iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

It's a little over 10 years since the report of the Chakrabarti inquiry within Labour. This is its advice on use of the word "Zionism". labour.org.uk/wp-content/u...

Zionism and Zionists
Further, submissions to my Inquiry have demonstrated how contemporary Zionism is viewed by a
range of people who describe themselves as its critics and supporters of different political persuasions.
At first glance, dictionary definitions seem straightforward enough (e.g. Oxford: "A movement for
(originally) the re-establishment and (now) the development and protection of a Jewish nation in what
is now Israel"), but even these contain subtle, yet significant, variations (see e.g. Webster: "an
international movement originally for the establishment of a Jewish national or religious community in
Palestine and later for the support of modern Israel"). Even more importantly, language evolves
constantly with events, politics and identity.

Crucially, I have heard testimony and heard for myself first-hand, the way in which the word "Zionist"
has been used personally, abusively or as a euphemism for "Jew", even in relation to some people with
no stated position or even a critical position on the historic formation or development of modern
Israel. This has clearly happened so often over a number of years as to raise some alarm bells in Jewish
communities, including amongst highly orthodox people who, whilst perhaps most "visibly Jewish"
(e.g. in dress and or observance), would never see themselves as Zionists.

A further complexity comes from left-wing British Jewry, including, but not exclusively, young people
becoming increasingly critical of, and disenchanted with, Israeli Government policy in relation to
settlements in the West Bank and the bombardment of Gaza in particular. This has led to some people
personally redefining their Zionism in ways that appear to grant less support to the State of Israel and
more solidarity to fellow Jewish people the world over. A further complexity still arises from those
people who are uncomfortable with criticism of the State or Government of Israel or who are
suspicious of repeated criticism of Israeli policy in a way that they see as disproportionate or out of
synch with human rights abuses by other states and governments around the region or the world.

It seems to me that it is for all people to self-define their political beliefs and I cannot hope to do
justice to the rich range of self-descriptions of both Jewishness or Zionism, even within the Labour
Party, that I have heard. What I will say is that some words have been used and abused by accident
and design so much as to blur, change or mutate their meaning. My advice to critics of the Israeli State
and/or Government is to use the term "Zionist" advisedly, carefully and never euphemistically or as
part of personal abuse.

000

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Cameron 🇺🇸🗽🦅 @cameroncorduroy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

just checking the till here Pete, and i think you're missing a rather important one

1332638

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

This is *not* the result of "the success of Mahmood's reforms", but of earlier measures/other factors. Her proposals could make it considerably *worse* in future years. A few other points linked below.. archive.ph/0psJ8

Falling migration numbers could cost the chancellor as much as £7bn in fiscal headroom as he writes his first budget, The Times has been told.

Government insiders believe that John Healey, who already faced an uphill battle to balance the books next month, is likely to have an even bigger challenge after immigration significantly undershot projections from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

The Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank estimated last month that the success of Shabana Mahmood’s reforms, which have seen net migration cut to the low hundreds of thousands, could cost Healey some £4bn.

Labour sources familiar with the budget process, however, said that the figure was now closer to £6.5bn. The OBR’s migration forecasts have been consistently higher than real numbers in recent years.

Treasury officials, who have long expected Mahmood’s reforms to cause a hit to headroom, described the number as “pure speculation” but did not deny that Healey would have to contend with a larger funding gap than expected because of falling migration

5296111

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Well, there goes another of my favourite Youtubers. (tl;dr: allegations of plagiarism of wikipedia and other textbooks in his co-authored textbook, plagiarism in videos, exaggeration of academic credentials, and his hedge fund not very successful) www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za5I....

youtube.com

Patrick Boyle: The Copy-Paste Professor

YouTube video by Gurubusters

101

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 15/09/2026

The U.S. AI industry is being run by a batshit rationalist sex cult, and no, I am not being hyperbolic - they’re genuinely Like That:

Erin Redwing
@realizingerin
I went to an rationalist/EA Al doomer event last night with the goal of meeting someone who could calmly explain to me the argument for how they get to the conclusion that Al will kill everyone.
Because these are rationalists, I expected to find people who could lay out a serious extinction pathway, walk through the assumptions and intermediate steps, identify choke points where negative pathways could potentially be regulated, and entertain disagreement about where their assumptions might break down.
My experience was the exact opposite.
The people I spoke to seemed psychologically unable to entertain the possibility that their conclusion (that Al literally kills everyone, which was a point that many would not even budge on) might be wrong.
Their most extreme conclusion was treated as an axiom.
I had multiple people walk out of conversations with me when I questioned their inevitable extinction premise.
At one point during a panel, the moderator asked everyone in the audience who was still skeptical of Al doom to raise their hands. About half the room did. He then told all of the skeptics to leave the panel and go with one of the speakers, who would answer their questions separately. They filtered out all the skeptics, and continued the panel only with the subset who accepted their extreme position.
I genuinely felt like a heretic just for questioning whether superintelligent Al inevitably leads to the extinction of humanity, or entertaining the possibility that the future might actually turn out well.
That does not mean Al safety is fake. Obviously there are serious questions about rapidly advancing Al systems and what happens as they become much more capable. Those are exactly the conversations I went there hoping to have.
But what I encountered was an apocalyptic death cult. These people are not rational. They are deeply afraid, they reinforce that fear in one another, and they have become so emotionally committed to apocalypse

28860751589

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Dean Hochlaf @dhochlaf.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Seen a few comments suggesting more labourers would run counter to union demands for higher wages and I'm begging people to understand economies are dynamic, more people will stimulate demand as well as supply, there are plenty of places with much larger populations that boast stronger wage growth

132

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

£72m for Reform over the weekend could be just the tip of the iceberg There's nothing to stop Elon Musk giving, via a UK X subsidiary, £300m to Restore Britain today Or a Trump ally giving £500m to Farage via a UK-registered firm There's a v narrow window to tackle big money in the elections bill

22466182

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Jess Miers 🦝 @jmiers230.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

I did a somewhat deep dive into the recent OpenAI and Anthropic "hacks" for an upcoming interview. IMO, the AI companies are better off running with the "rogue AI" story because the real story is actually pretty embarrassing. Like making your Wi-Fi password "wifi" embarrassing. 🧵

341836794

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This is the government policy paper on proscribed organisations. I am of course wondering whether Patriot Platform could or should be proscribed. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Proscription criteria
What is a proscribed organisation?

Under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Home Secretary may proscribe an organisation if they believe it is concerned in terrorism, and it is proportionate to do. For the purposes of the act, this means that the organisation:

commits or participates in acts of terrorism
prepares for terrorism
promotes or encourages terrorism (including the unlawful glorification of terrorism)
is otherwise concerned in terrorism

What is meant by ‘terrorism’ in the proscription context?

“Terrorism” as defined in the act, means the use or threat of action which: involves serious violence against a person; involves serious damage to property; endangers a person’s life (other than that of the person committing the act); creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public or section of the public or is designed seriously to interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system.

The use or threat of such action must be designed to influence the government or an international governmental organisation or to intimidate the public or a section of the public, and must be undertaken for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause.

5197

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 08/09/2026

Two RNLI volunteers were pictured in Portsmouth this weekend while responding during the Patriot Platform protest. The far right responded by identifying them and branding them “traitors”. This is what the far right’s “peaceful” activism looks like.

22600337

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Basically, the United States is running short of key munitions because the insecure man-children running the country keep firing off expensive stand-off emotional support munitions as a desperate act of gender-affirming self-care. Alas, there are not enough TLAMs to make Trump or Hegseth into men.

538693

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

This is correct. Under 2023 Public Order Act section 7 interfering with the use of key national infrastructure such as a harbour is punishable by up to 1 year in prison. www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/1...

7Interference with use or operation of key national infrastructure

(1)A person commits an offence if—

(a)they do an act which interferes with the use or operation of any key national infrastructure in England and Wales, and

(b)they intend that act to interfere with the use or operation of such infrastructure or are reckless as to whether it will do so.

(2)It is a defence for a person charged with an offence under subsection (1) to prove that—

(a)they had a reasonable excuse for the act mentioned in paragraph (a) of that subsection, or

(b)the act mentioned in paragraph (a) of that subsection was done wholly or mainly in contemplation or furtherance of a trade dispute.

(3)A person who commits an offence under subsection (1) is liable—

(a)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding the general limit in a magistrates’ court, to a fine or to both;

(b)on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months, to a fine or to both.

(4)For the purposes of subsection (1) a person’s act interferes with the use or operation of key national infrastructure if it prevents the infrastructure from being used or operated to any extent for any of its intended purposes.

(5)The cases in which infrastructure is prevented from being used or operated for any of its intended purposes include where its use or operation for any of those purposes is significantly delayed.

(6)In this section “key national infrastructure” means—

(a)road transport infrastructure,

(b)rail infrastructure,

(c)air transport infrastructure,

(d)harbour infrastructure,

(e)downstream oil infrastructure,

(f)downstream gas infrastructure,

(g)onshore oil and gas exploration and production infrastructure,

(h)onshore electricity generation infrastructure, F1...

(i)newspaper printing infrastructure [F2, or

(j)life sciences infrastructure.]

011

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 05/09/2026

This morning at 7:30am, a group of men dressed in black and their faces covered, gathered in Dover. The men, members of the anti-migrant vigilante group Patriot Platform, proceeded to block the port of Dover and several roads nearby. Our briefing: hopenothate.org.uk/2026/09/05/p...

hopenothate.org.uk

Patriot Platform’s masked members march on Dover – HOPE not hate

At approximately 7:30 this morning, hundreds of black-clad members of Patriot Platform, a far-right vigilante unit, blockaded roads in Dover. They marched north east off...

39287185

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Farage loses the head-to-head against every other party leader (of a party running in England) - and by a wide margin except versus Hypnoboobs. Burnham wins against every other leader. The inevitability of the nativist right has been overstated.

100

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Worth comparing Trump and the wider US Right's rhetoric towards Canada now with the kind of rhetoric Putin used on what he viewed as the "Historical Unity of Ukrainians and Russians" in the 2010s and early 2020s

9309116

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Two way heat pumps powered by solar can provide cooling and also lower carbon emissions. Heat pumps are ~4 times as energy efficient for heating than fossil fuel boilers/furnaces because they move heat rather than create it. And because they are electric they can be powered by renewables. 1/3

100

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

New Labour commissioned and then ignored the Jenkins Commission. One of its requirements was for "stable government", which the commission interpreted as not "imposing a coalition habit", i.e. it wanted to keep absolute Commons majorities. 1/2 researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/RP...

The voting system advocated by the Jenkins Commission is a variant of the Additional
Member System used in Germany, and adopted in New Zealand, following a referendum in
1993. Other electoral systems under discussion were the Single Transferable Vote, the
Alternative Vote, and other party list systems. The Commission was asked to observe the
requirement for broad proportionality, the extension of voter choice, need for stable
government and the maintenance of a constituency link and it concluded that there was no
perfect system: STV required very large constituencies; AV on its own was not proportional ;
party lists could not offer the same type of constituency link, would be likely to lead to long-
term coalitions and were open to manipulation by party bureaucracies.

7. The Commission recommends that the proportion of Top-up members needed for
broad proportionality without imposing a coalition habit on the country should be
between 15% and 20%. A decision on the exact proportion of Top-up members should
be governed by the considerations set out in paragraphs 151-154 of this report, which
relate to other changes in the pipeline such as the reduction in the number of Scottish
seats and the work of the Boundary Commissions.

15-20 per cent would give a substantial degree of proportionality to election results,
without any need to emulate the 50/50 split used in Germany. The Committee defended
the decision to accept a measure of proportionality, rather than a fully proportional
system, by admitting that ‘we would not wish to propound a system which would
involved persistent coalition. Reverting to the comparison made with the German system,
one aspect which we find difficult to defend…has been the permanent hinge position of
the very small Free Democratic Party.’ (para 122).

100

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Fossil fuel producers are ultimately responding to consumer demand. Spoiler alert: that is you. If there were no demand there would be no production. If they ceased producing fossil fuel tomorrow, you'd notice. 1/3

100

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Secretary of Defense Rock @sodrock.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Miller helped carry wounded sailors to safety aboard the West Virginia. He then hopped on a AA gun and despite no training at all shot down at least one plane despite being under constant attack. He was later killed action aboard the USS Liscome Bay during Operation Galvanic

592021649

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Darren Newman @daznewman.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

If people have worked through the night to count votes because of a pointless by election you have caused then you should have the courage to stand on the platform and say thank you to them. #Clacton

1130273

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Harry Taylor @harrytaylor.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Astonishing. The Press Association understands Essex Police did not tell Nigel Farage, or any other Clacton candidate, not to attend the count. This is after after his and Reform UK's claim Essex Police advised him against it due to a "credible threat".

691031303

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Little piece from me for @arguablymag.bsky.social on why we Westminster electoral reform is more plausible now than it has been for generations www.arguably.uk/p/electoral-...

arguably.uk

Electoral reform has never been closer

The three key ingredients are now in place

1313764

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

I really liked this video on LLMs by linguist Language Jones. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORgK...

youtube.com

How to Detect AI Slop

YouTube video by languagejones

000

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Jewish Leadership Council/Board of Deputies statement.

1163

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

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

613629

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

In cases like Bonehill-Paine's selection as a Conservative Party prospective council candidate in Crewkerne, I feel one should listen to their former victims. From Luciana Berger: lucianaberger.substack.com/p/kemi-youve...

Throughout the trial, he showed no contrition. None. At one point he performed a full Nazi salute to his supporters in the public gallery.

I am all for rehabilitation.

But there’s a gulf between being sorry and being allowed to stand for election.

Myself and others should not have to relive our trauma in silence. We should not have to watch the people who harmed us be elevated without any acknowledgement of what happened (thank you to the one Tory Peer who got in touch). And we should not have to explain, again and again, why this matters.

000

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Charlie Stross @cstross.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

New blog entry: On the non-use of AI in my writing process: www.antipope.org/charlie/blog...

1431177

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 21/07/2026

1. In an incredible new landmark review, the Health Council of the Netherlands has declared that gender-affirming care for trans youth works, reducing wait times is "morally urgent," and regret is rare. It is the latest of many Euro countries to advance care. Subscribe to support our journalism.

erininthemorning.com

Landmark Official Dutch Review Recommends Trans Youth Care, Call For Expanding Treatment

The review finds that wait times must be shortened, that few people detransition, and that trans youth care has enormous benefits.

2340011341

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Is Trump going to steal the trophy this time?

010

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Trump and Infantino getting booed in the stadium, over the sound of the music.

092

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

England win the only game at the World Cup that cannot lead to winning the World Cup. This guy will be happy. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZS-...

youtube.com

Supporting England as an Irish Person

YouTube video by Foil Arms and Hog

000

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

OK guys, if we're going to throw the golden boot to Mbappe to spoil Messi, we've got to make it look plausible. Let England score a few first.

120

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

In the 1990s when the Premier League was formed, the FA wanted 18 teams so that the England international players would have more energy come international tournaments. David Dein is still pushing. www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footba...

mirror.co.uk

Premier League rule change 'being fought for' that could see four teams go down

There are calls for the number of teams in the Premier League to be altered

010

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Good news lads, we're not going to need a new song after all!

110

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Look, all I'm going to say is that no English football fan has ever supported Scotland's opponents in the knockout stages of any major tournament.

010

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

I'm hoping that England play in red in the 3rd place match. I am further hoping that the reds and les bleues just do this for 89 minutes, until someone remembers that there's supposed to be a match. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUtG...

youtube.com

TF2 - Longest Conga Line Ever

YouTube video by MovitDE

000

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

It occurs to me that I haven't heard the term "route one" in football for many years. Granted I haven't paid as much attention as I used to. But that was what England were doing at the end. Boot it up field and hope Big Dan Burn can get his head to it. www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/rou...

phrases.org.uk

Route One - Meaning & Origin Of The Phrase

What's the meaning and origin of the phrase 'Route one'?

000

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Stamp duty and council tax are terrible taxes. Land value tax could replace both - and Andy Burnham has backed it for 16 years. Who wins? Who loses? What happens to house prices? LVT could drive growth. But it isn’t easy. Our model shows its promise - and its problems.

47417137

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

"Verify your age" Filling all 48K of a Sinclair ZX Spectrum from tape at default data rate took exactly 4 minutes.

000

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

The FIFA refereeing conspiracy theories are getting obnoxious. There always have been, always will be, differences of opinion on decisions. Welcome to association football. But it's partly FIFA's fault for suspending the suspensions given to Ronaldo before and and Balogun during the World Cup. 1/

100

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

This is FIFA's video of the goal kick leading to England's first goal, including ball impact sensor data. The sensor data picked up the goal kick and the first touch. It did not pick up any impact with the camera cable. Source via xcancel xcancel.com/fifamedia/st...

000

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Air conditioning has become the latest front in the energy culture war. Depending on who you ask, it is either wasteful excess we must resist or the only sensible response and anyone urging caution is a zealot. A few thoughts in this 🧵

24313118

Andrew Kerr @andrewkerr9000.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I think a boycott of Farage's by-election is the correct play for mainstream parties. Farage wants hold a mandate around against the Standards committee. If he thought he'd be cleared he wouldn't be doing this. Let this by-election be a farce. Beat him in the recall. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...

It's possible that other parties could boycott Clacton by-electionpublished at 15:25
15:25

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

As we explained earlier, were he to win the Clacton by-election, Nigel Farage would still face an investigation by the Commons standards watchdog into whether he has broken parliamentary rules.

We cannot prejudge the outcome of that investigation, and Farage insists he did nothing wrong.

But if he were found to have broken rules, and received the harsh sanction of a lengthy suspension from the House of Commons, it is possible that a Clacton by-election would be triggered anyway – again with Farage as a candidate.

I am hearing from influential Labour figures this afternoon making the case internally that the party – indeed all major parties – should boycott this by-election, arguing that Clacton’s voters deserve full transparency before they have their say on his future.

There would be precedent for this: the 2008 Haltemprice and Howden by-election which Conservative David Davis forced in order to spark a debate about civil liberties went ignored by Labour and the Liberal Democrats.

Among the other parties which sat that by-election out was UKIP, then led by a certain Nigel Farage.

000

Reposted by Andrew Kerr

Adam Drummond @adamdrummond.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

This is classy from both of them. Belgium got the result that justice demanded but Balogun was put in a no-win situation and has handled it as best anyone could

Garcia, who had previously criticised FIFA’s decision, comparing it to April Fool’s Day, said Balogun had spoken to him after the game.
“He came to talk to me. I really liked that. It's not his fault. ⁠He's not the one to blame. And that's what I told him. I really appreciate that he came to see me,” Garcia said.

1044476