Stephen Ball
@sdball16.bsky.social
Emeritus Prof, Quondom Prof, Hospitality Management Academic Author and Researcher EdD MPhil
Reposted by Stephen Ball
Trump on NATO: "I've always said, will they be there if we ever needed them? That's really the ultimate test. I'm not sure of that. We've never needed them. They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan and this or that. And they did. They stayed a little back, off the front lines."
January 22, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Trump on NATO: "I've always said, will they be there if we ever needed them? That's really the ultimate test. I'm not sure of that. We've never needed them. They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan and this or that. And they did. They stayed a little back, off the front lines."
Reposted by Stephen Ball
The sight of Trump’s son in law declaring his ‘vision’ for Rafah and Gaza with zero input from any Palestinians turns my stomach.
January 22, 2026 at 2:52 PM
The sight of Trump’s son in law declaring his ‘vision’ for Rafah and Gaza with zero input from any Palestinians turns my stomach.
Reposted by Stephen Ball
‘Terrible things are happening outside… Families are torn apart; men, women and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return… to find their families gone.’
Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
ICE detains five-year-old Minnesota boy arriving home, say school officials
Superintendent says Liam Ramos and his father were taken into custody while in their driveway and sent to Texas
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2026 at 7:43 AM
‘Terrible things are happening outside… Families are torn apart; men, women and children are separated. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared. Women return… to find their families gone.’
Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Stephen Ball
Trump:
"NATO has treated the United States very badly. We've never asked for anything. We've never got anything."
Tell that to the families of 850 soldiers from 19 non-US NATO countries who died fighting to defend the United States in Afghanistan - the only occasion Article 5 was ever triggered.
"NATO has treated the United States very badly. We've never asked for anything. We've never got anything."
Tell that to the families of 850 soldiers from 19 non-US NATO countries who died fighting to defend the United States in Afghanistan - the only occasion Article 5 was ever triggered.
January 21, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Trump:
"NATO has treated the United States very badly. We've never asked for anything. We've never got anything."
Tell that to the families of 850 soldiers from 19 non-US NATO countries who died fighting to defend the United States in Afghanistan - the only occasion Article 5 was ever triggered.
"NATO has treated the United States very badly. We've never asked for anything. We've never got anything."
Tell that to the families of 850 soldiers from 19 non-US NATO countries who died fighting to defend the United States in Afghanistan - the only occasion Article 5 was ever triggered.
Reposted by Stephen Ball
Also, this story illustrates a fundamental truth: Trump's opinions are shaped by the last person he spoke to
So it was Badenoch *personally* who stabbed Britain in the back during the Greenland crisis! Simply unbelievable. Ought to be a resignation matter.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
How Badenoch’s meeting with Mike Johnson led to Trump’s Chagos deal rant
A brief encounter set off a chain of events that culminated in a public rebuff to the US president from Keir Starmer
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Also, this story illustrates a fundamental truth: Trump's opinions are shaped by the last person he spoke to
Reposted by Stephen Ball
Why is the US not paying any direct rent to the UK for their use of Diego Garcia? Maybe Badenoch should be shouting about this.
January 21, 2026 at 6:38 PM
Why is the US not paying any direct rent to the UK for their use of Diego Garcia? Maybe Badenoch should be shouting about this.
Reposted by Stephen Ball
I cannot tell you how absolutely infuriatingly this stuff comes across to Europeans.
When we say America is no longer a reliable ally, it goes considerably deeper than Donald Trump himself. This kind of complacent, condescending shit is a *huge* part of it.
When we say America is no longer a reliable ally, it goes considerably deeper than Donald Trump himself. This kind of complacent, condescending shit is a *huge* part of it.
Newsom: "It was remarkably boring. It was remarkably insignificant. He was never going invade Greenland. It was never real."
January 21, 2026 at 4:22 PM
I cannot tell you how absolutely infuriatingly this stuff comes across to Europeans.
When we say America is no longer a reliable ally, it goes considerably deeper than Donald Trump himself. This kind of complacent, condescending shit is a *huge* part of it.
When we say America is no longer a reliable ally, it goes considerably deeper than Donald Trump himself. This kind of complacent, condescending shit is a *huge* part of it.
So will Badenoch now be saying Trump is weak now he has reversed on tariffs and military action?
January 21, 2026 at 7:48 PM
So will Badenoch now be saying Trump is weak now he has reversed on tariffs and military action?
Reposted by Stephen Ball
Whatever Farage says, remember this tweet
January 20, 2026 at 12:49 PM
Whatever Farage says, remember this tweet
Why is the US not paying any direct rent to the UK for their use of Diego Garcia? Maybe Badenoch should be shouting about this.
January 21, 2026 at 6:38 PM
Why is the US not paying any direct rent to the UK for their use of Diego Garcia? Maybe Badenoch should be shouting about this.
Reposted by Stephen Ball
This is not a rational person. And this is deeply disturbing coming from an American President. NATO is not our enemy—they are unequivocally our closest friends and allies.
At this point, how can you not call into question the mental fitness of this President?
At this point, how can you not call into question the mental fitness of this President?
January 20, 2026 at 8:10 PM
This is not a rational person. And this is deeply disturbing coming from an American President. NATO is not our enemy—they are unequivocally our closest friends and allies.
At this point, how can you not call into question the mental fitness of this President?
At this point, how can you not call into question the mental fitness of this President?
So Trump wants greater security in Greenland but baulks and retaliates when European countries provide or offer to provide more. He says Putin wants peace but then says he’s a threat to US. He’s a confused madman.
Trump said he would impose tariffs on European countries that deployed military personnel to Greenland.
Wall Street’s ‘Fear Gauge’ Spikes To Highest Level Since November As Trump Escalates Greenland Threats
Trump said he would impose tariffs on European countries that deployed military personnel to Greenland.
www.forbes.com
January 21, 2026 at 6:14 PM
So Trump wants greater security in Greenland but baulks and retaliates when European countries provide or offer to provide more. He says Putin wants peace but then says he’s a threat to US. He’s a confused madman.
Reposted by Stephen Ball
Say what you will about Hitler, at least he knew which countries he was invading.
January 21, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Say what you will about Hitler, at least he knew which countries he was invading.
Having listened to Trump at Davos I conclude that he is full of insincere flattery of other leaders, pomposity, disrespectiveness, pretentiousness, vindictiveness, ignorance and, as Gavin Newsome says, BS.
The true heroes of any Trump presidency have to be the simultaneous translators.
January 21, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Having listened to Trump at Davos I conclude that he is full of insincere flattery of other leaders, pomposity, disrespectiveness, pretentiousness, vindictiveness, ignorance and, as Gavin Newsome says, BS.
Codes of conduct; what are they, says Farage, until he’s found out? He then apologises but doesn’t mean it. Laws, standards, rules, codes are there to be broken seemingly Reform believe.
Let's not blow this out of proportion. It was just an admin error. Two admin errors. A few admin errors. Seventeen admin errors worth £380,000.
… including payments for promoting gold, presenting on GB News and from his friend George Cottrell, within 28 days.
Reform UK leader apologised for what he described as administrative errors by his team.
Reform UK leader apologised for what he described as administrative errors by his team.
January 21, 2026 at 11:51 AM
Codes of conduct; what are they, says Farage, until he’s found out? He then apologises but doesn’t mean it. Laws, standards, rules, codes are there to be broken seemingly Reform believe.
Did I miss the major Labour figure defecting to Reform yesterday?
Man of the people this fella
NEW: NEW: Standards commissioner finds Nigel Farage committed seventeen breaches of MPs code of conduct.
He failed to declare £333,000 in outside interests (more than 3x MPs annual salary)…
He failed to declare £333,000 in outside interests (more than 3x MPs annual salary)…
January 21, 2026 at 11:11 AM
Did I miss the major Labour figure defecting to Reform yesterday?
Reposted by Stephen Ball
Spends so much time making money outside of Parliament that he hasn't got time, or doesn't want, to comply with the code of conduct. Sound familiar? Do Johnson or Trump come to mind as others ignore rules, codes, standards or laws? And some want Farage as PM. Give your head a wobble.
NEW: NEW: Standards commissioner finds Nigel Farage committed seventeen breaches of MPs code of conduct.
He failed to declare £333,000 in outside interests (more than 3x MPs annual salary)…
He failed to declare £333,000 in outside interests (more than 3x MPs annual salary)…
January 21, 2026 at 10:19 AM
Spends so much time making money outside of Parliament that he hasn't got time, or doesn't want, to comply with the code of conduct. Sound familiar? Do Johnson or Trump come to mind as others ignore rules, codes, standards or laws? And some want Farage as PM. Give your head a wobble.
Spends so much time making money outside of Parliament that he hasn't got time, or doesn't want, to comply with the code of conduct. Sound familiar? Do Johnson or Trump come to mind as others ignore rules, codes, standards or laws? And some want Farage as PM. Give your head a wobble.
NEW: NEW: Standards commissioner finds Nigel Farage committed seventeen breaches of MPs code of conduct.
He failed to declare £333,000 in outside interests (more than 3x MPs annual salary)…
He failed to declare £333,000 in outside interests (more than 3x MPs annual salary)…
January 21, 2026 at 10:19 AM
Spends so much time making money outside of Parliament that he hasn't got time, or doesn't want, to comply with the code of conduct. Sound familiar? Do Johnson or Trump come to mind as others ignore rules, codes, standards or laws? And some want Farage as PM. Give your head a wobble.
Reposted by Stephen Ball
New - Nigel Farage has been found by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to have made 17 standards breaches, adding up to over £380,000 in late declarations.
He’s apologised, so no further investigation (which seems unusual for a breach this large)
He’s apologised, so no further investigation (which seems unusual for a breach this large)
January 21, 2026 at 8:53 AM
New - Nigel Farage has been found by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to have made 17 standards breaches, adding up to over £380,000 in late declarations.
He’s apologised, so no further investigation (which seems unusual for a breach this large)
He’s apologised, so no further investigation (which seems unusual for a breach this large)
Reposted by Stephen Ball
BREAKING | Nigel Farage failed to declare '£380,000 external earnings' on time
Nigel Farage fails to declare 17 breaches on registering his financial interests
The Reform UK leader was found to have breached the rules by Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary commissioner for standards
www.independent.co.uk
January 21, 2026 at 9:08 AM
BREAKING | Nigel Farage failed to declare '£380,000 external earnings' on time
Reposted by Stephen Ball
Satire often relies on exaggeration having some sort of comic effect. How do you exaggerate this?
So far the "Board of Peace" is Trump, Orban, Lukaschenko and Netanyahu.
Which if you wrote in a satire would be considered too outlandish and sent back.
Which if you wrote in a satire would be considered too outlandish and sent back.
January 21, 2026 at 8:43 AM
Satire often relies on exaggeration having some sort of comic effect. How do you exaggerate this?
Reposted by Stephen Ball
Carney: "American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, a stable financial system... this bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition... recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as a weapon. Tariffs as leverage ... "
January 20, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Carney: "American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, a stable financial system... this bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition... recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as a weapon. Tariffs as leverage ... "
Reposted by Stephen Ball
Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley: "We're hearing people being stopped with no cause & being demanded to show paperwork to determine if they're here legally. We started hearing from our police officers the same complaints. Every one of these individuals is a person of color... it has to stop"
January 20, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley: "We're hearing people being stopped with no cause & being demanded to show paperwork to determine if they're here legally. We started hearing from our police officers the same complaints. Every one of these individuals is a person of color... it has to stop"
Reposted by Stephen Ball
'Don't support your own leader, support the foreign leader who wishes you harm.'
@mrjamesob.bsky.social reacts to the Daily Mail columnist who would 'take Donald Trump, warts and all, over our hopeless lawyer of a PM'.
@mrjamesob.bsky.social reacts to the Daily Mail columnist who would 'take Donald Trump, warts and all, over our hopeless lawyer of a PM'.
January 20, 2026 at 12:50 PM
'Don't support your own leader, support the foreign leader who wishes you harm.'
@mrjamesob.bsky.social reacts to the Daily Mail columnist who would 'take Donald Trump, warts and all, over our hopeless lawyer of a PM'.
@mrjamesob.bsky.social reacts to the Daily Mail columnist who would 'take Donald Trump, warts and all, over our hopeless lawyer of a PM'.
Bessent confident that ‘Europe will not escalate tensions’. But at the same time accepting that its ok for the US to start the escalation of tensions and then continue to do so. All the signs of bullies!
January 20, 2026 at 9:37 AM
Bessent confident that ‘Europe will not escalate tensions’. But at the same time accepting that its ok for the US to start the escalation of tensions and then continue to do so. All the signs of bullies!