Dystopia isn't in the future. Dystopia is now. PhD complex adaptive systems, resilience | interactions between defence, security, climate, energy, democracy | former strategic defence planner, adviser to Ukraine's military | environmentalist
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This firefighter arrived in the US at age 4, has been here for 19 years, was on track to legal status, and was on a crew trying to contain a major blaze (in Washington state, vs Oregon, fwiw.) h/t @joshuajfriedman.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Sickening footage from Nuneaton tonight, where a Sky News interview with a local businessman was disrupted by racists hurling abuse. Another local said, "Warwickshire Council Council has gone to Reform... It's given certain people a licence to be aggressive and racist."
Parliament returns today. But rather than representing his constituents after six weeks away from the Commons, Farage is speaking at an event alongside Trump’s authoritarian allies in Washington 👇🏻
"Residents said Israeli forces sent old armoured vehicles into the eastern parts of the overcrowded Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, then blew them up remotely, destroying several houses and forcing more families to flee" www.reuters.com/world/middle...
'New Ukrainian Flamingo Cruise Missile Scores Hits on Russian Secret Service Base in Crimea' www.kyivpost.com/post/59264
A big turn out in central Kyiv, where a memorial service is being held for Andriy Parubiy. The former parliament speaker was gunned down at the weekend. A man has been arrested.
❗️🇫🇮Finland wants to have a million reservists: age limit to be raised to 65 The Finnish government has submitted a bill to parliament aimed at significantly increasing the military reserve.
Our flags should unite us, not divide us. They belong to everyone who calls England home. Vandalism and intimidation are not patriotism. South Norfolk will always be a welcoming place, and our flags should remain symbols of pride and togetherness.
Egypt, Turkey ink investment deals with China on SCO Summit sidelines, @jackvdutton.bsky.social report www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...
Taoiseach Micheál Martin told President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ireland remains open to taking part in any peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.
Well, we'll all find out, or not, one way or another. Eventually.
Leaked ‘Gaza Riviera’ plan dismissed as ‘insane’ attempt to cover ethnic cleansing
Yvette Cooper accused of pushing children towards people smugglers by halting refugee scheme
❗️ Suspect in MP Parubii's murder confesses and speaks of contact with Russia
While Gerasimov, head of Russia's General Staff, shared his conclusions about Russia's spring-summer military campaign, he sat by a map on which a line separates not just Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, but also Mykolaiv and Odesa regions of Ukraine⤵️
Who would have guessed? Well, all of us who abandoned the cesspit that is now X. Morality as well as pragmatism. Yet I'm still wondering why the UK government remains there (not the only thing about it that makes me wonder) www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence reported via the War&Sanctions portal that Russia’s top tank maker, Uralvagonzavod, uses over 260 units of foreign tech equipment, including machine tools and CNC machining centers. war-sanctions.gur.gov.ua/en/tools?f%5...
⚡️ A man confessed to killing former Ukrainian parliament speaker Andrii Parubii, admitting he was in contact with Russian agents before the murder.
Remember Dmitriev (head of Russian sovereign fund)? He attended the meetings with Witkoff, summit in Alaska..
Your climate-changed future is here. mainichi.jp/english/arti...
"Had an excellent meeting with President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in all sectors, including trade, fertilisers, space, security and culture."
Don't ask me what that acronym could stand for though.
Given there's a pair of them, SCO should be SCROTUM
"Sorry small child fleeing a war zone. I'm afraid you can't join your parent here in safety because your English grammar isn't up to scratch."
I hope Ze's going to be wearing some ballistic plates in his jacket. I wouldn't trust Fico's Moscow-connected people for a second.
Shining lasers at aircraft in Ireland carries severe penalties: up to €50,000 fine or 5 years in prison under the State Airports Act 2014. csalert.ie/45Hrwui
Gee, thanks Donald. You've just pushed India into the arms of the Russia-China Axis.
⚛️The United States is proposing to create a special military unit to respond quickly to threats of nuclear proliferation in the world. 🔗Read details: militarnyi.com/en/news/us-p...
Prima facie, Elon Musk appears to be manipulating X platform for specific political voices he supports (as well as using his own account to amplify the far right & furthest right). In particular the platform dynamic has shifted & is helping Tommy Robinson to be amplified more than Nigel Farage.
"In Putin’s mind, Ukrainian democracy poses an existential threat to his power and the survival of his regime in Russia. A prosperous, free Ukraine would set a powerful example for Russia’s own citizens that democracy can succeed in an eastern Slavic country."
Heathrow Airport is owned by Heathrow Airport Holdings, which is owned by parent company FGP Topco Limited, a consortium including Ardian (private equity, Paris), Qatar Investment Authority, Saudi Public Investment Fund, GIC (Singapore), Australian Retirement Trust and China Investment Corporation.
European Council President António Costa appeared to concede the war in Ukraine was a factor in the EU's accepting its much-criticized trade deal with the United States, in a major break from the official line taken by the EU executive.
And this is exactly why 𝕏 should be banned in Europe. Musk and his acolytes are working hard to amplify the Tommy Robinson-led, Faragist-backed neo-Nazi 'Unite the White' rally and potential riot in London on 13 September.
Cheating
Zach Witkoff is the son of Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy and go-between in dealings with Vladimir Putin.
World Liberty Financial is a cryptocurrency company. Trump owns 60% and is entitled to 75% of all revenue from coin sales. Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are actively involved in management and rely on three partners, including Zach Witkoff,* for daily operations. Right: Nazi Luftwaffe eagle badge
Berlin police have opened an internal investigation after videos emerged showing an Irish activist at a pro-Palestinian demonstration being punched in the face twice by an officer, drawing protest from Ireland’s foreign office.
“If we lose contact with our boats … even for just 20 minutes, we will shut down all of Europe,” dockworker says.
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has announced a 10-point plan to prepare the country for the climate emergency, warning: “If we don’t want to bequeath our children a Spain that’s grey from fire and flames, or a Spain that’s brown from floods, then we need a Spain that’s greener.”
If Prime Minister François Bayrou had hoped far-right leader Marine Le Pen would avoid bringing down France’s government because she is banned from running for political office, he sorely miscalculated.
Constitution of the United States: Twenty-Fifth Amendment Section 1 "In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President." constitution.congress.gov/constitution...
1. Caesar, Napoleon, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Amin are eaxamples of charismatic dictators. Franco, Saddam Hussein, Assad, Nicolae Ceauşescu, Putin, Lukashenko, el-Sisi, Min Aung Hlaing are examples of non-charismatic dictators. You don't need charisma. You need a power network.
Wow! I have found that Musk's support of Advance UK and Operation Raise the Colours (the flags campaign) has skewed the X algorithm so that Tommy Robinson posts now have greater reach than those of Nigel Farage. Statistics in this thread.
Ukraine said on Monday that it had arrested a suspect in the murder of a former Ukrainian parliamentary speaker, accusing Moscow of involvement in one of the most high-profile killings since the war began. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/w...
Copy cats. In England the Far Right are abusing the national St George's flag and the Union Jack, plastering them over street furniture and around estates as a pseudo-Swastika. Now in Ireland the Far Right are doing likewise with the Irish tricolour. #speirgorm #spéirghorm #smashthefash #resist
The latest bond prospectus issued by Israel has been approved by Luxembourg and not the Central Bank in Ireland. Israel issues prospectuses to potential investors in sovereign bonds, which it sells as a mechanism to borrow money.
UN refugee agency to cut spending by a fifth as cuts bite reut.rs/4p3vB3E
Six people die in protests in Indonesia after outrage grows over MP perks.
Starmer could have said: Vandalism isn't patriotism; daubing red crosses on Chinese takeaways and writing racist graffiti isn't patriotism; perfomatively sitting in front of a flag or tying one to a mosque isn't patriotism; Patriotism is about making this country safe, happy productive for all.
What's happened to Keir Starmer is like someone made a puppet of an international human rights lawyer and grotesquely made it do and say the things an international human rights lawyer would never say or do
Interesting speech by European Council president Costa at the Bled Forum today Confirms security / Ukraine aspect of EU US deal that VDL pushed back strongly against. Clear break here
🔴 Zelenskyy: "The only thing Russia is doing is investing further in war. All their signals point to that."
Spain's Sanchez seeks to coordinate climate change pact with France, Portugal reut.rs/4mK67Xv
Do not believe anything until the Kremlin denies it™️
France risks becoming ungovernable. Many blame the situation on Macron’s autocratic style. But the problem lies deeper, in the development of the parties and party elites. By Gilles Bataillon via @letraslibres.com www.eurozine.com/a-political-...
there's already a term for this, and it's "ethnic cleansing"
Oh nothing, just the actual Prime Minister telling people they’re entirely correct to drive asylum seekers out of their communities
Ukraine's SBU Security Service has reported a "Russian trace" in MP Andriy Parubiy's murder. At a Monday briefing, police chief Andriy Niebytov said the suspect, a Lviv resident, had "certain circumstances' leading to the killing. Officials haven't revealed motives or case details.
There must be a way to destroy these
Russia suspected of jamming GPS on plane carrying Ursula von der Leyen
One reason to not grant Putin the privilege of meeting the 🇺🇸 president on equal standing is that he’s a war criminal illegally occupying 1/5 of 🇺🇦. But we were stupid enough to do that, so now he’s emboldened to increase nightly bombings & to try & kill a key leader of our closest allies.
Pakistan’s Punjab province battered by its biggest flood with 2 million people at risk Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province is dealing with the biggest flood in its history, a senior official said Sunday, as water levels of rivers rise to all-time highs.
Am I suprised? Absolutely not. - German defence minister Pistorius rebukes von der Leyen’s peacekeeping plans for #Ukraine www.euractiv.com/section/poli... #Russia #Putinswar
When the Russians are hungry enough they will turn on Putin and shred him.
Magnitude 6.1 tremor hits eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, and government spokesman warns toll could rise.
Not slopping along like the US Army then on that parade
It's remarkable that rhetoric that with any other society would be perceved as language of civil war is now just treated as just one of those routine things in US politics
Gardaí launch investigation into 'significant' online threat to Tánaiste's family jrnl.ie/6804251
Populist Right-Wing Parties Lead Polls in Europe’s Biggest Economies: Surge in immigration and weak economic growth spark voter backlash in France, the U.K. and Germany. (WSJ-unlocked) www.wsj.com/world/europe...
Bookmarking this for future reference
Lyndon B Johnson was no JF Kennedy. Yet he presided over the expansion of the Vietnam War. Octavian was no Caesar, yet he ruled for 40 years. There are many more examples in history I'm sure. Sometimes the underdog or heir is the one to watch, at least equally, in terms of threat horizon.
Not every wouldbe 'fascist' leader is subject to a cult of personality. Caesar, Il Duce (Mussolini), Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Castro, Amin, the Kims and others had authentic cults attached to them. Franco, Szálasi, Saddam, Putin, Assad, Pinochet, Obiang and others had to create largely artificial cults.
As you will know from your USAF days, it's likely not the threat facing you directly, but the one that's coming round the corner (or from in the clouds) that will get you. Lot of folks out there don't seem to appreciate the threat Vance poses to your freedoms. Let alone preparing for it.
My point is: Vance is actively networking amongst far right, extreme nationalist, fascist political organisations and wealthy donors across Europe and Asia as well as the US military. Trump is likely not the Führer that everyone expects. Vance is 'one shot or croak away' from becoming that.
Tomorrow I will be a tabling a motion to force the government to release the legal advice it has received on Israel's military action in Gaza and breaches of international law. Ministers cannot turn a blind eye to this humanitarian catastrophe any longer.
They’re not ‘small boat migrants’. They’re asylum seekers.
"Since dawn" It was 63 killed an hour ago.
It's NOT a response. Israel has been working towards annexing the West Bank anyway, regardless of 7 Oct and its Gaza genocide. Just like Russia was set on seizing and annexing Ukraine's Crimea since 2008 (if not earlier) when the opportunity arose, which it did in 2014. Not a response. An excuse.
Yes, the Belgian beer does that to me too.
For god’s sake someone remind the bbc.
Oh great 🙄
So, Witkoff and Kushner have a 10-year plan to redevelop the Gaza 'Riviera'. The redevelopment of Ground Zero in New York took 15 years. Factoring in a decade or more of redevelopment is part of the course for real estate developers.
This is how to bring about peace: by taking the war deep into Russia and destroying strategic infrastructure and the capacities to generate and transmit power, and transport goods and people. When Russia's economy implodes, Russians will turn on Putin and Russia will withdraw from Ukraine.
This is massively disappointing to hear from Merz. Furthermore, it gives the lie to Von der Leyen's claims to be advancing planning and preparations for sending troops to Ukraine as part of post-conflict security guarantees.
WTF is Merz playing at? Most wars end in military defeat *in conjunction* with economic collapse. And that, Russia's economic collapse, is precisely what Europe should be aiming for! Unless we deliver Russia's economy a sudden, shocking, destructive blow, this war could grind on into the 2040s.
I can usually parse the bullshit Trump says but I don’t understand the claim that without tariffs “our military power would be instantly obliterated.” Has he talked about this angle before?
🇩🇪🇺🇦 Merz: No one is talking about ground troops in Ukraine at the moment. Our number one priority is supporting the Ukrainian army so that it can defend this country in the long term.
Elon Musk continues to use X to stir up hate and foment fascist uprisings around the world
Once again, I'd like to remind everyone of that old idiom "Be careful of what you wish for" when it comes to Trump's demise. The 25th Amendment to the US Constitution means that if Trump dies, the Vice President automatically and immediately becomes the President, not an acting president.
No caption needed.
I love this guy! Be like @jollygoodginger.bsky.social and these other veterans. Bravo Zulu 👏✊
"Since dawn"
Once more, for the record: #Russia
Flooding “blue” cities with soldiers on the pretext of fighting crime would be an unprecedented abuse of power that would violate states’ rights and threaten our most fundamental liberties. And it is illegal. bit.ly/4m6TG77
Von der Leyen spoke amid planning for a leaders’ meeting this week where pledges to a Ukraine force could be agreed “The sense of urgency is very high… it’s moving forward. It’s really taking shape,” she told the FT. “One can rely on the Europeans. It is clear that when we say something, we do it”
💥 European capitals are working on “pretty precise plans” for potential military deployments to post-conflict Ukraine including “the necessary items for a functioning build-up of troops” with US backing, EU president Ursula @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu tells @financialtimes.com on.ft.com/4p0FdvZ
‘We have an obligation to do whatever we can’: TD Paul Murphy to join aid flotilla to Gaza