Caroline Turner 💙

When I grew up I wanted to be an archaeologist.... not sure what happened! AVFC fan. SciFi fan. Most at home outdoors. Stay shiny, keep flying.

[Caroline Turner 💙 @cazturner413]

@tamworthfc Well done Tamworth. Absolutely top drawer performance. The fact that Spurs had to bring on the biggest guns just to get the breakthrough says it all. #tamworth 👏👏👏

[Caroline Turner 💙 @cazturner413]

Gettttt Innnnnn!!!!!!! @tamworthfc

[Caroline Turner 💙 @cazturner413]

Aston. Villa. FC. 😍😍😍😍😍 #avfc

[Sophy Ridge @SophyRidgeSky]

Can I be honest with you? I didn’t want to start the programme talking about the Conservative claim that a Labour Government would cost you £2,000 in extra taxes.

It’s obviously been disputed. Not just because it’s cumulative rather than annual – but because it’s based on an awful lot of assumptions, with some of the conclusions even being disowned by the authors who did the research.

But look – I’m being sucked down the rabbit hole now too.

There are two reasons I don’t want to talk about the £2,000 claim.

The first is because the Conservatives WANT us to talk about it – because even if we’re discussing the fact the number is being disputed, we’re still talking about Labour putting up tax.

But the second reason is even more important.
The parties are both arguing about whether each others sums add up.
Well… they don’t, do they?

Both of them are promising they won’t raise income tax, national insurance, or VAT – three fifths of the total tax revenue. Nobody wants to borrow other than to invest. Health, schools and defence are all ring fenced from spending cuts in some form.

I genuinely don’t understand how this all adds up. Not even close.
Public spending projections after the next election have been described as a “fantasy” by economists – the tax burden is set to hit a historic high - and we’re spending more on debt interest payments than education.

Forget about the quibbling over a few numbers here and there. Because it doesn’t seem to me like ANY party is being honest about just how difficult it will be after the election… and the kind of choices that the next Government will have to make – no matter who it turns out to be.

[KM @kwrmag]

@MichaelLCrick When was the last time in similar circumstances a Tory MP said they would resign if guilty ??? Next

[Good Law Project @GoodLawProject]

Charities should be run for public benefit and must abide by charity law!

📝 Sign our petition to @ChtyCommission here:
https://t.co/eOEPOibuHD

[Tom Scott 🇺🇦 @Tom___Scott]

"Democracy is more fragile than we think" says the man who lied to the Queen in order to prorogue Parliament and has endorsed Donald Trump, who tried to violently overturn a US presidential election.

Boris Johnson is completely devoid of shame.

[Dan Rather @DanRather]

If I may, there’s something I need to get off my chest.

As democracy remains under siege, it has been frustrating to watch how the press covers politics these days.

I am reminded by lessons that came to me during the Nixon years as a CBS News correspondent, which I’ll add here:

1. Enough with Both-sides-ism

When one side lies intentionally and repeatedly, they are no longer entitled to the benefit of the doubt. They should be held to account, right away. Do not simply repeat the narratives they spew.

2. Prioritize Live Fact-Checking

Rigorous and robust fact-checking is the best defense against misinformation, intentional lies, and deflection.

If Trump says the sky is green, the story isn’t that the sky is now green; the story is that the sky is still blue and Trump got it wrong.

3. Ask Lawmakers Hard Questions

Ask about the fundamental principles of democracy. Push them to go on the record that Biden won the 2020 election.

Ask if they support the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

This writing is not to offer any claim of knowing it all. Your correspondent has made his share of mistakes, but after more than seven decades I believe I have picked up a few useful guideposts.

Good journalism is always worth it. Our democracy depends on it.

↓

For the rest of my list, please see my the latest post of my independent newsletter – the link is in my Twitter biography.

[Nick Lowles @lowles_nick]

The Conservatives are stoking the flames of hatred in the most horrendous and cynical way. The country is falling apart and they are whipping up a moral panic to divert attention from the real problems people face. Reprehensible

[Adam Schwarz @AdamJSchwarz]

Rishi Sunak, who voted to criminalise the right to protest, make it harder to vote, strip the Electoral Commission of powers and limit court abilities to remedy unlawful government actions, says political extremists have no respect for British democracy.

[Caroline Turner 💙 @cazturner413]

Oh how I love Sweep.....! 🤣🤣🤣

[Edwin Hayward @edwinhayward]

It's been an utterly abominable 24 hours for Brexit news:

- The UK gave up on negotiations to extend our trade deal with Canada, leaving us worse off than when we were an EU member
https://t.co/EkwL7Ux6TG

- New incoming border checks will add £200 million a year to the cost of our food and drink.
https://t.co/gxYDOLZdeE

- MPs were warned that the EU's upcoming ETIAS/EES border systems may lead to 14-hour queues to enter (the rest of) Europe from the autumn.
https://t.co/L0rpDZLNTZ

- There were warnings of possible shortages of flowers for Valentines Day because of the new incoming border checks.
https://t.co/G7ao5PRwOS

- A plan to extend visas for British expats in France from 90 to 180 days was blocked by France's Constitutional Council court (a decision which has no right of appeal).
https://t.co/tTIfgcgYFd

- Rishi Sunak's pledge to ensure no future laws can create a border down the Irish Sea has gone down like a bucket of sick in TUV quarters. (And has sent the blood pressure of the usual suspect Brexiters sky-high.)
https://t.co/odwcopbjcJ

- The EU's plans to increase bulk medicine procurement across the bloc risk creating shortages in Britain because they have very significantly greater buying power than the UK does.
https://t.co/qMmYN6l1dt

Phew! That's a truly catastrophic batch of headlines for just one day...

[Dave Ward @DaveWardGS]

Gillian Keegan’s husband was the CEO of Fujitsu, the company at the centre of the Post Office scandal.

Fujitsu is a partner of Infosys.

Infosys is owned by Sunak’s wife’s family.

The Tories hands are all over this cover up and injustice. We cannot let them off the hook.

[David__Osland @David__Osland]

The overlapping personnel between Fujitsu, Infosys and the upper echelons of the Conservative Party is no coincidence. This is what 40 years of neoliberalism has done to democracy.

[Aston Villa @AVFCOfficial]

A CLUB-RECORD FIFTEEN HOME LEAGUE WINS IN A ROW

[ALASTAIR CAMPBELL @campbellclaret]

So the government has spent an extra £100m on the Rwanda gimmick and didn’t bother to tell Parliament or the public when the third Rwanda Home Secretary went off on his treaty signing day trip the other day. We are now on £240m - £80m per Home Secretary. And not a single 1/4

[Marina Purkiss @MarinaPurkiss]

How very pertinent…

Context is dead.

[Marina Purkiss @MarinaPurkiss]

One man can’t use a Coutts bank

Millions now using food banks

Which gets the most coverage?

Which gets most Govt intervention?

Which gets the speediest action?

This country is broken.

[Adam Bienkov @AdamBienkov]

The amount of coverage and political capital being spent on Nigel Farage being asked to move his bank account from Coutts to Natwest, tells you everything you need to know about the insane priorities of British politics and media.