Ian Fraser
@ianfraser.bsky.social
Award-winning journalist and author. Latest edition of my book ‘Shredded: Inside RBS The Bank That Broke Britain’, about the pivotal role of what’s now called NatWest in the global banking crash, was reissued in 2024.
www.ianfraser.org
www.ianfraser.org
Pinned
Ian Fraser
@ianfraser.bsky.social
· Jul 10
#ICYMI Shredded, my bestselling book on the pivotal role of Royal Bank of Scotland / NatWest in the global financial crash of 2008, was named as a Book of the Year by the Financial Times, Bloomberg, The Week, and Huffington Post.
More info: www.ianfraser.org/shredded-ins...
More info: www.ianfraser.org/shredded-ins...
Danish fast-fashion billionaire Anders Povlsen buys Kinross House and estate, on the western shore of Loch Leven.
[share token] www.thetimes.com/article/b71d...
[share token] www.thetimes.com/article/b71d...
Scotland’s richest man adds historic lochside estate to portfolio
Anders Holch Povlsen’s WildLand conservation company has acquired the Kinross House Estate, on the western shore of Loch Leven, for an undisclosed sum
www.thetimes.com
September 15, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Danish fast-fashion billionaire Anders Povlsen buys Kinross House and estate, on the western shore of Loch Leven.
[share token] www.thetimes.com/article/b71d...
[share token] www.thetimes.com/article/b71d...
Why Andy Burnham must remove Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clauses — described as “litigation terrorism” by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz — from the UK's trade deals. @labourlewis.bsky.social
www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/20...
www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/20...
September 15, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Why Andy Burnham must remove Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) clauses — described as “litigation terrorism” by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz — from the UK's trade deals. @labourlewis.bsky.social
www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/20...
www.newstatesman.com/spotlight/20...
Reposted by Ian Fraser
How much lower can they get?
'Anti-immigrant protesters have been directing abuse at the UK’s leading blind people’s charity...
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) reminded people that they’re “not the lifeboat people” amid threats to the RNLI...'
#WATO
'Anti-immigrant protesters have been directing abuse at the UK’s leading blind people’s charity...
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) reminded people that they’re “not the lifeboat people” amid threats to the RNLI...'
#WATO
Blindness charity targeted by anti-migrant protesters after being mistaken for RNLI
One person accused the blind people’s charity of ‘deliberately overfilling our great country with illegals’
www.independent.co.uk
September 15, 2026 at 1:11 PM
How much lower can they get?
'Anti-immigrant protesters have been directing abuse at the UK’s leading blind people’s charity...
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) reminded people that they’re “not the lifeboat people” amid threats to the RNLI...'
#WATO
'Anti-immigrant protesters have been directing abuse at the UK’s leading blind people’s charity...
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) reminded people that they’re “not the lifeboat people” amid threats to the RNLI...'
#WATO
“Asking for tax handouts while turning in record profits during a climate emergency takes staggering audacity – even by the fossil fuel industry’s standards.”
— @greenpeace.org’s Rudy Schulkind
— @greenpeace.org’s Rudy Schulkind
“Asking for tax handouts while turning record [unearned war] profits during a #climateemergency takes staggering audacity – even by the fossil fuel industry’s standards"
1/2
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
1/2
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Scrap windfall tax on oil and gas firms early, North Sea industry urges
Labour should replace levy in 2027 rather than 2030 as energy bills are poised to surge over the winter, says lobby group
www.theguardian.com
September 15, 2026 at 11:01 AM
“Asking for tax handouts while turning in record profits during a climate emergency takes staggering audacity – even by the fossil fuel industry’s standards.”
— @greenpeace.org’s Rudy Schulkind
— @greenpeace.org’s Rudy Schulkind
Crispin “Odious” Odey loses bid to overturn City ban.
“Mr Odey clearly thought he could act with impunity.... [His] arrogant entitlement and the resulting complete disregard for proper governance means [he] is unfit to work in financial services,” said FCA enforcement director Therese Chambers.
“Mr Odey clearly thought he could act with impunity.... [His] arrogant entitlement and the resulting complete disregard for proper governance means [he] is unfit to work in financial services,” said FCA enforcement director Therese Chambers.
Odey loses bid to overturn lifetime ban from the City
Crispin Odey has lost his bid to overturn a lifetime ban from working in the City following sexual misconduct allegations against him.
www.thisismoney.co.uk
September 14, 2026 at 7:38 PM
Crispin “Odious” Odey loses bid to overturn City ban.
“Mr Odey clearly thought he could act with impunity.... [His] arrogant entitlement and the resulting complete disregard for proper governance means [he] is unfit to work in financial services,” said FCA enforcement director Therese Chambers.
“Mr Odey clearly thought he could act with impunity.... [His] arrogant entitlement and the resulting complete disregard for proper governance means [he] is unfit to work in financial services,” said FCA enforcement director Therese Chambers.
Reposted by Ian Fraser
NEW: Remember Don Jr’s wedding ceremony?
In the Bahamas…
Fireworks, dancers…
“Just really close friends,” Don Jr. said.
Well, guess who paid for hundreds of thousands of dollars of it?
A Russian oligarch who is close to Putin.
www.propublica.org/article/dona...
In the Bahamas…
Fireworks, dancers…
“Just really close friends,” Don Jr. said.
Well, guess who paid for hundreds of thousands of dollars of it?
A Russian oligarch who is close to Putin.
www.propublica.org/article/dona...
September 14, 2026 at 10:02 AM
NEW: Remember Don Jr’s wedding ceremony?
In the Bahamas…
Fireworks, dancers…
“Just really close friends,” Don Jr. said.
Well, guess who paid for hundreds of thousands of dollars of it?
A Russian oligarch who is close to Putin.
www.propublica.org/article/dona...
In the Bahamas…
Fireworks, dancers…
“Just really close friends,” Don Jr. said.
Well, guess who paid for hundreds of thousands of dollars of it?
A Russian oligarch who is close to Putin.
www.propublica.org/article/dona...
Reposted by Ian Fraser
There’s no need for a windfall tax on bank profits; it would be simpler to stop paying them subsidies by removing the 3.75% the Bank of England pays out on their reserves. Before 2006 this didn’t happen — Gerard Holtham, partner at Cadwyn Capital and visiting professor at Cardiff Metropolitan Uni
Why are we giving a £24bn-a-year subsidy to profitable commercial banks? | Letter
Letter: Gerald Holtham suggests that it time to cut the 3.75% that the Bank of England pays out on the lenders’ reserves
www.theguardian.com
September 14, 2026 at 9:51 AM
There’s no need for a windfall tax on bank profits; it would be simpler to stop paying them subsidies by removing the 3.75% the Bank of England pays out on their reserves. Before 2006 this didn’t happen — Gerard Holtham, partner at Cadwyn Capital and visiting professor at Cardiff Metropolitan Uni
There’s no need for a windfall tax on bank profits; it would be simpler to stop paying them subsidies by removing the 3.75% the Bank of England pays out on their reserves. Before 2006 this didn’t happen — Gerard Holtham, partner at Cadwyn Capital and visiting professor at Cardiff Metropolitan Uni
Why are we giving a £24bn-a-year subsidy to profitable commercial banks? | Letter
Letter: Gerald Holtham suggests that it time to cut the 3.75% that the Bank of England pays out on the lenders’ reserves
www.theguardian.com
September 14, 2026 at 9:51 AM
There’s no need for a windfall tax on bank profits; it would be simpler to stop paying them subsidies by removing the 3.75% the Bank of England pays out on their reserves. Before 2006 this didn’t happen — Gerard Holtham, partner at Cadwyn Capital and visiting professor at Cardiff Metropolitan Uni
The Girl with the Leica, which is being premiered at the Venice Bienale, reminds us that the photographer Robert Capa wasn’t a real person but a shared byline that almost erased Gerda Taro’s name from history.
New film 'The Girl with the Leica' reminds the world that photographer "Robert Capa" wasn't a real person, but a shared byline that almost erased Gerda Taro's name from history
Premiering at Venice Bienale, the movie retells the story of a real-life female photographer whose shots were credited to someone else.
www.digitalcameraworld.com
September 14, 2026 at 9:33 AM
The Girl with the Leica, which is being premiered at the Venice Bienale, reminds us that the photographer Robert Capa wasn’t a real person but a shared byline that almost erased Gerda Taro’s name from history.
At 8.30pm on 13 September 2007, BBC business editor Robert Peston revealed that Northern Rock had applied for emergency funding from the Bank of England. The next day, Northern Rock confirmed that its appeal to the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street had been successful — and all hell broke loose.
14 September 2007. Northern Rock became 1st UK bank to come close to bankruptcy in 150 years as savers rushed to withdraw money all over the country.
September 14, 2026 at 8:42 AM
At 8.30pm on 13 September 2007, BBC business editor Robert Peston revealed that Northern Rock had applied for emergency funding from the Bank of England. The next day, Northern Rock confirmed that its appeal to the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street had been successful — and all hell broke loose.
“It pays to be a Trump, especially when the whole world knows Daddy's a crook.” Lucid expose of Trump family’s graft from senior Georgia senator Jon Ossoff.
Ossoff: "While the world burns & you pay more for everything, your tax dollars become royal family's wealth. Bc it pays to be a Trump, especially when the whole world knows daddy's a crook. Half a billion from the Emirati spy chief... the Mar-a-Lago mafia really has taken corruption to new heights"
September 13, 2026 at 8:26 PM
“It pays to be a Trump, especially when the whole world knows Daddy's a crook.” Lucid expose of Trump family’s graft from senior Georgia senator Jon Ossoff.
An inquisitive southern elephant-seal pup makes its first foray into the ocean, in the rock pools of Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands. Young seals need to learn to swim quickly if they are to survive independently.
Photo: Matty Smith / Ocean Photographer of the Year
Photo: Matty Smith / Ocean Photographer of the Year
10 of the most striking ocean images of 2026
Curious seals, seahorse fathers and rarely seen deep-sea life are among the most powerful images of the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 13, 2026 at 2:13 PM
An inquisitive southern elephant-seal pup makes its first foray into the ocean, in the rock pools of Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands. Young seals need to learn to swim quickly if they are to survive independently.
Photo: Matty Smith / Ocean Photographer of the Year
Photo: Matty Smith / Ocean Photographer of the Year
How electricity superhighways are transforming Britain. Scotland has become a major focus, with the Eastern Green Link expected to carry 4GW of renewable energy from Scottish windfarms to demand heavy areas of England.
Mapped: the £150bn megaproject that aims to protect Britain from energy shocks
Thousands of miles of new power lines are needed to deliver climate targets and energy security, but bills will rise in the short term and opponents are mobilising
www.theguardian.com
September 13, 2026 at 1:52 PM
How electricity superhighways are transforming Britain. Scotland has become a major focus, with the Eastern Green Link expected to carry 4GW of renewable energy from Scottish windfarms to demand heavy areas of England.
Ben Delo — the British billionaire who’s handed £36m to Farage’s Reform UK — pleaded guilty in Feb 2022 to failing to implement anti-money laundering controls on his crypto trading platform BitMEX but was later pardoned by Trump. Presumably he welcomes Farage's plan to turn the UK into a crypto hub.
Crypto billionaire donates record £36m to Reform UK
Ben Delo is giving Nigel Farage’s party the largest donation in the history of British politics, saying he wants to ensure a ‘fair fight’ at the polls
www.thetimes.com
September 12, 2026 at 10:04 AM
Ben Delo — the British billionaire who’s handed £36m to Farage’s Reform UK — pleaded guilty in Feb 2022 to failing to implement anti-money laundering controls on his crypto trading platform BitMEX but was later pardoned by Trump. Presumably he welcomes Farage's plan to turn the UK into a crypto hub.
This is the sort of investigation which makes paying £79.50-a-year for a subscription to London Centric worth it.
I’ve been OBSESSED with the Shard apartments for at least a decade. Priced at up to £50m. Visible across London. Empty since 2012. Unsellable. No pictures online. Now London Centric has found out what’s happened to them - and the first pic of the interior. www.londoncentric.media/p/the-shard-...
‘Airbnb for sheikhs’: The first look inside the Shard’s £50m apartments that won’t sell
Ten “cursed” apartments have sat empty since 2012 • The Qatari state can’t find buyers • The local council has approved plans to turn them into short-term lets at up to £18,000 per week
www.londoncentric.media
September 12, 2026 at 9:04 AM
This is the sort of investigation which makes paying £79.50-a-year for a subscription to London Centric worth it.
‘37°2 le matin,’ (1986) known in English as ‘Betty Blue,’ depicts an all-consuming romance and a tragic descent into madness. Directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix, the film stars Béatrice Dalle and Jean-Hugues Anglade.
37.2 Degrees in the Morning 1986 Part 1 | Cut | Drama | Love | Jean-Hugues Angladen | Béatrice Dalle
YouTube video by Unlimited Clips
youtu.be
September 11, 2026 at 10:20 PM
‘37°2 le matin,’ (1986) known in English as ‘Betty Blue,’ depicts an all-consuming romance and a tragic descent into madness. Directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix, the film stars Béatrice Dalle and Jean-Hugues Anglade.
It’s unconscionable that the Poole Lifeboat Museum has had to close. It’s also unconscionable that racist thugs (who BBC News insists on calling “anti-migrant protestors”) are harassing, physically abusing, and threatening to physically abuse RNLI volunteers.
Poole Old Lifeboat Museum shuts after protesters target volunteers
The museum in Poole says it will remain closed until until the anti-migrant protests stop.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 11, 2026 at 2:49 PM
It’s unconscionable that the Poole Lifeboat Museum has had to close. It’s also unconscionable that racist thugs (who BBC News insists on calling “anti-migrant protestors”) are harassing, physically abusing, and threatening to physically abuse RNLI volunteers.
Former Scottish laird, who once hired a hitman to kill his ex-partner, jailed for 2 years for throttling a woman during a performance of We Will Rock You in the London Coliseum.
Malcolm Potier grabbed Kirsty O'Donnell's neck after a row broke out during a performance of the Queen musical.
Malcolm Potier grabbed Kirsty O'Donnell's neck after a row broke out during a performance of the Queen musical.
Woman strangled at West End show after telling stranger he was rude
Malcolm Potier, who once owned his own Scottish island, previously plotted to have his ex-partner murdered
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
September 10, 2026 at 8:56 PM
Former Scottish laird, who once hired a hitman to kill his ex-partner, jailed for 2 years for throttling a woman during a performance of We Will Rock You in the London Coliseum.
Malcolm Potier grabbed Kirsty O'Donnell's neck after a row broke out during a performance of the Queen musical.
Malcolm Potier grabbed Kirsty O'Donnell's neck after a row broke out during a performance of the Queen musical.
Labour MP Amanda Martin was quoted as saying it was “completely unacceptable that misinformation has led to young cricketers visiting our city being wrongly targeted”.
So, if the people targeted by masked racist thugs had been migrants, Martin would’ve been fine with it?!
So, if the people targeted by masked racist thugs had been migrants, Martin would’ve been fine with it?!
Group entered hotel of Pakistan cricketers mistaken for migrants
Protesters congregated at a Portsmouth hotel after false rumours that a coach of migrants had arrived.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 10, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Labour MP Amanda Martin was quoted as saying it was “completely unacceptable that misinformation has led to young cricketers visiting our city being wrongly targeted”.
So, if the people targeted by masked racist thugs had been migrants, Martin would’ve been fine with it?!
So, if the people targeted by masked racist thugs had been migrants, Martin would’ve been fine with it?!
Reposted by Ian Fraser
“The pogrom had bad intelligence” is really a bad stance for a Labour MP to take
September 10, 2026 at 5:59 PM
“The pogrom had bad intelligence” is really a bad stance for a Labour MP to take
Unite the union has today confirmed that workers at Diageo’s Cameronbridge grain distillery are to go on strike. Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “Diageo is raking in hundreds of millions of profit and there's no justification for slashing hundreds of jobs across its operations.”
Strike action over job cuts set to hit Diageo’s Cameronbridge distillery
Staff were balloted at the end of August over strike action, which will now take place.
www.scotsman.com
September 10, 2026 at 2:24 PM
Unite the union has today confirmed that workers at Diageo’s Cameronbridge grain distillery are to go on strike. Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham said: “Diageo is raking in hundreds of millions of profit and there's no justification for slashing hundreds of jobs across its operations.”
From the start of his shocker of an interview with UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband, BBC Radio 4 presenter Justin Webb conflated British Jews with Israel, a straightforwardly anti-semitic thing to do.
Full analysis by @brokenbottleboy.bsky.social
Full analysis by @brokenbottleboy.bsky.social
Analysing Justin Webb’s interview with Ed Miliband about sanctions on Israeli settlements
On the absence of balance in an encounter where the Foreign Secretary’s Jewishness was called into question.
brokenbottleboy.substack.com
September 10, 2026 at 2:15 PM
From the start of his shocker of an interview with UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband, BBC Radio 4 presenter Justin Webb conflated British Jews with Israel, a straightforwardly anti-semitic thing to do.
Full analysis by @brokenbottleboy.bsky.social
Full analysis by @brokenbottleboy.bsky.social
Off her trolley? The sheer hypocrisy of Tory leader Kemi Badenoch over press freedom.
@privateeyenews.bsky.social
@privateeyenews.bsky.social
September 10, 2026 at 8:17 AM
Off her trolley? The sheer hypocrisy of Tory leader Kemi Badenoch over press freedom.
@privateeyenews.bsky.social
@privateeyenews.bsky.social
Reposted by Ian Fraser
There have been so many impeachable offenses, but lying about how you were a hero on a day that 2,753 people died in NYC in the 9/11 disaster—when you were on the other side of town, safely calling local media to brag about how you now had the tallest downtown building—is such a despicable one
September 8, 2026 at 10:59 PM
There have been so many impeachable offenses, but lying about how you were a hero on a day that 2,753 people died in NYC in the 9/11 disaster—when you were on the other side of town, safely calling local media to brag about how you now had the tallest downtown building—is such a despicable one