Ryan MacMullen

If you go into an election with FoM being on the table, a whole lot of options become available that were hitherto not available.

Blindingly obvious.

There is a plan being executed here. Visible from space. @columnist.bsky.social

‘We don’t have the money for that’ says the former Chancellor who cut NI twice when we couldn’t afford it for purely political reasons.

The UK and Ukraine should accede together to the EU (UK squared if you will). It would be poetic.

Conservatives will end up in a CU or SM position in short order. Their objections don’t hold water at all.

Who will be the first prominent Leaver to back rejoining?

Man City such a good team - will be hard to beat in next season's Championship

yeah specifically it's the Persian one

Trump.announces he will fund the winter bombing of civilians in Ukraine

Let's make it happen. www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...

This is the point; it’s crap to the point of indefensibility. I think the pessimists could be surprised the way this goes.

Bit of a risk asking the Conservative conference "has anyone here ever received a £5m gift?"

I know it’s dismissed, but if you take everything in the round, it’s very difficult to shake off the sense that everything is paused until something like an election happens (see investment summit, North Sea drilling, EU reset).

Kemi Badenoch: "I don't understand why all of a sudden, some people are policing other people's identity? I think identity is something very personal" Less than a minute later: "Men are men, and women are women, I'm very strict on that"

Want the UK to join the EU? Then join hundreds of thousands of people on the European Movement UK mailing list... We're mobilising. Info, news, events, local groups - everything you need about what's going on. Make sure you're in the know. And share! --> www.europeanmovement.co.uk/signup-newsl...

Burnham appears to have found the genie Starmer had from 2020-2024.

Surprised by how emotional I have found all the news. I knew Brexit bothered me, but it’s the first time I’ve felt hopeful since June 2016.

I’ve said this all along; there are plenty enough measures within EU law that the UK can use as ‘controls’. I think this can close down the least dogmatic opponents to FoM.

Seattle - most underrated American city?

In this week’s voting intention, Labour's lead widens as Reform fall to their lowest in over 18 months. 🌹 LAB 27% (+1) 🌳 CON 22% (-1) ⏩ REF 21% (-1) 🔶 LIB DEM 11% (-) 🟢 GREEN 9% (+1) ⚫ RES: 6% (-) 🟡 SNP 3% (+1) ⚪️ OTH 1% (-) N = 2,041 | Fieldwork 25-29/9 | Changes w 18/09

Westminster Voting Intention: LAB: 29% (+2) RFM: 23% (-1) CON: 19% (-2) LDM: 9% (-2) GRN: 9% (+2) SNP: 3% (=) RES: 2% (=) Via @survation.bsky.social, 29 Sep. Changes w/ 22-23 Sep.

It does strike me for all the ink spilt wondering what Burnham might do, he’s actually pretty closely following what his and Steve Rotherham’s book said should be done.

This is coming much faster than conventional wisdom indicates.

I might be wildly wrong, but I do wonder whether this came out of nowhere or if there has been some kind of leader to leader conversation.

As I wrote in September 2024, there's probably only two realistic UK-EU models, the one we have possibly strengthened in a Swiss way if we accept free movement of workers, or membership. But how to work that into a political narrative? Tricky. ecipe.org/publications...

Red lines, gone.

Nailed it.

Difficult to imagine something like this 6 months ago.

My boy is ready to lead.

While the Tories bang on about benefits…

Why Burnham should call an election on Europe – @benjudah.bsky.social writes on how the PM can unite the left, blindside the right and boost growth. www.arguably.uk/p/burnham-sh...

We learned the hard way in 2005 that extremism needs to be challenged within the identity community from which it comes. Back then the phrase “legitimate concerns” tended to refer to Iraq or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

What is the point in decorating the kitchen if you are going to have an extension in 18 months?

Reminded with increasing regularity how fleeting this all is. The only things that truly matter in the end are our family and friends.

Clausewitz.

How do Foreign Policy Analysis lecturers plan on teaching this? I can’t imagine how that seminar would go.

A very good point.

The only 4 constituencies where rejoining the EU wasn’t the preferred option were those of Lee Anderson, Farage, Tice and Lowe. In those 4, the top answer was ‘don’t know’. Confirming that Brexit has no real support at all. Not surprising for a total shitshow. And makes red lines seem very silly.