Loves: cats, politics, music, GOOD chocolate. Do not think that giving me chocolate kittens as a gift is in any way acceptable. especially if they are made of inferior chocolate. That's about it really.
1,058 followers 761 following 1,964 posts
view profile on Bluesky
Actually, I met some local people in Cheshunt the other week who had no problems at all with the asylum seekers housed in a hotel near them. They hadn't even known they were there. They had FAR more problems with the racists gathering outside the hotel and screaming and shouting.
She's probably still locked in a battle to the death with punctuation.
How has it "gone too far"? can you supply examples?
"Some legal experts" is doing a LOT of heavy lifting there.
Banning refugees – people whose asylum claims have been processed by a hostile system and found to be legitimate – from bringing family members has one predictable and awful effect: instead of travelling alone, men will bring their wives and children on small boats, and some will drown.
Starmer tends to be really cautious about what he says (far too much so, sometimes). The original announcement was quite heavily caveated - i.e. we'll recognise Palestine if Israel doesn't stop bombing, essentially. Possible Starmer thought that Israel would actually tone it down.
It's all such nonsense. If the polls decided who was in government, Labour would have been in since 2022. We vote for our government every four or five years, not once a month or so.
I don't remember Max ever being a racist dickhead though
There's a UN meeting this month, isn't there? I assumed he would be trying to co-ordinate with those other countries (such as France) who also said they would be recognising Palestine in September.
Child benefit is not affected by the 2-child benefit cap.
I love the way they HAVE to include a critical voice - in this case ONE person, a naval captain, who offers his unsupported view that French warships are better. Fuck off BBC with you stupid "balance".
Utterly fucking pathetic.
But that describes the BBC....
It is now. It wasn't when she posted originally.
I presume he is trying to make a point about unquestioning acceptance of authority? which is fair enough but scientists and experts are not "in charge", they just know their subject and should be listened to.
The grace and favour flat is absolutely irrelevant to this. It is not her home, she does not own it, and she lives in it only when she is attending Parliament. It is being brought in quite deliberately and cynically by a hostile media to make Rayner look as if she owns multiple properties.
What she did to reduce her tax liabilities IS in fact open to anyone. What I think you mean is that most people can't use it because they can't afford a second home.
Steve Richards generally talks a lot of sense.
Yesterday I stumbled upon this spot, and the colors just blew me away. The pale birch trunks rising through the soft pink undergrowth felt almost surreal - like stepping into a painting. #photography #landscape #landscapephotography
tbf I REALLY hate sourdough. Hate "fluffy" bread as well, too, though
I absolutely agree we should stop all arms sales to Israel (we have already stopped some), but it would be virtue-signalling only as the only country whose support or otherwise matters is the US. However, it's a virtue we SHOULD be signalling.
of us got fed up with "auditors" shoving cameras in our faces and shouted at them). Nothing about the violence of the other side, only stopped by prompt police action.
I was at Cheshunt - on the counter-protest side, I need hardly say. The disorder happened when a group of the protesters broke off and ran down a side road in an attempt to get behind us. They chucked eggs and a smoke bomb at us. The report on GB News only mentioned "the fascist left" (one or two
The interesting thing about the "one-in one-out" policy is that it does actually open a way to safe and legal routes...no one is talking about that.
There are hardly any great speakers in politics any more. It seems to be a dying skill.
New Labour inherited a growing economy. That counted for quite a lot.
Well, yeah - though they hung on as a minority government for another year. Also the following government didn't dare to dismantle the NHS and actually built loads of council houses...
It's the curse of beating City at their place. Always takes us time to recover.
They're the same people who said it made no difference whether you voted for Trump or Harris as they were both "genocide enablers".
Councils plan to spend hundreds thousands of pounds of public money to try and stop fellow humans, mostly Muslims whose status has yet not yet determined from having food and shelter. Is that right?
A wealthy, privileged man and a few racist cronies have found it alarmingly easy to convince millions that a 0.05% population increase (of WORKING AGE PEOPLE to help balance our ageing population!) is why they can't get a GP appt, not years of Tory austerity that have decimated public services.
It was the Blair government in 2003....but yes, you are right on the basics.
Absolutely agree re the rhetoric. That is, actually, quite easy to change as it is not fundamental policy. But I would remind everyone that only 18 months into the Labour government of 1945, his ministers were trying to get rid of Atlee....
Yes, it all gets a bit hysterical.
so why are they opposing IHT on farmers (calling it "the family farm tax")? trying to gut the Employment Rights Bill? opposing every attempt to build housing? In practice they are not progressive.
He has been. I'm very disappointed in him. But he can - and must - change. This really isn't who he is and he would come across as far more comfortable in his own skin if he simply played to his progressive instincts.
This is just ridiculous. It's not a fucking invasion. What is WRONG with people?
Labour are being absolutely dreadful in certain areas - around the rhetoric of immigration for instance and that HAS to improve - but their actual policy platform (increased employment rights, more social housing, investment in green energy, renters' rights etc) is quite clearly progressive.
game as far as social issues are concerned, and their stance on Gaza is good - I think this is where the illusion they are progressive comes from.
I'm sorry, the LibDems are just not progressive in terms of economics. They are opposed to increasing employment rights, have fought against most of Labour's progressive tax increases, and at local level are almost as NIMBY-ish as the Greens as far as housebuilding is concerned. They talk a good
Agree with much of what you say but very disappointed that you made no attempt to assign the blame for, e.g. lack of housebuilding on the previous Tory governments. This one IS committed to building social housing, and to stopping the haemorrhaging of council homes via the right to buy.
The LibDems are not a progressive party - they have voted against most of Labour's taxes on the rich (IHT for farmers for instance), oppose housebuilding, and are doing their best to gut the Employment Rights bill in the Lords. Just because they are pro-EU does not mean that they are progressive.
There is no problem of illegal immigration. That is my answer.
I took a taxi to a pro-refugee protest at a hotel which was under attack from the right. The taxi driver said on seeing the fascist protesters "what are those idiots doing? if they aren't happy, why not protest against the government, not those poor people in the hotel".
I WOULD agree with a push to stop using hotels - the Refugee Council are mentioned in the piece as calling for this. But because using hotels for lengthy periods of time is not appropriate, not because those hotels represent "luxury".
Falconer is talking rubbish. There is absolutely no evidence at all that you can "deter" people from making the crossings - if the strong possibility of dying en route is not enough to deter people, then the smaller possibility of being deported to a "third country" is just not going to do so.
seriously unhappy with the way Labour has just pandered to the horrible Reform rhetoric around immigration and asylum seekers. They are just retreating all the time. Get on the front foot, for fucks sake. We are not like this.
One of my rituals is to look at the newspaper front pages every day. It is absolutely clear that a lot of our media is essentially agitating against the Labour government. Every piece of bad news is hyped up, every piece of good news is spun to look bad. It is, literally, demented. But I am
He did stress that repeatedly at the start. But I agree - the Twitter posts are a fucking disgrace.
and forgot to declare them
Glorious
Riga, Mehitabel. My most beloved cats.
Well isn’t this lovely. Opera star sings Habanera (from Carmen) in the airport (?) What a terrific voice. #opera I don’t care if they’re staged, we need more profl free public #music and #art.
Jesus fucking christ
The ever-eloquent @rafaelbehr.bsky.social pointedly refusing to mince his words on what Farage has done for us. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Because so much of the media is determined to hold onto the belief that Brexit was a good thing. Look how much time Labour have to spend dealing with claims that they are "betraying Brexit".
In 1948 the Declaration of Human Rights was written because wise people got together and wanted a base line humanity didn’t drop below ever again. It doesn’t matter if your politics are left or right. If you want to ignore human rights you’re losing your humanity. Wake up.
Brexiteer. Man's an idiot.
He was mainly talking about its use in universities, where he felt it was being used to stifle free speech. But what always made me laugh was the way it kept being called the "internationally recognised definition of AS" when only a few countries actually endorsed it.
To be fair, she only made a brief comment about it. But the problem is that the left cannot stop itself from constantly re-legislating past rows. You still get people going on and on about 2017 and the supposed sabotage of the election campaign by the right of the party.
Labour should have adopted it swiftly and then pointed out that the Tories never had - May totally got away with that one because everyone was focussing on Labour's struggles.
There were lots of good reasons why the IHRA definition wasn't suitable for use as a disciplinary tool for a political party. However, politically it had to be adopted, and Corbyn wasted a lot of time and political capital in opposing it. It was a sign of his naivety that he didn't realise this.
The Thai cover band you didn't know you needed in your life. Crank it! 😀 🎸
Symptomatic of how media deliberately feed anger: "asylum seekers in hotels up 8%" as the only headline being pushed. Number much lower than Tory high, spending on hotels significantly down, applications processed faster, backlog down, overall immigration dramatically lower. But that won't do. ~AA
They aren't.
Maybe Diane Abbott will lamp him one. With any luck.
And interestingly enough, I knew a few people who housed Ukrainians and were quite shocked by how racist they were...that would fit right in with Douglas.
You're apparently living in America, which is basically undergoing the onset of fascism. I suggest you're not really in a position to be laughing about "centrist dads".
Yes, this is appalling. Rayner needs to have a word. Actually, the unions need to have a word.
and on dangerous barges
You're spending all this time commenting on a piece you haven't read. Seems like a definition of a waste of time...
Working for a housing co-op.
Sorry, I knew you were being sarcastic - I was trying to amplify your point, but clearly failed miserably!
ITV News interview an asylum seeker after the High court's ruling at Epping's Bell Hotel, "Please don't move us" "I’m not here to harm anybody, I'm here to look for safety" Khadar Mohamed is an asylum seeker from Somalia
Well, you're certainly not accepting it quietly. I'd ask you what he did to upset you so much, but I'd rather not set off another stream of consciousness.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could rely on our media to do either of those things?
The Bell Hotel was empty, until the government started housing asylum seekers there...
No robot could do my job.
You read this and won't believe that the whole madness of asylum hotel was born and bread under the Tories. More asylum hotels face legal challenge after court ruling - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
There's no credible evidence asylum seekers commit more crime, or are guilty of more sexual assaults. I am so sick of being force-fed lies by these mendacious thugs in their expensive suits. share.google/WCAREyAQN5TG...
Done.
It is still perfectly possible to protest about what is happening in Gaza and in support of the Palestinians, without aligning yourself to a particular group who have been proscribed. Don't forget Braverman tried to stop ALL protests.
That is really a false equivalence.
Welcome to #BOUatEOU Woodland Birds, our one-day symposium at #EOU2025 Stay up-to-date with the symposium here on Bluesky by following #BOUatEOU, where presenters will be sharing their research via short threads. #ornithology 🪶🧪 🧵1/10
I think it's more that people are protesting about being able to support Palestine Action - one group - and diverting focus from protesting and supporting actual Palestine. There are plenty of groups active in supporting Palestine who aren't proscribed - support them instead.
Let me give you a list of Reform UK promises and the diametrically opposite reality they will lead to if implemented. (1/?)
The absolute cream turnip of hypocrites.
Defend Refugees - Stand Up To Racism in Cannock, Saturday 16th August 11:30AM Bandstand, Cannock Town Centre @sutrbirmingham.bsky.social
How did Gordon Brown steal our old age??
Squirting a water pistol at a dog is really not cruelty. It will probably enjoy it, knowing dogs. Though I'd recommend talking to the owners and asking them to stop their dog from barking so much, personally!
Also ENDLESS stories before the election on how the VAT on private school fees was really just affecting poor working class single mums.
I usually just wait for it to stop - oddly, these numbers don't seem to ring for long. Then I block.
I get "suspected spam". I just block.
There really is no need to be quite so rude.
I have now found out what the thread was all about - Newsom threatening to gerrymander California in response to Texas gerrymandering. Awesome. People have been screaming at Democrats to fight back and now someone is. I wouldn't support Newsom for President, but I WOULD support his actions now.
Exactly right.
So xenophobia’s fine. But the word “xenophobia”? Absolutely unacceptable. Gotcha.
Disappointing news for the bashers, the economy (as predicted) has grown slightly,oh well.
Thanks. See above! Oh, and its not acceptable to call a trans person "it", btw.
comments around Gavin Newsom - I hadn't heard of him as a transphobe. I was disgusted by his behaviour towards homeless people, so not impressed overall. He IS standing up to Trump, though, so IMO that should be supported.