ben smoke
@bencsmoke.bsky.social
journalist. gobshite. chaos merchant. tree obsessive. not necessarily in that order. bensmoke.com
celebrate perhaps the most inconsequential by-election in history with some light ad hacking wefightthegoodfight.substack.com/p/bus-stop-a...
Bus stop action highlights Farage's dodgy dealings
Climate Resistance activists act on eve of Clacton by-election
wefightthegoodfight.substack.com
NEW: Housing Sec Angela Rayner took £20,000 in speaker fee from an anti-rent controls lobbying group just weeks before ruling out a rent freeze in what campaigners from London Renters Union have called a conflict of interest. Read all about it here: wefightthegoodfight.substack.com/p/rayner-tak...
Rayner takes payment from landlords before ditching rent controls
London Renters Union urges Housing Secretary to listen to renters
wefightthegoodfight.substack.com
"A spokesperson for Angela Rayner said, “All earnings have been declared in line with the rules.” And therein lies the problem - corruption is perfectly fine in this country as long as you record it with the right people.
ben smoke@bencsmoke.bsky.social · 2d agoNEW: Housing Sec Angela Rayner took £20,000 in speaker fee from an anti-rent controls lobbying group just weeks before ruling out a rent freeze in what campaigners from London Renters Union have called a conflict of interest. Read all about it here: wefightthegoodfight.substack.com/p/rayner-tak...
celebrate perhaps the most inconsequential by-election in history with some light ad hacking wefightthegoodfight.substack.com/p/bus-stop-a...
Bus stop action highlights Farage's dodgy dealings
Climate Resistance activists act on eve of Clacton by-election
wefightthegoodfight.substack.com
Well, that "fresh start/reset" lasted a fun *checks notes* negative three weeks...
ben smoke@bencsmoke.bsky.social · 2d agoNEW: Housing Sec Angela Rayner took £20,000 in speaker fee from an anti-rent controls lobbying group just weeks before ruling out a rent freeze in what campaigners from London Renters Union have called a conflict of interest. Read all about it here: wefightthegoodfight.substack.com/p/rayner-tak...
I said it before, I’ll say it again, it’s embarrassing how little our MPs can be bought for.
ben smoke@bencsmoke.bsky.social · 2d agoNEW: Housing Sec Angela Rayner took £20,000 in speaker fee from an anti-rent controls lobbying group just weeks before ruling out a rent freeze in what campaigners from London Renters Union have called a conflict of interest. Read all about it here: wefightthegoodfight.substack.com/p/rayner-tak...
The majority of them are in a big club, and the rest of us aren't invited
ben smoke@bencsmoke.bsky.social · 2d agoNEW: Housing Sec Angela Rayner took £20,000 in speaker fee from an anti-rent controls lobbying group just weeks before ruling out a rent freeze in what campaigners from London Renters Union have called a conflict of interest. Read all about it here: wefightthegoodfight.substack.com/p/rayner-tak...
WTAF?
ben smoke@bencsmoke.bsky.social · 2d agoNEW: Housing Sec Angela Rayner took £20,000 in speaker fee from an anti-rent controls lobbying group just weeks before ruling out a rent freeze in what campaigners from London Renters Union have called a conflict of interest. Read all about it here: wefightthegoodfight.substack.com/p/rayner-tak...
NEW: Housing Sec Angela Rayner took £20,000 in speaker fee from an anti-rent controls lobbying group just weeks before ruling out a rent freeze in what campaigners from London Renters Union have called a conflict of interest. Read all about it here: wefightthegoodfight.substack.com/p/rayner-tak...
Rayner takes payment from landlords before ditching rent controls
London Renters Union urges Housing Secretary to listen to renters
wefightthegoodfight.substack.com
yesterday the goverment pushed through planning permission for a controversial development in luding a data centre in the heart of east london, overturning local council + residents. i wrote about it + effect of centres on communities here: open.substack.com/pub/wefightt...
Rayner approves Brick Lane Data Centre
Local council objections overruled
open.substack.com
following friday announcement that the govt will not be bringing in rent controls, i looked at the growing case for them (ft. london renters union @acornunion.bsky.social , @bethstratford.bsky.social, @zackpolanski.bsky.social + more) + what burnham's inaction means about his govt (link below)
following friday announcement that the govt will not be bringing in rent controls, i looked at the growing case for them (ft. london renters union @acornunion.bsky.social , @bethstratford.bsky.social, @zackpolanski.bsky.social + more) + what burnham's inaction means about his govt (link below)
Unbelievable that we’re still having discussions about drilling for oil and gas in the year of our lord 2026!! I debunked all of the ‘energy security’, ‘jobs’, ‘tax’ nonsense around North Sea oil and gas ahead of a potential relaxing of the ban by Andy Burnham… open.substack.com/pub/wefightt...
Are we really still talking about this?!?
The facts about North Sea drilling
open.substack.com
Unbelievable that we’re still having discussions about drilling for oil and gas in the year of our lord 2026!! I debunked all of the ‘energy security’, ‘jobs’, ‘tax’ nonsense around North Sea oil and gas ahead of a potential relaxing of the ban by Andy Burnham… open.substack.com/pub/wefightt...
Are we really still talking about this?!?
The facts about North Sea drilling
open.substack.com
REVEALED: in january 2025 starmer announced billions of AI investment deals but did a little deeper below them and all was not as it seemed… READ MORE HERE: open.substack.com/pub/wefightt...
Did the Labour Party’s AI policy breach corruption rules? I’ll let you decide!
EXC: Labour has used AI to funnel hundreds of millions into genocide In the latest in my investigation into the govt's AI policy I found that £ allocated to extend resource at Isambard-AI supercomputer is being used by companies directly linked to genocide in Gaza open.substack.com/pub/wefightt...
Is Labour using AI to fund genocide?
Plus the disgraced politician at the centre of it all
open.substack.com
Did the Labour Party’s AI policy breach corruption rules? I’ll let you decide!
Of course. All the feverish preaching about ai in everything when there's no real grounds for it makes perfect sense now. Lining their pockets. ~Sensible centrists~ are the worst
ben smoke@bencsmoke.bsky.social · last mo.NEW: Labour potentially breached anti-corruption rules as the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology passed commercially sensitive information about it's AI policy to selected business leaders during a six month long big tech love in by science minister Peter Kyle...
I guess I can see why Mandelson felt so aggrieved. The rest of them were also passing sensitive policy information to businessmen. They're all in it together.
ben smoke@bencsmoke.bsky.social · last mo.NEW: Labour potentially breached anti-corruption rules as the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology passed commercially sensitive information about it's AI policy to selected business leaders during a six month long big tech love in by science minister Peter Kyle...
NEW: Labour potentially breached anti-corruption rules as the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology passed commercially sensitive information about it's AI policy to selected business leaders during a six month long big tech love in by science minister Peter Kyle...
ben smoke@bencsmoke.bsky.social · last mo.I spent 18 months investigating parts of the government’s AI policy and what I found was shocking. From shady deals, breaches of anti-corruption rules, vested interests+ subsidies to polluting multinationals+ genocidal arms companies, this is a scandal that touches almost every part of the Labour
I spent 18 months investigating parts of the government’s AI policy and what I found was shocking. From shady deals, breaches of anti-corruption rules, vested interests+ subsidies to polluting multinationals+ genocidal arms companies, this is a scandal that touches almost every part of the Labour
a lot has been said about whether the greens should run in places like makerfield. some of those who argue against are coming from a genuine place, some are not. i wrote for @theguardian.com on why i think they’re wrong and the greens must stand everywhere… www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Why the Green party must run in every seat – including Makerfield – and ignore Labour demands to stand aside | Ben Smoke
Only the Greens can actually counter Reform UK – Labour is out of touch, says the freelance journalist Ben Smoke
theguardian.com
@bencsmoke.bsky.social : "these people clearly don't believe in the universalism I believe in.. very wealthy people.. moving away to remove yourself [from paying] anything into this country is a social ill. We need to start talking about it in those terms" #GMB
posting the below and then literally hours later went out and got humbled by the marshes lmao
ben smoke@bencsmoke.bsky.social · 6mo agonot been posting here a lot bc i keep forgetting but here are some nice pics ive taken on my runs recently
not been posting here a lot bc i keep forgetting but here are some nice pics ive taken on my runs recently
To add to the below, Ben Smoke over on X has produced the attached articulate thread. Karen Pollock invokes the sanctity of Holocaust Memorial Day while directly contradicting the HMD organisation’s own statement of the purpose of the day. She is not fit for purpose.
romanistani state-affiliated media@djangofetts.bsky.social · 7mo agojust so we're clear, this is Roma Holocaust denial. fuck the HET and fuck karen pollock.
had the best time working with @scottygb.bsky.social and jordan gray on this very stupid panel show