'Bring on a politics that puts the person, not the party rosette, on the podium.'

Read Compass Deputy Director Frances Foley in Byline Times on what last week's local elections tell us about the kind of politics we want to see our local leaders practice:

bylinetimes.com/2024/05/07/ben…

I will build at least 10,000 council homes. As for right to buy – suspend it for new properties. There’s no point us building houses if people sell them off cheaply to no public benefit. It’s like running a bath with no plug. ⁦Andy Burnham⁩ theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Today is the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy.

It was adopted as the anthem of the European Union and over the decades has been used repeatedly as the anthem of freedom and progress in Europe.

Last week it was blasted out in Tbilisi, Georgia.

P&O bosses gave themselves £15m bonuses after sacking 800 UK staff a year ago and replacing them with people from Asia/Africa paid a quarter of the UK minimum wage.

Meanwhile in France they couldn’t fire anyone because of EU employment laws.

Another Brexit 'Benefit'.

Clear-eyed analysis, and correctly identifies driving the 2019 purge of moderate MPs as the point of no return. Of 21 who lost the whip in Brexit battles, only one is standing as a candidate at next GE.

Why do we celebrate #EuropeDay on May 9?

#OnThisDay in 1950, Robert Schuman delivered a groundbreaking declaration that laid the foundation for the European Union as we know it.

Take a look to learn more about this visionary man who changed the course of European history ↓

Today the European Media Freedom Act enters into force.

It is our first EU rulebook to protect media independence and pluralism.

This new legislation provides safeguards against political interference in editorial decisions and against surveillance of journalists.

More info ↓

'These carers are basically keeping the country going, it can be quite a lonely and dark place at times'

Lindsey Burrow, whose husband Rob is living with MND, told #BBCBreakfast about her plans for a book highlighting the role of unpaid carers called 'Take Care: A Memoir of…

The concessions the EU did offer David Cameron in February 2016 were seen as the EU stretching its law almost to breaking point. EU officials were astonished, perhaps naively, that they didn't feature in the referendum debate.

ft.com/content/0e60f4…

I will build at least 10,000 council homes. As for right to buy – suspend it for new properties | Andy Burnham theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

John Curtice explains the paradox in Labour's voter base.

They're attracting Leave voters, but generally it's those who've changed their minds and would now vote Remain.

And overall their voters are around 75% pro-EU.

Makes their stance madness.

Well, well, well,

Have a watch of this…

Govt voted to relax laws on letting water firms pump sewage into our waters

Why?

Because water firms could no longer get the chemicals needed to treat the water

Why?

…BREXIT

Clickbait. Boosting bullshit. Reward for extremism. It made Farage. It is making her. Minority voices given way too much airtime. Have they looked at viewing figures recently? If the smaller progressive parties got the same attention as the right wing extremists this would be a…

The Tories: Never before has a party been in power for 14 years and achieved so little and damaged so much. But still they hang on till the last possible moment. They deserve to be electorally crushed and kept from power for a very long time.

The Guardian view on the local elections: 14 years after Cameron inaugurated an era of austerity, followed by rightwing populism and political chaos, the local elections confirmed that we stand on the threshold of something new, and better - Let’s hope! theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

Labour Needs a Clearer Plan for Brexit - everything that has gone wrong for the Tories is down to their calamitous embrace of Brexit. But it risks overwhelming Labour too if it doesn’t arrive in government with a plan to stem the toxic tide. My latest
open.substack.com/pub/nixons/p/l…

The EU-New Zealand trade deal entered into force this week.

EU businesses, producers and farmers are now able to take advantage of a host of new export opportunities.

The deal is expected to cut €140 million a year in duties for EU companies.

#EUTrade

GOP Senator Mitt Romney: “70% of Republicans still say that Donald Trump won...Are we going to abandon truth to that degree? It’s absolutely absurd...

Actually, most of the evidence I’ve seen so far has been Republicans trying to corrupt the election.”

Together for our democracy💚❤️
Together for all of us🫂
#democracy

The centre left did really well in the elections; Greens and LibDems made good gains. So the day after, the BBC books three Tories, including this bonkers backbencher, and no Greens or LibDems.

Plus no apology for the completely inaccurate London Mayor rumours. Ho hum.