Armando Iannucci

Hi gang. My films ‘In The Loop’ and ‘The Death of Stalin’ are on #BBCFour this evening, at 9pm and 10.40pm. Do enjoy if you’re a fan of repeated threat.

The ever-eloquent @rafaelbehr.bsky.social pointedly refusing to mince his words on what Farage has done for us. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Boris Johnson says the idea that criticism of the BBC is being organised by the right is ‘complete and utter bollocks’, which makes me think there might be something in it.

BBC has a case against Trump. WhiteHouse Chief Press Officer called the BBC ‘100% fake news.’ Which is defamatory and untrue.

Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social

Trump says he will sue BBC for between $1 billion and $5 billion despite apology www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Trump says he will sue BBC for at least $1bn over Panorama edit

The US president told reporters on Air Force One that he will take legal action against the broadcaster and will call Sir Keir Starmer over the weekend.

Staring into the abyss, France calls for the recognition of Palestine and Britain says it’s really really bad to spray-paint planes.

If anyone can show me how you grow the economy by targeting people who need assistance to wash below their waist, please reply.

Kemi Badenoch defends the right to speak freely and air a different point of view, by insisting those who disagree must stop.

Well, this is quite a serious allegation. I do hope the BBC shows true impartiality and investigate whether or not some of its Board members are systemically biased. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...

BBC board member with Tory links ‘led charge’ in systemic bias claims, say insiders

Sources say Robbie Gibb amplified criticisms of Trump, Gaza and trans rights coverage, and had ‘a lot of oxygen in the room’

Get ready for Phase Two: a raid on Oslo to seize the Peace Prize.

1/ Support today for journalists fighting for the future of The Observer, threatened by The Scott Trust’s plan to sell to Tortoise Media. Tortoise, though respected, is a small, loss-making venture and the sale risks The Observer becoming a stripped-down website behind a paywall. Worse..

Well, there you go.

And so we move into the next phase of reality’s Squid Game: the end of fact-checking. From now on, what happened, what you think happened, and what you wanted to have happened, are all of equal value. Other than people getting killed, what could possibly go wrong? www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Meta to get rid of factcheckers and recommend more political content

Mark Zuckerberg says company will ‘dramatically reduce censorship’ across Facebook, Instagram and Threads

Today is Day One of humanity’s Idiolithic Era.

We left the 20th Century saying we must learn the lessons of history. And yet here we are, discarding them once again.

Farage in The Telegraph: ‘If voters think I’m a crook, they can get rid of me.’ It’s not how the law works but, even so, I’m assuming if Farage is serious he’ll allow the voters of Clacton to look at all his finances, speak to all his donors, and put himself up for rigorous questioning?

They already have our medical records,now Palantir (run by Peter Thiel) want to get into the predict-when-people-might-commit-a-crime business.Thiel’s protege is JD Vance. Apart from that, have a lovely Saturday. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Tech firm Palantir spoke with MoJ about calculating prisoners’ ‘reoffending risks’

Exclusive: Rights group expresses concerns as it emerges US spy tech company has been lobbying UK ministers

Powerful words, and powerful New Statesman article, by former Supreme Court judge Jonathan Sumpton, on the horrors being administered in Gaza.

Has anyone put it to Nigel Farage that his two main policies have been Brexit and Donald Trump?

Promotes freedom of speech then refuses to speak to local press. Nottingham Reform off to a solid start. www.nottinghampost.com/news/news-op...

Reform leader bans engagement with Notts Live in unprecedented step

All of Reform UK's Nottinghamshire county councillors will now refuse to speak to any of our journalists

My recent piece on #Musk in the Christmas @newstatesman.com www.newstatesman.com/comment/2024...

This Christmas, spare a thought for the world’s richest man

For disruptors like Elon Musk, the statement of intent is all. What happens next – such as running a new US government department – is distressingly boring.

Some of them are asking for their billion dollars back

Led By Donkeys @ledbydonkeys.org

Board of Peace - Season 1

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I found this thread by George Monbiot, as well as his article quoted, well worth a read. It gets to the heart of the problem of politics in the U.K. at the moment, and some pretty straightforward solutions staring our leaders in the face.

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social

It's a straightforward relationship: high #inequality leads to the triumph of the far right. It will keep winning until governments deliberately seek to make societies more equal. I'm looking at you, Keir Starmer. This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Rightwing populists will keep winning until we grasp this truth about human nature | George Monbiot

Economic inequality breeds resentment and a desire to get even. That’s what fuels support for even incompetent regimes, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

I’m not sure she knows how oil-cooled transformers work, but that’s fossil fuels for you: combustible critters.

Yes, it’s as if Meta’s forgotten how the internet works.

Max von Thun @maxvonthun.bsky.social

This is incredibly stupid by Meta. As a result, Careless People is now a bestseller in the US and while I may have read it anyways, Meta's clumsy attempts at censorship left me with no choice but to order a copy. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Meta stops former Facebook director from promoting critical memoir

Social media company wins US emergency ruling preventing ex-director from publicising her book.