In addition to promoting entertainment, X's feed algorithm tends to push more conservative content to users' feeds. Seven weeks of exposure to such content in 2023 shifted users' political opinions in a more conservative direction, particularly with regard to policy priorities, perceptions of the criminal investigations into Trump and views on the war in Ukraine. The effect is asymmetric: switching the algorithm on influenced political views, but switching it off did not reverse users' perspectives on policy priorities or current political issues.

We show that exposure to algorithmically curated content led users to follow conservative activist accounts. In contrast, when the algorithmic feed was switched off, users continued to follow the accounts they had engaged with previously. This indicates that exposure to feed algorithms has a lasting impact on users' feeds and their political attitudes.

This is a very interesting new paper in Nature about the role that feed algorithms on X play in influencing political attitudes.

No paywall: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

It is worth recalling that the position of U.K. Ambassador to the US was not vacant at the time the Prime Minister chose to appoint Peter Mandelson to the role. A highly competent and respected woman was replaced.

Not many papers get two films - The Post, and All The President's Men - sad for the staff and readers of #WashingtonPost Sad for good journalism.

Oddly enough, both films at the same black heart of US government.

What do we get, Melania.

#jeffbezos yer an arse, and will be remembered as such.

New Epstein emails show Peter Mandelson secretly advising JPMorgan’s CEO on how to fight Labour’s 2009 bankers’ bonus tax - even suggesting he “mildly threaten” the Chancellor.

Mandelson was Business Secretary at the time.

A year later, he was seeking work with JPM.

Once again, extraordinary things happening on the social media of the German foreign ministry
www.instagram.com/reel/DUGW47K...

Tell me again how this BBC editorialising is just my cognitive bias... This isn't a quote from anywhere. It's just the BBC's description of this disgraced, divisive politician.

Not going to end well is it.

The people of Gorton & Denton deserve much better than an opportunist extremist using their community as a platform for his own career. HOPE not hate will be actively campaigning to make sure Matthew Goodwin does not get elected.

Reform’s Matt Goodwin is sure he’s the right man for Gorton and Denton. He just doesn’t know why… | John Crace Introduced by an unsupervised Lee Anderson, the byelection candidate was out of his depth immediately

Excellent on the howling unsuitability of Matt Goodwin to be a Manchester MP…
or indeed an MP anywhere at all.

But that’s Reform for you.
Frothing racists and needy inadequates demanding support from a voting public that doesn’t deserve any of their shit.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Happy Australia Day to all our mates Down Under.

This old '£10 Pom' poster reminded me of the Chic Murray joke, when he saw the poster in the Post Office.

Chic, to the women beside him in the queue: 'Australia for £10?'.
"It's a lovely idea, but where would you keep it?"

You know who”stayed a little back” in VIetnam? DJT.

“No one man can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.”

-Edward R. Murrow

At the root of all our problems stands one travesty: politicians’ surrender to the super-rich | George Monbiot There are many excuses for failing to tax the ultra-wealthy. The truth is that governments don’t tackle the problem because they don’t want to, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

10. It’s time to recognise how deeply weird this is, reserve our votes for people who give us what we want, and stop subscribing to media outlets that lie on behalf of oligarchs.
More on this subject, with facts and figures, in my most recent column: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Such a disgraceful comment from the President who clearly has such limited military knowledge. The death of my family member in Afghanistan tore our family apart. To hear these words yesterday was a further insult. A full immediate apology is needed.

Where are the poppy patriots? Why are they completely silent on this grotesque insult to our armed forces and specifically the 2,000 UK service and civilian personnel who were injured and the 457 who died in Afghanistan?

Accurate

457 UK armed forces personnel died in Afghanistan during the 20-year deployment.
This is a fucking hideous thing to say. Even by his non-existent standards.

There are some events that pass into Glasgow folklore.

Back in 1989, the Toledo cinema genuinely did advertise the enticing triple-bill of 'Big', 'Frantic', 'Shag' - not something you usually get in Muirend!

Pic: Graeme Thomson

Starmer maybe rightly doesn’t take bait each time but he needs an outrider - a semi-licensed “off message” attack dog - to make Haw-Haw Farage pay for sucking up to the guy who denigrates British war dead.

We interrupt today’s unhinged news about the current U. S. President’s ridiculous performance on the world stage with a photo of this sweet boy who just got a fluff n buff. @dogs.bsky.social

A president who threatens allies is not a partner, he is a risk. Tariffs batter supply chains, wages and investment, and Trump will aim them at any democracy that resists. Britain should deepen European cooperation, not bet on Washington’s mood swings.

A reader‘s letter in the times which reads as follows: Old adversaries Sir, Your obituary (Jan 19) of Mr Justice Blofeld rightly referred to his fine sense of humour. When he first sat in Winchester a barrister called Richard Bond stood up to open the first case. Mr Justice Blofeld began to stroke the white ermine on the sleeve of his High Court judge's robes as if stroking a cat. He then said with a smile: "We meet at last, Mr Bond." Sir John Royce Clifton, Bristol

This was posted by @mambarlife.bsky.social in the Other Place and it’s too good not to share it.

Watching GB News or reading the Telegraph you realise there is a slice of right-wing opinion that would happily betray this country.

Tim Stanley - Trump controls the world, and Britain ought to let him have it

Tim Stanley - Britain must declare independence from America or it will die

11th January 2026
Vs
18th January 2026

Andrew Rosindell quits Tories and defects to Reform UK His defection comes days after former shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick joined Reform.

Called it.

To reiterate: In May 2022, Rosindell was arrested by the Metropolitan Police on suspicion of indecent assault, sexual assault, rape, abuse of position of trust, and misconduct in public office.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

It’s a real shame that Nigel Farage is too unwell to do interviews the morning after Donald Trump threatens us with sanctions.

Here he is with “the bravest man he ever met”. He campaigned to make Trump President, and has spent the last year enjoying all the chaos he has caused.

When people talk about reasons to leave X, the fact that the owner is a mass murderer doesn't get mentioned enough. The Grok porn stuff is foul. The naked white nationalism is foul. This is worse.