If you’d like to read the report exposing the anti trans people ‘Gender Critical’ movement in the UK - which sadly Amnesty took down after bottling it due to legal threats from the Edinburgh Funder - here it is. Like_a_snowball_final_.pdf - Google Drive drive.google.com/file/d/1PSsa...

Last chance to respond to this consultation - it closes today! Annoyingly they haven't put the exact closing time on it, but the cut-off is usually 11:59pm on the day

Tits McGee@scientits.bsky.social · 3w ago

Self-employed people! Sorry to put a downer on your Sunday, but in case you'd not seen, the Government wants us to pay our tax *monthly* like we're employees or something With the World Cup and all the politics, I'd missed the consultation they put out last month, which is here: 1/

The Wiggle Pig (957 other nicknames also available) wishes you a very happy weekend when it comes

trans rights frankly is a top 5, potentially top 3 issue for me despite not being trans and not having any trans family being bigoted against trans folks not only hurts my trans friends and every trans person but is so predictive of further bigotry

Honestly trans rights is a number 1 issue for me because not only does it indicate you don’t give a shit about trans people, it demonstrates how important human rights are to you in general, how in thrall you are to right wing press, how much bullshit you’ll swallow, etc etc

Really good and devastatingly factual episode of The Briefing Room on Radio 4 now analysing immigration, the impact on welfare, and crucially, the media‘s role in reporting on it (or very much not) www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

The Briefing Room - Part 2: How's the government doing on immigration? - BBC Sounds

Government policy on legal migration, overseas workers and indefinite leave to remain.

bbc.co.uk

Oh thank God - ideally, the government will give “shut up weirdo” feedback to anyone who whinges about the Net Zero/climate “agenda”.

Leo Hickman@leohickman.carbonbrief.org · 7d ago

++BREAKING++ The UK and Spanish governments have issued a joint statement overnight: "[We] agreed that this summer’s wildfires demonstrated that climate change was now a national security emergency facing Europe and threatening our way of life." www.gov.uk/government/n...

That escalated quickly.

I saw the embargoed details of this programme and did a real “Sideshow Bob walking into a field of rakes” sigh.

Scott Bryan@scottygb.bsky.social · last wk.

Channel 4 has announced documentary “The Great ADHD Myth?” It “seeks to determine whether ADHD is a genuine neurodevelopmental disorder, or a social construct.”

I'll admit it, this is a bolder summer look than I was expecting from M&S.

Reading without notes is clearly going to become this Cabinet's new flex. Yvette Cooper is doing a bang-up job of introducing the social care presentation.

I was going to say “Finally” but that might be misinterpreted as “Finally, women have come forward.” No, I mean, “Finally, this has broken through the numerous media barriers that allow men like Leto to get away with it”.

Scott Bryan@scottygb.bsky.social · last wk.

New BBC investigation. Four women accuse Jared Leto of criminal sexual conduct www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ooh I really enjoyed the first ep of It's a Superpower? podcast. Neurodivergents and connoisseurs of radio comedies (potato/potato, surely!), assemble: this is made by a stellar team. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/i...

It's a Superpower??

Comedy Podcast · It's a Superpower?? is the first sitcom made by a team of autistic creatives for an autistic audience. The show follows Norah, Pix, Wilder, Sophie and Bums - five autistic people who ...

podcasts.apple.com

A mishearing in a courtroom led to reports a bomb suspect had spent years in "Syria". She actually had been in Saoradh, a political group named after the Irish word for liberation. jrnl.ie/7114590

Lawyer of bomb suspect clarifies she spent time in Saoradh, the political group, not Syria

The defendant’s lawyer confirmed his statements had been misheard.

jrnl.ie

Ooh! Excited to see that one of Andy Burnham's new PPSs is Jo Platt, who chairs the all-party Parliamentary group on ADHD, and asked every CCG what their assessment waiting times were and shared this in PMQs. That last was over 2018-19 because... it's not a bloody trend.

In other brilliant series news, I am re-reading Juno Dawson's HMRC trilogy for probably the third time before reading book three, Human Rites, and it is so good. If you want something addictive, clever, very funny and real-feeling, get it for your holiday. Bureaucracy + magic + Spice Girls.

Deeply cheering news that Jeff Hayes, who narrates – nay, *performs* – the fantastic Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman, will be in the Peacock TV show as Princess Donut. I'd never heard of these books last June. Now, I am ALL IN. www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/d...

Peacock’s ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ Series Casts Audiobook Narrator Jeff Hays

He'll voice the key character of Princess Donut, a talking cat.

hollywoodreporter.com

Eg, me: www.thetimes.com/article/4225...

Natalie Fleet was, and is, so brave for her campaigning work. Even more so for working on it as a minister. There was absolutely no way I could campaign further on infertility or childlessness, etc for similar reasons around trauma; all hats off to her for putting her peace first.

Politics UK@politicsuk.com · 2w ago

🚨 NEW: Natalie Fleet, who was groomed and raped as a teenager, has resigned as Safeguarding Minister after finding the role "overwhelmingly triggering" "Victims deserve someone at their best"

There was a call for the other angle. bsky.app/profile/dave...

Dave Clark@daveclarkreports.eurosky.social · 2w ago

And here's AFP picture taken by one of the photographers in the PA picture, Justin Tallis

Larry laid his mouse in front of the press to be photographed. Lest you ask, this is a real photograph via the Press Association.

Nominative determinism worthy of Popbitch in the Woodland Trust's Tree of the Year shortlist: its ambassador is the actor David Oakes (birth name Rowan). www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Rutland Tree which survived WW2 plane crash up for award

Trees from Rutland, East Sussex, County Durham and Devon are all up for the prize.

bbc.co.uk

it has been an exercise in how a directed propaganda campaign can be highly effective, and seeing otherwise liberal people fall for it has disgusted and outraged me. People who lived through and fought against an extremely similar campaign of homophobia in the early 1980s, even!

elia ayoub@ayoub.bsky.social · 2w ago

Worth adding some numbers to this. The British press decided to make trans rights into an issue. It just wasn’t an issue before. This was a top-down decision. shado-mag.com/articles/opi...

This is the shit that female directors have to deal with. They don't get credit for (miraculous!) successes but they do get blame for any hint of failure. Gerwig has directed three absolutely classic films and not one of them were gimmes.

Sam Adams@samadams.bsky.social · 2w ago

"No other ranking got as much pushback from Hollywood insiders as putting Gerwig in the top five," hmm, I wonder why

Yes, ha ha ha, YES

If you are in the mood for more of The Odyssey, but funny, sharp, and shorter, your reminder that Tony Robinson and Richard Curtis wrote and read two genius books - also excellent for commutes, kids, and car journeys. 1: www.audible.co.uk/pd/B006347LH2 2: www.audible.co.uk/pd/B006347CMQ

Odysseus: The Greatest Hero of them All

Check out this great listen on Audible.com. The most powerful men in the world were all together in a circle in the middle of the room. Drawing their daggers, they cut their right hands and, above the...

audible.co.uk

Oh my god they've armed Wes Streeting.

Liz Kendall out. And, wholly appropriately for her failure to understand her brief, she announces it on X.

there goes my top small talk

good to see at least one cabinet minister announcing their departure on the non-nazi social media app

Richard Hermer@richardhermer.bsky.social · 2w ago

It has been the privilege of my life to serve my country as Attorney General over the last two years. I’ve been so lucky to be a part of Keir’s team, as he delivered for the public at home while rebuilding the UK’s reputation abroad, in particular on the rule of law.