It occurs to me that there's something very clever, very cynical about the U.S. government's defense when it comes to Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Also something that is even more dangerous than it seems. 🧵

https://twitter.com/AGPamBondi/status/1912603713157419129

First: Note that the U.S. government has accepted that Garcia should not have been deported, that he was in fact deported due to an "administrative error." In truth, the whole debate should stop there; he shouldn't have been deported, end of. /2

If you're going to understand Donald Trump's economic and industrial policy, I think there's one word you have to get: Grievance. 🧵 Donald Trump has always been convinced he is a victim. Sure, he is a billionaire who became president of the United States, but he's convinced the game has always been rigged against him. /2

Forgive my adding to the chorus, but I can't resist a bit of analysis here. See, I think this is one of the most telling comments Trump has ever made - because it explains his whole ideology. 🧵 First: Note the stakes. As far as Trump is concerned, the United States needs to be "saved." There is an existential crisis, one that is on the brink of destroying the country, and it needs a hero. /2

As a Christian, one of the things I find hardest about this new incarnation of Twitter is that it seems to bring out the worst in us as Christians. A big reason for this is tied to the concept of "freedom of speech." 🧵 The problem, though, is that God's opinion on freedom of speech is very different to ours. Let me take you to the teachings of Jesus, specifically to Matthew 12. Here, Jesus declares that the words we speak flow from our hearts. /2

We've recently passed the five-year anniversary of the 2019 General Election, in which Boris Johnson won a staggering 80+ seat majority in the Commons. I wanted to cast my mind back and explore the election's impact for a moment. 🧵 There were, fundamentally, two causes of Johnson's majority. The first was Boris Johnson's "Get Brexit Done," which I view simply as an appeal to "Make it all stop." Brexit had dominated British politics since 2016, and the country was fed up. /2

So, I've just spent a bit of time looking into the debate on IHT and farming. I... got a shock. First, a note: I have a friend who runs a family farm. In his view, the whole thing is a something and nothing. 🧵 A third of all farmland in the UK is farmed by tenant farmers like my friend (and everybody he knows around here), who'll be completely unaffected by the IHT changes. /2

As a Brit, I've been watching the American election results with sorrow for my American friends. Some are comparing it to the Brexit vote here, imagining if we'd voted for Brexit twice. But here's the thing... in a sense, we did. And here are some lessons from it. 🧵 First, an explanation: The U.K. chose Brexit in a referendum in 2016. But Brexit did not become truly inevitable until 2019, when the country doubled down on this decision and gave Boris Johnson a massive 80+-seat parliamentary majority. /2

If @BorisJohnson has indeed done a deal over #Brexit, I have no doubt it will fall far short of what the country needs - but that it is still better than No Deal. /1 The British Government has conducted its #Brexit negotiations with a minimum of analytical thought, and poor consultation with stakeholders. Given that context, I personally believe it is impossible for @BorisJohnson to get a good deal. /2

Let’s explore Boris Johnson’s analogy - in what sense is Brexit like the Hulk? /1

https://twitter.com/MoS_Politics/status/1172968556407005185

Firstly, the Hulk is essentially a case of multiple personalities - implacably hostile to one another. That does sound disturbingly reminiscent of the Brexit debate. /2

Personally, I think a Second Referendum has become inevitable. But how do Remain win it? /1 A Second Referendum is inevitable because a change of Prime Minister won't change the parliamentary arithmetic. /2