James Bottomley
@jamesbottomley.bsky.social
UK-based older project consultant guy with history in both public and private sectors. Enjoys chatting about politics, society, culture, etc. Spent time in many countries, including working in the US, so moderately familiar with other lands.
This isn't a good thing.
January 28, 2026 at 9:49 AM
This isn't a good thing.
It's another piece of pandering to the Silicon Valley broligarchs. This is led in the government by Pat McFadden, who seems ludicrously ignorant of both the implications and the technology but wholly purchased by the ongoing promises of big investments, eg, resource gobbling data centres.
January 28, 2026 at 9:48 AM
It's another piece of pandering to the Silicon Valley broligarchs. This is led in the government by Pat McFadden, who seems ludicrously ignorant of both the implications and the technology but wholly purchased by the ongoing promises of big investments, eg, resource gobbling data centres.
The favoured position for today's digital oligarch - on his knees.
January 28, 2026 at 6:07 AM
The favoured position for today's digital oligarch - on his knees.
That and the continuing relentless coverage of Farage on all channels, treating a loud mouthed pub bore of the 50s as some sort of inevitable PM in waiting. Still, one can hope that the more exposure Reform get, the more idiotic they will look.
January 28, 2026 at 6:04 AM
That and the continuing relentless coverage of Farage on all channels, treating a loud mouthed pub bore of the 50s as some sort of inevitable PM in waiting. Still, one can hope that the more exposure Reform get, the more idiotic they will look.
As the election showed, he was the obvious candidate to stand again as mayor, that's not 'looking after himself', it's doing the logical thing for the party and the city and he's not a selfish type, he even gives a share of his salary away. He's clearly motivated by ideas, not self interest.
January 27, 2026 at 4:52 PM
As the election showed, he was the obvious candidate to stand again as mayor, that's not 'looking after himself', it's doing the logical thing for the party and the city and he's not a selfish type, he even gives a share of his salary away. He's clearly motivated by ideas, not self interest.
It was a bit much doing it only a couple of years after being reelected, although a different way to look at it is that he's been Mayor since 2017 and a change is on the cards. He wouldn't really make a good national candidate though outside core Labour voters.
January 27, 2026 at 3:32 PM
It was a bit much doing it only a couple of years after being reelected, although a different way to look at it is that he's been Mayor since 2017 and a change is on the cards. He wouldn't really make a good national candidate though outside core Labour voters.
Sounds about on the same level as LLM slop. Fox crossed with Grok.
January 27, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Sounds about on the same level as LLM slop. Fox crossed with Grok.
Clearly not just in it for what he can make!
January 27, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Clearly not just in it for what he can make!
For that difficult post-regroup crap album.
January 27, 2026 at 1:03 PM
For that difficult post-regroup crap album.
Indeed. It's going to be a close result - a lot of Labour voters will go Green in protest at the Burnham decision and due to the general peed offness with Starmer's government. Reform might get less than they hoped as they increasingly resemble a mere Tory rehash. Everything to play for.
January 27, 2026 at 12:48 PM
Indeed. It's going to be a close result - a lot of Labour voters will go Green in protest at the Burnham decision and due to the general peed offness with Starmer's government. Reform might get less than they hoped as they increasingly resemble a mere Tory rehash. Everything to play for.
Time for the lettuce to join the rest of the salad.
January 27, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Time for the lettuce to join the rest of the salad.
It's fairly clear that most of the time it's Pat McFadden and Morgan McSweeney with an occasional reference to the cabinet. Starmer seems to operate as a semi-detached foreign affairs supervisor, fatally leaving it to a muddled and incompetent Downing St cabal to run domestic policy.
January 27, 2026 at 10:46 AM
It's fairly clear that most of the time it's Pat McFadden and Morgan McSweeney with an occasional reference to the cabinet. Starmer seems to operate as a semi-detached foreign affairs supervisor, fatally leaving it to a muddled and incompetent Downing St cabal to run domestic policy.
I've looked up the dates - Sue Gray was announced as sacked as Starmer's CoS on 6 October 24. Reeves announced the winter fuel payment decision on 29 July - so Gray was still there. Personally I think Reeves was behind the idiocy and Starmer didn't have the brains or bottle to intervene.
January 27, 2026 at 10:44 AM
I've looked up the dates - Sue Gray was announced as sacked as Starmer's CoS on 6 October 24. Reeves announced the winter fuel payment decision on 29 July - so Gray was still there. Personally I think Reeves was behind the idiocy and Starmer didn't have the brains or bottle to intervene.
Aha. Would Gray have made a difference to that decision? McSweeney seems inept and inexperienced, it's strange that Starmer thinks so much of him.
January 27, 2026 at 10:23 AM
Aha. Would Gray have made a difference to that decision? McSweeney seems inept and inexperienced, it's strange that Starmer thinks so much of him.
I can't remember without looking it up, was that before or after the winter fuel payment cancellation? That was surely the crucial tipping point in their popularity, an astonishingly cackhanded piece of genuflection to the Treasury mandarins with zero political nous.
January 27, 2026 at 10:20 AM
I can't remember without looking it up, was that before or after the winter fuel payment cancellation? That was surely the crucial tipping point in their popularity, an astonishingly cackhanded piece of genuflection to the Treasury mandarins with zero political nous.
Time to assault another Democrat city.
January 27, 2026 at 8:40 AM
Time to assault another Democrat city.
Strangely unaware that they work for a twisted psychopath.
January 27, 2026 at 7:53 AM
Strangely unaware that they work for a twisted psychopath.
The US embassy will have to step in and buy some.
January 27, 2026 at 7:50 AM
The US embassy will have to step in and buy some.
The street executions appear to have been both anticipated and sought by Miller and his cabal. They are part of the plan to create false state of emergency to block the midterms.
January 27, 2026 at 4:43 AM
The street executions appear to have been both anticipated and sought by Miller and his cabal. They are part of the plan to create false state of emergency to block the midterms.
It's something you see very extensively in poor countries, especially the very poor ones - and the US.
January 26, 2026 at 9:23 PM
It's something you see very extensively in poor countries, especially the very poor ones - and the US.