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Ben casper

@beldaz78.bsky.social
123 followers 737 following 212 posts

Social work. Progressive. Pragmatic.

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Reposted by Ben casper
Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
🔴 For the past year @lucasamin.bsky.social and I have been investigating Palantir in the UK What we found was a company with unrivalled political access, selling a product many data experts in the NHS don’t use, and don’t rate Please read and share democracyforsale.substack.com/p/its-just-a...
democracyforsale.substack.com
"It's just a waste of time": inside Palantir's £330m NHS failure
Our new investigation reveals the problems with Palantir’s NHS tech - and the unrivalled political access that fuelled the firm’s march into the British state
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The New World @thenewworldmag.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Our next edition is on sale 🗞️ The unravelling of Nigel Farage Featuring @jamesrball.com, Lucy Reade, @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social, @paulmason.bsky.social and more Subscribe: buff.ly/1wNQMSb
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Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
EXC - The £5m gift to Nigel Farage by a cryptocurrency billionaire was reported to the National Crime Agency by bankers who were concerned it may have been laundered money, the Guardian can reveal. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Revealed: Farage’s £5m gift reported to UK crime agency over money laundering concerns
Exclusive: Latest Guardian revelation about gift from cryptocurrency tycoon comes as Reform UK leader forces byelection
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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
And there it is… www.desmog.com/2026/04/30/r...
desmog.com
Revealed: Reform’s £24 Million from Fossil Fuel Interests
Reform UK has received £24 million from oil and gas interests, accounting for more than two thirds of its total income, DeSmog can reveal. Led by Nigel Farage, the party is calling for new North Sea o...
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
The Government Estate Nature Plan has been published – revealing the first official map of all central government land, and that 37% of the public estate is being protected & managed for nature (thereby counting towards the 30by30 goal). Thread 1/ assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a3ce5...
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
One of the lessons of the last two years is that Labour urgently needs to stop being afraid of its own shadow. Burnham should appoint whoever he thinks would be the best Chancellor and throw his authority behind them. The Daily Mail will try to kill them anyway. So just govern.
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TheNewDomShow @thenewdomshow.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
"Tell Jabba I'll get him his money..."
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
‘Horseshit’: I gave my verdict to Sky News on the Great Dartmoor Pony Cull Conspiracy of 2026 - a conspiracy theory grounded in nonsense, that’s festered on Musk’s hellsite & been supercharged today by the Tories - to distract from the fact nature on Dartmoor is dying: news.sky.com/story/horseh...
news.sky.com
'Horsehs*t': Campaigners and government reject rumours of forced Dartmoor pony 'cull'
Natural England has ordered a 75% cut to livestock numbers on Dartmoor in a bid to tackle overgrazing. A group that represents livestock owners warns it will mean a dramatic reduction in the number of...
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Helene von Bismarck @helenebismarck.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
This is a huge story. www.ft.com/content/dd79...
ft.com
Arson targeting Keir Starmer properties originated in Russia
Handler was affiliated with a pro-Kremlin hacktivist group
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Arthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
No Toby Young, you were not too right wing for MI6. You were too shit. These things can be related, but in your case they were entirely separate. spectator.com/article/was-...
spectator.com
Was I too right-wing for MI6?
Like many people, I’ve been bemoaning the woke capture of our security services for some time. In 2024, Sir Richard Moore, then the head of MI6, resigned from the Garrick Club during the row over the ...
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Ben casper @beldaz78.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Another fantastic episode. I spend a lot of time thinking about the best way to hold big conversations we can all take part in, and promote the role of your "ordinary" person in our politics. BBQT clearly not the venue. Televised versions of citizens assemblies?
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Ben casper @beldaz78.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Absolutely this. Listened to much analysis this week, but not much of it includes this level of information.
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Max Wilkinson MP @maxwilkinson.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
It was kind of Robert Jenrick to set me up for an obvious joke at his expense.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
If he’s not careful, we’ll all be annoyed with Zack from now if his ego has now become too big to work collaboratively in everyone’s best interests. He can’t win a general election but he could help define a progressive majority in parliament which is worth far more to us than petty point scoring.
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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
I see Simon Heffer, in Michael Gove's Spectator, is once again repeating his lie that Enoch Powell's Rivers of Blood speech wasn't about race.. I debated Heffer recently (at the Oxford Litfest) - here's what I said. archive.ph/bqKZF
So, that’s the economics. But let me address the topic directly.  No doubt Simon Heffer will argue that, like his hero Enoch Powell, he is raising “legitimate concerns”.    Simon has written that Powell’s predictions were remarkably accurate, and that those who, like me, describe him and his acolytes as racist are deliberately lying. He has also said that Powell’s famous Rivers of Blood speech should be taught in schools, since it is so rarely quoted accurately. So I will quote it accurately

“Eight years ago in a respectable street in Wolverhampton a house was sold to a Negro. Now only one white (a woman old-age pensioner) lives there. This is her story.    When she goes to the shops, she is followed by children, charming, wide-grinning piccaninnies. They cannot speak English, but one word they know. “Racialist,” they chant. When the new Race Relations Bill is passed, this woman is convinced she will go to prison. And is she so wrong?”
So 3 points here. 
First, none of Powell’s classical allusions later in the speech can conceal the gutter-level racism here. And let’s not hear any crap about “everyone spoke like that then”. No they didn’t which is why mainstream politicians of both parties instantly recognised the speech as unacceptable racism
Second, Powell is obviously lying.  “They cannot speak English”? Seriously? Black kids whose parents were from the Carribbean?  
Third, and most important, this gives the lie to Simon’s repeated claims the speech isn’t about race or racist. The direct target of the speech is the Race Relations Bill. This was not about immigration, obviously; it made it illegal to discriminate on grounds of race in employment or housing.
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fravery.bsky.social @fravery.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
William Hawkins (1895-1990) American Artist
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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Worn down if I'm honest. Constant drumbeat of 'Nigel is right', the view you get now that he's gone too 'soft'. 'No Labour MPs' sign at the pub down the road. Constant pictures of chainmail knights 'turning back the boats' as if they're dragons. Overt deportation talk for the first time in my life.
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Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
BREAKING - Parliamentary Standards Commissioner will launch an investigation into Farage's £5m donation.
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LabourList @labourlist.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
🔴 Daniel Green's tracker for LabourList provides the current verdict from Labour MPs on their support for the Prime Minister. 👍️ Backing PM: 156 👎️ Calling for PM to resign/set out a timetable: 92 ❓️ Unknown/yet to announce: 155 labourlist.org/2026/05/labo...
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Ben casper @beldaz78.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Another great episode. Andrew also reflects some of my own feelings in trying to understand both sides more deeply, in that it has become quite polarised. What I also feel is missing are examples of how the legislation will work in real life, the benefits, and risks.
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Ben casper @beldaz78.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
youtu.be/to4z3CbkhuI?...
youtu.be
Labour’s UNCENSORED Broadcast: what Reform didn’t want you to see
YouTube video by Labour Party
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Ursula von der Leyen @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu · 23/04/2026
We had an excellent meeting with President Zelenskyy in Cyprus today. Ukraine's brave resistance against Russia is unwavering. So is Europe's support. In light of Ukraine's sustained reform effort, accession talks should start without delay. Our joint statement ↓ link.europa.eu/8VNVwT
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Mail is running a poll on whether the UK should rejoin the EU. Takes seconds to vote and it's going hilariously well... www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
Yes is winning on 58%
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 12/04/2026
i hope the white house sends vance to campaign for Reform in britain
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Sarah Owen MP @sarahowen.org.uk · 08/04/2026
“We call upon all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon.” A key and important sentence in a welcome joint statement from our government, European countries, Canada and Japan.
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Think that just as with computing, AI will change the economy, will change what is on school curriculums, will change what and how teachers do administrative tasks…but in terms of best practice in classroom teaching, not that much.
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Duncan Hothersall @dhothersall.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Diplomacy is generally not conducted in public. I hope the "Why isn't Starmer doing anything?" contingent can try to understand that. It is easy for those without power or responsibility to make great public pronouncements at times like these. In general they mean nothing and they achieve nothing.
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Labour Hub @labour-hub.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Benefit changes come in today – and it’s bad news for many! The good news is the ending of the two-child benefit cap. The less good news is that a frozen benefit cap means that many will lose half of what they stand to gain. Frozen Local Housing Allowance is also going to negatively impact…
labourhub.org.uk
Benefit changes come in today – and it’s bad news for many!
The good news is the ending of the two-child benefit cap. The less good news is that a frozen benefit cap means that many will lose half of what they stand to gain. Frozen Local Housing Allowance is also going to negatively impact renters. But the really bad news is massive cuts facing new disabled claimants, which will affect hundred of thousands of people. Add to that a rise in the pension age, and there is little sign that these changes will help ordinary people who are already facing an intensifying cost of living crisis.
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Ben casper @beldaz78.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Another fantastic episode. A useful place to step back from the heat and consider the wider, deeper implications of Mandelson's actions, as well as the systems that continue to exist.
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Jack Blackburn @hackblackburn.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
I love Stephen. The face of a doomed WW1 officer and the wardrobe of John Travolta. #thetraitors
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Mark Carney's speech really is terrific: full text is here and very much worth your time.
paulwells.substack.com
The Carney doctrine
Open comment thread on the PM's Davos speech
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Liz Jarvis MP @lizjarvis.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
No surprise to learn X is still permitting users to post these images generated by Grok despite claiming it had taken action. Enough is enough. @ofcom.bsky.social MUST use its powers to shut this down www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
X still allowing users to post sexualised images generated by Grok AI tool
Despite restrictions announced this week, Guardian reporters find standalone app continues to allow posting of nonconsensual content
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Plaid Cymru and the Greens are surging in Wales, according to this latest poll. Where’s the media narrative around this? Where are the stories saying Farage is failing? When will Labour try to regain ground by appealing to Plaid & Green voters, not just copy Reform? www.itv.com/news/wales/2...
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 29/12/2025
The Conservative Party is simultaneously arguing people shouldn’t be jailed for social media posts directly calling for violence, but also that people’s citizenship should be revoked over social media posts they don’t like. Make it make sense.
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
Good interview in the paper, this. I think Sadiq is right: London 'needs' to be less successful than it is for a bunch of political arguments here in the UK to work, hence the fictions being invented about it:
ft.com
Populists attack London because it is ‘progressive and successful’, says Sadiq Khan
Rightwing attacks on one of the world’s most visited cities at odds with reality, says mayor
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Joelle Grogan @joellegrogan.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
It's important to talk about #humanrights as they affect all of us. But most important in any debate on reform or #ECHR withdrawal is to have the evidence first. Out today: a report examining the evidence for 10 reasons to stay in the ECHR from Oxford University's Bonavero Institute.
law.ox.ac.uk
Examining 10 reasons to stay in the European
From Litigation to Implementation: Framing Smart Remedies in Rights based Climate LitigationThe
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 03/12/2025
“Put bluntly, net migration fell because 400,000 fewer foreigners arrived, and 200,000 more foreigners left the UK. This is precisely what Reform, the Mail, and the new, nastier Tory Party have claimed – again and again – they wanted to happen. And now that it has, they have ignored it entirely.”
thenewworld.co.uk
The crazy right will never be satisfied about migration
Keir Starmer slashed net migration as the Mail and Farage demanded - and still got hammered for it
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
Let communities own rivers, woods & moors! Excellent to see @simonforstroud.bsky.social has tabled amendments 107 & 108 to the Devolution Bill to strengthen Community Right to Buy laws in this way. We need more Labour MPs to support this - email yours: www.reclaimourmoors.uk/write-to-you... 1/
Image of countryside with words reading: 'Let communities own rivers, woods & moors. Write to your MP about the upcoming Community Right to Buy laws'
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Liam Thorp @liamthorp.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
The UK, where the day after a decision to take half a million children out of poverty, the media & political world has been full of sneering at those same children & their families, labelling them as ‘Benefits Street’, while the same people are moaning about a tax on £2m mansions. Shameful stuff.
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Phil Tinline @philtinline.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Since Labour won power, an insidious little phrase has been popping up constantly in the media: "tax raid". So I looked into this for @thenewworldmag.bsky.social And it turns out it once meant something completely different. www.thenewworld.co.uk/phil-tinline...
thenewworld.co.uk
Why the right wing media keeps screaming ‘tax raid’
This isn’t journalism, it’s propaganda that reframes tax policy as assault and a democratically elected Labour government as thieves
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FrancesCrook@bsky.social @francescrook.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
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Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Well done, Caerphilly! In the end, @lsrplaid.bsky.social was closer to the mark on high turnout than @willhaycardiff.bsky.social. It foiled RefUK bc the tactical consolidation behind Plaid was so decisive. This is a blueprint of what progressive must do everywhere. Read the form. Back one horse.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
Ever since I finished Question Time, Reform have massively been on the attack. Including a rant from Richard Tice entirely designed to distract from Reform and Russia. Everyone should know about Nathan Gill, the bribes from Russia and the link to Reform.
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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Lords Heseltine & Kinnock seem more alive to these self-evident truths than most members of the Commons. Similarly, I find thinkers with direct lived experience of far right dictatorship, Greeks of a certain age for example, crystal clear about what’s happening now.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
The Bishop of Birmingham has written to the Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick about his comments about Handsworth
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Ben casper @beldaz78.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
theguardian.com
Gary Neville says he took down union flag being ‘used in a negative fashion’
Footballer turned developer questions spate of flag raisings and says ‘we’re all being turned on each other’
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Zarah Sultana MP @zarahsultana.bsky.social · 03/10/2025
You’re a racist, a criminal and a sexist thug. You pretend to “protect women” while spewing misogyny. We won’t let you or any fascist divide our communities. An attack on one is an attack on all. We won’t allow your politics of hate to win.
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
In addition, I think also: politics is about argument! When I say 'the free movement of services, goods, capital and people is good for growth', I am not saying it because it is popular, but because it is true. It is in fact racist to say that mixed-race people should be deported!
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