Author | Lightnews

Reposted by James Graham

Sean T. Collins @seantcollins.com · 26m

I think Newsom may actually be Two-Face.

A coin flip: We're taxing billionaires to pay for Trump's Medicaid cuts and also let's be honest punish them for supporting Trump

A coin flip: Today on the pod we discuss the final solution to the homeless problem with special guest Nick Fuentes

David Dayen @ddayen.bsky.social · 34m

California is readying a one-time 5% tax on billionaires for the 2026 ballot that would go toward compensating for Trump's Medicaid cuts. The architects see it as a national model.
It will be announced today.

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 23m

Monzo “smartly” decides that if I spend money with a European company I must be in that European country. So far I’ve apparently been in Germany, France, Cyprus and Poland in the space of 5 hours. I may be going to Denmark next #EssenSpiel

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 3h

This is mine, from one of my favourite kids’ movies.

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Ashley Davies @msashleydavies.bsky.social · 4h

The new Strictly hosts should be both Brian Coxes. One gazing in awe before explaining the physics; the other barely concealing his irritation.

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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 4h

I’m often critical of the royals, but I do think it’s great that the Princess of Wales is keeping up a trade alongside her royal duties and her role as a mother.

A van reads “K. MIDDLETON ROOFING”. All work is guaranteed!

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DismalChips DIED FIFTY YEARS AGO THIS VERY NIGHT @dismalchips.bsky.social · 4h

Oh great the retired colonels have gone woke now.

Renewable energy investment should come from defence budgets, say retired military leaders

Investment in renewable energy should be counted under defence expenditure, says a group of retired senior military personnel, because the climate crisis represents a threat to national security, Fiona Harvey reports

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 3h

The kids I’ve spoken to all think it’s great. They don’t know any different. And a lot of parents haven’t engaged with AI and LLMs as far as I can see beyond being told it is the future and we have to get in line. I need to emphasise this is purely anecdotal.

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 4h

I mean I’m glad he did it; it represents a different time when pragmatic democratic socialists could still get stuff done inside a Labour government. But you can bet the Tony Blair Institute is laser focused on preventing any of this happening ever again.

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 4h

The PM who did the most to codify our constitution — Tony Blair (HRA, separating Lord Chancellor from HoL leader, independence of the Supreme Court) mostly did it without being aware of the complexities and regrets it all. The Lord Chancellor bit was done by press release and opened a can of worms.

James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 7h

I spent my adult life campaigning for a written constitution, 10 of which as a full time job, but I’m not convinced that rushing through a written constitution is either achievable or desirable. You could codify bits, to be sure, but doing the whole thing and gaining public consent can’t happen

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 6h

I’m increasingly coming to use STP/Nanny Ogg’s dictum that “Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.” as a useful heuristic. This one has red warning lights flickering everywhere.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 22h

"Imagine every bead represents a thousand people" (and you want to deport 2+ million of them)

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 7h

But it would also mean no more Labour majorities in the future. They’d rather keep that option open than prevent Reform (of course they COULD get 50+% of the vote and still have a majority but even they don’t think that’s credible).

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 7h

Once again we find ourselves in the situation where Labour itself is the biggest barrier to us countering Reform. We could at least introduce PR, but Labour will never let that happen — let alone lead it.

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 7h

And I simply wouldn’t want Keir Starmer in charge of a written constitution. The noises Labour is making about human rights, particularly article 8, is terrifying right now. Having that rushed into place and entrenched into law? Absolutely disastrous.

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 7h

Not sure we’d be wise to try either as it would backfire. Constitutions need to be developed with a deep level of public engagement. We simply can’t do that in 2 years, and having Labour force it through parliament would look like the stitch up it is.

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 7h

I spent my adult life campaigning for a written constitution, 10 of which as a full time job, but I’m not convinced that rushing through a written constitution is either achievable or desirable. You could codify bits, to be sure, but doing the whole thing and gaining public consent can’t happen

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 8h

From talking to parents and kids about how this is being seen in schools, it feels like we’re now discouraging critical thinking in favour of learning to use LLM tools with a view to getting ahead in the workplace.

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Nick Barlow @nickbwalking.bsky.social · 8h

Has there been any polling on public opinions of renovating or moving Parliament? Because I do wonder if "move Parliament out of London" is a populist cause for the party that finally lands on it.

John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 16h

The Palace of Westminster is literally going to either burn down, kill someone, or both because spending money to save it is perceived as so politically toxic.

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Chris Orton @chriso1.bsky.social · 16h

Tron (1982, Dir: Steven Lisberger)

Shot of the grid from The Adventure Game.

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99 Kaninchen? In dieser Wirtschaft? @aremay.bsky.social · 1d

You can really taste the "we don't have a clear sense of direction" and "actually we'd rather not annoy bigots" themes of this administration in this illuminatingly empty series of replies.

Jordan @jordanpfot.bsky.social · 1d

This is horrendous. Zero empathy. Clear as mud.

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Stephen Collins @stephencollins.bsky.social · 4d

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Nurse:
It’s become a real problem in this area

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Nurse:
We’ve seen the whole community lost to addiction

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Show a building sign posted:
Westminster ‘X’ Addiction Clinic
With various Westminster people or looking at their phones outside it

Nurse:
Ministers, Spads, Researchers…

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Nurse:
Most mornings we’ll get a call about someone acting strangely

[Nurse on phone taking a call]
Ok - we’ll be right over

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Nurse:
We just have a gentle chat

[Nurses approach a minister –Robert Jenrick? - standing in the Palace of Westminster

Minister:
I understand your concerns…

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Nurse:
Are you OK love?

Minister:
Yes I’m just hearing legitimate concerns from real voters

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Nurse:
That’s a robot, a Nazi and a poorly-disguised Russian

[Show that the people he is talking to are precisely these characters]

Nurse 2:
Give us your phone, love

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Nurse:
At the clinic we put them in a Grass-Touching Pod, with a real voter to talk to

[We see them back at the clinic, holding the minister's head and pushing him into a glass isolation booth with a grass floor. And it is a baffled looking woman, on a chair, ready to talk to him.]

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Minister:
YOU MUST BE WORRIED ABOUT THE COMING CIVIL WAR

[woman looks baffled]

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woman:
I just want a bus service

Minister:
LOOK AT MY FLAG
[produces a St George's flag]

[ends]

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 20h

It’s a little known clause of the Labour party rulebook (Ch.5,sect.xii). “When the party is in office, no clear statement can be made until half a dozen people on Bluesky have embarrassed themselves by claiming that the silence is actually part of a grand strategy“.

Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 20h

why did this take two fucking days though? did the Prime Minister have his notifications switched off? was he stuck in the bath? why, exactly, is this obviously true thing something that apparently needs running past the boss anyway? what is *wrong* with their comms operation?

Peter Walker @peterwalker99.bsky.social · 23h

NEW: Labour condemn Tory plan to strip people of indefinite leave to remain:

“It’s utterly grotesque that Tories want to deport people with the lawful right to be here to achieve ‘cultural coherence’.

“This policy would mean tearing families apart and ripping out our neighbours from communities."

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 16h

Why is the head of NATO discussing ballroom refurbishment?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 17h

Trump on his new White House ballroom: "In order to do it properly we had to take down the existing structure."

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James Graham @jamesgraham.theliberati.net · 17h

Are… are those condoms? Condicondoms?

Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 1d

I have been traveling and today I present to you...the thing I saw in the Frankfurt airport.

Is it efficient? Undeniably. Does it probably work better than the normal way? Oh certainly. Produce less of a mess? Probably?

But the existence of Condiment Udders gives me a deep, aghast disquiet.

A hotdog and pretzel stand with large hanging bottles of mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise. The bottoms contain squeeze tubes to dispense the condiments.

Reposted by James Graham

Nat Guest @unfortunatalie.bsky.social · 17h

Possibly the most german thing I have ever seen.

Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 1d

I have been traveling and today I present to you...the thing I saw in the Frankfurt airport.

Is it efficient? Undeniably. Does it probably work better than the normal way? Oh certainly. Produce less of a mess? Probably?

But the existence of Condiment Udders gives me a deep, aghast disquiet.

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Reposted by James Graham

Chris Terry-Enescu @cjterry.bsky.social · 17h

Look all I'm saying is no one tell Donald that Nicolae Ceaușescu built a Palace of the People which is the heaviest building in the world and filled with gaudy marble and hideous massive chandeliers

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 17h

Trump waves around renderings of his new ballroom, which appears to be entirely gold

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