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John Finn @seanfionn.bsky.social · 1h

Err

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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 2h

Populists live on simple answers and cheap applause. When those no longer work and they are confronted by unpopularity, they have nothing.

Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 9h

👏 "We've lived here all our lives. And I have never felt so unwelcome in my own hometown as I do since your party came into Caerphilly."

"With all the rhetoric that you bring in, I have to say to my sons, please don't go there. Please don't do this."

"I blame you for that."

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John Finn @seanfionn.bsky.social · 1h

Portland Oregon (or O’Regan as it was autocorrected to) looks like the roadside in Glengarriff- even has a temperate rain forest behind look about it. Portland Maine (John Ford / Seán Feeney’s birthplace looks more North American)

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 18h

Portland has fallen!

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Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 7h

Second article of impeachment of Richard Nixon:

“He has endeavoured…to cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be intitiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner.”

www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Exclusive | Trump Team Plans IRS Overhaul to Enable Pursuit of Left-Leaning Groups

The effort would install a Trump ally at the IRS’s criminal unit who has drawn up a list of investigative targets.

www.wsj.com

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John Finn @seanfionn.bsky.social · 2h

@mrjamesob.bsky.social Richard is a respected Irish journalist & like (virtually) all Irish journalists is fact based.
This from Ruth Dudley Edwards (who has more form than Red Rum) is Unhinged Headline X Telegraph Top Trumps if you’re an Irish person.

Richard Chambers @newschambers.bsky.social · 9h

WOKE. CULTURE WARS. CULTURE WARS.

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Paul McNamara @mpaulmcnamara.bsky.social · 3h

Summit in Budapest. As in „Budapest Memorandum” in which NATO countries and Russia guaranteed Ukrainian independence in return for Ukraine surrendering its nuclear weapons. Putin straight-up taking the piss, Trump doesn’t understand or care.

Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 3h

President Trump:

I have just concluded my telephone conversation with President Vladimir Putin, of Russia, and it was a very productive one⤵️

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John Finn @seanfionn.bsky.social · 2h

Every time I despair of the calibre of Irish politicians (usually at 06:10 when Shay Byrne reads out the headlines & maps the contours of the days news) this crowd come up dumps again.

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 5h

“The result is a classic Westminster farce, in which once again it looks as if the British state can do absolutely nothing right. The alleged spying activity by the two men looks clownish, and yet the top echelons of the British state can’t do anything about it.”

Tinker, tailor, China, farce

A clownish spy scandal has shown up the severe shortcomings of British security, and given the Labour government an even bigger Chinese problem

www.thenewworld.co.uk

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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 5h

“The result is a classic Westminster farce, in which once again it looks as if the British state can do absolutely nothing right. The alleged spying activity by the two men looks clownish, and yet the top echelons of the British state can’t do anything about it.”

Tinker, tailor, China, farce

A clownish spy scandal has shown up the severe shortcomings of British security, and given the Labour government an even bigger Chinese problem

www.thenewworld.co.uk

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John Finn @seanfionn.bsky.social · 2h

I wonder if an about to be elected EU head of state was a member of the Workers Party of her country? Not being (very) snide but… She seems more WP than Labour (& not particularly sound on the national question)

The Times & Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 2h

A parade for the 80th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea seemed to be more inspired by KPop Demon Hunters than a solemn socialist agenda

Does this glitzy show prove Kim Jong-un is a secret fan of K-pop?

A parade for the 80th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea seemed to be more inspired by KPop Demon Hunters than a solemn socialist agenda

www.thetimes.com

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Tuatha @tuatha.ie · 2h

Cathair na Stéige • Staigue Fort

The Iveragh Peninsula of Kerry has a number of fine stone forts, but the most famous is this one at Staigue. The fort stands at the head of a river valley, with a fine view down to Kenmare Bay.

#SpéirGhorm #Ireland #WildAtlanticWay

An aerial view of the drystone enclosure of Staigue Fort in its rugged landscape of the Iveragh Peninsula

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 7h

“.. shares jumped 8% after the announcement, putting them on course for their biggest single-day percentage increase since 2008.”

@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/business/nes...

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Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 4h

Given the Trumpist assault on the patriotism of all who plan to attend No Kings rallies, I urge every Democratic elected official to attend one. They shouldn’t speak—if there are speakers, better to br less partisan civic leaders and citizens—but they should stand in solidarity with the rest of us.

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Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 13h

Cardiff will be the first UK city to introduce a surcharge for oversized SUVs and trucks, "while very large vehicles – those over 3,500kg – will be excluded from residential permits entirely."

Cardiff set to tackle SUV 'carspreading' in UK first

Cardiff Council is set to become the first local authority in the UK to introduce higher parking charges for SUVs and other heavy vehicles, in a move campaigners say will make city streets safer and f...

nation.cymru

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dag @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 10h

NEW

What the Chinese spying case witness statements reveal

The Crown Prosecution Service appears to have made at least one serious error, while the government's position now makes sense

By me

emptycity.substack.com/p/what-the-c...

Yesterday this blog sought to make sense of the decision to drop the Chinese Spying prosecutions on the information then available, and averred that both the positions of the government and the Crown Prosecution Service did not make sense.

Now the government has published three witness statements, the picture now changes. The government’s position now makes sense, and the CPS looks as if it made at least one serious mistake and possibly another.

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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 6h

arguably it’s now the CPS in firing line rather than Starmer government:

England’s ex director of public prosecutions has said witness statements drafted for the prosecution of two men over allegations they spied for China were “more than adequate” to use at trial

www.ft.com/content/fef3...

Testimony in China spy case ‘more than adequate’, says ex-CPS head

Ken Macdonald argues that witness statements drafted for prosecution of two men were enough to be put before a jury

www.ft.com

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Nicolai von Ondarza @nvondarza.bsky.social · 10h

Telling poll showing majority of Brits preferring the pre-Brexit immigration system, incl. 37% of (confused) Reform voters.

Not necessarily a wish to go back to free movement, but certainly an acknowledgement that Brexit did not only not solve the issue but created new problems.

Brits are pining for the pre-Brexit migration system

The idea was that leaving the bloc would give the U.K. back “control” of its borders and create a fairer system. But the widespread perception is it didn’t turn out that way.

www.politico.eu

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David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 11h

The EU is over-protecting and under-competing - my latest for @borderlex.net looks at how a series of measures typified by proposals on steel are not good responses to a world where most of the growth happens elsewhere. borderlex.net/2025/10/16/p...

Perspectives: Resetting EU economic approaches - Borderlex

Protectionism is a bad response to a world where growth happens elsewhere and other powers are rising. The EU needs to reassess where it stands in today’s world and tomorrow’s economy - and act accord...

borderlex.net

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 13h

I can’t remember whether our right-wing media was completely detached from reality before Brexit; Gove’s anti-expert rhetoric; Johnson’s blatant lies etc etc. I fondly imagine things were never this bad…

The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 13h

The UK is by no means a fiscal outlier internationally.

We are ‘middle of the pack’ on the scale of the deficit, and UK government borrowing is projected to fall by more than in other large economies.

Chart shows general government fiscal balance as a percentage of GDP in the UK and comparator countries (positive values denote a budget surplus). Title states: "In terms of borrowing, the UK is ‘middle of the pack’ among advanced economies."

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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 13h

In today's least surprising news

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Sunny Hostin to Cheryl Hines: "The problem is that your husband is the least qualified HHS head that we've had in history. I think that's very dangerous. He has spread a lot of misinformation, chaos, and confusion."

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John Finn @seanfionn.bsky.social · 14h

Imagine if “the famous Alan Mullery” actually did go to Rome to see the Pope. #cpfc

Razzball @razzball.bsky.social · 1d

Someone in the crowd: “Go Cubs!”

Pope Leo XIV: “Han perdido! They lost!”

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TheBossRoss @thebossross.bsky.social · 14h

A frequent sentence you hear from far-right (in Germany: AfD) voters: 'Man darf ja gar nichts mehr sagen.' (You're not allowed to say anything anymore)

What they want isn't freedom of speech. It's freedom from disagreement. Bcs their free speech looks like this ⬇️, and we will always push back.

itv NEWS website article screenshot:

One in three footballers' mental health impacted by online abuse, survey finds

RACIAL ABUSE/FOOTBALL
Wednesday 15 October 2025 at 4:18pm

Steve Scott
Sports Editor.

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John Finn @seanfionn.bsky.social · 14h

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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 14h

the year is 2030. a doctor solemnly informs you that you have plastic in your testicles bc millions of people persuaded by celebrity marketing bought synthetic pubic hairs that were eventually consumed by fish that you ate

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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 1d

The ability to discuss Brexit without fear is nothing less than the ability to discuss objective reality inews.co.uk/opinion/labo...

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