Ian Fraser
@ianfraser.bsky.social
Author and journalist. Latest edition of my book ‘Shredded: Inside RBS The Bank That Broke Britain’, about the pivotal role of what's now called NatWest in the global banking crash, was reissued in 2024. Recovering financial editor.
Pinned
Ian Fraser
@ianfraser.bsky.social
· Nov 8
Updated edition of my book ‘Shredded: Inside RBS The Bank That Broke Britain’—about why the world’s largest bank by assets collapsed in 2008 and took more than a decade to recover—available here:
www.amazon.co.uk/Shredded-Ins...
uk.bookshop.org/p/books/shre...
www.hive.co.uk/Product/Ian-...
www.amazon.co.uk/Shredded-Ins...
uk.bookshop.org/p/books/shre...
www.hive.co.uk/Product/Ian-...
“Naked imperialism”: how Donald Trump’s assault on Venezuela is a return to form for the United States.
@tiagorogero.com @theguardian.com
@tiagorogero.com @theguardian.com
‘Naked imperialism’: how Trump intervention in Venezuela is a return to form for the US
Most of the Americas have suffered from interference from their powerful northern neighbour – and are usually the worse off for it
www.theguardian.com
January 4, 2026 at 9:43 AM
“Naked imperialism”: how Donald Trump’s assault on Venezuela is a return to form for the United States.
@tiagorogero.com @theguardian.com
@tiagorogero.com @theguardian.com
Reposted by Ian Fraser
Keir Starmer explicitly backs Trump's attack on Venezuela.
Says he has "long supported" getting rid of Maduro, who is an "illegitimate President" and "we shed no tears about the end of his regime".
Says he has "long supported" getting rid of Maduro, who is an "illegitimate President" and "we shed no tears about the end of his regime".
January 3, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Keir Starmer explicitly backs Trump's attack on Venezuela.
Says he has "long supported" getting rid of Maduro, who is an "illegitimate President" and "we shed no tears about the end of his regime".
Says he has "long supported" getting rid of Maduro, who is an "illegitimate President" and "we shed no tears about the end of his regime".
Trump has ”gone full Caracas”.
Rory Bremner mocks President Trump's attack, "I don't believe
in regime change except in Venezuela.. Iran.. Greenland"
in regime change except in Venezuela.. Iran.. Greenland"
January 3, 2026 at 11:38 AM
Trump has ”gone full Caracas”.
When a news organisation announces it will no longer prioritise people who study, analyse, or verify reality, it’s no longer a news organisation. It’s a vibes factory, a Fox-style feedback loop in which feelings outrank facts — @deanblundell.bsky.social on the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
CBS News Is Dead — And They Announced the Time of Death on Air
How America’s most trusted newsroom completed its MAGA transformation and chose grievance over journalism
open.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 11:26 AM
When a news organisation announces it will no longer prioritise people who study, analyse, or verify reality, it’s no longer a news organisation. It’s a vibes factory, a Fox-style feedback loop in which feelings outrank facts — @deanblundell.bsky.social on the BBC’s US partner CBS News.
Reposted by Ian Fraser
Whatever you might think of Maduro, the seizure and kidnapping of a head of state takes us to a very dark place. Vast, arbitrary, extra-legal power, which could be exercised almost anywhere, regardless of the character of the target government.
January 3, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Whatever you might think of Maduro, the seizure and kidnapping of a head of state takes us to a very dark place. Vast, arbitrary, extra-legal power, which could be exercised almost anywhere, regardless of the character of the target government.
Swiss ski resort bar fire which killed 40 people and injured 115 was caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles held aloft in celebration. #LeConstellation #CransMontana
January 2, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Swiss ski resort bar fire which killed 40 people and injured 115 was caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles held aloft in celebration. #LeConstellation #CransMontana
U.S. president who promised to end foreign wars has bombed seven countries (Venezuela, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Yemen and Somalia) since taking office last year, and authorised strikes on 30 small boats in the Caribbean.
Sleepless Trump, 79, Threatens New War in 3AM Rage Post
The president, who has been lobbying for a Nobel Peace Prize, warned a foreign adversary that the U.S. is “locked and loaded and ready to go.”
www.thedailybeast.com
January 2, 2026 at 12:34 PM
U.S. president who promised to end foreign wars has bombed seven countries (Venezuela, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Yemen and Somalia) since taking office last year, and authorised strikes on 30 small boats in the Caribbean.
Reposted by Ian Fraser
Last set of highlights for 2025 - December. I could probably pick some of the photos I took today - it was soooo nice! - but will stick with #Scotland.
December 31, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Last set of highlights for 2025 - December. I could probably pick some of the photos I took today - it was soooo nice! - but will stick with #Scotland.
Glasgow Disability Alliance CEO Tressa Burke turned down an MBE in the New Year honours because Keir Starmer’s government is “scapegoating” people with disabilities.
@libbybrooks.bsky.social
@libbybrooks.bsky.social
Campaigner turned down MBE over ‘scapegoating’ of people with disabilities
Exclusive: In letter declining proposed award, Tressa Burke, CEO of Glasgow Disability Alliance, accused government of ‘fuelling hatred’
www.theguardian.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Glasgow Disability Alliance CEO Tressa Burke turned down an MBE in the New Year honours because Keir Starmer’s government is “scapegoating” people with disabilities.
@libbybrooks.bsky.social
@libbybrooks.bsky.social
At its core ‘Money For Nothing’ (1985) was an old-school boogie.
But a dash of studio polish, Sting’s mannered backing vocals and a computer-animated music video were enough to turn it, and briefly Dire Straits themselves, into the embodiment of 1980s naff.
But a dash of studio polish, Sting’s mannered backing vocals and a computer-animated music video were enough to turn it, and briefly Dire Straits themselves, into the embodiment of 1980s naff.
“He thought that the band should be a democracy, and it was more like a brutal dictatorship”: The tangled story of Dire Straits, the million-selling band who quit at the height of their fame
How Dire Straits went from the pubs of London to become one of the biggest bands of the 1980s
www.loudersound.com
December 31, 2025 at 4:08 PM
At its core ‘Money For Nothing’ (1985) was an old-school boogie.
But a dash of studio polish, Sting’s mannered backing vocals and a computer-animated music video were enough to turn it, and briefly Dire Straits themselves, into the embodiment of 1980s naff.
But a dash of studio polish, Sting’s mannered backing vocals and a computer-animated music video were enough to turn it, and briefly Dire Straits themselves, into the embodiment of 1980s naff.
”Of course he abused pupils.”
Former Dulwich College school teacher speaks out about Nigel Farage’s racism.
Former Dulwich College school teacher speaks out about Nigel Farage’s racism.
‘Of course he abused pupils’: ex-Dulwich teacher speaks out about Farage racism claims
Exclusive: Chloë Deakin tells how she wrote to Dulwich college master to argue against Farage’s nomination as prefect
www.theguardian.com
December 29, 2025 at 4:27 PM
”Of course he abused pupils.”
Former Dulwich College school teacher speaks out about Nigel Farage’s racism.
Former Dulwich College school teacher speaks out about Nigel Farage’s racism.
Reposted by Ian Fraser
Israeli attacks on journalists’ families "have become a repeated & organized pattern." With 706 journalist relatives killed in Gaza since 7 Oct 2023, "the scale and consistency of the attacks indicate they are not the result of random wartime conditions." www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/li...
Israel systematically targets families of Palestinian journalists: Report
www.middleeasteye.net
December 27, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Israeli attacks on journalists’ families "have become a repeated & organized pattern." With 706 journalist relatives killed in Gaza since 7 Oct 2023, "the scale and consistency of the attacks indicate they are not the result of random wartime conditions." www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/li...
11 Scottish Fire and Rescue Service appliances are fighting a major blaze in Glasgow's Merchant City. Videos show the fire raging lose to House of Gods Hotel with Polo Lounge also affected.
Massive fire rips through building in busy UK city centre
A massive fire has erupted in Glasgow city centre, with videos shared on social media showing bright orange flames and smoke billowing into the sky
www.mirror.co.uk
December 27, 2025 at 7:51 PM
11 Scottish Fire and Rescue Service appliances are fighting a major blaze in Glasgow's Merchant City. Videos show the fire raging lose to House of Gods Hotel with Polo Lounge also affected.
Reposted by Ian Fraser
Context you rarely hear: global stocks are up about 30% over the past year. U.S. stocks? Around 18%. That means American investors underperformed the world by about 12 percentage points, even while headlines called it a “fantastic year.”
December 27, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Context you rarely hear: global stocks are up about 30% over the past year. U.S. stocks? Around 18%. That means American investors underperformed the world by about 12 percentage points, even while headlines called it a “fantastic year.”
Reposted by Ian Fraser
Juan Correa de Vivar, The Nativity (Toledo 1550)
This panel is part of the altarpiece or altar de estación (a box-like altarpiece embedded into a cloister wall) from the Hieronymite monastery in Guisando (Ávila), a common structure in numerous Spanish monastic cloisters.
This panel is part of the altarpiece or altar de estación (a box-like altarpiece embedded into a cloister wall) from the Hieronymite monastery in Guisando (Ávila), a common structure in numerous Spanish monastic cloisters.
December 25, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Juan Correa de Vivar, The Nativity (Toledo 1550)
This panel is part of the altarpiece or altar de estación (a box-like altarpiece embedded into a cloister wall) from the Hieronymite monastery in Guisando (Ávila), a common structure in numerous Spanish monastic cloisters.
This panel is part of the altarpiece or altar de estación (a box-like altarpiece embedded into a cloister wall) from the Hieronymite monastery in Guisando (Ávila), a common structure in numerous Spanish monastic cloisters.
Trump has displayed erratic and confused behavior—sleeping through meetings, making stuff up, getting confused about geography, blaming Rob Reiner for his own death, ranting about windmills, going bizarrely off topic, etc —throughout 2025, prompting questions about his mental and physical acuity
Is Trump mentally OK? A look back at the president’s unusual behavior in 2025
Trump has shown erratic and bizarre behavior throughout the year, leading to questions about his mental acuity
www.theguardian.com
December 24, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Trump has displayed erratic and confused behavior—sleeping through meetings, making stuff up, getting confused about geography, blaming Rob Reiner for his own death, ranting about windmills, going bizarrely off topic, etc —throughout 2025, prompting questions about his mental and physical acuity
Child rapist Jeffrey Epstein appointed former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley and former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers as executors of his will
Jeffrey Epstein appointed Jes Staley and Lawrence Summers as executors of his will
Newly released DoJ documents point to deep ties between influential men and late sex offender
share.google
December 23, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Child rapist Jeffrey Epstein appointed former Barclays chief executive Jes Staley and former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers as executors of his will
This is mad.
All her placard said was “I support Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.”
All her placard said was “I support Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.”
Greta Thunberg arrested in London over ‘Palestine Action prisoners’ placard
Two other people held on suspicion of criminal damage after protest at insurance company’s offices
www.theguardian.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:28 PM
This is mad.
All her placard said was “I support Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.”
All her placard said was “I support Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide.”
Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted child sex trafficker who's serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role as accomplice to Jeffrey Epstein, sought “fun” girls for Andrew, according to newly released emails.
Ghislaine Maxwell sought ‘fun girls’ for ‘Andrew’ in Peru
Epstein files reveal email exchanges with ‘the Invisible Man’ before trip to South America for Queen Elizabeth’s jubilee
www.thetimes.com
December 23, 2025 at 4:23 PM
Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted child sex trafficker who's serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role as accomplice to Jeffrey Epstein, sought “fun” girls for Andrew, according to newly released emails.
When 1989’s Road to Hell did well, his US record label thought he could be a huge star in America if he put the hours touring or appeared on MTV Unplugged; Chris Rea declined both. He didn't have much time for other rock stars, claiming the only one who didn’t disappoint him was David Gilmour.
Despite his knack for slick pop, the principled and passionate Chris Rea never took the easy road
The late musician bristled against his record companies, his producers and fame itself – but that friction ignited both his AOR hits and his raw, spirited take on the blues
www.theguardian.com
December 22, 2025 at 11:53 PM
When 1989’s Road to Hell did well, his US record label thought he could be a huge star in America if he put the hours touring or appeared on MTV Unplugged; Chris Rea declined both. He didn't have much time for other rock stars, claiming the only one who didn’t disappoint him was David Gilmour.
When Prince Andrew invited Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to Sandringham for a supposed “shooting weekend” in December 2000, guests were handed gift baskets containing sex drugs (including poppers), sex toys, lubricant and exotic condoms. 🥴
Sex toys and shotguns: What happened when Andrew invited Epstein shooting at Sandringham
How one of the Royal’s family’s most treasured homes was brought into disrepute when the prince brought the paedophile to stay
www.telegraph.co.uk
December 21, 2025 at 11:08 PM
When Prince Andrew invited Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to Sandringham for a supposed “shooting weekend” in December 2000, guests were handed gift baskets containing sex drugs (including poppers), sex toys, lubricant and exotic condoms. 🥴
Andrew Tate battered and comprehensively beaten by novice boxer Chase DeMoor.
Andrew Tate and Jake Paul losing the same weekend. Sad.
December 21, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Andrew Tate battered and comprehensively beaten by novice boxer Chase DeMoor.
Satellite images reveal massive shift in the path of the River Spey, that has been blamed for the Garmouth viaduct collapse.
Aberdeen P&J spoke to consultant geomorphologist Hamish Moir about the risks and impact of the shifting river.
Aberdeen P&J spoke to consultant geomorphologist Hamish Moir about the risks and impact of the shifting river.
Satellite images reveal MASSIVE shift in path of River Spey that has been blamed for viaduct's collapse
The Press and Journal has spoken to expert consultant geomorphologist Hamish Moir about the risks and impact of the shifting river.
www.pressandjournal.co.uk
December 21, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Satellite images reveal massive shift in the path of the River Spey, that has been blamed for the Garmouth viaduct collapse.
Aberdeen P&J spoke to consultant geomorphologist Hamish Moir about the risks and impact of the shifting river.
Aberdeen P&J spoke to consultant geomorphologist Hamish Moir about the risks and impact of the shifting river.
Talk about having a slavish devotion to your creator.
According to Grok, Musk’s brain is worth more 16m Jews or indeed 4.13bn people. 😳
@privateeyenews.bsky.social
According to Grok, Musk’s brain is worth more 16m Jews or indeed 4.13bn people. 😳
@privateeyenews.bsky.social
December 18, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Talk about having a slavish devotion to your creator.
According to Grok, Musk’s brain is worth more 16m Jews or indeed 4.13bn people. 😳
@privateeyenews.bsky.social
According to Grok, Musk’s brain is worth more 16m Jews or indeed 4.13bn people. 😳
@privateeyenews.bsky.social
Reposted by Ian Fraser
If ChatGPT is so brilliant at everything, how come OpenAI used Grok as a headhunter?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Former chancellor George Osborne joins OpenAI
Osborne said it was a privilege to become managing director of OpenAI for Countries based in London.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 17, 2025 at 9:23 AM
If ChatGPT is so brilliant at everything, how come OpenAI used Grok as a headhunter?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...