Michael Bell
@mbellcoop.bsky.social
Used to be a bigwig in the Co-op Party
UK politics, NUFC & non-league football, playlists, chess, Eurovision, conlangs, cribbage
Chess Dot Com username: Heaton Bellington
FPL team: Bellwich Albion
(he/him)
UK politics, NUFC & non-league football, playlists, chess, Eurovision, conlangs, cribbage
Chess Dot Com username: Heaton Bellington
FPL team: Bellwich Albion
(he/him)
Imagine having to walk past people in a city
Please be careful in London. I have spent 25 years there, but I have never heard a story as frightening as this one from today in which nothing at all happened.
February 15, 2026 at 10:16 PM
Imagine having to walk past people in a city
This is why I've never watched When The Wind Blows
February 15, 2026 at 10:13 PM
This is why I've never watched When The Wind Blows
Decided my next tattoo will be the Esperanto flag. It's unapologetically nerdy, it's utopian, it's a symbol of bringing people together, creating a shared space for people who are different.
February 15, 2026 at 9:37 PM
Decided my next tattoo will be the Esperanto flag. It's unapologetically nerdy, it's utopian, it's a symbol of bringing people together, creating a shared space for people who are different.
Talking to a friend recently who's still in Labour about the govt's messaging, and he said "I just wish people would see this is the most leftwing govt in decades!" and I said "most *economically* leftwing", and you could see the point he remembered my partner is trans, and see him hit a wall
February 15, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Talking to a friend recently who's still in Labour about the govt's messaging, and he said "I just wish people would see this is the most leftwing govt in decades!" and I said "most *economically* leftwing", and you could see the point he remembered my partner is trans, and see him hit a wall
I think even that is too generous. The appeal of this global reactionary movement we've dealt with for so long as that it allows people to shrug off literally any other consideration or policy area as trivial for the reward of being allowed to be racist
The basic appeal of Reform is as a "maybe smashing everything will work" party.
But it just seems like insane nihilism to do that when even you think it will turn out terribly.
But it just seems like insane nihilism to do that when even you think it will turn out terribly.
Like, I'm sure you have your struggles, but your life as an NHS manager is nowhere near bad enough that you simply have to consider the fascist party. If you wish to vote against the government there are plenty of non-fascist options available.
February 15, 2026 at 7:50 PM
I think even that is too generous. The appeal of this global reactionary movement we've dealt with for so long as that it allows people to shrug off literally any other consideration or policy area as trivial for the reward of being allowed to be racist
During the referendum campaign I spoke to many people (of a certain age) who genuinely thought that Brexit would mean we went back to pounds, shillings, and pence (and that that was a reason they were voting).
Fair play, Daniel Hannan's commitment to his comedy bit is unwavering.
February 15, 2026 at 7:45 PM
During the referendum campaign I spoke to many people (of a certain age) who genuinely thought that Brexit would mean we went back to pounds, shillings, and pence (and that that was a reason they were voting).
The most genuine north/south divide thing in Britain is hating the French. First few times I met southerners doing it I was surprised and they were like "everyone hates the french though" and like tbh up north we don't really think about them. We just hate the next town over
February 15, 2026 at 7:29 PM
The most genuine north/south divide thing in Britain is hating the French. First few times I met southerners doing it I was surprised and they were like "everyone hates the french though" and like tbh up north we don't really think about them. We just hate the next town over
Now that my council ward is a proper marginal for the first time in history, I dunno whether I'm looking forward more to telling Reform or Labour canvassers to fuck off. With the Labour ones it'll be a longer conversation for sure
February 15, 2026 at 6:45 PM
Now that my council ward is a proper marginal for the first time in history, I dunno whether I'm looking forward more to telling Reform or Labour canvassers to fuck off. With the Labour ones it'll be a longer conversation for sure
Reposted by Michael Bell
Exclusive: Labour politicians raised concerns about Keir Starmer’s plans to give Matthew Doyle a peerage in the weeks before it was confirmed, citing intimidating behaviour, particularly towards women.
observer.co.uk/news/politic...
observer.co.uk/news/politic...
MPs and peers complained to whips over Starmer plans to m...
The veteran Labour strategist has been accused by several former staffers of abusive behaviour
observer.co.uk
February 14, 2026 at 9:15 PM
Exclusive: Labour politicians raised concerns about Keir Starmer’s plans to give Matthew Doyle a peerage in the weeks before it was confirmed, citing intimidating behaviour, particularly towards women.
observer.co.uk/news/politic...
observer.co.uk/news/politic...
Also included in that list, The United States of America
some past “multicultural economic zones” you may recall include the Roman Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the British Empire.
while all of these had significant problems “no one will die to defend them” was memorably not among them
while all of these had significant problems “no one will die to defend them” was memorably not among them
1/3 What Musk is really referring to here is, of course “race” - that construct that served to define the hierarchies of wealth & power structured by modern colonialism. Like other far right racists though, he uses the word “culture” as a seemingly less pernicious synonym.
February 15, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Also included in that list, The United States of America
This is something I think about a lot, like the way they often define "western civilization" as some vague nod to the marriage of Abrahamic religion and Greek philosophy, I just don't see how you can define it in that way without including Islam *within* the definition
(worth saying here that this formulation of “western civilization” curiously isolates Europe from the Middle East and Africa, as if you can understand European “civilization” outside the context of its interactions with and integration into those worlds)
February 15, 2026 at 4:48 PM
This is something I think about a lot, like the way they often define "western civilization" as some vague nod to the marriage of Abrahamic religion and Greek philosophy, I just don't see how you can define it in that way without including Islam *within* the definition
Reposted by Michael Bell
Something extremely funny could happen tomorrow
🚨 PICTURED: Liz Truss meets with Donald Trump at his golf course in Palm Beach
February 15, 2026 at 4:22 PM
Something extremely funny could happen tomorrow
Reposted by Michael Bell
I don't know why I did this.
February 15, 2026 at 11:08 AM
I don't know why I did this.
That game makes me wonder if refs rely so much on VAR now that when it's not there for a game they simply aren't able to do their job. Still, the professional repercussions for disastrous refereeing are basically non existent so 🤷
February 14, 2026 at 8:17 PM
That game makes me wonder if refs rely so much on VAR now that when it's not there for a game they simply aren't able to do their job. Still, the professional repercussions for disastrous refereeing are basically non existent so 🤷
Reposted by Michael Bell
The issue is that since 2016 we have accepted that you're only allowed to do this to voters who are more liberal than you.
Like one of the advantages of FPTP is that you can still win by telling 15%, even 25% of the population "Fuck off, we don't care what you think".
February 14, 2026 at 3:12 PM
The issue is that since 2016 we have accepted that you're only allowed to do this to voters who are more liberal than you.
Reposted by Michael Bell
I like this, it sounds like they rode home on a couple of ducks.
Home to dinner, my wife and I upon a couple of ducks.
February 14, 2026 at 2:06 PM
I like this, it sounds like they rode home on a couple of ducks.
Reposted by Michael Bell
It’s my traniversary today, so I’m looking at photos I took on the day I started to come out. They’re mostly of my Commodore 64.
February 14, 2026 at 9:35 AM
It’s my traniversary today, so I’m looking at photos I took on the day I started to come out. They’re mostly of my Commodore 64.
Reposted by Michael Bell
So the court rules on trans rights, and the Labour government claims they are powerless, but the court rules on Palestine Action, and the government wants to fight it?
February 13, 2026 at 10:58 AM
So the court rules on trans rights, and the Labour government claims they are powerless, but the court rules on Palestine Action, and the government wants to fight it?
Wes Streeting less popular leadership choice among party members than Nick Thomas-Symonds and Johnny Reynolds
Cabinet league table – favourability (not preferred leader) among Labour members: Survation for LabourList labourlist.org/2026/02/cabi...
February 12, 2026 at 11:46 PM
Wes Streeting less popular leadership choice among party members than Nick Thomas-Symonds and Johnny Reynolds
Reposted by Michael Bell
Reposted by Michael Bell
We’re far from where we want to be but we can still scrap.
February 10, 2026 at 9:54 PM
We’re far from where we want to be but we can still scrap.
Can't help but notice the News Agents going hard on "Well nobody said anything about Mandelson at the time so they're all hypocrites!" Knowing that Jon Sopel praised the appointment at the time (he's not on the show today)
February 9, 2026 at 10:03 PM
Can't help but notice the News Agents going hard on "Well nobody said anything about Mandelson at the time so they're all hypocrites!" Knowing that Jon Sopel praised the appointment at the time (he's not on the show today)
Sarwar being like "I was actually shouting 'Boo-urns'"
February 9, 2026 at 9:56 PM
Sarwar being like "I was actually shouting 'Boo-urns'"
Reposted by Michael Bell
Is there some sort of award for perfectly missing the point?
February 9, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Is there some sort of award for perfectly missing the point?
Reposted by Michael Bell
Not a Prime Minister, but in the dying days of the 2010-2015 Parliament I was asked to take a bottle of whisky to Nick Clegg’s office to be signed for charity - a colleague who caught me on the way asked if someone else was taking the revolver…
Ok, with all the gloom it sounds like the perfect time to provide your extremely dull anecdotes about meeting Prime Ministers.
I once gave Keir Starmer a compede.
I once gave Keir Starmer a compede.
if Ed Miliband gets this he'll be the first British Prime Minister to have tried to listen to me drunkenly tell an anecdote and got so bored by it that he walked out of the conversation halfway through a sentence
February 9, 2026 at 5:29 PM
Not a Prime Minister, but in the dying days of the 2010-2015 Parliament I was asked to take a bottle of whisky to Nick Clegg’s office to be signed for charity - a colleague who caught me on the way asked if someone else was taking the revolver…