This is what selling your soul looks like. You invent a new form of maths because your boss is too stupid to understand the basics we are all taught at about the age of 12.

I mean I spent 29 years in markets and know that second-guessing them is frequently, even generally, expensive. But the last time I remember this level of refusal to acknowledge disaster would be 2007-08.

A deal with Vance isn't necessarily a deal with Trump.

Over the years of his unfortunate relevance I have sought in vain to find Nigel Farage defining what he likes about this country - and it’s astonishingly difficult to do – which is weird really because he is without a doubt the most influential and best known English nationalist of our era.

I dislike how, when you’re an adult, time passes in such a way that it feels like you go to the dentist weekly

Trump blasted Obama’s Iran deal. Now he faces similar tradeoffs. As U.S. envoys pursue peace talks, the president confronts persistent sticking points: sanctions relief, enrichment limits and the risk of empowering Tehran.

After a decade of fiercely attacking a previous deal with Iran, President Trump has authorized U.S. negotiators to consider a bargain that involves many of the same trade-offs one of his predecessors confronted.

‘Funnily Enough, What Matters to People is Other People’ Contrary to what big organisations in the sector say, housing is not the answer. It’s useful, but it’s not the answer. The post ‘Funnily Enough, What Matters to People is Other People’ appeared first on Byline Times.

🟨 Print Edition — ‘Funnily Enough, What Matters to People is Other People’

Contrary to what big organisations in the sector say, housing is not the answer. It’s useful, but it’s not the answer.

The biggest losers of Trump’s Iran fiasco: Israel and the US After Iran, and Venezuela, the US has destroyed its reputation and the world has learned a new lesson. That the US is no longer a country to be admired. It is now to be feared

After Iran, and Venezuela, the US has destroyed its reputation and the world has learned a new lesson. That the US is no longer a country to be admired. It is now to be feared

✏️ Tom Arms

The blacklist is back, baby: Paramount's retributions should worry the industry Paramount retaliated with the blacklist after a columnist at The Ankler stood against its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

You don’t need to go very far to see that the Para-Bros merger will mean censorship, reprisals, punishment and exclusion. They are already at it. Trust them when they tell you they will use the power and this consolidation of media for political reasons.

www.avclub.com/hollywood-bl...

Antarctica was once a frontier - removed, by treaty, from the hostilities of the outside world.

Jason Pack is joined by former diplomat/host of Disorder Arthur Snell, as they discuss why earth's 'Frozen Continent' is becoming a battleground in it's own right.

Maybe Treating Housing as an Investment was a Colossal, Society-Shattering Mistake Trying to see the world more clearly

Good time to reread this then!
open.substack.com/pub/goodreas...

‘Donnyland’? Ukraine Proposes Naming Part of the Donbas in Trump’s Honor.

Yeah this is a real thing happening in the actual world. They are going to rename the Donbas "Donnyland" so an orange toddler-brain demented psychopath feels less pro-Russia.

I have a history degree. Genuinely I don't know of any precedent for this much stupidity.

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/u...

We’re in the truly weird position where McSweeney had to go for giving the PM the advice to appoint Mandelson and Robbins had to go for not stopping him.

“Yet no official record was kept: no minutes, no transcript. Just a handshake, a quiet word, and — for many — a growing unease”.

Why was this visit not properly recorded and how could this not be seen as a conflict of interests given Mandelson’s role steering govt and being Ambo to Washington?

High performing degrees taught by dedicated experts which support loads of students to be culled in the name of governmental shrugging and “adding value” managerial parasites bluffing their way through the next generic PowerPoint

One consequence of the last week is that it will further gum up the wheels of the state (already on a go slow on many issues because officials think the PM is a goner) with people covering their own backs.

Starmer could still survive the fallout of the local elections. Labour MPs can't agree on a unity candidate, and so quite a few want to wait until Burnham is in the Commons before toppling Keir.

But there's no guarantee that actually happens: he could be blocked again, he could fail to win the seat

Will Bain, British Chamber of Commerce: "Analysis by experts takes you to an economic benefit of between £12 to £18 billion a year to the British economy annually.

Now, that is about two and a half times more at the low end of that scale. The improvements to the economy from the India trade deal."

mob boss gonna mob boss

Donald Trump’s aides have kept him in the dark on important conversations—and “the ramifications for democratic accountability are serious,” David A. Graham argues in The Atlantic Daily: theatln.tc/I2zCBFJS

Zelenskyy announces Druzhba oil pipeline 'can resume operation' The repair of the Druzhba pipeline paves the way for the adoption of the €90 billion loan for Ukraine and a new round of sanctions against Russia, both of which are currently vetoed by Hungary. #EuropeNews

Full story: Zelenskyy announces that Druzhba is repaired and can resume operations.

The news paves the way for Hungary to lift the veto on the €90 billion loan.

Trump’s statements on Iran increasingly contradict each other The president has made conflicting comments on questions both large and small related to the war.

Weird rules of mainstream media: you can't say he's *lying*, and you can't call a particular thing he says *false*, but you can say that the things he says *contradict one another*. That's the objectivity sweet spot. 🙄

We live in hell

I haven't been tiring my brain with the politics today, but is Farage calling for Starmer to step down or is he keeping quiet because then he'd have to step down for all the criminal activities of his party(crooked company Inc) members

OMFG I had to go and check that this ACTUALLY happened.

Since when does the BBC ever do chyrons with a political party's branding, rather than their own? Not to mention this is during a pre-election campaign purdah.

(h/t @iainsol.bsky.social)

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:

Is Richard Tice’s picture AI-manipulated? Here are five giveaways Experts and social media detectives take a closer look at Reform deputy leader’s image of an apparent campaign event

"The photographer is real," say scrupulously honest Reform.

In which case, their supporters have 6 fingers, can perform levitation, and are campaigning to "Get Stuppence Out."

Stick to tax evasion, Tice. You're absolutely nailing that.

www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-...

Independent bookstores make quiet comeback as big chains dominate retail About 422 indie bookshops opened in 2025, up 31%, defying predictions of retail consolidation

"Independent bookstores make quiet comeback as big chains dominate retail"

"About 422 indie bookshops opened in 2025, up 31%, defying predictions of retail consolidation"

All I’m saying is, HIS NICKNAME FOR DECADES WAS THE PRINCE OF DARKNESS.

You were happy to appoint him knowing that. You cannot be surprised he failed vetting and you should’ve bloody asked.

So pleased Laura Kuenssberg is back this week. That means there is no chance Robert Jenrick will be asked about his promise to cut flight tax after a £40k donation from an airline owner.