NEW BLOGPOST: Keir Starmer and David Lammy are taking an extraordinarily dangerous gamble with our individual liberty
For any MP unsure of how to vote on the government’s proposals to restrict trial by jury.
During the Second Reading of the Representation of the People Bill, MP after MP got up to point out what's missing from it: fixing the voting system.
The problems with FPTP can no longer be ignored - and neither can the growing calls for PR. 📣
Here are just a few highlights:
Forgive the boasting but that’s the 47th five star review for my book and a very nice one it is too!
@lucympowell.bsky.social and @zackpolanski.bsky.social should not be having to argue over who is most likely to beat Reform.
We need a single transferable voting system so that voters don't have to second guess either. This is more important than ever now that we have multiple parties polling high
The really depressing thing about the discussion of the appointment of the new Cabinet Secretary is the question of what the candidates have actually done in the roles they perform. Always hard from outside to distinguish between what civil servants do and what ministers decide
...my team has to spend a reasonable part of their week trying to make sure none of us get murdered.
This also a greater burden for women, MPs of colour, LGBT MPs, so they effectively get less staff time to focus on what actually should matter...
6/?
This is what Pimlico and (the area that would become) Victoria looked like in 1746... now mapped in colour for the first time. High-res version and details on link: londonist.substack.com/p/mapped-in-...
These allegations are incredibly serious, it is now only right that the police investigate Peter Mandelson for potential misconduct in public office.
457 British troops lost their lives in Afghanistan.
Trump avoided military service 5 times.
How dare he question their sacrifice. Farage and all the others still fawning over Trump should be ashamed.
Keir Starmer should condemn Trump’s illegal action in Venezuela.
Maduro is a brutal and illegitimate dictator, but unlawful attacks like this make us all less safe.
Trump is giving a green light to the likes of Putin and Xi to attack other countries with impunity.
My take on the "stakeholder state" and other matters.
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/governing-...
I genuinely think this is one of the most interesting things about politics in England. The polls and actual elections all tell us 'Labour are super-unpopular and shedding votes to another challenger in their bloc' but they tell us different things about which challenger that actually *is*.
Christmas, innit. How about we get some things for women and children with nothing who are escaping domestic violence? You can do that, as ever, via the brilliant Refuge. Check this out: donate.refuge.org.uk/page/180196/...
Few thoughts on the "Polish exodus" from the UK.
1. It's not an 'exodus', it's a slow drip. We're fine, thanks.
2. Migration is really complicated.
3. The absolute cheek of the very same media attacking Poles for years lamenting their departure.
4. What you can do?
THREAD 🧵
There has been a strong reaction to the antisemitism allegations levelled at Nigel Farage - except from those you might have expected to condemn it most loudly. My piece for @jewishnews.bsky.social on a strange silence
www.jewishnews.co.uk/jonathan-fre...
Harry Cole of Sun interviews Connor Tomlinson - who advocates banning ethnic minority MPs from parliament
Tomlinson regrets sacrificing Suella Braverman but feels sure (on no evidence) she would sacrifice herself to remove the risk of Kemi Badenoch, Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel & Shabana Mahmood!
Good Christmas card from Ed Davey this year
This is a good thread on why political parties matter, but wanted to draw out this point as a reason why 'candidate diversity' matters, in that our life and career experiences will shape what the three or four things MPs know about (and are therefore most likely to rebel or be influential on).
Most discussions about “misinformation” treat the problem as if people simply don’t have good enough critical-thinking skills. It sounds intuitive, but it’s not entirely accurate. The problem isn’t just individual ignorance, it’s the structure of the information environment people are placed into.
Have you run out of whisky drink and lager drink?
Farage has been dismissing evidence of Russian ties to the Salisbury Novichok attack since 2018.
We need an investigation into Russian interference in our politics.
Holocaust survivors call on Nigel Farage to apologise over alleged antisemitic comments www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Farage has been dismissing evidence of Russian ties to the Salisbury Novichok attack since 2018 🧐
Reform deputy leader dismisses claims of Farage’s past racism as new witnesses come forward
GB News now broadcasting calls to remove the ethnic minority MPs from parliament
Growing up with a sister who has a learning disability, I’ve seen people shout the R word at her. That was in the 80s and 90s. Now we’re in the 2020s and I am seeing world leaders and tech leaders use it and I cannot begin to tell you how devastating that is.
Like all too many children in the UK today, I grew up poor. I am no longer poor, and I am delighted to pay higher taxes to reduce - or ideally eliminate - child poverty. 1/3
Whatever else this government do (and there's plenty of issues with this budget) ministers will always be able to point to this as an incredible important contribution to the country's future. Almost half a million kids taken out of poverty.
Three more ex-pupils at school with Nigel Farage reject ‘banter’ claims www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
