Mike Foster

Mandelson has been nothing but trouble in most of the jobs he's held. He's a terrible choice of ambassador - he won't last.

I love these little opinion pieces in The Guardian - "The hill I will die on". Here's one of the earliest, from 1924...

“God help us authors who support Palestine and Palestine Action.”

This is SO unfair - Anthony Scaramucci was given about 40 days. She should have been allowed more time to really mess things up. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Important

It was inspiring to hear Isaac Herzog, President of Israel, on the Today programme saying Britain's decision to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank would increase tensions in the Middle East. Israel has been working so hard to reduce tensions over the last few years.

Listening to Wes Streeting on the Today programme in the background - he is a terrible speaker, he talks as fast as he can and sounds like he's afraid of being interrupted because he's talking nonsense. He also said "we're literally putting our money where our mouth is", when LITERALLY we aren't.

Awkward moment at Trump-Xi summit

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s... Greenland Assembly demands more information about American plans to build multiple ballrooms across the Arctic territory ”for defense purposes”.

Guardian headline: "Farage says Reform has 'broken no laws' after party suspends officials over donations sting". I hope when I get charged with a serious offence I'm brought up in front of Judge Farage, who is obviously well-qualified to decide upon the tricky points of English law.

Optimist: the cup is half full. Pessimist: the cup is half empty. Plumber: oh blimey! Who installed that cup for you? It's going to have to come out and be replaced. These things don't come cheap!

Why do they send three emergency warnings? And why do they have to use a tone that scares the hell out of my dog and make her run upstairs? They should choose something calming like Eno's Another Green World.

Haven't we all suffered enough? people.com/barbra-strei...

After seeing Christopher Nolan's Odyssey, I'm inclined to agree with Elon Musk's criticism of historical accuracy. The scene where a Spitfire dived out of the clouds and machine-gunned Polyphemus probably wouldn't have been possible in the Bronze Age.

Odyssey - the précis... "Honey! I'm home!"

Ruining a book by adding a word... The Huckleberry Hound of the Baskervilles

The Repair Shop wasn't very good either, so you haven't missed anything.

How long before Reform UK dredge up grainy CCTV footage of Count Binface having sex with a bottlebank in Wigan?

In a time of crisis, the nation is buoyed up by the prospect of a six-part Keir Starmer biopic, starring David Morrissey.

Just turned off Radio 4's World at One because Zia Yusuf was spewing out a twisted attack on the police (they deserve criticism, but not the criticism Yusuf is making) and Sarah Montague couldn't make him stop. Don't bring these people onto the programme in the first place - they make things worse.

Breaking news... Stephen Miller has had his head repurposed for planned Golden Dome anti-ballistic missile system. A senior Department of War official said "Our top boffins noticed how his shiny empty bald head resembles a radome protecting sensitive radar equipment. Maybe he can be of use now"

I don’t think any new house can truly be called “home” until you have your Blodwyn Pig album cover on display

Matthew Syed as a commentator on Newsnight right now. Why? I could understand if it was about ping pong, but it;s about the local elections. He's no expert - on anything, except ping pong.

Unpleasant 15 minutes listening to BBC's The World At One, with Wes Streeting talking almost without interruption. He kind of shouts and says everything very fast, because he's memorised the script his SPAD's forced him to stick to. Pointless letting him on a news programme uninterrupted.

From today's Guardian... "The entire room emptied as people were told the event would not resume and the presidential seal was removed from the podium." What was the White House thinking, bringing a seal to a crowded, noisy and dangerous event? Thank goodness it wasn't injured in the shooting.

I'll repost this from 13 months ago. The only thing that's changed is that Greenland and Canada were uppermost in Trump's senile brain then - and now it's Iran, for the time being. But Britain should still have plans to take over all US bases to stop the madness.

1940-41 Jews expelled from their homes into ghettos then death camps… Warsaw - 380,000; Łódź - 200,000; Lwów - 120,000; Minsk - 100,000 April 2026 Lebanese expelled from their homes and homes destroyed to prevent return… Southern Lebanon - 600,000

I've never been a monarchist, but I would swear undying loyalty to King Charles if he wears this T shirt when he meets Trump on his state visit to the USA later this month

Remember how ineffective the League of Nations was? But It imposed sanctions on Italy for invading Ethiopia in 1935, expelled the USSR for invading Finland in 1939. The USA & Israel should be suspended from the UN. And Nato should suspend the USA - we can’t trust them.

Not sure who was the hapless minister being interviewed on the Today programme a few minutes ago, but he sounded exactly like hapless minister Ben Swain in The Thick Of It

Thank goodness - now we can build a flyover high above Stonehenge instead. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

That settles it - if Simon Jenkins thinks the King's visit should go ahead, then it should definitely be cancelled. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

How Ayatollah Khamenei's successor was chosen...

Hegseth says the sinking of the Iranian frigate Dena was "the first sinking of a warship by a torpedo since World War Two". As with most things he says, that is untrue - the obsolete Argentinian cruiser General Belgrano was sunk by a torpedo from the British submarine Conqueror on 2 May 1982.

So if a UK Typhoon capable of mach 2 using an ASRAAM missile costing $250,000 shoots down an Iranian Shahed drone doing 300 knots costing about $30,000, wouldn't it be better to develop modern versions of slower and cheaper cannon-armed piston-engine aircraft like Hawker Tempests or P-51s?

I feel sorry for the PR agency hoping to promote British Pie Week, 2-9 March. Tragic.

I hope Isabel Oakeshott is safe in Dubai

Whatever you think of Farage and Jenrick, two guys who can laugh when they both fart at once can't be ALL bad.

Just switched off Matthew Syed's Sideways on Radio 4. At least I can say I've done something useful today.

Careful Tim - that language got Derek Bentley into a lot of trouble.

I'd like to know what the UK will do if the USA invades Greenland and our Nato allies resist. Will we take over US bases at Mildenhall, Lakenheath and Fairford? Who will do the job - Suffolk & Gloucestershire Constabularies? RAF Regiment? Parachute Regiment? I hope someone is planning for this.

What they're really thinking at a Kristi Noem press conference

Slightly diminish a band... The Dud Kennedys

Slightly diminish a band... Can't

Slightly diminish a band... Huey Lewis and the Newts

Slightly diminish a band... Godspeed You Black Lord Mayor