Ben Belshaw

More blatant lies. No message from 36p Lee (adjusted for inflation) is actually important.

As I permitted that moldy propaganda piece to steal 3 minutes of my life, the header for the Guardian's usual donations ask clung to the bottom of the page throughout the read - arrow pointing upwards at author and article with the unintentionally poignant message "this is what we're up against."

Rather than a Muslim family, it would be shouted down as an unrepresentative caricature, not permitted to take root in the public consciousness as a prototypical Reform voter, certainly not amplified by the mainstream media to foment moral panic and ideas of sectarian warfare. Just seems odd (2/).

I just find it funny that if the example of family voting we were given was a gurning, porcine old white fart who looks like 36p Lee (adjusted for inflation) mated with a pastrami, who fervently believes migrants/refugees steal from him, twisting his wife's arm into voting the way he wants (1/)

Hard to think of a better outcome. The wretched Goodwin catapulted into the sun and a thunderous rejection of the arrogant, cynical Starmer/McSweeney strategy that progressives would just hold their noses and come along to stop Reform, no matter how far the party drifted in Reform's direction.

Rather than an invitation to interview or less visible and evocative strategy tells us something about the nature of the evidence, what they thought may still have been in his possession and and the complete lowering of the shields of privilege that Andrew has benefitted from to-date (3/)

Uncover with relative ease that level of evidence of wrongdoing. It speaks to the magnitude of evidence of serious criminality that the police were empowered to make such a politically delicate and significant arrest in such a short period of investigation. Not to mention, the arrest itself (2/)

A few thoughts spring immediately to mind. One, to make such a high-profile arrest the police and CPS obviously have to be incredibly confident in the evidence they've already secured. Two, the investigation was announced, what, two weeks ago? So in such a short time, they've been able to (1/)

What he probably meant was Braverman wasn't a minister for very long in each of her various appointments. She did get canned and brought back so many times one could almost excuse that being the only thing Farage might genuinely remember about her.

The restraint and self-control showed by the Epstein victims in Congress to not rush Pam Bondi after hearing that torrent of verbal diarrhea and rend her limb from limb like the conclusion of Weapons is one of the most remarkable displays of human strength I've ever seen.

It is very specifically perilous to Starmer because of how he staked out the ethos of this Labour Party. Adults in the room, no more mendacity or cronyism, stable and predictable politics. It so profoundly contradicts the terms of definition he set for himself that it has to be a mortal blow (5/).

None of this means that the Mandelson dynamite wouldn't go off regardless of scenario, it just explains why the fuse is shorter. Nor does it excuse, as you rightly pointed out, the double standards and normalising of scandal and criminality, enabled by the client press, under Johnson et. al. (4/)

Means there is less latitude, led good feeling with the public. It is a magnitude worse to be a bumbling, vascillating administrator in this situation than it would be if you were a competent politician presiding over better conditions, stronger policies and ideological consistency (3/).

Though I agree with you that none of the policy decisions in themselves rise to the level of scandal and that George had this wrong, the things he was agitated about contain the answer. Mandelson is likely an existential problem for any prime minister, but Starmer's political ineptitude (2/)

@mrjamesob.bsky.social having a retrospective listen to the Friday show and, much as you found yourself at loggerheads with caller George, I think you were both circling the answer of the question of why Starmer is, at this moment, in such political danger despite the lack of misuse of office (1/)

Onto one specific group in society, when the financial health of that group in a consumerist society should be driving the economic productivity of the country. It's a complete fallacy, unbelievably cynical, and Reeves should be rightly pilloried for normalising this classist fantasy (5/).

Domestic population. In fact, she's really saying the quiet part out loud. This service, this sector, on which we rely to advance our personal ambitions and to move society forward through knowledge, now serves primarily as an engine of profit, we are comfortable shifting that economic burden (4/)

Services are a social and moral good, they support a healthy and safe society. The subtext of what Reeves is saying is that education does not fall into that category. That it is not in the public interest to promote aspiration via academia and knowledge, that we do not value an educated (3/)

Pensions, the NHS, child care, defense, etc. Now most of these aren't even necessarily by majoritarian public consent, but are contributed to based on the policy of the day, what the government deems a priority. And by and large we are persuaded and accept that these (2/)

Some of the implications of what Reeves is saying have been unpacked by others, Oli Dugmore especially, more articulately than I could. But if we go a few steps down that garden path, we as a society bear the costs collectively of other services that most of us don't make regular use of (1/)

The Vancouver Sun and the Province ran an article trumpeting McKenna at the top of the draft rankings literally 4 hours ago. Are we ignoring the possibility that Jim Benning was dabbling in blood magic alongside his franchise sabotage pastime?

worth noting that the second rich people stopped being afraid of mobs tearing them limb from limb, they stopped building libraries and opera houses and stuff and started ripping the copper wiring out of the walls of society instead

The two words I hear coupled together the most, unfortunately.

I realised right after that Refurbished is the right one. Damn it all.

This quote is aging like a head of lettuce left out of the fridge

Well shit. Sorry everyone, I spoke this into existence.

They really ought to rename the party to Reformat at this point.

A nation of whiny, bald Sideshow Bob lookalikes sounds like something dredged from the darkest corners of Dante's imagination.

"...today."

That would require, particularly here in the UK, a recognition that when Carney speaks about middle powers, he's referring to us. The delusion of empire, the brain rot that motivated the Brexit failure which has only accelerated our decline, still hangs in the air like an onion petarade.