Richard Watson

[🇬🇧King 🇬🇧 @King0243_PJC]

Robert, spare us the pantomime.
Gary Lineker did not drag the government to court so he could pay less tax.

HMRC tried to reclassify his freelance work as employment under IR35 and hit him with a £4.9 million bill he did not owe. He took them on, won the case, and proved they got it wrong. That is not tax dodging. That is making the taxman stick to the rules instead of inventing them.

Defending yourself against a false bill is completely different from choosing to support higher taxes. One is your right. The other is putting your money where your mouth is.

You, on the other hand, are busy sneering at millionaires willing to pay more while the Met Police are investigating a £37,500 donation to your own Tory leadership campaign. The Electoral Commission referred it because part of the money allegedly came from a foreign source. You say the claims are false. Fine. The investigation is still running.

So whose side are you really on? Not the ordinary voter in your constituency watching services get cut.

Not the people who actually need the system to work.

You talk tough about tax while your own campaign finances are under scrutiny, and you still found time to abandon the Tories for Reform after failing to lead them.

You lecture others on hypocrisy while the police check your receipts. That takes a special kind of nerve.

[Peter Stefanovic @PeterStefanovi2]

‘Did you get confused with Reform's policy?' - @SophyRidgeSky

Sophy challenges Reform's @RobertJenrick on what happened when he accidentally voted to scrap the two-child benefit cap, saying he went to the wrong lobby

You just can’t make this stuff up

[Lizzie Johnson @lizziejohnsonnn]

I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated.

[The Green Party @TheGreenParty]

Help us make hope normal again.
Join the Green Party now.

[Bharat Sundaresan @beastieboy07]

Incredible news this. For a major Test nation to opt out of a World Cup

[Richard Watson @kingdick3]

@askhelpteaam67 We e tried this before —- on my out bound
Let’s start with how my seat changes twice after check in last night

[Richard Watson @kingdick3]

@British_Airways #Hope failed you

[Stan Collymore @StanCollymore]

Suicide.

I'm choosing to be deliberately blunt and provocative in this post because it's necessary. Government, charities, football clubs are all pushing water up a hill in highlighting what is undoubtedly a major health crisis.

You take a rope.
You put it up in a garage or a tree nearby or far away.
You're thinking about every loved one you'll leave behind as you put that rope around your neck.
Then you drop.

Some are decapitated.
Some aren't.
All are found by someone who has a lifetime of trauma that will never leave them.
A son.
A daughter.
A brother.
A sister.
A mother.
A father.

I know 2 men who hung themselves.

One was found by his Mom.
One was found by his brother.
Neither have recovered fully. 20 and 30 years on.

A life sentence for people who were already worrying, terrified their loved one may do something.

So just visualise the above and ask, "is there another way"?

A segway for a moment.

I do a few Q&A's every year. Tales of yesterday with a 99% male audience of my age group.

After the stories and fun, my last question back to the audience is..

"Hands up if you struggle with a mental health issue".

Nobody ever puts a hand up. Despite 1 in every 3 of 500 attendees statistically struggling.

"Ah, nobody, that's fucking brilliant! Well I do! ". I then graphically tell people, stunned into silence about how a rope around my neck in the middle of nowhere jolted me to go home and cry like a baby to my Mom.

After the Q&A has finished, something always happens. I'll be chatting to a few guys, saying bye and one by one, men will come over and whisper " I struggle".

Or my mailbox the next day will have 30 emails from guys, their partners or kids saying " Dad/Uncle /Brother was there last night and what you said hit them hard".

And that's how some people realise that it's time to speak to a pal or family member or even rant to me in an email. It works, I often get a follow up email a year or 6 later saying that they took responsibility for their suicidal feelings and are now flying.

Humans are programmed to want to live, to have families and to keep the species growing and thriving. So for a human to want to short circuit that desire isn't normal, and it should never be spoken of as normal. It's the ultimate red flag.

If you suspect your mate, Dad, Brother, Uncle is struggling mentally, they deserve your intervention.

They deserve a " are you OK, please tell me what's up".

They deserve an opportunity to get past wanting to hang a rope over a tree or in a garage and slowly struggle until they die and you find them.

If you've been there and trust me I have plenty, then you'll know that text out of the blue, or a footie mate or one of your kids asking jow you are can open the curtains to some sunshine.

Because when suicide is your only answer, the room is already dark, and you can't see a way out.

So please, fucking pretty please, ask that husband, Dad, Uncle, Cousin, footie pal TODAY how they are.

You may be shocked what comes back but extremely glad that you asked.

For those who struggle, you're not alone.

[Richard Watson @kingdick3]

@British_Airways #Hope

[Richard Watson @kingdick3]

Unfortunately I have a return flight booked with @British_Airways but wow on the outbound maybe I’ll just change and reconsider all the future bookings too! #Rude #Zero #CustomerService

[Peter Stefanovic @PeterStefanovi2]

Brexit - championed by Farage - has been a significant factor in creating this mess - it’s time UK news shows started pointing that out

[Malcolm Conn @malcolmconn]

South Africa need 282 to win and are no chance. Zero #WTCFinal #wtc2025final

[Paul Allen @PaulJam50]

@justdave89now

[Just Dave now @justdavenow89]

The party for the workers 😂😂

Voting record begs to differ..

[Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 @Haggis_UK]

Watch Wilfred Frost challenge Robert Jenrick on what the Tory policy is on winter fuel payments. 👍

[Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 @Haggis_UK]

Kemi Badenoch: "Beales couldn't survive this Labour government."

but

it turns out Beales couldn't survive the Tory government.

BBC January 2020: "Department store Beales collapses into administration."

[PoliticsJOE @PoliticsJOE_UK]

After Reform's surge in the locals, Everyone Hates Elon unveil a new billboard taking aim at Nigel Farage.

[Pippa Crerar @PippaCrerar]

Andrew Norfolk, the retired reporter who uncovered the grooming scandal in Rotherham, has spoken to @thetimes to “put the record straight” about Elon Musk’s wild claims about the PM's time as director of public prosecutions.

“It was Starmer who changed the rules to make more prosecutions possible. That happened and there was a huge increase in convictions.”

He also told @TheNewsAgents: "These girls are being exploited all over again. Politicians jumping on the bandwagon after years of silence is shameful".

[WG RumblePants @WG_RumblePants]

People of Leicestershire, please support your local cricket club!

And, a plea to all other 🏏 fans, please share @SeanMJarvis’s tweet and help him reach as many people as possible

We all need to rally together to help @leicsccc grow their membership. Please do your bit 🙏

[Sean Jarvis @SeanMJarvis]

An open letter 🦊