Not sure it will arrive as Bsky doesn’t work properly on my old computer but you can always email (address via website www.hayloft.eu)
European/Scottish/Cumbrian: Rejoin EU + Scottish Independence Publisher/journalist: rural life, history, farming, books, walking. Banff International Mountain Literature + 8 Lake District Book awards. #BoycottIsrael #FreePalestine
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Not sure it will arrive as Bsky doesn’t work properly on my old computer but you can always email (address via website www.hayloft.eu)
The BBC is at it again. A 13% fall in fatalities is reported as: "Scotland is the drugs death capital of Europe". See what's going on? A sustained war of attrition by the BBC, doing Westminster's bidding, against the SNP government in Scotland. #YouYesYet www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The BBC, like the Brit establishment they represent, are the biggest scammers imaginable. If you want any truth, then look elsewhere for your news.
& I haven’t bought my copy yet!
I’ve lived in France & agree democracy begins at v local level… our tiny hamlet of less than 100 people met to discuss issues local & national. Views were passed on & eventually arrived in Paris. Local councils I knew in UK were more or less ignored by regional or county councils
That’s 5,539,998 left to persuade! Though this number might include children - I didn’t check!
Running through one-on-one in the 89th minute, flummoxing a Man City defender and goalkeeper with an outrageous piece of skill and then firing into the almost empty net to cue bedlam around the Amex Brighton have a special player on their hands in Brajan Gruda 🔥 #BHAFC
Telling it like it is, and cutting through.
Phew what a scorcher! Again! The weather in Britain is now routinely hotter than the famous summer of 1976. The very ground beneath our feet burned on the North Yorkshire moors. Yet the Conservatives and Reform are daft enough to want to burn every last drop of oil. www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...
The greed of these men
Words really fail me with Starmer. The majority of Asylum Seekers are successful in gaining asylum, they have no humanity or compassion for people who have already suffered?
This is not the man I voted for… Keir Starmer is worse than Tories because he’s let so many people down. We believed as leader of the Labour Party he would bring compassion & equality back to politics plus a way out of the “Reform” view
When voted Labour at last election it was my belief that they would represent my values. They DO NOT so where do we go from here? Greens, LibDems & SNP need to stand tall, speak and inspire us to believe in a generous & kind future for England, Scotland, Wales & N. Ireland
That’s only 5,540,000 (approx) people to go!
Sorry, forgot to say, we bought many original images from the Norwegian Folk Museum
Published a book of Norse myths called “Espen Ash Lad” written by an English teacher married to a Norwegian lady.
Video credit: itsjuliencohen Description: "11 and 8-year-old prodigy sisters played Vivaldi Winter with me" This is serious musical talent 🎻🎻🎹🎶🎵 #VivaldiWinter #Song #music #Piano #Violin #Instruments #Instrumental
Brilliant!
Your daily reminder. You have a sexual predator in the WH. #ReleaseAllTheEpsteinFiles
Author of book which was plagiarized died of distress a few months after we found nothing could be done. So copyright protection, though a brilliant idea, doesn’t always work for small companies/authors.
I’m a publisher & good people write to ask permission to use text or photo from one of Hayloft’s books. Some (one author) quoted whole passages verbatim without asking. Contacted publisher (a big name) they had nothing to say & to sue them & the errant author would cost more than we could afford.
Many of those who fought in both WW1 & WW2 were not English - both my Scottish Gt-grandfather & his son fought - not just for England but for British Isles
Fuck look at the huge red mass in the Central belt now that Laboit have the most MPs. That was literally clear before the GE
He is the most personable, intelligent & electable leader on any party in England
I get it - we have cassettes (still) & my partner was always using a pencil to rescue them
Where are these dangerous opioids coming from and why is it only Scotland that the Anglo-Nationalists at the Guardian think is threatened by them? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Dream scenario: An Independent Scotland, member of the EU, with a strong Green Party
Congratulations to the two new leaders of the Green Party. Their unequivocal support for Scotland regaining independence is a testament to the progressive benefits this will bring 👏 greens.scot/news/a-new-e...
Well I’m declaring that I’m an Independent Scottish person
Ah well, that’s true but my added disadvantage is I’m a publisher and have over 10,000 books stored plus another several thousand I’ve read or bought meaning to read...
England is running scared that Scotland will become independent (roll on that day). They are scared of losing oil wealth found in Scottish waters where money goes to London & only a tiny part is grudgingly given back + much more - more than space here allows to record.
Yes. It’s almost like some of those old sci-fi films where an evil dictator was set upon taking over the world.
I keep losing my copy as I put it down in a ‘safe’ place...
Someone v wealthy supports Reform - could be Russia? Someone who wants to see EU broken up
And I used to faithfully vote for the Labour Party. I wish I could take back every single one of those votes over decades of my life. They are an absolute disgrace 😡
Amazing - I only bought & read my copy last year. I’d just bought my first house & had small children 25 years ago so was otherwise engage!
What a training!!!
Green leader Zack Polanski: "When we look what this Government has been doing - whether it's the benefit cuts, the genocide in Gaza, my message to Labour is very clear. We are not here to be difficult. We are not here to be concerned by you. We're here to replace you."
The more Labour stampede right, the emptier the vacuum for the LibDems to go "Let's just ****ing rejoin the EU already!" and snaffle up votes. But it would need to be a loud, proud and sustained message. Not a policy line item on their website, but front and centre in all comms. 2025 is NOT 2019.
When Nigel Farage said he'd feel uncomfortable living next door to Romanian migrants, his comments were widely condemned, with then Labour leader Ed Miliband calling them a "racial slur". Now 11 years later, such sentiments are not just condoned, but actively encouraged by our Labour Prime Minister
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is a folktale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, about a vain emperor who gets exposed before his subjects. The tale has been translated into over 100 languages. "The Emperor's New Clothes” was first book I thought about when Trump was elected
Tragic, we cast aside the brightest and the best to appease the dullest and the worst
We are a nation that has thrived on cultural diversity and encouraging innovation driven by research and development, to achieve this we have recognised the value of 'highly educated and driven' youth, not just our own but internationally as well. To now reject this can only be to our detriment.
"The public say this is a national emergency," he says caressing the Daily Mail. "Why don't you call it that? Why don't you call it that? Why don't you call a spade a spade?" Since @skynewsrss.bsky.social have such a firm editorial view, I'd love their definition of a national emergency. ~AA
Things you don't want on a Tuesday morning: calls with the subsidence division of your insurer. Looks like we're joining the growing list of households making insurance claims after the hot spring and summer as climate change increases the risks of subsidence in the UK.
A quarter of England state secondary schools have no dedicated physics teacher. Shortages in other subjects too Govts don't plan long-term, quick to cut real wages of public sector workers. University fees and student debt are a disincentive. Migrant labour can't solve all systemic failures,
"A few weeks after the Brexit referendum, a leave-voting friend of mine told me what the biggest benefit would be. “We will never hear about immigration again,” he said." ~AA www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The world's leading association of genocide scholars has declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza A resolution passed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars states that Israel's conduct meets the legal definition as laid out in the UN convention on genocide
To appease bankers Reeves says Thames Water should find ‘market-based solution’. Not possible. It is a monopoly, no competition, no choice. Since 1989 TW paid £10.4bn in dividends, £13.68bn interest payments. Rocketing bills, sewage in rivers. We can't afford more of the same. Nationalise water.
Re-nationalise all our priority supplies - water, electricity, gas...
The late Iain Banks remarks have never been more relevant. Asylum seekers actually get a pittance from the state and they haven't caused any political problems. Immigration is a good and positive thing and it has helped build Scotland into the modern tolerant and free country it is today.
The body of evidence showing that when centrist parties adopt the priorities and talking points of the far right, they torpedo themselves is vast and powerful. Yet Keir Starmer's Labour Party seems determined to ignore it. A few examples in 🧵: theconversation.com/how-should-l...
'How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It' is a non-fiction book written by American historian Arthur Herman. It examines origins of Scottish Enlightenment & many inventions. IMHO a must read.
Peak rail fares scrapped on ScotRail trains. Scotland also has: Public ownership of water, lower water bills than England's. No university tuition fees for local students. No prescription charges, abolished in 2011. No two child benefit cap from March 2026. England must follow.
Donald Trump: "The most basic duty of government is to defend the lives of its own citizens. Any government that fails to do so is a government unworthy to lead."
Are you young, highly educated and driven, and want to contribute to our stagnant economy with its aging population and low productivity? Well out you go
Release the #TrumpEpateinFiles
How Sweden’s ‘secondhand only’ shopping mall is changing retail. Built alongside the city’s recycling centre, it includes a dedicated drop-off point called The Return, where residents donate unwanted items. theconversation.com/how-swedens-...
"It requires all of us to change our attitudes. To stop being so scared of the politics of immigration that we fail to help refugees." ... said the present Labour Home Secretary. Back in 2015, before she sacrificed her principles to Starmer's Blue Labour. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-poli...
One of my heroes, French economist Thomas Piketty said today in Le Monde: 'To succeed in the climate transition, we must redistribute wealth differently'
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.
Apparently “leading” lawyers and “experts” say that the Good Friday Agreement is no obstacle to UK leaving ECHR. Me, being neither, merely sets out what the Good Friday Agreement expressly says. davidallengreen.com/2023/07/why-...
or if in Scotland the SNP
⚡️ Azerbaijan donated $2 million worth of energy equipment to Ukraine, including generators, cables, and transformers to repair infrastructure hit by Russian strikes.
Spain's welcoming and liberal approach to immigration is paying economic dividends. There's a lesson here for the UK. With an ageing population & an unwillingness to do certain low paid jobs, immigration is essential to the UK economy & culture. leftfootforward.org/2025/08/pro-...
I have a ginger cat sitting here patiently saying “It’s supper time” - he always forgets he’s already had supper!
Revoking an entire nationality’s visas is collective punishment and never acceptable — especially in this moment when millions of Palestinians lack equal rights, basic healthcare, and so much more at home, forcing them out of the US is unfathomably cruel. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/31/w...
I’d watch documentaries or drama (& I love knitting!)
The man looks very similar but just not quite...
I’m glad I don’t have a TV & haven’t had one for many years.
SKY was lost to the right wing quite some time ago
You’re right - he is/was one of good guys but should have had a good PR person to translate his thoughts into media speak
Zoe Williams writes in Guardian about Angela Rayner: "Whether it’s her housing, clothes, the restaurants she goes to, or the fact she watches opera and drinks wine, she can apparently do nothing right”. Criticism is to do with class but also, & this is missed in article, it’s because she's female.
ECHR was set up to protect citizens of European countries from gov overreach and denying them justice. By removing these rights, our gov would be able to play fast and loose with laws and our freedom of speech, expression, and other rights we take for granted eg. employment protections
Perhaps Corbyn should have had better press advisors
Now following Corbyn on bsky so can read from the horse’s mouth so to speak
Le Monde: With Tianjin summit, Xi puts China at centre of a new anti-Western world order Receiving around 20 world leaders, including Russia's Vladimir Putin & India's Narendra Modi, the Chinese president criticised the 'Cold War mentality' shared by the US, a faltering superpower, and its allies.
👉 BBC Newsnight misled viewers by suggesting 𝗮𝘀𝘆𝗹𝘂𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 are part of the UK’s “𝘂𝗻𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀.” They are not. I’ve complained to the BBC - 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. Read more: FB: tinyurl.com/5a6zarnv LI: tinyurl.com/4u3xpxv2 YT: tinyurl.com/2x72s3ww #AsylumSeekers #HumanRights #BBCNewsnight
Politics is a slimy business - nobody seems to tell the truth. I was living in France at the time so didn’t read much UK news but did hear he supported leaving EU.
If he even half 'got it' he would: Stop vilifying immigrants on X Ramp up processing claims Allow asylum seekers to work, like civilised countries do.
Oh nothing, just the actual Prime Minister telling people they’re entirely correct to drive asylum seekers out of their communities
It’s just so transparently fake, too? I follow British politics more than the average American but even from my non-expert external opinion the stench of inauthentic desperation is palpable.
From the U.S., Kier Starmer really does come across as a perfect example of you cannot successfully try to ape reactionary conservative politics in the long term. Labour got a single win and Starmer proceeded to drive the party into its worst polling in generations by courting the right.
Friends, I urge you to join a Workers Over Billionaires protest this Labor Day. Let’s honor the roots of this holiday by standing together to protest the exploitation and oppression of our tinpot dictator. bit.ly/4lMgKaR
They've completely lost the holocaust sympathy vote, they have made new history, every bit as bad...yet they expect the world to accept their genocide because it goes in the name of 'defence'.. Generation of Israelis will have to live with this stain. Well, like Hitlers murderers, fuck them all !
Breaks my heart. 💔
Anything I read by or about Corbyn at the time said he was anti-EU. If he had been actively pro-EU I’d have voted for him.
Can’t Israel/IDF see what they're doing? Not only maiming & killing Palestinians but making enemies worldwide.
Did a survey of Lake District trees/landscapes - rhododendrons spreading everywhere from ‘posh’ gardens. There were red & roe deer but I can’t remember sitka - though I’ve not lived in Cumbria for quite a while.
If you lived in Whithorn, Scotland, & published books, you’d have a car/van. Post books whenever possible but also keep boxes & piles for bookshops in Cumbria & deliver them all at once while at same time meeting authors, friends & seeing family. Nearest station is miles away.
There were two young locals one called Dave, both from Lewes, & as a group we'd occasionally drink & talk together. I had a feeling his surname was Freeman but memory plays tricks…
Still at school but took the problems in Ireland v seriously & the GFA was a marvellous moment, a stepping stone towards a peaceful Ireland. The UK cannot wriggle out of it & the ECHR is absolutely right.
@djfesq.bsky.social Did you ever go to the Falmer bar near Sussex University?
Ireland is boycotting Israeli bonds, from tomorrow they are banned. Norway already started to remove their massive $3tn investment portfolio from Israel. Bankruptcy is coming, lets step up and BDS Israel into oblivion.
Worrying how #r4today can list all the parties invited to discuss immigration but didn’t include Liberal dems greens snp who would have countered the “illegal” premise
“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"”
10years ago we would say No way would this happen. Now thanks to uk government👇.
Le Monde editorial today: By banning the press from accessing the Palestinian territory and waging the deadliest war against journalists in the history of armed conflicts, Israel is destroying press freedom, with little reaction from the United States or the European Union.