Alex Briggs

Abdul El-Sayed is a Rhodes Scholar, with degrees from the University of Michigan, Oxford, and Columbia. 84% of Rhodes Scholars are Democrats or Independents, compared with just 14% Republicans. It’ll be great having Abdul in the Senate.

Well done, Neil Young. Someone who has stayed true to his ideals, despite fame and fortune

Farage tying himself in angry knots here ... as he refuses to answer the basic question: Is it racist to call Kemi Badenoch a "Nigerian scammer"?

Stop what you are doing and look at this lovely story. A photography student in the 80s took pictures of punks and mods on the street in Preston. He’s now tracked them down and photographed them again. The pictures and stories are really ❤️ www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Good piece but a better idea than merging income tax with NI would be to scrap income tax altogether on earned income so that workers would pay only (an increased amount of) NI on their incomes. Income tax could then be levied on unearned income at very high rates relative to current rates.

Breaking! The first chapter of the Australian rewrite of Shakepeare's Rome and Juliet has been disclosed: Romeo: "Jeez Juliet, you are one helluva Sheila!" Juliet: "You smooth bastard, Romeo. Fancy a shag?" Exeunt, stage left.

Me: "You've said 'because of the war' maybe 7 times..." Ex-Trump adviser: "Because it spiked prices..." Me: "But you're treating the war like it's a natural disaster... like it fell from the sky. The war was started by your guy, deliberately, a war of choice." Full: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLJV...

Politicians should look at the UK economy as a CEO would, says Lloyds Bank CEO From a bank that hasn't investigated HBOS frauds. No thank you. Companies enrich shareholders. Countries have entirely different purpose, governance, accountability. Must not be treated as corporations. archive.ph/lj45s

Since his ennoblement in Boris Johnson’s 2023 resignation list, Tees Valley regional mayor Lord (Ben) Houchen has claimed more than £25,000 in tax-free daily “attendance” allowances from the House of Lords for 73 days when he hasn’t voted, spoken or performed any recorded parliamentary activity.

Meanwhile, pro-democracy, pro-Europe protesters in Tbilisi, Georgia, are tonight nearing their 700th consecutive day of protest against the pro-Russian government. They haven't missed a single day in the last 23 months.

Meet the new lords, same as the old lords.

As excellent as you’d expect from this source. Lots of drive-by humour. The bottom line is Trump admires Putin, wants to exploit the business opportunities in Russia, but has thrown away his leverage to end the conflict because no one now trusts him. samf.substack.com/p/ukraine-wi...

Interesting. Plus ca change...

Yes, but your two big ideas so far have been police and crime commissioners and Brexit. Shall we check on them first?

It's just another device for OFGEM's Jonathan Brearley to rig the "market" so as to favour his beloved energy suppliers at the expense of consumers. "Switching? We can't allow a 'market' to give consumers unfettered choice over their energy supplier! Competition? No siree!".

From “aristocracy to assetocracy” - Prof Huw McCartney, a colleague at @unibirmingham.bsky.social, explores the make-up and wealth in the House of Lords, which so desperately needs reform: theconversation.com/from-aristoc...

Me: "Adolf Hitler said in Mein Kampf, 'The Jew works for the destruction of Germany.' You say, 'Muslim mass migration will destroy our country and our way of life.' How are those different sentences? Just change 'Jew' for 'Muslim.' Trump adviser Steve Cortes: "No, they're incredibly different."

Judge Dredd. (David Blunkett) opines...

Reform UK's Suella Braverman claims massive taxpayer-funded water bill at home equal to 18 baths a day Claim to have used 1,504 litres of water daily at her £1.2million four-bedroom pad in a five-month period. Reform have promised benefit cuts for the disabled, old, sick, poor, unfortunate.

This is just dreadful stuff from Kuenssberg: "What has the government done to cut the national debt?" ONS: "Public sector net debt was provisionally estimated at 94.0% of GDP, 0.7 percentage points lower than a year earlier"

Soon the West will look back and wonder how it allowed itself to be dominated by a vain, bragging and fraudulent old man

Feeling a bit rough this morning after being up all night comforting Richard Tice, who was crying hysterically.

Mark Carney on Elon Musk crippling Ukraine’s Starlink: “I search for the right adjective to describe whoever took this decision… against a country that is literally fighting for the lives of its citizens against naked aggression."

Trump is about to become his own worst nightmare – a loser, a wimp, and a corpse. Weekend podcast on how no one lives forever

youtu.be/7PXOHpBneEU?...

My exchange with a former top Trump adviser who says it is totally "inappropriate" & "irresponsible" to use the word fascist when talking about Trump. Then I reminded him of his own use of the word. Watch/enjoy/share: (Full 'Head to Head' show with Steve Cortes: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLJV...)

Dangerous and unregulated predictive policing tools are being used by police forces across the UK. Our investigative journalism unit is investigating the hidden threats to our privacy and exposing when it's being misused. Support their work today:

The warzone that is King's Cross Station at 10pm. Oh the humanity. I expect 15 Tweets before bedtime saying how you can't venture out on London's streets in safety after sunset.

How to Check Your Ballot…

May I refer you to Arkell v. Pressdram? Private Eye is 65. To celebrate, we’re taking a peek behind the curtain to explain where some of the Eye’s lore, columns, and in-jokes originate from.

youtu.be/W5yVie8Tbqw?...

🐾 OUR AUCTION NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT! Just TWO people have placed bids so far, and we have a £430 transport bill to cover. There are lots of lovely items waiting for new homes. Every bid helps our dogs! ⏰ Ends 25 October 🛍️https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/dogdeskanimalcic  Please bid or share! ❤️

The Reform Party was reeling this week, after an ITV exposé captured a Reform councillor on camera making comments that were immediately disowned by the party leadership. The councillor, who is now in hiding, was caught on film being neither racist or sexist. From the new Private Eye, in shops now

This paralysed dog needs to be rescued off the street but sadly our shelter is completely full. @HomeStrays have kindly agreed to take it but we are arranging the transport. We just need £90 to cover this cost. Please help this poor dog. PayPal: paypal.me/twsociety

Er, Jenrick is paid by the taxpayer. It's not his money, it's taxpayers' money, surely!

Hutton said: “I am looking forward to being part of the new leadership at Thames Water and helping get this hugely important business into a better place" His silence on an expectation of a huge salary as Thames Water's customers are sold down the (toxic) river has won Peter Mandelson's admiration

First Watson and Palantir, now Hutton and Thames Water The dregs of the Blair government continue to debase themselves to the highest bidder www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Hope many of the people filmed in this brilliant documentary have now had their collars felt ... Will Turning Point UK be proscribed as a terrorist group?

Trump: Katie Zacharia told everyone she was a lawyer. But what I wanted in the job was a liar! New Private Eye on shelves now.