[Tubby Isaacs]

I see thing's have now moved on to how bad it is that the UK might not vote to condemn the US at the UN. A vote to abstain, which sounds most likely will be represented as actually a vote with Trump, which it manifestly wouldn't be.

This will, like recognizing Palestine, suddenly become the most important point of principle in politics. Until Starmer did it, at which point it would instantly be forgotten, or be "too little too late" because the real issues were something else all along.

Clearly the government have done a bad job in terms of maintaining public support, and another leader might do better at that. But you can see why some in Government might be thinking that this "natural constituency" isn't really something any government can rely on.

[The Weeping Angel]

Something else the government is getting heat for on Bluesky is staying on X, especially in light of what GROK has been doing. Do people here think they should leave X?

[The Weeping Angel]

I'm pretty sure the community note is dubious at best.

[RedSparrows]

I don't think leaving X would be anything other than symbolic, but symbols have power and statements (from https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/202 ... nicationsX here, m'lud) such as the following from Baroness Anderson suggest a disconnect with what X is, and what the 'free speech' paradigm means in X world:

My Lords, this Government do what they think is right every single day. Some Members of your Lordships’ House will be aware of my own experiences on X and what that did to me. I stand here, even with those experiences, and say that I still believe that X is an appropriate platform to use because I believe in freedom of speech and freedom of expression. While I do not agree with a great deal of what is written on platforms where there is too much hate and misinformation and, at times, conspiracy theories, it is incredibly important that there is a counter-narrative when people are talking about whether vaccinations are appropriate and whether they should be going to hospital. It is incredibly important that the facts are available not where we wish people would use them, but where they are actually using them.

All sensible sentiments. But X doesn't care for sensible sentiments. It is the example par excellence of the mutated cynicism that has filled Musk's idiotic head, propelled Trump to power (in part), and sees so much of the Anglophone populist right drift further and further into the land of insanity: a window-dressing of principle [n.b. why ix X the 'free speech' arena, by implication? Why are you accepting Musk's premise with no conditions? The UK govt leaving X wouldn't stop anyone's free speech...] presented to the viewer (who, in the case of a government, really HAS to try better at seeing this), and within the premises? Entrenchment of power and capital, hate, exploitation, cynicism, laziness, mendacity and abject despair dressed up as rage.

The Baroness raised the fact that many people get their news from X (10.8 million 'families' use it as their main news source, apparently?! Which seems absurdly high to me, but...) and thus it'd be doing them a disservice to leave it. You see the point, but they're simultaneously contributing to an environment that is, as above, utterly and revoltingly cynical. 'Here's Starmer talking about bills, and here's an underage girl being exploited'. Run that through any standard marketing brain.

The whole thing is expressive of the general kid gloves too-often taken with digital populism. I don't understand how people still can't see that Musk and his bubble don't care and not caring is the fucking point, no matter what they dress it up as. It's a terrible problem for the government to face, beyond the symbolic 'stay or leave'. But engaging with this world as they currently are clearly doesn't work, unless anyone can point to the contrary.

[soulboy]

I'm pretty sure the community note is dubious at best.

The "community" are speaking out of their holes. What is the point of fact checking with demonstrably incorrect "facts".

The community note specifically mentions 1st June 2024. Reduced demand means that the cap usually drops in Summer. That covers the dubious element. However, the actual figure on 01/06/24 was £1690, the lower figure kicked in in July.

The point does stand that the price is higher than when they were elected, but in that case why bother quoting the earlier date?

Jan 2026 £1,758
Oct 2025 £1,755
July 2025 £1,720
April 2025 £1,849
January 2025 £1,738
October 2024 £1,717
July 2024 £1,568
April 2024 £1,690
January 2024 £1,928
October 2023 £1,923
July 2023 £2,074
April 2023 £3,280
January 2023 £4,279

[Crabcakes]

Something else the government is getting heat for on Bluesky is staying on X, especially in light of what GROK has been doing. Do people here think they should leave X?

Yes - and that goes for any and all U.K. public bodies, charities and I would even say businesses with an X account.

Musk is a hostile actor, X is a hostile platform, its integrated AI (Grok) is deeply flawed and tuned to Musk’s preferences/ego.

If X started today no decent org would go anywhere near it. There are plenty of other channels and social media options. Normalise getting off it and treating it and its ghastly owner with the contempt they deserve.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Hard Brexiter Government latest. I see the Lib Dems of "Customs Union FFS" fame are opposing this.

Starmer prepares for parliamentary battles over imminent EU ‘reset’ bill
Planned legislation could hand ministers significant powers to forge closer regulatory ties with Brussels

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... set-policy

Starmer told the BBC on Sunday that he had once argued for a customs union but “a lot of water has now gone under the bridge” and it would undermine deals with India and the US. “We are better looking to the single market rather than the customs union for our further alignment,” he said.

Well, indeed. The figures the Lib Dems chuck about for the benefit of the Customs Union (which by a happy coincidence means they wouldn't need to raise taxes) aren't the Customs Union at all. They're things related to achieving something close to the Single Market. Starmer won't get that, nor will anyone else, who doesn't agree to Freedom of Movement. But seeing the Lib Dem red lines (or red line) is the same as Starmer's, the Government must be getting fed up with this Lib Dem bollocks.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yes - and that goes for any and all U.K. public bodies, charities and I would even say businesses with an X account.

Musk is a hostile actor, X is a hostile platform, its integrated AI (Grok) is deeply flawed and tuned to Musk’s preferences/ego.

If X started today no decent org would go anywhere near it. There are plenty of other channels and social media options. Normalise getting off it and treating it and its ghastly owner with the contempt they deserve.

The Government (via Liz Kendall) have been much more outspoken about Grok, at least. I hope this is a route to leaving X.

[Boiler]

Doubt it.

[davidjay]

I've de-Xed myself. My blood pressure is way down.

[Tubby Isaacs]

UK and France agree to deploy forces to Ukraine in the event of a peace deal – Europe live

This sounds significant. Backstopped by the US in some way, presumably.

I'm almost expecting worse from Kemi than I am from Farage. Farage will just do Peter Hitchens. Kemi will claim she supports it, but will say that UK forces have been ruined by Starmer.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I've de-Xed myself. My blood pressure is way down.

Ditto

[Tubby Isaacs]

Me too. Long stopped reading.

I'm having to give up Bluesky for it becoming rubbish too.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The "community" are speaking out of their holes. What is the point of fact checking with demonstrably incorrect "facts".

The community note specifically mentions 1st June 2024. Reduced demand means that the cap usually drops in Summer. That covers the dubious element. However, the actual figure on 01/06/24 was £1690, the lower figure kicked in in July.

The point does stand that the price is higher than when they were elected, but in that case why bother quoting the earlier date?

Jan 2026 £1,758
Oct 2025 £1,755
July 2025 £1,720
April 2025 £1,849
January 2025 £1,738
October 2024 £1,717
July 2024 £1,568
April 2024 £1,690
January 2024 £1,928
October 2023 £1,923
July 2023 £2,074
April 2023 £3,280
January 2023 £4,279

Yep. Unless you think that the British government can control gas prices, all you can expect of them is that their policies get the costs down. They seem to have done that with this cut, for good or ill- I expect less renewable energy will get built in the near future, though there's a case that the target in the manifesto is too hard for its own good, and makes little difference to the longer term net zero aim.

[The Weeping Angel]

Hard Brexiter Government latest. I see the Lib Dems of "Customs Union FFS" fame are opposing this.

Starmer prepares for parliamentary battles over imminent EU ‘reset’ bill
Planned legislation could hand ministers significant powers to forge closer regulatory ties with Brussels

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... set-policy

Starmer told the BBC on Sunday that he had once argued for a customs union but “a lot of water has now gone under the bridge” and it would undermine deals with India and the US. “We are better looking to the single market rather than the customs union for our further alignment,” he said.

Well, indeed. The figures the Lib Dems chuck about for the benefit of the Customs Union (which by a happy coincidence means they wouldn't need to raise taxes) aren't the Customs Union at all. They're things related to achieving something close to the Single Market. Starmer won't get that, nor will anyone else, who doesn't agree to Freedom of Movement. But seeing the Lib Dem red lines (or red line) is the same as Starmer's, the Government must be getting fed up with this Lib Dem bollocks.

I'm surprised by that. Can't they say it was down to their campaigning or that this is a good step, but the government should go further,

[AOB]

Pubs are banning Labour MPs. Even a world famous film star of decades like Tom Cruise would probably only get 50 or 60 people recognising him in a picture round on Pointless, so good luck, for example, to the Devon landlord for knowing, never mind recognising the Right Honourable Member for Newcastle Upon Tyne North. Pubs were absolutely flourishing under the Tories too, you haven't read regularly for the past decade or so how dozens closing down daily, thousands a year, you were imagining it.

Get outta my pub: landlords ban Labour MPs over rising business rates

[Youngian]

If a publican thinks mouthing off about party politics will attract punters, its probably not Rachel Reeves's fault their enterprise is flailing.