Jim Pickard
@pickardje.bsky.social
73K followers 470 following 1.9K posts
Deputy political editor, Financial Times. Also amateur iphone photographer and some-time musician.
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pickardje.bsky.social
this isn’t a new photo - I took it a few years ago - but wanted to share it regardless
Photo of a heron sitting by a lake with Autumnal trees reflected in the water
Reposted by Jim Pickard
lewisgoodall.com
I do wonder if Labour might look at the sorts of people dominating the discourse and dominating the content wars and maybe, just maybe, rethink the sorts of grey figures they routinely put up for interviews, instructed at that to be as cautious as possible. Things have changed. Their comms hasn’t.
Reposted by Jim Pickard
jim.londoncentric.media
Lol US vs UK libel law.
emmavj.bsky.social
Judge Jeannette Vargas said the lyrics in Lamar’s Not Like Us, which refers to Drake as a “certified paedophile”, were a matter of opinion, which could not be “actionable defamation”.

on.ft.com/4ojA6pH Judge throws out rapper Drake’s lawsuit against Kendrick Lamar ‘diss’ track
Judge throws out rapper Drake’s lawsuit against Kendrick Lamar ‘diss’ track
[FREE TO READ] Jeannette Vargas’s judgment says ‘Not Like Us’, which calls the Canadian singer a paedophile, was a statement of opinion
on.ft.com
Reposted by Jim Pickard
eliothiggins.bsky.social
Casually announcing plans to murder American citizens for wrongthink.
premthakker.bsky.social
My gosh. After the US bombed multiple boats in the middle of the ocean, murdering people on grounds that they were allegedly "carrying drugs," the US Attorney General says "Just like we did with cartels, we're going to take the same approach, President Trump, with Antifa."
pickardje.bsky.social
this was the sun rising over Mumbai this morning
Reposted by Jim Pickard
timbale.bsky.social
If you can't see how this will end, then you're not paying attention (not least to what's going on on the other side of the Atlantic).
Reposted by Jim Pickard
jamesrball.com
Labour has a majority of about 150. What is the internal turmoil this person imagines that would lead to a Labour PM voluntarily calling an early election. Because that’s the only way one happens.

Or to put it another way: what are these people smoking?
pickardje.bsky.social
CBI welcomes Tory shadow chancellor's calls for fiscal prudence but adds: “Business will however be concerned by reactionary proposals to scrap key pieces of legislation, like the Climate Change Act, that have done much to boost confidence and underpin investment in high growth sectors."
Reposted by Jim Pickard
mitsubishop.bsky.social
I’m still baffled by an argument that suggests “seeing how dependent we are on imported energy means we need to move away from taking up renewables”.

It’s just madness.
pickardje.bsky.social
not sure this is as logical as you think it is
In
forthcoming book
called
Prosperity Through Growth, Johnson admitted that when Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushed up gas prices,
it
became clear that the UK's net-zero strategy had to change, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Reposted by Jim Pickard
samfr.bsky.social
There are lots of reasons not to leave ECHR. But apart from anything else, it just doesn't solve the problem the Tories/Reform think it does.

E.g. the Supreme Court judgment re Rwanda being unsafe explicitly said it was not based on ECHR.
Reposted by Jim Pickard
localnotail.bsky.social
no excuse for being this bad
pickardje.bsky.social
The King has approved the nomination of Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury
pickardje.bsky.social
Kemi Badenoch, a year ago:

"People throwing out numbers and saying we’ll leave the ECHR are giving easy answers. That’s how we got in this mess in the first place"
pickardje.bsky.social
The UK government faces an uphill battle to recover the £122mn that a judge has ordered PPE Medpro to repay after finding that the medical supplier provided substandard equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic, lawyers have warned

www.ft.com/content/998e...
UK’s PPE Medpro win unlikely to guarantee recovery of £122mn, lawyers warn
Medical equipment supplier linked to Michelle Mone breached government contract during pandemic, judge says
www.ft.com
pickardje.bsky.social
their North Sea policy hasn’t changed, have a read of the 2024 manifesto - it allowed new licenses on old fields
pickardje.bsky.social
sometimes it does feel a little like this
Reposted by Jim Pickard
koltai.bsky.social
So the Geneva convention is woke now
atrupar.com
Hegseth: "We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also don't fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement."