@jacqmclean.bsky.social
Reposted
Christina Pagel has been tracking actions of the administration that follow the classic populist authoritarian playbook.
She writes: "As we approach the end of Trump’s first year in office, it is hard to exaggerate the loss of American democracy."
https://bit.ly/3Y3tuk4
She writes: "As we approach the end of Trump’s first year in office, it is hard to exaggerate the loss of American democracy."
https://bit.ly/3Y3tuk4
Beyond the Headlines: Corruption, Coercion and Power in Trump’s First Year
By Christina Pagel
bestforbritain.substack.com
December 20, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Christina Pagel has been tracking actions of the administration that follow the classic populist authoritarian playbook.
She writes: "As we approach the end of Trump’s first year in office, it is hard to exaggerate the loss of American democracy."
https://bit.ly/3Y3tuk4
She writes: "As we approach the end of Trump’s first year in office, it is hard to exaggerate the loss of American democracy."
https://bit.ly/3Y3tuk4
Reposted
This will hurt Labour’s prospects with Greens, in particular- Green voters share many progressive priorities but think current govt is ignoring these, and dismissing their concerns. This strategy confirms those beliefs, and will cement Labour losses.
December 20, 2025 at 10:56 AM
This will hurt Labour’s prospects with Greens, in particular- Green voters share many progressive priorities but think current govt is ignoring these, and dismissing their concerns. This strategy confirms those beliefs, and will cement Labour losses.
Reposted
2. Khanna says, among other issues, that the DOJ is not explaining its redactions and has completely redacted a 119-page grand jury file, even though the judge ordered it released.
Khanna says he and Massie are exploring their legal options.
Khanna says he and Massie are exploring their legal options.
December 19, 2025 at 11:08 PM
2. Khanna says, among other issues, that the DOJ is not explaining its redactions and has completely redacted a 119-page grand jury file, even though the judge ordered it released.
Khanna says he and Massie are exploring their legal options.
Khanna says he and Massie are exploring their legal options.
Reposted
Conor Tomlinson - recently hosted by Harry Cole, Sun editor at large on Talk TV- confirms he advocates deporting most of the migrants who have become British citizens {so more than half of about 5 million citizens born-abroad) as well as most migrants who are not citizens.
December 19, 2025 at 11:04 PM
Conor Tomlinson - recently hosted by Harry Cole, Sun editor at large on Talk TV- confirms he advocates deporting most of the migrants who have become British citizens {so more than half of about 5 million citizens born-abroad) as well as most migrants who are not citizens.
Reposted
The BBC’s Charter review suggests a 'troubling lack of interest' in the views of people in Scotland
Read here: www.thenational.scot/news/2...
Read here: www.thenational.scot/news/2...
December 19, 2025 at 5:15 PM
The BBC’s Charter review suggests a 'troubling lack of interest' in the views of people in Scotland
Read here: www.thenational.scot/news/2...
Read here: www.thenational.scot/news/2...
Reposted
Lord Offord's claims about historical immigration are mostly false | The Ferret.
Lord Offord's historical immigration claim is Mostly False
Reform UK's Malcolm Offord claimed one million people came to the UK in the 20th century, and seven million people have come to the UK since 2000. This is not accurate.
www.theferret.scot
December 19, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Lord Offord's claims about historical immigration are mostly false | The Ferret.
Reposted
A stronger regulator for Scotland’s water future: a puff piece for a costly, failed system. We do not need an economic regulator to run a public water service. This is the English model that has been a disaster. Not needed here. www.holyrood.com/news/view,a-...
A stronger regulator for Scotland’s water future
If we do this well, most people will never think about WICS, other than to know and to trust that customer interests are...
www.holyrood.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:02 AM
A stronger regulator for Scotland’s water future: a puff piece for a costly, failed system. We do not need an economic regulator to run a public water service. This is the English model that has been a disaster. Not needed here. www.holyrood.com/news/view,a-...
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Dog-whistle and factually incorrect. Ladies, raise your hand if you were sexually assaulted by a boy at school? I’d wager this or a family member is most women’s first experience of sexual violence
December 18, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Dog-whistle and factually incorrect. Ladies, raise your hand if you were sexually assaulted by a boy at school? I’d wager this or a family member is most women’s first experience of sexual violence
Reposted
BBC Scotland again bigging up Reform UK's council by-election win in West Lothian. It's the second time BBC Scotland has publicised it. No mention of the winning candidate's questionable past or the scandals besetting the party.
BBC Scotland NEVER gives this much publicity to SNP or the Greens.
BBC Scotland NEVER gives this much publicity to SNP or the Greens.
December 18, 2025 at 6:53 PM
BBC Scotland again bigging up Reform UK's council by-election win in West Lothian. It's the second time BBC Scotland has publicised it. No mention of the winning candidate's questionable past or the scandals besetting the party.
BBC Scotland NEVER gives this much publicity to SNP or the Greens.
BBC Scotland NEVER gives this much publicity to SNP or the Greens.
Reposted
Ludicrous
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Farage avoids police investigation over alleged electoral law breach
Essex force says report falls outside timeframe for prosecution while watchdog says it is looking into claims
www.theguardian.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Ludicrous
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
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Rather than continue his policy of grovelling to Trump, Starmer should make defending the BBC his line in the sand and tell the US president to beat it. Starmer is on his knees to Trump when he should be staring him straight in the eye
My @heraldscotland.bsky.social column
My @heraldscotland.bsky.social column
BBC is a mess but we mustn’t let Donald Trump destroy it
The BBC may be bad, but we need to defend it as the alternative would be far, far worse, argues Neil Mackay
www.heraldscotland.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Rather than continue his policy of grovelling to Trump, Starmer should make defending the BBC his line in the sand and tell the US president to beat it. Starmer is on his knees to Trump when he should be staring him straight in the eye
My @heraldscotland.bsky.social column
My @heraldscotland.bsky.social column
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I used to work at a right-wing paper and something that concerns me is the decline in the quality of the actual reporting. It was always editorialised, sure, but there is a lot more “go and find stories to fit the line” now. The grounding in reality was always important as it tempered editorial
It’s exactly this kind of dismal, prejudiced bollox from the Daily Mail that’s got us into the ruinous Brexit mess we’re in. What a moronic response to us rejoining Erasmus and all the benefits that brings. If they’re really worried about cost, they should push to cancel Brexit altogether.
December 18, 2025 at 9:30 AM
I used to work at a right-wing paper and something that concerns me is the decline in the quality of the actual reporting. It was always editorialised, sure, but there is a lot more “go and find stories to fit the line” now. The grounding in reality was always important as it tempered editorial
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The question remains why a supposedly left-wing magazine would publish a piece in support of a political party with a clearly laid out fascist agenda? bellacaledonia.org.uk/2025/12/17/a...
Admiring Malcom Offord’s Jaguar
As I wrote the other day, the complete failure of Starmer’s Labour government is opening the door to a Farage premiership, offering the most extreme politics Britain has seen in the modern era. Non…
bellacaledonia.org.uk
December 17, 2025 at 3:32 PM
The question remains why a supposedly left-wing magazine would publish a piece in support of a political party with a clearly laid out fascist agenda? bellacaledonia.org.uk/2025/12/17/a...
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A consultation has just been announced on the future of STV North.
The planned cuts to STV North should be worrying for all of us here in Aberdeen and the wider area who value good local news & journalism.
Have your say here: www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and...
The planned cuts to STV North should be worrying for all of us here in Aberdeen and the wider area who value good local news & journalism.
Have your say here: www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and...
December 16, 2025 at 11:29 AM
A consultation has just been announced on the future of STV North.
The planned cuts to STV North should be worrying for all of us here in Aberdeen and the wider area who value good local news & journalism.
Have your say here: www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and...
The planned cuts to STV North should be worrying for all of us here in Aberdeen and the wider area who value good local news & journalism.
Have your say here: www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and...
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We should never have left ERASMUS at all. Agreement to continue participation was in place and it was only pulled at the last minute in an act of spite by Boris Johnson personally. But, I'm glad to see this agreement and hope that the £570m is uncontroversial.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme
Exclusive: British students will be able to participate in EU-wide scheme from January 2027, sources say
www.theguardian.com
December 17, 2025 at 11:50 AM
We should never have left ERASMUS at all. Agreement to continue participation was in place and it was only pulled at the last minute in an act of spite by Boris Johnson personally. But, I'm glad to see this agreement and hope that the £570m is uncontroversial.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
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Good column. Another thing: “if you don’t have rules, you get prejudices” is literally the same argument as “if you have the Gaza war, you have the murder of innocents in Sydney” - an argument that neither of these politicians would make in public!
"When you don't have rules, you get prejudices", Tony Blair and Shabana Mahmood. My Eastern Eye column this week agrees that control does matter to democratic consent - but warns against conflating legitimate concerns with illegitimate prejudices & racist slurs
www.easterneye.biz/shabana-mahm...
www.easterneye.biz/shabana-mahm...
December 17, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Good column. Another thing: “if you don’t have rules, you get prejudices” is literally the same argument as “if you have the Gaza war, you have the murder of innocents in Sydney” - an argument that neither of these politicians would make in public!
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There's only problem. This has just gone out to news outlets from the police. Journalists make mistakes (I do!), a big lie is harder to spot... but it's hard to conclude British journalism aggregation isn't rotten to the core. I think what's really bleak is that *someone else* did die in the canal.
December 17, 2025 at 12:08 PM
There's only problem. This has just gone out to news outlets from the police. Journalists make mistakes (I do!), a big lie is harder to spot... but it's hard to conclude British journalism aggregation isn't rotten to the core. I think what's really bleak is that *someone else* did die in the canal.
Reposted
Britain could have joined Erasmus five years ago; an agreement on funding was completed between negotiators but vetoed “at the very last minute” by Boris Johnson. From Stefaan de Rynck’s book
December 17, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Britain could have joined Erasmus five years ago; an agreement on funding was completed between negotiators but vetoed “at the very last minute” by Boris Johnson. From Stefaan de Rynck’s book
Steve Reed strikes again. Lost my respect for him after his comments on Scottish Water.
Steve Reed: "A system saying 'no' more often than it says 'yes'".
That very clearly isn't true and it is hard to maintain respect for politicians who say uninformed things like this.
That very clearly isn't true and it is hard to maintain respect for politicians who say uninformed things like this.
December 17, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Steve Reed strikes again. Lost my respect for him after his comments on Scottish Water.
Reposted
A must-read article 🚨
"Since January, I’ve been tracking actions of the administration that follow the classic populist authoritarian playbook. Last week, I logged the 2000th," writes Christina Pagel.
Read here: https://bestforbritain.substack.com/p/beyond-the-headlines-corruption-coercion
"Since January, I’ve been tracking actions of the administration that follow the classic populist authoritarian playbook. Last week, I logged the 2000th," writes Christina Pagel.
Read here: https://bestforbritain.substack.com/p/beyond-the-headlines-corruption-coercion
December 16, 2025 at 3:05 PM
A must-read article 🚨
"Since January, I’ve been tracking actions of the administration that follow the classic populist authoritarian playbook. Last week, I logged the 2000th," writes Christina Pagel.
Read here: https://bestforbritain.substack.com/p/beyond-the-headlines-corruption-coercion
"Since January, I’ve been tracking actions of the administration that follow the classic populist authoritarian playbook. Last week, I logged the 2000th," writes Christina Pagel.
Read here: https://bestforbritain.substack.com/p/beyond-the-headlines-corruption-coercion
Reposted
How did Westminster strip powers from Scotland? By retrospectively overruling Holyrood in 2018. This is how they did it . .
December 16, 2025 at 3:18 PM
How did Westminster strip powers from Scotland? By retrospectively overruling Holyrood in 2018. This is how they did it . .
Reposted
If the BBC supposedly owed Donald Trump an apology for its edit – which had no negative consequences for the President – then surely Michael Prescott owes the BBC an apology for his own misleading edit, too? Especially given how serious its consequences could be?
December 16, 2025 at 8:42 AM
If the BBC supposedly owed Donald Trump an apology for its edit – which had no negative consequences for the President – then surely Michael Prescott owes the BBC an apology for his own misleading edit, too? Especially given how serious its consequences could be?
Reposted
Thats extremely threatening and escalatory language... Did #BorisJohnson actually say these words? Or is this the @dailymail.co.uk exaggerating again?
Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered on the street in 2016 because of shit like this.
Utterly irresponsible and heartless. 🤬
Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered on the street in 2016 because of shit like this.
Utterly irresponsible and heartless. 🤬
December 15, 2025 at 12:41 AM
Thats extremely threatening and escalatory language... Did #BorisJohnson actually say these words? Or is this the @dailymail.co.uk exaggerating again?
Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered on the street in 2016 because of shit like this.
Utterly irresponsible and heartless. 🤬
Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered on the street in 2016 because of shit like this.
Utterly irresponsible and heartless. 🤬
Reposted
When trade deals were getting rushed through laden with impossible commitments and major issues to be negotiated later, I wrote about why they made me nervous.
Womp womp, as the kids say.
My full article:
www.explaintrade.com/resources/im...
Womp womp, as the kids say.
My full article:
www.explaintrade.com/resources/im...
US suspends technology deal with Britain, FT reports reut.rs/4aRbgK4
US suspends technology deal with Britain, FT reports
The United States has suspended a technology deal it struck with Britain earlier this year, which was intended to boost ties in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and civil nuclear energy, the Financial Times reported on Monday.
reut.rs
December 16, 2025 at 5:57 AM
When trade deals were getting rushed through laden with impossible commitments and major issues to be negotiated later, I wrote about why they made me nervous.
Womp womp, as the kids say.
My full article:
www.explaintrade.com/resources/im...
Womp womp, as the kids say.
My full article:
www.explaintrade.com/resources/im...
Reposted
Those of us who've been involved with asylum seekers have been complaining about this for years! These firms make millions and provide vile accommodation. I know - I've been in some of it.
Mears, Serco, and Clearsprings oversee most asylum accommodation in UK and make huge profits doing so, despite a significant proportion of accommodation being substandard. It isn't people seeking safety costing taxpayers money, it's the firms making profits off of them.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Mears: Life in the asylum hotels generating 'excessive profit'
Asylum accommodation provider Mears has had to return £13.8m to the Home Office after making more profit than its contracts allow.
www.bbc.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Those of us who've been involved with asylum seekers have been complaining about this for years! These firms make millions and provide vile accommodation. I know - I've been in some of it.