James Austin
@jamesdaustin.bsky.social
'Fiercely hetrosexual for bluesky' Outdoors. Politics. Sport. Not always in that order. Labour. Trade Unionist. Trying to do community things. Views entirely my own
*stares* I'm sorry, this guy is going to be your advisor on culture and integration? The one who makes these videos?
James Austin@jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 12h agoI'll be honest: I'd buy this a lot more if his main outlet wasn't abusively attacking opposition politicians via AI slop in ways which obviously nod to other forms of prejudice.
You are one of several people I've encountered who has invoked 'overreach by trans activists' and described positions that no UK trans rights campaign group has ever held And I'll say to you what I said to the others: random angry teenagers on social media are not significant political actors here
Just leaving the previous guidance here for anyone interested... bsky.app/profile/sexa...
Mallory Moore@sexabolition.blog · 9h agoweb.archive.org/web/20260108... Here's an archive link of the original business guidance in case the original goes missing. In pretty clear terms the original guidance used to say stuff like "obviously, so long as the changing rooms allow privacy, trans women should be permitted to use the womens"
Important for all Democrats to unite around the simple truth that it it’s important for Abdul El-Sayed to win his election to help make Chuck Schumer the most powerful Democrat in the country
Once again, I come back to the fact these guys have created a situation where one of the UK's leading, cis female athletes is scared to go to the loo alone, and the fact that they are celebrating this as a step forward for women's rights.
Equality and Human Rights Commission@equalityhumanright.bsky.social · 12h agoOur code of practice for services, public functions and associations comes into force today. It provides practical guidance on how the Equality Act 2010 applies to services, public functions and associations. Find out more: https://ow.ly/alIf50Zwrkx
I do, in fact, think that Neo-Nazis should be pushed out of public life permanently.
Andy Burnham Accepter@jorisbinned.bsky.social · 9h agoHello I'm an idiot
he feels a sense of solidarity with a fellow leader who’s way too online and doesn’t do her homework before wading in
Jordan@jordanpfot.bsky.social · 9h agoWhy are you commenting if you don’t know the specifics of the case!!!!!
My near-term prediction is this will be met with soft resistance (and not always principled, or at least as much motivated by unwillingness to pay and sheer indifference) initially from British civil society, and the next round fight is a bunch of lawsuits from GCs to try and force compliance.
Equality and Human Rights Commission@equalityhumanright.bsky.social · 12h agoOur code of practice for services, public functions and associations comes into force today. It provides practical guidance on how the Equality Act 2010 applies to services, public functions and associations. Find out more: https://ow.ly/alIf50Zwrkx
'Where everyones rights are respected*' * unless your trans or gender non-conforming
Equality and Human Rights Commission@equalityhumanright.bsky.social · 12h agoOur code of practice for services, public functions and associations comes into force today. It provides practical guidance on how the Equality Act 2010 applies to services, public functions and associations. Find out more: https://ow.ly/alIf50Zwrkx
I was open-minded on this at first. I do believe in repentance, I think people can change, & I could see the logic of giving someone who was trying to do better a chance in local govt. But the evidence suggest that the abusive, persecutory mode of politics hasn't changed. He's just switched targets
James Austin@jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 12h agoI'll be honest: I'd buy this a lot more if his main outlet wasn't abusively attacking opposition politicians via AI slop in ways which obviously nod to other forms of prejudice.
The fightback within Labour has begun. A motion disapproving the Code was tabled by Labour MP Nadia Whittome. It went on to attract the signatures of 93 Labour MPs, from every wing of our party. Trans rights are not a matter of right and left within Labour: they’re a matter of right and wrong.
Today the new Code of Practice comes into force, systematically excluding trans people from public facilities and services across the UK. It will go down in history as the Starmer government’s shame. But it’s not too late for Andy Burnham to change course.
On this note - going to Albania in a few weeks and Google/DDG has been epically useless in finding recommendations for things. Any recommendations welcome; staying in Theth / Himarë / Tirana
James Austin@jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 11h agoYeah, i try DDG but... its not great
A side note to this insanity. There's a clear pattern from Badenoch of demeaning local public service, diminishing their contributions to society - hence why she thinks 'nice Lib Dems fix church roofs' is such a derogatory statement. It's going to become a lot more jarring with talk of devolution.
James Austin@jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 12h agoThis is *such* a revealing line about Kemi's world view and contempt for those who do the day to day work of keeping our society functioning
(I think air travel is also a lot better over the last 40 years. Certainly; it's cheaper, more destinations are available and the checking in/security process is far better than it was in '05 when I started flying regularly)
Constantine@ajaxsinger.bsky.social · 19h agoFood, man. Food is so much better than it was in 1986. All of it. Poor-people food, restaurant food, fresh food, frozen food. Food is just a hell of a lot better.
Not to go all Joxley, but the utter collapse of a sense of community pride and social responsibility within the Conservative party is at the heart of their current woes.
Chris Terry-Enescu@cjterry.bsky.social · 12h agoIt's OK for criminal ex-neo Nazis to run your bins is a hell of a line.
I'll be honest: I'd buy this a lot more if his main outlet wasn't abusively attacking opposition politicians via AI slop in ways which obviously nod to other forms of prejudice.
Mark Wallace@wallaceme.bsky.social · 13h agoConservativeHome has always been a critical friend of the Conservative Party, and a place for all of its wings and views to debate and discuss. So in addition to the above editorial, Bonehill-Paine is also in today’s Comment section making his own case conservativehome.com/2026/08/05/j...
One of my smartest friends pointed out that an important assumption in this post was already wrong. So I've added an update at the top.
Tom Loosemore @tomski.com · yesterdayI've written a long blog post about AI Agents and the need for those running services to prepare - technically, operationally, commercially, strategically, legally and in terms of policy. AI Agents could be a properly huge deal. There. I wrote it. loosemore.com/2026/08/04/k...
Quite impressive to completely undermine your own defence and insult most of your party's elected officials in the same sentence.
Chris Terry-Enescu@cjterry.bsky.social · 12h agoIt's OK for criminal ex-neo Nazis to run your bins is a hell of a line.
This is *such* a revealing line about Kemi's world view and contempt for those who do the day to day work of keeping our society functioning
This would be the front page of every paper and subject of every current affairs radio show if a left wing party had done it. As it stands I doubt we'll even see the gushing about Badenoch's political judgement slow down.
Patch Thompson@patchthompson.bsky.social · 13h agoBritish politics is deeply unwell
Fairly sober testing report from the AI Security Institute: they gave internet access and removed some guardrails from latest AI models and found without them they were capable of potentially harmful activity directed at real people and organisations www.aisi.gov.uk/blog/inciden...
(A lot of Stancil's takes have always been wrong, the quality of the takes was never the issue, it's the incredibly weird parasocial bullying. He's a random guy and he's allowed bad takes)
This was very good and, for a piece in tax, suprisingly enjoyable. One again raises how possible this sort of tax reform at scale is - just reading through Y1/2 is enough to bring me out in political hives. At the very leaat you'd need to do it at the start of a Parliamentary term
Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · yesterdayNew post out: There's going to be a lot of talk about wealth taxes in the run up to the budget. So we asked one of the country's leading experts to give us a ten year plan for doing it right. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...
Emma Chamberlain, tax barrister, visiting professor of tax at the LSE and Oxford University, co-author of the Wealth Tax Report, has a guest post with Comment is Freed -‘The right way to tax wealth’. Clear, practical thinking from someone who understands and has thought deeply about all angles.
Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · yesterdayNew post out: There's going to be a lot of talk about wealth taxes in the run up to the budget. So we asked one of the country's leading experts to give us a ten year plan for doing it right. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...
He's gone for Pratchett. Thats enough. Ive defended Stancil but this time he's gone too far. (And no, no one thinks the boots theory is a fully worked out economic system: its a elegant metaphor for part of the problem)
Will Stancil@whstancil.bsky.social · yesterdayYeah, for days people have been citing “boots theory” at me and I want to shout DO YOU REALIZE THIS IS A RANDOM IDEA TOSSED OUT BY A FANTASY WRITER AND MAY NOT ACCURATELY DESCRIBE REALITY
Leaders of flag-raising group Raise the Colours Oxfordshire placed trackers on highway workers’ cars to find out their home addresses, the High Court has heard. RTC then attempted to intimidate the highway staff into no longer removing flags by repeating their addresses to them.
The US has comprehensively lost a war against a nation with 1/100th of it's military budget. This makes the Russian invasion of Ukraine look like a spectacular success.
Shipwreck@shipwreck75.bsky.social · yesterdayAll the indicators I’m seeing suggest this is the Iran‑controlled route, with a service fee attached. Trump took the loss and is now going to try to lie and spin it as a positive outcome.
Get Yer Hedge Cut, Get Yer Fucking Hedge Cut, Stop Meeting Friends And cut your hedge Who needs the library or the pub When you've got your creative hub?
Half Man Half Biscuit - Every Time a Bell Rings [Official Audio]
YouTube video by Half Man Half Biscuit
youtube.com
Anon Opin@anonopin.bsky.social · yesterdayPeople who let their hedge grow out over the pavement should be fined. It's not hard to cut a hedge, you're just too lazy so the rest of us get less space to walk.
