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Christine R

@chrisr49.bsky.social
142 followers 61 following 102 posts

Archaeology, local history, genealogy, environment and Scottish independence

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Reposted by Christine R
Lindsay @lindsayea.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Mason, always on the right
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Dan Snow @thehistoryguy.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
If you think a distinct sub category of human exists because some medieval warlords agreed that the border of England should be on the River Tweed, you are, Im afraid, an absolute maniac bsky.app/profile/theh...
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George Futers 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @wee-jordi.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
It doesn't meet the Yoonie narrative that Indy supporters are anti English, while many of the most vociferous Indy supporters are English. I know people who describe themselves as Scots Ghanaian, Scots Chinese, Scots Indian, Scots Poles, etc. Yet none of them consider themselves British
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Chasbell 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇪🇮🇹🇨🇦 @chasbell.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
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“Rebellious Scots” 😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺 @markrich68.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Different Nations, different values, on very different political journeys 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺😎
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Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 05/09/2026
How could an associate professor in divinity at Cambridge be expected to know that lying is bad? thecritic.co.uk/mone...
Ah yes, James Orr. A lot of us had been hazy about what it is exactly that associate professors in a divinity department do all day. It doesn’t seem to involve a lot of work: Orr is often to be seen at Reform events in London, which take up the whole morning even for those of us with offices down the road. Now we know he was also sipping cocktails while discussing ways in which wealthy foreigners might be able to get round the laws that ban them donating to the party.

The associate professor of divinity was filmed explaining to an undercover reporter that so long as everyone kept their mouths shut, there was no way that the authorities would ever find out. Orr spent four years as a postdoctoral fellow in theology, ethics and public life at Oxford, and it would be fascinating to know at what point he developed this theory of What the Electoral Commission Don’t Know Won’t Hurt Them. Perhaps he was off sick the day they opened the gospel of Luke: “What you have said in the dark will be h
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“Rebellious Scots” 😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺 @markrich68.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
🇬🇧 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 When Burnham talks about ‘the North’, he is talking about the South 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺😎
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BladeoftheSun @bladeofthes.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Always we have lies about immigration, here are some facts.
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Christine R @chrisr49.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Politics isn't working. It's time to call time on the broken culture in Westminster and have a fresh start with a fair voting system. Add your name to @electoralreform.bsky.social‬'s call to #MakeSeatsMatchVotes action.electoral-reform.org.uk/page/3782/pe...
action.electoral-reform.org.uk
First Past the Post means millions of our votes make no difference to parliament. Add your name now to demand a fairer voting system
It only takes 30 seconds
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Anti-Reform @antireform.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
"The oldest tabloid trick: Take one incident, yell “migrant”, and make everyone think only migrants commit crime. Facts tell a different story: "Sensationalist headlines spread like wildfire — but hard evidence gets ignored ... it’s deliberate scapegoating to divide us." via Refugee Rock the Boat
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Petra Michaela @petramichaela.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Everything on this earth is borrowed. There is no "mine" or "yours." There is only "ours." Even time is borrowed. People kill over a piece of land that belongs only to Mother Earth. All you have is what you came with... and what you will leave with: your spirit. -Native American Proverb-
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BladeoftheSun @bladeofthes.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
You spend millions every year so well paid MP's and Lord's can get subsidised alcohol at work. There are 27 alcohol serving taxpayer subsidised bars and restaurants in the UK. ALL of them in Westminster. It's time to make it 0. Like/RT if you agree.
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Christine R @chrisr49.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Too often, outsourcing comes at the expense of our services and the workers who keep them going. If you want public services to work for people, not just profit, sign the Record of Support for Labour’s insourcing pledge. www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/of...
megaphone.org.uk
Official Record of Support: Back the Biggest Wave of Insourcing in a Generation
Outsourcing companies frequently compete to win public contracts by reducing costs: it's a race to the bottom on the pay, terms, and conditions for their workers. This has a knock-on effect for servic...
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“Rebellious Scots” 😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺 @markrich68.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🍀 🇮🇪 🇵🇸 🇱🇧
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Anti-Reform @antireform.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
"I was ...." via Karl Robins
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Christine R @chrisr49.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Private Eye latest edition.
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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
I’m not sure why we still have a monarch. It seems like a medieval anachronism to me; a demonstration of inherited status and the the pinnacle of an entrenched aristocracy. And I’m really not sure why our monarch has gone to the US to stand next to another man with too much power, land and money.
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I did NOT vote for the rapist @sarahgies.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
The coolest thing about solar energy is that you don't need to invade
another country to go get it.
GREENPEACE
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Paul Lewis @paullewismoney.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
CORRECTED Man in charge of getting Brexit done now says we should get it undone as do Times readers - so far in a small sample. Why not cast your vote? bit.ly/4sOfs2B
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Patrick Harvie @patrickharvie.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Sharing this again, as the first postal votes are dropping through letterboxes. Don't fall for the fashy fake greens - look for the logo and vote for the real @scottishgreens.org to demand better for Scotland!
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“Rebellious Scots” 😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺 @markrich68.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
A gentle reminder of how utterly irrelevant Scotland’s ‘voice’ is within the uk🇬🇧 Despite all 32 Regions in Scotland voting to massively reject England’s Tory brexit, the entire vote of the people of Scotland was cancelled out by just ONE brexity English Region🇬🇧 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Are you YES yet ? 🇪🇺
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New Scots for Independence @newscots4indy.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
‘Leaving the island later on his private plane’, yep, that’s reform, representing ‘working people’. 🤔
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Patrick Harvie @patrickharvie.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
In the first big leaders' debate of the election, @ross-greer.bsky.social spoke up strongly for a welcoming Scotland and against the racism of the far right. And most of the audience agreed - rejecting Reform's lies and dogwhistles.
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Nuzie @nuzie.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
I woke at 5am this morning, distressed about the dangers to children lives as a result of 🇮🇱's new death penalty law. Had to write down my thoughts and fears. 🙏🏼 To @bellacaledonia.bsky.social for publishing so urgently. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Has a responsibility to uphold #childrensrights not just here but everywhere 📢
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Another triumph for deregulation! By saving a few million in monitoring and enforcement, our governments have landed us with a vast illegal waste dumping problem, new organised crime networks and a clean-up bill that could run to tens of billions. My column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Say hello to the UK’s most successful growth industry: organised waste crime | George Monbiot
Thanks to a sustained ideological assault on regulation, our country has been turned into a literal dump, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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“Rebellious Scots” 😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺 @markrich68.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
🇬🇧 As far as the british parties are concerned, a Scotland that “cannae, isnae, wouldnae, couldnae, shouldnae” is a Scotland that will be forever chained to their union british parties no longer simply put the interests of London & SE England first, they now make Scotland fail 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Are you YES yet ? 🇪🇺
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“Rebellious Scots” 😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺 @markrich68.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
🇬🇧 The british parties are now purposely making Scotland fail, as they see a Scotland that “cannae, isnae, wouldnae, couldnae, shouldnae” as a Scotland that is chained to their union 🇬🇧 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Are you YES yet ? 🇪🇺
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weegingerdug @weegingerdug.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
My latest blog piece, the implosion of Reform's Scottish campaign and their history of under-performing in real elections compared to polling is a good sign for the Holyrood election in 6 weeks. Reform is likely to do worse than current polling suggests. weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/03/26/t...
weegingerdug.wordpress.com
The rapid implosion of Reform’s Scottish campaign
As the saying goes, you’d need a heart of stone not to laugh. Within just a few days of Reform UK launching its Scottish election campaign to much fanfare and racist ‘jokes’ about…
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“Rebellious Scots” 😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺 @markrich68.bsky.social · 22/03/2026
🇬🇧 “SNP Bad / Scotland Bad / Independence Bad..etc” 🇬🇧 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Are you YES yet ? 🇪🇺
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“Rebellious Scots” 😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺 @markrich68.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺😎
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AnneMc #FBPE 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇦🩵 @boof64.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Reform UK really do inspire community action in the most unexpected ways.
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
This is appalling. The Home Office rejected an appeal from the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, that would have protected outstanding students in some of the world’s most dangerous countries from changes to the UK’s immigration system www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Home Office refuses to exempt exceptional students from tough immigration rules
Exclusive: Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper concerned about student visa ban on female Chevening scholars from volatile countries such as Afghanistan
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“Rebellious Scots” 😎🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺 @markrich68.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
🇬🇧 As usual, uk westminster acting in the interests of others, against the best interests of the people of Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The only way to get what’s best for Scotland, is to be able to elect fully empowered, independent, Scottish Governments, who WILL put Scotland’s interests first 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Are you YES yet ?
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Gavin Esler @gavinesler.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Surely now we have to recognise that the “two party” system of government and opposition, Labour and Conservative, is dead and needs to be buried?
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Auschwitz Memorial @auschwitzmemorial.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers. This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder. Auschwitz took time.
A bird's-eye view of a former Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp showing a wide dirt pathway flanked by parallel rows of barbed-wire fences. Groups of visitors walk along the path, surrounded by the remnants of brick structures and barracks, now reduced to foundations. Green grass contrasts with the somber history of the site, as the path leads toward a guard tower in the distance.
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James FBSI 🐸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇵🇸🇺🇦🇨🇦🇪🇺 (Fanatic) @toplandscaper.eurosky.social · 28/01/2026
I really don't understand how white supremacists cannot know that the human race evolved in Africa and slowly spread around the world We evolved from black ppl White people evolved around 8000 years ago www.ancient-origins.net/news-evoluti...
ancient-origins.net
White Skin Developed in Europe Only As Recently as 8,000 Years Ago Say Anthropologists | Ancient Origins
The myriad of skin tones and eye colors that humans express around the world are interesting and wonderful in their v
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Ross Greer (he/him) @ross-greer.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
It very much looks like the US Government has just abducted two people from Scotland hours after our Court of Session ordered that they not be removed. The US is a rogue state. It's time to evict their troops from their de-facto base at (publicly owned) Prestwick airport.
bbc.co.uk
US remove tanker captain from UK waters as crew set to leave Scotland
The US Department of Justice told Scottish authorities that the skipper and his first officer were on board the US Coast Guard vessel Munro.
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elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
The UK version of “Project 2025” by the Reform party includes a British ICE, a concentration camp for 24,000 people, mass surveillance and withdrawing from refugee, anti-torture and anti-trafficking conventions. It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
The Legislation
Upon winning a general election, a Reform government under Prime Minister Nigel Farage will:
1) Leave the ECHR
2.) Repeal the Human Rights Act and replace it with a British Bill of Rights.
3.) Pass The Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill:
This Bill will:
Create a legal duty to remove illegal migrants for the Home Secretary
The Bill opens with a blunt obligation for the Home Secretary: "The Secretary of State shall ensure the removal from the United Kingdom of each person who does not have extant leave to remain and is not an Irish citizen or otherwise protected by regulations made under this Act."
The following parts of the legislation are introduced on an emergency basis, with an in-built sunset clause after 5 years:
Disapply the 1951 Refugee Convention, the UN Convention Against Torture, the Council of Europe Anti-Trafficking Convention (ECAT)
Derogation is justified under the Vienna Convention doctrine of state of necessity: Britain faces a national emergency in which uncontrolled illegal migration undermines public order.
These treaties will otherwise be used by activist judges to frustrate deportations, even after the repeals of the HRA and ECHR.
Create Detention Power Without Hardial Singh Constraints
This means illegal migrants can be detained until they are deported. Activist lawyers routinely use Hardial Singh to secure their client's bail, after which the client absconds.
If you came to the UK illegally, you are ineligible for asylum. End of story
All asylum claims will become inadmissible if made by a person within the Act's scope. If you came to the country illegally, you are ineligible for asylum in the UK. This strips the Home Office, the immigration tribunals and the higher courts of jurisdiction to even consider claims. A claim that cannot be considered cannot suspend removal and therefore, cannot delay a flight.
Re-entering after deportation and destroying ID becomes a serious criminal offence
Re-entry after deportation will be…The Operational Plan
We will create an enforcement unit called UK Deportation Command, including an Illegal Migrant Identification Centre - harnessing cutting edge data fusion
A Reform government will create a cutting edge enforcement data centre to relentlessly identify and detain all illegal migrants in the UK. Using powers granted by the new legislation, it will automatically share data between the Home Office, NHS, HMRC, DVLA, banks and the police. It will power bulk warrants, including mandatory biometric capture during any police encounter. Each power addresses a failure mode observed over the past decade - for example, banks and GP surgeries unaware of a customer's status, or overstayers slipping through because a warrant covered only a single property.
Secure Immigration Removal Centres (SIRC) will be built rapidly to detain up to 24,000
Detention capacity for up to 24,000 will be created within 18 months. The Home Office will build Secure Immigration Removal Centres. This will be modular accommodation built in remote parts of the country. Conditions are basic but not punitive: prefabricated two-person rooms, canteen catering, on-site medical suites. Robust perimeters and internal movement controls prevent escapes.
This enables detention-on-arrest: no more bail. This capacity would allow for up to 24,000 illegal migrants to be deported per month.
Initial Voluntary Return Window
A six-month Assisted Voluntary Return window precedes large-scale raids. Illegal migrants will be offered a financial incentive to self-deport. An app will be launched to facilitate this.
The Deportation Flights
The Home Office will scale up charters to 5 flights per day. To guard against last-minute aircraft unserviceability, the RAF will keep one Voyager aircraft on six-hour 'hot-spare' readiness. If a commercial charter breaks down, detainees can still be flown out that night, preserving operational integrity. The legal reset will mean activist lawyers will no longer be able preven…
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Gavin Esler @gavinesler.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
What presidential leadership looks like:
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Dr Bendor Grosvenor FRHistS @bendorgrosvenor.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
There seems to be an inverse correlation between the amount of time someone holds one of the great offices of state and their brazen lack of shame afterwards.
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Adil Ray @adilray.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Nadim Zahawi arrived in the UK from Iraq as a child refugee. His family claimed asylum once they were here. Today he has joined Reform who will stop all in country asylum applications. Under his new party, his own family fleeing persecution would be immediately deported.
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Dr Bendor Grosvenor FRHistS @bendorgrosvenor.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
‘So halllow’d, and so gracious is the time.’ Have a fine evening everyone, and a happy Christmas morning when it comes.
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The Fake History Hunter @fakehistoryhunter.net · 25/12/2025
Sometimes all the wisdom and truth in the world can be found on the side of an 18th century Wedgwood teapot; Health to the sick Honour to the brave Success to the lover And freedom to the slave Sharing this one again because it's awesome, someone should start reproducing these.
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The Fake History Hunter @fakehistoryhunter.net · 16/12/2025
'Tis the season to listen to George Bailey.
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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque: "This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
Bronze plaque saying "A Letter to the Future. Ok is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier. In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it.  August 2019. 415ppm CO2"
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Steve Jary @unionsteve.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
I see #bbcqt is platforming Reform Ltd again. With a Tory defector. And a Tory MP. No Lib Dem, despite them having more MPs in Scotland than the Tories. Reform have precisely none. #bbcbias
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
This is a really appalling editorial error on BBC Question Time "Apparently one in three children don't speak English as a first language, why does this matter?" Chair says "have English as a second language" Caption changes the meaning entirely "Don't speak fluent English"
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