American-British immigrant in Paris ๐ซ๐ท. Lawyer โ๏ธ, Democrat ๐บ๐ธ and pro-EU ๐ช๐บ. Episcopalian โ๏ธ. Owner of two #Schipperkes ๐๐โ๐ฆบ
1,072 followers 2,650 following 205 posts
view profile on Bluesky
This is fascinating. Iโm glad that I was educated decades before ChatGTP existed. ChatGTP is great for speeding admin (โwrite a cover email for thisโ). For deeper writing, it can be useful sounding board once you have a draft but itโs important to start the writing yourself and retain full agency.
Am not surprised at all. I used to live in a neighbouring ward. West Hampstead ward has long history of Lib-Dem representation. Iโd have been shocked if Labour had held it. Congrats to the Lib-Dems!
That high of a score for the Greens in Barking and Dagenham is a terrible sign for Labour ahead of all out London council elections in 2026. If the Greens can do that well in B&D, imagine how they can do in boroughs like Camden, Islington, Hackney, Lewisham and Greenwich.
Thank you for this thread. It demonstrates how complicated the next general election will be, and you really need to look at each constituency individually. Every constituency is different and each will have its own dynamics against the larger national polling trends.
We are writers for a reason. We want to help people understand the world. It is reasonable that we would like to have some readers, at the end of the day! I follow so many science journalists and feel I don't see them share much of their stuff - I would love to read! Add to this thread.
๐ช๐บ On 29 June 1985, European leaders chose a symbol that would stand the test of time. Twelve golden stars in a circle. A powerful symbol of who we are and what we stand for: unity and peace, democracy and solidarity. Today, we celebrate 40 years of our common flag.
I think that the Greens would be wasting their time in Notting Dale, the Labour Group pushed for the current boundaries to make it rock solid. You have to pick your targetsโฆ. However last I saw the Labour Group in RBKC was in a sorry state, several of their councillors have left the Group.
However part of my old ward in North Kensington is in a new ward called St Helenโs. The Greens might have a chance there if they work it hard but itโs a big lift. Pembridge and Colville strike me as better targets for Greens in RBKC (especially Colville which contains Portobello Road).
Like every parliamentary seat, every ward is different. I was a Labour councillor in North Kensington from 2010-14 and I canโt imagine my old ward (which is now called Notting Dale) going Green. For the avoidance of doubt, I am no longer a Labour member or supporter.
If you say so, you know the area better than I do.
From what I know of Shooters Hill itโs quite progressive, people I knew who lived there said that it was a lot like Islington. Once Greens win in a progressive area they can be tough to dislodge (for example as in Brighton, Pavilion).
Agreed, why would the ward flip back to Labour? On the contrary, progressive voters with doubts about Labour can now vote Green with confidence that a Green win in the ward is possible.
Labourโs strategy seems to be trying to scare progressive voters into voting tactically to keep out Reform UK. This failed in Thursdayโs by-election in Shooters Hill ward (Greenwich) where the Greens gained the ward on a huge swing.
Terrible result for Labour less than a year to go before all out London council elections. Labour is vulnerable to Greens in boroughs like Greenwich, Islington, Camden, Hackney.
Kentucky native here, as usual Senator McConnell is throwing his constituents under the bus. Not only will Medicaid cuts cause people to lose coverage, hospitals will close, especially in rural areas such as eastern Kentucky.
I had the privilege of meeting Senator Murray in 1993. She is a class act and Iโm so glad that she is in the Senate and speaking out.
This is a lie. We all saw the video. The Senator clearly identified himself, and he did not "lunge" toward anyone. If these miserable propagandists will lie to you about roughing up a U.S. Senator in a room full of reporters, what won't they lie to you about?
Were there chemists and pubs?
It looks horrific and reports say that the plane crashed in a residential area. Absolutely awful.
Thank you!
Annie, can you recommend any good personal finance podcasts? I have listened to Dave Ramsey but have decided to stop after learning about his anti-LGBT employment policies.
Yup. Amongst many horrors, my undergraduate university will have to pay 21% of its endowment per year under the โendowment levyโ. The MAGA congresswoman for the district said that not for profit universities should be taxed like for profit corporations.
I thought the same thing. Itโs the closest metro station to my apartment and it is indeed a wonderful place to live.
I moved to Paris in 2020 just before the Brexit barriers went up. Iโm putting together my dossier to apply for French citizenship later this year. Iโm so sad about what has happened in UK. France hasnโt always been easy but I love it and itโs my home now.
Yes. A lot of people will want to look at options that arenโt red or blue.
Well donโt lose hope. I think that the 2024 general election result will prove to be ephemeral. I live in France now and the traditional centre right has all but collapsed, I think that is where the Tories are headed. Things do change (but not always for the best obviously).
Surely the Greens are planning a big push in boroughs like Islington and Hackney. Donโt forget that Islington Council was Lib-Dem not all that long ago. No such thing as a safe seatโฆ
Is that Croydon South? Itโs one of the Toriesโ best remaining parliamentary seats but surely Reform will be eyeing up wards there for 2026.
Yes there are often tight margins on the council in Croydon between Conservative and Labour. Reform could upset the apple cart if they get any seats.
Yes I wondered about that one. I donโt know that borough well but was surprised when it voted for Brexit. Other boroughs that I donโt know well enough to judge are Ilford, Harrow and Croydon. All would seem to offer Reform at least some potential.
Also Reform could do well all over the place, including Birmingham and several outer London boroughs (eg Bexley, Bromley, Havering, Hillingdon, Barking & Dagenham, Hounslow).
2025 was a mere warm up act. 2026 is going to be far more significant and interesting. One thing I will be watching closely is Green progress in the London constituencies where they placed second in 2024.
Ha ha. Indeedโฆ
Itโs interesting how close this is to producing a result where no one can govern. Imagine Reform gets 15 fewer seats and that Labour wins those 15 seats. Try to put together a stable government on that outcome.
Seeing Canada join the European Union would be amazing. It would open opportunities to both Europeans and Canadians. If the EU treaties need to be amended to allow Canada to join then I say go for it!
I agree. The Greens are in a good position to overperform in their target seats. As for the Lib-Dems, they are in a good position to hold their 2024 wins and expand from there.
As an Episcopalian I wouldnโt be surprised if Trump comes after us. If he thinks that will change our beliefs and actions he has another thing coming.
Marine Le Pen was convicted of embezzling money. The case isnโt hard to understand. Her opponents should continue to state that fact as she predictably โplays the victimโ. Sheโs not a โvictimโ. Sheโs an embezzler.
I was officially sworn in as an โavocatโ (French lawyer) and member of the Paris Bar today.
Want to know how Trump gets in? Just look at the coverage of Le Pen iandunt.substack.com/p/want-to-kn...
For me, a home isnโt a home without books, art and dogs.
RFK Jr. forces out Peter Marks, FDAโs top vaccine scientist. In his resignation letter, Marks rebuked Kennedy for seeking โsubservient confirmation of his misinformation and liesโ about vaccines. #RFJjr #vaccineswork www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.mediamatters.org/diversity-di...
Iโm an immigrant living in France. I moved to France in 2020 and will apply for French citizenship in the Autumn. Donโt I count?
Do you have back up on swing states throwing out Dem votre for errors? Source please.
The systematic purging of Democratic inclined voters is something that think did happen.
The swings to Trump in swing states were actually LESS than average of swings to Trump in non swing states. This suggests that Harrisโs campaign was actually working, just not enough to overcome the national swing. www.brookings.edu/articles/wha...
I am a die-hard Democrat and voted for Harris. I donโt buy the conspiracy theories, there were swings to Trump almost everywhere across the country.
Iโm going to New York tomorrow and I see that the Trump administration has removed the T from LGBT at #Stonewall National Monument. The fact is that trans people played a HUGE part in the Stonewall riots in 1969. The Trump administration is erasing history. www.nps.gov/ston/index.htm
Itโs not clear to me why she was โshockedโ. I am a naturalised UK citizen and carefully tracked my days out of UK for my citizenship application. I am applying for French citizenship later this year and am taking great care to follow all French immigration rules.
What a jerk. Iโm a ๐บ๐ธ ๐ฌ๐ง dual citizen living in ๐ซ๐ท patiently waiting to become eligible to apply for ๐ซ๐ท ๐ช๐บ citizenship later this year.
The far left in France hates it when one points this out. Also they think that if you arenโt far left then you are on the right. I literally ran for UK Parliament as a socialist yet people on the far left in France refuse to accept that my politics are not right wing.
The โhorseshoe theoryโ ๐งฒ of politics in action. The far left and far right in France are both so extreme that their policies at times are the same (anti-EU and anti-NATO).
Mandelson seems to think he can negotiate and use diplomacy to get better deals for the UK. Itโs like trying to negotiate with a hungry bear ๐ปโitโs not going to work.
I think that Nanceโs piece doesnโt give enough attention to NATO article 5. France would swiftly put boots on the ground to support Canada and UK would reluctantly follow with the rest of NATO. Canada is physically too big for the USA to subdue quickly.
I just opened X (I donโt post there but still have my account). I feel like I need a shower now.
I am a ๐บ๐ธ citizen living in ๐ซ๐ท ๐ช๐บ. I donโt really buy many ๐บ๐ธ products (not as a boycott but because Iโm generally perfectly happy with ๐ช๐บ options). Iโm going to ๐บ๐ธ next week to see family and itโs going to be weird and difficult. This is all going to keep getting worse.
I am a ๐บ๐ธ citizen living in ๐ซ๐ท ๐ช๐บ. I donโt really buy many ๐บ๐ธ products (not as a boycott but because Iโm generally perfectly happy with ๐ช๐บ options). Iโm going to ๐บ๐ธ next week to see family and itโs going to be weird and difficult. This is all going to keep getting worse.
President Trump has expanded his insane trade war to the EU. Aside from retaliatory tariffs from the EU (which I strongly support), I expect that a boycott of US goods by EU consumers will swiftly follow as is already taking place in Canada. ๐คฆ
More of this!
Itโs totally normal (I am a lawyer) for a law firm to retain another law firm. Happens all the time for reasons such as expertise, conflicts and bandwidth at the hiring firm.
I know that Reform may fancy their chances in the #Runcorn #byelection but I wouldnโt write off Labour. Look at the Liberal recovery in the polls in Canada. Labour leaflets can carry pictures of Putin and say โTHIS GUY is hoping you vote Reform.โ
Thank you for posting. My mother is a retired schoolteacher and the Fairness Act is a game changer for her.
I was not a Fulbright scholar but I know several talented people who wereโall were diligent and talented students who won this prestigious award in a rigorous application process. This is pulling the rug out from under them and is terrible.
Just when you think President Trump canโt sink any lower, he manages to surprise and reach a whole new depth. I hope that the UK and EU open their doors to these 240,000 Ukrainian victims of President Trump.
Thank you for posting. My mother is a retired teacher and is awaiting her benefit.
Have you received a payment? My mother is a retired school teacher and is awaiting her benefits.
I agree with Senator Kim. The UK ๐ฌ๐ง should take note of Kimโs realistic take on President Trumpโs lack or real commitment to NATO.
Wow this article says that President Macron is going to propose that France up its defence spending to 5% of GDP. As a ๐บ๐ธ citizen living and working in France Iโm happy to help pay tax for that given the disgraceful conduct of President Trump.
As an American citizen living in France, thank you for your service in the US military. ๐ I never forget that people died so Europe can be free today.
Uh yah. I have not read the article but Trump would have at bare minimum been in the โAmerica Firstโ isolationist movement and he would have applauded appeasement by selling out the Czechs in 1938.
Wow. So weird. Iโm a dual ๐บ๐ธ ๐ฌ๐ง citizen living in France ๐ซ๐ท ๐ช๐บ. Itโs clear to me that a Trump led USA government is NOT reliable and a โcoalition of the willingโ needs to step up for Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ. Hopefully USA ๐บ๐ธ will return to sanity, decency and truth in 2028.
Reminds me of that episode of โFamily Guyโ where Meg goes to work in a Russian troll farm and she convinces a Facebook group of young mothers that diapers cause autism.
*sigh*. I have been getting but the flu shot every year now since college but this year I let it slide and sure enough I got the flu in January. It was truly miserable. My own fault and lesson learned.
This is the expression that a longtime friend makes when you ask in shock if they voted for Trump. #WhiteLotus
Last Night in TIMES SQUARE THANK YOU PROTESTERS This is how it's done WE stand with UKRAINE ๐บ๐ฆ
30,000,000 Bluesky accounts. Every one of us should be flying the Ukrainian flag. Itโs a modest but visible act of support, as well as resistance. Please join me and repost.
This could be true.
That Oval Office debacle today solidified two things: 1. The US is not a trusted ally 2. Zelensky is a hero
What is happening in Iowa to trans rights is sad and infuriating. I went to college in Iowa in the 1990s and was a summer intern for the great progressive Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa. How far the state has fallen since then. ๐ก
Thank you for this update and your work on this issue. My mother is a retired public school teacher and this is huge for her.
It doesnโt help that my family moved around a lot in the USA over the years. I will have to get documents apostilled in the US states of Kansas, Kentucky and New Mexico, and also in the UK.
Have started getting my documents together for French naturalisation. There is a โdossierโ to be done for anything important in France and the one for naturalisation will take months to compile. For example, I need an apostilled and officially translated copy of my parentsโ marriage license.
I do think that the 2024 election result will prove to be ephemeral (as compared to say 2001 when very few seats changed hands from 1997 result). I expect the Labour vote to splinter all over the place and the Conservatives may not have hit rock bottom.
I agree that the list of realistic Green targets is still pretty limited. But look how hard they have been to shift once they get in (eg Brighton Pavillon). Some Bristol seats are low hanging fruit, seats in London where Greens were in second place will be tougher due to enormous swings still needed
I also think that the Greens can make gains beyond what a national swing would suggest. If they target carefully they should be well placed to get disillusioned Labour voters. It would help if Lib-Dems keep their activity down in Green target seats (and vice versa).
The Lib-Dems will be extremely difficult to dislodge next time in the seats that they won in 2024 as their MPs will be working the seats hard and it will be clear what the tactical vote is in those seats. It will be interesting to see how many seats the Lib-Dems can gain.
The Lib-Dems are going to be hard to dislodge in the seats that they won in 2024 and I also expect the Greens to target well and gain more seats than national polls suggest. In Labour and Tory held seats there may be lots seats won on low % of vote as itโs so fragmented.
What's the difference between firing someone "for DEI" and firing them because they are Black?
Theyโre the same thing.
Thank you, Janet Mills. This is how all our elected officials everywhere should be confronting Trump's authoritarian "we are the law" sentiment. Head on.
The last Democrat to win a Senate race in Kentucky was Wendell Ford in 1992. Kentuckians historically will elect a Democrat to the Governorโs mansion but not to federal office.
Kentucky native here. Beshear is term limited and his term as governor ends in 2027. He has already said he wonโt run for the Senate seat in 2026 and I doubt that any Democrat can win that race.
Thank you for speaking out on this. My mother is a retired public school teacher and the change in law will make a huge difference for her.
The United States Postal Service is just that โ a public service for the American people. No matter where you live, neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor hail, they will deliver. Any attempt to shutter it would take an act of Congress. Efforts to close or privatize USPS would cause undue harm.
politicalwire.com/2025/02/20/t...
The far right in France does exactly the same thing, they says that โles franรงais des papiersโ can never truly be French. Non extremists call this out as unfair discrimination in France, people in UK should do the same.