or enjoy the fruits of your greater success.

It really was a bad idea for the FCDO to propose Mandelson as Ambassador. What were they thinking of?

this is just a warmed over david duke speech from 1990

Germany just activated its largest ever solar installation — one farm, 1.5 million homes, zero carbon. The #CottbusSolarPark covers 3,500 hectares and produces 2.1 tw-hours annually, replacing two coal plants that operated on this same land until 2022. #SolarPower #ActOnClimate #Renewables

Kash Patel Hits Back At Excessive Drinking Allegations As 'Fake News’ FBI Director Kash Patel said a report in The Atlantic, which included allegations he drinks excessively and is often absent, based on conversations with unnamed colleagues, is “fake news” and a “hit piece.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said a report in The Atlantic, which included allegations he drinks excessively and is often absent, based on conversations with unnamed colleagues, is “fake news” and a “hit piece.”

Pope Leo prays at Catholic shrine in Angola that was a center of African slave trade

Pope Leo prays at Catholic shrine in Angola that was a center of African slave trade

a bunch of ppl & institutions knew dual class stock was bad from the get-go and yet everybody crumbled in the face of the most ridiculous argument in the world that these founders were just so smart and special we should cede control of our economy (and retirement funds) to them

Oh boy, someone who doesn’t know kids are exactly the right target for a nanny state.

The Jet-Fuel Surge Is Making Global Flight Connections Disappear Airline passengers should brace for more aggravation in the next few months as carriers around the world deepen cancellations and ground planes to cope with stratospheric increases in jet-fuel prices.

Bloomberg: "Airline passengers should brace for more aggravation in the next few months as carriers around the world deepen cancellations and ground planes to cope with stratospheric increases in jet-fuel prices."
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...