Best Of

I couldn't give a shit about the World Cup.

Sorry.

1st? Unlike Burnham. LOL.

Can't say I get the joke.

Burnham orchestrating a by-election to further his own career and then losing would be objectively funny.

Can't argue. There'd be comedy there. But for anyone with a grasp of politics and who shudders at the thought of PM Nigel Farage the brief chuckle will be abruptly swallowed and will give way to distress and trepidation because make no mistake Reform winning this will be a big step towards that.

To offer a moment of hope in our ever-more-rapid descent into pre-tolerance Britain, I was intrigued to find on my teaching desk this week a print-out of this guardian blog: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/02/teenage-radicalised-manosphere-young-men-masculinity. Turns out my school has decided it is worth engaging with the realities of masculinity in 2026, rather than the clichés that so many young men find alienating. This was apparently required reading in tutor time. My heart was (slightly) warmed.

One day into the World Cup, FIFA is doing “actually, the stadiums ARE full” posts stating that there are “ticketed fans… standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats”

https://bsky.app/profile/rodger.bsky.social/post/3mo4o2wcf622m

https://x.com/steven_swinford/status/2065526452783583673

Exclusive:
 
Britain must not be “squeamish” about reducing the welfare bill to fund additional spending on defence, Andy Burnham has said.

A right populist, a left populist, and a pragmatic centrist walk into this bar ...

... and the barman says "The art gallery were on the phone. You can have some abstract modern art for your leadership launch. And the orchestra want to know which Stravinsky piece you'd like."

https://x.com/steven_swinford/status/2065526452783583673

Exclusive:
 
Britain must not be “squeamish” about reducing the welfare bill to fund additional spending on defence, Andy Burnham has said.

A right populist, a left populist, and a pragmatic centrist walk into this bar ...

Go Paraguay!!

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He is just going to parrot whatever the media story of the day is, will be a disaster if he continues this.

Any reason to think that the star of the "what will you be having, Andy?" joke is going to change the habit of a lifetime?

Does Starmer have a cunning plan ?

UK and Canada in talks on defense bank and fighter jet programs
Gordon Brown — the ex-PM who is now advising No. 10 Downing Street on global finance — spoke to Canadian PM Mark Carney about the scheme
https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-canada-defense-bank-fighter-jet-programs-talks/

On those figures, Burnham will make it.