Ian Betteridge
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ianbetteridge.com
Ian Betteridge
@ianbetteridge.com
He of the eponymous law. FRSA. Good at writing and sums. Degrowther, and not a fan of capitalism. Your pal. The Eye of Sauron, but for headlines. Made by socialism and immigration, which seems to annoy people. Come for the headlines, stay for the Gramsci.
Pinned
Pinning this one to my profile for the hard for reading.
People have a right to speak. They don’t have a right for anyone else to have to listen. That’s why block lists etc exist. I don’t give people the benefit of assuming good faith in the same way I wouldn’t if someone followed me down the street demanding I debate them. I’d call the cops, to be honest
Putin couldn't wish for a better US president than Trump if he paid for one.

Hmm.

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...
Donald Trump says eight European countries face 10% tariff for opposing US control of Greenland – Europe live
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland will face tariffs from 1 February
www.theguardian.com
January 17, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
for context here, you also have to remember that Canadian-Chinese relations *cratered* in the last few years as a result of Beijing's hostage diplomacy. That the Canadians now have more trust in China than the United States is quite an achievement by Trump.
Okay this is way bigger than the article below suggested.
"The Prime Minister welcomed President Xi’s commitment to introducing visa-free access for Canadians travelling to China."

www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news...
January 16, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
I especially love that this is more or less directly quoting Matthew 7:9-11 and I guarantee a bunch of "Christian" racists read it and were like "Pish. My word, what drivel."
January 17, 2026 at 2:49 PM
"IT IS NOW APPARENT THAT THE IMPERIALIST HAS NO SYMPATHY FOR ANYRODY BUT HIMSELF!"

Words from yesterday, words for today.

I highly recommend going to the "Nigerian Modernism" show at Tate Modern
January 17, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
I have the typewriter one above my desk. Looks great!

Gail’s prints are striking and brilliant. Treat yourself
There’s 20% off all my unframed prints with code GAILSALE
www.gailmyerscough.co.uk/prints
Ends 18 January
January 17, 2026 at 10:22 AM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
This is insanity. They are being investigated for *making statements* critical of ICE.

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
January 17, 2026 at 3:50 AM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
OTD in 1945, Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who saved 15,000 Jews in WW2, was kidnapped by the Soviet NKVD who took him to Moscow & killed him.

Cos we're the real anti-fascists
January 17, 2026 at 9:12 AM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
It will not surprise you to learn that Toby Youngs 'Free Speech Union' has obtained a High Court injunction banning the publication of a list of its donors open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
Who funds the Free Speech Union?
Toby Young’s outfit went to court to hide its donors. Today we reveal that funders include US anti-abortion groups, Brexit politicians and Tufton Street insiders.
open.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 8:45 AM
We really need to rename this guy before something bad happens to the other Jonathan Ross.
Also, Jonathon Ross *was* an ICE trainer for a decade.

It's not just "give ICE more money" but specifically, literally "pay Jonathon Ross more money and give him more people to train to shoot mothers in the face"
Make no mistake: "Give ICE better training" = Give ICE more money

When politicians tell you shit like that, they're literally ignoring everything that's happening and arguing that ICE should get MORE money.

They've already done it for half a century with the cops.
January 17, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Yeah but no but no but no
January 16, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
Farage warned just now against “a worrying extreme left wing voice in this country."

Hmmm.

This from a climate denying, Trump loving, NHS selling corporate stooge who’s been a genuine threat to Britain for decades.
January 15, 2026 at 5:07 PM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
If the Conservative party were in government and if Farage was genuinely in reach of Downing Street then this would all be significant.

As it is, he's scooping up failures and sacked MPs and in the process undermining his entire USP.

It's actually spectacularly stupid.
And now imagine being governed by this lot.
January 15, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
Today Trump has expressly threatened invoking the Insurrection Act and is reported as saying there is no need for the mid-terms.

But of course he is only joking.
January 15, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
Keep watching - Trump and his circle almost have their precious goal: invoking the Insurrection Act.

As per said before: a great deal of what is being done is simply Trump and his circle working backwards from this objective.
January 15, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
Incredibly, no-one on Nigel Farage’s team has got round to deleting this post. It’s still live as Robert Jenrick gives his big defection speech.
January 15, 2026 at 4:49 PM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
Jenrick saying he's "put aside personal ambition" too join Reform is the single most shameless statement I've ever heard.

If he "put aside personal ambition" he'd disappear. That's all there is.
January 15, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
Because Trump wants them in Minnesota?
The Pentagon is moving some troops out of an important air base in the Middle East as a precaution as tensions mount with Iran
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/u...
U.S. Moves Some Personnel From Key Air Base as Tensions Mount With Iran
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 7:16 AM
He’s so full of shit
January 15, 2026 at 7:18 AM
Reform it? Never mind ICE, they’re going to have to denazify the whole country.
These dumb assholes are going to fumble the easiest bag once again.
SCOOP: A new memo circulating on Capitol Hill urges Democratic lawmakers to instead embrace reforming the agency. New from @lauren-egan.bsky.social: lnk.thebulwark.com/4bzT7kh
January 15, 2026 at 7:15 AM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
BBC report at a headline level that Grok will now not make sexually exploitative images any more. An actual reporter comes on and explains that it will do no such thing, and will just make the images invisible in the UK. These are two very, very different things.
January 15, 2026 at 6:44 AM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
Cripes a’mighty people, Steven Miller is not staging a militarized ethnic cleansing and sending the border cops to murder people in the street to distract from the Epstein files. He’s doing it because he and Trump (and Vance and Homan and Noem etc) really really want to.
January 15, 2026 at 2:39 AM
Reposted by Ian Betteridge
the problem with an untrained secret police squad that shoots people in their cars isn’t that they’re untrained
January 15, 2026 at 1:19 AM
The American Senate, at some point this year.

youtu.be/PbMKc17EtGI?...
Rome (HBO) - Octavian's Speech to the Senate
YouTube video by BayA
youtu.be
January 15, 2026 at 7:09 AM
Since when did Trump care about the law?
The main bank account holding revenue from the Venezuelan oil sales is located in Qatar.

“There is no basis in law for a president to set up an offshore account that he controls so that he can sell assets seized by the American military,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

www.semafor.com/article/01/1...
Exclusive: US gets first $500 million Venezuelan oil deal, holding some proceeds in Qatar
The details shared with Semafor mark an initial milestone in the administration’s plan following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro.
www.semafor.com
January 15, 2026 at 7:00 AM