The number of ministers and spads from the coalition government - quite possibly the worst UK government of all time - who swan about posing as experts is just insanely infuriating. Its everything that's wrong with the country.
October 2, 2026 at 10:22 AM
The number of ministers and spads from the coalition government - quite possibly the worst UK government of all time - who swan about posing as experts is just insanely infuriating. Its everything that's wrong with the country.
"No shirt, no shoes, no service"
---
Sure. Understandable!
...
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PANTS ?!?!
So,
I roll up like Mr. Peanut with my little legume out and about,
But if I'm wearing my spads and my French cuffs, it's not a problem ?!?!
... Let's see what Ocean City PD has to say about this ...
---
Sure. Understandable!
...
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PANTS ?!?!
So,
I roll up like Mr. Peanut with my little legume out and about,
But if I'm wearing my spads and my French cuffs, it's not a problem ?!?!
... Let's see what Ocean City PD has to say about this ...
October 1, 2026 at 7:43 PM
"No shirt, no shoes, no service"
---
Sure. Understandable!
...
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PANTS ?!?!
So,
I roll up like Mr. Peanut with my little legume out and about,
But if I'm wearing my spads and my French cuffs, it's not a problem ?!?!
... Let's see what Ocean City PD has to say about this ...
---
Sure. Understandable!
...
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE PANTS ?!?!
So,
I roll up like Mr. Peanut with my little legume out and about,
But if I'm wearing my spads and my French cuffs, it's not a problem ?!?!
... Let's see what Ocean City PD has to say about this ...
Why is it that senior politicians, including the PM all have Spads who are 23 & called Tim/Tamara Fotherington-Smythe, fresh out of Oxbridge armed with nothing more than a trust fund, a PPE degree & an almost supernatural amount of inflated self-belief?
October 1, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Why is it that senior politicians, including the PM all have Spads who are 23 & called Tim/Tamara Fotherington-Smythe, fresh out of Oxbridge armed with nothing more than a trust fund, a PPE degree & an almost supernatural amount of inflated self-belief?
Yeah but when his SPADs point out that king Andy might have to contend with some princes with whom he'll have to play nice with, he'll back down from PR.
October 1, 2026 at 10:49 AM
Yeah but when his SPADs point out that king Andy might have to contend with some princes with whom he'll have to play nice with, he'll back down from PR.
While there’s definitely no equivalent for Burnham among the ex-Spads of Bluesky, no alternate timeline fan fiction manifestations here, no siree 😂
September 30, 2026 at 4:00 PM
While there’s definitely no equivalent for Burnham among the ex-Spads of Bluesky, no alternate timeline fan fiction manifestations here, no siree 😂
"oh but what if policymakers or SpAds want to read The Economi-" let me stop you right there, nobody is actually reading it
September 30, 2026 at 10:29 AM
"oh but what if policymakers or SpAds want to read The Economi-" let me stop you right there, nobody is actually reading it
Imagine counting single fireflies in a storm — your net decides what you catch. Mould et al. (2024): EMCCDs hit >90% efficiency, yet random gain lets one photon masquerade as two. PMTs stay gold standard; SPADs drown in dark counts. What do you trust for UPE? #biophotons #UPE #Science
September 30, 2026 at 9:10 AM
Imagine counting single fireflies in a storm — your net decides what you catch. Mould et al. (2024): EMCCDs hit >90% efficiency, yet random gain lets one photon masquerade as two. PMTs stay gold standard; SPADs drown in dark counts. What do you trust for UPE? #biophotons #UPE #Science
The same civil servants, SPADS, and donors that always run it. Politicians are just for soundbites and TV appearances.
September 28, 2026 at 11:25 AM
The same civil servants, SPADS, and donors that always run it. Politicians are just for soundbites and TV appearances.
My reading is that they have just received the first OBR pre-measures forecast. Of course HMT officials knew this was likely but seeing an actual number in an OBR spreadsheet makes it real to the Spads!
September 28, 2026 at 8:49 AM
My reading is that they have just received the first OBR pre-measures forecast. Of course HMT officials knew this was likely but seeing an actual number in an OBR spreadsheet makes it real to the Spads!
Why discuss a policy that’s not going to happen? Go back to the original article. A source said something was discussed. An agenda item as treasury officials/SPADs ran through current policy, “shall we drop it by £500k? No, too much pain”. On to next item. But the story runs like it’s truth.
September 27, 2026 at 7:52 PM
Why discuss a policy that’s not going to happen? Go back to the original article. A source said something was discussed. An agenda item as treasury officials/SPADs ran through current policy, “shall we drop it by £500k? No, too much pain”. On to next item. But the story runs like it’s truth.
The great thing about party conferences is that they are a great way to identify which ex-minsters and former SpAds are completely fsck'ing useless as they are all over the media spouting bollocks like dogs returning to their vomit.
September 27, 2026 at 8:31 AM
The great thing about party conferences is that they are a great way to identify which ex-minsters and former SpAds are completely fsck'ing useless as they are all over the media spouting bollocks like dogs returning to their vomit.
Matt Chorley’s FiveLive show is equally execrable. He seems to wear this as some kind of badge of honour. It’s full of ex-Spads and political apparatchiks all in love with their own gasping intellects. I can’t think of one politically based show on TV that’s worth watching.
September 26, 2026 at 5:13 PM
Matt Chorley’s FiveLive show is equally execrable. He seems to wear this as some kind of badge of honour. It’s full of ex-Spads and political apparatchiks all in love with their own gasping intellects. I can’t think of one politically based show on TV that’s worth watching.
They have learned nothing. And the same SpAds who were advising them during the great decline are now wheeled out as regular commentators with some sort of expertise. They can pull this again, but NI is circling the drain, and they are switching on the waste extractor not putting in the plug.
September 26, 2026 at 7:24 AM
They have learned nothing. And the same SpAds who were advising them during the great decline are now wheeled out as regular commentators with some sort of expertise. They can pull this again, but NI is circling the drain, and they are switching on the waste extractor not putting in the plug.
But the people who make the decisions are not doctors, historians, engineers or psychologists. Most politicians come from a tiny narrow intellectual group, mainly lawyers and posh Oxbridge graduates of PPE, surrounded by lobbyists and spads whose intellectual heft is no broader than a leaf of wheat.
September 25, 2026 at 6:53 PM
But the people who make the decisions are not doctors, historians, engineers or psychologists. Most politicians come from a tiny narrow intellectual group, mainly lawyers and posh Oxbridge graduates of PPE, surrounded by lobbyists and spads whose intellectual heft is no broader than a leaf of wheat.
PERSONALLY, I'M CONCERNED THE PM HAS NOT TAKEN ADEQUATE TIME TO GRIEVE THE PASSING OF HIS FATHER
WITHOUT THAT,HE MAY TAKE ADVICE THAT HE WOULDN'T USUALLY OR MAKE DECISIONS HE MAY REGRET LATER
I'D ENCOURAGE HIM TO ONLY TAKE ADVICE FROM CLOSE FRIENDS LIKE STEVE ROTHERAM NOT SPADS ETC
(NB MCSWEENEY)
WITHOUT THAT,HE MAY TAKE ADVICE THAT HE WOULDN'T USUALLY OR MAKE DECISIONS HE MAY REGRET LATER
I'D ENCOURAGE HIM TO ONLY TAKE ADVICE FROM CLOSE FRIENDS LIKE STEVE ROTHERAM NOT SPADS ETC
(NB MCSWEENEY)
September 25, 2026 at 2:14 PM
PERSONALLY, I'M CONCERNED THE PM HAS NOT TAKEN ADEQUATE TIME TO GRIEVE THE PASSING OF HIS FATHER
WITHOUT THAT,HE MAY TAKE ADVICE THAT HE WOULDN'T USUALLY OR MAKE DECISIONS HE MAY REGRET LATER
I'D ENCOURAGE HIM TO ONLY TAKE ADVICE FROM CLOSE FRIENDS LIKE STEVE ROTHERAM NOT SPADS ETC
(NB MCSWEENEY)
WITHOUT THAT,HE MAY TAKE ADVICE THAT HE WOULDN'T USUALLY OR MAKE DECISIONS HE MAY REGRET LATER
I'D ENCOURAGE HIM TO ONLY TAKE ADVICE FROM CLOSE FRIENDS LIKE STEVE ROTHERAM NOT SPADS ETC
(NB MCSWEENEY)
A warm hearth for those seeking a brief (enriching) respite from the Commons... a gap year for SpADs... an opportunity to cash in all that PPS experience...
September 25, 2026 at 1:45 PM
A warm hearth for those seeking a brief (enriching) respite from the Commons... a gap year for SpADs... an opportunity to cash in all that PPS experience...
I'm wondering whether (a) he got a bollocking for trying to take a pint of beer into the stands at a match, (b) someone from one of the breweries is due a favour or (c) SPADs have told him to find someone to protect women from?
September 24, 2026 at 3:53 PM
I'm wondering whether (a) he got a bollocking for trying to take a pint of beer into the stands at a match, (b) someone from one of the breweries is due a favour or (c) SPADs have told him to find someone to protect women from?
The 700 freebies: how lobbyists & businesses courted Labour's special advisers
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-700-fr...
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-700-fr...
The 700 freebies: how lobbyists and businesses courted Labour's special advisers
A Democracy for Sale investigation reveals the scale of hospitality accepted by ‘spads’ – and how little the public is allowed to know about it
democracyforsale.substack.com
September 23, 2026 at 1:56 PM
The 700 freebies: how lobbyists & businesses courted Labour's special advisers
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-700-fr...
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-700-fr...
His name was Andy Burnham.
His name was Andy Burnham.
*spads and donors join in*
His name was Andy Burnham.
His name was Andy Burnham.
*spads and donors join in*
His name was Andy Burnham.
“The rise of anti-migration neofascism is more threatening than anything I’ve seen in my lifetime.”
Good piece by @pollytoynbee.bsky.social challenging Burnham to confront the rise of the far right in his conference speech next week. Features @hopenothate.org.uk
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Good piece by @pollytoynbee.bsky.social challenging Burnham to confront the rise of the far right in his conference speech next week. Features @hopenothate.org.uk
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
There is a racism and cohesion crisis in Britain, and someone needs to lead us out of it. His name is Andy Burnham | Polly Toynbee
I want him to start the fightback next week against extremists who peddle hate and those who despise this country. That would be true patriotism, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee
www.theguardian.com
September 22, 2026 at 8:47 AM
His name was Andy Burnham.
His name was Andy Burnham.
*spads and donors join in*
His name was Andy Burnham.
His name was Andy Burnham.
*spads and donors join in*
His name was Andy Burnham.
Buying influence? I used to work in a client facing position and, yes, we would invite decision makers out to lunch once or maybe twice a year or invite a client to the box at Twickenham. This looks like they’re trying to influence.
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-700-fr...
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-700-fr...
The 700 freebies: how lobbyists and businesses courted Labour's special advisers
A Democracy for Sale investigation reveals the scale of hospitality accepted by ‘spads’ – and how little the public is allowed to know about it
democracyforsale.substack.com
September 21, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Buying influence? I used to work in a client facing position and, yes, we would invite decision makers out to lunch once or maybe twice a year or invite a client to the box at Twickenham. This looks like they’re trying to influence.
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-700-fr...
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-700-fr...
This includes the spads too
September 20, 2026 at 1:05 PM
This includes the spads too
Just how many snp govt civil servants and spads does it take to mess up Scotland? Around 29,000 or more? They’re being paid by us for failure.
September 19, 2026 at 6:38 PM
Just how many snp govt civil servants and spads does it take to mess up Scotland? Around 29,000 or more? They’re being paid by us for failure.
Surely that is the wrong way around - politicians should be bringing their life experience to public service towards the end of their career rather than using politics as a stepping stone. That is how we end up with the country being run by PPE grad Spads with no life experience.
September 19, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Surely that is the wrong way around - politicians should be bringing their life experience to public service towards the end of their career rather than using politics as a stepping stone. That is how we end up with the country being run by PPE grad Spads with no life experience.
If it is forbidden for spads to talk to journalists, should they be allowed to talk to Tom Watson?
September 18, 2026 at 4:47 PM
If it is forbidden for spads to talk to journalists, should they be allowed to talk to Tom Watson?
GenAI/techbro money and influence (not least through the SPADs, who see the lucrative lobbying potential)
September 18, 2026 at 12:23 PM
GenAI/techbro money and influence (not least through the SPADs, who see the lucrative lobbying potential)