Julian Borger
@julianborger.bsky.social
Senior international correspondent at The Guardian, based in London
Reposted by Julian Borger
1980:
NHS spending as a % of GDP: 5.1%
Defence spending as a % of GDP: 5%
2024:
NHS spending as a % of GDP: 10.9%
Defence spending as a % of GDP: 2.2%
This is such a common applause line, but it’s also total bullshit.
NHS spending as a % of GDP: 5.1%
Defence spending as a % of GDP: 5%
2024:
NHS spending as a % of GDP: 10.9%
Defence spending as a % of GDP: 2.2%
This is such a common applause line, but it’s also total bullshit.
There is always money for war, never for the poor.
Every penny spent on bombs, tanks and missiles is stolen from our homes, schools and hospitals.
We are not going to take it anymore.
Every penny spent on bombs, tanks and missiles is stolen from our homes, schools and hospitals.
We are not going to take it anymore.
October 28, 2025 at 10:38 AM
1980:
NHS spending as a % of GDP: 5.1%
Defence spending as a % of GDP: 5%
2024:
NHS spending as a % of GDP: 10.9%
Defence spending as a % of GDP: 2.2%
This is such a common applause line, but it’s also total bullshit.
NHS spending as a % of GDP: 5.1%
Defence spending as a % of GDP: 5%
2024:
NHS spending as a % of GDP: 10.9%
Defence spending as a % of GDP: 2.2%
This is such a common applause line, but it’s also total bullshit.
Reposted by Julian Borger
Earlier than usual, Politics Weekly America on the Gaza ceasefire plan — and how much credit should go to Donald Trump. I break it down with @julianborger.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/1p6H...
Gaza ceasefire plan: how much credit does Trump deserve?
open.spotify.com
October 9, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Earlier than usual, Politics Weekly America on the Gaza ceasefire plan — and how much credit should go to Donald Trump. I break it down with @julianborger.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/1p6H...
Reposted by Julian Borger
Spent five minutes staring at this trying to work out what it had reminded me of.
Realised it was this horrifying passage from George Orwell’s 1984.
Realised it was this horrifying passage from George Orwell’s 1984.
September 4, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Spent five minutes staring at this trying to work out what it had reminded me of.
Realised it was this horrifying passage from George Orwell’s 1984.
Realised it was this horrifying passage from George Orwell’s 1984.
Reposted by Julian Borger
That Trump and Trumpism are fascist doesn’t explain the sheer vandalism of unleashing mass murdering mayhem via RFK to replace medical/scientific institutions of immense value and prestige with medieval peasant superstitions. That is a criminal madness facilitated by but above and beyond fascism.
August 30, 2025 at 9:27 PM
That Trump and Trumpism are fascist doesn’t explain the sheer vandalism of unleashing mass murdering mayhem via RFK to replace medical/scientific institutions of immense value and prestige with medieval peasant superstitions. That is a criminal madness facilitated by but above and beyond fascism.
Reposted by Julian Borger
Government by the trolls, of the trolls, for the trolls, inflicted on the people.
Stephen Miller on DC residents: "For the first time in their lives, they can use the parks, they can walk on the streets. You have people who can walk freely at night without having to worry about being robbed or mugged. They are wearing their watches again."
August 25, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Government by the trolls, of the trolls, for the trolls, inflicted on the people.
Reposted by Julian Borger
I’ve checked this against the original press release, and yes, the UK government is actually suggesting something this bloody stupid. (Because it’s stored in a data centre and data centres are Bad).
Are they seriously suggesting that some holiday pictures sitting on somebody's laptop is causing data congestion of some sort?
August 12, 2025 at 5:22 PM
I’ve checked this against the original press release, and yes, the UK government is actually suggesting something this bloody stupid. (Because it’s stored in a data centre and data centres are Bad).
Reposted by Julian Borger
This is *immensely* stupid advice. They don’t use energy while they’re sitting on a hard drive not being accessed. They very much use energy while you’re going through them all and deleting them.
It’s also a fraction of a fraction of the energy saving you’d make by driving less or similar.
It’s also a fraction of a fraction of the energy saving you’d make by driving less or similar.
The UK government has urged people to delete old pictures and emails as 'data centres require vast amounts of water to cool their systems'.
http://jrnl.ie/6788643
http://jrnl.ie/6788643
UK government advises people to delete old photos and emails as England faces water shortfall
The UK government has urged people to delete old pictures and emails as ‘data centres require cast amounts of water to cool their systems’.
jrnl.ie
August 12, 2025 at 5:09 PM
This is *immensely* stupid advice. They don’t use energy while they’re sitting on a hard drive not being accessed. They very much use energy while you’re going through them all and deleting them.
It’s also a fraction of a fraction of the energy saving you’d make by driving less or similar.
It’s also a fraction of a fraction of the energy saving you’d make by driving less or similar.
Reposted by Julian Borger
Kennedy is killing science.
That will end up killing people.
That will end up killing people.
A large-scale, government-funded study tracking 1.2M children over two decades found something Kennedy doesn't like, so he wants it retracted.
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
www.reuters.com/business/hea...
Exclusive: Medical journal rejects Kennedy's call for retraction of vaccine study
An influential U.S. medical journal is rejecting a call from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to retract a large Danish study that found that aluminum ingredients in vaccines do not increase health risks for children, the journal's editor told Reuters.
www.reuters.com
August 11, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Kennedy is killing science.
That will end up killing people.
That will end up killing people.
Reposted by Julian Borger
WTF. So if Russia invaded and killed civilians to get a piece of Ukrainian territory, that’s earning it?
NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker on Ukraine's territorial concessions: "No big chunks or sections are going to be just given that haven't been fought for or earned on the battlefield."
August 10, 2025 at 2:35 PM
WTF. So if Russia invaded and killed civilians to get a piece of Ukrainian territory, that’s earning it?
Reposted by Julian Borger
‘I must document everything’: the film about the #Palestinian photographer killed by missiles in #Gaza
@julianborger.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/au...
@julianborger.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/au...
‘I must document everything’: the film about the Palestinian photographer killed by missiles in Gaza
Fatma Hassouna used poetry and photography to record the death and devastation she saw daily. Was she targeted by the IDF? We speak to the director of Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, a film about...
www.theguardian.com
August 6, 2025 at 4:58 PM
‘I must document everything’: the film about the #Palestinian photographer killed by missiles in #Gaza
@julianborger.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/au...
@julianborger.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/film/2025/au...
Reposted by Julian Borger
We are living in an age of bullies. Those with power are less constrained today than they have ever been in my lifetime.
The question is: how do we lead moral lives in this era? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/28/bullies-moral-lives-robert-reich
The question is: how do we lead moral lives in this era? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/28/bullies-moral-lives-robert-reich
How do we lead moral lives in an age of bullies? | Robert Reich
In my lifetime, I have witnessed a shift from support of decency to tolerance of cruelty. Where do we go from here?
www.theguardian.com
July 28, 2025 at 4:08 PM
We are living in an age of bullies. Those with power are less constrained today than they have ever been in my lifetime.
The question is: how do we lead moral lives in this era? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/28/bullies-moral-lives-robert-reich
The question is: how do we lead moral lives in this era? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/28/bullies-moral-lives-robert-reich
Reposted by Julian Borger
I was quoted in today’s @theguardian.com on Macron’s latest announcementby @julianborger.bsky.social
Let’s see if the UK follows France’s lead and recognises Palestine… but it’s clear both governments need to go much further than recognition
Let’s see if the UK follows France’s lead and recognises Palestine… but it’s clear both governments need to go much further than recognition
July 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
I was quoted in today’s @theguardian.com on Macron’s latest announcementby @julianborger.bsky.social
Let’s see if the UK follows France’s lead and recognises Palestine… but it’s clear both governments need to go much further than recognition
Let’s see if the UK follows France’s lead and recognises Palestine… but it’s clear both governments need to go much further than recognition
Reposted by Julian Borger
The history of the countryside is that it is working land: it has always been the factory of the rural economy. Its historical purpose is not to look nice, that’s just a nice byproduct. Build the damn wind farms. (Happily, they don’t even ruin the visuals, imo. I like to see land at work.)
Ed Miliband would let a turbine farm destroy Brontë country. We need net zero, but at what cost? | Simon Jenkins
Ed Miliband would let a turbine farm destroy Brontë country. We need net zero, but at what cost? | Simon Jenkins
Of course the climate crisis must be confronted, but history, tranquility and beauty must also count for something, says Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
www.theguardian.com
July 14, 2025 at 7:48 AM
The history of the countryside is that it is working land: it has always been the factory of the rural economy. Its historical purpose is not to look nice, that’s just a nice byproduct. Build the damn wind farms. (Happily, they don’t even ruin the visuals, imo. I like to see land at work.)
www.theguardian.com/culture/2025.... Must-read by Charlotte Higgins
‘The soldiers want you to see what they’re going through’: the heartbreaking follow-up to 20 Days in Mariupol
While Mstyslav Chernov was on the Oscars circuit with his first Ukraine war film, soldiers in his latest – made using bodycams – were dying. He explains why he needed to join them in the trenches
www.theguardian.com
July 15, 2025 at 3:15 PM
www.theguardian.com/culture/2025.... Must-read by Charlotte Higgins
Reposted by Julian Borger
Last year I had the pleasure of meeting @julianborger.bsky.social, world affairs editor at The Guardian & author of I Seek A Kind Person
I'm so grateful for this kind endorsement, thanks Julian! 🙏
The Piano Player of Budapest is out now @littlebrown.bsky.social www.hachette.co.uk/titles/roxan...
I'm so grateful for this kind endorsement, thanks Julian! 🙏
The Piano Player of Budapest is out now @littlebrown.bsky.social www.hachette.co.uk/titles/roxan...
July 14, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Last year I had the pleasure of meeting @julianborger.bsky.social, world affairs editor at The Guardian & author of I Seek A Kind Person
I'm so grateful for this kind endorsement, thanks Julian! 🙏
The Piano Player of Budapest is out now @littlebrown.bsky.social www.hachette.co.uk/titles/roxan...
I'm so grateful for this kind endorsement, thanks Julian! 🙏
The Piano Player of Budapest is out now @littlebrown.bsky.social www.hachette.co.uk/titles/roxan...
Reposted by Julian Borger
On Tuesday night I was barred from entering Georgia, my home for the last three years. Official reasons were given as “other,” but from the circumstances of my departure in April it’s clear the refusal is directly tied to my work covering the country as a journalist. 1/
rsf.org/en/between-h...
rsf.org/en/between-h...
Between harassment and expulsion, Georgia is bent on silencing British journalist Will Neal
Independent British journalist Will Neal was arbitrarily denied entry into Georgia, where he has lived since 2022, upon returning from a trip to the United Kingdom (UK) and European Union (EU). Report...
rsf.org
May 23, 2025 at 2:10 PM
On Tuesday night I was barred from entering Georgia, my home for the last three years. Official reasons were given as “other,” but from the circumstances of my departure in April it’s clear the refusal is directly tied to my work covering the country as a journalist. 1/
rsf.org/en/between-h...
rsf.org/en/between-h...
Reposted by Julian Borger
Just read this gripping, moving book. See you in #Chiswick in September. Will raise you grandmothers named Erna Borger, Studentenfutter & Viennese Nazis @julianborger.bsky.social @torindouglas.bsky.social @mliebreich.bsky.social
May 22, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Just read this gripping, moving book. See you in #Chiswick in September. Will raise you grandmothers named Erna Borger, Studentenfutter & Viennese Nazis @julianborger.bsky.social @torindouglas.bsky.social @mliebreich.bsky.social
Reposted by Julian Borger
I bought Julian Borger’s book, I Seek a Kind Person, after reading this review.
Now I’ve read the book. It’s deep-dig research, ace reporting, memoir, & Holocaust history; complex & often crushing; beautiful writing & powerful insights.
@julianborger.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/b...
Now I’ve read the book. It’s deep-dig research, ace reporting, memoir, & Holocaust history; complex & often crushing; beautiful writing & powerful insights.
@julianborger.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/b...
A Personal Ad Saved His Father From the Nazis. That Was Just the Start.
www.nytimes.com
May 17, 2025 at 7:01 PM
I bought Julian Borger’s book, I Seek a Kind Person, after reading this review.
Now I’ve read the book. It’s deep-dig research, ace reporting, memoir, & Holocaust history; complex & often crushing; beautiful writing & powerful insights.
@julianborger.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/b...
Now I’ve read the book. It’s deep-dig research, ace reporting, memoir, & Holocaust history; complex & often crushing; beautiful writing & powerful insights.
@julianborger.bsky.social
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/b...
Reposted by Julian Borger
A spirited response from Michael Rosen
to Keir Starmer's bigoted comment about
an Island of Strangers
to Keir Starmer's bigoted comment about
an Island of Strangers
May 14, 2025 at 8:17 AM
A spirited response from Michael Rosen
to Keir Starmer's bigoted comment about
an Island of Strangers
to Keir Starmer's bigoted comment about
an Island of Strangers
Reposted by Julian Borger
Kseniia Petrova--who had to flee Russia for opposing Putin’s war against Ukraine & brought her genius to Harvard Medical School only to be thrown into Trump’s gulag in Louisiana, wants to get back to her lab & it’s awe-inspiring & scientifically vital imaging work:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/o...
Opinion | I Came to Study Aging. Now I’m Trapped in ICE Detention.
www.nytimes.com
May 13, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Kseniia Petrova--who had to flee Russia for opposing Putin’s war against Ukraine & brought her genius to Harvard Medical School only to be thrown into Trump’s gulag in Louisiana, wants to get back to her lab & it’s awe-inspiring & scientifically vital imaging work:
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/13/o...
Reposted by Julian Borger
I’ve been piecing together this Guardian long read for over a year - about a thoroughly plausible, utterly crooked lawyer who pretended to be the perfect gentleman while he spun a web of deceit. Thanks to @davidedgarwolf.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
An English gentleman, a crooked lawyer: the secrets of Stephen David Jones
The long read: With his brilliant mind and impeccable credentials, it’s little wonder that wealthy clients trusted him with their fortunes. Then they started to get suspicious
www.theguardian.com
May 13, 2025 at 7:14 AM
I’ve been piecing together this Guardian long read for over a year - about a thoroughly plausible, utterly crooked lawyer who pretended to be the perfect gentleman while he spun a web of deceit. Thanks to @davidedgarwolf.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Reposted by Julian Borger
How many Gazans have been killed? I guess they get to resettle here, too, right?
REPORTER: Why are you creating an expedited path into the country for Afrikaners but not others?
TRUMP: Because they're being killed. And we don't want to see people be killed ... it's a genocide that's taking place. Farmers are being killed. They happen to be white.
TRUMP: Because they're being killed. And we don't want to see people be killed ... it's a genocide that's taking place. Farmers are being killed. They happen to be white.
May 12, 2025 at 9:23 PM
How many Gazans have been killed? I guess they get to resettle here, too, right?