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Ben Plouviez

@benplouviez.bsky.social
314 followers 595 following 453 posts

Retired and now tender of donkeys (2) and minder of cats (2) as well as reader of books (lots) and thinker of great thoughts (none really). Also maker of irritating jokes, so sorry (not sorry) about that. Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

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Reposted by Ben Plouviez
Ellen Murray @ellenfromnowon.co.uk · 27/09/2026
This demonstrates the complaints of your political enemies, committed Irish republicans, who say NI cannot move past this crap while it remains in the UK. More importantly for the unionist cause though, it turns the vast majority of the "undecided" against you. This road leads to Irish unity.
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BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
something has gone very, very wrong with the UK
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
AI systems need to be taught basic human values. If only there were a Professor of Ethics with time on his hands available to help.
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Reposted by Ben Plouviez
Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 14/09/2026
Your regular reminder: If the Russians stop fighting, the war ends. If the Ukrainians stop fighting, their land will be occupied, their leaders will be killed, their history and language will be erased, their children will be kidnapped to serve Russia.
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John Denham @jydenham.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I do find odd that we all apparently enjoy the right to enter a hotel uninvited, go to the guest floors, knock on the doors of complete strangers on the grounds that they are not white - and yet not commit any offence.
bbc.co.uk
Group entered hotel of Pakistan cricketers mistaken for migrants
Protesters congregated at a Portsmouth hotel after false rumours that a coach of migrants had arrived.
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
If the UK is serious about devolution, then newspapers need to bin the phrase “postcode lottery”. Devolution means services will vary in different places. But I don’t think UK politics is that kind of grown-up.
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Jaf @jaffne.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
So this woman is suing a tiny community centre for not letting her out of control, maybe-but-probably-not-assistance dog in. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... She is weaponising the threat of suing to run riot, it seems. www.reddit.com/r/SubredditD...
bbc.co.uk
Daughter of US actress sues Western Isles charity cafe over dog ban
Claire Kellerman, daughter of Sally Kellerman of M*A*S*H fame, has brought a case against a cafe in Great Bernera in the Outer Hebrides.
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Reposted by Ben Plouviez
Angelica Shalagina Official🇺🇦 @angel-shalagina.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
The world often asks Ukrainians to be patient. Patient for weapons. Patient for sanctions. Patient for decisions. Missiles, unfortunately, have never been particularly patient.
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I suppose Bigel has to defend the result of his spoonerisation. I mean, because his views are generally racist, not just because of wordplay.
thenational.scot
Scottish Tory peer writes essay defending use of N-word
A SCOTTISH Tory peer has spoken out in defence of using the N-word ...
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
And everyone else should read it too.
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Why does he appear to be playing air guitar?
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🏳️‍⚧️Contested Issue🏳️‍⚧️ @waslottie.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I think this is significant - they're now specifically highlighting *Christian* beliefs alongside transphobic ones. This is going to lead into pushing to get anti-abortion views protected in the NHS. We said it was coming. It's arrived.
A twitter post from transphobe group darlington nurses union reading "We and our lawyers have met with Chair of the @EHRC
 Mary-Ann Stephenson to raise our concerns relating to the implementation of the Supreme Court's ruling, NHS Trust policies, and the treatment of professionals holding Christian and gender-critical beliefs. 
"
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Donkey eclipsing the sun.
Grey donkey standing outside his stable looking into the camera. Behind him, in cloud, theee shines a weak sun.
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Partial ecl…cloud. #aberdeenshire
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Mark O’Neill 🐻 @radiobeartime.com · 12/08/2026
You are Prime Minister. You have a large majority. You can legislate to ban them. If he's this hopeless on disposable BBQs then anything more ambitious is doomed.
Speaking during a visit to Stevenage, Burnham said a disposable barbecue ban was something the government was "certainly going to consider"
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He said he understood why people might want to use the grills outside, but added: "We need to, in my view, have a situation where almost we just have a temporary ban on those things.
We're going to look at that issue today.
"I don't know whether we can persuade retailers to do that, but I do believe we need to get the message out loud and clear that people should not be using those barbecues outside at this moment in time.
"We do want people to take the greatest possible care when they are out in the countryside, both in terms of cigarettes, but also those temporary barbecues that we know are causing risk of fires."
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Those making this point overlook the reason why politics focuses on education rather than the economy, even though economic weakness is a problem that educational improvement doesn’t address. Politicians can (sort of) do something about education. They can’t (or won’t) do anything about the economy.
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Absolutely in favour of devolving powers to local councils — until local councils try to do something with those powers. Then it will be stopped.
theguardian.com
‘It is British life’: No 10 vows to stop councils trying to limit standing in pubs
Westminster council has recommended banning ‘vertical drinking’ or ordering at the bar in new draft licensing policy
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Reposted by Ben Plouviez
Victoria Rose Richards @aerialembroidery.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
'You'll choke too' - an aerial embroidery landscape inspired by all the wildfires happening right now... I'm upset every time I smell smoke outside and somehow we have people starting them maliciously too! But we all breathe the same air so they'll choke too (1/2 - see thread for close-ups)
An embroidery hoop containing a sewn landscape from above. It shows a forest on the right, a line of fire and charred ground with smoke on the left. The smoke is felted wool.
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Anyone in England want rain? We have LOTS to spare. (Buyer collects, obviously).
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Fortunately not a big enough story that English radio and TV have to learn to pronounce “Hawick”.
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
As a Brit, I’d never even thought to question the “[American] Civil War” name before. But it’s obvious when it’s pointed out: that name is deliberately misleading.
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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Between the 1970s and 1990s the UK state made a strategic bet to expand Higher Ed. They poured in untold billions of your money. Now it's been handed over to private creditors to burn in a furnace. Then they just laugh at you: at all the taxes you've ever paid or will ever pay. True story. (2/2)
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Ada Palmer @adapalmer.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Endometriosis takes nine years to diagnose. That’s about to change. NICE has approved two tests: a saliva test reading microRNA markers, and a gut-sensor test returning results in 45 minutes, sparing women the keyhole surgery currently needed. buff.ly/QX3jHk8 #ShareGoodNewsToo
buff.ly
Rapid endometriosis tests to be made available on NHS in England and Wales
Saliva and gut sensor-based tests hailed as ‘gamechanger’ for millions of women who can wait years for diagnosis
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Reposted by Ben Plouviez
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 30/07/2026
It is not “failing,” because the reason it exists is so Meta can say “look at all our efforts to eliminate harassment content.” Their so-called policy exists to insulate them from criticism. They have been doing this for as long as the company has been in existence. It’s chapter 1 in the playbook.
futurism.com
Meta's Attempted Crackdown on AI Glasses Perverts Is Already Failing
Creeps are continuing to film themselves harassing women with Meta smart glasses, racking up millions of views on Instagram.
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Mateusz Fafinski @calthalas.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Half the planet is having a massive fight about how to correctly interpret an Ancient Greek poem but go ahead, close some more humanities departments.
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Reposted by Ben Plouviez
Dr Han-kenstein 🖤🩶🤍💜🇵🇸 @tooriekep.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Somebody needs to bring Andy Burnham up to the Cairngorms to see the fire for himself, then ask him if he still thinks drilling for more oil is a good idea. I suppose he probably won't change his mind but worth a try surely?
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Interstellar @interstel1ar.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
In a rare moment of good news Andrew Tate and his brother have been arrested. HahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahahaHahahahahahahahahaha!
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Chris Bertram @crookedfootball.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Announcing new North Sea drilling and appointing Shabana Mahmood as Chancellor looks a sure way to stop voters from defecting Greenwards, doesn't it?
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Izzy Mant 🔹 @izzymant.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Side note, but how has 'conspiracy' come to mean 'thing that is provably false'?
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Jaf @jaffne.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Oh look, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon was fomenting hate that endangered innocent people and got it wrong, then didn't really apologise about it at all, just deleted what he said instead of apologising for the danger and fear he caused. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Tommy Robinson says he 'got it wrong' over Glasgow man falsely accused of filming children
UK-born Quoroum Beg was actually filming an anti-immigration demonstration which had earlier forced him and his children to leave a Glasgow park.
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Which reminds me of a question I have: Does the Telephone Preference Service actually serve any purpose any more? Or do all companies just ignore it?
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Cool, cool. Wordle 1,840 3/6 ⬜⬜🟨🟨⬜ 🟨🟩🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
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Pam Keith @pamkeithdc.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
SpaceX = white tech bro hype Nvidia = white tech bro hype Anthropic= white tech bro hype Crypto currencies = white tech bro hype Data Centers = white tech bro hype Tesla =white tech bro hype All of this nonsense is going to implode, and likely at the same time.
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Reposted by Ben Plouviez
Cholmondley Warner 🇪🇺🔶 @chumleyprelude.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
My only conclusion, is that the culture within the Home Office is utterly rotten and toxic - and whichever minister finds themselves there in post, can’t see past (and gets consumed by) what gets put in front of them.
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Dundee Botanic Gardens is important, not just for Dundee. The threat to close it is collateral damage from the University’s financial woes — there will be lots of similar losses across the UK just because governments have lost faith in universities but no strategy for what should happen to them.
c.org
Sign the Petition
Save Dundee Botanic Gardens and cafe
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Dubious. Wordle 1,835 4/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜🟨⬜🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Ridiculous game. Wordle 1,833 2/6 ⬜⬜🟨🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
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Andrew Sissons @acjsissons.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
If I were in government I'd be scoping an announcement to have solar, batteries and air conditioning (heating and cooling) in every school and hospital by 2030
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
The management of Nottingham NHS should obviously be in jail. And while I know that NHS reorganisations waste resources, the time has come to recognise that “NHS Trusts” have betrayed any trust they had, and should be abolished and replaced by civil servants quietly getting on with running things.
theguardian.com
Bodies in Nottingham NHS trust mortuary in state of ‘advanced deterioration’, inspectors say
Human Tissue Authority says bodies not transferred to freezer in time due to insufficient storage needs
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Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Rare red warning. Risk to life. Stay out of the sun. Avoid unnecessary exposure. Picture editor: "Counterpoint: Run the fun-on-the-beach shots?" We won't improve heat coverage until we stop illustrating public health emergencies with beach photos. www.independent.co.uk/weather/heat...
independent.co.uk
UK heatwave live: Rare red weather warning issued as Britain braces for 40C heat
Britons have been warned to stay out of the sun and to avoid exercising between 11am and 3pm
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Would be quite funny if, after all this, Burnham was like "OK sure I'll take Defra".
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John Bull @garius.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
i assume banning kids from social media will be accompanied by a huge investment in teen-friendly communtiy spaces (like youth clubs) and social activities? No? Huh.
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Sean Jones KC @seanjones.org · 10/06/2026
“Unacceptable” is a fine adjective when the medium rare steak steak you ordered is delivered well done. It doesn’t meet the occasion when you are referring to a pogrom.
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
There is nothing the British media loves better than a good riot. God, how they all revel in it.
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Trubs @trubshaw.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The PM and the government are not equal to this moment.
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Abilu Tangwa. @abilutangwa.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The horn of Africa is grieving because their -Their farms are no longer yielding -Advancement of desert is alarming -Our major rivers are drying -Proliferation of pest and pathogens -Development of tropical diseases. -Our crop are dieing out. Climate change is a reality.
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Change a book by removing the last letter of its title. Here were three that happened to come up together in That List: “Giovanni's Roo” “The Remains of the Da” and “In Search of Lost Tim” (The last is pleasingly pathetic).
Pictures of the relevant front covers from the Guardian Bookshop 100 Best Novels page. The title of one is genuinely truncated to “In Search of Lost Tim”.
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Ben Plouviez @benplouviez.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Isn’t it illegal to leave a child under 12 (or 14?) alone at home anyway? Or is that just received opinion? Politicians extending the Dangerous Dogs Act always brings a wry smile to the faces of older civil servants.
theguardian.com
XL bully owners face ban on leaving children under 12 alone with their dogs
New dangerous dogs law after spate of attacks in England and Wales could fine people or have their pet seized
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Professor Peter Matthews @urbaneprofessor.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
This is a rather lovely bit of nerdery 🤓🥰
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Mark O’Neill 🐻 @radiobeartime.com · 02/06/2026
Having slept on it I think my considered view on this utter hames is that, aside from Ed, every male Labour minister is a complete and utter idiot. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Mandelson files reveal a man for whom betrayal is a way of life | John Crace
The Prince of Darkness appears in his element bad-mouthing colleagues and allies behind their back
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