Reposted by Cosmoiselle
Calls to halt UK Palantir contracts grow amid ‘lack of transparency’ over deals
Calls to halt UK Palantir contracts grow amid ‘lack of transparency’ over deals
Opposition MPs urge Labour to pause public contracts with the US tech firm after attempts to probe deals blocked
Labour should halt public contracts with the US tech company Palantir, opposition politicians have said, amid growing concern at the lack of government transparency over dealings with the company and Peter Mandelson.
Since 2023, Palantir has secured more than £500m in contracts with the NHS and the Ministry of Defence, while it employed Global Counsel, the lobbying firm founded by Mandelson. Emails released by the US Department of Justice show Mandelson sought help from Jeffrey Epstein to find “rich individuals” as clients. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
February 5, 2026 at 7:16 PM
Calls to halt UK Palantir contracts grow amid ‘lack of transparency’ over deals
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
the story now makes clear it was far more than just £10,000, regular payments from Epstein to Mandelson partner
I'm not prone to exaggeration but this is probably the biggest scoop I've ever been involved in
Mandelson's partner took £10,000 from Epstein to pay for his osteopath course while Mandelson was de facto UK deputy prime minister, according to new files
more to follow
www.ft.com/content/c950...
Mandelson's partner took £10,000 from Epstein to pay for his osteopath course while Mandelson was de facto UK deputy prime minister, according to new files
more to follow
www.ft.com/content/c950...
Jeffrey Epstein sent £10,000 to Mandelson’s husband, emails show
Epstein sent Reinaldo Avila da Silva payment in 2009
www.ft.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:14 PM
the story now makes clear it was far more than just £10,000, regular payments from Epstein to Mandelson partner
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
and no I haven't put the Mandelson-Epstein-Reinaldo scoop on twitter
we journalists *can* make Bluesky the place to break news
we journalists *can* make Bluesky the place to break news
January 30, 2026 at 6:03 PM
and no I haven't put the Mandelson-Epstein-Reinaldo scoop on twitter
we journalists *can* make Bluesky the place to break news
we journalists *can* make Bluesky the place to break news
A match made in heaven, this one 😒
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reform UK enlists Boris Johnson ally to write party nature policies
Exclusive: Ben Goldsmith will work on issues including fishing and green belt preservation to attract green Tories
www.theguardian.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:31 AM
A match made in heaven, this one 😒
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
SCOOP
Meta has started blocking links to ICE List on Facebook, Instagram and Threads
www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
Meta has started blocking links to ICE List on Facebook, Instagram and Threads
www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
Meta Is Blocking Users From Sharing Website Listing ICE Agents
Users of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads can no longer share links to ICE List, a website listing what it claims are the names of thousands of DHS employees.
www.wired.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:25 PM
SCOOP
Meta has started blocking links to ICE List on Facebook, Instagram and Threads
www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
Meta has started blocking links to ICE List on Facebook, Instagram and Threads
www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
Breathless disbelief that a whole country isn't putting its life on hold to challenge authoritarianism feels painfully familiar post-Johnson. A fatal misunderstanding that everyone has the inclination/ capacity to act beyond the parameters of their everyday lives.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
America feels like a country on the brink of an authoritarian takeover | Francine Prose
This is the news we should be paying attention to. At least for the moment, everything else is a distraction
www.theguardian.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:48 AM
Breathless disbelief that a whole country isn't putting its life on hold to challenge authoritarianism feels painfully familiar post-Johnson. A fatal misunderstanding that everyone has the inclination/ capacity to act beyond the parameters of their everyday lives.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
And here is Andy setting up the justification for upping the fight (although, to be fair, we've all been there... years of service, no one gives a cr*p etc.). 'Sadly' Andy is obliged to take the beef to Keir, and (as a Lib Dem) all I can say is that I'm here for it ✊
PS - The fact that the media was informed of the NEC decision before I was tells you everything you need to know about the way the Labour Party is being run these days.
You would think that over 30 years of service would count for something but sadly not. 🤷🏻♂️
You would think that over 30 years of service would count for something but sadly not. 🤷🏻♂️
January 25, 2026 at 8:28 PM
And here is Andy setting up the justification for upping the fight (although, to be fair, we've all been there... years of service, no one gives a cr*p etc.). 'Sadly' Andy is obliged to take the beef to Keir, and (as a Lib Dem) all I can say is that I'm here for it ✊
And if you believe that, you'll believe anything 🙂 (not that I'm knocking ambition and shaking things up a bit; if we weren't all here for that, we wouldn't be on social media🍿)
Tomorrow I will return with full focus to my role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, defending everything we have built in our city-region over many years.
I decided to put myself forward to prevent the divisive politics of Reform damaging that. We are stronger together and let’s stay that way. 💪🏻
2/2
I decided to put myself forward to prevent the divisive politics of Reform damaging that. We are stronger together and let’s stay that way. 💪🏻
2/2
January 25, 2026 at 8:24 PM
And if you believe that, you'll believe anything 🙂 (not that I'm knocking ambition and shaking things up a bit; if we weren't all here for that, we wouldn't be on social media🍿)
Andy's up for a fight and the rhetoric is considered 🧑💻 '...concerned about its potential impact on the important elections ahead of us' [translate: the ppl who blocked me have f**ked it] [translate with sincerity: I am not averse to employing faux high-handedness in order to further my ambition]
I am disappointed by today’s NEC decision and concerned about its potential impact on the important elections ahead of us.
To whoever becomes Labour’s candidate and to our members in Manchester and Tameside: you will have my full support in this fight and I will be there whenever you need me.
1/2
To whoever becomes Labour’s candidate and to our members in Manchester and Tameside: you will have my full support in this fight and I will be there whenever you need me.
1/2
January 25, 2026 at 8:22 PM
Andy's up for a fight and the rhetoric is considered 🧑💻 '...concerned about its potential impact on the important elections ahead of us' [translate: the ppl who blocked me have f**ked it] [translate with sincerity: I am not averse to employing faux high-handedness in order to further my ambition]
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
On the weakness of state terror: once ppl internalize the regime's lawless brutality, that they are no safer in their homes than in the streets (& vice versa), and that their unwavering defiance is what confounds & disempowers the regime, they also realize they have nothing to lose but their fear.
This administration is cooked. Literally no one is scared of them.
January 25, 2026 at 7:51 PM
On the weakness of state terror: once ppl internalize the regime's lawless brutality, that they are no safer in their homes than in the streets (& vice versa), and that their unwavering defiance is what confounds & disempowers the regime, they also realize they have nothing to lose but their fear.
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
This administration is cooked. Literally no one is scared of them.
January 25, 2026 at 5:20 PM
This administration is cooked. Literally no one is scared of them.
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
I cannot stress how weird cross-national work calls between the UK, Ireland, Germany, France & The US are atm.
UK:'So... are you all OK over there?'
US:'Yeah, Sure, we all had a great weekend thanks, went up to the lake. Took a drive to Maine'
UK:'... Ok, cool'.
Ire/France: *Mouth WTF*
UK:'So... are you all OK over there?'
US:'Yeah, Sure, we all had a great weekend thanks, went up to the lake. Took a drive to Maine'
UK:'... Ok, cool'.
Ire/France: *Mouth WTF*
We have friends in the US, have visited several times and almost certainly would have gone again before 2029 but now resolutely won't.
"I've booked and will go [to the #US]
10.4%
I've booked but won't go
1.4%
I am happy to go there
14.9%
I would not travel there
73.3%"
10.4%
I've booked but won't go
1.4%
I am happy to go there
14.9%
I would not travel there
73.3%"
January 25, 2026 at 7:18 PM
I cannot stress how weird cross-national work calls between the UK, Ireland, Germany, France & The US are atm.
UK:'So... are you all OK over there?'
US:'Yeah, Sure, we all had a great weekend thanks, went up to the lake. Took a drive to Maine'
UK:'... Ok, cool'.
Ire/France: *Mouth WTF*
UK:'So... are you all OK over there?'
US:'Yeah, Sure, we all had a great weekend thanks, went up to the lake. Took a drive to Maine'
UK:'... Ok, cool'.
Ire/France: *Mouth WTF*
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
Those wishing to understand Italian politics may find re-reading this good article on Roberto Vannacci (League's deputy leader) worth their time, as Vannacci is most probably on the verge of leaving the party:
www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
Who is Roberto Vannacci, Italy's favourite far-right general?
When Roberto Vannacci's controversial book came out last August, he was widely mocked and criticised for his extreme views – yet now he's the lead candidate for Matteo Salvini's far-right Lega party i...
www.euronews.com
January 25, 2026 at 7:07 PM
Those wishing to understand Italian politics may find re-reading this good article on Roberto Vannacci (League's deputy leader) worth their time, as Vannacci is most probably on the verge of leaving the party:
www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
He's got the headlines now... and that tends to be most of the battle 🤷♂️
With the odds of Burnham and his allies becoming outspoken critics in the run up to May’s local elections increasing, here are some of the areas where his vision for Britain could pose a challenge for Starmer
Read more: trib.al/3XBxkWK
Read more: trib.al/3XBxkWK
January 25, 2026 at 7:04 PM
He's got the headlines now... and that tends to be most of the battle 🤷♂️
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
All the reaction rolling in to today's big decision
One Labour MP called the move to block Burnham 'cowardice', another said it is a 'profound mistake'
More here...
One Labour MP called the move to block Burnham 'cowardice', another said it is a 'profound mistake'
More here...
Andy Burnham live updates as he's blocked from standing as MP
The Greater Manchester mayor wanted to stand in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election
www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
January 25, 2026 at 1:21 PM
All the reaction rolling in to today's big decision
One Labour MP called the move to block Burnham 'cowardice', another said it is a 'profound mistake'
More here...
One Labour MP called the move to block Burnham 'cowardice', another said it is a 'profound mistake'
More here...
100% 👇 Bewildering 🙁
This country's ability to rinse the young and then berate them as lazy avocado addicts is ridiculous.
They're so up against it, it's madness.
- as.ft.com/r/094f3968-1...
They're so up against it, it's madness.
- as.ft.com/r/094f3968-1...
Will student loans be the next mis-selling scandal?
[FREE TO READ] Graduates are in uproar about Budget changes to loan repayment terms, and they have a point
as.ft.com
January 25, 2026 at 12:50 PM
100% 👇 Bewildering 🙁
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
Burnham blocked. Politics of this very questionable from the Labour leadership. First impression is Starmer has overestimated his strength.
Set ups row now, and if Labour are bested at the by-election. Wounding battles before Starmer’s moment of maximum danger (May elections)
Set ups row now, and if Labour are bested at the by-election. Wounding battles before Starmer’s moment of maximum danger (May elections)
Right decision from Burnham’s perspective
- Get blocked, and his standing as ‘Prince across the water’ is strengthened. Not sure the Labour leadership is strong enough to weather the backlash in this scenario
- Get selected, stands a good chance of winning, prove ability to beat Reform…
- Get blocked, and his standing as ‘Prince across the water’ is strengthened. Not sure the Labour leadership is strong enough to weather the backlash in this scenario
- Get selected, stands a good chance of winning, prove ability to beat Reform…
January 25, 2026 at 12:17 PM
Burnham blocked. Politics of this very questionable from the Labour leadership. First impression is Starmer has overestimated his strength.
Set ups row now, and if Labour are bested at the by-election. Wounding battles before Starmer’s moment of maximum danger (May elections)
Set ups row now, and if Labour are bested at the by-election. Wounding battles before Starmer’s moment of maximum danger (May elections)
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
Labour's ruling committee, which is stuffed full of allies of Keir Starmer and Morgan McSweeney, has just blocked Andy Burnham from standing to be an MP in Gorton and Denton.
The odds of Labour losing this previously safe seat to Reform now look much higher
The odds of Labour losing this previously safe seat to Reform now look much higher
January 25, 2026 at 12:19 PM
Labour's ruling committee, which is stuffed full of allies of Keir Starmer and Morgan McSweeney, has just blocked Andy Burnham from standing to be an MP in Gorton and Denton.
The odds of Labour losing this previously safe seat to Reform now look much higher
The odds of Labour losing this previously safe seat to Reform now look much higher
He's got till May 7th to turn things around 🗳️
We rang almost every loyalist member of the NEC on Thursday and everyone said they would do this - and they did.
Starmer is pretty committed to being ruthless when it comes to the Labour Party. But this is the riskiest move yet.
Starmer is pretty committed to being ruthless when it comes to the Labour Party. But this is the riskiest move yet.
January 25, 2026 at 12:34 PM
He's got till May 7th to turn things around 🗳️
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
This country will never be fixed until housing is fixed.
'There are now a record 175,025 children in temporary housing in England, according to the most recent government figures. Many families affected are living in B&Bs, hostels and overcrowded flats.'
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
'There are now a record 175,025 children in temporary housing in England, according to the most recent government figures. Many families affected are living in B&Bs, hostels and overcrowded flats.'
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Teachers in England driving homeless pupils to school and washing clothes, research shows
Survey finds schools referring homeless children to food banks as record numbers live in temporary housing
www.theguardian.com
January 25, 2026 at 12:26 PM
This country will never be fixed until housing is fixed.
'There are now a record 175,025 children in temporary housing in England, according to the most recent government figures. Many families affected are living in B&Bs, hostels and overcrowded flats.'
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
'There are now a record 175,025 children in temporary housing in England, according to the most recent government figures. Many families affected are living in B&Bs, hostels and overcrowded flats.'
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
Reposted by Cosmoiselle
Final thought on this (for now): it’s far from certain Labour will win in Gorton. That was true with Burnham as a candidate. But if they lose now, the blame will go directly to Number 10’s door.
January 25, 2026 at 12:26 PM
Final thought on this (for now): it’s far from certain Labour will win in Gorton. That was true with Burnham as a candidate. But if they lose now, the blame will go directly to Number 10’s door.