Simon Shepherd 🇪🇺
@simonshep.bsky.social
Cruciverbalist, veggie, passionate European, enjoy words, language, cooking, wine, music: part-time genius & amateur human being (possibly vice versa)
The war. It always comes back to the war. That happened long before they were born.
How the hell have journalists allowed Farage and Yusuf to pretend that their Royal Navy idea is a ‘humanitarian’ mission if ‘innocent’ immigrants are taken back to France, but a full-scale war-like ‘invasion’ of ‘illegals’ if coming our way? I mean, seriously. Please don’t be this hopeless…
I was about to do the washing up when I came across this email from the economist and decided to read it instead.
A report from an alternative universe where Trump’s poll numbers haven’t cratered and he hasn’t lost the Iran war.
25% turnout for the Greater Manchester Mayoral Election. Nearly 3/4 of voters didn't show up for a contest, whose previous winner has just become prime minister. We shouldn't be blase about this: it raises big questions about the health of our democracy & the public appetite for the mayoral model.
Ash@queerash.bsky.social · 5d agoit's an interesting contradiction of devolving power to local people when it's a pretty consistent finding that they don't really care about exercising that power
Is “pragmatic” the new, “grown up” word? Andy, there’s nothing “pragmatic” about drilling for more oil & gas - to even consider it with the planet literally on fire is total madness. How many times must we say it will do nothing for energy bills or security? It would be an act of utter recklessness
Burnham promises ‘pragmatic’ approach to North Sea oil and gas
PM tells reporters the government cannot ignore the energy resource ‘when people are struggling’
theguardian.com
While fires rage in large parts of Europe incl UK, farmers face crop failure and livestock loss, every RefUK or Tory politician on the news must be challenged on their "let's do away with costly net zero nonsense" stance, side-by-side with live images of the cost of inaction. Expose the charlatans.
Not sure who did this but they should be arrested immediately.
On Burnham’s social care speech today, it was deeply refreshing to see him make a point to thank immigrants who provide social care. I hope that reflects where we go with ILR bill but beyond that it is good to hear gratitude and openness rather than scapegoating and penny pinching.
This must be the same Reform that disapproves of the tax-funded universal healthcare system and wants to switch to an insurance-based one. The same Reform that claims to support the working person (but votes against support for them). And who benefits from their proposals? Not the working person!
Andrew Sparrow@andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social · last wk.Reform UK accuses Burnham of planning 'universal death tax' which it says it will 'fight every step of way' - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
A Parliamentary Standards investigation into an undeclared £5m gift. A request for HMRC to investigate if tax is owed. A police investigation into £500K of Reform UK donations by George Cottrell's mother. Reform cry "establishment stitch up". At what point does it become "established pattern"?
Retail politics and Burnham’s big idea - latest column www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Scoff at cheaper bus fares and No 10 North if you like, but Andy Burnham knows what he’s doing | Jonathan Freedland
Retail politics while taking power out of London: if this works, Burnham’s premiership could be seriously transformational, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
theguardian.com
As a member of the educated middle-class liberal “elite”, it’s easy to sneer at people like Natalie King but… It’s also lots of fun
Oxford Clarion@oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 2w agoCORRECTION: In a post this morning, we attributed a quote to Reform UK councillor, Natalie King, saying she was “absolutely fumming”. This was inaccurate. Cllr King actually wrote that she was “literally fumming”. We regret the error.
Why is Kemi Badenoch never asked about the hefty funding the Conservative party has taken from the oil industry and its lobby groups whenever she talks about her decision to scrap her commitment to Net Zero?
Imagine if a woman president spent most her time raving and crying about an election she lost 6 years ago. Emotional. Unstable. Hysterical. Unfit to lead.
If true, we get 3 things. None good. 1. The direct negative growth/fiscal impacts of cutting immigration. 2. A Chancellor who prioritises their own personal/ideological obsessions over the UK economy. 3. A PM who through myopia or weakness chooses 1 and 2.
Adam Bienkov@adambienkov.bsky.social · 3w agoThe Times reporting that Andy Burnham succeeded in persuading Shabana Mahmood to become Chancellor because it would give her more control over cutting immigration
I'm old enough to remember when the entire British right had a month long meltdown about "foreign interference" when Obama said something mildly disobliging about Brexit. The Trump administration pouring millions of dollars into far right political groups in the UK? Not a peep
I am once again begging Hollywood to stop using the Greek alphabet for an Ancient World movie, if they can't afford to even throw a couple of quid at anyone with an inkling of the language. Unless they really think audiences are dying to see THS THDPSSSSPS
Just to recap: Calling Nigel Farage “an unflushable poo” = dehumanising hate speech. Calling for hotels housing asylum seekers to be set on fire = guest of honour at party conference. Bless those non-racist free speech warriors.
Daily Mail@dailymail.co.uk · 3w agoReform's Lee Anderson demands public apology from LBC host James O'Brien over 'distressing' and 'dehumanising' attacks on leader Nigel Farage trib.al/X7mJFBt
The slow death of the UK university sector is a travesty & will make the UK financially & culturally poorer in decades to come. Whole areas of expertise will be lost & cannot easily be regained. Such a shame.
Hetan Shah@hetanshah.bsky.social · 3w ago‘Thousands of university job cuts in humanities and social sciences are creating widespread cold spots for languages, classics and theology degrees, the British Academy has warned’ www.theguardian.com/education/20...
