ThornPolitics
@thornpolitics.bsky.social
Co-host of the Newspeak Podcast - on lots of services including Spotify (episode 2 here https://open.spotify.com/episode/0xmAbmPTN0kZHRvPKIlLRD?si=LfVH3nLkQoSYT7Rr3MKhww )
Reposted by ThornPolitics
Everything about this is insane
January 3, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Everything about this is insane
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Badenoch has a remarkable ability to be rebarbative in any context. The first sentence here is totally unnecessary.
January 3, 2026 at 4:01 PM
Badenoch has a remarkable ability to be rebarbative in any context. The first sentence here is totally unnecessary.
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At some point the 'realignment' in British politics is going to come under severe pressure on the issue of national security and global conflict. It is not possible to be patriotic/nationalist and also pro-Trump/pro-Putin.
January 3, 2026 at 12:22 PM
At some point the 'realignment' in British politics is going to come under severe pressure on the issue of national security and global conflict. It is not possible to be patriotic/nationalist and also pro-Trump/pro-Putin.
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I have a piece on @bloomberg.com today about why the global collapse of the centre-right is the most important political trend of the past decade. And whether it can recover.
(Gift link)
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3...
(Gift link)
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3...
Embracing the Radical Right Is Killing Conservatism as We Knew It
Mainstream center-right parties in the US and Europe have chased populist voters — only to lose economic credibility and fracture their winning coalitions.
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
January 2, 2026 at 10:45 AM
I have a piece on @bloomberg.com today about why the global collapse of the centre-right is the most important political trend of the past decade. And whether it can recover.
(Gift link)
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3...
(Gift link)
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3...
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I used to love Twitter, even if I had to really reign in my shitposting when I got elected. It used to be genuinely useful professionally too. It has long ceased to have any positive net benefit, either individually or societally, and anyone in public life who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.
January 2, 2026 at 9:24 PM
I used to love Twitter, even if I had to really reign in my shitposting when I got elected. It used to be genuinely useful professionally too. It has long ceased to have any positive net benefit, either individually or societally, and anyone in public life who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.
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How many times do people need to be told that X is not a trustworthy platform?
Our politics is increasingly normalised to racism – because politicians are addicted to X
The platform has quietly dragged British politics into a dark place
inews.co.uk
January 2, 2026 at 9:58 PM
How many times do people need to be told that X is not a trustworthy platform?
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Remaining on X is simply unsustainable now.
‘Elon Musk won’t stop. It’s time the British government g...
The platform has become a swamp of disinformation. Politicians should lead the way out of it
observer.co.uk
January 2, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Remaining on X is simply unsustainable now.
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'Every time we asked the electorate their opinion, vast numbers of them press the button clearly marked “Make things better”. Yet every time, things just keep on getting worse.'
Happy new year, everybody!
Happy new year, everybody!
British voters never get what they want
At each election, people demand change that does not come
www.newstatesman.com
January 2, 2026 at 9:21 AM
'Every time we asked the electorate their opinion, vast numbers of them press the button clearly marked “Make things better”. Yet every time, things just keep on getting worse.'
Happy new year, everybody!
Happy new year, everybody!
From The Man Who Was Thursday:
December 30, 2025 at 7:19 AM
From The Man Who Was Thursday:
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Shamima Begum was the beginning of something in so many ways, one of which was 'the last government's inability to just do its job properly (in this case by passing legislation that would have allowed it to prosecute her here at home) and instead going 'no option but to undermine all our rights'.
There should be literally no circumstances, ever, where citizenship is can be revoked. If you literally sign up to fight for an opposing army in a war, then we should prosecute you for treason not revoke citizenship
Hell, I'm not convinced we should revoke citizenship at all.
But certainly not for being a twat online.
But certainly not for being a twat online.
December 29, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Shamima Begum was the beginning of something in so many ways, one of which was 'the last government's inability to just do its job properly (in this case by passing legislation that would have allowed it to prosecute her here at home) and instead going 'no option but to undermine all our rights'.
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It's almost compelling in a way just how committed the Conservatives are to their 'we handed over a great legacy! The country just collapsed completely in summer 2024', something which visibly is not working for them and never will work for them:
December 28, 2025 at 9:02 PM
It's almost compelling in a way just how committed the Conservatives are to their 'we handed over a great legacy! The country just collapsed completely in summer 2024', something which visibly is not working for them and never will work for them:
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Books, poems, film, etc. may require retraining a brain to slow down.
And it's important bc while scrolling social media pushes the happy button, it rarely provides actual happiness. It's like food with no nutrients; your brain ate a lot but it's still starving for things that scrolling can't give.
And it's important bc while scrolling social media pushes the happy button, it rarely provides actual happiness. It's like food with no nutrients; your brain ate a lot but it's still starving for things that scrolling can't give.
December 27, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Books, poems, film, etc. may require retraining a brain to slow down.
And it's important bc while scrolling social media pushes the happy button, it rarely provides actual happiness. It's like food with no nutrients; your brain ate a lot but it's still starving for things that scrolling can't give.
And it's important bc while scrolling social media pushes the happy button, it rarely provides actual happiness. It's like food with no nutrients; your brain ate a lot but it's still starving for things that scrolling can't give.
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First-ever US airstrikes in Nigeria put the second Trump admin’s 2025 combat actions at:
—Nigeria—tonight’s strikes
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes (Mar-Apr)
—Somalia—120 strikes, 1 ground raid
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Iran—3 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
—Nigeria—tonight’s strikes
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes (Mar-Apr)
—Somalia—120 strikes, 1 ground raid
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Iran—3 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
December 26, 2025 at 12:09 AM
First-ever US airstrikes in Nigeria put the second Trump admin’s 2025 combat actions at:
—Nigeria—tonight’s strikes
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes (Mar-Apr)
—Somalia—120 strikes, 1 ground raid
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Iran—3 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
—Nigeria—tonight’s strikes
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes (Mar-Apr)
—Somalia—120 strikes, 1 ground raid
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Iran—3 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
Reposted by ThornPolitics
It's an unusual form of isolationism...
First-ever US airstrikes in Nigeria put the second Trump admin’s 2025 combat actions at:
—Nigeria—tonight’s strikes
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes (Mar-Apr)
—Somalia—120 strikes, 1 ground raid
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Iran—3 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
—Nigeria—tonight’s strikes
—Yemen—1,000+ strikes (Mar-Apr)
—Somalia—120 strikes, 1 ground raid
—Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids
—Caribbean—11 strikes
—Eastern Pacific—20 strikes
—Iran—3 strikes
—Iraq—1 strike
December 26, 2025 at 8:44 AM
It's an unusual form of isolationism...
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Spoiler: “Nathan, a fitness influencer”
'Overconfident' young men prompt multiple rescues from Yr Wyddfa
Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team say winter weather can turn a manageable day extremely dangerous.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 26, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Spoiler: “Nathan, a fitness influencer”
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And Nicolae Ceauceacu ...
...who DID die!
...who DID die!
My father in law has done his traditional Christmas Day Facebook post to remind us of the true meaning of the day:
Reminding us of the greatest Christmas of all, December 25th, 1989, when they shot that bastard Ceaușescu
Reminding us of the greatest Christmas of all, December 25th, 1989, when they shot that bastard Ceaușescu
December 25, 2025 at 9:46 AM
And Nicolae Ceauceacu ...
...who DID die!
...who DID die!
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How good a year do Britons say 2025 was for...
Themselves personally
Good: 36%
Average: 35%
Bad: 27%
The UK
Good: 6%
Average: 24%
Bad: 66%
yougov.co.uk/society/arti...
Themselves personally
Good: 36%
Average: 35%
Bad: 27%
The UK
Good: 6%
Average: 24%
Bad: 66%
yougov.co.uk/society/arti...
December 23, 2025 at 5:37 PM
How good a year do Britons say 2025 was for...
Themselves personally
Good: 36%
Average: 35%
Bad: 27%
The UK
Good: 6%
Average: 24%
Bad: 66%
yougov.co.uk/society/arti...
Themselves personally
Good: 36%
Average: 35%
Bad: 27%
The UK
Good: 6%
Average: 24%
Bad: 66%
yougov.co.uk/society/arti...
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“What more is there to say about the character of this petty, hollow, squalid, overstuffed man? — sometimes the point bears stressing: We are led by the most loathsome human being ever to occupy the White House.”
www.sltrib.com/opinion/comm...
www.sltrib.com/opinion/comm...
Opinion: Our petty, hollow, squalid ogre in chief
Opinion: We are led by the most loathsome human being ever to occupy the White House.
www.sltrib.com
December 21, 2025 at 8:30 PM
“What more is there to say about the character of this petty, hollow, squalid, overstuffed man? — sometimes the point bears stressing: We are led by the most loathsome human being ever to occupy the White House.”
www.sltrib.com/opinion/comm...
www.sltrib.com/opinion/comm...
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A third of 16-18 year olds girls say in surveys that they experienced unwanted sexual touching at school. There are several hundred rapes reported in schools every year.
Dog-whistle and factually incorrect. Ladies, raise your hand if you were sexually assaulted by a boy at school? I’d wager this or a family member is most women’s first experience of sexual violence
December 18, 2025 at 4:29 PM
A third of 16-18 year olds girls say in surveys that they experienced unwanted sexual touching at school. There are several hundred rapes reported in schools every year.
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Dog-whistle and factually incorrect. Ladies, raise your hand if you were sexually assaulted by a boy at school? I’d wager this or a family member is most women’s first experience of sexual violence
December 18, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Dog-whistle and factually incorrect. Ladies, raise your hand if you were sexually assaulted by a boy at school? I’d wager this or a family member is most women’s first experience of sexual violence
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Even by my low expectations for Kemi Badenoch ‘violence against women and girls is something done by immigrants and nobody else’ has shocked me.
Dog-whistle and factually incorrect. Ladies, raise your hand if you were sexually assaulted by a boy at school? I’d wager this or a family member is most women’s first experience of sexual violence
December 18, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Even by my low expectations for Kemi Badenoch ‘violence against women and girls is something done by immigrants and nobody else’ has shocked me.
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YouGov snap poll found rejoining Erasmus UK-EU study exchange scheme is 65-12
Labour 81-4 (+77)
LibDem 85-4 (+81)
Cons 57-21 (+36)
Reform 40-33 (+7)
By 2026, specific "closer cooperation" proposals generate a positive "wedge" effect for Labour: unite centre-left, split elites from voters on right
Labour 81-4 (+77)
LibDem 85-4 (+81)
Cons 57-21 (+36)
Reform 40-33 (+7)
By 2026, specific "closer cooperation" proposals generate a positive "wedge" effect for Labour: unite centre-left, split elites from voters on right
December 18, 2025 at 12:01 AM
YouGov snap poll found rejoining Erasmus UK-EU study exchange scheme is 65-12
Labour 81-4 (+77)
LibDem 85-4 (+81)
Cons 57-21 (+36)
Reform 40-33 (+7)
By 2026, specific "closer cooperation" proposals generate a positive "wedge" effect for Labour: unite centre-left, split elites from voters on right
Labour 81-4 (+77)
LibDem 85-4 (+81)
Cons 57-21 (+36)
Reform 40-33 (+7)
By 2026, specific "closer cooperation" proposals generate a positive "wedge" effect for Labour: unite centre-left, split elites from voters on right
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'The so-called ‘hero voters’ Labour targeted in 2024 did not actually turn out for them in any great numbers. So not only are Labour fighting the last war, they are fighting it with a battle-plan that didn’t actually work. It’s Labour’s very own winter invasion of Russia.' 👏 @benansell.bsky.social
Bloc Parties
In a world of bloc politics, what's a good offensive strategy?
benansell.substack.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:15 PM
'The so-called ‘hero voters’ Labour targeted in 2024 did not actually turn out for them in any great numbers. So not only are Labour fighting the last war, they are fighting it with a battle-plan that didn’t actually work. It’s Labour’s very own winter invasion of Russia.' 👏 @benansell.bsky.social
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BREAKING: Trump claims to have come up with the word "Caravans":
FACT: The word caravan has been a part of the English language for over 500 years.
FACT: The word caravan has been a part of the English language for over 500 years.
December 15, 2025 at 9:05 PM
BREAKING: Trump claims to have come up with the word "Caravans":
FACT: The word caravan has been a part of the English language for over 500 years.
FACT: The word caravan has been a part of the English language for over 500 years.
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When Charlie Kirk, a commentator who stirred up hatred and prejudice was killed, the Trump government led a purge against anyone who commented on it in a way they didn’t like. When a beloved director & actor is brutally murdered, Trump mocks and criticises him just hours later. Revolting hypocrisy.
December 15, 2025 at 9:02 PM
When Charlie Kirk, a commentator who stirred up hatred and prejudice was killed, the Trump government led a purge against anyone who commented on it in a way they didn’t like. When a beloved director & actor is brutally murdered, Trump mocks and criticises him just hours later. Revolting hypocrisy.