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Andy Brown

@andybrown1951.bsky.social
13K followers 29K following 2.3K posts

North Yorkshire Councillor for Aire Valley. Green Party. Columnist for Yorkshire Post. Write for Yorkshire bylines. Former Head of Young People's Learning for Yorkshire and the Humber

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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 10h
Trump is an international criminal with no respect for the decisions of courts. No wonder he hates the International Criminal Court. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...
mirror.co.uk
UK and allies stand up to Donald Trump and US over ICC sanctions
The remaining G7 nations - the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan - as well as Denmark and the Netherlands, said they "regret and strongly disagree with" the US sanctions on the Internationa...
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 10h
@greenparty.org.uk now has way over 200,000 members so it needs its decisions to be made by elected delegates. Not a little over 1,000 people who pay to turn up at conference and vote for a sloppy motion that helps the enemies of every decent value it stands for. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Green Party wants to make sure it is 'not vulnerable to extremists'
The party's Westminster leader Ellie Chowns made the comments after ex-leader Caroline Lucas said some members had joined to vote in the Zionism motion.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 10h
An outrageous sell out. Trump bowing his head to Putin is exactly the right picture to sum this up. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Trump announces deal for Russian diesel as Zelensky calls it a 'gift to Putin'
Ukraine's president sharply criticised the move, calling it an "investment in war that must be ended, not prolonged".
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Zelenskyy issues a statement responding to Trump’s deal with Putin to lift sanctions to purchase Russian oil and diesel.
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Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign @ipsc.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Well deserved! Navi Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. "The last thing I did is the report on Gaza naming what is happening there as genocide. One of the main reactions to that report [was] paying tribute to me for my courage.. why would you need courage to speak the truth?"
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
This is clearly a good result for Labour, but it also doesn't strike me as a terrible result for the Greens. Vote share held up from the local elections in a constituency that was never really a target for them
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
UK water companies at it again. Industrial chemicals dumped in your rivers to make more money for foreign shareholders. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Revealed: the ‘black box’ wastewater trade that rakes in millions for UK utility companies
Exclusive: Firms made more than £340m last year from processing industrial and commercial wastewater at sewage works that are unable to remove many chemical pollutants
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
The party of inheritance instead of merit The party of lies about climate change The party with a track record of gigantic economic failure The Conservatives aren't on the comeback trail - they are being led into the gutter of politics www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Tories overstate net zero cost by nearly £500bn in apparent spreadsheet error
Exclusive: Badenoch’s flagship conference policy document cites £957bn estimate, twice the total in climate advisers’ data
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
As climate change and deforestation trigger more wildfires a toxic haze hangs over many SE Asian cities. Fossil fuel profiteers strike again www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
bbc.co.uk
Watch: Indonesia wildfires shroud Singapore's skyline in toxic haze
The BBC’s Tessa Wong breaks down how one of Indonesia’s worst wildfire seasons is impacting countries around South East Asia.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
What kind of bat shit crazy government live streams executions for public entertainment? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Fort Hood attacker's execution by firing squad will be livestreamed, Pentagon says
Pete Hegseth says the execution will be public, but a legal expert says the "unprecedented" decision is on "uncertain legal terrain".
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Sensible statement from Zak www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
I would not have voted for Zionism motion, Zack Polanski says
A motion declaring Zionism a form of racism was passed by Green Party members on Sunday.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Anyone else think having British care homes sold off for over a billion by a very wealthy man to a consortium from California is not a healthy way to provide a service? www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/del...
yorkshirepost.co.uk
'Delighted': Yorkshire businessman's care home company seals £1.1bn deal with US firm
A Yorkshire company which develops UK care homes and owned by one of the region’s wealthiest entrepreneurs has sealed a £1.1bn deal to sell 45 properties to a Californian investment firm.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
It is now official. The British Conservative Party is the champion of inherited wealth at the expense of those who try to achieve things on the basis of their own merit. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Kemi Badenoch says Tories would scrap inheritance tax on family homes
Tory leader says her party is "coming back", as she aims to convince voters it has changed after 2024 election defeat.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Stockpile food – and wash your hands: is that really how to prepare for environmental catastrophe? | George Monbiot
The UK state is dumping its responsibilities on our doorsteps, while green-lighting policies that lead us closer to crisis, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
There is incredible waste in the UK defence budget. Before we spend waste billions more on outdated vanity weapons there must be a complete rethink of what weapons work and which don't in an age of cheap drones. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
UK’s military needs to focus spending on domestic defence, not overseas missions – report
Exclusive: Thinktank says Britain’s drive towards global commitments is symptom of ‘outdated foreign policy’
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Climate change destroys wildlife www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
World's largest penguin colony hit by climate-driven decline
Climate change is blamed for dramatic decline of chinstrap penguins living on a remote volcanic island.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The killings and the misery continue. This is collective punishment in an attempt to achieve ethnic cleansing www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
'Every day there is killing': Gazans face Israeli strikes despite ceasefire as peace deal stalls
Many Palestinians are still living in cramped tent cities, with the US plan to end the war largely stalled.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Greens were very effectively challenging Netanyahu's lies before the motion was passed and have found it much harder to get the message across since
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Drax datacentre could create nearly twice the yearly emissions of all Gatwick flights
Exclusive: Campaign group’s analysis of North Yorkshire plans finds datacentre would have to burn 4.9m tonnes of wood a year
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I wonder if any of the just over 1,000 self selected attendees at @greenparty.org.uk conference can seriously argue that passing their motion has made it harder for Benjamin Netanyahu to lead ethnic cleansing. All it has done is to give him cover. Rights must be equal. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
I won't accept exclusion within Green Party, says Polanski after criticism of Zionism motion
Labour MPs and the European Greens have demanded clarity from the Green Party over a "Zionism is racism" motion.
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Massimo (mirror) @rainmaker1973-m.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
France gives unsold supermarket food a second life by helping the needy Original post
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Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 06/10/2026
"The delay is likely to stoke speculation that the Government is suppressing the report to avoid potential embarrassment for the rulers of the UAE." [Telegraph]
Nandy buries critical report into Uae-telegraph takeover
The Daily Telegraph6 Oct 2026By James Warrington
THE Culture Secretary is delaying the publication of a critical report on the failed United Arab Emirates bid for The Telegraph, two and a half years after it was completed.

Lisa Nandy’s department has this week declined to release to Parliament an Ofcom report on the bid for The Telegraph. The media regulator investigated the attempted takeover by Redbird IMI, a UAE investment vehicle, as a potential threat to press freedom. Although the bid was ultimately blocked, the Culture Secretary is required by law to make Ofcom’s findings, handed to the Government in March 2024, public. However, her department has refused requests to release it, including under the Freedom of Information Act.

The delay is likely to stoke speculation that the Government is suppressing the report to avoid potential embarrassment for the rulers of the UAE. It comes days after the Premier League’s damning investigation into Manchester City, which is owned by the Gulf state’s deputy prime minister.

Ofcom’s report reviewed evidence from journalists, press freedom activists and human rights groups on the state’s chequered record, including on its conduct in relation to Manchester City. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Emirati royal, is behind both the club and Redbird IMI.

Ms Nandy’s latest refusal was delivered to Parliament by Baroness Mackenzie of Sherwood, her junior minister. In response to a written question from Baroness Stowell of Beeston, Lady Mackenzie said only that the report would be released “shortly”.

Lady Stowell said: “It is troubling that the Government is taking so long to publish regulatory documentation it is required by law to do without offering any explanation for the delay.

“Ministers should remedy this situation swiftly if they want to avoid more questions and not fuel speculation and unnecessary concerns.”

Andy Burnham’s approach to the UAE and its mone…
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Red Mac @pencerrigcalch.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
We are not the USA's aircraft carrier, good riddance to them.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
It is right to oppose genocide in Gaza and wherever it takes place. It is right to oppose the depravity and cruelty of Netanyahu's government. It is entirely wrong to categorise all people who believe that the state of Israel should exist as complicit in every race hate crime.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
There is a huge amount of spare power in the UK grid coming in at night from wind farms. Shift demand to the evening by using batteries and we would save a fortune and aid the planet. Gas and nuclear are being used primarily for need at peak periods
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I continue to take the view that there is a big difference between the Israeli government and Jewish people & that I must support the right of all people to live in peace and freedom secure in their lives and property. Palestinians in the West bank and long term Jewish residents of Israel included.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I consider it my duty as an environmental activist to ensure that @greenparty.org.uk properly represents its 200k+ members and doesn't make wrong decisions on the basis of a little over 1,000 self selected attendees at party conference. I oppose the latest motion on Palestine.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Those who bully women also bully other vulnerable people. The black shirts represent the worst of Britain and are traitors to every decent value the country stands for. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
‘Bully in every way’: domestic abuse survivors say ex-partners behind far-right UK street patrols
Seven women share their stories to make people aware of patterns of violence behind anti-immigration street patrol movement
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Fossil fuel industry at it again www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
UK oil refinery broke toxic pollution limits dozens of times
Pollution was spilled into local rivers and protected sites, documents shared with the BBC suggest.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Climate change continues to cause horrendous flooding We can't afford not to act rapidly edition.cnn.com/2026/10/03/e...
edition.cnn.com
One dead and scores rescued in floods in Spain | CNN
A woman aged 102 died and firefighters rescued 90 people after flooding in the town of Madrigueras in southeastern Spain, regional authorities said on Saturday.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The nasty party is back to its old tricks. Opposing nature recovery is not supporting rural communities. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Tories to pledge to scrap Environment Agency and Natural England
Shadow chancellor will also promise to scrap affordable homes regulations as part of strategy to refocus on growth
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Good riddance. Britain should have banned Trump's bombers from taking off from our country to go and destroy lives and property and do serious harm to our economy without bothering to even tell us in advance what he had planned. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
US bombers pulled from RAF Fairford base after suspected terror plot
Aircraft leave Gloucestershire base to return to US following arrest of dual British-Iranian national in central London
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
No end in sight to the cost of Trump's crazy forever war. He is going to end up as the most unpopular and reviled President in US history and UK voters need to be extremely careful not to fall for the same lies by backing Farage's friends of billionaires. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
UK diesel prices top £2 a litre for first time, RAC says
The rise in global oil prices has been pushing up the pump prices of petrol and diesel in the UK.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I continue to believe that the people of Israel have the right to live in peace and freedom secure in their lives and property and that the people of Palestine have exactly the same right. I did not back the @greenparty.org.uk conference motion. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Green Party members back 'Zionism is racism' conference motion
The vote has caused divisions among figures at the top of the party at its conference in Brighton.
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alextone Ⓥ @alextone.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Not a new idea though. Lobbying poiliticians used to be illegal in many countries, and any corporation, or individual that wished to lobby on something would have to book an appointment with a lobby committee, and present their case. No dinners, or property donations, just a transparent system.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Britain risking fuel shortages this winter in order to help Donald Trump massage the pain of his stupid and dangerous war to help him in the mid term elections. Cowardly in the extreme. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
G7 to release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel after Trump export ban threat
The co-ordinated release is aimed at heading off further price spikes and avoiding a ban on US diesel exports.
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The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 03/10/2026
“We don’t want the tech billionaires' post-human reality. We want this world. The soil between our toes.” Rachel Millward on choosing a future built for people, not billionaires.
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Sian Berry MP @sianberry.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
With love and respect to every colleague and fellow member, here is my personal view on motion E02, which Greens are set to debate tomorrow as part of our afternoon plenary.
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Marcus Bailey @marcusbailey.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
“Emirati officials have warned the UK Government that the severity of the ruling against Manchester City could impact the UAE’s appetite for future major investment and commitments in Britain” But City fans insist they aren’t state owned, what a joke!!
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
"Only allow lobby organisations to meet with government if they are not for profit and funded by multiple small contributions" Interesting idea coming from Green Party conference
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
2.5 degrees above average and much much more to come. This is why climate change is THE top issue. Humanity can't survive drill baby drill politics www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
May heatwaves, deaths, ruined harvests: study of Europe’s summer paints grim picture for the future
EU Copernicus report shows surface air temperatures from June to August were 2.5C above decadal average
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Despite all the campaigns privatised water companies are still pumping sewage into British rivers. Enjoy falling off your paddleboard and getting a mouthful of bacteria. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘It’s shocking really’: Devon community tracks River Dart sewage spills
Citizen environmentalists create online platform that flags spills in real time and highlights repeatedly polluted spots
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Despite incredibly few politicians being brave enough to say the UK needs to rejoin EU the public has managed to figure out that we made a huge mistake in leaving it. Don't hold your breath if you are hoping Labour will suddenly develop a backbone on the issue. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...
theguardian.com
Half of UK wants to rejoin EU and backing it could drive up Labour vote, megapoll finds
Exclusive: Findings will bolster those in No 10 who want to negotiate on re-entry but some senior figures remain wary
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AW Sylwester @aw-sylwester.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
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Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Sen. Thom Tillis privately told Trump he wouldn’t tolerate his “bullshit” — and that if Trump had ever directly threatened him with a primary challenge, he’d have “immediately told you to fuck yourself” and announced his retirement. The texts, obtained by Playbook, will appear in his upcoming book.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Be aware that the squeaky clean reputation of the new UK Prime Minister isn't to be relied on. He does seem to be rather inclined to turning a blind eye to unpleasant regimes and businesses so long as they invest enough money. inews.co.uk/news/how-man...
inews.co.uk
How Man City's owners wooed Andy Burnham, from property deals to football chats
The former Manchester mayor praised the club's owners for their investment in the region, saying he was 'concerned' they might leave the UK over cheating case
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The supposedly anti immigrant US government is letting white South African's claim refugee status www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump administration diverts human rights funds to push far-right agenda abroad
Support such as for white Afrikaners and anti-communism reveals how US is redefining what qualifies as human rights
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
After a summer of clear evidence of increasing climate chaos the foolish consensus amongst governments is to wait another 24 years before we hit net zero and to dither about taking the actions that will achieve it by then. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
May heatwaves, deaths, ruined harvests: study of Europe’s summer paints grim picture for the future
EU Copernicus report shows surface air temperatures from June to August were 2.5C above decadal average
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Message to Donald. You created the problem. Don't threaten your countries allies with consequences if they don't gamble their diesel reserves on you fixing it quickly. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
US pressures Europe to release diesel reserves as Trump threatens export ban
President Donald Trump has threatened to ban diesel exports in a bid to ease prices in the US ahead of the November elections.
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
9 years after 72 people were killed no company or individual has yet been held responsible and incredibly it is still legal in the UK for builders to hire their own regulator. www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...
mirror.co.uk
Met asks Grenfell manslaughter charges be considered after families' 'fight'
Police have passed evidence onto the CPS in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire for charging decisions - a group representing survivors and bereaved families said 'no family should have to fight this ...
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