Ukraine has done more than defend itself, writes Simon Pease.
It has bought time for the rest of Europe.
Which raises a difficult question about what we owe in return.
eastangliabylines.co.uk/politics/def...
My son had a friend at school whose parents banned him from having a phone. Pretty much every afternoon the mum would ring me wondering where my son was and asking me if I'd call him to ask him where her son was and there's your problem.
This is the 2020s not the 1980s.
If it's a total ban they're after and kids can't even take phones to school then I'd say that was completely irresponsible.
When I was a kid we had payphones - which we used to call our parents in an emergency. No such network exists any more and nobody seems to acknowledge it.
Reform really should be an absolute gift to a sitting government. Deeply target-rich opposition leader who is badly tainted by Trump. Back rank of even more unlikeable characters. Real nervousness among voters about them.
That Labour is still doing so badly shows exactly why Starmer needs to go
“Farage rarely turns up to do his actual job. Yet he finds time to jet off around the world on his donor’s private plane and trouser half a million quid while families struggle. Reform are not on your side. They’re just in it for themselves”
It’s so obvious, it hurts.
www.desmog.com/2026/04/18/n...
And it is the party that the BBC gave special status to by using ReFuk branding for THE BBC’s chyron …this during election purdah.
bsky.app/profile/stur...
This is a party with children of immigrants and refugees in their top team.
But also tax dodgers.
YESTERDAY: Farage pledged to deport hundreds of thousands of refugees including those who have been given asylum stays. & he did so on the anniversary -58 YRS AGO-that Enoch Powell delivered his infamous & highly divisive “rivers of blood” speech
www.ft.com/content/b9d9...
Climate change (more heat & more wet) and heavier vehicles causing roads to flex and crack are increasing the potholes in our roads.
Watch a video here
Council budgets have been heavily cut for more than a decade making it harder to keep up…the daily outward symbol of decline
youtu.be/JcCTF2eshhw
We need more of this and better local journalism generally which has been in decline for decades.
If we can have a better grasp of local issues that also feeds into a better understanding of national issues.
It’s very hard not to give up…
The media outlets that we should be able to trust to hold power to account are in the pockets of power. They undermine our democracy every day.
I despair, I really do.
For decades, UK defence assumed two anchors: the US and Europe. Both are now uncertain.
What if funding national security involved the public directly? Not just through tax, but something more deliberate.
Simon Pease explains ⤵️
@eastangliabylines.co.uk @simonpease.bsky.social
This!
Yes. Depends on which crisis, I guess.
In the end it comes down to this; announcing things which are still uncertain for the sake of perceived political impact may well produce an impact, just not the one you expected.
Perfect summary b
Apparently, we are going to get "angry Starmer" in the Commons.
But politically, constitutionally, logically and administratively all this flows from his - his! - appointment of Mandelson.
All else is the putting into effect of that decsion.
But: anger at others, blaming others, sacking others.
Whether Starmer goes is more a matter of politics than about the constitution, but the Prime Minister should properly account to Parliament for his own decision to appoint Mandelson.
His current approach of ducking, and blaming and sacking others, is a failure of prime ministerial responsibility.
That’s exactly what concerns me. The gluttony will hurt millions, and the burst more.
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.
This thread is endless but extremely helpful if you read it to the end.
Me for East Anglia Bylines. Just like to point out I wrote this before Rachel Reeves was reported to be looking into “War Bonds”.
While we're on the workings of the UK government today, a moment to reflect on the US pharmaceuticals deal which even if these numbers feel exaggerated is something that really needs parliamentary scrutiny that successive governments have denied for trade deals www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/...
It is mad to continue with this unregulated without considering all the implications.
The China balance according to the FT Editorial Board. A slowly dawning realisation that its rise cannot be stopped or ignored, and thus the world will never be the same again. Far more significant in the long term than a mad US President. www.ft.com/content/d62f...
Ukrainian drones have struck the Tuapse refinery and export terminal in Russia’s Krasnodar region, triggering a massive fire across the tank farm. Multiple storage tanks have burned, with thick black smoke visible over the facility, indicating significant damage to oil infrastructure. #Russia
Don’t bother telling me that I shouldn’t say Reform is racist. They are. They are cruel and hateful and racist. Voting for them is a cruel and hateful and racist act. Shame on everyone who supports and excuses them.
With Farage making a shed load of money from bitcoin and an assortment of weird companies, we’ve launched a map and live tracker of his income 👇🏻👇🏻
From “The Simpsons” house genius John Swartzwelder, interviewed in The New Yorker by Mike Sacks
