Reposted by Mark Jones
What a shit show. Everyone could see this plan was written by the Kremlin. Adopted by Witkoff and Trump who demanded Ukraine accept it by this Thursday. After a firestorm of objections by Europe and Republican senators it appears Rubio wants to distance himself from it.
November 23, 2025 at 12:17 AM
What a shit show. Everyone could see this plan was written by the Kremlin. Adopted by Witkoff and Trump who demanded Ukraine accept it by this Thursday. After a firestorm of objections by Europe and Republican senators it appears Rubio wants to distance himself from it.
Reposted by Mark Jones
I'm skeptical that Trump's make Ukraine surrender plan wasn't real.
Trump envoy Witkoff negotiated it, details and threats to Ukraine were public for multiple days, and Rubio didn't dispute it then, only after the plan got a bad reception and rejected by Europe.
Look like attempting to save face.
Trump envoy Witkoff negotiated it, details and threats to Ukraine were public for multiple days, and Rubio didn't dispute it then, only after the plan got a bad reception and rejected by Europe.
Look like attempting to save face.
Republican Senator Mike Rounds said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a call to senators, confirmed the so-called 28-point “peace plan” was actually a Russian wishlist and is “not the administration’s position”. Nor is there any threat to cut off weapons or intelligence to Ukraine.
November 22, 2025 at 11:46 PM
I'm skeptical that Trump's make Ukraine surrender plan wasn't real.
Trump envoy Witkoff negotiated it, details and threats to Ukraine were public for multiple days, and Rubio didn't dispute it then, only after the plan got a bad reception and rejected by Europe.
Look like attempting to save face.
Trump envoy Witkoff negotiated it, details and threats to Ukraine were public for multiple days, and Rubio didn't dispute it then, only after the plan got a bad reception and rejected by Europe.
Look like attempting to save face.
Reposted by Mark Jones
Said this on the #BBCWorldService this morning. We all - scientists and public - know what the issue is, but the politicians waste time arguing over words.
#ClimateCrisis #FossilFuels #COP30
#ClimateCrisis #FossilFuels #COP30
A climate deal without explicit language calling for a fossil fuel phaseout is like a ceasefire without explicit language calling for a suspension of hostilities.
#COP30
#COP30
November 22, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Said this on the #BBCWorldService this morning. We all - scientists and public - know what the issue is, but the politicians waste time arguing over words.
#ClimateCrisis #FossilFuels #COP30
#ClimateCrisis #FossilFuels #COP30
Reposted by Mark Jones
"Once the immigration figures came out, we acted" writes Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on the party missing its targets to reduce net migration (!)
> Party missed "tens of thousands" target in 36 consecutive quarters, 2010-2019
> Made some changes after 52 quarters in power in Dec 2023
> Party missed "tens of thousands" target in 36 consecutive quarters, 2010-2019
> Made some changes after 52 quarters in power in Dec 2023
November 22, 2025 at 11:31 PM
"Once the immigration figures came out, we acted" writes Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on the party missing its targets to reduce net migration (!)
> Party missed "tens of thousands" target in 36 consecutive quarters, 2010-2019
> Made some changes after 52 quarters in power in Dec 2023
> Party missed "tens of thousands" target in 36 consecutive quarters, 2010-2019
> Made some changes after 52 quarters in power in Dec 2023
Reposted by Mark Jones
So the US was aware that the world thought the document was US endorsed, yet waited until now to clarify that it wasn't?
How could the US have communicated to Ukraine that they had to accept the proposal or lose US support without clarifying that the Russian proposal wasn't actually their proposal?
How could the US have communicated to Ukraine that they had to accept the proposal or lose US support without clarifying that the Russian proposal wasn't actually their proposal?
November 22, 2025 at 11:48 PM
So the US was aware that the world thought the document was US endorsed, yet waited until now to clarify that it wasn't?
How could the US have communicated to Ukraine that they had to accept the proposal or lose US support without clarifying that the Russian proposal wasn't actually their proposal?
How could the US have communicated to Ukraine that they had to accept the proposal or lose US support without clarifying that the Russian proposal wasn't actually their proposal?
Reposted by Mark Jones
Labour is desperately trying to appeal to Reform supporters. In October, we asked people in the UK if they perceive a party as a "party for someone like them". Only very few people say this for both Labour and Reform. The correlation is negative. Labour is chasing an electorate that does not exist.
November 21, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Labour is desperately trying to appeal to Reform supporters. In October, we asked people in the UK if they perceive a party as a "party for someone like them". Only very few people say this for both Labour and Reform. The correlation is negative. Labour is chasing an electorate that does not exist.
Reposted by Mark Jones
Always remember ... "A" customs union is not "The" Customs Union. It doesn't bring the benefits of the Single Market – and it intentionally avoids the issue of Freedom of Movement. We need the Single Market and we need Freedom of Movement. The public is far further than the politicians on this.
November 22, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Always remember ... "A" customs union is not "The" Customs Union. It doesn't bring the benefits of the Single Market – and it intentionally avoids the issue of Freedom of Movement. We need the Single Market and we need Freedom of Movement. The public is far further than the politicians on this.
Reposted by Mark Jones
Born on this day in 1819, George Eliot. Here's my favourite bit from the greatest English novel - Eliot's concluding paean to Middlemarch's heroine, Dorothea (who, among other things worked to improve the housing of the local agricultural labourers). Here's to all the Dorotheas, past and present.
November 22, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Born on this day in 1819, George Eliot. Here's my favourite bit from the greatest English novel - Eliot's concluding paean to Middlemarch's heroine, Dorothea (who, among other things worked to improve the housing of the local agricultural labourers). Here's to all the Dorotheas, past and present.
Reposted by Mark Jones
Durham will scrap full council-tax rebates, forcing 26,000 low-income working-age residents to start paying for the first time | Peter Morris
Council tax shock for thousands of Durham’s poorest – thanks to Reform UK
Durham will scrap full council-tax rebates, forcing 26,000 low-income working-age residents to start paying for the first time
northeastbylines.co.uk
November 22, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Durham will scrap full council-tax rebates, forcing 26,000 low-income working-age residents to start paying for the first time | Peter Morris
Reposted by Mark Jones
Ah well.
Musk made sure they didn’t have to bother.
No sooner was the troll country revealed then he rolled back the feature.
bsky.app/profile/maxb...
Musk made sure they didn’t have to bother.
No sooner was the troll country revealed then he rolled back the feature.
bsky.app/profile/maxb...
Xitter has disabled its new profile-location feature hours after launch, after it showed several prominent accounts - previously believed to be US-based right-wing or pro-Israel voices - were operated from "other countries".
November 22, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Ah well.
Musk made sure they didn’t have to bother.
No sooner was the troll country revealed then he rolled back the feature.
bsky.app/profile/maxb...
Musk made sure they didn’t have to bother.
No sooner was the troll country revealed then he rolled back the feature.
bsky.app/profile/maxb...
Reposted by Mark Jones
Racism is not justified by immigration levels or rising poverty, unemployment or crime.
It is not justified, period.
I see the rising wave of voices & arguments justifying the rising levels of racism as the most sinister political development in 2025 on the British landscape.
It is not justified, period.
I see the rising wave of voices & arguments justifying the rising levels of racism as the most sinister political development in 2025 on the British landscape.
The Home Secretary explaining that the rise in racist violence is, actually, the natural response to higher levels of immigration is a state of affairs that can't exist without the government having largely decided that racist violence is, if not legitimate, at least understandable.
November 22, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Racism is not justified by immigration levels or rising poverty, unemployment or crime.
It is not justified, period.
I see the rising wave of voices & arguments justifying the rising levels of racism as the most sinister political development in 2025 on the British landscape.
It is not justified, period.
I see the rising wave of voices & arguments justifying the rising levels of racism as the most sinister political development in 2025 on the British landscape.
Reposted by Mark Jones
NEW: If you have *any* interest in the Nathan Gill story, you need to look at this.
We’ve put all the dates into a timeline & it’s incredibly revealing.
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/nathan-gil...
We’ve put all the dates into a timeline & it’s incredibly revealing.
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/nathan-gil...
Reform UK and Russian bribes: a Nathan Gill timeline
As Reform’s former leader in Wales is sentenced to ten and a half years for taking bribes from a pro-Russian actor, here's a chronology of his actions and the wider context of Putin, Ukraine and Brexi...
www.thenerve.news
November 22, 2025 at 1:55 PM
NEW: If you have *any* interest in the Nathan Gill story, you need to look at this.
We’ve put all the dates into a timeline & it’s incredibly revealing.
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/nathan-gil...
We’ve put all the dates into a timeline & it’s incredibly revealing.
1/
www.thenerve.news/p/nathan-gil...
Reposted by Mark Jones
"I think that the government are increasingly aping the likes of Reform."
@joshbabarinde.bsky.social on the importance of approaching asylum policy without needlessly dividing our communities. #BBCQT
@joshbabarinde.bsky.social on the importance of approaching asylum policy without needlessly dividing our communities. #BBCQT
November 22, 2025 at 1:01 PM
"I think that the government are increasingly aping the likes of Reform."
@joshbabarinde.bsky.social on the importance of approaching asylum policy without needlessly dividing our communities. #BBCQT
@joshbabarinde.bsky.social on the importance of approaching asylum policy without needlessly dividing our communities. #BBCQT
Reposted by Mark Jones
This is outrageous from Keir Starmer.
‘Russian links to Reform need investigating’, he says. So why is his government still fighting case now in Grand Chamber of Strasbourg court refusing to have such an investigation into Russian interference ??
news.sky.com/story/starme...
‘Russian links to Reform need investigating’, he says. So why is his government still fighting case now in Grand Chamber of Strasbourg court refusing to have such an investigation into Russian interference ??
news.sky.com/story/starme...
Starmer demands investigation into Reform-Russia links after party's ex-Wales leader jailed
The former leader of Reform in Wales, Nathan Gill, has been jailed for 10-and-a-half years after being paid £40,000 to make pro-Russian statements in the European Parliament.
news.sky.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:04 AM
This is outrageous from Keir Starmer.
‘Russian links to Reform need investigating’, he says. So why is his government still fighting case now in Grand Chamber of Strasbourg court refusing to have such an investigation into Russian interference ??
news.sky.com/story/starme...
‘Russian links to Reform need investigating’, he says. So why is his government still fighting case now in Grand Chamber of Strasbourg court refusing to have such an investigation into Russian interference ??
news.sky.com/story/starme...
Reposted by Mark Jones
Hypothesis: Starmer is obligated to Peter Mandelson. Why else did he give him plum Washington job?
He’s been sacked over his Epstein links. But he & Epstein had other common interests & contacts. Mandelson was friends with key Putin allies for years.
www.theguardian.com/politics/blo...
He’s been sacked over his Epstein links. But he & Epstein had other common interests & contacts. Mandelson was friends with key Putin allies for years.
www.theguardian.com/politics/blo...
Peter Mandelson and the Russian oligarch: an explanation from a friend
Andrew Sparrow: If you're interested in the story about Peter Mandelson and his relationship with the Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska read on
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Hypothesis: Starmer is obligated to Peter Mandelson. Why else did he give him plum Washington job?
He’s been sacked over his Epstein links. But he & Epstein had other common interests & contacts. Mandelson was friends with key Putin allies for years.
www.theguardian.com/politics/blo...
He’s been sacked over his Epstein links. But he & Epstein had other common interests & contacts. Mandelson was friends with key Putin allies for years.
www.theguardian.com/politics/blo...
Reposted by Mark Jones
The Conservatives & Johnson were compromised by Russian money & influence over years.
Reform obviously are.
Is Labour too? Could that be why Starmer won’t investigate?
@eddavey.libdems.org.uk
@zackpolanski.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/news/2022/ju...
Reform obviously are.
Is Labour too? Could that be why Starmer won’t investigate?
@eddavey.libdems.org.uk
@zackpolanski.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/news/2022/ju...
The Moscow moves: how Mandelson’s firm helped Uber reach Russian elite
Leak shows how the former Labour minister used his access to pro-Kremlin oligarchs, including some now under sanctions
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:04 AM
The Conservatives & Johnson were compromised by Russian money & influence over years.
Reform obviously are.
Is Labour too? Could that be why Starmer won’t investigate?
@eddavey.libdems.org.uk
@zackpolanski.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/news/2022/ju...
Reform obviously are.
Is Labour too? Could that be why Starmer won’t investigate?
@eddavey.libdems.org.uk
@zackpolanski.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/news/2022/ju...
Reposted by Mark Jones
But what this really reflects is the consistent loading of extra costs onto electricity bills and not gas.
It is essential that the government reverses this, and begins removing levies from bills - whether to taxation or rebalancing on to gas.
It is essential that the government reverses this, and begins removing levies from bills - whether to taxation or rebalancing on to gas.
November 22, 2025 at 8:00 AM
But what this really reflects is the consistent loading of extra costs onto electricity bills and not gas.
It is essential that the government reverses this, and begins removing levies from bills - whether to taxation or rebalancing on to gas.
It is essential that the government reverses this, and begins removing levies from bills - whether to taxation or rebalancing on to gas.
Reposted by Mark Jones
Reposted by Mark Jones
Johnson spent years charming, bluffing, and backstabbing his way to the top.
Positioning himself as a latter-day Churchill when the moment came and leadership was desperately needed, he showed us who he was...
And thousands died.
@noosphere.app
www.noosphere.app/boris-johnso...
Positioning himself as a latter-day Churchill when the moment came and leadership was desperately needed, he showed us who he was...
And thousands died.
@noosphere.app
www.noosphere.app/boris-johnso...
Boris Johnson: The Covid Tragedy and England's Clown King
Get news direct from reporters you trust.
www.noosphere.app
November 22, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Johnson spent years charming, bluffing, and backstabbing his way to the top.
Positioning himself as a latter-day Churchill when the moment came and leadership was desperately needed, he showed us who he was...
And thousands died.
@noosphere.app
www.noosphere.app/boris-johnso...
Positioning himself as a latter-day Churchill when the moment came and leadership was desperately needed, he showed us who he was...
And thousands died.
@noosphere.app
www.noosphere.app/boris-johnso...
Reposted by Mark Jones
A former acquaintance of mine - also an Old Etonian - who had never expressed a political sentiment in the ten years I'd known him said much those same words to me ca 2001.
He viewed it as "something to do" because he didn't really have to work like the rest of us.
He viewed it as "something to do" because he didn't really have to work like the rest of us.
I'll never forget the line from Cameron where he ( reportedly ) said he wanted to be PM because he thought he'd be
"quite good at it"
Quite how we prevent this unwarranted entitlement is beyond me.
"quite good at it"
Quite how we prevent this unwarranted entitlement is beyond me.
November 22, 2025 at 9:51 AM
A former acquaintance of mine - also an Old Etonian - who had never expressed a political sentiment in the ten years I'd known him said much those same words to me ca 2001.
He viewed it as "something to do" because he didn't really have to work like the rest of us.
He viewed it as "something to do" because he didn't really have to work like the rest of us.
Reposted by Mark Jones
Medieval "Piss-Prophets" who would taste urine using a "urine wheel" have entered the chat.
November 20, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Medieval "Piss-Prophets" who would taste urine using a "urine wheel" have entered the chat.
Reposted by Mark Jones
Cas Mudde spells out what has become largely the consensus among researchers: moving right on immigration will not weaken the far right nor strengthen social democracy. If your reaction is "but in Denmark" please at least familiarize yourself with Danish politics
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The ‘Danish model’ is the darling of centre-left parties like Labour. The problem is, it doesn’t even work in Denmark | Cas Mudde
This week’s local elections are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they’re making a mistake, says academic and author Cas Mudde
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Cas Mudde spells out what has become largely the consensus among researchers: moving right on immigration will not weaken the far right nor strengthen social democracy. If your reaction is "but in Denmark" please at least familiarize yourself with Danish politics
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Mark Jones
⚡️ 'Rewarding Russian butchery' — US lawmakers rail against Trump's Ukraine peace deal.
"Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America’s interests," U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell said.
"Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America’s interests," U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell said.
'Rewarding Russian butchery' — US lawmakers rail against Trump's Ukraine peace deal
"Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America’s interests," U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell said.
kyivindependent.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:01 PM
⚡️ 'Rewarding Russian butchery' — US lawmakers rail against Trump's Ukraine peace deal.
"Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America’s interests," U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell said.
"Rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America’s interests," U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell said.
Reposted by Mark Jones
Zohran Mamdani standing beside the President of the United States just said that the US is funding Israel's genocide and yet can't take care of its own unhoused children on live television.
I never thought I'd see something like that in my lifetime
I never thought I'd see something like that in my lifetime
November 21, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Zohran Mamdani standing beside the President of the United States just said that the US is funding Israel's genocide and yet can't take care of its own unhoused children on live television.
I never thought I'd see something like that in my lifetime
I never thought I'd see something like that in my lifetime