John McTernan
@johnmct.bsky.social
Reposted by John McTernan
Plaid win in Wales, Greens in London, SNP in Scotland - a potential momentum shift post May elections?
Plaid Cymru and the Greens are surging in Wales, according to this latest poll.
Where’s the media narrative around this? Where are the stories saying Farage is failing? When will Labour try to regain ground by appealing to Plaid & Green voters, not just copy Reform?
www.itv.com/news/wales/2...
Where’s the media narrative around this? Where are the stories saying Farage is failing? When will Labour try to regain ground by appealing to Plaid & Green voters, not just copy Reform?
www.itv.com/news/wales/2...
January 13, 2026 at 10:49 PM
Plaid win in Wales, Greens in London, SNP in Scotland - a potential momentum shift post May elections?
Reposted by John McTernan
You travel back in time. You see Shakespeare’s plays staged for the first time, as he intended. What choice would you be most aggrieved to learn was actually his intention? For me, it would be if Lear killed the Fool.
January 13, 2026 at 10:43 PM
You travel back in time. You see Shakespeare’s plays staged for the first time, as he intended. What choice would you be most aggrieved to learn was actually his intention? For me, it would be if Lear killed the Fool.
Reposted by John McTernan
Labour revives Northern Powerhouse Rail project with pledge of £45bn funds
Labour revives Northern Powerhouse Rail project with pledge of £45bn funds
Plan will start with TransPennine upgrade with new line connecting Liverpool and Manchester in second phase
Long-awaited plans for better railways across the north of England have been given government backing with an undertaking to “reverse years of chronic underinvestment” by spending up to £45bn building Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Just over £1bn has been allocated to work up a detailed three-stage plan to connect cities from Liverpool to Newcastle, which could fulfil most of the demands of northern leaders, in a series of long-term projects. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
January 13, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Labour revives Northern Powerhouse Rail project with pledge of £45bn funds
Reposted by John McTernan
Wellcome Trust builds cash pile as it warns on record high equity markets ft.trib.al/Jtjs6ej
Wellcome Trust builds cash pile as it warns on record high equity markets
One of the world’s wealthiest charitable foundations notes ‘exceptional levels’ of market concentration in tech stocks
ft.trib.al
January 13, 2026 at 7:07 AM
Wellcome Trust builds cash pile as it warns on record high equity markets ft.trib.al/Jtjs6ej
Reposted by John McTernan
In the new @LRB, I wrote about Xi Jinping and his father. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom Stevenson · Climbing the Ziggurat: Xi Jinping’s Inheritance
China, which in the post-Cold War period was viewed as either lunch for American capital or an irredeemable dungeon, has...
www.lrb.co.uk
January 12, 2026 at 5:36 PM
In the new @LRB, I wrote about Xi Jinping and his father. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by John McTernan
We think (in work w/@martamiori.bsky.social) viability is the name of the game! How voters make sense of which party in their bloc can defeat a party in the other.
The big question: how voters make sense of this in our electoral system, whether there is a return to the major parties because of it.
The big question: how voters make sense of this in our electoral system, whether there is a return to the major parties because of it.
And surely helps Reform demonstrate 'viability', which as Jane sets out in this great piece is so important to them now:
January 12, 2026 at 2:39 PM
We think (in work w/@martamiori.bsky.social) viability is the name of the game! How voters make sense of which party in their bloc can defeat a party in the other.
The big question: how voters make sense of this in our electoral system, whether there is a return to the major parties because of it.
The big question: how voters make sense of this in our electoral system, whether there is a return to the major parties because of it.
Reposted by John McTernan
Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorses blocking Fed nominees over the Jerome Powell investigation:
"[I]t's clear the administration's investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion."
"My colleague, Senator Tillis, is right in blocking any Federal Reserve nominees until this is resolved."
"[I]t's clear the administration's investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion."
"My colleague, Senator Tillis, is right in blocking any Federal Reserve nominees until this is resolved."
January 12, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorses blocking Fed nominees over the Jerome Powell investigation:
"[I]t's clear the administration's investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion."
"My colleague, Senator Tillis, is right in blocking any Federal Reserve nominees until this is resolved."
"[I]t's clear the administration's investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion."
"My colleague, Senator Tillis, is right in blocking any Federal Reserve nominees until this is resolved."
Reposted by John McTernan
Let’s not recycle this Total Rubbish.
The prosecution can withdraw its opposition to bail & the court cannot refuse bail on its own. And who controls Crown Prosecutors? There is no flight risk, no prospect of further actions by tagged defendants. This is gratuitous state terrorising of protestors.
The prosecution can withdraw its opposition to bail & the court cannot refuse bail on its own. And who controls Crown Prosecutors? There is no flight risk, no prospect of further actions by tagged defendants. This is gratuitous state terrorising of protestors.
January 11, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Let’s not recycle this Total Rubbish.
The prosecution can withdraw its opposition to bail & the court cannot refuse bail on its own. And who controls Crown Prosecutors? There is no flight risk, no prospect of further actions by tagged defendants. This is gratuitous state terrorising of protestors.
The prosecution can withdraw its opposition to bail & the court cannot refuse bail on its own. And who controls Crown Prosecutors? There is no flight risk, no prospect of further actions by tagged defendants. This is gratuitous state terrorising of protestors.
Reposted by John McTernan
“Zahawi's defection strengthens the argument that Reform is increasingly functioning as a refuge for Conservative flotsam and jetsam.”
www.politics.co.uk/news-feature...
www.politics.co.uk/news-feature...
Nadhim Zahawi and the pitfalls in Farage’s defection strategy - Politics.co.uk
The first reaction to Nadhim Zahawi’s defection to Reform UK revolves around the political baggage he brings with him. The former chancellor’s political career was inextricably intertwined with the Co...
www.politics.co.uk
January 12, 2026 at 5:44 PM
“Zahawi's defection strengthens the argument that Reform is increasingly functioning as a refuge for Conservative flotsam and jetsam.”
www.politics.co.uk/news-feature...
www.politics.co.uk/news-feature...
Reposted by John McTernan
"Nadhim Zahawi, a few years ago you tweeted: 'I'm not British born Mr Nigel Farage, I'm as British you are. Your comments are offensive and racist. I would be frightened to live in a country run by you'"
Nadhim Zahawi has just joined Reform.
Nadhim Zahawi has just joined Reform.
January 12, 2026 at 11:41 AM
"Nadhim Zahawi, a few years ago you tweeted: 'I'm not British born Mr Nigel Farage, I'm as British you are. Your comments are offensive and racist. I would be frightened to live in a country run by you'"
Nadhim Zahawi has just joined Reform.
Nadhim Zahawi has just joined Reform.
Reposted by John McTernan
A network of social media accounts posing as Scottish independence supporters has fallen silent once again, closely mirroring a fresh shutdown of internet access inside Iran.
Iranian-linked Scottish accounts fall silent again
A network of social media accounts posing as Scottish independence supporters has fallen silent once again, closely mirroring a fresh shutdown of internet access inside Iran.
ukdefencejournal.org.uk
January 12, 2026 at 10:12 AM
A network of social media accounts posing as Scottish independence supporters has fallen silent once again, closely mirroring a fresh shutdown of internet access inside Iran.
Reposted by John McTernan
Little noticed point - but an important one. 👏 @morganj0nes.bsky.social
I've spent quite a long time looking into the current system by which the Labour Party grants votes to affiliates in its internal elections. It's more interesting than it sounds, and may be very consequential re, who will be the next Prime Minister.
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Union members could decide who the next Labour leader is
With membership figures plummeting, affiliates take on a new importance
www.newstatesman.com
January 12, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Little noticed point - but an important one. 👏 @morganj0nes.bsky.social
Reposted by John McTernan
This by @martinsandbu.ft.com nails it: Europe doesn't just have ample cause to become geopolitically independent - it has the necessary tools, too. What it lacks is self-belief.
www.ft.com/content/1da0...
www.ft.com/content/1da0...
Europe should embrace the idea of going it alone
The more the EU has to pay for ingratiation with Trump, the less convincing its strategic rationale for doing so
www.ft.com
January 11, 2026 at 7:24 PM
This by @martinsandbu.ft.com nails it: Europe doesn't just have ample cause to become geopolitically independent - it has the necessary tools, too. What it lacks is self-belief.
www.ft.com/content/1da0...
www.ft.com/content/1da0...
Reposted by John McTernan
We rightly were disgusted by the grooming gangs scandal - would we platform the mate of an Asian Grooming Gang Leader? Of course not. It’s almost like the victims of child sex abuse (often female) are cynically used until the story moves on. And somehow powerful men are always to be excused…
January 11, 2026 at 10:46 AM
We rightly were disgusted by the grooming gangs scandal - would we platform the mate of an Asian Grooming Gang Leader? Of course not. It’s almost like the victims of child sex abuse (often female) are cynically used until the story moves on. And somehow powerful men are always to be excused…
Reposted by John McTernan
Kemi Badenoch calling Greenland a "second order issue" while Labour leaders hide from it is another datapoint for how UK political elites are intellectually and psychologically able to cope with an imploding global order that no longer matches the world they grew up in during the 90s and 00s
January 11, 2026 at 11:45 AM
Kemi Badenoch calling Greenland a "second order issue" while Labour leaders hide from it is another datapoint for how UK political elites are intellectually and psychologically able to cope with an imploding global order that no longer matches the world they grew up in during the 90s and 00s
Reposted by John McTernan
IFG and @ukandeu.bsky.social joint event klaxon!
Trump, UK, Europe and… the state of 2026 already
20 Jan:
Former presidential adviser Fiona Hill
Former FCDO top official Sir Simon Fraser
@anandmenon.bsky.social
@alexgathomas.bsky.social
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/trump-...
Trump, UK, Europe and… the state of 2026 already
20 Jan:
Former presidential adviser Fiona Hill
Former FCDO top official Sir Simon Fraser
@anandmenon.bsky.social
@alexgathomas.bsky.social
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/trump-...
What does Trump mean for relations between the UK and Europe, and the rest of the world? | Institute for Government
Sir Simon Fraser, Fiona Hill and Anand Menon join us to discuss the impact of Trump's presidency on the UK and Europe
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
January 11, 2026 at 9:01 AM
IFG and @ukandeu.bsky.social joint event klaxon!
Trump, UK, Europe and… the state of 2026 already
20 Jan:
Former presidential adviser Fiona Hill
Former FCDO top official Sir Simon Fraser
@anandmenon.bsky.social
@alexgathomas.bsky.social
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/trump-...
Trump, UK, Europe and… the state of 2026 already
20 Jan:
Former presidential adviser Fiona Hill
Former FCDO top official Sir Simon Fraser
@anandmenon.bsky.social
@alexgathomas.bsky.social
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/trump-...
Reposted by John McTernan
Bsky probably isn't London-dense enough for this crowd-source, but does anyone remember the name of a tiny pub in Wandsworth in the late 80s, round the corner from the Alma on Alma Road, that was so old school it didn't have a Ladies Toilet? (no, I don't know why I capped that either)
January 10, 2026 at 11:54 AM
Bsky probably isn't London-dense enough for this crowd-source, but does anyone remember the name of a tiny pub in Wandsworth in the late 80s, round the corner from the Alma on Alma Road, that was so old school it didn't have a Ladies Toilet? (no, I don't know why I capped that either)
Reposted by John McTernan
As Alex Harrowell says, the saving grace of the Office for Budget Responsibility is that they are the only people prepared to tell the British public the truth about immigration.
The immigration doom loop in full swing.
Chasing the xenophobes is a doomed strategy both economically *and* politically.
(1/3)
archive.ph/pyVLg
Chasing the xenophobes is a doomed strategy both economically *and* politically.
(1/3)
archive.ph/pyVLg
January 10, 2026 at 12:07 PM
As Alex Harrowell says, the saving grace of the Office for Budget Responsibility is that they are the only people prepared to tell the British public the truth about immigration.
Reposted by John McTernan
Rather late to this very good piece on the HS2 debacle. Three things stood out for me 1) the lack of political oversight (stop complaining that “levers” don’t work if you don’t even try and pull them 😡) open.substack.com/pub/transpor...
HS2 and the bat tunnel: time for a Spanish inquisition?
It is good to get an outsider’s perspective in our often inward looking industry
open.substack.com
January 10, 2026 at 1:49 PM
Rather late to this very good piece on the HS2 debacle. Three things stood out for me 1) the lack of political oversight (stop complaining that “levers” don’t work if you don’t even try and pull them 😡) open.substack.com/pub/transpor...
Reposted by John McTernan
This is correct and it’s part of the era we’re in of cutprice luxury snf exorbitant necessity:
January 10, 2026 at 10:00 PM
This is correct and it’s part of the era we’re in of cutprice luxury snf exorbitant necessity:
Reposted by John McTernan
#Stein26 #GertrudeStein #TheMakingOfAmericans #readinganactofsharedsolitude #paperpills www.instagram.com/reel/DTWROPa...
January 10, 2026 at 11:07 PM
Reposted by John McTernan
i'm not saying this as anyone who knows anything about health; i'm saying it as someone who is an alleged expert in interest group politics: the American beef industry is all over MAHA, wellness, and podcast spaces.
remember "bacon mania?" totally a marketing strategy by the pork industry.
remember "bacon mania?" totally a marketing strategy by the pork industry.
New federal dietary guidelines give federal approval to beef tallow, a fat that both cardiologists and the U.S. government told Americans to avoid for nearly half a century.
Beef Tallow Rises to the Top of the U.S. Food Pyramid
The new dietary guidelines give federal approval to a fat that has slowly caught on with consumers, even as doctors have warned against it.
nyti.ms
January 10, 2026 at 4:04 PM
i'm not saying this as anyone who knows anything about health; i'm saying it as someone who is an alleged expert in interest group politics: the American beef industry is all over MAHA, wellness, and podcast spaces.
remember "bacon mania?" totally a marketing strategy by the pork industry.
remember "bacon mania?" totally a marketing strategy by the pork industry.
Reposted by John McTernan
January 10, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Reposted by John McTernan
We evacuated our kids out of Minneapolis this weekend and my spouse reports that as she drove them out of town she saw "multiple freeway exits where people are being pulled over." It feels like the Twin Cities is being subjugated by a hostile occupying force.
January 10, 2026 at 1:47 AM
We evacuated our kids out of Minneapolis this weekend and my spouse reports that as she drove them out of town she saw "multiple freeway exits where people are being pulled over." It feels like the Twin Cities is being subjugated by a hostile occupying force.
Reposted by John McTernan
"When I was a very small child, I had a sense, whereof I know not, that William the Conqueror was the first king of England and that history began in 1066. When I was a slightly less small child, I was delighted to learn that this wasn’t so..."
Regarding a surprisingly complicated question
Regarding a surprisingly complicated question
Who was the first king of England?
A surprisingly complicated question.
jonn.substack.com
January 10, 2026 at 12:48 PM
"When I was a very small child, I had a sense, whereof I know not, that William the Conqueror was the first king of England and that history began in 1066. When I was a slightly less small child, I was delighted to learn that this wasn’t so..."
Regarding a surprisingly complicated question
Regarding a surprisingly complicated question