Isabelle Roughol

🚨 I just published Broad History, ep 18, "Witch Hunts | Bonus | The 16th-century incel who unleashed the witch hunts (with Eleanor Janega)". Have a listen. https://share.transistor.fm/s/a35b96a3

🔴 REVEALED: Palantir led closed-door review of how MoD buys software The review was presented to defence minister Luke Pollard by Palantir UK boss Louis Mosley in Feb and has mostly been implemented None of this was made public New investigation🧵 democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-p...

🚨 I just published Broad History, ep 17, "Witch Hunts | Bonus | Most accused witches walked free (with Malcolm Gaskill)". Have a listen. https://share.transistor.fm/s/4332b401

Ryan from the OC talked to @petergeoghegan.bsky.social about how the crypto industry is messing with our politics. Not a sentence I thought I'd type ever. youtu.be/o2e9mrygR3A?...

Crypto has bought US politics - and now it's doing the same in the UK As Reform takes £100m+ from crypto tycoons, I sat down with Hollywood's most vocal sceptic @benmckenzie.bsky.social to talk crypto, corruption and how to fight back democracyforsale.substack.com/p/crypto-is-...

A small town newspaper

I was a primary school English as a second language teacher with no training for about 3 weeks until I found a job at a newspaper. The kids were grateful I’m sure.

My teenage self would be stunned and jealous that I produced this

You forget how different the US is until an American journalist tells you the paxtons’ civil law divorce is “on biblical grounds” and moves on as if that’s not the most insane sentence ever uttered

My strong recommendation is to not leave the house or see humans right now because there’s a nasty virus taking us out one by one in London rn and trust me you don’t want it

No one is entirely surprised that Hollywood would entirely erase or caricature the role that women played in history but of course, here we are again so I wrote about some actual women of the Peasants' Revolt that got their hands dirty www.broadhistory.com/the-women-yo...

The absolute gall of tech platforms nonchalantly destroying democracy but blocking you publishing an interview because someone said a curseword once in 45mn. freaking burn it all down

Hearing the rest is history guys shill unquestioningly for anthropic really shows the limits of host-read ads

I’m extremely wary of foreign (and especially American) commentators on France but having said that, Krugman’s analysis is solid here. Fundamentally, the problem is both parties in the lead for running the country in 6 months are extremely unserious. paulkrugman.substack.com/p/whats-the-...

The analysis I really haven't seen much is that what blew up French schools was the nationwide smartphone ban. Shitty Parcoursup, too few sub teachers, crumbling buildings, that's been true for years. But legislators they don't vote for or trust taking the kids' phones away, that lit a match

🔴NEW: Ben Delo has given Reform £44MILLION Delo’s money comes from his now-closed crypto exchange BitMEX In 2019, a BitMEX investor asked about the status of his investment Delo responded by sending this meme, according to court documents. There’s more, a lot more (new investigation🧵)

The scammers are getting so good. Someone out there has my number & knows I work with @petergeoghegan.bsky.social. The “I am in a meeting” bit came after I tried to call. I had earlier told Peter I was busy but could help later so totally believable he would check in. Almost got had 🤬

Today @thetimes.com’s The Story starts with “today’s episode is in paid partnership with Google AI”. WTF DOES THAT MEAN? Do they have editorial control? Did they pick the topic? I doubt it but if it’s just plain old advertising, why use a confusing euphemism that destroys audience trust?

At “panicking” you already know they don’t get this country

This is the perfect opportunity to tell you I got an 18. My pedantry was perfectly sufferable.

@petergeoghegan.bsky.social won’t use insta but Democracy for Sale does now! Follow for interviews and explainers of our investigations when I can corner Peter and @lucasamin.bsky.social with my phone. www.instagram.com/reel/Dd1VqrG...

Judging by the Halloween decor reels I keep getting served on Insta, Americans have way too much disposable income

🔴 BREAKING: BP, Uber, Amazon and more paying Tony Blair's think tank $25,000 for “networking” opportunities with politicians and policy makers at party conferences Experts say "looks and smells like cash for access" Full story on Democracy for Sale democracyforsale.substack.com/p/breaking-t...

Tony Blair’s think tank has been accused of running a scheme that “looks and smells like cash for access” after our investigation found that his institute is offering companies “networking” opportunities with politicians and policy makers at party conferences for an annual fee starting at $25,000.

We have lost a great leader and friend. I can’t say we were close, but Julius’s passing has made me immeasurably sad. That’s how good he was and it’s still hard to believe I’m using the past tense. www.publicinterestnews.org.uk/blog/in-memo...

The world's most adorable traffic signs are on the campus of Lahore University of Management Sciences. 🐈️

AI couldn’t

Discovered a new torture technique. Destroyed my phone screen, cannot control a thing but the alarm still goes off. All I can do is snooze it every 9 minutes...

🔴 Something Tom Watson won't tell you: Five police forces in the East Midlands working with Palantir on a controversial surveillance programme are ending their involvement Exclusive by Democracy for Sale and Liberty Investigates. democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-f...

Who do I talk to about telling the internet that I am not, in fact, a US citizen abroad? The midterm ads are following me everywhere

The waiting room is starting to fill up, you can still join us...

You've got just over two hours still to sign up for our first ever Democracy for Sale masterclass. The master herself, @jennacorderoy.bsky.social , will share all her secrets to making effective and successful FOI requests. Join us! (1pm UK time Thursday 17 Sept) luma.com/ndqisdyu

A 22 year old just told me he “loves older women”. Pardon me while i go dig my own grave 💀

Just hit 1,000! My favourite question is "In one word, how would you describe British politics right now?" The answers are... edifying.

🔴 The £72million pound question - how worried are you about big money in British politics? Democracy for Sale is running a survey to find out what the public thinks about money in politics - and what we should do about it Please take it!! And share widely!! thx! 😀 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Next up: The House unAmerican Activities Committee whispers blue to your red heart ASMR

I listen to news on French public radio every morning but they’re on strike today so I have to listen to the Today programme and why are they trying to put me back to sleep? This is terrible

This is beyond not reading the room. This is living on another planet.

This is what you get when you don’t cap political donations. Crypto billionaires thinking they can buy themselves the next government.

There's an obvious reason the English care more about the Bayeux tapestry than the French do: It's national myth-making to you, it's regional history to us. (And I say this as a French Norman who's also a Brit now). No great mystery.

We only went and won it (again) Democracy for Sale specialist newsletter of the year at the Future of the Media awards @lucasamin.bsky.social @jennacorderoy.bsky.social @isabelleroughol.com Thanks so much to all our supporters. If you don’t subscribe, do! 😊 democracyforsale.substack.com

For the billionaire who has everything…

I just let my supporting members in on the secret of my next Broad History series for the autumn, so it's time for a final lookback on this summer's rollercoaster ride. (And yes, this all gets made solo in my bedroom.)

The laundering of white supremacy in that piece by @thetimes.com is rancid and despicable. Somehow they call this journalism but we’re really not practicing the same profession. And white women as handmaidens of respectable fascism is just the playbook. The Times knows this.