Comment desk at The Independent – £1 for a six-month subscription. www.independent.co.uk/voices Please pitch to Samuel Fishwick and Paul Clements by email only (Firstname.Lastname@independent.co.uk)https://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mtm3b5urcs2o"Londoners seem divided over the kind of job three-time mayor Sadiq Khan has done in office. But they’re sure of one thing: that he should rule himself out of standing a fourth time in the 2028 elections." – @avavidal.bsky.social https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/sadiq-khan-london-mayor-andy-burnham-government-b3037092.html21 Aug 2026 15:29 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtm3b5urcs2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mtm37zll4c2o"Having been primed by a gossipy friend that “world-shattering” royal news was coming, I was distinctly let down when it appeared that the Duchess of Sussex might be bringing her celebrity jam across the Atlantic to launch a trade war with Duchy Originals." https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/meghan-tv-acting-prince-harry-family-uk-b3037023.html21 Aug 2026 15:29 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtm37zll4c2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mtm373nvm22o"It’s not exactly “Britannia rules the waves” again, and Ed Miliband is no Curzon, but it was nice to see the UK leading a diplomatic protest against the Israeli plan to build yet more settlements on occupied Palestinian territory." – Sean O'Grady https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/israel-palestine-joint-statement-gaza-solution-miliband-b3036957.html21 Aug 2026 15:28 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtm373nvm22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3msx7srtzhc2gI know what happens if Count Binface actually wins… and it ends in chaos | Dan Higgins https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/count-binface-nigel-farage-masked-politicians-japan-politics-house-commons-b3020337.html13 Aug 2026 08:25 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3msx7srtzhc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3msg7hodmrs2wThis is why I’m backing London’s bid to host WorldPride | Sadiq Khan https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/london-bid-host-worldpride-2032-mayor-sadiq-khan-b3028132.html06 Aug 2026 14:03 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3msg7hodmrs2whttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3msg2uu23622qWhere on this dying beige planet has the Green Party gone? | Sean O’Grady https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/green-party-zack-polanski-climate-change-uk-heatwave-crisis-b3028535.html06 Aug 2026 12:41 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3msg2uu23622qhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3msg2qzttac2qBring back men who don’t spend all day admiring themselves | Kate Mulvey https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/musclosexual-david-beckham-dad-bod-six-pack-men-fitness-b3028437.html06 Aug 2026 12:39 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3msg2qzttac2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mruhbbmpvs2bZack Polanski’s ‘guillotine’ retweet has tested the Green Party leader to self-destruction | John Rentoul https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/zack-polanski-green-guillotine-plans-nigel-farage-retweet-b3024545.html30 Jul 2026 12:35 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mruhbbmpvs2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mpobdntnjc2sDon’t be sad about the demise of Halifax – it was a truly terrible bank | James Moore https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/halifax-howard-lloyds-bank-hbos-financial-crisis-b3007501.html02 Jul 2026 14:43 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mpobdntnjc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mmymmaevzc25"Lesson two for the BBC: the gimmick worked. I watched a programme I haven’t watched for years – and found it much better than the superficial shouting match that used to put me off," writes @rentouljohn.bsky.social of the BBC's AI #QuestionTime episode https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/question-time-ai-guests-panel-churchill-fiona-bruce-b2985924.html29 May 2026 13:15 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmymmaevzc25https://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mmyhedwdic2c"Perhaps Starmer should have recalled that his last attempt at an essay, in 2021 – a 14,000-word doorstopper for the Fabian Society called 'The Road Ahead' – was met with a collective raspberry." Andrew Grice on the crisis in Britain's leadership https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/labour-starmer-blair-burnham-milburn-essay-policy-britain-b2985878.html29 May 2026 11:41 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmyhedwdic2chttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mmyenl4wxk22"The famous 'art of the deal' is, in this case, an 'art of the retreat' proposition," writes Anne McElvoy https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-iran-war-us-israel-deal-ceasefire-b2985836.html29 May 2026 10:53 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmyenl4wxk22https://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mmwcm3oflk2rThe president’s casual menacing of a long-standing Gulf ally may yet be a turning point for US relations with the several Middle East states – including Israel, says Mary Dejevsky (@marydejevsky) https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-iran-oman-hormuz-war-israel-b2985316.html28 May 2026 15:11 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmwcm3oflk2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mmwa7jywp22rTony Blair’s explosive essay on government failings set out the need for a new agenda for Britain, while Alan Milburn sounded an alarm about growing youth unemployment. After two wasted years in office, this administration would now be wise to listen to its elders, says John Rentou28 May 2026 14:28 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmwa7jywp22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mmw5on4txc2rHugh Jackman’s ex wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, won’t get the ‘closure’ she wants from meeting his new girlfriend | Flic Everett https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/hugh-jackman-deborra-lee-furness-closure-divorce-sutton-foster-b2985038.html28 May 2026 13:43 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmw5on4txc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mmvmkbj74k2h@the-independent.com's agony aunt Victoria Richards offers advice on break-ups and finding love in your thirties28 May 2026 08:36 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmvmkbj74k2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mmvm7yv2jc2hMore must be done to help hard-up families and the squeezed middle about to be hit by a tsunami of rising energy, mortgage and food costs – but most of all this country must simply brace for pain28 May 2026 08:30 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmvm7yv2jc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mmgq5mg6wk2p'Students and their families pay attention to the detailed visa rules and policy changes; they also pay attention to tone. They notice when political rhetoric repeatedly suggests they are not really wanted.' – Dr Michael Spence, President & Provost of @ucl.ac.uk https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/international-students-immigration-government-public-opinion-b2981834.html22 May 2026 10:31 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mmgq5mg6wk2phttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mm57sekgjs2k"Replacing the licence fee would certainly take some of the wind out of Farage’s sails. And, let’s be honest, it is really a poll tax, because everyone with a TV set is liable to the charge" James Moore for @the-independent.com18 May 2026 15:44 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mm57sekgjs2khttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mm4yyuc4uk26"For Burnham, things really have become quite startling in the style department – he’s gone from the mild-mannered, doe-eyelashed dreamboat who once told GQ he wears Armani and Jaeger suits, to King of the North in a pair of Daisy Dukes" - Victoria Richards18 May 2026 13:42 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mm4yyuc4uk26https://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mm4tff23ys2u"Like his former friend and mentor Peter Mandelson, Streeting has acquired a reputation for Machiavellian cunning and mastery of the dark arts of politics that usefully intimidates his enemies" Sean O'Grady18 May 2026 12:02 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mm4tff23ys2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mkzuaubyjc2v"This sounds a little like the Pentagon’s version of the AA’s excellent Route Planner, which can also 'guide' you from A to B and avoid the bank holiday jams. Handy, but not really the guarantee of safety that an international shipping company and its crews need." Sean O'Grady04 May 2026 14:14 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkzuaubyjc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mkztvvpt322v"The dress code is said to encourage guests to think about how they can use their bodies as a blank canvas. In which case, don’t boycott the Met Gala, Zendaya and co. Do the opposite: air your views in front of the paparazzi." | Victoria Richards04 May 2026 14:08 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkztvvpt322vhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mkzknkphkk2q"The 77-year-old monarch gave a masterclass in diplomacy and charm that won plaudits round the globe. The good news for William is that the King has showed the monarchy can still be relevant." Simon Walters on the State visit and succession.04 May 2026 11:22 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkzknkphkk2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mkzjufxvqs2q"It’s not always politicians’ favourite answer, but the honest truth is that we don’t fully know what is driving the rising demand for mental health services or how best to meet it." Wes Streeting on the mental health crisis – and how to address it.04 May 2026 11:08 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkzjufxvqs2qhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mkzjnpcgj22q"This has not only begun to profoundly change what it means to be Jewish in the 21st century but will come to change Western culture." – @benjudah.bsky.social on the return of antisemitism04 May 2026 11:05 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkzjnpcgj22qhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mkfrjki4jc2v"For all its capacity for grabbing the headlines, assassination is a dead end compared to campaigning for votes." America’s divisions see it teetering on the edge of anarchy | Mark Almond https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/america-president-assassination-attempt-ungovernable-political-murder-b2965170.html26 Apr 2026 14:32 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkfrjki4jc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mkf5xgyhp22v"As panic about UK inflation "soaring" may leave you crying into your cornflakes, know this about the Argentinians. They’ve lived with the world’s highest inflation for decades, and still choose resilience and hedonism over weariness." – @garynunn.bsky.social https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/inflation-rise-cost-of-living-argentina-b2963414.html26 Apr 2026 08:42 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkf5xgyhp22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mkf5hvwhj22vThe Strait of Hormuz fiasco is sparking a global food crisis | Jean-Martin Bauer https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/strait-hormuz-us-trump-war-global-food-crisis-famine-sudan-afghanistan-b2964872.html26 Apr 2026 08:33 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkf5hvwhj22vhttps://bsky.app/profile/independentvoices.bsky.social/post/3mkf2lgxbbk2v"As thousands of Britons check their trainers ready for today’s London Marathon, for those of us watching, it’s like an annual exhale that dispels bad memories of school PE lessons" – @katbrownwrites.com https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/london-marathon-school-pe-lessons-exercise-sport-fun-b2962635.html26 Apr 2026 07:42 +0000at://did:plc:wbmt3jvifaqfxpn54ndlemrt/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkf2lgxbbk2v