Reposted by Bill HallElection Maps UK @electionmaps.uk · 1hAmble (Northumberland) Council By-Election Result: 🌹 LAB: 38.8% (+0.4) ➡️ RFM: 33.5% (-10.9) 🌳 CON: 21.0% (+3.8) ◼️ RES: 6.7% (New) Labour GAIN from Reform UK. Changes w/ 2025. 411021
Reposted by Bill HallElection Maps UK @electionmaps.uk · 1hHirst (Northumberland) Council By-Election Result: 🌹 LAB: 50.1% (+7.0) ➡️ RFM: 30.0% (-20.0) ◼️ RES: 10.3% (New) 🌳 CON: 4.1% (-2.8) 🔶 LDM: 3.9% (New) 🙋 Ind: 1.6% (New) Labour GAIN from Reform UK. Changes w/ 2025. 411623
Reposted by Bill HallRobert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 1hThe ability to pour hundreds of millions of pounds into a loss-making TV channel, bent on wrenching British politics sharply to the right, is yet another of the ways in which extreme wealth is trying to remake UK democracy. It needs to be part of any serious conversation about political funding. 19417191
Reposted by Bill HallArthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 8hExcellent news. The good thing is that Palantir isn’t unique and there are many options, all of which will save the taxpayer money. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...giftarticle.ft.comAndy Burnham searches for UK alternative to PalantirPrime minister’s ‘Buy British’ push triggers hunt to find replacement for controversial US tech group awarded health service and defence contracts 11400116
Reposted by Bill HallAlex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 4h"It is hard enough to be a carer for your own loved ones. The tenderness I dispensed to my mother, came from a battery she had charged with five decades of love. Being able to muster the energy and patience it takes to care for a complete stranger... Well, it's magical. It's a sort of superpower." 1027453
Reposted by Bill HallDavid Nice @davidnice.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Decided to repost this daily to underline what people - in that case a kid - mean when they say 'let them drown'. 093
Reposted by Bill HallTim White @twmcltd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026The air raid warning was lifted in Kyiv about 20 minutes ago. But not before Russia had hit another school during study hours. Here we see the consequences on vul. Vidradnomu in Solomianskyi district. Kids were in the shelter, no injuries are reported. #RussiaIsATerroristState 27016
Reposted by Bill HallTim White @twmcltd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026This is Tim, back with you for the 1,681st time with a daily thread, covering all the big news about Ukraine, in one handy thread. Fact checked and analysed, and never missed a day, from someone who stood on Maidan in 2013-14. Day 1681 - let's go! 1235789
Reposted by Bill HallRobert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 15hImagine four of the most frighteningly irresponsible people in America deciding how AI will be put to use in the most frighteningly irresponsible way. Well, no need to imagine it — because it's happening now. Some thoughts... robertreich.substack.com/p/autowar 571298509
Reposted by Bill HallDan Miller @dan--miller.bsky.social · 15hNot even The Onion could make this up: Before deciding whether to intervene in Venezuela, Trump reportedly spent hours consulting an AI chatbot about how Venezuelans would react to his plan to invade the country and overthrow Maduro. 13281108
Reposted by Bill HallEssence of RBG 🦋 @rbgprevails.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Every horrendous villain movie come to life! 27726591095
Reposted by Bill HallPeter Smith @redpeter99.bsky.social · 18hI'll remember Esther Rantzen for an interview printed in a magazine I read in the dentist's. She was talking about grief and loneliness after the death of her husband. Her comment that she had plenty of people to do something with but now had no-one to do nothing with struck me as really profound. 1346253
Reposted by Bill HallPrem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 01/10/2026South West Water pleaded guilty to sewage dumping, fined £8m, a decade after the events. Yet govt introduced more deregulation. England's water industry controlled by organisations with criminal convictions. None has licence revoked. No exec prosecuted. Customers fleeced.bbc.co.ukSouth West Water fined almost £8m for sewage spillsSouth West Water previously entered guilty pleas to pollution offences spanning six years. 22384197
Reposted by Bill HallAaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 17hTrump and Ronny Jackson have a chuckle about the botched execution in Tennessee: "The medication didn't exactly work. He [Jackson] would answer it better than anybody. How does that happen? It shouldn't be very difficult." 203775202
Reposted by Bill HallMark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026“A pattern has been established since Trump entered the White House for his second term that indicates a strategy to cripple how the US operates to such a degree that whoever comes next will find it impossible to repair.”chadbourn.substack.comScorched EarthHow Trump plans to break America so it can’t be repaired 2224886
Reposted by Bill HallParody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 20hNo wonder Tom voted for Brexit, he thinks Britain is 3,500 miles west of Europe. 100827138
Reposted by Bill HallElection Maps UK @electionmaps.uk · 22hWestminster Voting Intention: LAB: 27% (+3) RFM: 23% (=) CON: 17% (-2) GRN: 12% (-1) LDM: 9% (-3) SNP: 3% (+1) Via @findoutnow.bsky.social, 30 Sep. Changes w/ 23 Sep. 88717
Reposted by Bill HallAriel J. Blocker @drugdesigns.bsky.social · 01/10/2026www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...theguardian.comUkraine persists with Russian oil refinery strikes in defiance of TrumpUS president blames attacks for driving up fuel prices before midterms, though analysts say his Iran war is main cause 001
Reposted by Bill HallIan Duhig @ianduhig.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Woman walks into a Hull hairdresser and asks for a perm. Certainly, he replies: 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?' #NationalPoetryDay 012537
Reposted by Bill HallMark Lawson @marklawsonkernow.bsky.social · 01/10/2026There is a solution to the current cost of living crises – the removal of Trump, Netanyahu and Putin. Three elderly men clinging to power and greed, making millions and millions of lives far worse and blowing up the world economy. If the CIA, so loved by conspiracy theorists were any good… 052
Reposted by Bill HallChristopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 01/10/2026Ugh. Something else nobody asked for. Most folks just want their passports as quickly as possible, at a reasonable cost, and without Trump’s image soiling it for the next 10 years. 128491162
Reposted by Bill HallBest for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 01/10/2026French President Emmanuel Macron: "If the British want to come back and if the Prime Minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news, both for his country and for the Europeans." ♥️ 15516113
Reposted by Bill HallNaomi Smith @pimlicat.bsky.social · 01/10/2026"The brutal truth is that leaving the EU was the biggest act of economic and geopolitical self-harm in our country’s history. Rejoining is the only viable path to long-term prosperity and security. Anything less will fail to undo the severe damage that’s been done" 2335
Reposted by Bill HallNaomi Smith @pimlicat.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Sadiq Khan: "Our party must immediately start making the case for rejoining the EU, so we can fight and win a general election with EU membership effectively on the ballot paper in 2029." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comBurnham is right that ‘hope comes from honesty’. That’s why Labour must make the case for rejoining the EU | Sadiq KhanBrexit was a disastrous act of national self-harm. Britain needs EU membership to bring growth and security in an increasingly volatile world, says London mayor Sadiq Khan 210823
Reposted by Bill HallNaomi Smith @pimlicat.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Great to chat through the options on @lbc.co.uk with @benkentish.bsky.social 14012
Reposted by Bill HallMark E Thomas FB99% FBPE @mrmarkethomas.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Poor Sir Simon. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 'remarkable national recovery' he refers to is a myth. The 1980s was when our national decline started. I wonder where he gets his information? 99-percent.org/back-to-the-... 728578
Reposted by Bill HallAlex Hall Hall @alexhh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026This quote (thank you Bettina) is the essence of why I so admired Burnham’s speech. No one is denying it’s going to be incredibly hard to deliver on his agenda, but the UK will never tackle its problems effectively, if it’s not able to discuss them honestly - on the EU and much else besides. 36319
Reposted by Bill HallQuiet Riot @quietriotpod.bsky.social · 01/10/2026NEW: Burnham - Straight From The Heart Join the gang as they discuss: 🌹The big speech 💬 Fave parts of other speeches 🇪🇺The EU love in ☑️ Dare we dream of PR now? 🍏 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/q... 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/2QVs...podcasts.apple.comBurnham: Straight fom the heartPodcast Episode · Quiet Riot · 1 October · 1hr 2min 1110134
Reposted by Bill HallAlex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 01/10/2026“It's a bold strategy. It forces opponents to make a similarly big offer or they look irrelevant. An offer which I don't think they have the ideological hinterland or intellectual capacity to make. They will end up getting into massive trouble, if they try to match Burnham's policy size and scope.” 1516434
Reposted by Bill HallSteve Akehurst @steveakehurst.bsky.social · 01/10/2026NEW: How does Burnham’s conference speech land with voters when they see it it? In short, very well it seems. A thread on some new video testing of the PM’s speech among voters by @persuasionuk.bsky.social Top line findings and some caveats below! 🧵👇 613750
Reposted by Bill HallSteve Akehurst @steveakehurst.bsky.social · 01/10/2026First finding: all clips we tested raised Burnham’s NET favorables by a lot, essentially doubling them. But the public control/ownership themes in particular really smashed it. This is, once again, Burnham’s best performing bit imo. See it consistently in qual and quant. 2348
Reposted by Bill HallGavin Esler @gavinesler.bsky.social · 01/10/2026I do wonder what some politicians are scared of …. 921980
Reposted by Bill HallAriel J. Blocker @drugdesigns.bsky.social · 30/09/2026www.theguardian.com/education/20...theguardian.comMI5 China alert will send chill through UK’s cash-strapped universitiesInstitutions have for years turned to China for funding opportunities but national security concerns are mounting 011
Reposted by Bill HallRobert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Will it actually make any difference if Democrats take control of Congress after the midterms? Historian and expert on authoritarianism Timothy Snyder shares his thoughts. 821486601
Reposted by Bill HallProf Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Latest US update, covering health, science and immigration youtu.be/CizHKNOvaMMyoutu.beSpotlight on health, science and immigration: 3 weeks in the USYouTube video by Professor Christina Pagel 05217
Reposted by Bill HallAdam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Andy Burnham has broken the taboo on prime ministers being open to the UK rejoining the EU. It's a really important moment for our country. The inescapable truth is that the UK cannot achieve decent growth and fund the public services the public demands without EU alignment. 63766163
Reposted by Bill HallPostcard From The Past @pastpostcard.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Sausages every where. 518819
Reposted by Bill HallRuss Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I know this sounds like a lefty saying "tax things, all the time," but nothing like AI has happened before. The societal change will be extreme, and we have to plan. And a single datacentre releases equivalent CO2 of 17000 flights to the USA, on a planet already boiling. 19910
Reposted by Bill HallRuss Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Just tax the compute. Datacentre? Cool. Fund your own power generation and water reservoirs, and then pay tax for every computational act your datacentre does. And we'll use the tax income to offset societal and job damage. Overnight, AI becomes something AI giants are desperate to restrict. 13502124
Reposted by Bill HallJames Ball @jamesrball.com · 30/09/2026At this point I would honestly prefer that the UK authorities said nothing on this than they kept dribbling out cryptic clues like it's a murder mystery evening. "What if I told you one of them rang 999 himself?" "We've bailed them, but it's still Iran, what might that mean?" Not. Helpful. 713817
Reposted by Bill HallThe Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 30/09/2026⚡️ Russia strikes Ukrainian power pylon with steel-cutting drone for 1st time, Zelensky's adviser says. The warhead was designed to destroy high-voltage pylons and steel bridges and contains a 40-kilogram main charge and four additional destructive modules, Serhii Beskrestnov said.kyivindependent.comRussia strikes Ukrainian power pylon with steel-cutting drone for 1st time, Zelensky's adviser saysThe warhead was designed to destroy high-voltage pylons and steel bridges and contains a 40-kilogram main charge and four additional destructive modules, Serhii Beskrestnov said. 717463
Reposted by Bill HallThe Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 30/09/2026As Russia deploys increasing numbers of jet-powered Shahed drones against Ukraine, European defense companies are racing to develop new systems that can intercept them at scale. But can Europe keep up with Russia’s rapidly changing drone technology?youtube.comIs Europe prepared for a drone war with Russia?YouTube video by Kyiv Independent 314033
Reposted by Bill HallPrem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Richest 1% of Britons owns more wealth than the bottom 70% of the population combined. 50 richest families hold more wealth than the poorest half of the population combined. The concentration of wealth in fewer hands has not provided the necessary economic stimulus. Need redistribution.leftfootforward.orgThis is how the Chancellor can increase the personal allowance and lift millions out of hardshipSustained economic growth can’t be achieved without a major boost to the purchasing power of the bottom 50% of the population 981877702
Reposted by Bill HallIan Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026A country that will not fix its mistakes is a country that has given up on the future. And Brexit was, it’s now clear, a terrible, terrible mistake inews.co.uk/opinion/brex... 501080318
Reposted by Bill HallCarl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 30/09/2026(FT) - Diesel prices will not return to normal for more than a year, according to US oil and gas executives surveyed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. @financialtimes.com $CRAK www.ft.com/content/0d74... 31391198
Reposted by Bill Hallflopiflo.bsky.social @flopiflo.bsky.social · 30/09/2026bsky.app/profile/us.t... 032
Reposted by Bill HallThe i Paper @theipaper.com · 30/09/2026EXCLUSIVE | Sadiq Khan has warned that foreign actors are using social media to spread “lies” about London and sow “division and discord”. Read more: trib.al/GJiCh08 055
Reposted by Bill HallThe Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 30/09/2026The Trump administration will end U.S. global health funding to Zimbabwe, including support for efforts to fight HIV and other infectious diseases, after the government in Harare rejected D.C.’s attempts to strike an “America First” foreign aid agreement.washingtonpost.comU.S. ends health aid to Zimbabwe after ‘America First’ deal is spurnedThe African nation refused to make an agreement with the Trump administration, which has sought to slash foreign assistance and impose new terms on recipients. 92921
Reposted by Bill HallThe Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 30/09/2026🇺🇸 US TRAVEL ASSOCIATION: “We’re the only major country in the world losing visitation. It’s mind-boggling.” The Trump effect. 🤷🏼 www.semafor.com/article/09/2... 97931351
Reposted by Bill HallFarrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 30/09/2026President Macron, "Welcome back" "If, indeed, the British want to return, and if the Prime Minister is moving in that direction, I think that is very good news both for his country and for Europeans." 14509124