Stephen Folan

6.1K posts

Stephen Folan banner
Stephen Folan

Stephen Folan

@stevefolan

ex-Chairman of Lewis Carroll Society & Technology Manager. Language, culture, writing and ideas. Living in Germany living the EU nightmare.

Katılım Kasım 2007
1.5K Takip Edilen281 Takipçiler
IT Unprofessional
IT Unprofessional@it_unprofession·
My refrigerator sent me a push notification that I'm eating too much dairy. I didn't ask for this feature. I just wanted a machine that dispensed crushed ice and kept my milk cold. Instead I bought a $3K appliance that acts like a judgmental nutritionist. Yesterday I tried to open the crisper drawer to get a block of cheddar. The fridge locked the drawer and suggested a handful of almonds via the LCD screen. I'm a grown man paying a mortgage. I had to unplug the entire unit just to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Now all my condiments are warm but I've reestablished dominance over my kitchen. Tomorrow I'm going to eat a stick of butter right in front of the internal camera. I won't be bullied by a Samsung.
English
458
900
6.8K
143.9K
Morrissey
Morrissey@strangexways·
The Morrissey of then and the Morrissey of now both agree that you’re a sanctimonious, self-righteous arsewipe, Mark.
English
175
583
6.7K
204.4K
The Telegraph
The Telegraph@Telegraph·
🔴 Labour MPs are plotting to topple Sir Keir Starmer swiftly in the aftermath of their party’s predicted May 7 local election wipeout. The party is braced to lose hundreds of council seats across England and, for the first time in its history, control of the Senedd in Wales. 🔗: telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/…
The Telegraph tweet media
English
75
274
834
92.1K
Stephen Folan
Stephen Folan@stevefolan·
@Peston Spoiler: You don't know and neither does he. Also upu don't need ai to get through cyber defences
English
0
0
0
297
Robert Peston
Robert Peston@Peston·
Is it fair that only some businesses have access to Anthropic’s super powerful Mythos AI, given its ability to pierce cyber defences? Will Open AI go bust? Will Demis Hassabis and Gemini win the AI wars? My Rest is Money chat with Sebastian Mallaby, author of “The Infinity Machine” on AI superbrain Hassabis podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the…
English
5
5
22
29.1K
James Dreyfus
James Dreyfus@DreyfusJames·
Account is restricted yet again. If you could drop a brief comment on my posts below, it apparently helps that algae-rhythm… Thanking you in advance.
English
4.9K
760
9.1K
218.9K
WasAcop
WasAcop@WasAcop·
What will the excuse be when Starmer is grilled over the Mandelson vetting fiasco? Betting odds as he faces Parliament: • ‘I was kept in the dark, it’s staggering and unforgivable!’ – 1/2 (the classic ‘no one told me’ special) • ‘Due process was followed… by someone else, probably’ – 3/1 • ‘I trusted Peter because he’s a Labour legend, not because of any Epstein files, honest’ – 5/1 • ‘This is all Olly Robbins’ fault, I sacked him so I’m the hero’ – 7/1 • ‘Look, I was busy changing the country – who has time for security briefings?’ – 12/1 • ‘They wanted to go to war with America’ – 15/1 • ‘Actually, Mandelson told me he passed with flying colours… turns out he was lying to me too!’ – 20/1 • ‘Brexit did this’ – 100/1 (long shot, but never say never) Place your bets. The only sure thing is another ‘lessons will be learned’ speech. 🍿 #Starmer #Mandelson
English
42
14
68
2.9K
Stephen Folan
Stephen Folan@stevefolan·
@vonderburchard The EU exerts influence on the information environment and financial incentives around European elections through its laws and budget tools. Is it legitimate oversight to critics of populism, or overreach undermining sovereignty to its opponents?
English
0
0
3
737
Hans von der Burchard
Hans von der Burchard@vonderburchard·
Germany “rejects the accusation” by J.D. Vance that the EU was interfering in Hungary's election (gov spox) “I would like to point out that the U.S. Vice President was in Hungary just a few days before the election. This fact alone speaks for itself as to who is interfering.” 🔥
English
95
2.1K
12K
122.7K
Stephen Folan
Stephen Folan@stevefolan·
@Peston Are you "embedded" with Starmer's crack squad of negotiators?
English
1
0
13
2.6K
Robert Peston
Robert Peston@Peston·
Hours after President Trump announced a two-week cessation of hostilities against Iran, I travelled to the Gulf with the prime minister and his team, in the official government plane. We have just landed in Saudi Arabia. For diplomatic and security reasons, I have been asked not to disclose our itinerary or Starmer’s schedule of meetings with government heads. But it does not take enormous intellectual effort to deduce that the first set of talks will be with arguably the most powerful of the Gulf leaders, Saudi’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The most pressing question in all Starmer’s meetings, including with MBS, is whether the ceasefire between Iran and America and Israel can endure long enough for there to be meaningful talks on a sustainable peace - which are scheduled to start on Friday in Pakistan. According to British sources - and frankly this won’t surprise you - the ceasefire is real, holding so far and very unstable. One source of anxiety is Israel’s somewhat ambivalent commitment to it - and notably that Netanyahu is explicit the hiatus does not restrict the Israel Defence Forces’ aggression in Lebanon. Another is that the devolved structure of Iran’s military, the IRGC, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the absence of a centralised power structure in Iran brings the risk of continued sporadic and unlicensed attacks by Iranian militia on Gulf countries - and also means that very few shippers of oil, gas and other vital commodities will yet take the risk of moving their tankers and ships through the precarious Strait of Hormuz. As one intelligence source put it to me, Israel’s assassination of so many Iranian leaders makes it incredibly difficult to know who is in charge in the country, if anyone. On the more positive side though, there may be a little more underlying common ground between Tehran and Washington than their public positions on their “non negotiable” aims for any peace settlement would suggest - though I don’t have a clue how their respective positions on Iran’s nuclear ambitions or Iran’s determination to be turnpike keeper of the Hormuz Strait can be bridged. Because the Hormuz Strait is the supply route for a fifth of the world’s carbon energy, and therefore a kind of oesophagus for the global economy, much of Starmer’s focus in talks with Gulf leaders will be a continuation of British diplomatic activity with 40-odd other nations in recent days, namely whether there is any practical way to make the Strait safe for commercial traffic. But his other message is bound to be along the lines of “when this chaos is finally over, don’t forget who your true allies and friends are.” The point is that - like Starmer - none of the Gulf states wanted Trump to attack Iran when he did. And although the UK’s military has been exposed by both the Ukraine and Iran conflicts as depleted and unequipped for this era of drone wars, the UK has been deploying planes and weapons to protect the region from Iran’s assorted uncrewed aerial threats. In the eyes of Gulf leaders, the UK - and Europe more widely, including Ukraine with its formidable drone capabilities - presumably looks a less intimidating friend than either America or China. They have a material interest in strengthening ties with Britain. This is important because Trump’s Iran war is re-configuring the global balance of power in a fundamental way. For Starmer and the UK there are risks, especially if the US were to precipitously withdraw its military umbrella from our continent. And to be clear, there is no sign of Starmer unilaterally abandoning the UK’s historic entente with America, even if Trump is an unreliable, and sometimes abusive, friend. 1/2
English
250
42
366
329.1K
Stephen King
Stephen King@StephenKing·
I predicted someone like Trump many years ago, in THE DEAD ZONE. So now I'm saying this--in the next 12-16 months, we're going to find out if the two machines for the removal of a man unable to fulfill his duties actually work. They are impeachment and the 25th amendment. He is deeply unwell .
English
6.2K
18.4K
87.6K
2.3M
Stephen Folan
Stephen Folan@stevefolan·
@CatharineHoey I am sure the security drove behind him and it was covered in the press a few times.
English
0
0
0
293
Kate Hoey
Kate Hoey@CatharineHoey·
Boris was arguably the most famous politician when Mayor of London yet he travelled all over London on his bicycle with NO security and on the tube where he was usually inundated for selfies. Yet Khan immediately took a bomb proof carrier flanked by a back up and then a security guard. Absolutely no need for such an expensive security team. Signs of grandeur rather than necessity!
Geoffrey Myers@geoffreyMyers1

Wonder where the bomb proof land rovers , security detail and fire power were when Boris was Mayor of London !

English
1.4K
3.5K
22.4K
2.2M
Rasmus Jarlov
Rasmus Jarlov@RasmusJarlov·
In the future, there will be three major powers in the world: China, USA, EU. Neutral countries will move as much as possible towards the EU as their preferred partner because both China and the USA treat other countries disrespectfully and try to extort them. Europe will be the only great power and market to turn to if you want to have an equal and fair relationship. Canada is already moving towards Europe for this exact reason. India and Japan will also form a closer relationship with Europe. This is what soft power means. MAGA replies in the comment section will prove the point.
English
3.6K
633
5.8K
747.3K
Brandon Straka #WalkAway
Brandon Straka #WalkAway@BrandonStraka·
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns the organization faces collapse without continued U.S. funding, which contributes roughly $2.2 billion to its core budget. "the United Nations is on the brink of total collapse" x.com/AmericaRedVoic…
English
8.1K
4.1K
19.4K
1.5M
Stephen Folan
Stephen Folan@stevefolan·
@kelvmackenzie I am surprised that Starmer did not call him in for an explanation. Not a good look before the local elections
English
0
0
7
875
Kelvin MacKenzie
Kelvin MacKenzie@kelvmackenzie·
I suspect Mayor Khan’s 72-hour silence on the looting and attacks on supermarket staff in Clapham was racially and politically motivated. The shocking crime spree by a 100+ gang of black feral kids came on the Monday, but there was not a peep from him until Thursday. Would he have stayed schtum if those kids had been white? I doubt it, since their parents would not have been his natural voters whereas minority families are. I’m certain ( I used to work there) that had it happened in US cities their mayor would be on spot that very night assuring locals they would be protected. There’s something rotten in the state of London and it starts at the top.
English
83
795
5.2K
103.4K
The Labour Party
The Labour Party@UKLabour·
This Labour Government is the most working-class government in the history of the UK.
English
7K
221
1.5K
749.1K
Wall Street Mav
Wall Street Mav@WallStreetMav·
🚨🚨🚨Breaking: The German government to build 15 new nuclear power plants and lift sanctions immediately on all Russian oil and natural gas. German Chancellor Merz has also agreed to pay to rebuild the Nord Stream pipeline to Russia. All wind and solar projects have been cancelled. "It's time for Germany to open our energy economy. The best way to do this is via free markets, lowering taxes and regulations". For Immediate Release. Berlin, April 1 2026.
Wall Street Mav tweet media
English
3.4K
6.6K
21.6K
1.4M
Miss Jo
Miss Jo@therealmissjo·
People are barricaded in shops. Others are unable to get down the street. Why? Because this is the “Clapham youth” in London. They have stormed the high street and are looting shops. Does not seem like anyone is being arrested yet. Instead police stand and watch. You can guarantee that if they were a large group of white kids they would be arrested in minutes. This is not the first time they have done this in the last few days. Their behaviour is feral.
English
3.4K
6.2K
18.5K
1.6M