No such group now as Bournemouth for Europe - it morphed into Dorset for Europe, which is thriving, so personal views here. Pro-European, #FBPE #FB99% Former academic and health visitor, DBE 2013 Grandma, political (UK), hate injustice and inequalities
3,197 followers 2,976 following 1,402 posts
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"Nearly a decade on from the Brexit referendum and almost five from when Brexit was supposedly ‘done’, voters who are genuinely happy with the Brexit we have are few and far between, and no political party is seriously suggesting that it’s a success."
It's a good question.
👏👏👏❤️ Thank you @marshfamilysongs.bsky.social, for raising a smile. So much better than raising a flag!
I can't tell you how much I love these guys... listen, enjoy and share 💕
Protesters flooded South Beach after Florida ordered rainbow crosswalks removed, threatening cities with lost funding. Locals call it erasure of LGBTQ+ identity, echoing outrage after Orlando’s Pulse memorial crosswalk was stripped. apnews.com/article/flor...
From a Sky News story in Nuneaton. I’m really not sure where we go from here, this sort of behaviour is being normalised and almost ‘promoted’. Who the fuck carries a pint around the streets when with their kids - or even without their kids. But immigrants are the problem. Jeez what a mess.
BREAKING: No Kings Day 2.0 Coming and Trump Conducts Military Strikes in Caribbean open.substack.com/pub/aaronpar...
More Democrats should be mentoring and providing a hand up to up and coming Dems to strengthen the core of the party...get rid of the Schumer's, Pelosi's and anyone over 75!!! Retire already and go find a porch and a rocking chair.
Hmmm. I wonder who he could be talking about?.
We have our Brexitometer ready for our two days of street stalls in Leeds twin city of Lille at the annual Braderie.
I'd like to tell Labour that I couldn't in good conscience vote for them again on their current trajectory, but they have no interest in the opinions of those of us on BlueSky.
BBC News - Ex-Somerton and Frome MP David Warburton dies suddenly in London - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Cocaine? Dies suddenly? 59?
Me too.
Labor Day in Boston: Gov. Maura Healey delivered a very powerful speech yesterday in which she mentioned the importance of the 1776 Revolution in the fight for freedom and democracy.
Afghanistan earthquake death toll passes 1,400 as Taliban appeal for aid. Rescuers search into the night for people trapped under debris of mud and stone homes in steep valleys. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...
Netanyahu is a murderer, and the world is complicit in his crimes & in this genocide. We who have to sit & watch helplessly as our leaders do nothing, will never forget or forgive those murderers or the leaders who let it happen.
Thought this was worth posting today. Fair play to you @zackpolanski.bsky.social youtube.com/watch?v=0MDz...
Exactly. RFK Jr. is a QUACK.
Sainsbury’s tests facial recognition technology in effort to tackle shoplifting. Retailer starts eight-week trial at stores in London and Bath before potentially expanding nationwide. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
I’m not so sure about the tax bit – I think there’s still a widespread belief there’s more money that can be borrowed, spent or taxed solely from the “ultra rich” to fix everything. If people honestly supported higher taxes for good services we’d be in a better place all round.
The minor party tactic locally often boils down to “we are a safe place to plant a protest vote”. Polanski’s “eco-leftism”/“eco-populism” is a deliberate break from that tradition, and wildly popular with Green activists. Will voters like it too?
It's just so very tiring. But it looks like it needs to be said again and again.
Big News: The Ukrainian Air Force has begun actively using domestically produced guided aerial munitions during air raids on occupier positions. In the photo: a Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 carrying an FAB-500 bomb equipped with a GPS guidance module mounted on its pylon.
Trump's plan for Gaza isn't just as bad as feared – it's worse - The i Paper
Blue States Have 90 Days to Kill American Fascism. Here's How. open.substack.com/pub/cmarmita...
On this side of the Atlantic, Trump is a laughing stock and, as much as many of us retain an affection for what America was, we now see the USA as a basket case that we need to distance ourselves from.
Would they say, if you don't like being a victim of crime become a criminal? No, they would say, stop the criminal. Do you see?
youtube.com/watch?v=C8A5... Rebel HQ
share.google/3UTpdeLm8zz7...
NEW! This week on SMR, we welcome back solo artist, Rain McMey to discuss their new album, At The End of Everything! Listen FREE whenever EU like! Wanna help? Subscribe TODAY for just £5 a month and help us grow! 👉 Link's in bio/graphic!
Blue States Have 90 Days to Kill American Fascism. Here's How. open.substack.com/pub/cmarmita...
#Seaweed farms are a dual solution for climate change & sustainable energy. - don't require freshwater, fertilizer, or arable land to grow, making it one of the most eco-friendly resources - naturally absorbs massive amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis helping 1/...
"Talk of a doom loop is a poor diagnosis when UK growth rates have exceeded expectations this year. Even more absurd is excitement that London might need IMF support, despite there having been no significant stress in UK debt issuance." Useful FT corrective. Link follows. ~AA
There was a time when I held Yvette Cooper in high esteem. How much lower is she planning to go? 🤮
Pathetic idiocy. But worse, craven pandering to the absolute worst people in the country.
The UK is falling apart and the Media is ranting on about immigration, which hasn't really changed in 5 years, and is in fact going down. Perhaps their obsession is not because it is a big deal, but because the big issue is the rampant profiteering of their billionaire masters?
Remember that what they are actually saying is that people should be removed to face torture and persecution
Great news from Ukraine
"Among Polanski's most chilling opinions are that he thinks genocide is wrong, climate destruction is a bad idea, water should be nationalised, children should not go hungry, trans people count as human beings, immigrants should not be turned into cattle feed . . " open.substack.com/pub/normalis...
Wonderful! Real timeline cleanse: get ready to smile.
SOUND ON....beautiful, talent...
I think the answer to this is an obvious ‘no’, but I don’t think Polanski is even going to try. There’s going to be an interesting phony war with Your Party to come: neither will want to look hostile to the other, but also they’re competing for the same voters. (1/2)
One of the biggest tensions will be between Polanski’s social justice priorities and rural Greens who don’t like development. Polanski’s socials are much better than Your Party’s. That matters too
Golaccccccccio But seriously, Dubai is an absolute Mecca for the British right and far-right at the moment. They're all off to somewhere where they can whinge about immigrants and great replacement theory to their hearts' content.
Imagine the message it would send if Gary Lineker won 'Presenter of the Year' at this year's National Television Awards Standing up for compassion & the right to speak out And, the feathers it would ruffle My lovely followers, you know what to do: nationaltvawards.com/vote 🗓️ Deadline: 12th Sep
He's such a nasty person.
Completely, utterly, and wholeheartedly fucked it up. It’s almost as if appropriating far-right politics and lacing a clear vision for the country isn’t a recipe for electoral success.
Sad but true.
There are people all over the UK who have not got settled status because they just don't know and only find out when something changes, such as changing jobs or renting a flat. It is the same as the Windrush thing. This will be happening for years now.
It'll be interesting to see if this experiment works out. So far, the UK Greens have projected a distinctly suburban, even middle-class image. But this new narrative will be much more urban and edgy. Personally, I think that's what the current climate needs. #Greens🌻
‘What Is Being Done to Them Is So Profoundly Evil' open.substack.com/pub/bylinesu...
It’s the fucking Guns!!!
The answer is in the question, duh.
Perfect!!
Pressure rises on Reeves as government borrowing costs hit 27-year high. Chancellor will face more limited fiscal headroom at budget after yield on 30-year bond increases to 5.68%. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
‘We’re here to replace you,’ new Green leader Polanski tells Labour as he terms Starmer’s politics ‘despicable’. Landslide winner of leadership election says migrants are backbone of UK and his party should not sell out patriotism to Farage. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
Shocking. It sounds as if he should have applied for settled status post-Brexit, he should contact @settled.bsky.social. If course, if Govt. hadn't imposed Brexit on us, this sort of outrage would not have happened. We do not want Trump tactics here.
This is what Trump does Arresting people living in the country who haven't done anything wrong and then imprisoning them. This guy has been living in the UK since he was 12. He went to school in the UK and has a whole live here and the UK govt arrested him. 🤷♂️ www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Thank you for. this, Zoe Williams. As @monkemma.bsky.social says: "“Successful woman buys her own apartment following her divorce, and pays all the taxes she is liable for” should NOT be the basis of a full week’s worth of Daily Mail and Telegraph stories." monkdebunks.substack.com/p/angela-ray...
'Rayner has also been found guilty of going in the sea, wearing a “garishly coloured” Dryrobe (price tag: £165), vaping in a kayak, having friends and drinking wine.' Why are the tabloids so enraged about every aspect of Angela Rayner’s life? | Zoe Williams www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Brexit the Elephant is in Granada 🇪🇸 this week with @savefom.bsky.social at @fomatplay.bsky.social finding out how losing Freedom of Movement after Brexit has affected people all across Europe. “¡España me encanta!” he reflected, suddenly realising that he was thinking in Spanish. 1/2
NB Starmer: "Flags do not house people. They do not staff hospitals. They will not put food on tables. They will not stop the boats. "But leadership can - we have to keep calling for it. And we need to do so far more loudly, clearly, and maybe just a bit angrily." open.substack.com/pub/iratusur...
The Bonfire of Trump’s Vanities open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
No that's helpful, you're a classics guy. The 3 classics of the superhero genre are Watchmen, Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns and Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman. That right there is a full undergrad course in this genre - I chatted about this here iandunt.substack.com/p/immigrant-...
Too many good things about the Spurrier/Campbell Hellblazer run to mention, but Aditya Bidikar's lettering is properly next level. Incredibly intuitive and conversational. Innovating in ways I don't think I've ever actually seen before ie using the emphasis of a word to break the speech bubble.
The “Woke” Myth open.substack.com/pub/robertre...
The courts & tribunals are ‘fully independent’ of government. This will be a parallel system to advise the HO on which appeals may be most likely to succeed at appeal, so should be accepted by the HO.
Yes. This is what Starmer should be doing: not supporting racism.
The Government is doing its best at the moment to imply it has no problem with the ethnonationalism now rearing its ugly head. And I don't understand why. 1/5
The lesson (from Saddam) was "make sure you give the U.S. a cut of the profits.” Netanyahu learned perfectly. He's not the modern Saddam. He's Saddam perfected, a war criminal who understood that atrocities aren't crimes if you commit them for the “right” side. open.substack.com/pub/cmarmita...
Where has this ludicrous ECHR "debate" even come from. I've never once met an ordinary member of the public who's said to me, "Do you know what? We REALLY need to leave the ECHR." It's just a new right wing talking point because every other shit idea they've foisted on us has run out of steam.
1 September 2025 is the day Labour went FULL REFORM. They're dead as a party. The next few years will be spent on twitching and rigor mortis, but they're done. Today was the finale. Astonishing. Who could have dared predict it when they swept to power with a massive majority just over a year ago?
Great explainer: The ECHR is protecting everyone in the UK 🚨 "Reform has touted its plan as a 'legal reset'. But it is better understood as a total rejection of the UK’s postwar international commitments to protect the human rights of everyone within its jurisdiction." https://bit.ly/3JYzaI8
Sadly true.
"Anti-immigration politicians keep winning elections,while migration is constantly ranked as a top issue among voters. However, few of those who shape public debate question whether voters have an accurate understanding of immigration & its consequences." writesbright.substack.com/p/these-two-...
Not to ignite another sensitive debate, but that news was all over Twitter and almost entirely absent from Bluesky. (I notice that happening about an awful lot of stuff.)
BREAKING: JB Pritzker Just Drew a Line in the Sand Leaving Republicans In a Panic open.substack.com/pub/demwinsm...
The audacity! Credit: @bbcstudios.bsky.social on YouTube youtu.be/LS37SNYjg8w?...
Lack of resources , child care , parental leave, housing issues and other fundamental needs to be able to afford to have a kid ??
Wonder what changed?
Finally! Old man Hitchens can tell me why I’m not having babies.
Well done 👏 Scientists are standing up to the Trump administration and are making information about climate change more accessible! 🌎 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/30/climate-gov-website-trump
NEWS: No Public Events for Trump on Labor Day and India Protests the Trump Administration open.substack.com/pub/aaronpar...
What is wrong with Labour!! They have a huge parliamentary majority. Please stop responding to UKRef dog whistles and fight back. We need immigration, the birth rate is falling, the population is getting older & UK born folks don't want to do low paid dirty work. The NHS & care sector need staff.
This is a wonderfully detailed bit of reporting. On the other hand, Kemi Badenoch is adamant that Kemi Badenoch never commits gaffes…
Pandering to the far right will not placate them.
More on this shortly ⬇️
Proud of my host nation and grateful our government speak up for migration. Sadly, I cant say the same for my home nation.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cv... And what about the far right protestors?
⏰ TOMORROW ⏰ 📖 We teamed up with @resfoundation.bsky.social to produce the Policy Landscape 2025 report 🔍 The report is a comprehensive guide to the main policy challenges the UK is facing written by leading experts in their fields 👀 Keep an eye out for it here - ukandeu.ac.uk
“In April 2025, Starmer was instrumental in continuing Palantir’s capture of crucial digital infrastructure in UK public institutions, he oversaw Coventry City Council’s signing of a £500,000 deal with Palantir for a "strategic AI platform"”
Come on folks. Keep pushing them to get this done.
In case you missed it ... Here's the Queen speaking in favour of the EU in 1992. As this excellent speech before the EU Parliament shows, she had a very firm grasp of the wider context and knew exactly how valuable the European idea was to prosperity and peace. No wonder she supported Remain! 🇬🇧🇪🇺
Colin Talbot, an emeritus professor of politics at the University of Manchester: “I went through Reform’s national policy statements and they had no policies whatsoever on local government. Nothing at all." https://bit.ly/4p6QHy8