@bobhudson.bsky.social
@bobhudson.bsky.social
Visiting Professor in Public Policy, Sunderland University. Sunderland AFC loyalist. Inveterate Remainer. Durham City, UK.
https://www.theguardian.com/profile/bob-hudson
Education
33%
Public Health
26%
Ratcliffe says immigrants cost too much, while Ineos lobbies for state funding
Billionaire’s business has in recent years claimed UK and EU support for refineries and chemicals plants worth about €800m
www.theguardian.com
Looks like the biggest scrounger looking for handouts from the UK taxpayer is Ratcliffe himself. And he doesn’t even live here! www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Waterstones to launch new store at County Durham retail park
A much-loved book retailer is set to open a new store in a Durham retail park, bringing new job opportunities to the area.
www.thenorthernecho.co.uk
A bit of positive retail news up here - a THIRD @waterstones.bsky.social planned for erudite Durham City..
www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/2584707...
www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/2584707...
Westminster Power Couples — 2026 edition
Westminster Power Couples — 2026 edition The love matches wielding political power in SW1. By BETHANY DAWSONin LONDON Illustration by Natália Delgado/ POLITICOArt by Natália Delgado and Ellen Boone…
www.politico.eu
Some fascinating political Valentine relationships here - pillow talk will be fascinating! www.politico.eu/article/brit...
Eyes & Ears 13.02.26
Two councils being held to account. Plus, the cat flap that attracted three dragons, Gordon Ramsay partners with a food charity, care home deals investigated and why our winters are getting wetter
open.substack.com
Super weekly round-up of all things North-East courtesy of @briantheqt.bsky.social. Really worth supporting… open.substack.com/pub/eyesande...
Trump revokes landmark ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health
The White House calls it the largest deregulation in US history, but environmentalists say it will prove costly for Americans.
www.bbc.co.uk
This cretin will leave the rest of us frying long after his own death…
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
actionstorm.org
I've just signed "Back the National Commission Amendment" - Will you support the campaign too? actionstorm.org/petitions/nc... @OpenBritainHQ
Rotherham council accused of ignoring ‘flag terror’ with £500 grants for St George’s and union flags
Labour council says flags must not be ‘surrendered’ to far right but there are concerns in town hit by racial tension
www.theguardian.com
A Labour council offering grants to put up yet more flags? Don’t we have more than enough already?
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Labour bill would stop ‘dodgy front companies’ making political donations
Bill would also give votes to 16-year-olds and pave the way for ‘opt-out’ voter registration
www.theguardian.com
Very welcome stuff, but why wouldn’t it have prevented the recent £9m donation to Reform by a crypto-investor based in Thailand? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Politics latest: Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'sorry choice of language has offended some people' after UK 'colonised' comments
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has said "sorry that my choice of language has offended some people" after he told Sky News the UK has been "colonised" by immigrants. Follow the latest p...
news.sky.com
A classic ‘sorry not sorry’ insult…
news.sky.com/story/politi...
news.sky.com/story/politi...
'Press regulation is the simplest test of whether Starmer will govern with integrity' - LabourList
Independent press regulation has public backing and laws ready to go — so why is Labour delaying reform that could transform media accountability?
labourlist.org
'If the Prime Minister’s team thought they could buy some good coverage from the press in exchange for dropping Leveson Part Two, it is difficult to see how that has worked' - good piece here via @labourlist.bsky.social
labourlist.org/2026/02/pres...
labourlist.org/2026/02/pres...
What a tax-dodging twerp! And of course the Express misses no opportunity to generate yet more division and hatred.
All roads - political, economic, social, cultural - lead back to Brexit. Tweaked ‘resets’ won’t undo the damage.
Streeting probably goes to sleep each night dreaming of waking up as Prime Minister…
Post-Brexit sales of British farm products to EU fall by 37%
NFU warn it could take years to restore Brexit losses despite efforts to smooth negotiations on farming and other elements of UK-EU reset
www.theguardian.com
The Brexit poison still seeps and weakens us every day. What an opportunity for Starmer to reboot his premiership… www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Mandelson revelations show need for tougher UK constraints to resist rule of the rich | Heather Stewart
Labour must protect democracy and learn lessons from Jeffrey Epstein’s efforts to influence government policy
www.theguardian.com
The PM needs to give us some ‘wow’ factor. He could start by cleaning up the role of money in our politics. Great piece here by @guardianheather.bsky.social..
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Round the clock political gossip but rarely a whisper about the way this Trump ally is integrated into the MoD and NHS - apart from the excellent @carolecadwalla.bsky.social…
£5bn council SEND debts to be paid off by government
It comes days after the Local Government Association warned that eight in 10 English councils would face bankruptcy, if they had to honour deficits.
www.bbc.co.uk
Thatcher began the erosion of local councils. Now they struggle to be little more than supplicants of the Treasury… www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Easy to see why @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social says the UK is pretty much ungovernable these days - it’s been turned into a 24/7 media soap opera.
Watching Sarwar praising Starmer
as ‘a friend’ while simultaneously plunging the dagger. It will bring them both down. Shakespearean stuff!
as ‘a friend’ while simultaneously plunging the dagger. It will bring them both down. Shakespearean stuff!
Ah…Louise Casey. Again! Meanwhile the weeping policy wound that is social care awaits her solutions in 2028. Just hopeless.
Slim to vanishing..,
Politics latest: Morgan McSweeney resigns from government - and admits decision to appoint Mandelson was 'wrong'
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden has told Sky's Trevor Phillips that prime ministers must take responsibility for their decisions - and called for Peter Mandelson to return a pay-off he receiv...
news.sky.com
Here we go!! Few will shed any tears. Starmer now needs to act boldly and distinctively - domestically, constitutionally and globally, especially on the EU…
news.sky.com/story/politi...
news.sky.com/story/politi...
Sickening and truly dangerous.
A post on FB from Newcastle MP @chionwurah.bsky.social…what is going on here? Are these bots? Surely this level of hatred isn’t genuine?
As goes the Washington Post: US democracy takes another hit under Trump
Jeff Bezos’s axing of more than 300 jobs at the storied newspaper has renewed fears about the resilience of America’s democracy to withstand Trump’s attacks
www.theguardian.com
Dear God! You truly worry for the USA don’t you? www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
Listening to Gordon Brown on #r4today discussing Epstein, Mandelson, power, corruption and accountability. Can we have him back as PM please?
Routine stuff on Planet Trump….
Donald Trump accused of 'disgusting behaviour' after sharing image of Obamas as apes
The White House defended the post, saying it was part of a longer meme depicting various politicians as different animals.
news.sky.com
The usual response from Trump - it was somebody else’s fault, he knows nothing about it, blah blah. He’s devoid of any redeeming human qualities isn’t he? news.sky.com/story/donald...
It’s tragic that a decent PM will be brought down by Mandelson’s sleaze – but it’s a matter of when, not if | Polly Toynbee
With three years left and a huge majority, Labour can govern with more humility and deliver real change. But with Starmer at the helm? I can’t see it, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee
www.theguardian.com
We’ve had tweaks not change; an opportunity lost instead of grasped - dismal analysis by @pollytoynbee.bsky.social here.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Mandelson has made a career out of lying - Starmer outsourced his judgement to McSweeney. Fatal!