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MariaD

@drmariad.bsky.social
2.3K followers 2.4K following 893 posts

Health Policy Academic Proud Irish European. Anti Fascist Still a feminist Mother/Grandmother/Friend Get Brexit Undone. I stand with Ukraine. 🇺🇦

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Reposted by MariaD
Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 15h
It's possible the next general election has just become another referendum on the EU.
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 10h
🚨 We’re calling on Ofcom to open a formal investigation into Nigel Farage presenting GB News shows and whether his programme on 15 September 2026 was within the rules on impartiality ⚠️ Broadcasters are required to present news in an impartial manner, without political bias.
bestforbritain.org
Farage on GB News: Demand that Ofcom takes immediate action - Best for Britain
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Andrew Sharpe 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿|🇪🇺 @andrew.sharpe.scot · 28/09/2026
How can they take the hatchet to Horrible Histories!
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Business groups urge John Healey to show restraint on raising UK’s minimum wage. They claim lifting people out of poverty is inflationary. Can't recall millionaires restraining on profiteering, exec pay, dividends, share buybacks. Have they tried living on minimum wage? archive.ph/h0pVc
ft.com
Business groups urge John Healey to show restraint on raising UK’s minimum wage
Companies warn that a steep rise in labour costs will fuel inflation and cut jobs for young people
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Dr Robert Bohan @robertbohan.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Irish football team beat Israel 3 nil. By appeasing sportswashing of a genocidal regime, & doing a ‘both sides’ statement, Ireland lost in the eyes of history. Their appeasement is second only to their lack of sportsmanship. Only one man stood for humanity by refusing to play. They are complicit.
the42.ie
As it happened: Israel v Ireland, Nations League
Ireland faced Israel, after a fractious few days that divided players in the Boys in Green camp.
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Daily Herald #FBPE #NAFO 🇬🇧🇺🇦🇬🇱 @dailyherald.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
🚨🇮🇪 NEW: Taoiseach Micheál Martin has called for “calm on all sides” amid the ongoing march confrontation in Craigavon Martin described the decision to allow an Orange Order parade down Garvaghy Road as “incomprehensible and wrong”
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Karen Windle @profwindle.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I remain confused by 35 Orange men wanting to march down Garvaghy Road *in silence* (after 30 years). From listening to some of the comments, it would seem that this is their ‘culture’. We used to have a culture of slavery, but then we realised that intimidating and owning communities was horrific.
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David Osland @davidosland.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Grannies face terrorism charges for carrying placards while the Orange Order is free to carry religiously inflammatory banners down the Garvaghy Road. Go figure.
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Ruth Pearce @notrightruth.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
There's the letter of the law, then there's the reality of the street. Are the cops really prepared to disperse local people who have gathered to oppose political intimidation in the place they live? I hope not.
newsletter.co.uk
All we know about the Garvaghy Road protest so far
Protesters continue to block Portadown’s Garvaghy Road in a tense standoff, as police instruct them to disperse.
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Sarah Kay @k-interarma.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
People have started to form a line, standing on the road, arm in arm. You can see MPs and MLAs, too. If the Orange Order was as legitimate and respectful as they say they are, they would have left.
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Cllr. Séamas de Faoite @seamasbelfast.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Three summers of paramilitary directed racist violence, enabled by Unionist politicians talking about “legitimate concerns”. Children burnt out of their homes. The rest of us, from all backgrounds, aren’t stupid. We know what you’re at. We’ve seen what the future can be, you’re trying to stop it.
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Sarah Kay @k-interarma.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
What was the point of lawfare, 28 years later, if it wasn’t, at the very least, meant to be a form of intimidation? After 3 pogroms?
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Sarah Kay @k-interarma.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
We’ve seen it. That’s the difference - we know now. We no longer have to commit to a leap of faith. We’ve seen it, and even experienced it during Fleadh Cheoil. I have yet to see the arguments on appeal that led to the march, but I know the residents, and all of us, have the right to live in peace.
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Maria Ní Fhlatharta @nifhla.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Peelers response to the Garvaghy road residents would be shameful regardless but it is rage inducing given failures around the Belfast pograms & a complete police failure to respond to far right violence across Ireland and Britain. But this "low risk" parade seems to have all the police resources.
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Lord Dom B @lorddom.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Years of bridge-building undone in a day to placate doctrinaire Presbyterians incapable of reconciling themselves to their neighbours. #Drumcree #Garvaghy www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Loyalist parade in Northern Ireland given go-ahead as almost 30-year ban overturned
Orange Order march along Garvaghy Road scheduled to take place for first time in 28 years after injunction dismissed on appeal
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Cllr. Séamas de Faoite @seamasbelfast.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Political Unionism, at the behest of Bryson et al, has picked at the sorest sectarian scab of the last 30 years, to create a festering wound. Utterly depressing considering the glimpse of the future we had during the Fleadh. They only wish to drag us back. Solidarity with the residents of Garvaghy.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Belfast Telegraph blog reporting from Drumcree. At 215am high court upheld the decision to allow the Orange Order march to proceed along the Garvaghy Road, from around 8am this morning, where protestors of the march are gathered www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/area/armagh/...
belfasttelegraph.co.uk
First members of Orange Order arrive at Drumcree Church as PSNI read out warning to Garvaghy Road protesters
DUP MP Carla Lockhart hails ‘seismic night’ for rule of law
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Sarah Creighton @saraita101.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Like, none of this needs to happen.
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Paul Murphy TD @paulmurphy.pbp.ie · 27/09/2026
Resistance and morale still strong on Garvaghy Road. We're now about two hours from the planned Orange Order sectarian march Police expected to move in soon.
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Colman O'Sullivan @colmanos.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
1/This is one of 3 groups gathered on the Garvaghy Road to block an Orange Order march- the first given legal permission in 28 years. The parade is due to leave Drumcree church after 0800- in a little over an hour
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HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 24/09/2026
NEW: Far-right activists are mobilising in Basingstoke following the arrest of Daniel Thomas, aka Danny Tommo. Thomas was arrested after a video appeared to show him slashing a dinghy in the Channel while an emergency responder was still on board. Here’s what we know. 🧵
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Dr Elizabeth Norton @enortonhistory.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Stokesay Castle, Shropshire, one of the most stunning buildings in England. Built late 13thC by wealthy wool merchant, Laurence of Ludlow, it’s a glorious example of a fortified Manor House. The great hall retains its original roof & wooden staircase. Famous yellow gatehouse is 17thC #stokesaycastle
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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Don't see how they could do this and sustain the war in Ukraine, which is already causing them to recruit foreigners, and may soon need a new mobilisation of Russian conscripts.
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BladeoftheSun @bladeofthes.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Two Tier Policing. Just Stop Oil got 21 years for planning to block a road. The Far Right block emergency vehicles they don't even get arrested.
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Niall Harbison @niallharbison.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
When I found her like this she could no longer move. She had 1000s of fleas on her and her life was about to end. Just look at her now. She has everything a dog could ever want! Beautiful little Skye
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Tom Chidwick @tomchidwick.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Lovely to see the new statue of Diana the Huntress in Bedford Square this morning, marking @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social's 40th birthday! Some of the wonderful people who make Bloomsbury Britain's best independent publishing house are handing out free books so do visit the statue if you're nearby.
New statue of Diana the Huntress, poorly photographed by an excited but photographically inept author of a forthcoming Bloomsbury book.
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
NATO chief Mark Rutte: “If ever there would be an incident in the Indo-Pacific, it will not be only the Indo-Pacific. It will mean that, at the same time, Putin will try to move against NATO territory in Europe.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Thank you for this, @privateeyenews.bsky.social Farage needs ridiculing far more. It’s a form of scrutiny he can’t cope with and one he so richly - yes pun intended - deserves.
TV HIGHLIGHTS
72 Up
The award-winning documentary series continues, charting the progress of one posh little boy, Nigel, over the years.
The last time we saw him was over a week ago in 36
Up when he had been given £36 million out of the blue.
In the latest instalment Nigel is given another £36 million, making the total donation a jaw-dropping £72 million.
This is a life changing moment for the former prep school boy who was recorded in the first episode singing the Horst Wessel song and coming up with charming but embarrassing comments about admiring Hitler.
As the clock moves forward
to 72 Up, viewers now see a completely different Nigel from the one we have come to know so well over the years
- from Europe-hating MEP to Brexit-promoting campaigner to the triumphant bin-defeating statesman of today. It's been a roller-coaster ride for Nigel
- and indeed the viewer - and this remarkable series ends with a poignant and moving climax in a Clacton oyster bar, where the older but no wiser Nigel faces the prospect of being Prime Minister and/or going to jail after criminal proceedings.
EYE VERDICT: "Boring, boring, Boring! Nothing to see here
- put a sock in it, love." 

(Insert photo of him slurping up oysters)
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 24/09/2026
Our new megapoll with YouGov finds that pledging to rejoin the EU could win Labour 321 seats at the next election - just 5 short of an absolute majority. Read more here: bestforbritain.org/eu-membership-pl…
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The British right has now descended to the point where 'the England team are not English' is becoming the consensus position
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Mani Isna La 🇨🇺 🇵🇸 🇬🇱🕊️ 🪶 #IndigenousLivesMatter @maniisnala.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Stop Israel’s Ethnic Cleansing in the West Bank - Amnesty International www.amnesty.org/en/petition/...
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 24/09/2026
💷 EU membership is worth upwards of 92bn for our economy. 🇬🇧 628 out of 632 British constituencies prefer EU membership over any other UK-EU policy option. ❌ Committing to EU membership in the manifesto will stop Farage entering Number 10. It is a no brainer.
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Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
BREAKING: Trump administration prepares 90-day total diesel export ban, which Trump may announce by end of the week. An external Trump adviser says there has been "a bunch of frantic outreach" searching for alternatives and calls the ban "a terrible idea," yet Trump is expecting to proceed anyways.
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Richard Corbett CBE @richardcorbett.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
“Burnham’s only path to election victory is through pledging to rejoin the EU, research reveals” www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
independent.co.uk
Burnham’s only path to victory is through pledging to rejoin the EU, research reveals
As Andy Burnham refuses to rule out a pledge to rejoin the EU in Labour’s next manifesto, new YouGov polling for Best for Britain suggests he has no choice but to make the commitment if he wants to re...
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Where do Farage’s loyalties lie? Let’s ask Nathan Gill. Farage needs misinformation for power. He distorts, pays for biased polling, works for crypto billionaires/foreign money… He wants chaos and rage. This is a sulky footstamp at having his toys taken away. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nigel-...
huffingtonpost.co.uk
Nigel Farage Has Attacked The Government's Plans For A New Russia Misinformation Unit
The Reform UK leader claimed it is “targeted directly” at his party.
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Qasim Rashid, Esq. @qasimrashid.com · 23/09/2026
EIon Musk’s Wealth 2009: $.6B 2026: $984B Jeff Bezos’s Wealth 2009: $6B 2026: $370B Mark Zuckerberg’s Wealth 2009: $.6B 2026: $256B Federal Minimum Wage 2009: $7.25 2023: $7.25 Billionaire tax rate: 8.2% Worker tax rate: 13% Pay workers. Tax & Abolish Billionaires. Save our economy & country.
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Miaganga @miaganga.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
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MariaD @drmariad.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Is this not attempted murder? www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Far-right activist Daniel Thomas slashes dinghy in Channel with blade while rescue worker onboard
Thomas called followers to protest against arrival of asylum seekers in Gosport, but Border Force instead transported them to Dover
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Brown Eyed Susan @browneyedsusan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
www.rawstory.com/trump-cnn-ban/
rawstory.com
Trump's 'total ignorance' on display after clash with Kaitlan Collins: CNN analyst
President Donald Trump's reaction to encountering a CNN reporter at the United Nations reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of how the press operates in a democracy, according to CNN chief media an...
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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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Prof. Eliot Jacobson @climatecasino.net · 22/09/2026
Continuing its voyage into uncharted waters, the latest preliminary Nino 3.4 sea-surface temperature anomaly is now at a record 3.08°C above the 1991-2020 baseline. Models expect the Nino 3.4 anomaly to continue rising into at least mid-November. Then there will be dragons.
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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We're not quite as useless as we thought, just a bit lazier. Me on the ONS productivity revisions. ukandeu.ac.uk/britains-pro...
ukandeu.ac.uk
Britain’s productivity disaster was real—but not quite as disastrous as we thought - UK in a changing Europe
Jonathan Portes explains why the ONS updated its productivity estimates for the period between 2009 and 2019 from 0.7 per cent to 1.3 per cent and what this change actually means for the UK economy.
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MrSkinnyLegs @mrskinnylegz.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Brexit is dead. Even Farage, Lowe, Tice and Lee Anderson's constituencies couldn't bring themselves to back it.
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Astronomer Royal for Scotland | Catherine Heymans @astroroyalscot.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
NASA picture of the day today is a real 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿beauty! This is a composite image of the ~5000yo Callanish Stones on the Isle of Lewis. The amazing Giuseppe Petricca has only gone and photographed the Sun at noon there, every few days, for a whole year. #Dedication 🔭🧪👌 ℹ️: science.nasa.gov/image-articl...
The imposing Callanish Stones stand talk with their shadows spanning out across the glass.  It's a super clear sky, but looks cold. Above the central stone is a strange figure-of-8 shape of dots.  This is the location of the Sun, at noon, on various different days across the year.
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Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Bloomberg reports that officials directly involved in an internal Pentagon investigation found that Peter Thiel’s Palantir Maven Smart System played a significant role in the February 28 U.S. strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Iran.
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Mr RobertBob @mrrobertbob.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
All but four constituencies in Great Britain would support reversing Brexit and rejoining the EU! Labour us a lost cause so here’s your chance @libdems.org.uk @greenparty.org.uk www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
independent.co.uk
All but four constituencies would support reversing Brexit and rejoining the EU
New in-depth polling finds 35 per cent of voters would choose EU membership as their preferred policy option – with just 11 per cent wanting looser ties with the bloc
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Mr RobertBob @mrrobertbob.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
@libdems.org.uk and @eddavey.libdems.org.uk have a huge opportunity. Make Rejoining the SM and a CU their top policy. Shout it out loud and proud and watch their support grow. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...
mirror.co.uk
Ed Davey faces make-or-break moment to shine as Lib Dem grumbles pile up
As the Lib Dem faithful heads down to Brighton for the annual party conference, Sir Ed Davey faces questions over the party's position in the polls and whether he's getting through to voters
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Barry Howard 🔶h @barryhow2c.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
“These measures build on our longstanding commitments to introduce Proportional Representation for Westminster and local elections, lowering the voting age to 16, scrapping mandatory voter ID, and replacing the un-elected House of Lords with an elected chamber.” www.libdems.org.uk/news/article...
libdems.org.uk
Defending Democracy
The Liberal Democrats have always believed that power belongs to the people, not foreign states, tech algorithms, or wealthy elites. Our new policy will defend British democracy, root out dark money, ...
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MariaD @drmariad.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
This is utterly heartbreaking. An astoundingly awful impact of Sweden’s social policy. How does this benefit the Swedish public? Genuine question www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
‘I have nothing in the UK at all’: British man torn from his Swedish wife and home
Charles lands at Heathrow with just two bags and nowhere to go as a result of Brexit and Stockholm’s hardline immigration position
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