Not An Anagram

@vertigoem.bsky.social

550 Followers 462 Following

Kanishka Narayan MP 1d The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, today asked me to attend Cabinet as Minister for AI, a sign of his deep commitment to AI's importance. AI is likely the most significant technology in human history. Its impact will dwarf other things.
Starmer's approval ratings plummeting through the floor as soon as he became PM
Xander King ‪@xanderking.bsky.social‬ Follow …from Clacton by an agreed anti-corruption candidate, like Martin Bell did to Neil Hamilton. My bet would be on Carol Vorderman, but there may be other possibilities. That’s the plan. No major party candidates are standing, so get with it or get out of the way.
Giles Whittell Sunday 21 June Daily Sensemaker Hello, When the herd moves, it moves. And it turns out that what was true for Boris Johnson is true for Keir Starmer, too. The Labour herd is moving against him decisively now. As Rachel Sylvester reports, we may hear as soon as tomorrow that the prime minister has, in the Westminster-technocrat hybrid vernacular, set out a timetable for his departure. Are we meant to accept all this as part of the blood sport of politics? Or can we admit there’s something poignant about a man so transparently well-intentioned being found so transparently unsuited to wielding real power?
Screenshot from Ancestry showing I am related to a Frances Weetman
A photo of a squirrel looking shocked and scared
A peacock lurking outside a glazed door
A photo of a child at Andy Burnham's campaign launch holding a placard saying "VOTE ANDY FOR US" in capital letters
Burnham said the Makerfield byelection is a “clarion call for change”. A lot of change, according to the Greater Manchester mayor. Change to the economy, change to education, change to housing, change to transport, change to care, and yes, to make it all possible. Change to politics.
Screenshot from Guardian website: "Burnham: 'A vote for me is a vote to change Labour' Continuing on the theme of change, Burnham said a vote for him in the Makerfield byelection is “a vote to change Labour”. I know my own party needs to change. We need to be better than we’ve been. We’ve not been good enough. And I want to leave people in no doubt today, a vote for me in this byelection campaign is a vote to change Labour."
Excerpt from Janan Ganesh in FT http://archive.today/w5oH9 : Prepare to live through this again. In all likelihood, Andy Burnham, if he succeeds Starmer, will maintain and slightly intensify the leftward course of this government. Even if gilt investors prevent him spending much more, he can gum up British life with rent controls and other regulations. He will even say that he is governing from the left. Like Reeves, with her barbs at profiteers, he will name the government’s class enemies in so many words. Despite this candour, we will pretend there is a profound mystery about the “meaning” of Burnham, like Shakespeare scholars trying to divine the motives of Iago. Expect the following headlines:
Reeves visited a petrol station in Leeds to publicise the policy – but it did not go well. As she tried to speak to the media, a workman shouted: “Get Keir Starmer fucking out. Get Labour out. Get Keir Starmer out. Nigel Farage. Come on Nigel.” The man, who was flying England flags from his van, continued his tirade as he drove off the forecourt. He said: “Am I gonna get arrested? We’ve got English flags on here, Rachel, are we gonna get arrested?”
‪Russ Jones‬ ‪@russincheshire.bsky.social‬ · 6d My pitch for Al Carns Who? 1. He's unknown. Should be a negative. It isn't. His backstory is astonishing. Council house kid from the NE, ended up a full colonel in the special forces, broke a record for claiming Everest, speaks fluent "normal," blunt, practical, earnest. And clean.
Excerpt from Tom Baldwin in the Observer http://archive.today/jefdQ "Such time might yet allow some perspective to develop about Starmer too. He is only the fourth Labour leader to win a majority in a general election, has made mistakes – like all prime ministers do – but not crashed the economy nor taken Britain into an illegal war. He may not have all the qualities – such as making emotional connections and telling stories – deemed necessary for political success but he has extraordinary resilience and carries the weight of these times better than those that do."
Sen pulls the bicycle from the Stink Spirit in Spirited Away
Luke Akehurst @lukeakehurst Nothing that has happened today is remotely proportionate or reasonable behaviour this far out from a General Election scheduled for 2029. This level of internal game playing risks driving us into a General Election within months, as well as causing months of deep political instability that have real world consequences for the economy and national security. I am, to put it mildly, unimpressed.
Column by Polly Toynbee with the headline "Let’s not deny the good work Labour has done. But Starmer is too timid for the radical remedies needed now"
It's all starting to look a bit messy published at 12:15 12:15 Henry Zeffman Chief political correspondent at Downing Street It’s just gone midday. Wes Streeting’s allies believed he would have launched his leadership challenge by now. Wes Streeting’s foes believed he would have launched his leadership challenge by now. He has not.
Alan Partridge in a special forces uniform with a toothpick in his mouth trying to look macho
Stephen Bush ‪@stephenkb.bsky.social‬ Follow There's simply no excuse for how vapid this piece is. Starmer is so weak internally at the moment that absolutely nothing is stopping a leadership contender writing a deep, policy-rich piece about what they'd do differently - the only constraint is their own ability to do so. ‪Duncan Weldon‬ ‪@duncanweldon.bsky.social‬ · 11h Read the Al Carns piece. This just isn’t a serious conclusion.
John Burn-Murdoch tweet dated Nov 23, 2023 The British left: the NHS is under immense pressure please someone help The NHS: okay we’re adopting new technology that doctors have been calling for for years which will make their jobs easier and improve patient outcomes The British left: no not like that
The Elmo fire meme with the text CHAOS with Ed Miliband
Keir Starmer latest: Wes Streeting to hold talks with prime minister live The health secretary will ask the PM tomorrow how he plans to ‘get us out of this mess’
Starmer hangs on, for now published at 17:29 17:29 Chris Mason Political editor PM stands next to door with sign reading: "Remember to clock-in and clock-out!" Image source,PA Wire
Marlowe_UK ‪@irishdreamer.bsky.social‬ Follow The UK”s chances of rejoining the EU went back 10 years today. They can speak English you know? 1:44 PM · May 12, 2026 Everybody can reply 3 reposts 22 likes Write your reply ‪Wendy‬ ‪@wenmur.bsky.social‬ · 1h Explain? ‪Marlowe_UK‬ ‪@irishdreamer.bsky.social‬ · 4m They see the lunatics who delivered Brexit making their way towards power. They trusted Starmer.
Shabana Mahmood in an austere military residential setting. The sky is grey and there is snow on the ground. She is wearing a Nazi-coded full length black coat with grey piping and large brass buttons, staring at the camera while marching towards it. Her black bob haircut looks like a WW2 German soldier's helmet
Krishnan Guru-Murthy tweet dated 8 July 2024 @krishgm The challenge for political broadcasting is enormous, and rather satisfying to watch. After years of personality-driven and chaotic, shallow politics coverage across much of the media, which was largely about instability, gossip and leadership crises we now have a govt with massive majority, widespread internal agreement and no likelihood of massive instability anytime soon. A great environment for a programme like #c4news full of policy nerds and people who prefer to argue about what ideas work than who should be the front person.
UK's youngest MP calls for Starmer to resign The UK’s youngest MP has become the latest to publicly urge Keir Starmer to stand down, stating the Labour leader is “not the right person to lead” the change the party needs. Sam Carling, MP for North West Cambridgeshire has posted this message on X:
Brendan Cox @MrBrendanCox · 2h This is the full text and list of signatories on yesterday’s open lettter on antisemitism. together.org.uk Businesses, faiths, charities, sports and media organisations unite against antisemitism - The... Businesses, faiths, charities, sports and media organisations unite against antisemitism Press release, Sunday 10 May 2026 Leading businesses, faith groups, charities, sporting bodies and media... Nicole Lampert @nicolelampert · 2h Thank you Brendan.
A council leader has announced that she will step down after Labour lost control of the town hall. Oldham Council's Arooj Shah ruled out making deal with other parties who she criticised for their "divisive and toxic campaigns". Her Labour group lost nine of the 12 seats it was defending on the 7 May vote, leaving the group with just 18 members. Reform gained 13 councillors, propelling it from one of the smallest to the second largest group in the council. The Oldham Group of independents now has 10 members. Any group hoping to gain control of the council by the local authority's first full meeting on 20 May will have to negotiate the support of other groups. Shah said Labour "will not seek any working arrangement" with "parties that have run divisive and toxic campaigns, effectively carving up the borough through identity and grievance politics that go against our values".
Ian Dunt posts from Jan 2025 My unpopular opinion is that the government is doing a lot. Most of it is good, some of it is very good, and some of it is not good at all. It has a narrative and a sense of moral purpose - to defeat populism through competence and service. It has an ideology, which is left technocrat. It was underprepared in key policy areas due to the speed of the last few years, giving an impression of listlessness. And the political class, like Pam in Gavin & Stacy, is addicted to the drama, producing a feverish and excessively critical appraisal.
Labour MP Sam Carling
Challenge Starmer by Monday or I will, Labour MP tells cabinet ministers published at 16:54 16:54 Breaking Becky Morton Political reporter Labour MP Catherine West says if a cabinet minister does not put themselves forward to challenge Keir Starmer as party leader by Monday, she will attempt to trigger a leadership contest herself. In an exclusive interview with the BBC, the MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet tells Radio 4’s PM programme her preferred option would be for the cabinet to “reorganise themselves” and put forward their “best communicator” to replace the PM, avoiding a leadership election. However, West says she was putting the cabinet “on notice” and if she does not hear from a leadership hopeful by Monday she would ask Labour MPs to back her to trigger a contest. For a leadership election to be set in motion, 20% of Labour MPs - 81 people - would have to back a single challenger. West, a former junior Foreign Office minister, says she currently has 10 people prepared to back her in a leadership bid but she is “confident” enough people would come forward to trigger a contest. “My preferred option is for the cabinet to do a reshuffle within itself, where there's plenty of talent, and for Keir to be given a different role, which he might enjoy, perhaps an international role,” she says. “Then for others to come to the fore who can communicate the message, who are very able, so we can have minimum fuss.”
‪Dorian Lynskey‬ ‪@dorianlynskey.bsky.social‬ · 50m I'm so looking forward to the deeply reported books that explain exactly how Labour locked itself into one of the worst political strategies if all time. Who was all in? Who raised doubts? Did they ever look at the evidence or read their critics? (please do not try to answer this question in a post) Neil ‪@tremendaoneil.bsky.social‬ Follow Front cover of The Fraud by Paul Holden. Subtitle: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney, and the crisis of British democracy ALT 1:34 PM · May 9, 2026 1 like Write your reply ‪Dorian Lynskey‬ ‪@dorianlynskey.bsky.social‬ · 40m Hoping for something less partisan
'It's a joke,' minister tells me about Harman and Brown appointments published at 10:33 10:33 Henry Zeffman Chief political correspondent It’s early days but I am starting to hear some bafflement, even anger, from Labour ministers, MPs and officials about the appearance of Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman this morning. While both widely respected by Labour MPs, there is widespread confusion about how figures from Labour’s past signify change. One normally loyal minister just said to me: "It’s a joke. There is no question to which bringing these two back is the answer."
Luke Akehurst @lukeakehurst For the avoidance of doubt, I am completely opposed to Labour having a leadership challenge and will support Keir Starmer if there was such an election. I don't think there will be one in any case. We do need to listen to voters on speeding up delivering change, especially on the cost of living. Following the Tories down the path of constant coups against PMs would make the country politically and economically weaker and less stable at a time of intense strategic danger. Labour moving to the left would have exactly the same disastrous results as every other time we tried it. 5:46 PM · May 8, 2026 · 48.1K Views
Enoch Powell
The Observer view: Starmer should stay In these serious times, dumping the PM would be an act of national self-sabotage. But if a change has to be made, Labour must avoid taking the Liz Truss route and set out an orderly transition with a clear choice of candidates
Mashup of Labour and Pasok logos
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has insisted “you don’t change the pilot during a flight” amid a bruising set of local election results for Keir Starmer. The Cabinet Minister was sent out overnight to defend the Prime Minister as Labour losses began to become clear.
2023 tweet from Jonathan Brash welcoming Peter Mandelson to a fundraiser
‪Glen O'Hara‬ ‪@gsoh31.bsky.social‬ · 39m It's just a pyramid of bin fires in our universities at the moment. Topped with a huge column of burning excrement. And yet the whole panoply of nonsense just sails on, meeting after meeting about stuff that doesn't and will never matter and you're like 'can I raise, er, reality?' It's horrible.
Thread based around a "Keep Britain Tidy" graphic that has been ingeniously adapted to show the person throwing a Reform logo in the bin. Reposted by Otto English ‪Duncan Jones‬ ‪@manmademoon.bsky.social‬ · 23m I do think we should start calling it “Brexit Farage’s Reform party.” ‪Otto English‬ ‪@ottoenglish.bsky.social‬ · 26m I like this message. ‪Otto English‬ ‪@ottoenglish.bsky.social‬ · 26m I like this message. ‪Jane‬ ‪@localnotail.bsky.social‬ · 9h Keep Britain Kind
Andy Burnham looking like he's doing a career retrospective tour
Excerpt from Ian Dunt in iPaper http://archive.today/gZILH "Those looking to Polanski to provide a lead have been disappointed. His initial response to the terror attack last week was to criticise the police for how they made the arrest. He has supported a motion saying that “Zionism is racism” – an abysmal muddle-headed statement about an entirely valid and defensible political belief, no matter whether you agree with it or not. And this week he has deployed the classic virtue-protection mechanisms of the Corbyn era: Knee-jerk defensiveness and complaints of conspiracy. “When you see the relentless attacks from other parties on the Greens across the media remember this,” he wrote on X. “They’re trying everything in their power to stop us.” Many progressives have been so starved of leaders willing to articulate their values that they instinctively kick back against Polanski’s critics, but by God this isn’t good enough. Polanski prides himself on being a left-populist, as Corbyn was. And it is precisely for this reason that he has no answers to our problems. He is unwilling to talk of trade-offs, or compromises, or technical reality. He is just another people-versus-the-elite ideologue, whispering self-interested myths and nonsense into the ears of voters."
Excerpt from quoted article: "Also included in Hotovely’s diary is Luke Akehurst, the MP for Durham North and former director of another prominent pro-Israel lobby group, We Believe in Israel. The pair met on the sidelines of the Labour party conference in Liverpool."
Politics UK‬ ‪@politicsuk.com‬ · 8m 🚨 NEW: Zack Polanski was not a full member of the National Council of Hypnotherapy despite telling clients he was [@thetimes] ‪Zack Polanski‬ ‪@zackpolanski.bsky.social‬ · 12h When you see the relentless attacks from other parties on the Greens across the media remember this: They hate our plan to end Rip Off Britain. They don't want a wealth tax. They don't want public ownership & lower bills. They're trying everything in their power to stop us.
Saul Staniforth @SaulStaniforth · Oct 31, 2023 Keir Starmer: "We've all seen those images of children dead, and theres no unseeing those images.. but I do not think [a ceasefire] is the right call now" So how many more children have got to die before it is the right call? 5,000? 8,000? 10,000? 20,000? 0:01 / 0:53 Naomi Martin 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 🥤🇬🇪 @GNaomiMartin I'm with Starmer on this.
Screenshot showing Zack Polanski has liked my post
Euan Philipps reposted Hadley Freeman @HadleyFreeman · 19h Terrific column by @VictoriaPeckham Be afraid, be very afraid of disingenuous Zack Polanski
Excerpt from https://archive.ph/GEyBT This is how we will take control of our destiny in a chaotic world. But life is about more than just getting through and weathering the storm. Creating a stronger Britain is the means to a greater end - which is to build that fairer country. I'm talking about a country where every child and young person has rich opportunities whatever their background, whatever their talents. I'm talking about a country where people feel real pride in where they live and hopeful about what lies ahead. I'm talking about a country proud of our values and ready to stand up for them. The world is a tougher place than it has been for decades. We cannot be satisfied with prolonged flatlining, interrupted only by shocks and crises. That status quo is why the public are frustrated and lacking hope for the future. We must build a stronger country if we are to build a fairer country. That is the mission of my government and the promise of change that we will deliver.
A spokesman for Mr Streeting said: “Wes has said repeatedly that he supports the Prime Minister. He is completely focused on his job, in which he has cut waiting lists to their lowest level for three years and got ambulances arriving faster than for half a decade.”
There are major splits among senior Downing Street staff about what to do next. Sir Keir is being urged by Vidhya Alakeson, his acting chief of staff, to buy himself time by carrying out a Cabinet reshuffle immediately after the elections, with Mr Miliband replacing Rachel Reeves as Chancellor and Ms Rayner replacing Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary.
Wes Streeting has the backing of enough Labour MPs to launch a leadership challenge within days, The Telegraph has learnt. The Health Secretary has recruited more than 81 MPs – the minimum required to trigger a challenge – and is now contemplating his next move. Sir Keir Starmer was alerted to Mr Streeting’s intentions when a Downing Street staff member was accidentally texted details of his plans, including the “five pillars” of his campaign and his “PFG”, meaning plan for government.
Leave smokers alone and mind your own damn business Ian Dunt Aug 30, 2024
Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette) - Tex Williams Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray - Patsy Cline Smoke Gets in Your Eyes - The Platters Tobacco Road - The Nashville Teens Cigarettes and Coffee - Otis Redding Smokin' In The Boys Room - Brownsville Station Cigarettes & Alcohol - Oasis I’m Down To My Last Cigarette - k.d. lang Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk - Rufus Wainwright Smoke Rings in the Dark - Gary Allan
DAN HODGES: I saw Angela Rayner in that Commons bar this week. I believe those who care about Britain must make sure she is never PM READ MORE: Rayner, a boozy night and a bar room door that had to be repaired
Andrew Brook ‪@andrewbrook.bsky.social‬ Follow You have this weird obsession with the man. It’s not healthy. He is not a paedo. He and Mandy loathe one another.
USER WAS BLOCKED FOR THIS POST ‪@blockedforthispost.bsky.social‬ Forget all that, not interested, I wanna know what your main account is
Farage backs calls from Blair's thinktank for significant cuts to benefits paid to people with some mental health conditions Nigel Farage has said that he agrees with Tony Blair on the need for significant restrictions on sickness benefits paid to people with some mental health conditions. Yesterday Blair’s thinktank, the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) published a report proposing “an emergency handbrake for UK welfare”. It said: On a daily basis, nearly 1,000 people in Britain sign on to benefits. As part of the government’s effort to restore trust in the welfare system, we believe it could and should pull an emergency handbrake now that will slow the rise of claimants.