@richardburden
Former Member of Parliament/Lab Shadow Minister. Chair @HWBrum.bsky.social West Mids Chair @SrebrenicaUK.bsky.social Trustee britainpalestineproject.org Board @lfpme.bsky.social. Ex-Chair @medicalaidpal.bsky.social Blogs at Richardburden.com. Own views
While the eyes of the world are on Iran,Israel’s government is deepening its illegal occupation of the West Bank - allocating 574 million ILS (≈$155m) for settlement expansion and 9 million ILS (≈$2.4m) to the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, which spearheads attacks on humanitarian organisations
Well over half a million people forced from their homes in Lebanon by Israel’s invasion and bombing. Why isn’t there more of an international outcry at the enormity of what Israel is doing there? news.un.org/en/story/202...
Judging by Trump’s toys out of the pram outbursts against Keir Starmer, maybe the UK will indeed block the kind of mission creep by US aircraft using UK based that I warned about yesterday. Let’s hope so…
ICYMI: BBC Expert Demolishes Trump And Netanyahu's Case For Bombing Iran: 'A War Of Choice'
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bbc-ex...
Starmer’s shift on use of UK bases is very dangerous, dragging UK into a war that was illegal from the start. Yes, RAF planes should help intercept Iranian missiles/drone attacks but I have big doubts that US strikes on Iran from UK bases will be as limited in practice as promised in theory
Labour didn’t have a monopoly on unpleasant campaign tactics in Gorton and Denton, but they still have parallels and brought back personal memories that I talked about in this blog which was prompted by other recent events
richardburden.com/2026/02/thou...
Wishing everyone a blessed and peaceful month. Ramadan Mubarak
Thoughts on Epstein, Mandelson and the monopolisation of power
richardburden.com/2026/02/thou...
Disgusting desecration and destruction of Commonwealth War Graves in Gaza .
Having visited the cemeteries in Gaza myself and met the Palestinians who care for them, the enormity of this feels personal for me richardburden.com/2024/11/gaza...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
Shocking and sad news that Cllr Waseem Zaffar has died. A committed community politician, he made a big contribution to the work of Birmingham City Council, particularly in promoting clean air. Above all to me personally, he was always a supportive friend.RIP www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midland...
A group of approximately 20 people of diverse ages and backgrounds pose indoors in a blue-walled room. Most are seated or standing while holding up black posters with colorful text that reads, "MARCH FOR LOVE. FOR UNITY. FOR HOPE. TOGETHER" and "LOVE IS BACK." The bottom of the posters mentions a march on Saturday, 28th March in Central London. The atmosphere is collaborative and organized, with pamphlets and bags visible on the tables in the foreground.
A large, dense crowd of protesters gathered in a public square in front of historic stone buildings under an overcast sky. Many individuals are wearing beanies and winter coats. The crowd is a sea of signs and flags; prominent light blue flags feature the "National Education Union" logo, while participants hold numerous black posters with the slogans "HOPE IS BACK" and "MARCH FOR LOVE. FOR UNITY. FOR HOPE. TOGETHER."
A large group of activists stands together in a high-ceilinged hall with brick arches and pillars. In the center, a large purple banner for the "TUC London, East & South East" is held high. Every person in the group is holding a sign, creating a wall of black posters with bold pink and white text reading "UNITY IS BACK" or the multi-colored "MARCH FOR LOVE" design. The setting appears to be a formal meeting or community space, with several people in the front row smiling at the camera.
Organised. United. Ready to fill the streets with hope and unity.
Share this post to help spread the word. We are growing. We are building. We are #Together.
My take in Trump’s “Board of Peace“ with detailed analysis from @hlovatt.bsky.social of @ecfr.eu
richardburden.com/2026/01/what...
What is Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’?
https://richardburden.com/2026/01/what-is-trumps-board-of-peace/
Don Quixote no doubt had many more appealing personal characteristics than Donald Trump has but Trump did devote a lot of his Davos speech to tilting at windmills… literally
When even Air Force One decides to tell Trump to get off, maybe things are starting to look up after all
Netanyahu has announced he is joining Trump’s”Board of Peace.” George Orwell’s novel “1984” described a dystopian world where people were taught “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.”
It is no longer fiction
Bravo Mark Carney 🇨🇦. It needed saying. Thank you for saying it .
Trump’s Board of Peace violates the Palestinians’ right to sovereignty in their own land. But it’s not really about Gaza at all . It is about Trump giving himself imperial power to replace the UN globally with his hand-picked friends and family, to make money and to even choose his own successor
This…
Yes- West Midlands Police have serious questions to answer about their behaviour. But it is not the whole story. You would not know it from most of the commentary today, but this from @timesofisrael.com provides important context for the Maccabi Tel Aviv issue www.timesofisrael.com/maccabi-tel-...
Remembering British photojournalist Tom Hurndall who died 22 years ago today. He had been in a coma for 9 months after being shot in the head by an Israeli military sniper as he tried to rescue children from the line of gunfire in Gaza. Love and respect always. #RIPTomHurndall
Trump’s coup in Venezuela didn’t just break the rules – it showed there aren’t any. We’ll all regret that | Nesrine Malik www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
An illegal military strike on Saturday followed by claims that the USA will “run” Venezuela.
Now a renewed threat to seize Greenland over the heads of its people.
When will our leaders here in the UK stop prevaricating and stand up for international law?
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Trump and Venezuela – 1984 in 2026?
https://richardburden.com/2026/01/trump-and-venezuela-1984-in-2026/
Trump claims the right to run countries in US’ backyard. Putin and Xi claim same for Russia and China. A world to be divided between 3 superpower dictatorships? Remember Orwell’s 1984? Trouble is that 1984’s Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia superpowers ended up permanently at war with each other too
Trump: USA will “run” Venezuela after attack.
UN Charter: “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state”
The US action is illegal. Starmer must say so
Beyond disgraceful that Israel’s government is trying to block @medicalaidpal.bsky.social and other NGOs from operating in Gaza and the West Bank. As a former Chair of MAP, I’ve seen its life-saving work first hand and I know the dedication of MAP’s teams Solidarity www.map.org.uk/news/archive...
This New Year, we’re celebrating a message of hope and unity.
And in 2026, we’ll march to make it a reality.
Join us – for brighter days ahead. #TogetherAlliance
Happy Christmas everyone 🎄🎄🎄
