Sign in

Paul Stevens

@gunnerstifler.bsky.social
1.1K followers 425 following 22 posts
PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 5h
"The amount of fuel Russia could export is too small, the impact on pricing too slight, the narrative too late to shape electoral outcomes: This looks, instead, like something very different: an abrupt, Hail Mary attempt to force Ukraine to surrender" www.theatlantic.com/idea/2026/10...
theatlantic.com
Trump’s Message to Ukraine Is Now Crystal Clear
The president’s actions over the past 72 hours look like an effort to force Kyiv to surrender.
1111653733
Reposted by Paul Stevens
"Seamus O'Reilly" 🇺🇦🇬🇧🇮🇪🇦🇺🇬🇱 @jimbobuk.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
In the observer; Andy Burnham has said "UK authorities are “clear” that there was Russian interference in the Brexit vote: this is the first time a prime minister has confirmed Kremlin involvement in the 2016 referendum." Finally.... What we all knew...
29644196
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It will never not be wild to me that the Russians attacked Keir Starmer's home, successfully spread falsehoods about Starmer's love life, and this didn't changed British politics and British political elite behaviour *at all*.
471186353
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Liar. Small boat crossings peaked under Johnson in 2022 reaching 46,000 in 2022. In current year they are 18,565 and falling. Also prior to Boris Johnson's Brexit there were none.
It's a disaster, and it can all be traced to
Labour ideology. Burnham has no mandate
from the people. He has no real ideas, and
no plan,

Johnson on X
23032741209
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 26/09/2026
Tech companies suddenly decide they can, in fact, moderate content on their platforms after all
7259802001
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
my brilliant colleague @robertshrimsley.bsky.social on the threat from Elon Musk’s X platform www.ft.com/content/f270...
6528171174
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Jamo @drjimmyp.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Genuinely insane PL clubs spend millions if not billions on players, invest in some of best sports people/technologies, spend every day doing whatever it takes to be competitive and what we end up talking about more often than not is bunch of incompetent fools who refuse to look at own shortcomings.
031
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Ukraine not wanting to concede even more territory than it already has, withdrawing to a line less defendable, to give Russia time to regroup and invade, is what's holding back peace.
1298
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Parody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I may have received £72 million, but at least I wasn't given a pair of glasses and some football tickets.
271734342
Reposted by Paul Stevens
YankeeGunner @arsenalvisionpodcast.com · 13/09/2026
You’ve got refs going on podcasts saying “I decided to play a game with myself rather than reffing the match” & going on tv shows saying “I didn’t overturn a wrong call because I felt bad for my mate” but somehow there’s still debate about whether pro ref is fit for purpose
1232537
Reposted by Paul Stevens
The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
NEW Why holding a placard is a terrorist act, while causing disruption in a balaclava is not The mess caused by ministers and the police not taking terrorism law seriously By me at @prospectmagazine.co.uk www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...

Recent events in England now reveal the practical difference between terrorists and protesters. It would seem that terrorists peacefully hold placards and get immediately arrested, while protesters wear black uniforms and balaclavas and disrupt infrastructure and do not get arrested.

How did we get into this mess? How have we placed ourselves in the position where terrorism legislation is used to detain and prosecute peaceful protesters, while those adopting the terror tactics of private armies seem to be free to do as they wish?

The reason is that for some time British politicians have not taken terrorism legislation seriously, and that ministers have got into the habit of misusing terror laws for easy targets.
321420631
Reposted by Paul Stevens
WarTranslated (Dmitri) @wartranslated.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Zelensky thanked Trump’s envoys for coming to Ukraine. "You worked even better than Patriot systems," he said. "Come more often, and our people will get a chance to live a little."
2137374
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Stephen Kinsella @stephenstroud.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Highway Code update.
4304144
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
2) and 3) are intimately linked, in that the BBC (the organisation that really matters in the modern environment) treats 'claims by rival parties' as the operating frame for how it covers everything. The failure from Labour and the Conservatives to say 'this stuff is bad' is really, really bad.
341090340
Reposted by Paul Stevens
onlycans @onlycans.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
just stop oil protesters got five years in jail for *planning* to do this to the M25.
3729791280
Reposted by Paul Stevens
The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Seems the difference between ‘protestors’ and ‘terrorists’ is that protestors wear balaclavas while terrorists hold placards.
3034391277
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Kent police said 'no arrests were made' of the people who blocked a port and roads. There's your two-tier policing, folks www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cm...
bbc.co.uk
Port of Dover delays: Disruption as masked 'stop the boats' protesters block roads
Hundreds of demonstrators, wearing black with their faces covered, caused delays to traffic reaching the port.
1061845816
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 04/09/2026
With all respect to the BBC, the reason this story "matters" is not about whether it distracts from Reform's conference. It "matters" because it is important our leaders are not conspiring to break the law.
12750371201
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Laura Phillips @lauraphillips.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
He is thought to have received up to £40k to help pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine, while he was a Member of the European Parliament. At the Old Bailey he was given 6 months to sell a rental property to pay the money to the UK government, or face a further 9 months in prison.
bbc.co.uk
Disgraced ex-Reform Wales leader who took pro-Russian bribes must pay £22k
Nathan Gill was previously sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison last year for taking the bribes.
1126
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Iceland is not in the EU, but it is a member of the Schengen area. It’s also a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and is part of the Single Market, meaning it enjoys freedom of movement with the EU. Good to know that doesn’t impact their independence. Maybe we should try it, Nige.
Nigel Farage 
@Nigel_Farage
Congratulations to Iceland on voting to keep their independence.
09:40 • 30/08/2026 •
772449723
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Toby Nangle @tobyn.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Brexit pretty bad for Sterling as a reserve currency: UK exports to non-EU and non-US customers now more often invoiced in USD than GBP. via Catherine Mann @ Jackson Hole: www.kansascityfed.org/documents/18...
Chart showing that pre-Brexit, c60% of UK exports to customers outside the EU and the US were invoiced in GBP and c30% in USD. Following Brexit, the share drops sharply and sequentially, and UK exports are more often invoiced in USD than GBP.
87232
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · 24/08/2026
If Jensen Huang has time to attend a $1 million-a-head dinner at Mar-a-Lago and fly across the world to meet with President Xi Jinping, he can find time to testify in front of Congress about reports that NVIDIA technology is powering Russia’s war machine.
309128184381
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Orbinho @orbinho.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
This addition was nice to see finally at Emirates Stadium.
118112
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Edith A. Bagodix @magg530.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Trump: “We were a dumb, stupid country led by a very, very stupid person a year ago.” Fun fact: Trump was president a year ago.
44858176
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Andrew Weinstein @andrewjweinstein.com · 22/08/2026
I’m still trying to process how the president of the United States somehow talks tougher about Canada than North Korea.
740145943403
Reposted by Paul Stevens
𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕖 𝔾𝕦𝕣𝕝 @sundaedivine.lol · 21/08/2026
Obama’s real sin was interrupting America’s cherished tradition of turning every foreign-policy problem into a 20-year war.
529175925278
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Corey Frayer @csfrayer.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
I'm old enough to remember the cryptobros screaming I was anti-Ukraine because crypto has been *so* helpful to them. militarnyi.com/en/news/bina...
militarnyi.com
Binance Shared Client Data With Russia Over Donations to Ukrainian Military
The cryptocurrency exchange Binance provided Russian law enforcement authorities with the data of a client who transferred funds to Ukrainian military
13012
Reposted by Paul Stevens
arseblog @arseblog.com · 14/08/2026
I have never rejected an advertising campaign more quickly.
An invitation to advertise Meta glasses on the Arseblog ArsecastRejecting the 'opportunity' with the comment: "Hi, thanks but I do not want to advertise the pervert glasses".Ben White throwing a pair of pervert glasses off the Arsenal parade bus
3599276
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Janine Gibson @janinegibson.ft.com · 14/08/2026
On the radio, Lee Anderson is rowing back a "credible threat" to "threats of planned disruption". No wonder their security bill is so high, it seems to be triggered by embarrassment
1956095
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
With a by-election imminent, don't news channels who chose to stream that Farage press event have to give equal time to @countbinface.bsky.social now?
41839211
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
US defence companies Lockheed and Raytheon are against licencing Patriot missile production to Ukraine because they’re afraid Ukrainian manufacturers will be able to “improve the Patriot and then produce them at scale faster and for much less money”, The Atlantic reports.
42522160
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Robin Wigglesworth @robinwigglesworth.ft.com · 09/08/2026
The UK’s willingness to blow up its two genuine world-leading industries (finance and higher education) is quite something.
12394117
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Parody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
You'd be amazed how many people it takes to fight a bin.
1181052182
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Arthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
I can’t believe that Reform UK turned out to be financed by a bunch of money laundering fronts for Russia. It’s just so unexpected.
391980433
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Important, because Farage's defence for not declaring Harborne's £5m 'gift' has always been very specific: he did not decide to stand until 3rd of June. Turns out this deal was struck mid-May (confirmed by RefUK) and facilitated by Farage's other big donor, convicted felon 'Posh' George Cotrell. 🧐
Nigel Farage struck Reform comeback deal long before election
Supervised by the convicted fraudster George Cottrell, the agreement undermines Farage's claim about when he decided to return to politics
REFORM UK
Bank of Single
Richard Tice was demoted to deputy leader when Farage returned in 2024
Gabriel Pogrund, Emanuele Midolo, Venetia Menzies
Saturday August 1 2026, 8.15pm, The Sunday Times
Nigel Farage struck a secret deal to return as leader of Reform UK months before the general election.
Farage negotiated the pact with Richard Tice, then the leader, in March and April 2024. George Cottrell, the convicted fraudster who had been secretly bankrolling Farage, supervised the discussions.
Under the terms of the deal, once Farage became leader Reform would repay or write off more than £1 million in outstanding loans it had received from Tice's company.
The deal was first presented by Farage and Cottrell to the party's treasurer in mid-May. Its existence undermines the Reform leader's claim that he had no intention until June 2024 of returning to politics. Farage has used this to defend his failure to declare donations made to him in the year before he was elected as an MP, which triggered two parliamentary investigations.
52678280
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Philippe Auclair @philippeauclair.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Just putting it there: the last week has shown how Bluesky has grown into the most reliable, noise-, bot- and BS-free resource for anyone interested in football governance and politics. The coverage of Fifa's and Infantino's debacle has been fantastic. Size isn't everything.
442353251
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
I wish the Conservatives were as alarmed as I am about them finishing *behind Restore* in the Greater Manchester byelection.
58775119
Reposted by Paul Stevens
arseblog @arseblog.com · 31/07/2026
Carlos Cordeiro, Senior Advisor to Gianni Infantino quits, and urges other 'principled' people in FIFA to speak out against the sell-off plan. He also lays bare how unnecessary it is. 'The organisation sits on billions of dollars of reserves ...' 💵💵💵

As a Senior Advisor to the FIFA President, a former banker, and a lifelong football fan, I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup.
Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally. It is a bad deal for FIFA's Member Associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game.
Football has been central to my life, and after more than 35 years in banking, I understand both the value of this asset and the consequences of giving part of it away. That is why this proposal should be rejected.
FIFA already has access to extraordinary financial resources. The organization sits on billions of dollars in reserves and no debt. The FIFA President himself has highlighted the $15 billion in revenue generated between 2022 and 2026. If Member Associations believe additional investment is needed to develop the game, FIFA already has the financial capacity to provide that support from its existing resources. Against that backdrop, selling a permanent stake in football's most valuable asset to raise $4.2 billion makes little sense. It is mortgaging football's future without any compelling justification.

Most troubling of all is the absence of answers to fundamental questions. Why this deal? Why now? What oversight exists? Who benefits? Was there a competitive process? What governance will be in place? What will investors ultimately gain, and at what cost to football?

After careful consideration, I can no longer continue in my role as Senior Advisor to the FIFA President. I have therefore resigned with immediate effect.

It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve FIFA for more than five years & to work alongside dedicated, principled people who care deeply about the game. I hope they, too, will speak up, because decisions of this magnitude should be made in the interests of football, not those who stand to profit from it.
2839279
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Arthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Of course he bloody did. Fiona Cottrell isn't rich. Yes, she's posh, but she's not hundred-millions rich. And nor, for that matter is George. Whose money is it?
18311123
Reposted by Paul Stevens
arseblog @arseblog.com · 29/07/2026
It's a fucking shakedown.
2226444
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Musa Okwonga @okwonga.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Their rhetoric cost lives, they shouldn't be given cookies for coming round now that opportunities for the grift have shifted. These people laughed as bombs fell on Ukrainian civilians. This reflexive desire to redeem people for their wilful cruelty is part of the problem. What's the atonement?
923559
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Kate Bevan @katebevan.com · 21/07/2026
So many of the comments are "so what if he's talking nonsense/telling lies" and that's depressing, to say the least. It matters if people tell lies. And if it matters when Farage tells lies, it should also matter when Stevenson - or Polanski or anyone else on the left - tells lies.
711717
Reposted by Paul Stevens
1.76 Acres @onepointsevensixacr.es · 19/07/2026
Merino undercut there. That’s so dangerous. Ref hand waves it away.
3373
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Marina Purkiss @marina-purkiss.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Hey Meta… No amount of supermodels or prime time World Cup ad slots will make us view them as anything but predator glasses.
34761117
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Binface video youtu.be/iNp16EPj1Us?...
youtu.be
Count Binface vs The Establishment | Official Satirical Music Video
YouTube video by James Cunliffe
59550
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 08/07/2026
we all had a good laugh at the Mar-a-Lago Accord idea but this is basically that.
2362
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Rory Cellan-Jones @rorycj.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Your regular reminder that cryptocurrency does in fact have a use case and that use case is crime
433337785
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 02/07/2026
Lisa Nandy currently engaged in the greatest last-minute attempt to feign interest in culture since I tried to read the second half of Sons And Lovers the night before my English A-Level.
30661104
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
She wanted to be in this war and argued that the only reason Keir Starmer didn't want to is that he was in hoc to British Muslims. Not a serious person.
331360329
Reposted by Paul Stevens
Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 25/06/2026
the beauty of Brexit is that it actually made us more like Europe, economically (charts from GS)
68012