Paul Roberts

I see Chris Tavaré is 72 not out today. Many happy returns - it’s taken a long time at the crease to get there!

Do bands get a say whether they want their music played on this station? Also, if Suella Braverman released a single, would they play it? www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

I see Tory commentator Matthew Syed is calling for Putin to be allowed to annex large parts of Ukraine. His word for the piece is “hypocrite”, which seems apt.

This is gold

Enough is enough. We HAVE TO VOTE. ALL OF US...in numbers too big to rig. The best way to do this is by getting your vote in EARLY! No Kings is coming together again TOMORROW, Sat Oct 17, this time to make sure every eligible voter is ready to make their voice heard. @nkcoalition.bsky.social

Why on earth does this BBC piece on Burnham telling an interviewer the UK security services confirmed Russian interference in the Brexit referendum require a response from a pro Brexit pressure group? It's literally our Prime Minister telling us about election security. It's nothing to do with them.

"In this building lived and worked journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Killed 7 October 2006"

The Times and The Sunday Times both editorialise in their news sections more than they used to. It’s just that The Sunday Times is far less subtle about it.

The Conservative party Shadow Culture Secretary to speak at conference tomorrow about how to "defend press freedom", whilst her own party bans journalists whose coverage they don't like

Was just on LBC with @mrjamesob.bsky.social to discuss Kemi Badenoch's banning of @bylinetimes.bsky.social from attending Conservative conference after calling such bans by Reform "authoritarian" and an assault on free speech bylinetimes.com/2026/09/30/k...

The age old “problem of evil” is solved! Hurrah!  Evil is actually good and a God who is both omnipotent and wholly good can allow, encourage even, evil to exist. Well done Peter.

#OnThisDay 1066 Harold Godwineson surprised his brother Tostig and Harald Hardrada at Stamford Bridge and won a famous victory. Here's my account: www.marcmorris.org.uk/2013/09/the-...

An NHS CEO gets it spot on “This behaviour will not be tolerated at Frimley Health… If you cannot treat your colleagues with basic dignity and respect, then the NHS and Frimley Health specifically, is not the right place for you to hold a public salary.” www.hsj.co.uk/workforce/an...

England is a made up thing. It has no basis in the ineluctable laws of nature. Its extent is defined by Edward II getting his arse handed to him. Athelstan conquering York. The Welsh of Cumbria were incorporated, the Welsh of Gwynedd were not. It is a political idea, an aspiration - not taxonomy.

Oh Somerset! Will it ever happen! 😢🏏

my brilliant colleague @robertshrimsley.bsky.social on the threat from Elon Musk’s X platform www.ft.com/content/f270...

So much of the right these days have a massive patriotism problem. This guy: - is a tax exile (left long before this govt) - hates his own country while complaining he doesn’t get big enough subsidies from it - laments the manufacturing hit from a Brexit he supported www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Presumably Reform will now change tack and start supporting the government on more prisoner early release!

One of my South African friends is frequently travelling from the west country to Piddington Station. I hope she’s still allowed to go.

Kremlev, the Russian who sponsored Don Jr's wedding, is a former member of the Night Wolves biker gang, went to China with Putin and is personally sanctioned by Ukraine for his role in abducting children. He praises Stalin on social media www.propublica.org/article/dona...

Some details: Kremlev, the Russian who sponsored Don Jr's wedding, is a former member of the Night Wolves biker gang, went to China with Putin and is personally sanctioned by Ukraine for his role in abducting children www.propublica.org/article/dona...

Your regular reminder: If the Russians stop fighting, the war ends. If the Ukrainians stop fighting, their land will be occupied, their leaders will be killed, their history and language will be erased, their children will be kidnapped to serve Russia.

Opinion: My donation to Reform is a philanthropic gift to our country - The Telegraph A bizarre piece. Doesn’t mention the ethnonationalistic policies nor the platforming of people who want to burn refugees alive. He does mention a number of important issue on which Reform have zero credibility.

Obviously politicians who believe in democracy, supported by media who also value democracy need to stop the buying of our politics by wealthy individuals with specific business interests. But…. Money can’t buy a party decent values, credible policies or worthy leaders. Reform loses on each count.

The Americanisation of UK politics. We have an opportunity to stop this buying of UK politics by rich people who want to buy influence. Is it too late?

Harborne has given Reform £36 million to match Delo's £36 million. The Telegraph describes it as a "show of force" from Reform's donors. The two men's £72 million is greater than all of the spending by all political parties on the 2024 GE www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

The Burnham feel good honeymoon continues!

This Neo-Nazi is attempting to target RNLI volunteers. The police have to act, and the Prime Minister should be making a public statement.

90 years ago, Parliament responded to the rise of Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts by passing the Public Order Act, which banned political uniforms, private militias and the threat of force for political objects. The debates make very resonant reading today. Here's the Liberal Robert Bernays. (Short 🧵)

Making the country safer for women and girls - latest!

How could an associate professor in divinity at Cambridge be expected to know that lying is bad? thecritic.co.uk/mone...

It took a lot: the threat of an IPSO investigation, insults and rank hypocrisy from Michael Gove, refusal to publish a right to reply & a last minute excision without consultation, but at last I got The Spectator to publish a counter to its propaganda war against Project Spire.

Where is the organised intellectual beating heart of liberal Christianity to counter this deeply disturbing alliance between the European & American far right and conservative Christianity? In a democracy Orr has the right to do (most of) this but there must be equally well organised alternatives.

James Orr and the gospel of the new British right - great piece by @helenwarrell.bsky.social and @ramshodgson.bsky.social as.ft.com/r/20e4e472-1...

Exclusive: President Trump signs executive order to alter 1 Samuel so that the Bible will now declare that Goliath won and that David was a loser.

In the 1920s the Italian Fascists gave us the “Camicie Nere” imported to the UK by Oswald Moseley. Now, in the 2020s British fascists led by Danny Tommo, are giving us the comedy version, the “Pantaloncini Neri”!

1/9 The Spectator seems to have it in for me, which makes me very proud, given that even its own former political editor has described it as “one of the most influential media apologists for bigotry, hatred and racism”. spectator.com/article/why-...

This is mostly a decent piece but nobody should use the word “establishment” without defining it. It has become a playground insult, just as “woke” a few years ago. Here is defined as “not me”! Establishment outrage at diversity hires is a masterclass in hypocrisy www.thetimes.com/article/4e35...

Periodically, I look up the meaning of 'Woke Right', but the explanations never stick in my head, probably because insofar as it makes any sense at all, it applies (in my opinion) to all of the 'modern' Right: Playing the victim ✔️ Purity spirals ✔️ Not trad Conservatives ✔️ Identity politics ✔️

Roberts’s first law of Newspaper Commentary. In August, the year of our Lord 2026, thou shalt find a way to slip in a reference to Jason Arday!

Extraordinary that Amol Rajan didn’t ask Zia Yusuf about the apparently illegal fincancing scandal consuming Farage and Reform. We’ve not heard anyone from Reform on The BBCR4 Today Programme for weeks and when we do he is completely let off the hook.

Good to see Farage/Reform changing their view on “inciteful” social media having made Lucy Connolly into a hero and inviting her to their conference. Her urging of rioters to burn hotels with people in them was serious, this t-shirt photo is tasteless and very silly! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This story wasn’t only wrong it was utterly wrong. As someone who worked with the care sector I was shocked when I read it and thought “it can’t be correct, but it’s official statistics….”. The Tories and Reform made much of this disinformation and now need to correct their misleading commentary!

Assume Cooper must have had some assurances about No.10 and 11 support for social care reform before accepting what feels like an incredibly tricky job.

The King of the North and the King!