David Colquhoun on BlueskyMar 14

"To confront the Iranian regime was to walk, with a lit match, towards a tinderbox soaked in gasoline. If it were to be done at all, whether by military or other means, it had to be done with the greatest care. But Trump has blundered in, crushing and trampling all before him, making a bad situation worse. He does not deserve the benefit of the doubt. He does not deserve his war to be assessed charitably. He deserves our contempt."
#JonathanFreedland

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/13/donald-trump-iran-war-total-disaster

Even taking Trump’s confused reasons for the Iran war at face value, it’s still a total disaster

Two weeks in, it’s increasingly clear that the US-led war has taken every problem it aimed to solve – and made it worse, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

The Guardian
the roamerFeb 9

A new biography of Gordon Brown, by James Macintyre, reviewed by Jonathan Freedland.

I always had a lot of sympathy for Gordon Brown. His politics was far from perfect and the New Labour project started trends that did not end well. But, hell, what Labour did in government after 1997 was an incredible achievement, and Brown as Chancellor made it happen. The man also has personal integtity. On all of these fronts, the current Labour crop fail abysmally.

A sympatheric review of a sympathetic biography. I probably won't buy the book, but I recommend reading the review.

And I raise my virtual class to a politician of integrity and stature.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/09/gordon-brown-by-james-macintyre-review-a-very-different-kind-of-politician?CMP=share_btn_url

#GordonBrown #JamesMacintyre #JonathanFreedland #UKpol #biographies

Gordon Brown by James Macintyre review – a very different kind of politician

A new biography reveals Brown to be a man of exceptional vision and probity – what a contrast with today’s politics

The Guardian
CheshireFeb 6
There’s one argument Starmer could make to save his skin – but he won’t dare do it
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/06/keir-starmer-peter-mandelson-pm-argument?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
#JonathanFreedland
There’s one argument Starmer could make to save his skin – but he won’t dare do it

Among those focusing on what the PM knew about Peter Mandelson are many who themselves knew plenty and chose to ignore it, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

The Guardian
CheshireJan 16
Don’t look away as the people of Iran cry out for our help
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/16/people-of-iran-us-bombs-tehran?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
#JonathanFreedland
Don’t look away as the people of Iran cry out for our help

US bombs are not the answer, but there’s much the outside world can do – starting with noticing the horror unfolding in Tehran, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

The Guardian
CheshireJan 2
From Donald Trump to Benjamin Netanyahu, let 2026 be a year of reckoning
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/02/donald-trump-benjamin-netanyahu-2026-year-of-reckoning?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
#JonathanFreedland
From Donald Trump to Benjamin Netanyahu, let 2026 be a year of reckoning

These malign figures will do anything to avoid paying for the harm they have done, but accountability must eventually come to both, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

The Guardian
Show threadClaire McNabDec 27
@patrickhadfield It's the wretched #Blairite stooge #JonathanFreedland with his slavishly pro-American, #neoliberal telling of the last 25 years 😞
CheshireDec 27
46 photos that tell the story of the century so far
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/dec/27/the-sight-of-it-is-still-shocking-46-photos-that-tell-the-story-of-the-century-so-far?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
#JonathanFreedland
‘The sight of it is still shocking’: 46 photos that tell the story of the century so far

Did the 21st century begin on 1 January 2000? Or was it that blue sky day in September 2001 when the planes hit the twin towers? These images from the last 25 years chronicle modern history in the making

The Guardian
the roamerDec 20

The Guardian's dependably thoughtful Jonathan Freedland offers his end-of-year reflections, finding signs of hope and examples of courage in a year that otherwise was so dark.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/19/year-heroes-light-palestinians-hamas-bondi-beach

#JonathanFreedland #review2025 #courage #resistance #politics

At the dark end of a brutal year, I’m grateful to these heroes for showing us the light

From the Bondi beach rescuers to the women taking on the police, great acts of courage offer hope even in the bleakest times

The Guardian
Show threadDonald RoyOct 26
#Sirmickdavis appears as one of the co founders of #thelondoninitiative He has had an interesting career - including sorting out the #conservativeparty central organisation after the electoral debacle in 2017 - using an approach that I can only wish #Laɓour had followed either then or after 2019! The names of supporters listed include someone from #jstreet in the #us as well as several #palestinians . Another name I recognise is that of #jonathanfreedland of the #guardian .
CheshireSep 6, 2025
The aristocrat who hid her Jewish lover in a sofa bed
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/06/astonishing-story-german-rebels-defied-nazis-jonathan-freedland-the-traitors-circle?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
#JonathanFreedland
The astonishing story of the aristocrat who hid her Jewish lover in a sofa bed – and other German rebels who defied the Nazis

From a diplomat who embraced the exiled Albert Einstein to a schoolteacher who helped ‘non-Aryan’ students flee, these remarkable individuals refused to bend the knee to Hitler – only to be dramatically betrayed. What made them risk it all?

The Guardian