This is good: Phillip Collins on the declining quality of political speeches open.substack.com/pub/lookstra...
From Churchill to Zelensky, leaders sound a lot more convincing when more is at stake
You'd have to have a heart of stone not to sympathise with Simon Case given the state of his health. But the fact is he should have gone a while ago and it has been a disservice to the gov (and nation) that the process to appoint his replacement was not set in train months ago.
Cabinet secretary says his decision is because of his health “and nothing to do with anything else”
Ordinarily a civil servant's retirement statement might include "it has been an honour to serve two sovereigns, four prime ministers and over 120 cabinet ministers in this role" as a humble-brag of longevity. For Simon Case, it represents FOUR YEARS. Take a moment to absorb the absurdity. ~AA
The first 15 minutes of R4 WATO's Lebanon coverage today was hilariously bad: <Sombre voice> "Sirens sounded in Tel Aviv": pause for 10 sec siren sound effect "Missiles lit up the sky": pause for 20secs of near silence punctuated by the occasional "pop, pop" of a distant air defence battery /
This is very useful: a full list of all the newspapers that the British Newspaper Archive allows free access to: blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2024/09/19/a...#History 🗃️
Unusually, I disagree with @stephenkb.bsky.socialep.ft.com/permalink/em...
Good morning from Birmingham. This is a very odd conference in many ways, in that the Tory party is in a state of flux, yet, barring some kind of unexpected shock, the race to become the next Conservative leader is very predictable.
Reading Raya Jalabi's excellent Lebanon report in the FT today I'm again struck but the superficiality of BBC News reporting. Time to rediscover John Birt's "mission to explain"? ‘Hizbollah is voiceless’: Lebanon’s most powerful force reels from loss of leader - on.ft.com/3BkVkjw
Israel’s assassination of Hassan Nasrallah shakes militant group and raises fears of civil strife in a fragile nation
First maternity pay, now the minimum wage....clear now that the genius Badenoch is bidding for Truss's Lettuce Lifespan award... www.ft.com/content/fec4...
Tory leadership contender doubles down on criticism of maternity pay as party gathers to hear from candidates
Irony dead, official
