steve richards It's FPTP that has skewed things... the last time a UK government received more than 50% of the vote was in 1935. Look at the damage the post-2019 Tories (Johnson, Truss and Sunak) have done on just 43.6% of the vote... a minority!

It's even worse than this sounds. BloJo passed this law despite no actual issue in Britain with votes being cast by people impersonating other voters. Most likely he was following the US Republican obsession with blocking voters less likely to vote for them/him 🤬

'Thames swimming race cancelled over sewage fears.'

It's been going since 1890 and now it's cancelled.

I'm being serious. Do the boards of Ofwat and the Environment Agency have absolutely no self-awareness at all?

It's time for change. It's time to go.

thetimes.co.uk/article/thames…

A pretty good argument for Labour reinstating STV (or AV if you insist)

into a downward spiral - even if the current diplomacy is polite. China hopes to pull EU away from alignment with US. But so long as China supports Russia's war effort & fails to do more to open its markets, the EU will stay close to US. And China will stay close to Russia. ENDS

But the US and the EU are fed up with China's indirect support for Russia's war effort - it is not supplying arms but is selling important components and dual use goods. And buying much oil. The US is threatening sanctions against Chinese banks. This is causing much concern. /6

Breaking: A second legal challenge has been launched against the latest stage of the Rwanda plan

Asylum Aid is challenging the Safety of Rwanda policy, published on 29 April, arguing it 'fundamentally misunderstands the Act, and seeks to undermine the will of the Parliament'

So jealous of the election official who got to turn Johnson away for having no ID. The joy that would swell in your soul when you realised he had none.

Dominic Grieve: 'The Tories core policy of brexit is not delivering the change that was promised... no advantages from it whatsoever... Sunak can do nothing to change that, b/c his 2 predecessors were ghastly... one was a charlatan & the 2nd one pursued crazy policies.'

Post Office lawyers had secret meeting with a judge to prevent disclosure to defence solicitors in a criminal trial.

Judge agreed that the defence solicitors should not be made aware of a report documenting flaws in the IT system

Whole edifice is corrupt
lawgazette.co.uk/news/post-offi…

That’s of course one way of doing it. Certainly in Brussels I was usually known as ‘Mrs Ludford’ but I always felt daft calling myself that in the UK where I was (notionally) Mrs Hitchins.
Anyway, these little curiosities are not our main problem!

Twenty years since central and eastern Europe joined the EU. It's been a huge success, with the annual pay gap with western Europe falling from $25,000 to $15,000, and more than five million people migrating over the borders that were closed under the Iron Curtain.

An exciting observation - the first time ever recorded: a wild orangutan uses a plant called Akar Kuning - an anti-inflammatory & anti-bacterial plant - to treat a wound.

Our closest relative deserves our high respect & far greater protection
1/2

bbc.co.uk/news/science-e…

I see the Cons are trying to make a big thing about low turnout which is a bit rich coming from the party that introduced rules that make it considerably more difficult to vote.

#GeneralElectionNow

I don’t much agree with Prof Avi Schlaim (who briefly taught me at LSE) but am currently devouring his fascinating book ‘Three Worlds; Memoirs of an Arab-Jew’ - starting with his early life as a Jew in Iraq - which arrived today.

I’ve never been keen on Ms & have always in private life stayed Miss Ludford, although I was happily married to (an unbothered) Mr Hitchins.
I remember early in our marriage answering the phone to someone who asked ‘Mrs Hitchins?’ and thinking ‘that’s my mother-in-law…’

Miranda Green Yes. And what’s with the “greeters” in the street telling folk to go away if they don’t have ID? And therefore not getting into the PS and fully recorded as being unable to vote for that reason? Vote rigging, franchise suppressing scandals. Need the Review, Electoral Commission

DaftAda Claire Fox It's not Khan it's the government needlessly introducing new Voter ID rules so everyone is confused. Nothing to do with the incumbent mayor.

Can’t stand the feeling of being politically homeless. Again. 😥

The idea that breastfeeding counsellors are being suspended for refusing to support 'male lactation', either in reality or in principle, seems shocking, but if you've been involved in birth or breastfeeding in the past 5 years or so, it's unsurprising.

telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/0…