impossible to overstate how poisonous this shit is. dudes on the street smiling and waving at your toddler are an indicator of a happy and functional community

Almost everything we argue about is a substitute for the thing we should be arguing about: the immense wealth & power of an oligarchic class, which captures governments, ruins lives and wrecks the living planet.
This class redirects our rage at scapegoats. To resist its lies is to resist its power.

"The media reporting of the "millionaire exodus" was primarily based on a report published by Henley & Partners, a firm that sells golden passports to the super rich... the 9500 millionaires widely reported to be leaving the UK in 2024 represented 0.3% of the UK’s 3.06 million millionaires"
#r4today

Just received my postal ballot paper. Yes, she's there as an independent. As is someone called Eleanor Cooke, and I've never heard of her.

OMFG I had to go and check that this ACTUALLY happened.

Since when does the BBC ever do chyrons with a political party's branding, rather than their own? Not to mention this is during a pre-election campaign purdah.

(h/t @iainsol.bsky.social)

ICYMI — new HUNGARY 🇭🇺 PM Magyar says Netanyahu will be arrested if he goes to Hungary

Phones to be banned in schools by law in England under government plans Education minister Jacqui Smith said the move would create

I suspect the government is going to get another crash course in the law of unintended consequences when pushing through overly restrictive knee-jerk policies without properly considering implications, especially, but not limited to, students with higher support needs.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

...if Starmer wants to secure his legacy prior to increasingly likely and imminent defenestration, he could do a lot worse than set up a stronger MP scrutiny structure and give it real teeth. If what follows next might include Farage we'll need it.

The problem with the House of Commons arcane rules about not calling a member a liar is that it assumes they're honourable people who default to honesty. This could only work with commons building much stronger scrutiny tools to hold liars to account - we've seen this flat out fail over and over...

IF YOU BUILD A BIKE LANE THAT DOESN'T CONNECT TO ANOTHER BIKE LANE THEN YOU DIDN'T BUILD A BIKE LANE

Outrage over Israeli soldier's vandalism of Jesus statue in Lebanon The Israeli military says it views with

It's deeply unchristian to be upset about this and not, you know, all of the fucking murdering Israeli forces have been doing.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Kind of. Yes. Labour need a quiet and dignified change of leader. But they aren't capable of this. Starmer should go, though, there is no doubt of it.

While true...

On what planet was further vetting needed to show that Mandleson was still a sleaze?

Dear Mr. Zeichner, Thank you for your response regarding pavement parking. While I appreciate the summary of the Department for Transport’s current outlook and the new Road Safety Strategy, I found your reply to be unfortunately non-committal regarding the specific legislation I raised. You mentioned that you support a "devolved approach" where local leaders are empowered to make decisions. As you are aware, Amendment 265 is designed to do exactly that: it enables the Secretary of State to empower local leaders to impose prohibitions. Since the amendment aligns with the "devolved approach" you claim to welcome, I am struggling to understand why you did not explicitly commit to supporting it. Respectfully, your response read more like a departmental press release than a clear statement of intent from my representative. I would appreciate a direct "Yes" or "No" to the following questions so I can understand your position before the Bill progresses: Will you vote in favor of Amendment 265 if it is put to a division? If you intend to vote against it, or abstain, could you please explain why—specifically, what is it about this particular wording that you find objectionable compared to the "future legislation" you alluded to in your letter? Why should constituents wait for "the next opportunity" for new legislation when a viable, devolved mechanism is on the table right now in this Bill? The people of Cambridge, particularly those with sight loss or mobility issues, have waited years for action. "Taking the time to get things right" is often indistinguishable from "kicking the can down the road." I look forward to a clear statement on how you intend to vote. Yours sincerely,

Feel free to nick my subsequent email if your MP is as crap as ours. Text in ALT:

Daniel Zeichners response was crap. Makes all the right sounds, doesn't commit to voting for this or even explicityly supports stopping pavement parking at all, anwhere, ever. Just kicsk the can down the road. Outside of Reform he's one of Britains shittest MPs, isn't he?

Dan Zeichners answer to this was non-committal. As ever makes all the right sounds, doesn't commit to voting for the amendment and just supports party line. He's just crap.

Her office said the Office for Students (OfS), which regulates universities, had received reports of speakers and lecturers being harassed and blocked for holding gender-critical or religious views, of foreign interference suppressing academic freedoms, and of ideological belief requirements featuring in job advertisements.

The OfS will be able to use the new complaints scheme from September. From April, it will be able to fine universities the greater of £500,000 or 2 per cent of their income, which would amount to millions of pounds for large institutions, for breaches under the Freedom of Speech Act. Ultimately, universities could be deregistered for egregious cases.

Bridget Phillipson will introduce new laws to make it possible for Universities to be fined millions of pounds if they don't silence students who protest bigots invited onto their campuses. It's like the Tories never left office.

The Horrors That Could Lie Ahead if Vaccines Vanish Researchers at Stanford University modeled how many people could die or be disabled in 25 years if vaccines for polio, measles, rubella or diphtheria were no longer available.

These results demonstrate in stark terms how vital shots are and what’s at stake if policy changes interfere with Americans’ ability to vaccinate their kids.

Read our full investigation:

RFK Jr. in a tight spot after Trump realized he doesn't need 'freaks' around: author A former associate of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during a recent podcast interview that his old pal seems to be in a tight spot as President Donald Trump appears to have realized that he doesn't need "freaks" like Kennedy around anymore. Kurt Andersen, author of "Fantasyland: How Am...

A former associate of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said during a recent podcast interview that his old pal seems to be in a tight spot as President Donald Trump appears to have realized that he doesn't need "freaks" like Kennedy around anymore.

The 'problem', such as it is, is that we're not cruel enough to appease racists. The solution for Labour is therefore to stop trying to match Reform on racism.

To what problem? Granted asylum claims? They aren't a problem. Our asylum numbers aren't out of control, immigration is declining, and fast. Small boat crossings were created out of choice by choking asylum appplications and are a tiny part of our immigration. What problem do you refer to?

Being a cunt to refugees isn't a solution to the nations problems. Its very easy to criticise parties doing that because they're completely in the wrong.

You can be progressive, constructive, compassionate, pro-growth, humane and decent. Or you can vote Labour, Reform or Conservative. You cannot vote for any of those parties AND claim you're progressive, consteructive, or even decent really. Choose.

Reform would review all asylum claims from the last five years The current Labour government has already announced major crackdowns on immigration, including disrupting gangs.

Notice how Labour don't respond with "screw you, racist idiots, this an expensive, grotesque, self defeating and wrong idea" - they're responding with rhetoric that tries to outflank Reform and the Tories on the extremist anti-immigrant Right. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

🆘 Former competition regulator boss drops bombshell:

Labour is “holding the economy back” by favouring US tech giants over British competitors.

Marcus Bokkerink says the government has “stood down” the CMA, creating dangerous dependency on a handful of American 🇺🇸 firms and killing innovation.

Yeah, demanding national service is really something a tech company should be doing.

...and what Labour will do now is rinse and repeat. Starmer soldiers on for another 6 months or a year, then they get another one who can't "move as fast as he wants to" on these issues. The truth is Labour don't want to be the progressive, green party we need now. It just isn't who they are.

...all the Starm Troopers demanding we believe he would be very pro EU, better on the environment, better in so many ways than he promised, that he was "carrying a Ming vase", that was all bollocks..