🧱 Saturday is Lego day… with a Hallowe’en twist! Don’t know who had more fun, Lyle or me? 😜🎃 #FamilyFun #GrandadSaturdays ❤️

𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗱𝗱 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆: 🏥 Hospital appointment ✔️ 🍜 Vietnamese meal with Allison ✔️ ☕️ Bumping into Will in Ancoats for a coffee ✔️ 📱 Work chasing up MPs. ✔️ 💻 Long chat on Teams with a new LinkedIn contact ✔️ 📺 Netflix time now Al and Lyle are back from Beavers ✔️ #FridayFunday

Barack Obama pays tribute to Manchester cotton workers and cites them as an inspiration

Barack Obama pays tribute to Manchester cotton workers and cites them as an inspiration

Speaking at live UK event, former US president expresses hope rooted in the past and discusses the modern challenges to democracy Barack Obama cited the “wonderful” story of how Manchester cotton workers stood in solidarity with enslaved African Americans as an inspiration for our times in a live appearance in the city. Tens of thousands of people packed Co-op Live in the city on Thursday for An Evening With Barack Obama, where the former US president was interviewed by the writer and broadcaster Afua Hirsch. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

For too long, women affected by mesh have been denied a voice in the medical harm debate. This amazing new documentary gives those women back their voice. It is time to give justice to the women who have been physically and emotionally harmed by mesh.

The Medical Mesh Scandal Ruining Women's Lives

YouTube video by Maze Docs

youtu.be

Today, I called on the government to stop the stalemate and finally give the victims of mesh the justice they deserve. Every day of delay is a day of justice denied.

😵‍💫 Quite a stressful ‘non-work’ day chasing two MPs to co-sponsor an event… If I was in London I’d have hunted them down with a pen 🖊️ 🕹️ Anyway I’m de-stressing by downloading lots of games that have been produced for the Commodore VIC-20 by some brilliant coders 1/2 #retrogaming #Commodore #VIC20

📱💻 Today I’ve mainly been texting MPs, phoning MPs, emailing MPs… It’s now 7pm and I’m all MP’d out! 👓 I did have varifocals but I lost them, so only have old glasses that work for distance. Allison says it makes me gurn! Despite the look, I am happy in my work!!! And the neck-warmer helps! 🐕

💻📱 For me, today has been a work day - mainly helping organise some Parliamentary events and a delegation to Kurdistan for Ceftus… I feel like I’ve developed RSI in my index finger & thumb! 🕷️ Meanwhile, Al & Lyle put up the Hallowe’en decorations outside after school. Some people get all the fun! 🎃

☀️🌧️ Between rainstorms I caught a lovely sunset over the garden. The phot doesn’t do it full justice as the rain clouds were very moody around the sun. 📸

💻 So despite having opened a business account AND had the first payment into it, my bank has just asked for a load of info with me and Allison being “Politically Exposed Persons.” They also want to calculate our “net worth”… easier said than done with a chihuahua on my head as I upload documents 📃

Leader of Jewish Greens calls for Zack Polanski to resign

Leader of Jewish Greens calls for Zack Polanski to resign

Vivien Lichtenstein says party leader should stand down over ‘Zionism is racism’ policy after losing byelection * UK politics live – latest updates The leader of the Jewish Greens has called for Zack Polanski to step down as pressure increases on the Green leader to acknowledge anger within the party over a new policy which equates Zionism with racism and calls for the state of Israel to be abolished. The comments by Vivien Lichtenstein come after Caroline Lucas, the Greens’ former leader and first MP, criticised Polanski for a lack of leadership in missing the debate and vote at the weekend which resulted in the policy being passed. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

The BEST kind of news to wake up to!! Congratulations to Sagal Abdi-Wali MP 🌹 #HOPEwins

LabourList@labourlist.bsky.social · last wk.

🌹 BREAKING: Labour holds Holborn and St Pancras, defeating Green leader Zack Polanski

Let me guess? NOT the Orange MAGA? 🇺🇸

The Guardian@theguardian.com · last wk.

Winner of 2026 Nobel peace prize to be announced - Europe Live

📱💻 Work done (not a work day but time sensitive)✔️ 💷 First pay day ✔️ 💳 Accountant paid ✔️ 🪴 Back Garden done ✔️ 📆 It’s amazing how the wildflower bed & passion flower is still flowering in October. The wildlife love it! 🐝🦋🐦 🪐 Can you spot the one bit of “me” Allison allowed me in the garden? 😂

📱💻 Chasing up MPs during Recess for future events in Parliament and a delegation be like… SME4Labour | Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS)

❓Serious question… does anyone know if a chihuahua can be invoiced as a legitimate business expense? Asking for a friend 😂

📆 From today’s Facebook memories: a lot can certainly change in a decade! 🕰️

🪴 Team effort… #GardeningWithTheGwynnes ✅ Lawns cut & edges trimmed ✅ Summer bedding removed from pots ✅ Wildflower bed still flowering well! ✅ Allison’s planted all the pots & baskets (front & back) ✅ Lyle’s happy with his pumpkin 🎃 😃 Al has done the lion’s share. She’s happy. I’m shattered! 💤

Very proud grandad moment… 🗳️ Politics clearly is in the blood. Lyle only went and got himself elected to the School Council by his class. 👏🏻 MASSIVE WELL DONE to Lyle ❤️ #ProudGrandad

🌹 Wow. Here’s my full analysis of @andyburnham.bsky.social’s incredible, emotional and policy heavy Leader’s Speech at #Lab26 THIS is the Andy I know and love (and he was on time too!!!) IYKYK ➡️ LindedIn lnkd.in/p/envUq73g ➡️ Facebook www.facebook.com/share/p/1EAv...

🌹 Proud to have played a small part in helping to organise (& today chase up speakers & MPs) for SME4Labour’s 14 fringe events starting at 8.45am, ending with a reception at 7pm🍷 All events were packed full of delegates and it was a successful day. Well done team✔️ 💤 Whacked out of Denton 🛌 #Lab26

🌹While everyone from the SME4Labour team is in Liverpool for #Lab26, my Sunday’s involved trying to fill event dropouts…easier said than done at the very last minute 🫣 ❤️ Having said that, I’ve spent quality time with Lyle (& Violet) watching Shrek the 3rd and Allison made a great Sunday dinner 🍽️

"the reality that when trust in one’s own body has been shattered, life will always have a hum of background fear. Today’s suffering, however bad it may be, is usually not the hardest part: it’s tomorrow’s uncertainty that is heaviest to bear." @naomiwhitt.bsky.social 🙏🏼🫂😔 #ME #LongCovidME

sarah boothby@swastrosarah.bsky.social · 3w ago

"it is draining to exist in a body that revolts at light and sound and movement. A body that collapses in response to company, exertion, environmental changes, routine viruses – even emotions" #ME alifehidden.com/2026/07/30/b...

💷💷🏡 When my parents bought the ‘starter home’ I grew up in back in 1982, property cost 2x the average wage. 💷💷💷🏡 When we bought our first home in 1997, property cost 3x the average wage. 💷💷💷💷💷💷💷🏡 For my kids generation it will cost them around 8x the average wage 🧵 1/2

‘I can deliver’: Burnham pledges radical change on eve of Labour conference

‘I can deliver’: Burnham pledges radical change on eve of Labour conference

Exclusive: UK prime minister says delivering fiscal stability would be ‘crucial’ to be able to fix bigger problems Andy Burnham has said he can deliver on his promise of radical change for the country despite severe economic headwinds, telling the Guardian: “There’s always things you can do, it’s just whether you’re prepared to do them.” The prime minister acknowledged the public finances were “challenging” ahead of next month’s budget but said that delivering fiscal stability would be “crucial”, because only then would the government be able to focus on fixing bigger problems. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

Anna is also taking part in the diverse voices pitch event with her amazing non-fiction book of wildlife observation from her Glasgow garden! Do show her some ♥️ & support #pwME #MEcfs

Anna Wood@annakwood.bsky.social · 3w ago

#DVparty #NF RAISING HARE X BODY WEATHER Excited to present my mood board for THE CALL OF THE DUNNOCK, a nature memoir about discovering the wildlife in my suburban garden while grappling with being housebound due to a chronic illness. #mecfs

🍜 𝗙𝗢𝗢𝗗-𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗡 𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗧‼️ While everyone heads to Liverpool for #Lab26, I’m resting. I need a proper recharge!🪫 🌹Wishing the brilliant SME4LABOUR team the best with all their events (I’m on chase-up duty from home on my iPhone📱) 🍽️ Back to the food: Al has just made Chinese crispy pork belly 🍜 Yum!!!

📱Today I’ve mainly been sending texts & emails to firm up SME4Labour events at #Lab26. I’ve realised that MPs overcommit & change minds at the last minute (I’ve apologised to my ex-diary manager; I know I did this too and it must’ve driven her mad!😵‍💫) 🐕 Violet is also being very needy today! 🧵 1/3

🪏 Soon be time to replace the summer plants, so we’ve been winter bedding shopping (highly recommend DB Garden in Hyde - they’ve a fab range & it’s family-run (by a best mate of mine from School)) 🌷 Grass mown, the wildflower bed is still blooming! 🐝 🦋 Oh, and Lyle has a pumpkin for Halloween! 🎃

One of the biggest regrets I have at the shortness of my Ministerial career was not being able to do more on ME/CFS and Long Covid. The work I’d started ground to a halt again. Having lived experience meant I had the bit between my teeth to fight the system. 😔

sarah boothby@swastrosarah.bsky.social · 4w ago

theconversation.com/ignored-blam... 21 October 2024 The only change since then is the larger number of exiles. @johnthejack.bsky.social for your library