Ben Dunnell
@bendunnell.bsky.social
Your mother’s in a care home and SHE’S BEEN DRUGGED? TO KEEP HER QUIET? FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF THE STAFF? (Personal account.)
The people they’re trying to appeal to don’t care about consistency.
The Conservative Party is simultaneously arguing people shouldn’t be jailed for social media posts directly calling for violence, but also that people’s citizenship should be revoked over social media posts they don’t like.
Make it make sense.
Make it make sense.
December 29, 2025 at 12:10 PM
The people they’re trying to appeal to don’t care about consistency.
Reposted by Ben Dunnell
Attempting to strip someone of citizenship is always a transparent and hopeless effort to avoid responsibility for the underlying problem you claim to object to. Their citizenship is *why* they can be held accountable for the actions you object to.
December 29, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Attempting to strip someone of citizenship is always a transparent and hopeless effort to avoid responsibility for the underlying problem you claim to object to. Their citizenship is *why* they can be held accountable for the actions you object to.
Reposted by Ben Dunnell
Top Adrian Chiles Columns of 2025:
I’ve given up wild swimming. So why does my Volvo smell like mince?
Should I tell the postman he has halitosis? My first wife wouldn’t let me wear shorts.
I buried my father with my bare hands. It’s time we stopped talking about glamping. 1/3
I’ve given up wild swimming. So why does my Volvo smell like mince?
Should I tell the postman he has halitosis? My first wife wouldn’t let me wear shorts.
I buried my father with my bare hands. It’s time we stopped talking about glamping. 1/3
December 29, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Top Adrian Chiles Columns of 2025:
I’ve given up wild swimming. So why does my Volvo smell like mince?
Should I tell the postman he has halitosis? My first wife wouldn’t let me wear shorts.
I buried my father with my bare hands. It’s time we stopped talking about glamping. 1/3
I’ve given up wild swimming. So why does my Volvo smell like mince?
Should I tell the postman he has halitosis? My first wife wouldn’t let me wear shorts.
I buried my father with my bare hands. It’s time we stopped talking about glamping. 1/3
Reposted by Ben Dunnell
holy fucking shit
No idea who Laurent Brindeau is, but isn’t this caricature of @zackpolanski.bsky.social in today’s @dailymailpolitics.bsky.social ragingly antisemitic?
December 29, 2025 at 11:44 AM
holy fucking shit
It is true at the same time that the right has no genuine interest in tackling antisemitism and that the far left has a massive antisemitism problem. Comments like these, while making a genuine point, also seem as if they’re intended to downplay the latter.
December 29, 2025 at 11:43 AM
It is true at the same time that the right has no genuine interest in tackling antisemitism and that the far left has a massive antisemitism problem. Comments like these, while making a genuine point, also seem as if they’re intended to downplay the latter.
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December 29, 2025 at 9:01 AM
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Reposted by Ben Dunnell
"The scorpion is a close personal friend of mine & only wants the best for the frog..."
Trump: "Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed. It sounds a little strange but President Putin was very generous in his feeling toward Ukraine succeeding, including supplying energy, electricity and other things at very low prices."
December 28, 2025 at 11:35 PM
"The scorpion is a close personal friend of mine & only wants the best for the frog..."
As ever, I’m struck by how irrelevant European nations are in this whole ‘process’.
As with every 'significant' moment of the past year, it's been marked by Trump being impressionable to whichever leader he last speaks to and he always side with authoritarians over smaller democracies.
Whatever is agreed today is one phone call, Witkoff meeting, press question away from imploding.
Whatever is agreed today is one phone call, Witkoff meeting, press question away from imploding.
December 28, 2025 at 8:15 PM
As ever, I’m struck by how irrelevant European nations are in this whole ‘process’.
Reposted by Ben Dunnell
This is *incredibly* charming
this is a beautiful homage by my friend and colleague Claer Barrett to recently-departed FT reader Bruce Dalton, which she read at his funeral last week
December 28, 2025 at 7:39 PM
This is *incredibly* charming
Trump wants peace in Ukraine in the same way as Corbyn wants peace in the Middle East, meaning that their chosen side wins.
December 28, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Trump wants peace in Ukraine in the same way as Corbyn wants peace in the Middle East, meaning that their chosen side wins.
Reposted by Ben Dunnell
Zelensky lands in Miami. Not a single US official is on hand to greet him. In the language of diplomacy this send an unequivocal message of coldness and hostility. Compare it with the lavish pomp and red carpet shown to Putin when he landed in Alaska a few weeks ago.
December 28, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Zelensky lands in Miami. Not a single US official is on hand to greet him. In the language of diplomacy this send an unequivocal message of coldness and hostility. Compare it with the lavish pomp and red carpet shown to Putin when he landed in Alaska a few weeks ago.
I agree with this. All the suggestions he’s experiencing significant mental decline are surely wishful thinking. He’s clearly becoming madder and madder as the days go by, but signs of Alzheimer’s or similar? Nah.
Trump will be President, there’s no plausible route to his removal except via death and he seems healthy enough. I’ll come to British PM in a later post bsky.app/profile/alun...
Political survival who will be British Prime Minister and American President on Christmas Day 2026?
December 28, 2025 at 8:11 PM
I agree with this. All the suggestions he’s experiencing significant mental decline are surely wishful thinking. He’s clearly becoming madder and madder as the days go by, but signs of Alzheimer’s or similar? Nah.
Reposted by Ben Dunnell
BLOG UPDATE! I've gone and made a full rundown of the fifty TV programmes that have been broadcast most frequently throughout 2025. With the bonus added prize of revealing which FOUR television programmes appeared on all four BBC channels in 2025. brokentv.uk/2025/12/28/t...
December 28, 2025 at 4:35 PM
BLOG UPDATE! I've gone and made a full rundown of the fifty TV programmes that have been broadcast most frequently throughout 2025. With the bonus added prize of revealing which FOUR television programmes appeared on all four BBC channels in 2025. brokentv.uk/2025/12/28/t...
Reposted by Ben Dunnell
It’s crazy to me there’s not been *one* decent intervention by a senior politician on AI, what it’s for, should be about and our society. Unless I missed it? It’s just people saying ‘productivity’ and ‘jobs’ with literally no thought, thinking or ideas. But then I suppose same on everything.
December 28, 2025 at 3:02 PM
It’s crazy to me there’s not been *one* decent intervention by a senior politician on AI, what it’s for, should be about and our society. Unless I missed it? It’s just people saying ‘productivity’ and ‘jobs’ with literally no thought, thinking or ideas. But then I suppose same on everything.
Listened to an edition of Americast on the World Service, and apart from the smug tone the whole approach was indicative of what’s wrong with so much coverage of the Trump administration. It was all “RFK has reset the parameters of the vaccine debate”, rather than “FUCKING HELL HE’S MENTAL”.
December 28, 2025 at 12:35 PM
Listened to an edition of Americast on the World Service, and apart from the smug tone the whole approach was indicative of what’s wrong with so much coverage of the Trump administration. It was all “RFK has reset the parameters of the vaccine debate”, rather than “FUCKING HELL HE’S MENTAL”.
Reposted by Ben Dunnell
Counterpoint: Your art is your own. You owe it to no one.
Many US art forms, but especially jazz, were born out of joy in the face of resistance. It was not made to entertain the people being resisted.
Your body dies when you die. But your art may be spoken of for hundreds of years. Cherish it.
Many US art forms, but especially jazz, were born out of joy in the face of resistance. It was not made to entertain the people being resisted.
Your body dies when you die. But your art may be spoken of for hundreds of years. Cherish it.
"Any artist cancelling their show at the Trump Kennedy Center over political differences isn't courageous or principled—they are selfish, intolerant, and have failed to meet the basic duty of a public artist: to perform for all people"- Kennedy Center spokesperson Roma Daravi
Kennedy Center vows to sue musician who canceled performance over Trump name change
The Kennedy Center is planning legal action after jazz musician Chuck Redd canceled an annual holiday concert. Redd pulled out after President Trump's name appeared on the building.
www.npr.org
December 28, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Counterpoint: Your art is your own. You owe it to no one.
Many US art forms, but especially jazz, were born out of joy in the face of resistance. It was not made to entertain the people being resisted.
Your body dies when you die. But your art may be spoken of for hundreds of years. Cherish it.
Many US art forms, but especially jazz, were born out of joy in the face of resistance. It was not made to entertain the people being resisted.
Your body dies when you die. But your art may be spoken of for hundreds of years. Cherish it.
Reposted by Ben Dunnell
French judges are 🔥
December 28, 2025 at 10:28 AM
French judges are 🔥
Reposted by Ben Dunnell
Walliams seeing the light any day now at this rate
Tommy Robinson says he found Jesus in prison. Churches disagree about how to respond
Tommy Robinson says he found Jesus in prison. Churches disagree about how to respond
C of E faces dilemma as far right claims Christianity to push agenda that often clashes with gospel message
www.theguardian.com
December 28, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Walliams seeing the light any day now at this rate
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December 28, 2025 at 8:34 AM
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buy physical media
December 27, 2025 at 7:02 PM
buy physical media
Quite a leap from Hi-De-Hi.
Jeffrey Holland, next in line to lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, dies at 85 reut.rs/4p9Y2eT
Jeffrey Holland, next in line to lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, dies at 85
Jeffrey R. Holland, who was next in line to lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, died at 85 on Saturday from complications associated with kidney disease, the church said.
reut.rs
December 27, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Quite a leap from Hi-De-Hi.
Part of this will have to involve European leaders saying what they really think of Vance. It’s the only way to stand up to him - and Europe needs to.
Given the physical and mental decline of Trump; I hope the UK and the rest of Europe are geared for an ideological, societal confrontation with the US that would genuinely break the last figment of the Transatlantic alliance.
At least, a confrontation unlikely to be bought off with a State visit.
At least, a confrontation unlikely to be bought off with a State visit.
See:
December 27, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Part of this will have to involve European leaders saying what they really think of Vance. It’s the only way to stand up to him - and Europe needs to.
Reposted by Ben Dunnell
Again, it is utterly shameful & demonstrates the total failure of all of our political institutions that threatening our closest NATO allies with territorial conquest has not immediately ended this presidency.
Denmark lost more troops per capita in the post 9/11 war on Afghanistan. Saying they “are not a good ally” because they won’t surrender their territories to the US is lunacy. We are betraying our allies to satisfy the whims of a would-be Emperor for whom the US is not enough.
They’re again advocating against Denmark when it comes to Greenland
December 27, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Again, it is utterly shameful & demonstrates the total failure of all of our political institutions that threatening our closest NATO allies with territorial conquest has not immediately ended this presidency.
Sultana, here complaining about “unelected bureaucrats”, has ever been elected to any office while representing Your Party.
Now, more than ever, we need a CEC that will fight for a party led by its members — not MPs or bureaucrats.
December 27, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Sultana, here complaining about “unelected bureaucrats”, has ever been elected to any office while representing Your Party.