Duncan Brack

this is what happens when you insist on a “party of Middle England” narrative and put your entire effort into being as inoffensive to soft Tories as possible. We need to come out of the corner into which we have backed ourselves to be a proper national party again.

When it rains, it now rains more.

For those experiencing the flooding in south-west England, it is worth remembering that rainfall in winter has increased by about 25% overall.

And, the rainfall has also become more intense: when it rains, it now rains more, increasing the risk of flooding.

Screenshot of interview from 2024 in which Nigel Farage says that the second Donald Trump presidency makes world a ‘better, safer place’.

Any chance Nigel of an update on the person you call a friend?

Time series of annual average global mean temperature 1850-2025.

While the world sometimes seems metaphorically on fire right now, global warming is still progressing as well.

In 2025, global warming delivered the 3rd warmest year since measurements began. A modest step down from 2024's records, but still well above 20th century norms.

🧪🧵

Peter Kellner: The pro-Brexit majority of 2016 has literally died out Huffington Post had gone behind the New World (formerly New European) paywall and emerged with a story about the level of public support fo...

Our government's policy on Europe is heavily influenced by a desire not to alienate dead people.

A combination of micro and macro estimates suggest that the Brexit process has reduced UK GDP by 6-8%, Investment by 12-18%, Employment by 3-4% and Productivity by 3-4%. Bank of England.

New figures by the Bank of England demonstrate how much of a negative impact Brexit has had on the UK economy. Trade weakness combined with uncertainty has decreased our GDP, Investment, Employment, and Productivity, resulting in a negative decline for the UK compared to our European neighbours.

The Guardian: "'Dismal' health of world's forests is threat to humanity, report warns. Financial institutions pouring money into land clearance and undermining efforts to stop destruction, says Climate Focus. Jonathan Watts, 14th Oct."

$5.9bn = the amount spent annually on protecting and restoring forests

$409bn = the amount of subsidies going to agriculture industries destroying forests

Anyone else see the problem here?

The Lib Dems and Reform UK have plans for net zero - compare and contrast the response Liberal Democrat complaints over media bias and the failure to take the threat posed by Reform's climate denialism seriously appear more justified than ever

Latest blog is on how the Lib Dems have a point about biased media coverage - and the response to the rival net zero plans from Ed Davey and Nigel Farage proves it. www.businessgreen.com/blog-post/45...

British By-Elections 1769-2025 - The 88 By-Elections That Shaped our Politics edited by Iain Dale (Signed copy) COMING 18 SEPTEMBER Biteback Hardback 18 September 2025 88 essays by 87 different politicians, historians, academics and journalists about 85 of the most important by-elections since thje John Wilkes by-election of 176...

Pleased to have contributed a chapter on the Norwich by-election of 1904 to this book, published today (just as important as Barnard Castle but much less mentioned): www.politicos.co.uk/products/by-...

Imagine doing a deal with a bunch of fundamentalist crazies with no interest in the rule of law. Don't know what the Taliban are thinking.

… while also building a broad consensus.

1 New minister for X (cabinet mi sister if X is really important)
2 X Delivery Authority
3 Statutory duty on local authorities to deliver X
4 Empower local communities to deliver X
…
5 If all else fails, more research

Two weeks to go! Liberals, Europe and the people - Liberal Democrat History Group discussion meeting, 6.00pm, 30 June, with @robertsaunders.bsky.social, @morganj0nes.bsky.social and @nickalito.bsky.social - mailchi.mp/e87f8af44d0f...

Ditto

It’s time for a bolder approach to the UK’s relationship with the EU. I know many Labour colleagues agree. I hope they will work with the Lib Dems to make it happen. A deeper trade deal would bring growth, help households and improve the public finances.

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

Apple’s new sci-fi series “Murderbot” to make global debut May 16, 2025 Today, Apple TV+ unveiled a first look at “Murderbot,” created by Chris and Paul Weitz and starring Alexander Skarsgård

I have been so excited since I found out this would be announced today! RIP any ability for me to concentrate: www.apple.com/tv-pr/news/2...

Murderbot — An Inside Look | Apple TV+ YouTube video by Apple TV

attn please, here is some further Murderbot footage to enjoy incl the definitely best little moment in All Systems Red

thinking about the amount of context necessary to explain to someone from 2010 what people are protesting with signs reading "cheap eggs not measles" or "tax the rich, not the penguins"

I stand with the penguins of Heard and McDonald Islands!

A while ago a lovely German man appeared at our church. He came a few times to look around during our Saturday opening hours, before asking if the piano abandoned in the corner worked.

I told him it was horrendously out of tune, and the cathedral piano tuner had deemed it not worth sorting out.

Screenshot of polling data from Jan 2025

The UK would now want to rejoin the EU by 55% to 33%

Removing those that don’t know - that’s a 62.5% to 37.5% breakdown.

@syonist.bsky.social Happily I was able to identify the problem and the speech is now available on the same URL.

Thanks for asking! I don't, I'm afraid, but I'm trying to find out whether it might be available somewhere.

Fix the two-party system before someone turns it into a one-party system and it's game over.

PR is like a seatbelt. You don't think you need it, until you're heading through the political windscreen at 60mph.

And once that dawns on you, it's the last realisation ever.

Background photo of wood pellets burning. Red good news icon on a screenshot of a headline from Solutions for Our Climate reading “[Statement] South Korea to reduce government support for biomass energy, sending ripples across Asia”.

GOOD NEWS! 🙌 🎉 🌲

South Korea announced it's cutting subsidies for #BigBadBiomass starting this month, signaling a shift away from burning imported wood pellets for energy, which is linked to deforestation in Southeast Asia.

#GreenSky #ClimateSky

This article is more than 2 years old Lord Geidt letter says request from Boris Johnson put him in ‘odious position’ This article is more than 2 years old Ethics adviser who quit says PM asked him to consider matter that risked deliberate breach of ministerial code Read Lord Geidt’s letter Jessica Elgot Chief political correspondent Thu 16 Jun 2022 14.53 BST Share Boris Johnson placed his ethics adviser in an “impossible and odious” position by asking him to “risk a deliberate and purposeful breach of the ministerial code”, letters from the adviser show. Johnson revealed in his reply that he had asked Christopher Geidt to consider plans by the government to continue some steel tariffs – a move that could break World Trade Organization terms – but hinted he was unsatisfied with the explanation. Lord Geidt’s resignation letter said he was “tasked to offer a view about the government’s intention to consider measures which risk a deliberate and purposeful breach of the ministerial code. This request has placed me in an impossible and odious position”.

This article is more than 4 years old Boris Johnson adviser quits after being overruled on Priti Patel bullying report This article is more than 4 years old PM’s backing of home secretary criticised as No 10 fails to deny reports he tried to get findings toned down Heather Stewart and Simon Murphy Fri 20 Nov 2020 19.12 GMT Share Boris Johnson drove his own ethics adviser to quit on Friday as he ripped up the rulebook by refusing to sack Priti Patel despite a formal investigation finding evidence that she bullied civil servants. After a Cabinet Office inquiry, Sir Alex Allan said the home secretary’s conduct “amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying” – noting instances of shouting and swearing, and finding that she had breached the ministerial code, even if unintentionally. Johnson seized on that caveat, seemingly dismissing the report, by insisting he judged the code had not been breached – and he had full confidence in Patel.

Contrast today - a minister going for the mere possible perception of conflict, despite no finding - with Johnson forcing out two (2) ethics advisors, one for finding Patel breached code and a second for refusing to clear a likely breach, after which none (0) was appointed for two (2) years. ~AA

This is such a key point. Some senior people within Labour are at risk of making a grievous error in how they perceive climate action. It’s not woke, it’s popular, and it’s key to their economic strategy. www.businessgreen.com/blog-post/43...

Democracy does not matter to Labour The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) is now, as it was in Blair’s days, Labour’s favoured think tank. Half of its leadership from a year ago now seems to be in Downing Street. Those that ar...

Democracy does not matter to Labour www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/01... IPPR is the think-tank most listened to by Labour. In a new report on voting it says it will not consider proportional representation because Labour does not want it. No wonder politics and our democracy are in a mess.

UK inflation hits eight-month high, adding to pressure to hold interest rates Annual rate increases to 2.6% in November, driven by rising cost of groceries and hike in tobacco duty in budget

There’ll be a lot of focus on national insurance, but it was also predicted there would be inflationary pressure on food prices this autumn because we’ve just had a historically bad harvest because of all the wet weather. It’s climate change, innit.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Tank with vegetables for sale piled on it

Repurposed Assad tank in Syria.