David Timoney
@fromarsetoelbow.bsky.social
Autonomous vehicle. Self-assembly required. May contain traces of critical theory. Retweets not necessarily a WTF
Blog: fromarsetoelbow.blogspot.co.uk
Blog: fromarsetoelbow.blogspot.co.uk
The BBC is currently being intimidated by Washington as a proxy for Downing Street. Trump's claim that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and face no consequences has been generalised to international affairs.
January 8, 2026 at 9:55 AM
The BBC is currently being intimidated by Washington as a proxy for Downing Street. Trump's claim that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and face no consequences has been generalised to international affairs.
The idea that all the Beeb needs to do is show the Minneapolis footage is undermined when you remember a) the way it edited the footage of the Battle of Orgreave, and b) its current sensitivity to claims of bias against the Trump administration.
January 8, 2026 at 9:55 AM
The idea that all the Beeb needs to do is show the Minneapolis footage is undermined when you remember a) the way it edited the footage of the Battle of Orgreave, and b) its current sensitivity to claims of bias against the Trump administration.
The BBC is the state broadcaster, so it is institutionally biased towards presenting the state's narrative. This extends to habitually reporting the narrative of foreign govts, so long as they are "allies". For non-allies, the courtesy will be extended to "regime opponents" and "dissidents" instead.
I understand the pressures on the BBC, but Radio 4's coverage of the Minneapolis shooting is an example of "bad balance".
It's all "the Trump regime says she was a terrorist, but Democrats say it was murder".
The BBC has the footage. It doesn't have to treat truth and falsehood as equally valid.
It's all "the Trump regime says she was a terrorist, but Democrats say it was murder".
The BBC has the footage. It doesn't have to treat truth and falsehood as equally valid.
January 8, 2026 at 9:55 AM
The BBC is the state broadcaster, so it is institutionally biased towards presenting the state's narrative. This extends to habitually reporting the narrative of foreign govts, so long as they are "allies". For non-allies, the courtesy will be extended to "regime opponents" and "dissidents" instead.
Amusing to recall that Mandelson was once labelled "The Prince of Darkness" because he preferred to operate in the shadows.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Mandelson accuses European leaders of ‘histrionic’ reaction to Trump’s Greenland stance
Article by former British ambassador to US is likely to be seen as criticism of Keir Starmer
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Amusing to recall that Mandelson was once labelled "The Prince of Darkness" because he preferred to operate in the shadows.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Lol. Dunt blocked me. And I didn't even call him a bald twat.
January 7, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Lol. Dunt blocked me. And I didn't even call him a bald twat.
Manifest destiny.
January 7, 2026 at 6:53 PM
Manifest destiny.
The centrist discovery of the history of Latin America, hitherto dismissed as "bloviating" by leftists, will be memory-holed as soon as Trump is history. They will never admit that the US has never respected anyone's self-determination.
January 7, 2026 at 6:18 PM
The centrist discovery of the history of Latin America, hitherto dismissed as "bloviating" by leftists, will be memory-holed as soon as Trump is history. They will never admit that the US has never respected anyone's self-determination.
Capitalism's popular defence depends on utter ignorance of the price mechanism (bulls obviously cost a lot more than cows) and the belief that money magically breeds itself.
January 7, 2026 at 2:03 PM
Capitalism's popular defence depends on utter ignorance of the price mechanism (bulls obviously cost a lot more than cows) and the belief that money magically breeds itself.
A choice can only be made if the politcial class rejects Atlanticism and it won't do that precisely because it would mean admitting the left were right all along. Better to hang on and hope the US returns to civility, so our fawning no longer looks craven.
January 7, 2026 at 12:02 PM
A choice can only be made if the politcial class rejects Atlanticism and it won't do that precisely because it would mean admitting the left were right all along. Better to hang on and hope the US returns to civility, so our fawning no longer looks craven.
But where he goes wrong is in assuming that the choice can be made by this country's political class as currently consitituted. At every step, it has been undermined by the US (Brexit owed more to American than Russian money).
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Is Starmer’s reluctance to criticise Trump smart tactics – or the sign of a man without a plan? | Rafael Behr
The PM won’t call out Trump over Venezuela, and won’t commit to Europe. His refusal to choose leaves vital choices for Britain to be made by others, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr
www.theguardian.com
January 7, 2026 at 12:02 PM
But where he goes wrong is in assuming that the choice can be made by this country's political class as currently consitituted. At every step, it has been undermined by the US (Brexit owed more to American than Russian money).
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Rafael Behr has managed to correctly identify the core problem of Britain post-WW2: the reluctance to choose between European union and riding shotgun for the US
January 7, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Rafael Behr has managed to correctly identify the core problem of Britain post-WW2: the reluctance to choose between European union and riding shotgun for the US
The reality is that since the 1980s the bulk of productivity gains have been captured (in income terms) by capital, rather than labour, and there has been a political consensus that we must not tax wealth more because that is the engine of investment and thus growth.
January 6, 2026 at 10:07 AM
The reality is that since the 1980s the bulk of productivity gains have been captured (in income terms) by capital, rather than labour, and there has been a political consensus that we must not tax wealth more because that is the engine of investment and thus growth.
Productivity gains can offset a greater dependency ratio if we're prepared to accept more modest increases in living standards, but that assumes the gains are captured by labour who will then pay more tax. With labour incomes flat, that's a hard sell.
January 6, 2026 at 10:07 AM
Productivity gains can offset a greater dependency ratio if we're prepared to accept more modest increases in living standards, but that assumes the gains are captured by labour who will then pay more tax. With labour incomes flat, that's a hard sell.
The dependency ratio is only an issue because of tax receipts - i.e. the working population generating enough to fund retirees & other dependents. The underlying problem is not demography but the capital/labour ratio in national income.
January 6, 2026 at 10:07 AM
The dependency ratio is only an issue because of tax receipts - i.e. the working population generating enough to fund retirees & other dependents. The underlying problem is not demography but the capital/labour ratio in national income.
"Maduro was reportedly willing to leave Venezuela as long as he was granted amnesty but that didn’t satisfy Trump and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who determined a course of military action months ago." Forrest Hylton on Venezuela ...
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...
Forrest Hylton | Murder Inc.
US foreign policy in South America used to differ from its approach to Central America and the Caribbean. In the 20th...
www.lrb.co.uk
January 6, 2026 at 9:54 AM
"Maduro was reportedly willing to leave Venezuela as long as he was granted amnesty but that didn’t satisfy Trump and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who determined a course of military action months ago." Forrest Hylton on Venezuela ...
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...
www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/ja...
Btw, have you been hacked on X?
January 5, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Btw, have you been hacked on X?
Sure, but my point was that there is an appetite for this on the right despite the absence of evidence. That's a shift from the traditional demonisation of the 70s.
January 5, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Sure, but my point was that there is an appetite for this on the right despite the absence of evidence. That's a shift from the traditional demonisation of the 70s.
Objectively, yes, this is meaningless, but it does point to a wider cultural trend: the eulogisation of the 1970s as prelapsarian (see also John Harris's latest in the Guardian about this delusion). That used to be something you'd hear on the left, but it increasingly appears on the right now.
January 5, 2026 at 9:52 AM
Objectively, yes, this is meaningless, but it does point to a wider cultural trend: the eulogisation of the 1970s as prelapsarian (see also John Harris's latest in the Guardian about this delusion). That used to be something you'd hear on the left, but it increasingly appears on the right now.
"But resisting the violation of rules and insisting on adherence, even if certainly in vain, is how norms are established and then maintained. Lying low and hoping that this too shall pass is cowardice, denial and historical illiteracy."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Trump’s coup in Venezuela didn’t just break the rules – it showed there aren’t any. We’ll all regret that | Nesrine Malik
It’s not just the triumphalism in the White House. Leaders loth to oppose this gangsterism must think how that looks to Putin, Xi and in the UAE, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik
www.theguardian.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:06 AM
"But resisting the violation of rules and insisting on adherence, even if certainly in vain, is how norms are established and then maintained. Lying low and hoping that this too shall pass is cowardice, denial and historical illiteracy."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
I'm not defending him, just pointing out that he has been consistent. Seriously, fella. Take a break before your head explodes and takes your hat with it.
January 4, 2026 at 5:51 PM
I'm not defending him, just pointing out that he has been consistent. Seriously, fella. Take a break before your head explodes and takes your hat with it.
No. I was pointing out that Esler looks stupid accusing others of bloviating about Latin America this weekend. It's not hard to grasp, but your Corbyn derangement syndrome clearly doesn't help.
January 4, 2026 at 5:48 PM
No. I was pointing out that Esler looks stupid accusing others of bloviating about Latin America this weekend. It's not hard to grasp, but your Corbyn derangement syndrome clearly doesn't help.
I'm not making any such claims. You need to find a better hobby than obsessing about the guy.
January 4, 2026 at 5:42 PM
I'm not making any such claims. You need to find a better hobby than obsessing about the guy.
I'm not here to defend Corbyn (whom you seem obsessed with) or adjudicate between instances of imperialist aggression. My original post was about how the dismissive contempt of Gavin Esler towards anyone giving a shit about imperialism looks stupid this weekend. Chill. Have a beer. Watch the footy.
January 4, 2026 at 5:39 PM
I'm not here to defend Corbyn (whom you seem obsessed with) or adjudicate between instances of imperialist aggression. My original post was about how the dismissive contempt of Gavin Esler towards anyone giving a shit about imperialism looks stupid this weekend. Chill. Have a beer. Watch the footy.
I don't have a "cohort". And it's a bit rich accusing others of having a "narrow focus" when you can only think in such restrictive terms.
January 4, 2026 at 5:07 PM
I don't have a "cohort". And it's a bit rich accusing others of having a "narrow focus" when you can only think in such restrictive terms.