David Herdson

@davidherdson.bsky.social

1402 Followers 305 Following

Part-time writer. Political activist. Fan of Bradford City and rail travel (amongst other things). Bibliophile. Dad. List not necessarily in order of importance.

Street sign on arriving at Stamford Bridge, Yorkshire, where in 1066 the Norwegian forces under Harold Hardrada were destroyed by the English army.
Wes Streeting tweet: "We need our best players on the pitch. There is no doubt that Andy Burnham is one of them. The Makerfield by-election will be tough. Votes will need to be earned. Andy is the best chance of winning and that should override factional advantage or propping up one person." He quotes Tom Harwood: "I’m hearing the NEC isn’t as sewn up for Burnham as many are reporting. The vote is on a “knife edge” I’m told by sources close to the decision making body. “Everyone is wavering.” Number 10 might be briefing it is comfortable with shortlisting Burnham, but that’s not to say the 9 member officer committee agrees. “I don’t think any of us are taking notice of what [Number 10] are saying”, I’m told. NEC officers now expected to decide on Sunday or Monday."
Story from the BBC's Political Editor, Chris Mason, titled "Labour's backbench parliamentary committee blocked from seeing PM" The group asked to see him, as it is their job to represent the views of backbenchers - but No 10 refused. The committee is made up of around half a dozen MPs and some peers, elected by the Parliamentary Labour Party. It usually meets weekly with the prime minister when he is in Westminster.
That’s one out of the left-field. Robbins has just claimed that in March 2025 he was asked by No 10 to “potentially” find a job as an ambassador for Matthew Doyle. At the time Doyle was the prime minister’s director of communications. He was subsequently given a peerage, an appointment which itself descended into scandal over Doyle’s relationship with a convicted sex offender. This is going to go down very badly with Labour MPs. Doyle, like Mandelson, has a long history has an influential figure on the right of the Labour Party. He first worked in government under Tony Blair. Note, too, that Robbins claims to have been told by No 10 not to discuss the prospect of a diplomatic appointment for Doyle with David Lammy, then the foreign secretary.
A quote from Paul Krugman's latest Substack post, on Hesgeth and Trump's comments on the Iran War ceasefire: "With men like that running America, major disasters were just a matter of time. I’d like to think that they have been chastened by this debacle, that they have learned something. But I don’t believe that for a minute."
The opening line of the preamble to the 1957 Treaty of Rome: "DETERMINED to lay the foundations of an ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe"
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated Tasnim News Agency says Tehran has responded to the US’s reported 15-point peace plan and is now awaiting a response. Citing an "informed official", Tasnim reports that Iran's conditions are: 1. "Acts of aggression and assassination by the enemy must cease" 2. "Objective conditions must be established to ensure that war will not recur" 3. "Compensation and war reparations must be guaranteed and clearly determined" 4. "An end to hostilities must be implemented on all fronts and for all resistance groups involved in the conflict across the region”, referring to Iran's allies and proxies in the region The official is also reported to have told Tasnim that Iran’s exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz is the country's "natural and legal right".