1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
The Trump cesspit administration is happy to go round interfering in other countries and you really have to feel for Canadians who have had nothing but insults and threats for the last year from the stain on humanity .
Really seems to have come out of nowhere too.
What is odd to me about it is that really the USA has been de facto ruler of Canada for many decades. Canada couldn't mount much of a defence, and has no allies who could aid it meaningfully. I believe Canada absolutely gets its script from the US usually. Yet Trump has this odd way of demanding what is already his, and sort of losing it in the process.
Robinson College, Cambridge is the finest example of red bricks. I admit I'm not unbiased (I studied there). It is now really nicely aged, but the greenery growing around it, particularly in the gardens promises to make it even better.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
One of Trump's mistakes is that he wants to make Canada as a whole the 51st US state rather than offering each Canadian province the opportunity to become an individual US state.
Sign up at 5pm on Friday and ICE will be flooding your cities and towns by Monday morning.
And your elections will be rigged so that only GOP can vote.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
The Trump cesspit administration is happy to go round interfering in other countries and you really have to feel for Canadians who have had nothing but insults and threats for the last year from the stain on humanity .
Don't worry
They will give as good as they get
Canada is in a strong position to tell Trump to get lost, notwithstanding some separatists in Alberta
Canada is a wonderful country and they’re lucky to have Mark Carney . To this day I’ll never forget my journey across the whole country finishing off with an amazing train ride across from Banff to Vancouver through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world .
Our eldest is married to a Canadian and they live in North Vancouver
In his day he was a professional snowboarder travelling the sky resorts in France, Italy, the US and of course Canada including Whistler
Coming upto 60 now his knees have paid the price and he is retired, but lived on the edge of what is possible on snow for many years
Our daughter in law is head of tourism for British Columbia and with the re-establishing of relations with China, she will be spending a lot of time in China, Australia and New Zealand
To be fair, selling British Columbia must be many peoples dream job
Definitely. It’s just stunning . Your certainly have an interesting and adventurous family what with one son part of the RNLI and the other snowboarding .
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
One of Trump's mistakes is that he wants to make Canada as a whole the 51st US state rather than offering each Canadian province the opportunity to become an individual US state.
If he gave them all statehood MAGA would lose control of the Senate and Presidency for at least a generation.
“We need to take care that we’re not characterising having to make an effort as proof of a special need”
Conservative peer and former Ofsted chair Baroness Spielman talks to @siennamarla about the SEND crisis, her time at the regulator including the Ruth Perry case, and why some parents need stigmatising
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
The Trump cesspit administration is happy to go round interfering in other countries and you really have to feel for Canadians who have had nothing but insults and threats for the last year from the stain on humanity .
Really seems to have come out of nowhere too.
What is odd to me about it is that really the USA has been de facto ruler of Canada for many decades. Canada couldn't mount much of a defence, and has no allies who could aid it meaningfully. I believe Canada absolutely gets its script from the US usually. Yet Trump has this odd way of demanding what is already his, and sort of losing it in the process.
On the other hand, Canada hasn't really been forced to do stuff it really doesn't want to do by the USA.
True power, as the creepy bit in 1984 points out, is when you make the other party suffer. What Trump craves (has always craved, it seems) is that sort of power.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
One of Trump's mistakes is that he wants to make Canada as a whole the 51st US state rather than offering each Canadian province the opportunity to become an individual US state.
If he gave them all statehood MAGA would lose control of the Senate and Presidency for at least a generation.
In which case, a shiny sixpence says that the Canadian provinces wouldn't get statehood.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
The Trump cesspit administration is happy to go round interfering in other countries and you really have to feel for Canadians who have had nothing but insults and threats for the last year from the stain on humanity .
Really seems to have come out of nowhere too.
What is odd to me about it is that really the USA has been de facto ruler of Canada for many decades. Canada couldn't mount much of a defence, and has no allies who could aid it meaningfully. I believe Canada absolutely gets its script from the US usually. Yet Trump has this odd way of demanding what is already his, and sort of losing it in the process.
I wouldn't go that far, but Trump seems to love the display of power more than most presidents, and it's not enough for him to quietly dominate (see also how his former opponents turned supporters tend to dial up the praise to 11). When if you force people to confront your relative power over them they will resent it a lot more, and may even react against it even if it costs them. Enforced obeisance isn't worth it.
Robinson College, Cambridge is the finest example of red bricks. I admit I'm not unbiased (I studied there). It is now really nicely aged, but the greenery growing around it, particularly in the gardens promises to make it even better.
Former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Lord Jim Wallace, who served as Scotland's first-ever deputy first minister, has died as a result of complications after surgery, his family has said.
Have they really threatened that many times? That would surprise me as I feel like they'd know it would look bad it they get a reputation for it, even among people who do not instinctively dislike them.
So Reform appear to be threatening legal action against the @Conservatives over the retracted Braverman statement. You know, the one that was publicly acknowledged as wrong, retracted within the hour, and apologised for by @KemiBadenoch on GB News.
I thought I'd do some research. Here's what I found.
Boxing Day 2024: Farage threatened to sue @KemiBadenoch over membership figures. By January 7th he'd backed down: "I'm not going to sue because I do believe in free speech."
November 2025: Reform's lawyers warned the Guardian against publishing school racism allegations. The Guardian published anyway. Reform confirmed they weren't suing "at this stage." That stage never came.
June 2024: Farage accused vetting firm Vetting.com of a "stitch-up" after candidate scandals emerged. Tice announced lawyers had been instructed. The company disputed Reform's account. Nothing happened.
June 2024: Farage instructed Carter-Ruck over a Mail on Sunday headline about his Ukraine comments. Nothing happened.
December 2025: Tice threatened to sue a Croydon hotel that cancelled a Reform Christmas event. Still waiting.
February 2025: Reform's leadership threatened the Independent over a story questioning Tice's CV claims - "in between threatening legal action" they warned the paper would be banned from events. Story remains published. No lawsuit.
November 2025: Reform's barrister demanded a Welsh news outlet remove their head of comms' name from a racial slur story. The outlet refused. Story remains up. No lawsuit.
So: seven threats. Zero follow-through.
Reform threatens lawsuits the way other parties issue press releases: frequently, loudly, and never with follow-through. It's not the behaviour of a serious political party. It's the behaviour of people who think intimidation substitutes for argument.
A CCHQ staffer made a mistake. @KemiBadenoch acknowledged it and apologised on behalf of the party. That's accountability.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
One of Trump's mistakes is that he wants to make Canada as a whole the 51st US state rather than offering each Canadian province the opportunity to become an individual US state.
If he gave them all statehood MAGA would lose control of the Senate and Presidency for at least a generation.
Trump doesn't care about MAGA or the wider GOP.
To him they're dupes to be used for his own self-engrandisement.
Trump is a ponzi scheme which requires ever more dupes to be recruited.
Firstly it was in business, then entertainment and now politics.
Don't see much enthusiasm for Canadians rushing at the "opportunity" to become American citizens. Alberta is probably the only province that could possibly vote for it and I doubt they would if push came to shove.
On the other hand I could quite see strong support for opting out of Trump's America in a number of US states. I presume Trump and his apologists would be quite happy should say, Californians , decide to separate or does it only work one way? (the question is rhetorical by the way)
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
The Trump cesspit administration is happy to go round interfering in other countries and you really have to feel for Canadians who have had nothing but insults and threats for the last year from the stain on humanity .
Really seems to have come out of nowhere too.
What is odd to me about it is that really the USA has been de facto ruler of Canada for many decades. Canada couldn't mount much of a defence, and has no allies who could aid it meaningfully. I believe Canada absolutely gets its script from the US usually. Yet Trump has this odd way of demanding what is already his, and sort of losing it in the process.
Trump is like one of the thuggish villains the 'A Team' would beat every Saturday.
Or to use a different analogy Trump wants to be Vito Corleone but behaves like Philip Tattaglia.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
One of Trump's mistakes is that he wants to make Canada as a whole the 51st US state rather than offering each Canadian province the opportunity to become an individual US state.
Surely that would bugger the Republicans in the Senate for generations. How many Canadian states are red in USA terms? There are 10 Provinces.
All the worst people support Manchester United, evidence number 6,240,555
Breaking news from the Forbidden City: President Xi Jinping talks football with Keir Starmer and says he supports Man Utd but also takes an interest in three other teams: Arsenal, Man City and Crystal Palace. In fact he calls them “Palace”. Starmer gobsmacked. @CPFC
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
One of Trump's mistakes is that he wants to make Canada as a whole the 51st US state rather than offering each Canadian province the opportunity to become an individual US state.
Surely that would bugger the Republicans in the Senate for generations. How many Canadian states are red in USA terms? There are 10 Provinces.
I suggest increasing the numbers in the Senate so they are proportionate like the House, so that would mean California gets around 130 and Texas about 110 senators, it'll all work itself out.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
The Trump cesspit administration is happy to go round interfering in other countries and you really have to feel for Canadians who have had nothing but insults and threats for the last year from the stain on humanity .
Really seems to have come out of nowhere too.
What is odd to me about it is that really the USA has been de facto ruler of Canada for many decades. Canada couldn't mount much of a defence, and has no allies who could aid it meaningfully. I believe Canada absolutely gets its script from the US usually. Yet Trump has this odd way of demanding what is already his, and sort of losing it in the process.
On the other hand, Canada hasn't really been forced to do stuff it really doesn't want to do by the USA.
True power, as the creepy bit in 1984 points out, is when you make the other party suffer. What Trump craves (has always craved, it seems) is that sort of power.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
The Trump cesspit administration is happy to go round interfering in other countries and you really have to feel for Canadians who have had nothing but insults and threats for the last year from the stain on humanity .
Don't worry
They will give as good as they get
Canada is in a strong position to tell Trump to get lost, notwithstanding some separatists in Alberta
Canada is a wonderful country and they’re lucky to have Mark Carney . To this day I’ll never forget my journey across the whole country finishing off with an amazing train ride across from Banff to Vancouver through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world .
Our eldest is married to a Canadian and they live in North Vancouver
In his day he was a professional snowboarder travelling the sky resorts in France, Italy, the US and of course Canada including Whistler
Coming upto 60 now his knees have paid the price and he is retired, but lived on the edge of what is possible on snow for many years
Our daughter in law is head of tourism for British Columbia and with the re-establishing of relations with China, she will be spending a lot of time in China, Australia and New Zealand
To be fair, selling British Columbia must be many peoples dream job
Definitely. It’s just stunning . Your certainly have an interesting and adventurous family what with one son part of the RNLI and the other snowboarding .
One no longer worries us, the other does, especially if called out in the recent stormy seas
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
One of Trump's mistakes is that he wants to make Canada as a whole the 51st US state rather than offering each Canadian province the opportunity to become an individual US state.
If he gave them all statehood MAGA would lose control of the Senate and Presidency for at least a generation.
In which case, a shiny sixpence says that the Canadian provinces wouldn't get statehood.
Yes, we can take it as read that Donald isn't a great fan of democracy.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
One of Trump's mistakes is that he wants to make Canada as a whole the 51st US state rather than offering each Canadian province the opportunity to become an individual US state.
Surely that would bugger the Republicans in the Senate for generations. How many Canadian states are red in USA terms? There are 10 Provinces.
Do you think Trump cares what happens in future generations as opposed to his self-aggrandisement in the here and now ?
In any case, the Canadian province most likely to join the USA would be Alberta, which would be pro GOP.
A broken up Canada losing Alberta (to the USA) and Quebec (to independence) would delight many US rightists.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
The Trump cesspit administration is happy to go round interfering in other countries and you really have to feel for Canadians who have had nothing but insults and threats for the last year from the stain on humanity .
Don't worry
They will give as good as they get
Canada is in a strong position to tell Trump to get lost, notwithstanding some separatists in Alberta
Canada is a wonderful country and they’re lucky to have Mark Carney . To this day I’ll never forget my journey across the whole country finishing off with an amazing train ride across from Banff to Vancouver through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world .
Our eldest is married to a Canadian and they live in North Vancouver
In his day he was a professional snowboarder travelling the sky resorts in France, Italy, the US and of course Canada including Whistler
Coming upto 60 now his knees have paid the price and he is retired, but lived on the edge of what is possible on snow for many years
Our daughter in law is head of tourism for British Columbia and with the re-establishing of relations with China, she will be spending a lot of time in China, Australia and New Zealand
To be fair, selling British Columbia must be many peoples dream job
Definitely. It’s just stunning . Your certainly have an interesting and adventurous family what with one son part of the RNLI and the other snowboarding .
One no longer worries us, the other does, especially if called out in the recent stormy seas
The heritage of the stormy seas is the story of our islands. I'd quite like to be able to find some non land-lubbers and press-gang-avoiders in my ancestral record.
Very sad to learn of the passing of Jim Wallace. Not only a past First Minister Depute, but also a Moderator of the Kirk General Assembly. A thoughtful and amusing conversationalist and a humane and intelligent man.
So it seems that Alex Pretti was something of a violent street thug.
In fact his behaviour was rather reminiscent of the Wath rioters.
Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but the USA is a gun society and thankfully Yorkshire isn't.
"Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but.."
Why do the media have to pretend that every victim was an angel though? I am sure it turns more people towards the far right than telling the truth would. If the consensus had been that this guy was a provocative and aggressive armed protestor, but that is no reason for him to be shot dead once he had been disarmed, I can't see many people disagreeing, yet making him out to be a Kumbayah singing Greenham Common style peacenik only for the footage to be revealed is akin to the highbrow disinformation problem discussed in this article, linked by our old fav @AlastairMeeks
Very very good and carefully written piece that I encourage people to read closely rather than immediately seizing on things they don’t like to score points.
So it seems that Alex Pretti was something of a violent street thug.
In fact his behaviour was rather reminiscent of the Wath rioters.
Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but the USA is a gun society and thankfully Yorkshire isn't.
"Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but.."
Why do the media have to pretend that every victim was an angel though? I am sure it turns more people towards the far right than telling the truth would. If the consensus had been that this guy was a provocative and aggressive armed protestor, but that is no reason for him to be shot dead once he had been disarmed, I can't see many people disagreeing, yet making him out to be a Kumbayah singing Greenham Common style peacenik only for the footage to be revealed is akin to the highbrow disinformation problem discussed in this article, linked by our old fav @AlastairMeeks
Very very good and carefully written piece that I encourage people to read closely rather than immediately seizing on things they don’t like to score points.
I think is just media tendency towards puffery even on serious matters. Like if a kid got shot and they were described as a straight A student, one would hope it would not make a difference if they got Bs, but media like to include as much detail as they know, and since most people are normal, early info out is probably going to be positive.
Former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Lord Jim Wallace, who served as Scotland's first-ever deputy first minister, has died as a result of complications after surgery, his family has said.
Sad news
That means the leaders of Labour, the SNP, Lib Dem and Tories from the 1999 Scottish election have all passed away
Former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Lord Jim Wallace, who served as Scotland's first-ever deputy first minister, has died as a result of complications after surgery, his family has said.
Sad news
That means the leaders of Labour, the SNP, Lib Dem and Tories from the 1999 Scottish election have all passed away
All the worst people support Manchester United, evidence number 6,240,555
Breaking news from the Forbidden City: President Xi Jinping talks football with Keir Starmer and says he supports Man Utd but also takes an interest in three other teams: Arsenal, Man City and Crystal Palace. In fact he calls them “Palace”. Starmer gobsmacked. @CPFC
He lives about as close to manchester as most Man Utd fans
If the diplomats warned Starmer earlier, he could have cancelled the trip.
In fact Xi is some way ahead of most MU fans in that he could probably find Manchester on a map without assistance, if only because he might want to nuke it one day.
Despite polling only around 34/35% of the constituency vote, there is a fair chance the SNP get a majority of seats or very close to it at this election, even from constituencies alone. I don't think its odds on, or anywhere near it, but its a quirk of the voting system the late Donald Dewar didn't anticipate
In fairness he would have had a much higher % of the MP vote in the final round if I hadn’t had to lend a chunk of Boris’s votes to get Jeremy into the final 2.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
One of Trump's mistakes is that he wants to make Canada as a whole the 51st US state rather than offering each Canadian province the opportunity to become an individual US state.
If he gave them all statehood MAGA would lose control of the Senate and Presidency for at least a generation.
Trump doesn't care about MAGA or the wider GOP.
To him they're dupes to be used for his own self-engrandisement.
Trump is a ponzi scheme which requires ever more dupes to be recruited.
Firstly it was in business, then entertainment and now politics.
That's absolutely true. His essential fuel is suckers. But people use him too. To validate their baser instincts (his Maga base) and at a higher level (project 25, Miller, Vance etc) to advance the distinctly creepy ideology of White Christian Nationalism.
Not interested in party politics at the moment. More needs to be shaken out.
Big News! At yesterday's earnings call Tesla announced their plans to stop building cars. Model S and X and Cybertruck are all dead with their production lines repurposed for robots and taxis. No further cars will be built which you can drive. So once the Model 3 and Y get old, that's the end.
Madness standing on the shoulders of madness on stilts. Oh, the Robototron production line is to build 1m units next year. As there is no global market for these, expect them to be bought by the US government and used for herd culling of the population.
Is that a true-truth? I'm not a big fan of Elon (I know: surprise!) but even by his standard this is f*****g stupid. Tesla is a hundred-billion dollar company. Are the board so in thrall to Elon that they are willing to destroy the company for one man's stupidity?
1. Model S and X production ends shortly. Sales are down to a trickle anyway. Production space at the Fremont factory to be repurposed to build Optimus 2. Cybertruck production line to be repurposed to build autonomous vehicles. No timeline given or what those are but it won't be the truck that nobody buys 3. Roadster announced with a reveal in April. Its been announced as launching this year every year since 2020 4. Elon said that with the exception of the roadster, Tesla will not bring to the market any vehicles which are not fully autonomous 5. They further project that the bulk of all future sales will be the cybercab
He/they are mad. Sales are in Year on Year on Year decline. Accelerating hard. Sales of tax credits down nearly 50% YonY. They need profitable sales (vehicles are 75% of revenue to pay for capex and research. Capex this year more than doubles to $20bn. Hasn't said what they're spending it on. Won't be cars.
In fairness he would have had a much higher % of the MP vote in the final round if I hadn’t had to lend a chunk of Boris’s votes to get Jeremy into the final 2.
Still a swing of 3.5% from SNP to Labour and 17% from SNP to Reform on the Holyrood constituency vote on that new Yougov poll. Plus a swing of 4% from SNP to Labour and 15.5% from SNP to Reform on the regional list vote. So a unionist majority for the first time since 2011 is very possible if unionist tactical voting on the constituency vote, especially with the Greens still only 4th on the list vote behind Labour and Reform too
Not interested in party politics at the moment. More needs to be shaken out.
Big News! At yesterday's earnings call Tesla announced their plans to stop building cars. Model S and X and Cybertruck are all dead with their production lines repurposed for robots and taxis. No further cars will be built which you can drive. So once the Model 3 and Y get old, that's the end.
Madness standing on the shoulders of madness on stilts. Oh, the Robototron production line is to build 1m units next year. As there is no global market for these, expect them to be bought by the US government and used for herd culling of the population.
Is that a true-truth? I'm not a big fan of Elon (I know: surprise!) but even by his standard this is f*****g stupid. Tesla is a hundred-billion dollar company. Are the board so in thrall to Elon that they are willing to destroy the company for one man's stupidity?
1. Model S and X production ends shortly. Sales are down to a trickle anyway. Production space at the Fremont factory to be repurposed to build Optimus 2. Cybertruck production line to be repurposed to build autonomous vehicles. No timeline given or what those are but it won't be the truck that nobody buys 3. Roadster announced with a reveal in April. Its been announced as launching this year every year since 2020 4. Elon said that with the exception of the roadster, Tesla will not bring to the market any vehicles which are not fully autonomous 5. They further project that the bulk of all future sales will be the cybercab
He/they are mad. Sales are in Year on Year on Year decline. Accelerating hard. Sales of tax credits down nearly 50% YonY. They need profitable sales (vehicles are 75% of revenue to pay for capex and research. Capex this year more than doubles to $20bn. Hasn't said what they're spending it on. Won't be cars.
So no new models ever again. Its done.
So future sales will be a vehicle that still doesn't exist / work - the cybercab..
I will believe it when one is driving round central London without a human helper..
I just got off a call with someone driving around California in his autonomous truck with 5 starlink systems operating in the background…
Former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Lord Jim Wallace, who served as Scotland's first-ever deputy first minister, has died as a result of complications after surgery, his family has said.
Sad news
That means the leaders of Labour, the SNP, Lib Dem and Tories from the 1999 Scottish election have all passed away
You could almost think it was a long time ago.
Impossible, mentally I feel no more than seven years older than I was then, even if the twinge in my hip says otherwise.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
The Trump cesspit administration is happy to go round interfering in other countries and you really have to feel for Canadians who have had nothing but insults and threats for the last year from the stain on humanity .
Don't worry
They will give as good as they get
Canada is in a strong position to tell Trump to get lost, notwithstanding some separatists in Alberta
Canada is a wonderful country and they’re lucky to have Mark Carney . To this day I’ll never forget my journey across the whole country finishing off with an amazing train ride across from Banff to Vancouver through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world .
Our eldest is married to a Canadian and they live in North Vancouver
In his day he was a professional snowboarder travelling the sky resorts in France, Italy, the US and of course Canada including Whistler
Coming upto 60 now his knees have paid the price and he is retired, but lived on the edge of what is possible on snow for many years
Our daughter in law is head of tourism for British Columbia and with the re-establishing of relations with China, she will be spending a lot of time in China, Australia and New Zealand
To be fair, selling British Columbia must be many peoples dream job
Definitely. It’s just stunning . Your certainly have an interesting and adventurous family what with one son part of the RNLI and the other snowboarding .
One no longer worries us, the other does, especially if called out in the recent stormy seas
Not much snow in N Wales, did he make it pro from learning on artificial slopes?
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
One of Trump's mistakes is that he wants to make Canada as a whole the 51st US state rather than offering each Canadian province the opportunity to become an individual US state.
If he gave them all statehood MAGA would lose control of the Senate and Presidency for at least a generation.
Trump doesn't care about MAGA or the wider GOP.
To him they're dupes to be used for his own self-engrandisement.
Trump is a ponzi scheme which requires ever more dupes to be recruited.
Firstly it was in business, then entertainment and now politics.
That's absolutely true. His essential fuel is suckers. But people use him too. To validate their baser instincts (his Maga base) and at a higher level (project 25, Miller, Vance etc) to advance the distinctly creepy ideology of White Christian Nationalism.
Trump gets used by others because Trump isn't as clever as he thinks he is.
Which allows those who are cunning enough and who are willing and skilful enough to pander to Trump to use him for their own ends.
The Trump administration is more like the court of late stage Henry VIII than a modern government.
On the basis that events take a few days to filter through to polling, that is Trump's antics, hurting right wing parties generally. MIC show right wing support dropping from 50 to 48%, F O N has 50 to 46%.
More I suspect some Labour 2024 voters who went Reform as a fresh new party now see them as the Tories 2 post all the defections and have gone back to Labour or gone Green.
The last poll was taken at the height of Trump's Greenland antics, this poll after he dropped them. However this poll covers the post Jenrick, Rosindell and Braverman defections from Tory to Reform as does the new MiC
So it seems that Alex Pretti was something of a violent street thug.
In fact his behaviour was rather reminiscent of the Wath rioters.
Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but the USA is a gun society and thankfully Yorkshire isn't.
"Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but.."
Why do the media have to pretend that every victim was an angel though? I am sure it turns more people towards the far right than telling the truth would. If the consensus had been that this guy was a provocative and aggressive armed protestor, but that is no reason for him to be shot dead once he had been disarmed, I can't see many people disagreeing, yet making him out to be a Kumbayah singing Greenham Common style peacenik only for the footage to be revealed is akin to the highbrow disinformation problem discussed in this article, linked by our old fav @AlastairMeeks
Very very good and carefully written piece that I encourage people to read closely rather than immediately seizing on things they don’t like to score points.
Otoh when people are victims of an atrocity it's not a natural instinct to go looking for ways in which they hadn't lived an admirable life. Doing this usually indicates a desire to downplay the atrocity (because of support for the political cause responsible for it) by introducing the thought that it wasn't entirely unjustified.
Robinson College, Cambridge is the finest example of red bricks. I admit I'm not unbiased (I studied there). It is now really nicely aged, but the greenery growing around it, particularly in the gardens promises to make it even better.
Girton is the gold standard, surely?
Once helped make a hash cake in the shape (and colour) of Girton.
Have they really threatened that many times? That would surprise me as I feel like they'd know it would look bad it they get a reputation for it, even among people who do not instinctively dislike them.
So Reform appear to be threatening legal action against the @Conservatives over the retracted Braverman statement. You know, the one that was publicly acknowledged as wrong, retracted within the hour, and apologised for by @KemiBadenoch on GB News.
I thought I'd do some research. Here's what I found.
Boxing Day 2024: Farage threatened to sue @KemiBadenoch over membership figures. By January 7th he'd backed down: "I'm not going to sue because I do believe in free speech."
November 2025: Reform's lawyers warned the Guardian against publishing school racism allegations. The Guardian published anyway. Reform confirmed they weren't suing "at this stage." That stage never came.
June 2024: Farage accused vetting firm Vetting.com of a "stitch-up" after candidate scandals emerged. Tice announced lawyers had been instructed. The company disputed Reform's account. Nothing happened.
June 2024: Farage instructed Carter-Ruck over a Mail on Sunday headline about his Ukraine comments. Nothing happened.
December 2025: Tice threatened to sue a Croydon hotel that cancelled a Reform Christmas event. Still waiting.
February 2025: Reform's leadership threatened the Independent over a story questioning Tice's CV claims - "in between threatening legal action" they warned the paper would be banned from events. Story remains published. No lawsuit.
November 2025: Reform's barrister demanded a Welsh news outlet remove their head of comms' name from a racial slur story. The outlet refused. Story remains up. No lawsuit.
So: seven threats. Zero follow-through.
Reform threatens lawsuits the way other parties issue press releases: frequently, loudly, and never with follow-through. It's not the behaviour of a serious political party. It's the behaviour of people who think intimidation substitutes for argument.
A CCHQ staffer made a mistake. @KemiBadenoch acknowledged it and apologised on behalf of the party. That's accountability.
Threatens but doesn't follow through? Farage just taking after his idol Trump again. You make the threats, get the social media clicks and then don't follow through to avoid the costs and humiliation of defeat.
So it seems that Alex Pretti was something of a violent street thug.
In fact his behaviour was rather reminiscent of the Wath rioters.
Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but the USA is a gun society and thankfully Yorkshire isn't.
"Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but.."
Why do the media have to pretend that every victim was an angel though? I am sure it turns more people towards the far right than telling the truth would. If the consensus had been that this guy was a provocative and aggressive armed protestor, but that is no reason for him to be shot dead once he had been disarmed, I can't see many people disagreeing, yet making him out to be a Kumbayah singing Greenham Common style peacenik only for the footage to be revealed is akin to the highbrow disinformation problem discussed in this article, linked by our old fav @AlastairMeeks
Very very good and carefully written piece that I encourage people to read closely rather than immediately seizing on things they don’t like to score points.
Otoh when people are victims of an atrocity it's not a natural instinct to go looking for ways in which they hadn't lived an admirable life. Doing this usually indicates a desire to downplay the atrocity (because of support for the political cause responsible for it) by introducing the thought that it wasn't entirely unjustified.
And do we know yet what caused Alex Pretti to flip and take it out on that rear-light cover? He might have had a Jesus-in-the-temple moment.
So it seems that Alex Pretti was something of a violent street thug.
In fact his behaviour was rather reminiscent of the Wath rioters.
Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but the USA is a gun society and thankfully Yorkshire isn't.
"Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but.."
Why do the media have to pretend that every victim was an angel though? I am sure it turns more people towards the far right than telling the truth would. If the consensus had been that this guy was a provocative and aggressive armed protestor, but that is no reason for him to be shot dead once he had been disarmed, I can't see many people disagreeing, yet making him out to be a Kumbayah singing Greenham Common style peacenik only for the footage to be revealed is akin to the highbrow disinformation problem discussed in this article, linked by our old fav @AlastairMeeks
Very very good and carefully written piece that I encourage people to read closely rather than immediately seizing on things they don’t like to score points.
Otoh when people are victims of an atrocity it's not a natural instinct to go looking for ways in which they hadn't lived an admirable life. Doing this usually indicates a desire to downplay the atrocity (because of support for the political cause responsible for it) by introducing the thought that it wasn't entirely unjustified.
Your point would be fine if they had been a bit of a wrongun in a way that had absolutely nothing to do with their demise, and the fact they were a wrongun were used to dismiss their death. But the fellow who was killed last week was depicted as being an angel, when he was, if the video I have seen of him from the previous week is legitimate, quite a violent and angry, armed protestor. As I said, this doesn't mean it was right to kill him, especially as his firearm had been removed, but there is just no need to overegg the pudding. I think it treats the public as fools to do so, and in turn causes people to lose sympathy/distrust the authorities
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
The Trump cesspit administration is happy to go round interfering in other countries and you really have to feel for Canadians who have had nothing but insults and threats for the last year from the stain on humanity .
Don't worry
They will give as good as they get
Canada is in a strong position to tell Trump to get lost, notwithstanding some separatists in Alberta
Canada is a wonderful country and they’re lucky to have Mark Carney . To this day I’ll never forget my journey across the whole country finishing off with an amazing train ride across from Banff to Vancouver through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world .
Our eldest is married to a Canadian and they live in North Vancouver
In his day he was a professional snowboarder travelling the sky resorts in France, Italy, the US and of course Canada including Whistler
Coming upto 60 now his knees have paid the price and he is retired, but lived on the edge of what is possible on snow for many years
Our daughter in law is head of tourism for British Columbia and with the re-establishing of relations with China, she will be spending a lot of time in China, Australia and New Zealand
To be fair, selling British Columbia must be many peoples dream job
Definitely. It’s just stunning . Your certainly have an interesting and adventurous family what with one son part of the RNLI and the other snowboarding .
One no longer worries us, the other does, especially if called out in the recent stormy seas
Not much snow in N Wales, did he make it pro from learning on artificial slopes?
Yes - he and a friend from Anglesey started on Llandudno dry slope and quicky became very serious snowboarders
I remember being called to the slope when he tried a helicopter trick and fell on his neck
He was out of action for a couple of weeks then returned to the slope and then spent winters in Chamonix and summers in the US and Canada
He would carve his way down high mountains through virgin snow with helicopters photographing him
From camping under the Golden Gate to snowboarding directly into his apartment in Aspen, and witnessing many fatalities, you can say his parents were relieved when he took to skis and slowed down
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Greens fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Greens fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
Fine, Swinney remains FM but completely neutered with no majority for indyref2 at Holyrood and has to focus on Scottish domestic policy like he is paid to!
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Greens fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
One of Trump's mistakes is that he wants to make Canada as a whole the 51st US state rather than offering each Canadian province the opportunity to become an individual US state.
If he gave them all statehood MAGA would lose control of the Senate and Presidency for at least a generation.
Trump doesn't care about MAGA or the wider GOP.
To him they're dupes to be used for his own self-engrandisement.
Trump is a ponzi scheme which requires ever more dupes to be recruited.
Firstly it was in business, then entertainment and now politics.
That's absolutely true. His essential fuel is suckers. But people use him too. To validate their baser instincts (his Maga base) and at a higher level (project 25, Miller, Vance etc) to advance the distinctly creepy ideology of White Christian Nationalism.
Trump gets used by others because Trump isn't as clever as he thinks he is.
Which allows those who are cunning enough and who are willing and skilful enough to pander to Trump to use him for their own ends.
The Trump administration is more like the court of late stage Henry VIII than a modern government.
Does that mean Stephen Miller meets the same fate as Thomas Cromwell?
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Green fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
My instant analysis of the current polls would suggest that a larger Holyrood majority for the SNP & Greens is on the cards - the SNP may well hold most of their constituency seats against a very split Unionist vote, while an increased vote for the Greens in the regional lists would give them gains there.
Otherwise I would suggest that there would be some form of minority government, which seemed to be handled quite deftly by Salmond in 2007-2011 I believe, with Tory support.
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Greens fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
Fine, Swinney remains FM but completely neutered with no majority for indyref2 at Holyrood and has to focus on Scottish domestic policy like he is paid to!
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Greens fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
Fine, Swinney remains FM but completely neutered with no majority for indyref2 at Holyrood and has to focus on Scottish domestic policy like he is paid to!
So it seems that Alex Pretti was something of a violent street thug.
In fact his behaviour was rather reminiscent of the Wath rioters.
Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but the USA is a gun society and thankfully Yorkshire isn't.
"Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but.."
Why do the media have to pretend that every victim was an angel though? I am sure it turns more people towards the far right than telling the truth would. If the consensus had been that this guy was a provocative and aggressive armed protestor, but that is no reason for him to be shot dead once he had been disarmed, I can't see many people disagreeing, yet making him out to be a Kumbayah singing Greenham Common style peacenik only for the footage to be revealed is akin to the highbrow disinformation problem discussed in this article, linked by our old fav @AlastairMeeks
Very very good and carefully written piece that I encourage people to read closely rather than immediately seizing on things they don’t like to score points.
Otoh when people are victims of an atrocity it's not a natural instinct to go looking for ways in which they hadn't lived an admirable life. Doing this usually indicates a desire to downplay the atrocity (because of support for the political cause responsible for it) by introducing the thought that it wasn't entirely unjustified.
Your point would be fine if they had been a bit of a wrongun in a way that had absolutely nothing to do with their demise, and the fact they were a wrongun were used to dismiss their death. But the fellow who was killed last week was depicted as being an angel, when he was, if the video I have seen of him from the previous week is legitimate, quite a violent and angry, armed protestor. As I said, this doesn't mean it was right to kill him, especially as his firearm had been removed, but there is just no need to overegg the pudding. I think it treats the public as fools to do so, and in turn causes people to lose sympathy/distrust the authorities
Well, yes, the point being that even rogues and ne'erdowells deserve the protection of the law ad shouldn't be gunned down unless they present an immediate threat to life.
So it seems that Alex Pretti was something of a violent street thug.
In fact his behaviour was rather reminiscent of the Wath rioters.
Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but the USA is a gun society and thankfully Yorkshire isn't.
"Now that doesn't mean he should have been killed but.."
Why do the media have to pretend that every victim was an angel though? I am sure it turns more people towards the far right than telling the truth would. If the consensus had been that this guy was a provocative and aggressive armed protestor, but that is no reason for him to be shot dead once he had been disarmed, I can't see many people disagreeing, yet making him out to be a Kumbayah singing Greenham Common style peacenik only for the footage to be revealed is akin to the highbrow disinformation problem discussed in this article, linked by our old fav @AlastairMeeks
Very very good and carefully written piece that I encourage people to read closely rather than immediately seizing on things they don’t like to score points.
Otoh when people are victims of an atrocity it's not a natural instinct to go looking for ways in which they hadn't lived an admirable life. Doing this usually indicates a desire to downplay the atrocity (because of support for the political cause responsible for it) by introducing the thought that it wasn't entirely unjustified.
The narrative suggests that if someone spits at a cop car and kicks out a tail light they are added to a kill list and publicly executed, mafia style, eleven days later. No trial, no misdemeanor conviction, just the execution.
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Greens fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
Fine, Swinney remains FM but completely neutered with no majority for indyref2 at Holyrood and has to focus on Scottish domestic policy like he is paid to!
Your obsession over independence is silly
It is the SNP obsession not mine
Then went as far as founding a political party about it. Bonkers.
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Greens fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
Fine, Swinney remains FM but completely neutered with no majority for indyref2 at Holyrood and has to focus on Scottish domestic policy like he is paid to!
Your obsession over independence is silly
It is the SNP obsession not mine
Yes as I recall you are more Plaid Cymru obsessed. You've sold it to me. Come the referendum it is independence all the way. Free Wales!
1/ Trump Administration officials have reportedly held several secret meetings with Canadian separatists, who are seeking US$500 billion to bankroll their efforts. It suggests that the Administration is interested in breaking up Canada and absorbing the remnants... https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/2016815209751466305
Quebec separatists, surely?
No, some right wing nuts in Alberta.
It has already been described as treason
Separatism is ok if you're from Scotland or Quebec but not if you're from Alberta?
One of Trump's mistakes is that he wants to make Canada as a whole the 51st US state rather than offering each Canadian province the opportunity to become an individual US state.
Surely that would bugger the Republicans in the Senate for generations. How many Canadian states are red in USA terms? There are 10 Provinces.
I suggest increasing the numbers in the Senate so they are proportionate like the House, so that would mean California gets around 130 and Texas about 110 senators, it'll all work itself out.
I don't think that helps.
As I understand it, Senate representation is deliberately set up to prevent largely states to prevent large population states from undermining undermining smaller ones.
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Greens fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
Fine, Swinney remains FM but completely neutered with no majority for indyref2 at Holyrood and has to focus on Scottish domestic policy like he is paid to!
Your obsession over independence is silly
It is the SNP obsession not mine
Yes as I recall you are more Plaid Cymru obsessed. You've sold it to me. Come the referendum it is independence all the way. Free Wales!
Plaid have ruled out pushing for independence for their first term if they win in May, unlike the SNP
It deserves some investigation. Perhaps Reform is seen as a way to protest vote against the current SNP government, without voting for the longer-term opponents of the SNP in Scotland: Labour or the Tories?
Particularly for those who are more social conservative supporters of independence, and therefore repelled by the Scottish Greens.
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Green fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
My instant analysis of the current polls would suggest that a larger Holyrood majority for the SNP & Greens is on the cards - the SNP may well hold most of their constituency seats against a very split Unionist vote, while an increased vote for the Greens in the regional lists would give them gains there.
Otherwise I would suggest that there would be some form of minority government, which seemed to be handled quite deftly by Salmond in 2007-2011 I believe, with Tory support.
Quite likely to be a pro-Indy majority at Holyrood delivered by a minority pro-Indy vote.
It deserves some investigation. Perhaps Reform is seen as a way to protest vote against the current SNP government, without voting for the longer-term opponents of the SNP in Scotland: Labour or the Tories?
Particularly for those who are more social conservative supporters of independence, and therefore repelled by the Scottish Greens.
Or the immigrants they hate are more of the non EU kind
"I took a closer look at the UK government's new 'AI Skills Hub', and it is insane. It includes 'courses' that are simply links to info pages about PhD programs; 'courses' that are literally just software developer documentation; and 'courses' that don't exist at all."
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Green fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
My instant analysis of the current polls would suggest that a larger Holyrood majority for the SNP & Greens is on the cards - the SNP may well hold most of their constituency seats against a very split Unionist vote, while an increased vote for the Greens in the regional lists would give them gains there.
Otherwise I would suggest that there would be some form of minority government, which seemed to be handled quite deftly by Salmond in 2007-2011 I believe, with Tory support.
Quite likely to be a pro-Indy majority at Holyrood delivered by a minority pro-Indy vote.
Not certain at all. The SNP voteshare at Holyrood on the new Yougov is lower than it has been at any election since 2007 and Reform are ahead of the Greens on the list vote as are Labour
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Greens fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
Fine, Swinney remains FM but completely neutered with no majority for indyref2 at Holyrood and has to focus on Scottish domestic policy like he is paid to!
Your obsession over independence is silly
It is the SNP obsession not mine
Your every post on Scotland juggles figures in such a way to seek a union majority and if that fails you threaten the Scots with an Epping tank !!
If the Scots vote in an Independence government then the Scots have given them the mandate if they choose
I believe both Scotland and Wales will have SNP and Plaid first ministers, but you can calm down as I do not expect either to go down the route notwithstanding their mandates
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Greens fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
Fine, Swinney remains FM but completely neutered with no majority for indyref2 at Holyrood and has to focus on Scottish domestic policy like he is paid to!
Your obsession over independence is silly
It is the SNP obsession not mine
Yes as I recall you are more Plaid Cymru obsessed. You've sold it to me. Come the referendum it is independence all the way. Free Wales!
Plaid have ruled out pushing for independence for their first term if they win in May, unlike the SNP
Steven Flynn was on the wireless yesterday as excited about Welsh Independence from the wicked Starmer as he was for Scotland.
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Greens fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
Fine, Swinney remains FM but completely neutered with no majority for indyref2 at Holyrood and has to focus on Scottish domestic policy like he is paid to!
Your obsession over independence is silly
It is the SNP obsession not mine
Yes as I recall you are more Plaid Cymru obsessed. You've sold it to me. Come the referendum it is independence all the way. Free Wales!
Plaid have ruled out pushing for independence for their first term if they win in May, unlike the SNP
Steven Flynn was on the wireless yesterday as excited about Welsh Independence from the wicked Starmer as he was for Scotland.
Well of course he was he is anti Union but the only reason Plaid are leading the polls is they have ruled out independence if they win
I don't think they've delivered any Shaheds for a while (the ones Russia are making have been improved somewhat from the original design), and reportedly Russia hasn't used the missiles Iran sent to them. Some suggestion that they tested them and decided they weren't accurate enough - which is quite something when the Russians conclude your missiles are so shit that it's not worth the bother of lobbing them at a city.
"I took a closer look at the UK government's new 'AI Skills Hub', and it is insane. It includes 'courses' that are simply links to info pages about PhD programs; 'courses' that are literally just software developer documentation; and 'courses' that don't exist at all."
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Green fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
My instant analysis of the current polls would suggest that a larger Holyrood majority for the SNP & Greens is on the cards - the SNP may well hold most of their constituency seats against a very split Unionist vote, while an increased vote for the Greens in the regional lists would give them gains there.
Otherwise I would suggest that there would be some form of minority government, which seemed to be handled quite deftly by Salmond in 2007-2011 I believe, with Tory support.
Quite likely to be a pro-Indy majority at Holyrood delivered by a minority pro-Indy vote.
Not certain at all. The SNP voteshare at Holyrood on the new Yougov is lower than it has been at any election since 2007 and Reform are ahead of the Greens on the list vote as are Labour
Those living in Scotland know far more about this than you do
I can easily see a situation where the SNP and Greens fall slightly short of a majority but the Unionists cannot form a government because at least some parties will not work with Reform making a Unionist majority impossible too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
Fine, Swinney remains FM but completely neutered with no majority for indyref2 at Holyrood and has to focus on Scottish domestic policy like he is paid to!
Your obsession over independence is silly
It is the SNP obsession not mine
Yes as I recall you are more Plaid Cymru obsessed. You've sold it to me. Come the referendum it is independence all the way. Free Wales!
Plaid have ruled out pushing for independence for their first term if they win in May, unlike the SNP
Steven Flynn was on the wireless yesterday as excited about Welsh Independence from
the wicked Starmer as he was for Scotland.
Well of course he was he is anti Union but the only reason Plaid are leading the polls is they have ruled out independence if they win
Rubbish again from an Englishman on Welsh politics
Plaid will win irrespective, because the Welsh want a government that will put Wales first and take on Westminster
Comments
And your elections will be rigged so that only GOP can vote.
What an offer!!
PoliticsHome
@politicshome
“We need to take care that we’re not characterising having to make an effort as proof of a special need”
Conservative peer and former Ofsted chair Baroness Spielman talks to @siennamarla
about the SEND crisis, her time at the regulator including the Ruth Perry case, and why some parents need stigmatising
https://x.com/politicshome/status/2016889193981731165
True power, as the creepy bit in 1984 points out, is when you make the other party suffer. What Trump craves (has always craved, it seems) is that sort of power.
Of course, the basis of the Producers is a money laundering scam with a sure fire flop.
https://x.com/ziayusufuk/status/2016926754825261468
Former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Lord Jim Wallace, who served as Scotland's first-ever deputy first minister, has died as a result of complications after surgery, his family has said.
So Reform appear to be threatening legal action against the @Conservatives over the retracted Braverman statement. You know, the one that was publicly acknowledged as wrong, retracted within the hour, and apologised for by @KemiBadenoch on GB News.
I thought I'd do some research. Here's what I found.
Boxing Day 2024: Farage threatened to sue @KemiBadenoch over membership figures. By January 7th he'd backed down: "I'm not going to sue because I do believe in free speech."
November 2025: Reform's lawyers warned the Guardian against publishing school racism allegations. The Guardian published anyway. Reform confirmed they weren't suing "at this stage." That stage never came.
June 2024: Farage accused vetting firm Vetting.com of a "stitch-up" after candidate scandals emerged. Tice announced lawyers had been instructed. The company disputed Reform's account. Nothing happened.
June 2024: Farage instructed Carter-Ruck over a Mail on Sunday headline about his Ukraine comments. Nothing happened.
December 2025: Tice threatened to sue a Croydon hotel that cancelled a Reform Christmas event. Still waiting.
February 2025: Reform's leadership threatened the Independent over a story questioning Tice's CV claims - "in between threatening legal action" they warned the paper would be banned from events. Story remains published. No lawsuit.
November 2025: Reform's barrister demanded a Welsh news outlet remove their head of comms' name from a racial slur story. The outlet refused. Story remains up. No lawsuit.
So: seven threats. Zero follow-through.
Reform threatens lawsuits the way other parties issue press releases: frequently, loudly, and never with follow-through. It's not the behaviour of a serious political party. It's the behaviour of people who think intimidation substitutes for argument.
A CCHQ staffer made a mistake. @KemiBadenoch acknowledged it and apologised on behalf of the party. That's accountability.
Reform should try it sometime
https://nitter.poast.org/seledka_vodka/status/2016925840366588418#m
To him they're dupes to be used for his own self-engrandisement.
Trump is a ponzi scheme which requires ever more dupes to be recruited.
Firstly it was in business, then entertainment and now politics.
On the other hand I could quite see strong support for opting out of Trump's America in a number of US states. I presume Trump and his apologists would be quite happy should say, Californians , decide to separate or does it only work one way? (the question is rhetorical by the way)
https://x.com/sentdefender/status/2016944619804586373
The regime getting out before the bombing starts?
Or to use a different analogy Trump wants to be Vito Corleone but behaves like Philip Tattaglia.
It was actually a tax scam involving the artificial creation of losses, but you were close.
The 3 who have a bit of centre 47
There’s definite movement in recent weeks? 🧐
In any case, the Canadian province most likely to join the USA would be Alberta, which would be pro GOP.
A broken up Canada losing Alberta (to the USA) and Quebec (to independence) would delight many US rightists.
Very very good and carefully written piece that I encourage people to read closely rather than immediately seizing on things they don’t like to score points.
https://bsky.app/profile/benansell.bsky.social/post/3md5x7v77rc24
First Deputy First Minister.
That means the leaders of Labour, the SNP, Lib Dem and Tories from the 1999 Scottish election have all passed away
Despite polling only around 34/35% of the constituency vote, there is a fair chance the SNP get a majority of seats or very close to it at this election, even from constituencies alone. I don't think its odds on, or anywhere near it, but its a quirk of the voting system the late Donald Dewar didn't anticipate
https://x.com/GavinWilliamson/status/2016923571914719290
In fairness he would have had a much higher % of the MP vote in the final round if I hadn’t had to lend a chunk of Boris’s votes to get Jeremy into the final 2.
The Trojan Horse contained Greeks, not Trojans.
Which allows those who are cunning enough and who are willing and skilful enough to pander to Trump to use him for their own ends.
The Trump administration is more like the court of late stage Henry VIII than a modern government.
I have slipped term “hogtied” into it.
https://bsky.app/profile/eumadesimple.bsky.social/post/3mdkbdxp4th2v
I think they just want to be contrary.
The last poll was taken at the height of Trump's Greenland antics, this poll after he dropped them. However this poll covers the post Jenrick, Rosindell and Braverman defections from Tory to Reform as does the new MiC
Sir Bill Cash, former MP and leading Brexiteer, is a distant cousin of Johnny Cash.
Not that I would condone criminal damage to a listed building, of course.
I remember being called to the slope when he tried a helicopter trick and fell on his neck
He was out of action for a couple of weeks then returned to the slope and then spent winters in Chamonix and summers in the US and Canada
He would carve his way down high mountains through virgin snow with helicopters photographing him
From camping under the Golden Gate to snowboarding directly into his apartment in Aspen, and witnessing many fatalities, you can say his parents were relieved when he took to skis and slowed down
It was on TV
Cash in the Attic.
Johnny Cash was on of the finest Columbo villains too.
Lord knows what happens then but it is unlikely to be any less of a shambles that the current government who live in stasis. In 2025 the Scottish Parliament managed to pass a grand total of 15 Acts of Parliament including such radical provisions as the Welfare of Dogs Act and the Scottish Languages Act, the former allowing a code of conduct for the acquisition of dogs and the latter support for Gaelic which already exists. Who could doubt this institution takes seriously the problems of Scotland? Well, anyone who looks even briefly into what they actually do, really.
Edit, for those who want the whole exciting list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_acts_of_the_Scottish_Parliament_from_2025
Otherwise I would suggest that there would be some form of minority government, which seemed to be handled quite deftly by Salmond in 2007-2011 I believe, with Tory support.
As I understand it, Senate representation is deliberately set up to prevent largely states to prevent large population states from undermining undermining smaller ones.
So that would throw the balance out of whack.
Particularly for those who are more social conservative supporters of independence, and therefore repelled by the Scottish Greens.
https://x.com/ednewtonrex/status/2016881752690618735?s=20
The government have been totally had.
Today’s episode has a character saying ‘master debater’.
If the Scots vote in an Independence government then the Scots have given them the mandate if they choose
I believe both Scotland and Wales will have SNP and Plaid first ministers, but you can calm down as I do not expect either to go down the route notwithstanding their mandates
That's not a Skills Hub for AI. That's a Skills Hub made by AI.
Who did this and how much did they charge?
https://x.com/ArmandDoma/status/2016945573262479741
TRUMP: I don’t want to drive housing prices down. I want to drive housing prices up
Plaid will win irrespective, because the Welsh want a government that will put Wales first and take on Westminster