Rafael Behr
rafaelbehr.bsky.social
Rafael Behr
@rafaelbehr.bsky.social
Political columnist, The Guardian

Author, Politics, A Survivor's Guide

Website: https://rafaelbehr.com/
Reposted by Rafael Behr
There is a point here which I do want people not to miss: it's not that he posted an otherwise perfectly reasonable video which happens to be by a very racist guy. The rant itself is dodgy as fuck
Gary Lineker sharing an absurd Israel rant by Tucker Carlson on his 1.4m-follower Instagram, is it?

Definitely not weird about Jews though. Conscience too fine to stay at the BBC, obvs. Hero.
December 12, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
On Tory-Reform pact chat, US meddling in European democracy and the difference between opposition and resistance www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A braver Tory leader than Badenoch would dare to call out Farage's bogus patriotism | Rafael Behr
Across western democracies, established conservatives are yielding to radical nationalism. There’s no sign that Britain will be the exception, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:30 AM
I can’t help thinking that when, in future, people ask what UK political leaders said as it became undeniable that US saw European liberal democracy as its no1 strategic foe, Starmer and others will regret that the answer is “not much, shuffled awkwardly, looked at their feet”.
December 10, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
In some ways this is a useful reminder that a lot of the talk of European security guarantees to Ukraine have the whole thing backwards. For more than three years Ukraine has been guaranteeing European security by fighting and degrading the Russian armed forces.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
How long Britain could really fight for if war broke out tomorrow
In the event of a war, one expert suggests the British Army could be incapable of fighting effectively on land within weeks, once committed - though 'much depends on the form of the conflict'.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 10, 2025 at 7:00 AM
On Tory-Reform pact chat, US meddling in European democracy and the difference between opposition and resistance www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A braver Tory leader than Badenoch would dare to call out Farage's bogus patriotism | Rafael Behr
Across western democracies, established conservatives are yielding to radical nationalism. There’s no sign that Britain will be the exception, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
This is a great example of the @gralefrit.bsky.social observation that the funniest joke is the one told between family members in the front row of a funeral.
Will Arnett was on Conan and told a story about how Conan dealt with the death of his parents by accusing Jason Bateman of killing them. It’s so funny.
December 9, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
I found this today (from Peter Kellner/YouGov) which answers part of your query.
December 9, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Has anyone done a really big survey asking not how you would vote in rerun Brexit referendum but how you *did* vote and, as far as is possible, if it even is possible, mapped it onto actual result. I bet more people now think they voted remain in 2016 than voted remain.
December 9, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
Today's customs union vote is entirely symbolic, it's true. But what does it symbolise that no one is now arguing *for* Brexit?

thecritic.co.uk/regr...
December 9, 2025 at 6:11 PM
The @stephenkb.bsky.social observation about ‘cut-price luxury/exorbitant necessity’ here feels like a window into quite a profound dysfunction in world where we can’t afford analogue fun so much but have limitless digital distraction to stop us missing it giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
The Netflix age has been great for consumers but terrible for artists
Returns to musicians and writers are dwindling fast
giftarticle.ft.com
December 9, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
In-Fight Club – Your Party flames out. @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com, @rostaylor.bsky.social, @rafaelbehr.bsky.social & @nndroid.bsky.social discuss what went wrong at Your Party's first conference & more 👉 linktr.ee/ohgodwhatnow...
#yourparty #corbyn #sultana #polanski #greenparty #ukpolitics
December 6, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
ICYMI – Weekly wrap-up: @rafaelbehr.bsky.social joins @jacobjarvis.bsky.social to break down the stalled US–Russia peace talks, the fallout from the OBR’s budget leak and what it all means for Labour’s economic credibility & more 👉 linktr.ee/bunker_pod
#news #weeklywrapup #trump #putin #weeklynews
December 6, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
But still doesn’t beat the fact that Cleopatra is closer to us in time than she was to the building of the Great Pyramid.
😱 "For example, the release of The Beatles’ first UK number one, Love Me Do, is closer to the reign of Queen Victoria than it is to the present day." @jackkessler.bsky.social
Time catches up with us all
When your memories become someone else’s history
www.linestotake.com
December 5, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
Wrapping up the stories of the week: @rafaelbehr.bsky.social joins @jacobjarvis.bsky.social to break down the stalled US–Russia peace talks, Putin’s strong-arming, & what Trump’s shaky negotiating team tells us about the state of American power 👉 linktr.ee/bunker_pod
#news #weeklywrapup #trump
December 5, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
I suspect you have to be quite racist to stand out as "the racist guy" at a boys public school of the 1980s.
December 5, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
December 5, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
Doesn't say anything for the political instincts of Number 10 that they were surprised by a positive response to a positive EU agenda.

Doesn't say much for their diplomatic instincts that this came 12 months too late to make a difference to negotiations. www.politico.eu/article/brex...
December 4, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
Column. British politicians do a lot claiming to face the world as it is, while their actions speak of yearning for the world as it was. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Fear of facing the future has British politics stuck in the past | Rafael Behr
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves claim to be dealing with the world as it is, but seem to yearn for a world that has disappeared, says the Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
www.theguardian.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Column. British politicians do a lot claiming to face the world as it is, while their actions speak of yearning for the world as it was. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Fear of facing the future has British politics stuck in the past | Rafael Behr
Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves claim to be dealing with the world as it is, but seem to yearn for a world that has disappeared, says the Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
www.theguardian.com
December 3, 2025 at 8:08 AM
There will come a point where Farage realises he needs non-dregs defectors to look vaguely respectable and Tory frontbenchers realise a pact is the only way they get to carry on being MPs. Then there will be deal.
FT Exclusive: The Reform UK leader told donors he expects a deal or merger between his party and the Conservatives ahead of the next general election, suggesting he does not believe he can sweep to power alone. on.ft.com/44xlHi0
December 2, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
With top analysis from @jessicaelgot.bsky.social: Keir Starmer has little choice but to bind himself closer to his chancellor www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Starmer has little choice but to bind himself closer to his chancellor
Ditching Rachel Reeves would put spotlight back on real context for decision to drop idea of breaching manifesto
www.theguardian.com
December 2, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
A quick reminder of who Nigel Farage was most concerned about when Putin's tanks first rolled into Ukraine
November 27, 2025 at 8:22 PM
@dkthomp.bsky.social very much enjoyed pod on cultural stagnation. It occurs to me that the phenomenon of Switzerland - neutral in war, prosperous, reliably uncool - very much supports your closing thesis.
November 28, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
Continues to be wild to me how few Labour MPs have absorbed that the Starmer-Reeves strategy is, and always has been “Plan A: Somehow the Major economy returned Plan B: Die”.
The tax rises in this Budget’s are backloaded.

They're largely kick in in what is likely to be a pre-election year, somewhat implausibly.
November 27, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Reposted by Rafael Behr
🚨ICYMI🚨 Cory Doctorow on the curse of Enshittification and how to fix it. Cory joins @nndroid.bsky.social and @rafaelbehr.bsky.social to discuss the ways we can stop it ➡️ linktr.ee/ohgodwhatnowpod
#tech #technology #enshittification #corydoctorow #OGWN #podcast #techpodcast #digitaldecay #ai
November 27, 2025 at 7:00 AM