Against a corrupt, exhausted, unlucky Government, which under-estimated the threat from Reform, trying for its fifth General Election in a row, Morgan McSweeney delivered 33.7% of the vote. And he then made Starmer the most unpopular PM ever. That's the measure of the man's 'genius'.

It's notable how many male MPs who’d initially turned a very deaf ear to the protestations of Epstein’s victims ­suddenly felt the urge to indicate their profound ­sympathy for them, writes Ruth Wishart ✍️

🔗 www.thenational.scot/politi...

Left: Pat McFadden, "I believe Keir Starmer should stay.. He admits he made a bad mistake here.. He has apologised for it.. And I'm sure he will learn from that going forward"

Right: Former Chief Constable of West Midlands police admitted to mistakes, but was hounded out of office by Keir Starmer

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Compare the 6am raid by 20 uniformed police, multiple police vans & vehicles, and blue tents all over the front & rear garden for 3 days, with a polite ring of the bell by a couple plain clothed officers at a social time of day 🇬🇧

🇬🇧 Also thanks to Sky News for helicopter footage of Nicola’s house

#SNP1SGP2 NOT #BothVotesSNP

#SP26 #SP2026 #SE2026 #SE26
#Holyrood2026 #Holyrood26
#ScottishIndependence
#ScottishIndependenceASAP
#IndyClan

EXCLUSIVE: There is a 99.7% chance of voters returning a pro-independence majority at the next Scottish Parliament election, according to a simulation of 1000 Holyrood contests

🔗 www.thenational.scot/news/25834462.results-polling-simulation-1000-holyrood-elections/

We all live in Jeffrey Epstein's world now. That's what we can't face. It's our world. Where sexual desire for children is protected, victims receive no justice & the President of what used to be called the free world is Jeff's friend. This is Jeff's World now.
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open.substack.com/pub/broligar...

Since #bbclaurak is trending, let’s remind ourselves that ONE MONTH ago, the BBC invited Mandelson on for a soft-ball interview on her show. While HIS CLIENT , Palantir’s Louis Moseley appeared as a pundit

Both, as I wrote at time, were ‘abject failures of journalism’
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Dorothy Bryne, former head of #C4News "People keep saying this story is about women, and all they do is talk about men"

"What's intolerable is how these men are making out that they are the victims"

"They've all been having the most terrible time"

Seems a fitting end. In 2008 Jeffrey Epstein went to jail for soliciting a child for prostitution. In 2009/10 Peter Mandelson and Benjamin Wegg-Prosser solicited Epstein's help in setting up Global Counsel.

www.ft.com/content/b3cc...

FT exclusive:

“The US state department is set to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities across Europe to disseminate Washington’s policy positions and challenge perceived threats to free speech.”

via @annasophiegross.bsky.social and colleagues

Peter Mandelson has decided not to attend the sittings of the House of Lords.
That's it. Hardly, John Profumo spending the rest of his life in service of the poor, is it?

Stephen Flynn, "Keir Starmer chose a political appointment to be ambassador in Peter Mandelson"

"He knew about the connect between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein"

"He chose to ignore that past in order to get a political benefit"

"This is all about PM Keir Starmer's judgment, or lack of"

if there is a man i would trust to pursue a colleague who crossed him to the ends of the earth it is Gordon Brown, so this feels kind of fitting www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

"I think all Labour members & all Labour politicians should be looking to support restrictions on Mandelsons behaviour... he's not a friend of the working class.. hopefully he'll have his responsibilities & his say curtailed"

Some people have been calling our Mandelson for years

I was once a very junior news agency reporter, which among its many elements exposes you briefly to quite a lot of famous/influential people for whom you are quite unimportant. How they treated you could be illuminating. Peter Mandelson was – twice – by *far* the most dismissive and unpleasant.

Then and now the focus on individuals - Peter Mandelson and Michelle Mone - diverts attention from the real point. Our institutions, which should protect the public, just nod along with what is a kind of theft by the privileged. No one goes to prison, no one is ever held accountable.

the oldest adage in journalism is “follow the money”

new in the FT:

In theater. So they think they’re at war.

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"Call a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy"

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...