simonreynell.bsky.social
@simonreynell.bsky.social
Strange choice. A local candidate would go down much better in Gorton. This gives the Greens a real chance.
January 27, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Strange choice. A local candidate would go down much better in Gorton. This gives the Greens a real chance.
I don't think Burnham was actually a strong candidate, but the poor quality of other soft left figures by comparison is telling. And on the right Streeting would be as unpopular as Starmer within months. Labour is in a big hole & may well be eclipsed by the Greens.
January 25, 2026 at 11:58 PM
I don't think Burnham was actually a strong candidate, but the poor quality of other soft left figures by comparison is telling. And on the right Streeting would be as unpopular as Starmer within months. Labour is in a big hole & may well be eclipsed by the Greens.
Not sure. Most members are still soft left. Many will become more clearly antagonistic to the leadership & right of the party. When Starmer goes in May, members may coalesce around a genuinely alternative candidate rather than Streeting.
January 25, 2026 at 5:26 PM
Not sure. Most members are still soft left. Many will become more clearly antagonistic to the leadership & right of the party. When Starmer goes in May, members may coalesce around a genuinely alternative candidate rather than Streeting.
Facilitating Burnham becoming leader is probably the only chance Labour have of the next GE not being a total disaster. Yet those in charge are locked into factionalism & would rather that than cede any power to the soft left.
January 23, 2026 at 11:22 PM
Facilitating Burnham becoming leader is probably the only chance Labour have of the next GE not being a total disaster. Yet those in charge are locked into factionalism & would rather that than cede any power to the soft left.
My partner has a 'dumb' phone & a laptop. She is able to work, visit family, travel to relatives, lead a community campaign etc etc. She doesn't waste any time scrolling online & her brain is much sharper than mine. Why do you think that's not possible?
January 21, 2026 at 12:40 AM
My partner has a 'dumb' phone & a laptop. She is able to work, visit family, travel to relatives, lead a community campaign etc etc. She doesn't waste any time scrolling online & her brain is much sharper than mine. Why do you think that's not possible?
Everyone knew it at some level, but until last week anyone who said it out loud was dismissed as fringe / Marxist / having a chip on their shoulder / boring. Is that what is meant by ideological hegemony?
January 20, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Everyone knew it at some level, but until last week anyone who said it out loud was dismissed as fringe / Marxist / having a chip on their shoulder / boring. Is that what is meant by ideological hegemony?
I get the point, but it dismays me when anyone says Starmer is 'decent'. He lied his way to the top of Labour, has actively supported a genocide, and consistently sides with the strong rather than the weak.
January 20, 2026 at 9:04 PM
I get the point, but it dismays me when anyone says Starmer is 'decent'. He lied his way to the top of Labour, has actively supported a genocide, and consistently sides with the strong rather than the weak.
Weird that you still believe this. It worked for Blair with booming economy + no left alternative. So Starmer tries again, but with so many struggling post 2008, and now 💚, it's failing. The 'aspiring w/class' strategy doesn't work as they are now being squeezed.
January 19, 2026 at 8:29 AM
Weird that you still believe this. It worked for Blair with booming economy + no left alternative. So Starmer tries again, but with so many struggling post 2008, and now 💚, it's failing. The 'aspiring w/class' strategy doesn't work as they are now being squeezed.
and where are all those very grown-up sensibles who derided Zack Polanski for saying that NATO has become an unreliable & ineffective alliance, and that Europe needed a new alliance?
January 18, 2026 at 8:36 AM
and where are all those very grown-up sensibles who derided Zack Polanski for saying that NATO has become an unreliable & ineffective alliance, and that Europe needed a new alliance?
Farage's response is pretty weak: "We don’t always agree with the US government and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us." But it's the first time I can think of where he has actually criticised Trump, which is significant & illustrates a big difficulty for Reform.
January 17, 2026 at 8:22 PM
Farage's response is pretty weak: "We don’t always agree with the US government and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us." But it's the first time I can think of where he has actually criticised Trump, which is significant & illustrates a big difficulty for Reform.
Yes, true. Is this the first time that Farage has criticised Trump (albeit mildly)?
January 17, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Yes, true. Is this the first time that Farage has criticised Trump (albeit mildly)?
very good piece, thank you
January 17, 2026 at 12:40 PM
very good piece, thank you
It's incumbent on all of us who are outside the dispute to do all that we can to exacerbate these divisions.
January 16, 2026 at 12:50 PM
It's incumbent on all of us who are outside the dispute to do all that we can to exacerbate these divisions.
There's a connection between the 2. While those at the top who own large businesses are doing very nicely, the majority are feeling at best squeezed or outright impoverished. A German guy had a theory about how this worked 180 years ago.
January 12, 2026 at 8:20 AM
There's a connection between the 2. While those at the top who own large businesses are doing very nicely, the majority are feeling at best squeezed or outright impoverished. A German guy had a theory about how this worked 180 years ago.
The BBC is no longer a reliable news source, especially on anything that reflects badly on Trump. (A) they've been cowed by Trump's lawsuit. (B) they have generally shifted well to the right over the past 10 years.
January 9, 2026 at 1:49 AM
The BBC is no longer a reliable news source, especially on anything that reflects badly on Trump. (A) they've been cowed by Trump's lawsuit. (B) they have generally shifted well to the right over the past 10 years.
good point. He shouldn't be anywhere near a national news service.
January 8, 2026 at 9:22 PM
good point. He shouldn't be anywhere near a national news service.
in this context I'm not even clear what is the difference between 'emotion' and 'empathy' (though I realise that Sir Keir lacks both)
January 6, 2026 at 3:31 PM
in this context I'm not even clear what is the difference between 'emotion' and 'empathy' (though I realise that Sir Keir lacks both)
I intensely dislike Reform but trying to ban them would backfire. Most of their supporters are anti-system anyway, so it would only reinforce their convictions & make martyrs of those who were prosecuted.
January 6, 2026 at 10:03 AM
I intensely dislike Reform but trying to ban them would backfire. Most of their supporters are anti-system anyway, so it would only reinforce their convictions & make martyrs of those who were prosecuted.
Fascinating piece, thank you
January 6, 2026 at 9:41 AM
Fascinating piece, thank you
The UK has suffered for a decade from so many of its political journalists being tightly wedded to the right-wing faction in the Labour Party.
January 6, 2026 at 6:55 AM
The UK has suffered for a decade from so many of its political journalists being tightly wedded to the right-wing faction in the Labour Party.
Traditional non-voters were a factor in Brexit, but I suspect will be less motivated to vote in a GE than a referendum. Reform could win, especially in de facto alliance with the Tories, but - in the wake of Trump's chaos - will struggle to surf a popular wave all the way to 2029.
January 5, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Traditional non-voters were a factor in Brexit, but I suspect will be less motivated to vote in a GE than a referendum. Reform could win, especially in de facto alliance with the Tories, but - in the wake of Trump's chaos - will struggle to surf a popular wave all the way to 2029.
Because reality TV has been fundamental to the dumbing down of broadcast media. Sure, you can learn from analysing it, but TV was much more informed & educative before it.
January 3, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Because reality TV has been fundamental to the dumbing down of broadcast media. Sure, you can learn from analysing it, but TV was much more informed & educative before it.
Starmer is so grim. But to be fair, the EU has been no better.
January 3, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Starmer is so grim. But to be fair, the EU has been no better.
Counterpoint:
bsky.app/profile/apne...
bsky.app/profile/apne...
Trump says the U.S. will tap Venezuela's vast oil reserves and sell "large amounts" to other countries after Maduro's capture. Follow live updates:
Live updates: US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Maduro, has been captured
President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had struck Venezuela early Saturday and said its president, Nicolás Maduro, had been captured and flown out of the country.
bit.ly
January 3, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Counterpoint:
bsky.app/profile/apne...
bsky.app/profile/apne...