America International News

Trump Promises Peace Talks

Trump Promises Peace Talks ‘Very Soon’ — Also Reserves Right to Cancel Them ‘Very Soon’ A Masterclass in the Diplomatic Art of “We Shall See How We Jolly Well Feel” WASHINGTON (via a very confused Islamabad) — In what aides are calling a bold new era of “fluid diplomacy” — which is to say, diplomacy with the structural integrity of warm custard — Donald Trump has announced that high-stakes Iran…

America Political

Reporters Watch Their Own Handiwork

Hundreds of Reporters Watch Their Own Handiwork Walk Through the Magnetometer For one strange evening at the Washington Hilton, the people who spend ten years a day calling the president a fascist, a Hitler, an existential threat, and a clear and present danger to the republic got to watch what happens when somebody at home actually believes them. The Press Corps Met Its Own Audience Hundreds of journalists were in…

Political

Situation Described As “Fluid”

Situation Described As “Fluid,” Mostly Meaning Nobody Knows Officials Perfect Art of Sounding Informed Whilst Being Clueless Government spokespersons have deployed their most reliable euphemism for “we haven’t got a clue,” describing the current crisis as “fluid” in seventeen separate briefings across three different departments. The term, which has become the go-to phrase when facts prove inconveniently unavailable, allows officials to sound authoritative whilst conveying absolutely nothing of substance. Developing…

Reports

How MI6 Turned a London River into a Financial Sinkhole

Splashing Cash: How MI6 Turned a London River into a Financial Sinkhole Combined with Thames House (MI5’s headquarters across the river), the two intelligence agencies together cost £547 million — more than twice the original estimates. That’s not a budget overrun. That’s systemic government failure. The Original Promise When the government approved the purchase of River House in 1988, the total cost was supposed to be considerably less. The building had been sold for £130…

Business News

Successful Bankruptcy?

Successful Bankruptcy (London Edition): Is There Anything Successful About Bankruptcy, or Is This Just Polite British Collapse? In Britain, bankruptcy does not arrive kicking down the door. It clears its throat, apologises for the inconvenience, and asks whether Tuesday works. The phrase “successful bankruptcy” exists here too, usually spoken in the careful tone reserved for discussing plumbing failures at dinner parties. It suggests that if you fail correctly, with the…

Business Culture Current Absurdities Social

Alan Engine Declared Last British Man Who Can Fix Anything

Alan Engine Declared Last British Man Who Can Fix Anything Without Watching YouTube Nation Mourns As Alan Engine Retires, Taking All Useful Knowledge With Him Five humorous observations before the bonnet is opened. Britain has museums for steam engines, castles, and Roman coins, yet somehow failed to preserve one Alan. Modern men can stream eight documentaries on carburettors but still cannot change a tyre without emotional weather. Alan Engine once…

Reports

MI6’s Headquarters Finally Admits It Exists

The Secret is Out: MI6’s Headquarters Finally Admits It Exists For decades, MI6 was a myth. A legend. A “we-can’t-confirm-or-deny” kind of organization. Then someone decided to build River House on the side of a river in one of the world’s busiest cities and celebrate it with a green-and-cream Art Deco facade. It’s like secretly writing a memoir and then having a book release party. From Whispers to Landmarks The British government’s…

Reports

Britain Embraces Modern Consumer Credit

Britain Embraces Modern Consumer Credit, Immediately Promises to Use It Sensibly London, 1961. The British public has shown increasing enthusiasm for modern methods of purchasing goods it does not yet own with money it does not currently possess, a development welcomed cautiously by banks, retailers, and anyone selling televisions. Hire purchase and consumer credit, once regarded as faintly American, have become respectable enough to be discussed openly, though not without…

Reports

The London Satire War: Bohiney vs Prat in the Battle for Comedic Supremacy When American Audacity Meets British Wit London has witnessed countless invasions throughout history – Romans, Vikings, Normans – but none quite like the current assault from across the Atlantic. Bohiney News, the American satirical upstart claiming to be “127% funnier than The Onion,” has set its sights on conquering British satirical territory traditionally dominated by homegrown institutions.…