Stephen Smith
@gsds3.bsky.social
Somewhere there’s a question about rehabilitation, and we often say rehabilitation is important until faced with a specific. But that sort of relies on a sentence being served and being spent (technically or morally) and that ain’t the case here
February 10, 2026 at 9:45 PM
Somewhere there’s a question about rehabilitation, and we often say rehabilitation is important until faced with a specific. But that sort of relies on a sentence being served and being spent (technically or morally) and that ain’t the case here
Just think how poorly the last 18 months would have gone without his towering genius. The Labour Party could have been polling as low as 20%. Oh
February 10, 2026 at 9:26 PM
Just think how poorly the last 18 months would have gone without his towering genius. The Labour Party could have been polling as low as 20%. Oh
Everyone just ask for a speakers slot at their annual conference then scweam and scweam censorship and hypocrisy when it’s - inevitably and reasonably - denied
February 10, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Everyone just ask for a speakers slot at their annual conference then scweam and scweam censorship and hypocrisy when it’s - inevitably and reasonably - denied
This was known when he was appointed a few weeks ago. Indeed, before he was appointed. How do they manage to do this?
February 10, 2026 at 5:18 PM
This was known when he was appointed a few weeks ago. Indeed, before he was appointed. How do they manage to do this?
Has the job itself - insofar as you can distinguish it from the lack of accompanying stable political leadership - changed materially from Heywood/GoD?
February 10, 2026 at 7:50 AM
Has the job itself - insofar as you can distinguish it from the lack of accompanying stable political leadership - changed materially from Heywood/GoD?
We’d think about issuing a strongly worded statement expressing regret
February 10, 2026 at 7:32 AM
We’d think about issuing a strongly worded statement expressing regret
When you say ‘online’ does this include sufficient grid capacity (guessing this a smaller issue for these two than it is for offshore wind)?
February 10, 2026 at 7:30 AM
When you say ‘online’ does this include sufficient grid capacity (guessing this a smaller issue for these two than it is for offshore wind)?
Always good to have a guide about what not to do
February 9, 2026 at 8:56 PM
Always good to have a guide about what not to do
When do the briefings start, that Louise Casey could do that, and the CoS jobs, alongside any cabinet vacancies after the next reshuffle and also leader of the Scottish Labour Party after May?
February 9, 2026 at 7:47 PM
When do the briefings start, that Louise Casey could do that, and the CoS jobs, alongside any cabinet vacancies after the next reshuffle and also leader of the Scottish Labour Party after May?
Mostly be things they’d been bullied into
February 9, 2026 at 12:22 PM
Mostly be things they’d been bullied into
We’ve already got Reform for everything-new-is-bad-and-woke-bring-back-the-1950s and the Greens and Libdems for different brands of progressiveness. Do we need a new Labour?
February 8, 2026 at 9:52 PM
We’ve already got Reform for everything-new-is-bad-and-woke-bring-back-the-1950s and the Greens and Libdems for different brands of progressiveness. Do we need a new Labour?
I have comments about Truss and Glasman successively on my timeline, and it’s nice to see that ‘least self aware British politician’ is a competitive field
February 8, 2026 at 4:30 PM
I have comments about Truss and Glasman successively on my timeline, and it’s nice to see that ‘least self aware British politician’ is a competitive field
Shouldn’t be that difficult for GMP
February 8, 2026 at 3:53 PM
Shouldn’t be that difficult for GMP
But also the ones - I think in Barwell’s phrase - who put the ‘Staff’ ahead of the ‘Chief’. The challenge in finding McSweeney’s replacement is needing to provide the political direction as well as the job that Powell/Llewellyn et al did
February 8, 2026 at 3:47 PM
But also the ones - I think in Barwell’s phrase - who put the ‘Staff’ ahead of the ‘Chief’. The challenge in finding McSweeney’s replacement is needing to provide the political direction as well as the job that Powell/Llewellyn et al did
I think I’ve seen more pictures of him as Ambassador (usually on St David’s day!) than ever as CoS
February 8, 2026 at 3:37 PM
I think I’ve seen more pictures of him as Ambassador (usually on St David’s day!) than ever as CoS
Resigning as the government, perhaps
February 8, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Resigning as the government, perhaps
The true prince of darkness
February 8, 2026 at 2:38 PM
The true prince of darkness
I assume he’s booked for Kuennsberg and the Times supplement
February 8, 2026 at 2:23 PM
I assume he’s booked for Kuennsberg and the Times supplement
So the Prime Minister asked a friend of the candidate to draft the questions for the candidate? Hard to see why things have gone so wrong with this approach
February 8, 2026 at 11:30 AM
So the Prime Minister asked a friend of the candidate to draft the questions for the candidate? Hard to see why things have gone so wrong with this approach
They’re welcome to apologise to their client if they wish, but it doesn’t obviate the agent’s responsibility
February 8, 2026 at 11:23 AM
They’re welcome to apologise to their client if they wish, but it doesn’t obviate the agent’s responsibility
It’s strict liability for the agent, IIRC, in any case. I guess you print on an A3 or A2 panel, guillotine down to A5, and chop the imprint off that way. But your professional printer doesn’t make that mistake (and I’ve been an agent, and a printer of this style of letter and not got it wrong)
February 8, 2026 at 11:12 AM
It’s strict liability for the agent, IIRC, in any case. I guess you print on an A3 or A2 panel, guillotine down to A5, and chop the imprint off that way. But your professional printer doesn’t make that mistake (and I’ve been an agent, and a printer of this style of letter and not got it wrong)
The difference is, in Caerphilly they followed the law and included an imprint. In G&D they haven’t so it’s an offence.
February 8, 2026 at 11:04 AM
The difference is, in Caerphilly they followed the law and included an imprint. In G&D they haven’t so it’s an offence.
Between him and Mandelson, we’re really being treated by the papers this weekend
February 8, 2026 at 9:34 AM
Between him and Mandelson, we’re really being treated by the papers this weekend