Martin McDonald
@martymcd.bsky.social
UK & US Politics and other stuff from the kitchen table, one tweet at a time.
Some say 'a totally undiscovered twitter treasure' apparently. Also tax. And law
Some say 'a totally undiscovered twitter treasure' apparently. Also tax. And law
Reposted by Martin McDonald
"No one – including Carney and Von der Leyen – knows what “associate membership” of the EU means…there is no existing status with that name, and the offer was more of a symbolic statement of intent than something material.
"All the same, Trump is mad as hell, and he’s not even trying to hide it."
"All the same, Trump is mad as hell, and he’s not even trying to hide it."
Trump's ego is so fragile he sees Europe and Canada talks as a personal slight
The US President’s zero-sum, confused world view is coming back to haunt him
inews.co.uk
September 18, 2026 at 11:46 AM
"No one – including Carney and Von der Leyen – knows what “associate membership” of the EU means…there is no existing status with that name, and the offer was more of a symbolic statement of intent than something material.
"All the same, Trump is mad as hell, and he’s not even trying to hide it."
"All the same, Trump is mad as hell, and he’s not even trying to hide it."
Reposted by Martin McDonald
Charles Grassley turned 93 yesterday. He has been in elected office continuously since — I am not making this up — before Mike Pence was born.
September 18, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Charles Grassley turned 93 yesterday. He has been in elected office continuously since — I am not making this up — before Mike Pence was born.
Reposted by Martin McDonald
Any minute now we’re going to see the Keminaissance.
Westminster Voting Intention:
LAB: 29% (-1)
RFM: 25% (-2)
CON: 19% (-1)
GRN: 9% (+1)
LDM: 8% (=)
SNP: 4% (+1)
Via @deltapoll.bsky.social, 11-14 Sep.
Changes w/ 21-24 Aug.
LAB: 29% (-1)
RFM: 25% (-2)
CON: 19% (-1)
GRN: 9% (+1)
LDM: 8% (=)
SNP: 4% (+1)
Via @deltapoll.bsky.social, 11-14 Sep.
Changes w/ 21-24 Aug.
September 18, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Any minute now we’re going to see the Keminaissance.
Reposted by Martin McDonald
Reposted by Martin McDonald
@seanjones.org
Sean, any chance you could RT this link for donations to Cornwall Islamic Centre after their place has been vandalised, car driven through gates & oil thrown everywhere ? 🙏
www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/...
Sean, any chance you could RT this link for donations to Cornwall Islamic Centre after their place has been vandalised, car driven through gates & oil thrown everywhere ? 🙏
www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/...
SUPPORT CORNWALL ISLAMIC COMMUNITY CENTRE
Our centre has recently been targeted in an possibly arson attack.
At approximately 11:25pm, a small vehicle was seen reversing into the entrance gate of the Cornwall Islamic Community Centre. The ve...
www.paypal.com
September 18, 2026 at 5:22 PM
@seanjones.org
Sean, any chance you could RT this link for donations to Cornwall Islamic Centre after their place has been vandalised, car driven through gates & oil thrown everywhere ? 🙏
www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/...
Sean, any chance you could RT this link for donations to Cornwall Islamic Centre after their place has been vandalised, car driven through gates & oil thrown everywhere ? 🙏
www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/...
Reposted by Martin McDonald
At this point it would be harder to find a position Zack *hasn't* ever u-turned on.
September 18, 2026 at 5:23 PM
At this point it would be harder to find a position Zack *hasn't* ever u-turned on.
Reposted by Martin McDonald
An alternative (and equally factual) description would be "Zack Polanski tries and fails to find a way to avoid taking a position on a horrendously toxic motion *prior* to standing for election as an MP"
New: Zack Polanski requested that the Greens’ ruling executive committee postpone the party’s imminent annual conference so they could focus on the Holborn and St Pancras byelection but was refused, the Guardian has been told.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Polanski request to postpone Greens’ conference to focus on byelection refused by party
Leader understood to have wanted to focus on Holborn and St Pancras campaign in London but executive committee voted against plan
www.theguardian.com
September 18, 2026 at 4:55 PM
An alternative (and equally factual) description would be "Zack Polanski tries and fails to find a way to avoid taking a position on a horrendously toxic motion *prior* to standing for election as an MP"
Reposted by Martin McDonald
Is anything not “a damning signal of Britain’s decline “ to The Telegraph ?
The Daily Telegraph, with its finger on the pulse of the nation, thinks that people taking a packed lunch to work is “pathetic” and a sign of societal collapse; and also thinks that said packed lunch includes sprouts.
September 18, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Is anything not “a damning signal of Britain’s decline “ to The Telegraph ?
Reposted by Martin McDonald
Bash: “The teenager who was driving was going to sign up to serve…He's a U.S. citizen.”
Mullin: “He wasn't arrested.”
Bash: “He was arrested…Do Americans need to show proof of citizenship now?”
Mullin: “If you're an American citizen, you have no reason to fear."
Mullin: “He wasn't arrested.”
Bash: “He was arrested…Do Americans need to show proof of citizenship now?”
Mullin: “If you're an American citizen, you have no reason to fear."
September 18, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Bash: “The teenager who was driving was going to sign up to serve…He's a U.S. citizen.”
Mullin: “He wasn't arrested.”
Bash: “He was arrested…Do Americans need to show proof of citizenship now?”
Mullin: “If you're an American citizen, you have no reason to fear."
Mullin: “He wasn't arrested.”
Bash: “He was arrested…Do Americans need to show proof of citizenship now?”
Mullin: “If you're an American citizen, you have no reason to fear."
Reposted by Martin McDonald
A lifeboat crew responds to a call and finds a dingy in distress full of migrant men, women and children. Do they leave or rescue them?
No-one with a shred of humanity would turn round and head back.
No-one with a shred of humanity would turn round and head back.
September 18, 2026 at 1:56 PM
A lifeboat crew responds to a call and finds a dingy in distress full of migrant men, women and children. Do they leave or rescue them?
No-one with a shred of humanity would turn round and head back.
No-one with a shred of humanity would turn round and head back.
Reposted by Martin McDonald
Reposted by Martin McDonald
I just looked up ICE’s responsibilities. Their primary job is to identify, detain and deport migrants. Their secondary one is to investigate human trafficking, drug trafficking and financial fraud. The first one won’t cause a threat to anyone voting. The latter ones don’t happen at polling places.
Markwayne Mullin on deploying ICE to polling places: "We're only going to be there if we're required because there's some type of threat"
September 18, 2026 at 4:45 PM
I just looked up ICE’s responsibilities. Their primary job is to identify, detain and deport migrants. Their secondary one is to investigate human trafficking, drug trafficking and financial fraud. The first one won’t cause a threat to anyone voting. The latter ones don’t happen at polling places.
Reposted by Martin McDonald
🇬🇧 Among the snippets this week: Gordon Brown visits Lambeth to discuss poverty, and Canon Tim Lomax to be next Bishop of Warwick #NewsBriefs #ChurchTimes
UK news in brief
Gordon Brown visits Lambeth to discuss poverty THE Archbishop of Canterbury met the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Lambeth Palace on Thursday of last week, alongside the Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, the lead bishop for chil...
www.churchtimes.co.uk
September 18, 2026 at 12:53 PM
🇬🇧 Among the snippets this week: Gordon Brown visits Lambeth to discuss poverty, and Canon Tim Lomax to be next Bishop of Warwick #NewsBriefs #ChurchTimes
Reposted by Martin McDonald
📌“He was quickly over run and the elephants trampled him into the earth and all that we found was basically a very large blood stain around the clothing he was in.”
Good news is hard to find these days, friends. Enjoy!
Good news is hard to find these days, friends. Enjoy!
Poacher tried to shoot rhinos but was trampled to death by elephants instead
An armed rhino poacher in South Africa’s Kruger National Park was trampled to death when a herd of elephants charged as he lined up a shot for the animals’ lucrative horns
www.dailystar.co.uk
September 17, 2026 at 6:39 PM
📌“He was quickly over run and the elephants trampled him into the earth and all that we found was basically a very large blood stain around the clothing he was in.”
Good news is hard to find these days, friends. Enjoy!
Good news is hard to find these days, friends. Enjoy!
Reposted by Martin McDonald
Please remember that #RNLIRecipes are still available, donate and get your own!
Or follow the hashtag and nick someone else’s, times are hard.
Or follow the hashtag and nick someone else’s, times are hard.
For the unacquainted, how it works is you donate to the RNLI, post a screenshot of your donation and tell me what you want to cook, and I'll give you a full recipe and breakdown.
Several people were moderately pleased at the results last time.
Several people were moderately pleased at the results last time.
September 17, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Please remember that #RNLIRecipes are still available, donate and get your own!
Or follow the hashtag and nick someone else’s, times are hard.
Or follow the hashtag and nick someone else’s, times are hard.
Reposted by Martin McDonald
BASH: Part of the issue is DHS isn't releasing numbers. Will you help clear up what you're saying by releasing arrest stats?
MULLIN: Every time we try to give numbers out you guys want to pick it apart & make it political when you should be saying 'at least we're getting criminals off our streets'
MULLIN: Every time we try to give numbers out you guys want to pick it apart & make it political when you should be saying 'at least we're getting criminals off our streets'
September 18, 2026 at 4:37 PM
BASH: Part of the issue is DHS isn't releasing numbers. Will you help clear up what you're saying by releasing arrest stats?
MULLIN: Every time we try to give numbers out you guys want to pick it apart & make it political when you should be saying 'at least we're getting criminals off our streets'
MULLIN: Every time we try to give numbers out you guys want to pick it apart & make it political when you should be saying 'at least we're getting criminals off our streets'
Reposted by Martin McDonald
Markwayne Mullin makes shit up: "We've arrested 2,150 terrorists that were let into this country under Biden"
Bash: "Terrorists?"
Bash: "Terrorists?"
September 18, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Markwayne Mullin makes shit up: "We've arrested 2,150 terrorists that were let into this country under Biden"
Bash: "Terrorists?"
Bash: "Terrorists?"
Reposted by Martin McDonald
New: Zack Polanski requested that the Greens’ ruling executive committee postpone the party’s imminent annual conference so they could focus on the Holborn and St Pancras byelection but was refused, the Guardian has been told.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Polanski request to postpone Greens’ conference to focus on byelection refused by party
Leader understood to have wanted to focus on Holborn and St Pancras campaign in London but executive committee voted against plan
www.theguardian.com
September 18, 2026 at 4:34 PM
New: Zack Polanski requested that the Greens’ ruling executive committee postpone the party’s imminent annual conference so they could focus on the Holborn and St Pancras byelection but was refused, the Guardian has been told.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Martin McDonald
Reposted by Martin McDonald
he picked him because he’ll never produce a cross
September 18, 2026 at 1:58 PM
he picked him because he’ll never produce a cross
Reposted by Martin McDonald
BASH: In July, 50% of 50k people detained by DHS had no criminal record. You're comfortable w/that?
MULLIN: That's not true. Every one of those criminals broke our laws when they crossed our border illegally
B: But beyond that
MULLIN: What level of criminal activity are you willing to accept?
MULLIN: That's not true. Every one of those criminals broke our laws when they crossed our border illegally
B: But beyond that
MULLIN: What level of criminal activity are you willing to accept?
September 18, 2026 at 4:27 PM
BASH: In July, 50% of 50k people detained by DHS had no criminal record. You're comfortable w/that?
MULLIN: That's not true. Every one of those criminals broke our laws when they crossed our border illegally
B: But beyond that
MULLIN: What level of criminal activity are you willing to accept?
MULLIN: That's not true. Every one of those criminals broke our laws when they crossed our border illegally
B: But beyond that
MULLIN: What level of criminal activity are you willing to accept?
Reposted by Martin McDonald
Reminder: supporting Ukraine is not an act of charity, but self-interest.
"Putin's armies are well-practised in asymmetric drone warfare, and they are learning all the time. Europe, by contrast, is unprepared. It must learn from Ukraine by backing it"
www.economist.com/leaders/2026...
"Putin's armies are well-practised in asymmetric drone warfare, and they are learning all the time. Europe, by contrast, is unprepared. It must learn from Ukraine by backing it"
www.economist.com/leaders/2026...
The selfish case for helping Ukraine has never been stronger
Rapidly changing technology, wielded by a lawless enemy, may be the future of war
www.economist.com
September 18, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Reminder: supporting Ukraine is not an act of charity, but self-interest.
"Putin's armies are well-practised in asymmetric drone warfare, and they are learning all the time. Europe, by contrast, is unprepared. It must learn from Ukraine by backing it"
www.economist.com/leaders/2026...
"Putin's armies are well-practised in asymmetric drone warfare, and they are learning all the time. Europe, by contrast, is unprepared. It must learn from Ukraine by backing it"
www.economist.com/leaders/2026...
Reposted by Martin McDonald
This is the most masculine video on the internet right now
September 17, 2026 at 7:01 PM
This is the most masculine video on the internet right now
Reposted by Martin McDonald
Entering the Ashes ballots 🫡
September 18, 2026 at 4:14 PM
Entering the Ashes ballots 🫡
