God this is gorgeous

I’m taking some pleasure in making positive comments in the midst of negative, attacking, rightist tweets

My sister reports from Makerfield: “Who knows , we’re surprised at the amount of reform posters surrounding us ! We’ve got Andy pic up , but only a few near here”

Imagine if Trump brings up Henry Nowak and Belfast to Keir Starmer

Lays down the gauntlet for Burnham

Very sad. Labour through and through, a fine mind and gifted writer, a loyal and hard working deputy to Neil at a vital time in Labour history, and a critical friend to New Labour. Sheffield Wednesday to the very end! RIP Roy

Bob Dylan released his seventh studio album ‘Blonde on Blonde’ (1966) 60 years ago this week | Listen to the album read our tribute by @j_ducker here: album.ink/BobDylanBOB @bobdylan

This month marks 55 years since Joni Mitchell released her fourth studio album 'Blue' in June of 1971 | Listen to the album read our anniversary tribute by @markchappelle here: album.ink/JMitchellBlue @jonimitchell

The Beeb have definitely caught a cold on World Cup coverage. ITV looks better, better panels, more fun, more professional coverage. Needs an inquiry…

David Hockney Rip!

Big News this morning : The George Washington statue near Fenway Park in Boston has been given the Highest Honour By the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Fans. Someone has got up there God knows how and placed a traffic cone □on his heed. 😅🤣😂😂. This is a proud moment for 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland. 👍🏻

A decade-long project to bring water and energy into public control will lie at the heart of Andy Burnham’s agenda should he become prime minister, according to sources close to the Greater Manchester mayor. Exc from @kiranstacey theguardian.com/politics/202…

Delighted to be in the USA watching Scotland play Haiti tonight, honouring a promise I made to my youngest many years ago that if Scotland qualified we'd go together to see them play... and hopefully win.

This would be an excellent weekend for the good people of Makerfield to get away for a mini break. Leave the place carpeted in journalists & canvassers all interviewing each other.

We are doomed

David Hockney (British Artist, 1937–2026) "Large Interior, Los Angeles", 1988. Oil and Ink on cut and pasted Paper on Canvas, 183.5 × 305.4 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

The painter and New Yorker contributor David Hockney has passed away, at the age of 88. To celebrate his life and work, here are some of his covers.

NEW: Bloomberg Saturday read — Andy Burnham is planning to move quickly after Makerfield to secure a coronation. His supporters think John Healey’s resignation kills off Keir Starmer’s chances of survival. They think Wes Streeting and Al Carns don’t have the numbers, and that Burnham can quickly get 250 Labour MPs and most of the cabinet to back him. — Starmer insists he’ll fight, but the question is what the cabinet does. Burnham’s supporters want them to tell the PM to agree a handover. Before Healey resigned, Starmer’s allies hoped he could battle on because most of the cabinet would back him to stay. Aides suggest the calculus is changing and Healey’s brutal exit makes it more likely they tell Starmer it’s over. — Even Starmer loyalists are very critical of the PM. They wish he’d been bolder, found the defence money from welfare, net zero or elsewhere, and sacked Ed Miliband. Several allies say they can’t believe Miliband and Shabana Mahmood (who they say privately plotted with Burnham and Miliband to oust Starmer) are still in the cabinet, but Healey isn’t. One says that’s the final evidence of his lack of authority, political judgment and decision-making ability. — Starmer’s relationship with Rachel Reeves has been tested to the limit. Her resistance led Starmer to renege on his Munich speech and overrule Healey and Jonathan Powell. She effectively buried his survival strategy of focusing on security. Reeves allies argue it’s her job to make the numbers add up and if Starmer wanted more money for defence he could have imposed more departmental cuts but was unwilling. — Burnham will not keep Reeves on as his chancellor, despite her allies pitching her to stay. Reappointing her would not be the change he’s promising, one Burnham supporter says. They say they spoke to Reeves around the locals and came away believing she would help them persuade Starmer to go, but she didn’t follow through. — The turmoil is rattling UK allies. European diplomats contacted British counterparts in recent days complaining about the uncertainty over the UK’s defence spending plans, the slow pace of the uplift and Healey’s departure. They’ve also asked for information about Burnham’s plans for foreign policy and defence but got no answer. — If Burnham does become PM he’ll face the same problems. His critics say he’s never uttered a word of substance on defence or foreign policy, shows no interest in it and has no plan. It is not impossible that in the next few months the British PM has to join negotiations with Putin over Ukraine. “Can you imagine Burnham doing that?” asks one official, especially with Powell likely to leave with Starmer. — Starmer’s chaos also distracted from what might otherwise have been a bad week for Burnham. He got away with his WASPI gaffe thanks to Healey. Labour MPs are also critical of his plans on immigration. One aide said his proposal to end asylum hotel contracts and move responsibility for housing migrants to local authorities is amateurish and toxic. — It all leaves Labour MPs in a state of total despair. Starmer looks finished but Burnham has no obvious plan and keeps making basic mistakes that foreshadow another troubled premiership, one said. If Burnham loses Makerfield, Labour appears to have no other options. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

- on Tues MOD warned No 10 settlement was too low 'the deal was so bad they didn't know how to present it' - late night Weds, Healey threatened to quit - No 10 political team told him on Thurs morn PM wouldn't budge, so he walked - Starmer ally “perplexed” “No one around the Cabinet table has done more to sort defence spending than Keir - but probs on defence cash have been long in the making - are the dominoes starting to fall? More here.. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c621…