Nostr notes by George Monbiot

Almost everything we argue about is a substitute for the thing we ...

2026-04-21T06:52:30Z

Almost everything we argue about is a substitute for the thing we should be arguing about: the immense wealth & power of an oligarchic class, which captures governments, ruins lives and wrecks the living planet.
This class redirects our rage at scapegoats. To resist its lies is to resist its power.

It's the opposite of his intention, but the Idiot Emperor is ...

2026-04-18T08:44:45Z

It's the opposite of his intention, but the Idiot Emperor is forcing the world off fossil fuels. This week's column.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/18/fossil-fuel-trump-green-revolution-us-iran-renewable-energy )

[Who’d have thought a fossil-fu...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/18/fossil-fuel-trump-green-revolution-us-iran-renewable-energy?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other )

When you aggregate the comments of various Reform UK candidates, ...

2026-04-15T06:47:12Z

When you aggregate the comments of various Reform UK candidates, you find they:
Hate the NHS
Hate immigrants
Hate Black people
Hate Brown people
Hate Muslims
Hate Jews
Hate women
Hate students
Hate LGTBQ people
Hate the unemployed
Hate disabled people
Hate everyone ...
But claim to love the country.

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:codfx2epdduamfycuyi5fjpb/post/3mjjaqbdngc2t

quoting
note1cp0…dvsw

Lovely people, these Reform UK candidates for the upcoming election, and great to know they're on our side.
https://oyster.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:codfx2epdduamfycuyi5fjpb&cid=bafkreibv4szax6zufeatr26lwlljttavnhdlqk3kmn3dpjhmnuvh5alzry

Lovely people, these Reform UK candidates for the upcoming ...

2026-04-15T06:17:43Z

Lovely people, these Reform UK candidates for the upcoming election, and great to know they're on our side.
https://oyster.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:codfx2epdduamfycuyi5fjpb&cid=bafkreibv4szax6zufeatr26lwlljttavnhdlqk3kmn3dpjhmnuvh5alzry

In the 1930s, Oswald Mosley claimed to be a patriot, while his ...

2026-04-14T09:09:32Z

In the 1930s, Oswald Mosley claimed to be a patriot, while his British Union of Fascists was secretly funded by the Italian government. We are just beginning to grasp how much of the far right in the UK today has been funded by Viktor Orbán and Russian oil money.
Their "patriotism" is always a con.

I don't know why this is so hard for some people to grasp. If ...

2026-04-14T06:57:32Z

I don't know why this is so hard for some people to grasp. If we extend our use of fossil gas, rather than going all-out for grid batteries, heat pumps and induction hobs, we extend our dependence on *foreign* sources of gas, regardless of whether we also use the UK's last remaining reserves. 🧵

A crucial article, but one quibble. I've been arguing since ...

2026-04-13T12:56:18Z

A crucial article, but one quibble. I've been arguing since 1997 that Frank Furedi, Claire Fox and the rest of the gruesome "Revolutionary Communist Party" goons were NEVER on the left: the RCP was a far-right front from the outset. No surprise when they started working for Orbán, Farage & Johnson🧵

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:aeet2renleuqvyopkfbrgext/post/3mjc57r3tls2g

Truly astonishing number of screenings already booked for the ...

2026-04-13T10:02:04Z

Truly astonishing number of screenings already booked for the National Emergency Briefing film. Very likely to be one near you. [www.nebriefing.org/screening-map](https://www.nebriefing.org/screening-map )

[National Emergency Briefing](https://www.nebriefing.org/screening-map )

Odd how the minor administrative errors always seem to produce ...

2026-04-13T07:01:10Z

Odd how the minor administrative errors always seem to produce the same results.
[www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8x7yj99jrwo )

[Richard Tice tax row is 'minor...](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8x7yj99jrwo )

This is key to political understanding: austerity causes a rise ...

2026-04-09T10:54:48Z

This is key to political understanding: austerity causes a rise in support for the far right.
BTW, austerity is *not over*, unless you accept the meaningless official definition. A meaningful definition is "a decline in public services caused by a shortfall in funding". [catherinedevries.eu/NHS.pdf](https://catherinedevries.eu/NHS.pdf )

[catherinedevries.eu/NHS.pdf](https://catherinedevries.eu/NHS.pdf )

Translation: Net Zero threatens the value of our proprietor's ...

2026-04-05T08:59:59Z

Translation: Net Zero threatens the value of our proprietor's investments. The world must cook for the sake of his portfolio.
https://oyster.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:codfx2epdduamfycuyi5fjpb&cid=bafkreiduig7babtvuwnxxjmu4iaw5eu5zpqi5ocacq6k2ivosi4a3xt2j4

Just what we don't need. Already, our rivers are overloaded ...

2026-04-02T13:36:25Z

Just what we don't need. Already, our rivers are overloaded with both human and livestock waste, leading in many cases to #rivercide. Now the government, responding as always to lobbyists, wants to make it worse. Then it wonders why it loses public support. [www.theguardian.com/environment/...](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/02/uk-looks-to-relax-planning-rules-for-factory-farms-after-industry-lobbying )

[UK looks to relax planning rul...](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/02/uk-looks-to-relax-planning-rules-for-factory-farms-after-industry-lobbying )

Another triumph for deregulation! By saving a few million in ...

2026-04-01T06:54:06Z

Another triumph for deregulation! By saving a few million in monitoring and enforcement, our governments have landed us with a vast illegal waste dumping problem, new organised crime networks and a clean-up bill that could run to tens of billions.
My column.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/01/organised-waste-crime-dump-uk-environment )

[Say hello to the UK’s most suc...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/01/organised-waste-crime-dump-uk-environment )

Regardless of the issue, it's always the same story: ...

2026-03-31T05:53:21Z

Regardless of the issue, it's always the same story: commercial interests allowed to ride roughshod over everything and everyone else. Faced with the urgent need for action, successive governments twiddle their thumbs.
[www.theguardian.com/environment/...](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/31/a-national-scandal-trawlers-scour-seabeds-of-supposedly-protected-uk-waters )

[‘A national scandal’: trawlers...](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/31/a-national-scandal-trawlers-scour-seabeds-of-supposedly-protected-uk-waters )

Trump is threatening further and greater war crimes in Iran: ...

2026-03-30T12:37:56Z

Trump is threatening further and greater war crimes in Iran: "completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants... and possibly all desalinization plants!".
This directly contravenes the laws of war.
One day he and his enablers must face justice.
[ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary...](https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule54 )

[ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-i...](https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule54 )

Yet another position that's almost identical to the policy ...

2026-03-29T10:52:02Z

Yet another position that's almost identical to the policy promoted by English fascists in the 1930s. There seems to be a kind of ideological homing instinct at work. Before long, the entire package will be back in place.
[www.theguardian.com/environment/...](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/29/nigel-farage-farming-adviser-calls-for-hike-in-wheat-prices-reform-uk )

[Nigel Farage’s farming adviser...](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/29/nigel-farage-farming-adviser-calls-for-hike-in-wheat-prices-reform-uk?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other )

Who needs physical reality anyway? ...

2026-03-28T07:59:56Z

Who needs physical reality anyway?
[www.theguardian.com/business/202...](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/28/north-sea-oil-gas-licences-conservatives )

[Hundreds of North Sea licences...](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/28/north-sea-oil-gas-licences-conservatives?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other )

A billionaire can get what they want with one donation to a ...

2026-03-26T16:13:53Z

A billionaire can get what they want with one donation to a political party. The rest of us must fight for years to get even the most basic rights recognised. Money destroys democracy, more than any other cause. The first step towards a better world is to stop the rich buying political outcomes.

These people have a funny way of saying "Environmentalists ...

2026-03-26T09:45:11Z

These people have a funny way of saying "Environmentalists have been proved right yet again."
https://oyster.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:codfx2epdduamfycuyi5fjpb&cid=bafkreifqj24ppuukyuayeagtpap35en3sbdk26vwx6nzf4zf6pe3ux5yty

The global food system is systemically fragile in the same way ...

2026-03-25T07:27:06Z

The global food system is systemically fragile in the same way that the global financial system was before the 2008 crash. If it goes it down, we’re looking, as complex societies, at a potential termination event.
This week's column. Please read it.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/25/big-corporations-global-food-system-war-iran )

[We’re letting big corporations...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/25/big-corporations-global-food-system-war-iran )

Governments sit and watch while oligarchs purchase our politics, ...

2026-03-23T06:42:46Z

Governments sit and watch while oligarchs purchase our politics, as if it were just another asset to be monopolised. For the sake of democracy and our own survival, we need to get the money out. Our political systems must belong to us and us alone.
[www.theguardian.com/media/2026/m...](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/23/funding-for-populist-right-media-political-complex-exceeded-170m-in-five-years-research-finds )

[Funding for populist-right ‘me...](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/23/funding-for-populist-right-media-political-complex-exceeded-170m-in-five-years-research-finds )

Just remember: the hateful claims made against Muslims today were ...

2026-03-21T13:25:22Z

Just remember: the hateful claims made against Muslims today were previously made against Jews (and often still are). Sometimes word-for-word. Same hate, different targets. We all stand together against hatred, or we will be picked off one by one.

Everything we need to do to stop climate breakdown, we also need ...

2026-03-21T09:38:44Z

Everything we need to do to stop climate breakdown, we also need to do for national security. Energy saving, more renewables, more electricity storage and interconnectors, electrification of transport, heating, cooking and industrial processes, plant-based diets. We win on all fronts.

1. One of the things I mention as a secondary issue in this ...

2026-03-20T08:57:08Z

1. One of the things I mention as a secondary issue in this week’s column is a lie so deeply embedded in official narratives that we seldom even notice it: capitalism = “free markets”. In reality, capitalism is *the opposite* of the free market.
A short 🧵. 1/8 [www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/19/iran-greed-oil-capitalism-regimes )

[We need to be honest about Ira...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/19/iran-greed-oil-capitalism-regimes )

You might have formed the impression that Paul Johnson, former ...

2026-03-19T09:07:19Z

You might have formed the impression that Paul Johnson, former director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, knows what he's talking about. The media treats him like the voice of God. But here he is - and not for the first time - talking out of his hat. Let's break it down in a short thread. 🧵
https://oyster.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:codfx2epdduamfycuyi5fjpb&cid=bafkreicqhda4axeofk7gx5zsrz4jykjme45etdwdwb4by6c6nxkbeb2nwm

The Israeli government is now doing to southern Lebanon what it ...

2026-03-18T15:44:36Z

The Israeli government is now doing to southern Lebanon what it has done to Gaza. Horror and death on an unimaginable scale. And still our governments supply weapons, intelligence and diplomatic support.
#PartyToTheCrime

The only way Reform UK could win a general election is through ...

2026-03-17T07:18:41Z

The only way Reform UK could win a general election is through our first-past-the-post system.
If we had proportional representation, the threat would evaporate.
We don't have PR because Starmer has blocked it.
This allows him to say: vote Labour or you get Farage.
Because it's all he has left.

Remember: when Nigel Farage opens his mouth, the fossil fuel ...

2026-03-16T13:53:54Z

Remember: when Nigel Farage opens his mouth, the fossil fuel industry speaks.

Well, I for one am extremely relieved that the line between the ...

2026-03-16T07:37:07Z

Well, I for one am extremely relieved that the line between the "defensive" strikes Keir Starmer said UK bases could be used for, and offensive ones is so clear-cut, and that we can trust the US to respect it on every sortie. Phew!
[ukaviation.aero/raf-fairford...](https://ukaviation.aero/raf-fairford-at-the-centre-of-operation-epic-fury-britains-strategic-bomber-hub/ )

[RAF Fairford at the centre of ...](https://ukaviation.aero/raf-fairford-at-the-centre-of-operation-epic-fury-britains-strategic-bomber-hub/ )

Stumbled across this: The root of "female" has nothing to ...

2026-03-15T17:31:57Z

Stumbled across this:
The root of "female" has nothing to do with "male". It derives from the Mediaeval Latin femella, a diminutive of femina, a woman. It was mistakenly transcribed in Middle English as "female", perhaps creating the impression that a woman is a version/variant/ subset of a man.

Funny how all the "free speech" warriors go so quiet when ...

2026-03-15T10:53:49Z

Funny how all the "free speech" warriors go so quiet when actual state censorship comes along.

[www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/14/fcc-broadcast-permits-iran-war-news )

[FCC chair threatens to throttl...](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/14/fcc-broadcast-permits-iran-war-news?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other )

If it's sometimes hard to tell the difference between ...

2026-03-13T07:03:40Z

If it's sometimes hard to tell the difference between fossil-fuel lobbyists and the billionaire press, that's because there isn’t one.
My column on the politicians, journalists and junktanks using the Iran crisis as an excuse to extract our remaining gas and oil.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/13/uk-energy-prices-soaring-war-iran-fossil-fuel-north-sea )

[UK energy prices are soaring –...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/13/uk-energy-prices-soaring-war-iran-fossil-fuel-north-sea )

Just to log this, in case it escalates. This article, which ...

2026-03-11T10:25:26Z

Just to log this, in case it escalates. This article, which claims I've endorsed an automated trading service, is a scam, which has nothing to do with me, the Guardian, or the BBC, whose logo has been mocked up.
The only financial advice I'd give anyone is "don't ask me for financial advice."
https://oyster.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:codfx2epdduamfycuyi5fjpb&cid=bafkreieq76h4pt2zipvmc7kw47vqgws3n45hpwqfmzssqkse6nbm3j7lzq

When an illegal war, likely to cause mass murder, is launched, we ...

2026-03-11T08:27:56Z

When an illegal war, likely to cause mass murder, is launched, we have a choice of 2 positions:
1. It's wrong and has to stop.
2. Hurray! Let's join in.

Much of the UK Establishment - Conservatives, Reform, the billionaire media - went straight for Option 2.
Which tells you all you need to know.

No principles, no morality, no information, no expertise, just ...

2026-03-10T13:14:58Z

No principles, no morality, no information, no expertise, just endlessly appeasing Trump, Putin, Netanyahu and assorted billionaires and foreign oligarchs or chasing the next headline, until suddenly colliding with reality. Bang, oof.
[www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/new...](https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/nigel-farage-reform-iran-war-b2935473.html )

[Farage U-turns again on Iran w...](https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/nigel-farage-reform-iran-war-b2935473.html )

How much more evidence do we need? The ultra-rich and the ...

2026-03-10T07:26:08Z

How much more evidence do we need? The ultra-rich and the governments supporting them will destroy everything for the sake of profit, power and pride. Nothing is precious to them - not human life, not the living world - except their own wealth and status. Our survival depends on resisting them.

In 2023, I sought to explain to a parliamentary committee what a ...

2026-03-09T15:58:12Z

In 2023, I sought to explain to a parliamentary committee what a structural collapse of the global food system would look like, and why this this is plausible - even likely. I think the likelihood has just ratcheted up a notch. I beg you to read and understand. Thanks
[www.monbiot.com/2023/03/09/t...](https://www.monbiot.com/2023/03/09/the-hunger-gap/ )

[The Hunger Gap](https://www.monbiot.com/2023/03/09/the-hunger-gap/ )

Labour's core voters, on which its re-election entirely ...

2026-03-09T08:07:36Z

Labour's core voters, on which its re-election entirely depends, are crystal clear about this: they absolutely hate its illiberal, intolerant, draconian, rightwards turn. Hence the total collapse in support. So how does the government respond? [#SuicideMission🤦](https://bsky.app/search?q=%23SuicideMission%F0%9F%A4%A6 )‍♂️
[thesecretbarrister.com/2026/03/07/k...](https://thesecretbarrister.com/2026/03/07/keir-starmer-and-david-lammy-are-taking-an-extraordinarily-dangerous-gamble-with-our-individual-liberty/ )

[Keir Starmer and David Lammy a...](https://thesecretbarrister.com/2026/03/07/keir-starmer-and-david-lammy-are-taking-an-extraordinarily-dangerous-gamble-with-our-individual-liberty/ )

The enthusiasm of most billionaire media outlets in the US and UK ...

2026-03-07T14:24:56Z

The enthusiasm of most billionaire media outlets in the US and UK for Trump’s illegal assault on Iran is another reminder of how deranged, perverse and frankly psychopathic these organisations are.

I don't know how to clip a segment (sorry), but the bit I ...

2026-03-06T07:58:44Z

I don't know how to clip a segment (sorry), but the bit I really want you to watch starts at 29'10". It's about the deep roots of the attack on Iran and why it's just as well Starmer is "no Winston Churchill". I'm surprised this aspect isn't more widely discussed. 🧵
[www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...](https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002s6sk/question-time-2026-05032026 )

[Question Time - 2026: 05/03/20...](https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002s6sk/question-time-2026-05032026 )

The UK's permission for the US to use its bases in attacking ...

2026-03-02T11:14:11Z

The UK's permission for the US to use its bases in attacking Iran amounts to complicity in the crime of aggression. It drags us into what could be an endless war, without democratic or even parliamentary consent.

Donald Trump is a global chaos generator. He couldn't give a ...

2026-03-01T16:05:54Z

Donald Trump is a global chaos generator. He couldn't give a damn about the Iranians and will walk away the moment things get difficult, leaving a trail of pointless death and destruction.
It's all about spectacle for him. Once that's achieved, job done.

Keir Starmer's attempt to paint the Greens as extremists yet ...

2026-02-27T19:44:28Z

Keir Starmer's attempt to paint the Greens as extremists yet again reveals his intolerance of political difference. His instincts are illiberal and authoritarian.

If Labour followed its own logic, it would now step aside and let ...

2026-02-25T12:05:37Z

If Labour followed its own logic, it would now step aside and let the Greens walk home in this crucial by-election. It is hard to imagine how Starmer and co could have made a bigger fist of this - and of everything.
My column.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/25/reform-matt-goodwin-labour-gorton-and-denton-byelection-greens )

[How is Reform’s charmless cand...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/25/reform-matt-goodwin-labour-gorton-and-denton-byelection-greens )

The Epstein files grant us a rare glimpse into the kind of ...

2026-02-25T07:39:47Z

The Epstein files grant us a rare glimpse into the kind of machinations that must be happening all the time. As Byline Times (npub1ha2…qah5) reveals, Trump's fixer, Steve Bannon, helped Boris Johnson overthrow Theresa May. Blatant foreign interference in our politics. 🧵
[bylinetimes.com/2026/02/16/b...](https://bylinetimes.com/2026/02/16/bannon-epstein-farage-and-johnson-and-the-plot-to-topple-theresa-may/ )

[Bannon, Epstein, Farage and Jo...](https://bylinetimes.com/2026/02/16/bannon-epstein-farage-and-johnson-and-the-plot-to-topple-theresa-may/ )

You can list Keir Starmer's modest achievements all you like. ...

2026-02-24T14:58:02Z

You can list Keir Starmer's modest achievements all you like. But as he has actively alienated his own voters - on Gaza, protest rights, benefits, green policies, cruelty to immigrants etc - it makes no difference. It's not a mystery. When you tell people you hate them, they will hate you back.

Brainwashing, 2026 edition. This paper shows how X's ...

2026-02-23T07:42:19Z

Brainwashing, 2026 edition. This paper shows how X's algorithmic feed shifts people's views rightwards. It's a sophisticated, highly effective form of reorientation. And it is utterly chilling.
If you're still on that platform, unhook yourself now.
[www.nature.com/articles/s41...](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10098-2 )

[The political effects of X’s f...](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10098-2 )

A brilliant article that everyone commenting about Iran should ...

2026-02-21T21:08:21Z

A brilliant article that everyone commenting about Iran should read. The Iranian government is not your friend, and never will be, unless you happen to be a clerico-fascist enthusiast of mass torture and mass murder. But weirdly, many in the West who claim to be on the left seem to support it.

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:evgc4ukadedre3gwsiwygkpz/post/3mffau2kpuk2r

Two things are simultaneously true: 1. The Iranian regime treats ...

2026-02-21T09:55:51Z

Two things are simultaneously true:
1. The Iranian regime treats its people with extreme brutality and cruelty, and we should honour the citizens seeking to overthrow it.
2. A US attack on Iran would turn a crisis into a catastrophe.

1. Pointing out that the Iranian regime's actions are ...

2026-02-20T14:33:33Z

1. Pointing out that the Iranian regime's actions are horrific does not in any way subtract from the horror of the Israeli government's genocide in Gaza, or from other atrocities. There are, unfortunately, plenty here who seem to believe we should be partisan in our denunciations. They are wrong. 🧵

I wish it were true that "no one is above the law". But ...

2026-02-19T14:49:14Z

I wish it were true that "no one is above the law". But while the City of London acts as laundromat for the world's dirty money, as almost all fraud and waste crime go unprosecuted, as no one has gone to jail for the financial crash or the poisoning of our rivers, this is manifestly untrue.

Crucial article by ...

2026-02-17T16:37:46Z

Crucial article by [@petergeoghegan.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy](https://bsky.brid.gy/ap/did:plc:aeet2renleuqvyopkfbrgext ) on the dimensions of a major scandal. A public inquiry is essential.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/17/labour-together-scandal-keir-starmer-no-10 )

[The Labour Together scandal go...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/17/labour-together-scandal-keir-starmer-no-10?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other )

I've often wondered how Steven Pinker's amazingly sloppy ...

2026-02-16T08:53:36Z

I've often wondered how Steven Pinker's amazingly sloppy research and baseless claims* have for so long received a free pass. I wonder whether it could have something to do with a. his connections with the rich and powerful; b. his claims often aligning with what they want to hear.
*See next post.

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:b7kamuwqipovlbz2l5vhe2tb/post/3mevfzvpbgk2e

Palestine Action have WON their judicial review in the High ...

2026-02-13T10:13:46Z

Palestine Action have WON their judicial review in the High Court!
A massive victory for free speech, freedom of association and the right to protest.
A massive defeat for the draconian attempts by Keir Starmer's government to curtail our fundamental rights.

This morning we will hear the result of the judicial review of ...

2026-02-13T09:09:10Z

This morning we will hear the result of the judicial review of the government's ban on Palestine Action, on the grounds that it's a "terrorist" organisation. An important moment, which could have a major influence on freedom of speech and association in this country.

Most of the media, most days: Morning: "Capitalism must go ...

2026-02-11T16:27:36Z

Most of the media, most days:

Morning: "Capitalism must go further! further! further!"

Afternoon: "Oh my God, how did that happen?"

Peter Mandelson's official role in Gordon Brown's ...

2026-02-10T18:22:16Z

Peter Mandelson's official role in Gordon Brown's government was actually not that far away from his unauthorised dealings with Jeffrey Epstein. This week's column digs up some inconvenient truths and suggests the problem is much deeper than we're told.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/10/peter-mandelson-new-labour-jeffrey-epstein-corporate-power )

[There is a lot of convenient a...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/10/peter-mandelson-new-labour-jeffrey-epstein-corporate-power?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other )

1. Many here seem bemused by the anger and disappointment this ...

2026-02-10T07:31:24Z

1. Many here seem bemused by the anger and disappointment this government attracts. Please bear with me while I try to explain it.
Let’s begin with Gaza. Starmer’s complicity is one of the major reasons so many people are disillusioned.
[rethinkingsecurityorguk.wpcomstaging.com/2025/10/07/i...](https://rethinkingsecurityorguk.wpcomstaging.com/2025/10/07/is-our-government-complicit-in-genocide/ )
🧵

[Is our Government Complicit in...](https://rethinkingsecurityorguk.wpcomstaging.com/2025/10/07/is-our-government-complicit-in-genocide/ )

1. People struggle to reconcile Keir Starmer’s ruthless ...

2026-02-09T07:55:07Z

1. People struggle to reconcile Keir Starmer’s ruthless ambition, Machiavellian manoeuvres, breaking of promises, collaboration in genocide, bans on protest, aid cuts, benefit cuts and war on nature with his history as a human rights lawyer. But perhaps there is no contradiction.
Read on.🧵

For years, Starmer's critics on the left have warned that he ...

2026-02-05T10:35:36Z

For years, Starmer's critics on the left have warned that he was trashing Labour values, kowtowing to the rich and powerful while hurting the poor and the living world.
Every time, people here and elsewhere leapt up to call us "closet Tories" and "Reform enablers".
Funny how they've gone so quiet.

Very important article by Josephine Lulamae, with warnings for ...

2026-02-04T12:26:58Z

Very important article by Josephine Lulamae, with warnings for those who may be tempted by narratives of rural revivalism and "Uncivilisation".
“Any group that follows a purity mentality, seeking deep, unadulterated roots in nature, risks nativist thinking.”
[www.codastory.com/polarization...](https://www.codastory.com/polarization/the-identitarians-are-back-how-a-discredited-worldview-dominates-the-global-agenda/ )

[The Identitarians are back: Ho...](https://www.codastory.com/polarization/the-identitarians-are-back-how-a-discredited-worldview-dominates-the-global-agenda/ )

1. Noam Chomsky's response to the first tranche of Epstein ...

2026-02-04T07:49:17Z

1. Noam Chomsky's response to the first tranche of Epstein docs - arrogant, high-handed, obfuscatory and, we now know, dishonest - reminded me of something: his response to my questions about genocide denial, 15 years ago. 🧵
[www.monbiot.com/2012/05/21/2...](https://www.monbiot.com/2012/05/21/2181/ )

[Correspondence with Noam Choms...](https://www.monbiot.com/2012/05/21/2181/ )

1. In 2009 I wrote this. I argued that Peter Mandelson's ...

2026-02-03T07:32:04Z

1. In 2009 I wrote this. I argued that Peter Mandelson's department “functions as a fifth column within government, working for corporations to undermine democracy and the public interest.”
This thread explains what I saw, and reaches a startling conclusion.🧵
[www.monbiot.com/2009/05/04/m...](https://www.monbiot.com/2009/05/04/mandelsons-fifth-column/ )

[Mandelson’s Fifth Column](https://www.monbiot.com/2009/05/04/mandelsons-fifth-column/ )

It's rare to see how lobbyists operate. But the ...

2026-02-02T08:20:35Z

It's rare to see how lobbyists operate. But the Epstein-Mandelson correspondence shows us what happens all the time: plutocrats and government ministers conspiring against the public interest. This is why all lobbying should be in the public domain, but despite Labour and Con promises, it's not. 🧵

This should be a great evening. Oxford, Thursday. See you there. ...

2026-01-30T15:24:33Z

This should be a great evening. Oxford, Thursday.
See you there.
[www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/food-syste...](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/food-systems-at-the-heart-of-the-ecological-emergency-tickets-1981930955841 )

[Food Systems at the Heart of t...](https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/food-systems-at-the-heart-of-the-ecological-emergency-tickets-1981930955841 )

To those saying, "but the Greens will split the vote": 1. ...

2026-01-30T15:18:08Z

To those saying, "but the Greens will split the vote":
1. Things have changed.
2. It's not the Green's fault that Starmer has the Merdas Touch (turns everything to shit)
3. When the Greens offer the only inspiring option, perhaps we should see the Labour candidate as splitting the vote.

A Green victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election would feel ...

2026-01-30T12:42:09Z

A Green victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election would feel like divine justice.

Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much ...

2026-01-28T07:18:40Z

Please spread this far and wide, as stories don't get much bigger than this. When the government blocks even the intelligence services from telling us we're heading for environmental catastrophe, you know we have a problem. A very big problem.
Thank you.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/27/uk-government-report-ecosystem-collapse-foi-national-security )

[The UK government didn't want ...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/27/uk-government-report-ecosystem-collapse-foi-national-security )

This week's column is about something that's arguably ...

2026-01-27T17:02:09Z

This week's column is about something that's arguably more important than anything in the news, crucial as some of the other issues are.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/27/uk-government-report-ecosystem-collapse-foi-national-security )

[The UK government didn't want ...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/27/uk-government-report-ecosystem-collapse-foi-national-security?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other )

1. This short thread is about the issue that dominates almost ...

2026-01-23T11:30:06Z

1. This short thread is about the issue that dominates almost every aspect of politics, and causes or exacerbates most of our problems: the extreme wealth of a small number of people. Here’s the amazing thing: almost the entire political class aligns with the ultra-rich against the rest. 🧵1/10

It is the source of so many of our evils: the astonishing ...

2026-01-16T18:18:38Z

It is the source of so many of our evils: the astonishing concentration of wealth in the hands of a very few, and the immense political power that gives them. We cannot solve our problems until we tackle it.
This week's column.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/16/super-rich-inequality-politicians-extreme-wealth )

[At the root of all our problem...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/16/super-rich-inequality-politicians-extreme-wealth )

Any weaponry the UK has acquired from or developed with the US is ...

2026-01-14T07:20:44Z

Any weaponry the UK has acquired from or developed with the US is likely to contain a kill switch, making it inoperable if the US government does not endorse its use. This includes our entire nuclear arsenal. As old alliances rupture, we find ourselves sitting on a multi-billion pile of bricks.

A number of people on this platform have been claiming that ...

2026-01-13T07:44:22Z

A number of people on this platform have been claiming that it's not up to government to shorten people's time on remand, however far beyond the statutory limit that time extends.
Well, take it from a very eminent retired judge. It is.
[www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/12/palestine-action-hunger-strikers-are-still-the-states-responsibility )

[Palestine Action hunger strike...](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/12/palestine-action-hunger-strikers-are-still-the-states-responsibility )

The government sits and watches as Heba dies. It's ...

2026-01-12T17:22:48Z

The government sits and watches as Heba dies. It's heartbreaking, horrible, almost impossible to compute. Didn't people vote in the hope (however forlorn) of ending the Tories' psychopathic mode of government? Yet on it goes, under Keir Starmer. [www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/12/hunger-striker-heba-muraisi-linked-palestine-action )

[Imprisoned hunger striker link...](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jan/12/hunger-striker-heba-muraisi-linked-palestine-action )

Never forget: the people who hate their country most are those ...

2026-01-12T12:31:56Z

Never forget: the people who hate their country most are those who style themselves "patriots".
https://oyster.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:codfx2epdduamfycuyi5fjpb&cid=bafkreifxcaxjkhscyjg2omid526frbdjfesxpua7gxhry43lyl63zic7yu

In the spirit of brotherly love, could I gently enquire why the ...

2026-01-12T10:27:52Z

In the spirit of brotherly love, could I gently enquire why the almighty **** are government departments, government ministers and Labour MPs *STILL* using X?

A dominant theme of Hitler's speeches in the late 1930s is ...

2026-01-10T10:51:13Z

A dominant theme of Hitler's speeches in the late 1930s is that Germany was surrounded by threats. These threats were imaginary: it was Nazi Germany that threatened other nations. But they were used to justify pre-emptive attacks. Trump is following this script.

If the Palestine Action hunger strikers die - which they could do ...

2026-01-07T08:07:03Z

If the Palestine Action hunger strikers die - which they could do at any moment, as they are now very close to the end - it will be the government that killed them. Today’s column explains why. Please share, and write urgently to your MP.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/07/palestine-action-hunger-strikers-government )

[Let’s be clear: if the Palesti...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/07/palestine-action-hunger-strikers-government )

In July 2024, I warned that if Trump were re-elected, "The ...

2026-01-07T07:05:02Z

In July 2024, I warned that if Trump were re-elected, "The age of multilateralism would be over, and something much worse will take its place. The UK and Europe will need to find the means of defending ourselves".
I was called "hysterical".
Well, here we are.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/04/donald-trump-uk-rearmament-vladimir-putin-defence )

[I never thought I’d argue for ...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/04/donald-trump-uk-rearmament-vladimir-putin-defence )

Unhook ourselves from oil and gas and we unhook ourselves from ...

2026-01-06T17:04:14Z

Unhook ourselves from oil and gas and we unhook ourselves from dependency on dictators, autocrats and expansionist regimes all over the planet.
Renewables and other low-carbon energy sources are not just good climate sense. They are also good political sense.

I'm writing about the Palestine Action hunger strikers at the ...

2026-01-05T12:27:32Z

I'm writing about the Palestine Action hunger strikers at the moment, any of whom could die at any moment, and the astonishing media and government silence surrounding them. The Establishment seems to have become even crueller than when Thatcher was PM.

Not one word of condemnation by our government of Trump's ...

2026-01-05T08:17:57Z

Not one word of condemnation by our government of Trump's illegal act of war in Venezuela.
Not one word.

Whatever you might think of Maduro, the seizure and kidnapping of ...

2026-01-03T10:14:02Z

Whatever you might think of Maduro, the seizure and kidnapping of a head of state takes us to a very dark place. Vast, arbitrary, extra-legal power, which could be exercised almost anywhere, regardless of the character of the target government.

The bombing of Venezuela is an act of aggression: unprovoked, ...

2026-01-03T09:25:15Z

The bombing of Venezuela is an act of aggression: unprovoked, unjustified and unjustifiable.

Good morning. Let's make a collective resolution: this will ...

2026-01-01T08:51:08Z

Good morning. Let's make a collective resolution: this will be the year in which we start to turn things round.

Is the government going to sit and watch while the ...

2025-12-23T07:58:22Z

Is the government going to sit and watch while the #PalestineAction hunger strikers die? Is most of the media going to carry on ignoring them? Just how callous has the Establishment become?
[www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/22/families-of-palestine-action-hunger-strikers-seek-urgent-meeting-with-lammy )

[Families of Palestine Action h...](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/22/families-of-palestine-action-hunger-strikers-seek-urgent-meeting-with-lammy?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other )

Their demands are reasonable, their treatment is disgraceful. The ...

2025-12-22T07:17:42Z

Their demands are reasonable, their treatment is disgraceful. The government's intransigence is killing the #PalestineAction hunger strikers. Just as its complicity has assisted the genocide in Gaza. It needs to wake up right now to the moral consequences.
[www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/21/two-palestine-action-linked-hunger-strikers-taken-to-hospital-amu-gib-kamran-ahmed )

[Two Palestine Action-linked hu...](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/21/two-palestine-action-linked-hunger-strikers-taken-to-hospital-amu-gib-kamran-ahmed )

The more I think about it, the more I reckon the 2003 Iraq War ...

2025-12-19T08:33:09Z

The more I think about it, the more I reckon the 2003 Iraq War began the process that let Trump win. The blatant lies we were told by our governments, the disregard for public opinion and mockery of international law created a rupture that never healed. Trust, consent and cohesion were smashed.🧵 1/3

1. This short thread is about what I see as a serious breach of ...

2025-12-16T11:48:50Z

1. This short thread is about what I see as a serious breach of journalistic ethics, in the making of Sofia Pineda Ochoa’s online documentary Greenwashed. She interviewed me for the film, but neither before, during or after was I given any idea I would be its target. [www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjWU...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjWUKFUaoL4 )

[GREENWASHED | Full Documentary...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjWUKFUaoL4 )

Because the issue of population change is so widely ...

2025-12-15T07:51:31Z

Because the issue of population change is so widely misunderstood, here's a short thread which seeks to lay it out simply.
It explains why there is almost nothing anyone can do to change the global population trajectory, both as numbers rise, then as they fall.
🧵1/13

Trump thinks immigrants will destroy Europe. The truth is the ...

2025-12-12T06:46:50Z

Trump thinks immigrants will destroy Europe. The truth is the opposite.
This column is about the long arc of population change, the hybridity of European cultures, and the widely-misinterpreted results of demographic momentum.
Big issues we need to understand.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/12/europe-migrants-birth-rates-immigration-countries )

[The facts are stark: Europe mu...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/12/europe-migrants-birth-rates-immigration-countries )

1. We've had a huge response to the launch of the Earth Rover ...

2025-12-11T09:07:19Z

1. We've had a huge response to the launch of the Earth Rover Program, above all from small farmers, especially in Africa. Farmers all over the world are highly attuned to the need for a better understanding of soil, and have immediately seen the potential. 🧵 1/10
[www.earthroverprogram.org](https://www.earthroverprogram.org/ )

[The Earth Rover Program](https://www.earthroverprogram.org/ )

How many times do we need to point this out? By appeasing the far ...

2025-12-10T10:56:39Z

How many times do we need to point this out?
By appeasing the far right, you do not weaken it. You strengthen it.
While weakening your own position.
There's a vast amount of academic research showing this.
But Labour will not listen.
[www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...](https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec/09/starmer-urges-europe-leaders-update-echr-halt-rise-far-right )

[Starmer urges Europe’s leaders...](https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec/09/starmer-urges-europe-leaders-update-echr-halt-rise-far-right )

There is one overriding political problem, from which all others ...

2025-12-10T07:09:07Z

There is one overriding political problem, from which all others follow. Until it is addressed, every policy advanced by governments is window dressing.
[www.theguardian.com/inequality/2...](https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2025/dec/10/just-0001-hold-three-times-the-wealth-of-poorest-half-of-humanity-report-finds )

[Just 0.001% hold three times t...](https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2025/dec/10/just-0001-hold-three-times-the-wealth-of-poorest-half-of-humanity-report-finds )

I signed the letter calling for the release of Marwan Barghouti. ...

2025-12-09T08:47:35Z

I signed the letter calling for the release of Marwan Barghouti. Overnight, I've received some 2,000 attack emails, identical text but different purported senders and subject headers. Still coming through now. Other signatories also getting it. Definitely an op.
[www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/03/leading-cultural-figures-call-for-release-jailed-palestinian-leader-marwan-barghouti )

[More than 200 leading cultural...](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/03/leading-cultural-figures-call-for-release-jailed-palestinian-leader-marwan-barghouti )

1. I hate to see good people wasting their time and energy. And ...

2025-12-07T10:22:08Z

1. I hate to see good people wasting their time and energy. And there’s perhaps no greater waste of time and energy than seeking to change the trajectory of the human population. It’s not just futile, but also a massive distraction from things we CAN change. This thread seeks to explain why. 🧵1/12

1. Some good news at last. This week’s column is about the ...

2025-12-05T06:55:46Z

1. Some good news at last. This week’s column is about the amazing thing a couple of us stumbled into three years ago, which we’ve now developed into a global research programme. It doesn’t change everything, of course, but it could help change quite a lot. + 🧵 [www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/05/agriculture-revolution-soil-farming-earth-rover-program )

[Over a pint in Oxford, we may ...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/05/agriculture-revolution-soil-farming-earth-rover-program )

Or maybe diagnosis is at last catching up with the crises so many ...

2025-12-04T08:41:36Z

Or maybe diagnosis is at last catching up with the crises so many have been enduring, which have for so long been minimised, dismissed or ignored.
[share.google/1aKjHRJ596x6...](https://share.google/1aKjHRJ596x6tRUe9 )

[Wes Streeting orders inquiry i...](https://share.google/1aKjHRJ596x6tRUe9 )

1. The European Parliament’s attempt to ban plant-based foods ...

2025-12-03T10:26:47Z

1. The European Parliament’s attempt to ban plant-based foods from being sold as “sausages”, “burgers” etc is a direct response to livestock industry lobbying. This is a short thread on how utterly bleeding ridiculous it is. 🧵1/6

Sovereignty? Democracy? Sorry, but we can't afford those ...

2025-12-01T10:12:25Z

Sovereignty? Democracy? Sorry, but we can't afford those anymore. We'll be sued if we try to defend them.
This week's column is about a massive but scarcely-covered scandal.
[www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/01/uk-sue-foreign-oligarchs-corporations-litigation-offshore-courts )

[Hello, foreign oligarchs and c...](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/01/uk-sue-foreign-oligarchs-corporations-litigation-offshore-courts?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other )