Colin Lawson
@colindlawson.bsky.social
Physics/education/retired. Walking and small boat sailing. Cornwall, UK. Lifelong news and current affairs addict.
North Utsire. South Utsire.
Occasionally poor. Becoming good.
North Utsire. South Utsire.
Occasionally poor. Becoming good.
Pinned
Colin Lawson
@colindlawson.bsky.social
· Nov 27
Truth sometimes comes from our enemies despite their dishonourable motives. Meanwhile, our own ‘tribe’ can fool itself into believing absurdities. The Left and progressives damage their credibility every time they reject the former and succumb to the latter.
Reposted by Colin Lawson
Looks like the BBC have been doing some critical thinking about some of its output.
"What does trans mean and why is there a debate about transgender people's rights?"
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"What does trans mean and why is there a debate about transgender people's rights?"
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
What does trans mean and what rights do transgender people have?
The UK Supreme Court's definition of a woman in equalities law has significant implications for transgender people.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 10, 2026 at 12:18 PM
Looks like the BBC have been doing some critical thinking about some of its output.
"What does trans mean and why is there a debate about transgender people's rights?"
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"What does trans mean and why is there a debate about transgender people's rights?"
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Colin Lawson
I'm not a particular fan of Alistair Campbell but I share his anger and anxiety: "I’m sleepless, angry and anxious over this – and I know I’m not alone".
www.thenewworld.co.uk/alastair-cam...
www.thenewworld.co.uk/alastair-cam...
I’m sleepless, angry and anxious over this - and I know I'm not alone
Editor-at-large Alastair Campbell on the reaction to the Mandelson affair, the calls for Starmer to go, and what happens to this government - and the United Kingdom - next
www.thenewworld.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 2:15 PM
I'm not a particular fan of Alistair Campbell but I share his anger and anxiety: "I’m sleepless, angry and anxious over this – and I know I’m not alone".
www.thenewworld.co.uk/alastair-cam...
www.thenewworld.co.uk/alastair-cam...
Reposted by Colin Lawson
Is this the torture video? 2009 "The American citizen is a former business partner of Sheikh Issa, and claims he, too, was tortured in the UAE after the pair fell out. Nabulsi said the first tape was shot by his brother on the orders of Sheikh Issa, who liked to view them later for his own pleasure"
February 10, 2026 at 12:51 PM
Is this the torture video? 2009 "The American citizen is a former business partner of Sheikh Issa, and claims he, too, was tortured in the UAE after the pair fell out. Nabulsi said the first tape was shot by his brother on the orders of Sheikh Issa, who liked to view them later for his own pleasure"
Reposted by Colin Lawson
BBC World Service faces funding cliff edge in seven weeks, says Tim Davie
BBC World Service faces funding cliff edge in seven weeks, says Tim Davie
As trust in Russia and China’s state broadcasters grows, director general warns of the dangers of cutting back the service
The BBC World Service will run out of funding in just seven weeks with no future deal with the government currently in place, the corporation’s director general, Tim Davie, has warned.
In a last-minute pitch to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Davie said the uncertainty came as news organisations were cutting their international reporting and disinformation was “flooding the digital sphere at an incredible speed”. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:44 PM
BBC World Service faces funding cliff edge in seven weeks, says Tim Davie
Reposted by Colin Lawson
'The authors have taken studies that compared untrained men with supremely athletic women, self-report activity, under-20s with over-30s, less active men than women'.
www.voidifremoved.co.uk/p/beef-trifl...
www.voidifremoved.co.uk/p/beef-trifl...
Beef Trifle
A new review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine insists men are weaker than women, really.
www.voidifremoved.co.uk
February 10, 2026 at 8:08 AM
'The authors have taken studies that compared untrained men with supremely athletic women, self-report activity, under-20s with over-30s, less active men than women'.
www.voidifremoved.co.uk/p/beef-trifl...
www.voidifremoved.co.uk/p/beef-trifl...
Reposted by Colin Lawson
Rep. Stansbury: We will look at who the DOJ is shielding. The committee is keeping an ongoing list of individuals we would like to subpoena. We would like to speak to Secretary Lutnick, and I personally believe that Mr. Lutnick needs to step down immediately.
February 9, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Rep. Stansbury: We will look at who the DOJ is shielding. The committee is keeping an ongoing list of individuals we would like to subpoena. We would like to speak to Secretary Lutnick, and I personally believe that Mr. Lutnick needs to step down immediately.
Looks like the BBC have been doing some critical thinking about some of its output.
"What does trans mean and why is there a debate about transgender people's rights?"
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"What does trans mean and why is there a debate about transgender people's rights?"
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
What does trans mean and what rights do transgender people have?
The UK Supreme Court's definition of a woman in equalities law has significant implications for transgender people.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 10, 2026 at 12:18 PM
Looks like the BBC have been doing some critical thinking about some of its output.
"What does trans mean and why is there a debate about transgender people's rights?"
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
"What does trans mean and why is there a debate about transgender people's rights?"
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Colin Lawson
The government has pledged write off 90 per cent of councils’ historic SEND deficits – estimated to be worth £5 billion
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/government-to-write-off-90-of-councils-send-deficits/
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/government-to-write-off-90-of-councils-send-deficits/
Government to write off 90% of councils' SEND deficits
Local authorities will get a grant to cover all but 10% of deficits accrued by the end of 2025-26
schoolsweek.co.uk
February 10, 2026 at 6:05 AM
The government has pledged write off 90 per cent of councils’ historic SEND deficits – estimated to be worth £5 billion
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/government-to-write-off-90-of-councils-send-deficits/
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/government-to-write-off-90-of-councils-send-deficits/
Reposted by Colin Lawson
Ofcom under fire after refusing to investigate ‘misleading’ GB News Trump interview
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
Ofcom under fire after refusing to investigate ‘misleading’ GB News Trump interview
US president not challenged over false claims climate change is ‘hoax’ and parts of London have sharia law
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Ofcom under fire after refusing to investigate ‘misleading’ GB News Trump interview
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
I'm not a particular fan of Alistair Campbell but I share his anger and anxiety: "I’m sleepless, angry and anxious over this – and I know I’m not alone".
www.thenewworld.co.uk/alastair-cam...
www.thenewworld.co.uk/alastair-cam...
I’m sleepless, angry and anxious over this - and I know I'm not alone
Editor-at-large Alastair Campbell on the reaction to the Mandelson affair, the calls for Starmer to go, and what happens to this government - and the United Kingdom - next
www.thenewworld.co.uk
February 9, 2026 at 2:15 PM
I'm not a particular fan of Alistair Campbell but I share his anger and anxiety: "I’m sleepless, angry and anxious over this – and I know I’m not alone".
www.thenewworld.co.uk/alastair-cam...
www.thenewworld.co.uk/alastair-cam...
Reposted by Colin Lawson
I have today been informed that, despite personal assurances to the contrary, the Green party have once again used my image and misrepresented my words on a second leaflet circulated in Gorton and Denton ahead of the by-election. I have now lodged an official complaint with the returning officer.
February 9, 2026 at 11:25 AM
I have today been informed that, despite personal assurances to the contrary, the Green party have once again used my image and misrepresented my words on a second leaflet circulated in Gorton and Denton ahead of the by-election. I have now lodged an official complaint with the returning officer.
Reposted by Colin Lawson
Grim morning for the Labour Party but it is healthier to live in a country where decisions have consequences than one where an administration steeped in contact with Epstein sails happily on, even as the resignations pile up across Europe
February 9, 2026 at 8:29 AM
Grim morning for the Labour Party but it is healthier to live in a country where decisions have consequences than one where an administration steeped in contact with Epstein sails happily on, even as the resignations pile up across Europe
Reposted by Colin Lawson
Around the world, politicians and businessmen are resigning from their positions because of the Epstein Files.
Except in the United States.
Here: Zero shame, zero consequences.
We need resignations, investigations, impeachments, and punishments now. Should have been years ago.
Except in the United States.
Here: Zero shame, zero consequences.
We need resignations, investigations, impeachments, and punishments now. Should have been years ago.
February 8, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Around the world, politicians and businessmen are resigning from their positions because of the Epstein Files.
Except in the United States.
Here: Zero shame, zero consequences.
We need resignations, investigations, impeachments, and punishments now. Should have been years ago.
Except in the United States.
Here: Zero shame, zero consequences.
We need resignations, investigations, impeachments, and punishments now. Should have been years ago.
Reposted by Colin Lawson
Here's an exciting thought: I wonder if political parties might consider separating governing from campaigning...
I don't disagree with this per-se (it wasn't just McSweeney!), but I do think it was pretty important that McSweeney and Starmer successfully repositioned Labour – with all of the pain that entailed – so they could capture as many seats as they did.
I do wonder about anyone who thinks McSweeney single-handedly won Labour its majority. They do realise they were up against a catastrophically unpopular government? The 2024 result was very much an underperformance against the fundamentals.
February 8, 2026 at 6:48 PM
Here's an exciting thought: I wonder if political parties might consider separating governing from campaigning...
Reposted by Colin Lawson
Even more depressing that they see nothing available for Lab other than McS's Blue Labourism or Corbynism.
February 8, 2026 at 8:48 PM
Even more depressing that they see nothing available for Lab other than McS's Blue Labourism or Corbynism.
Reposted by Colin Lawson
An article in the New York Review of Books takes an extreme stand on biological sex, failing to define it and ultimately arguing that you're whatever sex you say you are.
whyevolutionistrue.com/2026/02/08/n...
whyevolutionistrue.com/2026/02/08/n...
NYRB article attacks the biological definition of sex holding with definitions based on self-identification
I used to subscribe to the New York Review of Books, which, while sometimes a repository for boring academic cat-fights, often included engaging and illuminating articles—until fabled editor Bob Si…
whyevolutionistrue.com
February 8, 2026 at 6:02 PM
An article in the New York Review of Books takes an extreme stand on biological sex, failing to define it and ultimately arguing that you're whatever sex you say you are.
whyevolutionistrue.com/2026/02/08/n...
whyevolutionistrue.com/2026/02/08/n...
Reposted by Colin Lawson
"I advised the prime minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice" guess we know where the buck stops -
McSweeney says he takes ‘full responsibility’ for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson as he resigns as chief of staff – www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
McSweeney says he takes ‘full responsibility’ for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson as he resigns as chief of staff – www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
McSweeney says he takes ‘full responsibility’ for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson as he resigns as chief of staff – UK politics live
The PM’s chief of staff has resigned following his involvement in the decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador
www.theguardian.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:36 PM
"I advised the prime minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice" guess we know where the buck stops -
McSweeney says he takes ‘full responsibility’ for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson as he resigns as chief of staff – www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
McSweeney says he takes ‘full responsibility’ for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson as he resigns as chief of staff – www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
Reposted by Colin Lawson
I was asked to check this, the journal uses a Rail Fence Cipher, so you read each line up and down, left to right. The deciphered text in the article below is accurate, and names names. The file itself can be found here:
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
February 8, 2026 at 9:30 AM
I was asked to check this, the journal uses a Rail Fence Cipher, so you read each line up and down, left to right. The deciphered text in the article below is accurate, and names names. The file itself can be found here:
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
www.justice.gov/epstein/file...
Reposted by Colin Lawson
I have just saved €1bn by not buying the F1 team I had just decided to buy.
Excellent work by Reform at Kent Council, who made a £40m saving by briefly proposing to spend £40m on something then deciding not to. Using this model, every Reform council can save £billions!
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
February 8, 2026 at 12:57 PM
I have just saved €1bn by not buying the F1 team I had just decided to buy.
"So the Epstein scandal is about politics? Silly me for thinking it’s about the mass abuse of women and girls".
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
So the Epstein scandal is about politics? Silly me for thinking it’s about the mass abuse of women and girls | Marina Hyde
Obsessing over individual players and political chaos leaves less time to focus on the misogyny. And that’s for the best, isn’t it guys, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
www.theguardian.com
February 8, 2026 at 9:55 AM
"So the Epstein scandal is about politics? Silly me for thinking it’s about the mass abuse of women and girls".
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Colin Lawson
On a day with so much awfulness just taking a moment to note with admiration a dignified leader
🇲🇩🇺🇦 Moldovan President Sandu said that she is against her nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, because there are more worthy candidates - Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Sandu emphasized that it is Ukrainians who are truly sacrificing themselves for the sake of peace and security in Ukraine and the EU.
Sandu emphasized that it is Ukrainians who are truly sacrificing themselves for the sake of peace and security in Ukraine and the EU.
February 7, 2026 at 5:18 PM
On a day with so much awfulness just taking a moment to note with admiration a dignified leader
Reposted by Colin Lawson
That is, where sex neutral provision will indirectly discriminate because it disproportionately disadvantages women rather than men (sport, prisons, refuges, toilets, changing rooms etc). That's the (very sensible) state of play legally.
February 7, 2026 at 1:54 PM
That is, where sex neutral provision will indirectly discriminate because it disproportionately disadvantages women rather than men (sport, prisons, refuges, toilets, changing rooms etc). That's the (very sensible) state of play legally.
Reposted by Colin Lawson
It is terribly sad that the former PM feels the need to say this in the face of low life blowhards.
We cannot allow this to even be a question.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
We cannot allow this to even be a question.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
‘I’m British, English and British Asian’, says Rishi Sunak in riposte to racially charged debate over identity
Podcaster claimed former prime minister not English because he is ‘brown-skinned Hindu’
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2026 at 7:06 AM
It is terribly sad that the former PM feels the need to say this in the face of low life blowhards.
We cannot allow this to even be a question.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
We cannot allow this to even be a question.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Colin Lawson
The Epstein files, which contain more than 38,000 references to Trump, his Mar-a-Lago estate and other related terms, seem set to bring down a national leader who is not mentioned by Epstein even once.
On Epstein, Mandelson and Starmer - and the argument that the PM won't make. Latest column www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
There’s one argument Starmer could make to save his skin – but he won’t dare do it | Jonathan Freedland
It’s right to focus on what the PM knew about Peter Mandelson, but many pointing the finger also knew and chose to ignore it, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
www.theguardian.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:30 PM
The Epstein files, which contain more than 38,000 references to Trump, his Mar-a-Lago estate and other related terms, seem set to bring down a national leader who is not mentioned by Epstein even once.
Reposted by Colin Lawson
Truth sometimes comes from our enemies despite their dishonourable motives. Meanwhile, our own ‘tribe’ can fool itself into believing absurdities. Democrats and progressives trash their credibility every time they reject the former and succumb to the latter.
February 6, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Truth sometimes comes from our enemies despite their dishonourable motives. Meanwhile, our own ‘tribe’ can fool itself into believing absurdities. Democrats and progressives trash their credibility every time they reject the former and succumb to the latter.