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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 8h

“If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear”, and all that nonsense…

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I’ve been saying this for some time - the worst thing about our current system, of politics funded by private money - is not the actual influence for cash (real as that can be) but the belief that it is always there. It undermines our democracy. buff.ly/RaMi53H

buff.ly

Labour donor calls for private funding ban for political parties after Reform row

The UK has a ‘public trust problem’ exacerbated by a parliamentary system where parties are ‘funded by wealthy private interests’, a new report has said

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Daniel Sugarman @danielsugarman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Although it feels like I am shouting into the void about this sometimes, I want to share some further thoughts on the “Zionism is Racism” motion which the Green Party is due to debate in the next 16 hours. Just to address various points which I think people in general should know. A thread:

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Brandon Sheffield @brandon.insertcredit.com · 01/10/2026

Several weeks ago, Phil Tippett's legendary animation studio in Berkeley, CA closed. An anonymous hero noticed a folder of CDs. This turned out to be hundreds of unseen hi-res images and videos from Star Wars, Robocop, Jurassic Park, etc. ~90 isos for you to browse: archive.org/details/tipp...

A casual Star Wars alien fella at the cantina, in a sun faded, reddish photo. Someone will be mad at me for not knowing who this is.

Phil, a balding Caucasian man, poses a model of the garthok, an antagonist from the Coneheads movie.

Phil, a balding caucasian man, points at some CG on a CRT computer monitor, as a younger man looks on. The screen shows a model of a dinosaur attacking a jeep, while there's an actual physical model of that event in the foreground for reference.

an isolated shot of a star wars vehicle. Sorry, I don't know star wars lol

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ae @aelkus.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

i broadly agree with the thesis, but not the way that WBF argued it

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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Declassified journalists banned from Labour conference – again. A Trumpian policy started by Keir Starmer. Burnham can't make a fresh start without getting rid of the previous advisers. Democracy means accepting scrutiny, even when it is uncomfortable.

declassifieduk.org

Declassified journalists banned from Labour conference - again

Labour MPs have condemned the ‘Trump-like’ decision, saying party is ‘bang out of order’

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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Around 40% of the world's dirty money, proceeds of corruption and crime, is laundered through the UK, its Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories. Successive govts promise new laws and enforcement but they make little impact. Why do govts continue to fail? Watch the Minister's reply.

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

According to GB News, democracy (the pinnacle of which was the Brexit referendum, of course) can only work by banning the people from voting. Bizarre and mad, and yet utterly unsurprising!

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

He spoke the words, but didn’t act like it. When he came in, there was plenty of literal crimes of Trump 1 to go after, but it was all “let’s move on”. There was an insurrection and they got away with it! What do you think the lesson they took from that was? Whatever you do, you can’t have impunity!

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Alex Hall Hall @alexhh.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Wey hey!! Two cheers. Hurrah! I’m almost, but not, quite, mildly excited that something might not be ruled out in a few years time. Way to go, Andy. Bold, bravely ambivalent, solidly ambiguous, resolutely vague leadership, at last. 🙄🙄🙄 www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.com

Andy Burnham does not rule out Brexit reversal being in next Labour manifesto

PM says immediate focus is on rebuilding bridges with EU as he prepares for first meeting with Ursula von der Leyen

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Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 16/09/2026

ELECTRIFICATION: Really striking chart showing that three-quarters of final energy demand can now be electrified "economically" (ie at lower lifetime cost) – and 90% electrification is technically possible From the latest @ember-energy.org slidedeck by @kingsmillbond.bsky.social and colleagues

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Is there a video? It is impossible to know from this reporting whether this was jesting in good spirit or vicious. If you saw just the transcript, you would think my friends and I are mortal enemies, whereas if you were in the room you would laugh along and see that’s it’s a bonding ritual!

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Richard J @preachypreach.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

quite something this paragraph.

After meeting with delegates from the two sides in South Florida, Kushner and Witkoff emerged with a peace plan that would have required Ukraine to accept nearly all of Russia’s demands: ceding territory, promising never to join NATO, and drastically shrinking its army. Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, hailed the proposal as “a good plan for both Russia and Ukraine.” But, when the plan became public, it collapsed under a wave of outrage. Even Rubio reportedly derided it as “Russia’s wish list.”
Some observers suspect that Russia has effectively offered the Americans business deals in exchange for a favorable peace agreement. “This is the generally held view,” the former U.S. official in the region told me. A classified report produced by a European intelligence agency states that Trump and people around him have discussed several potential contracts in Russia. The report is not dated, but the European official who gave it to me said that the details were first discussed sometime after Trump invited Putin to Anchorage, in August, 2025. Twice that year, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, was allowed to enter the U.S., where he talked about investment opportunities. “The privatization of American foreign policy is quite far along,” the official who gave me the report said. (A spokesman for Kushner denied that U.S. officials would profit from the deals under discussion.)
The document lists ten potential ventures, which it says appear to “have been originally designed by the Kremlin’s political and business elites.” They include reopening the Nord Stream 2 pipeline under American control, resuming ExxonMobil’s operations in Sakhalin, and drilling for oil in the Sea of Okhotsk. According to the report, there was discussion of unfreezing Russian assets that are held under American sanctions. The document mentions people who might participate, including Trump, Witkoff, and Kushner. It also names Richard Grenell, the former Presidential en…

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Jack Bailey @jack-bailey.co.uk · 14/09/2026

Picked up a copy of "Hyperpolitics" on a whim after seeing it promoted all over the place and I can only conclude that Verso have an amazing marketing department because there's not much substance here and the evidence base is weak.

A copy of the book "Hyperpolitics" by Anton Jäger on a pub table next to a pint of lager.

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Exactly. An existence of a meaningful "spelling bee"-type competition is an indictment of sorts on the language in question. My dyslexic daughter writes reasonably well phonetically! Apart from it being difficult to change at this point, I'm not sure what purpose this is supposed to serve...

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Strait and ot would work (just removing gh from ought would give us out, which wouldn’t work), although the former might cause a tiny bit of confusion initially due the clash.

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Hassinator @hassinator.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

a great letter in the times today. perhaps worth sharing in these troubled times. #RNLI #heroes

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Yes, all the time. I think it mirrors whatever you use in prompts. You can always tell it to use American English if that’s what you want.

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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Trump announced 17 MONTHS AGO that everyone was going to get $5,000 checks because of DOGE cuts. You got $0.

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Amnesty International UK @amnestyuk.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

150+ organisations are raising the alarm on the horrifying escalation in racist violence and intimidation. We must come together to demand the government takes serious action.

Racial violence is escalating. 150+ organisations have RAISED the alarm and demand the government acts.

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Chris Hutchings #ChoirsForClimate @hutchingsmusic.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

If someone looking to become chief economist of the IMF *hadn't* made any critical remarks about the Trump admin's economic policies, they shouldn't be allowed to become chief economist of the IMF.

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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

This, by www.warringfictions.net is a must-read. On why Keir Starmer's brand of centrism bombed and how Burnham, by remaining in the liberal bloc but also staying within the ‘zone of sensibleness’ and foregrounding economic fairness, might avoid the same fate.

parables.substack.com

What went wrong? (Part 2)

The Dead Centre

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Quantian @quantian.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Dancing very very VERY close to saying “OpenAI stole our almost-complete proof of Navier-Stokes from internal access to our ChatGPT sessions because they were desperate to scoop Anthropic” which is absolutely 100% a believable thing OpenAI would do right now cims.nyu.edu/~tristanb/st...

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Yes, shocking! Nobody could've seen this one coming given his long history of strong principles and standing up for his values against all odds... 😜 Such a shame for the country though, as this felt like the last throw of the dice. There is no redemption if people that could fight refuse to fight!

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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Contractual obligation post I have a book coming out about why your dog is such a weirdo. It has words and pictures. People seem keen. You can read an excerpt and order the ebook. The hardback is coming on 14 Sept. Done. Have a nice weekend russelljonesauthor.com/wolf-excerpt...

russelljonesauthor.com

The Wolf That Chews Rocks — excerpt

An excerpt from The Wolf That Chews Rocks by Russell Jones.

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

"We just don't have British resident donors, British entities, that would support us. That's the grim reality" "There are a lot of people in your position who, for completely understandable reasons, can't declare ... the reality is we can easily get away with it ... [Le Carre]" - James Orr 10m40s

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Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Just copy & share everywhere please. Absolutely thumping.

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

The summary for lazy readers: always read the conclusion first when working with AI.

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

This is not new at all. Ever since ChatGPT 3.5 popularised AI, making it go through the steps often resulted in corrections to the initially erroneous results. This is quite similar to how it works with humans – the initial intuitive guess is corrected once you briefly think through the process.

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Mr Pecksniff's Diary @pecksniffsdiary.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Pecksniff’s little birds have been singing… * Burnham’s honeymoon hits water, Brexit and disgruntled voters * A prominent Green warns decades of work are at risk * Cleverly points Reform towards Braverman and Jenrick Not forgetting Farage Fest, licencing, lost councillors & "drama queens"...

eastangliabylines.co.uk

Pecksniff: ‘No confidence in any party’ as Burnham bottles water and sticks to red lines

In which Mr Pecksniff lays before his readers for their approval certain observations and speculations reflecting on the political life

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Anyway, thanks for persisting, this really helps. I was genuinely puzzled. And maybe don’t assume the worst of people in the future. I thought I’d read what was relevant and went to official source before commenting, but obviously in this case that wasn’t sufficient.

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

And is it possible that all these signatories of various letters didn’t know, like I didn’t? Because if they did, then I really don’t know what they are complaining about. This is quite clear and explicit, and exactly what I wrote in my thread should be happening!

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Wow, this changes everything! Was this leaked or published? Is it definitely real? Why isn’t this easy to find on Google, or included on the UGhent page on the subject? Where is one supposed to find this?

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

You’re not exactly giving counterpoints, just VAGUE criticism, so I’ll stop treating this as a good faith attempt to discuss. Have a lovely day.

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

suspended the staff member as a precautionary measure.” So they suspended him before they even decided to refer. As much as I despise the guy and want to see him chased out with his hateful hackery, I think this is a problem, and could seriously backfire when the shoe is on the other foot.

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

I have. Here is the relevant bit: “As part of this process, the university is assessing whether there are sufficient grounds to refer the case to the competent disciplinary body for further consideration. Pending this preliminary investigation, Ghent University has

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

and make it easier for the reactionaries to point to examples how “they are all the same” and how everyone is just as opportunistic as everyone else.

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Using the Arday post to get rid of Cofnas, as attractive as that result may be, is the wrong wrong thing to do, both on principle (see above), but also tactically, with plenty of opportunities for unintended consequences, especially in the world where far right is ascendant. Don’t blur the lines

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

through the application of the scientific process and academic discussion, and then make political decisions through the democratic process based on that picture of truth, as imperfect as it may be at any point in time, but guided by our values and vision of the civilisation we want to be!

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

If we want more “out-there” progressive views to be tolerated and get the chance to be developed, we can’t expect the institutions to somehow unfailingly recognise those, but outright throw out anything that we consider regressive. There has to be a process to arrive to conclusions about reality

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

vague about the specific reasons for the suspension of Cofnas, giving the impression that he was punished for his abhorrent views (where judgement is political, and hence academic freedom should apply) and not for academic misconduct (where there is likely a genuine case, but takes more work).

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Do they actually defend Cofnas? Or do they legitimately criticise the process in this case? My reading is that it is explicitly the latter. The process is really important if you want legitimacy, otherwise you are just the other warring faction in a culture war. And Ghent made a mistake of being

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Fionna O’Leary @fascinatorfun.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

“This (Just 20 of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation amid drought and wildfires, 12 August) is a shocking revelation from a government that has repeatedly assured us it understands the risk of the breakdown of nature and climate. Clearly not.

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The Humble Bumblebee @cmrlj.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

It probably builds community more for people who don’t come with friends and family, such as the ones who are on a trip, or moved to a different part of the country, or immigrants like me.

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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Afternoon. [Note the date]

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