[Tubby Isaacs]

Massive strike mandate for junior doctors. They've gone mad.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Any reason apart from bad weather for the crossings reductions?
No point in boasting about a trend that you had no control over.

It's not the worst spell of bad weather ever, so might be more to it than that. But too early to say.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Starmer keeps doing stuff like this, to his credit. But are we raising defence spending fast enough? And where are Spain? Does Sanchez have an insurgent Corbynite party on his case or something?

[The Weeping Angel]

Unemployment figures have increased.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yeah, not good. Demand boost coming?

[Youngian]

As the country's fanatically obsessed with immigration they should welcome the end of labour shortages.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Someone suggested plausibly that the public doesn't actually want low immigration, whatever it says. While it seemed like a big political mistake for the Tories to do the so-called "Boriswave", it might turn out to be a political masterstroke, as they watch Labour do the hard work on reducing immigration, upsetting lots of their voters, and reaping lower growth.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I'm almost as enthusiastic as Warren on this occasion.

[The Weeping Angel]

Someone suggested plausibly that the public doesn't actually want low immigration, whatever it says. While it seemed like a big political mistake for the Tories to do the so-called "Boriswave", it might turn out to be a political masterstroke, as they watch Labour do the hard work on reducing immigration, upsetting lots of their voters, and reaping lower growth.

Of course the great Polish exodus is all Labour's fault at least according to Bluesky.

[Youngian]

I'm almost as enthusiastic as Warren on this occasion.

Is this Labour Chinese money stuff about Barry Gardiner receiving a donation from a Chinese computer firm? If having to chuck Barry over the side is all Reform have they must be desperate.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yeah, I assume so. Gardiner didn't adopt a particularly pro-China position, did he?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Hahey! Workers Rights bill gets royal assent.

I think there's an element of the "liberal" press that really doesn't care for this. Doubtless, it'll take business time to adjust but hopefully it comes good in the end.

https://bsky.app/profile/antoniabance.b ... 4lo44yxs22

[The Weeping Angel]

Wonderful news, it's improved my day enormously.

[The Weeping Angel]

Also.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/ ... dApp_Other

An agreement to rejoin Erasmus – the EU’s student exchange programme – is expected to be announced on Wednesday as part of the UK government’s drive towards closer relations with Brussels.

The final details of the announcement were agreed by the two sides on Tuesday, with a plan to allow UK students to participate in the EU-wide scheme from January 2027, sources said.

The Guardian understands that British students would be able to participate in vocational training placements under the Erasmus Plus scheme, as well as university-based study exchanges.

UK ministers are believed to be keen to extend the benefits of the programme beyond traditional academic exchanges of undergraduates to a wider section of the population, including in leave-voting areas.

[The Weeping Angel]

More good news.

[Bones McCoy]

It's almost as through a plan is coming together.

[kreuzberger]

It's not even rejoin, just enter into a customs union.

With Trump reneging today on a bazillion quids worth of digital cooperation, Trump has, yet again, confirmed that the US has no interest in being either a partner or an ally, by any measure. It is a dead duck - that or a country willing to accept hormone-laced road kill.

EEA Membership, as initially advocated by many Leavers, is shaping up for the UK like the only alternative to absolute isolation.

Maybe Starmer could do that deal during the peak roundabout painting season while the gammon are otherwise distracted.

[kreuzberger]

I'm almost as enthusiastic as Warren on this occasion.

Three months for an enquiry to get ball-deep into those weeds?

That seems rather optimistic unless it is pre-planned to contain in the exec summary the words "Jesus fucking Christ, we need a public enquiry into Johnson, Farage and the whole fucking lot of them..."