news.sky.com/story/brutal...

'Brutal' harvest could be worst on record - here's what it means for UK's food production

The dire forecast has sparked calls to factor domestic food production into the current debate about Britain's national security, as it currently relies on imports for 40% of all food consumed.

news.sky.com

Leviathan Wilde@leviathanwilde.bsky.social · 11h ago

Hear hear! But I think Labour needs to go further & recognise the national security emergency we are in w perfect storm of drought, failed water companies, closed straits of H, failing crops, global food shortages. & levy a windfall tax on fossil fuel & bank profits. See 🧵👇 bsky.app/profile/levi...

"The Windcats run in the corn, the weathercats are in there" was a Northern German saying when strong winds shook the fields - and the cats were said to take children who came picking cornflowers. 🎨 Maggie Vandewalle #WyrdWednesday

Good piece from ConHome. If want to rehabilitate extreme racists into candidates capable of representing everyone, would need a much more structured process of engagement, well before not after selection. But this "former" case has obvious yellow + red flags on new persona bsky.app/profile/wall...

Mark Wallace@wallaceme.bsky.social · 13h ago

FWIW I agree with Ollie Dean: we should want extremists to be deradicalised. We should want former criminals to be rehabilitated and live productive lives. None of that means either group (or someone who is both) should be a candidate for election. conservativehome.com/2026/08/05/i...

And a delightful owl!

There is a danger that by arguing the amount, we end up conceding the framing. Britain's welfare is ungenerous, the spend in total is mid-to-low table, and below past peaks. Benefits need reforming because they're unfit for purpose and trap, instead of enabling people. Not to make fantasy savings.

Sad to see LibDems jump on the prison panic bandwagon. "We know some prisoners must be released earlier, but not them, or them, or him, or her, or them, etc..." is an infinite loop that destroys public trust. Also potentially dangerous, as it throttles arrest/prosecution/sentencing at the other end.

Here’s the latest stop motion animation from my Tiny Angry Witch team. (I’m the writer, I can’t take credit for the animating!) It’s one of our longest, and it nearly drove us all mad, but we’re really proud of getting it made! 1 x Tiny Angry Witch 1 x broom No AI

This is what climate failure looks like. Nature, homes and livelihoods are being destroyed. The Government must act now.

Yes, this is a sensible suggestion. The climate crisis & compounded by failed privatised water, Trump’s war in Iran closing straits of H, & lack of UK contingency planning has turned into a drought/food shortage national security emergency. A windfall tax cld fund action.👇 bsky.app/profile/levi...

Leviathan Wilde@leviathanwilde.bsky.social · 14h ago

Labour should take a windfall tax from fossil fuel and banks and invest it in water infrastructure, a national campaign on water saving education, reservoir building in time for winter, more beavers, support for farmers to build dew ponds, www.theguardian.com/business/ng-... 👇

This is very good. Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social doing a press conference on the absolute necessity now of strategic adaptation and decarbonisation in response to the extreme weather of this summer - and its consequences:

The Green Party of England & Wales@greenparty.org.uk · 9h ago

Zack Polanski delivers ‘reality check’ to Burnham over ‘biggest crisis since WWII’ after summer of extreme heat

Extreme weather is now the new normal. The Prime Minister must act like this is the emergency it is.

🚆 Good news for young people and their families! A sensible change means students turning 18 during the academic year won't suddenly lose access to half price rail fares. It's a fair move that could save families hundreds of pounds. Read more: bengoldsborough.co.uk/news/f/half-...

Half price rail fares are a win for young people

If you're heading off to sixth form, college, an apprenticeship or your first job this autumn, every penny counts.

bengoldsborough.co.uk

Hear hear! But I think Labour needs to go further & recognise the national security emergency we are in w perfect storm of drought, failed water companies, closed straits of H, failing crops, global food shortages. & levy a windfall tax on fossil fuel & bank profits. See 🧵👇 bsky.app/profile/levi...

Leviathan Wilde@leviathanwilde.bsky.social · 14h ago

🚨 @angelaeagle1.bsky.social hello 👋 it’s time for Labour to recognise national security emergency of drought, food shortages & cost of living, & lever an emergency windfall tax on banks & fossil fuel to tackle this critical national infrastructure issue. It’s going to be unimaginable otherwise. 🧵👇

Most of England is in drought conditions - which is bad news for farmers. Last week I and other MPs wrote to the Government asking how we can support the water resilience of farms. Tldr: We want it to be easier for farmers to capture and store water

More hot weather on its way, the little UK rain this summer will not touch the sides of the excessive heat & drought. Crops are withering, rivers are drying up. And yet there is no national emergency action from government or recall of Parliament from opposition MPs www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...

UK weather: Are we getting another heatwave?

Temperatures and humidity are set to drop but, as Matt Taylor reports, respite from high heat is likely to be short-lived.

bbc.co.uk

Leviathan Wilde@leviathanwilde.bsky.social · 14h ago

Can someone with some spoons please start up a parliament petition for a bank & fossil fuel windfall tax to tackle national security issue of drought & food shortages? 👇 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

This petition closes on 11 August. It only needs aprox 1,500 signatures to get a response Please take a moment to sign and share.🙏 It’s a good petition to raise awareness of an action that would make a lot of difference. It would be great if you could help 👍😊 petition.parliament.uk/petitions/75...

Petition: Ban all supermarkets from throwing away edible food & require their donation

Everyday, UK supermarkets throw away tonnes of edible food while millions of people rely on food banks to survive. We believe this is wrong, and that food that is safe to eat should not end up in bins...

petition.parliament.uk

I grew up among Conservative politics. This is beyond that now. Defending a neo-nazi candidate shows how far Badenoch has shifted them to the far right. There is now no difference between her party and that of Restore and Reform. That should not be normalised. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

Kemi Badenoch defends selection of man jailed for harassing Jewish MP in council election – as it happened

Conservative leader tells press she stands by decision to select Joshua Bonehill-Paine as a candidate for local election in Somerset

theguardian.com

I have wondered about the rumours of Restore & Tories having back office discussions, & whether there has been some sort of move to merge, especially w Badenoch’s new criteria of no net zero/no ECHR for Tory MPs. I also wonder if Farage leaves Reform, if Jenrick will try to merge Reform & Tories.

I can’t believe we’re still having a debate about whether there’s a trade off between job creation and measures to green the economy. There isn’t. The evidence was clear years ago - a green economy creates far more jobs than the fossil fuel economy it replaces. Come on Labour, catch up …

Government contracts to require job creation instead of green targets under new rules

Louise Haigh says taxpayer money must benefit local communities amid backlash from environmental groups

theguardian.com

an unfathomable amount of stuff has got better over the last 40 years - hell, even over the *last 15* - and anyone convinced it hasn't does not remember or know what things were like 15 or 40 years ago.

Constantine@ajaxsinger.bsky.social · 19h ago

Food, 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.

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...

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 · 13h ago

It's OK for criminal ex-neo Nazis to run your bins is a hell of a line.

@mrjamesob.bsky.social wld you pls consider this as a topic of conversation? Should there be a windfall tax on fossil fuels & banks to fund a national emergency response to drought, food shortages & cost of living crisis? I think yes & don’t understand why MPs aren’t recalling Parliament.

Leviathan Wilde@leviathanwilde.bsky.social · 14h ago

Labour should take a windfall tax from fossil fuel and banks and invest it in water infrastructure, a national campaign on water saving education, reservoir building in time for winter, more beavers, support for farmers to build dew ponds, www.theguardian.com/business/ng-... 👇

@quietriotpod.bsky.social pls 🙏 cld yr next listeners’ “Call to action” be to write to MPs calling for a Parliament recall to debate UK’s National Security emergency of drought/Iran war impact on water & food shortages, & call for a fossil fuel & banks windfall tax to fund a national response 🧵👇

Leviathan Wilde@leviathanwilde.bsky.social · 14h ago

Can someone with some spoons please start up a parliament petition for a bank & fossil fuel windfall tax to tackle national security issue of drought & food shortages? 👇 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

@labourlewis.bsky.social any chance you could raise this w yr fellow Labour MPs & DEFRA 🙏There’s a national security emergency of drought & food shortages. Labour could lever an emergency windfall tax on banks & fossil fuel to tackle water critical national infrastructure & cost of living issue. 🧵👇

Leviathan Wilde@leviathanwilde.bsky.social · 14h ago

Labour should take a windfall tax from fossil fuel and banks and invest it in water infrastructure, a national campaign on water saving education, reservoir building in time for winter, more beavers, support for farmers to build dew ponds, www.theguardian.com/business/ng-... 👇

🚨 @angelaeagle1.bsky.social hello 👋 it’s time for Labour to recognise national security emergency of drought, food shortages & cost of living, & lever an emergency windfall tax on banks & fossil fuel to tackle this critical national infrastructure issue. It’s going to be unimaginable otherwise. 🧵👇

Leviathan Wilde@leviathanwilde.bsky.social · 14h ago

Labour should take a windfall tax from fossil fuel and banks and invest it in water infrastructure, a national campaign on water saving education, reservoir building in time for winter, more beavers, support for farmers to build dew ponds, www.theguardian.com/business/ng-... 👇

@elliechowns.bsky.social hello - i think it’s time for @greenparty.org.uk MPs & @zackpolanski.bsky.social to call for an emergency recall of Parliament to debate on national security emergency of drought, food shortages & cost of living, & propose a windfall tax on banks & fossil fuel. See 🧵👇 🙏

Leviathan Wilde@leviathanwilde.bsky.social · 14h ago

Can someone with some spoons please start up a parliament petition for a bank & fossil fuel windfall tax to tackle national security issue of drought & food shortages? 👇 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Can someone with some spoons please start up a parliament petition for a bank & fossil fuel windfall tax to tackle national security issue of drought & food shortages? 👇 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Britain could face food shortages as drought continues, farmers warn

Farmers battle to salvage what they can of their crops as heatwave set to continue

theguardian.com

Burnham & Labour should learn lessons from Gordon Brown - & if there is a uk element of these huge fossil fuel profits then there should be a windfall tax. Use the money to tackle the national security issue of water shortages & build neccersary infrastructure. www.theguardian.com/business/ng-...

Revealed: major oil firms make $93bn profits amid war and climate crisis

Iran conflict windfall over three months reignites calls for companies ‘cashing in on human misery’ to pay for environmental damage

theguardian.com