It took a while to learn how to be 'social', but yes.
It can be exhausting though, which nobody, including my partner, seems to fully appreciate.
12.03.2026 12:12
👍 2
🔁 0
💬 0
📌 0
It took a while to learn how to be 'social', but yes.
It can be exhausting though, which nobody, including my partner, seems to fully appreciate.
Reform party poster pledging to "Reduce council waste and cut your taxes"
On Farage becoming incensed during an interview this week, I recall seeing the administration of councils as a test Reform would likely fail. Rhetoric only takes you so far.
I hope Farage, his followers, and his well resourced benefactors face increasing scrutiny.
Timothy Snyder has argued that Trump may well welcome such an attack.
snyder.substack.com/p/the-desire...
Kremlin.ru has already revealed Orban and Putin are working closely together and that their 'teams' are coordinating.
There are a number of similar examples, and I'm thinking of Putin mounting close support for Lukashenko, Kobakhidze and Yanukovych too.
Who on earth is their intended audience?
I'd worried that targets useful in bringing down a regime would hamper the work a new administration would have to do in replenishing services for ordinary Iranians, but it looks much worse than I'd imagined.
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
America's brand is being trashed, and the only allies left seem to be those who are lucrative for Witkoff & Kushner.
I saw the US flag recently, and rather than conjuring memories of incredible interactions with Americans, Alistair Cookes letters, and Copeland, I felt a palpable sense of revulsion.
And still nothing from the US about its objectives.
As a reminder, Trump's military assessed Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities to have been "completely obliterated" last year, and 're-obliterating' them seems pointless.
A concise, compelling, and well written summary of the US war in Iran and of other foreign policy decisions in today's Times newspaper.
I have not always agreed with William Hague, but I cannot fault this piece.
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Screenshot from http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/78577, highlighting the text confirming strong cooperation between Orban and Putin. The full text is as follows: Meeting with Viktor Orban November 28, 2025 17:10 The Kremlin, Moscow Allow me to extend a very warm welcome to you here in Moscow. It is a great pleasure to see you in person. We are in regular contact by phone and our teams are in constant communication. I am particularly pleased that, despite the undoubted challenges of the present time, our relationship remains strong and continues to move forward. Ours is a relationship with a long and complex history, but today it is built on the strongest foundation of the best in our shared past, as well as on pragmatism – a pragmatic approach to our bilateral ties. We have known each other for many years, and I know you first and foremost as a steadfast champion of Hungary’s interests and the Hungarian people. While our views on certain international issues may not always align, we have developed a relationship where we can speak with complete frankness and address any issues. This open dialogue allows us not only to address them but also to work together on finding solutions. We are aware of your balanced position on the situation in Ukraine. Turning to our bilateral relations, I must note with regret that last year we saw a decline in mutual trade. This was primarily due to external restrictions, but the scale of the decrease, 23 percent, is nonetheless significant. That said, the outlook is promising. This year, we have already seen a modest recovery, with growth of over seven percent. Our energy cooperation, of course, remains a cornerstone of our partnership, and there are several specific matters that we need to address. Once again, we are delighted to have you with us. Welcome. Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban (retranslated): Mr President, First of all, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to hold talks with you here to…
The official Kremlin site often confirms what is generally assumed. Its outline of Hungarian and Russian teams working together, and Orban and Putin being in close contact is interesting.
Putin must be using all available means to cajole Orban and Fico.
en.kremlin.ru/events/presi...
@tbenner.bsky.social
Thanks for this excellent open article in IP Quarterly outlining the changing inport and export markets, the traps being put in place by China, the likely outcomes if little is done, and the opportunities that the EU has in trading with allies.
ip-quarterly.com/en/germanys-...
@dangoyal.bsky.social
I saw you share this fascinating open access Nature article on X.
Thank you.
Research by Germain Gauthier, Roland Hodler, Philine Widmer, Ekaterina Zhuravskaya, at the Department of Economics, University of St.Gallen, St.Gallen, Switzerland.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
This is such a pressing issue.
It could be argued that the likes of Bamford, Ashcroft, Lebedev, and Hintze, who have all been given peerages, bough enormous power and impacted the decision to hold an EU referendum, its terms, and its outcome. This should also be a national security issue.
I grew up fascinated by the US, and I must be one of many Brits who feel a sense of revulsion, apprehension, and sadness towards today's America.
I once sold Eddie Izzard an ironing board.
Our verbal interaction was me offering him a bag for it, and him asking whether there were bags specifically for ironing boards.
@preetbharara.bsky.social
- Some interesting talking points here from the brilliant Jenny Cohn. Could you share an opinion?
In these dynamic times, there is a strong interest in election integrity and the possible federalisation of elections in the US.
From what they’re saying, it’s someone close to Trump getting caught communicating with a foreign intelligence operative. I don’t know what it was related to, but I’m deeply concerned that the NSA Director and Deputy Director were both fired around the time of the complaint.
*tarnished.
Why, autocorrect?
I've been covering Trump and Epstein's rape cases for a decade. It takes a toll. I don't charge for my work because it's wrong to paywall in times of peril. But if you appreciate what I do, consider being a paying subscriber. Thank you.
sarahkendzior.substack.com/p/jackhammer...
I worry that he'll switch his focus on something else should his supporters show signs of discontent, and they will lap it up.
I'd love to see Democrats setting the agenda instead, but it appears to be hard to get through to Trump voters owing to the narrow sources of information they rely upon.
As a reminder, refugee rights are human rights too.
Human Rights Watch's reputation is being banished by its extraordinary contortions over Gaza.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
See also Michael Hintze, a Russian speaking Conservative mega-donor and hedge fund manager, who frequently met with David Cameron prior to 2016. His investments included land he though would allow him to profit from Brexit. There are many more such characters.
this headline is almost misleading because there's actually a handful of allegations against trump in here. am i living under a rock or something? is this just no longer a big deal? www.tmz.com/2026/01/30/t...
It would normally go without saying that public officials should be held to account, especially over something so blatantly egregious.
(I'm watching all this unfold from the UK and am horrified. I also worry about the long term effects of connecting thousands of people with extreme views via ICE.)
Heartbreaking.
What an emotive and powerful image!
It sounds like you've put yourself in the safest place in the building.
Damn the Kremlin, and I hope Putin faces a trial at the Hague.
Take care!
It feels like the beginning of the regulations that prevented people from smoking indoors, and I believe that people will think 'How were we ever allowed to do that?' when it comes to the public purchase of fireworks.
Thank you.
*China
Thank you so much for your efforts and your support.
Even Argentina's fireworks regulations are already much stricter than our own, and I hope UK legislators recognise the issues caused through the widespread sale of these explosives to the public.
An interview featuring Galeotti and Kotkin exploring Russia's significant and complex relationship with Russia would be interesting too.
www.foreignaffairs.com/china/weakne...
I'm looking forward to listening to the episode, and thank you for producing and sharing it.