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Rob Pearson

@ericthefrog.bsky.social
313 followers 260 following 191 posts

Christian; #Climate Activist; #NeverTory; Bird-watcher - with Lovely family of Julie; ➕ 5 kids (2 girls & 3 boys); ➕ 15 grandkids

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Rob Pearson @ericthefrog.bsky.social · 2h
Given the demographic of their readership it's pretty obvious which choir they're preaching to! BTW who can afford £3 a day for a 'newspaper' - oh yeah; that same demographic who are *already* better off! 😠
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 5h
For 14yrs, the Tories cratered our economy, added thousands to our cost of living, melted down public services and brexited us into decades of eye-watering expense and lost opportunity. That’s still their plan. With tax breaks for the super rich paid for by welfare cuts. So what TF is this headline?
THE TIMES

Thursday October 8 2026 | thetimes.com | No 75158

Tories will make you better off
Badenoch vows to scrap inheritance tax on family homes and abolish Labour's levy on properties worth more than £2m
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Chris Smith @ledredman.bsky.social · 5h
It's a Rupert Murdoch headline. You know, the guy who paid for Badenoch to visit him at a meeting in the Mediterranean. Any Presstitute who still works for that propaganda rag should be ashamed of themselves.
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AdyBee 🐝 @adybee.bsky.social · 5h
bmti ….. many of The Times readers probably would end up better off under the the Tories (again).
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Mark E Thomas FB99% FBPE @mrmarkethomas.bsky.social · 5h
The word 'you' is doing some heavy lifting for 99% of us.
A graph showing that post-1980 policies have made people better off ... as long as they are in the top 1%
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Leader of party - that sold its own shrivelled soul to the devils of austerity and Brexit - will use her conference speech to slag off Labour (yawn) and make the only promise the Tories ever make - cutting taxes… They have nothing new or credible… or just plain nice… to say any more.
THE
TIMES
Wednesday October 7 2026

Badenoch promises tax cuts in 'battle for the soul of this nation'
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Is it because they cost a wanktwillion quid, your neighbours will be equally money-grubbing bastards always banging on about house prices, and you'll wake up every morning living in a noisy, smelly, angry rats nest? I haven't read it, so this is just a guess. www.theguardian.com/money/2026/o...
theguardian.com
‘People are deserting it’: why are London mansions struggling to sell?
For decades, the capital’s house prices raced ahead of the national average – but now they are falling in prime areas
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Why stop there? Scrap the treasury to make the national debt go away Scrap the NHS and cure cancer Scrap the MOD and lo: world peace www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Tories to pledge to scrap Environment Agency and Natural England
Shadow chancellor will also promise to scrap affordable homes regulations as part of strategy to refocus on growth
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
"There are parts of Luton – and the police will tell you this – that are no-go areas where white people won't go" Police say that's false But this Tory shadow-minister still uses false claims to justify "a consensus on the right" that immigration is a disaster www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Tory shadow minister claims Luton has ‘no-go zones’ where ‘white people won’t go’
Blake Stephenson tells fringe meeting at Tory conference that the town is ‘a very dangerous place’ with ‘ghettoes’
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I'd have more respect for racists if they just said "I am a racist." All this dancing around "they won't integrate" and "legitimate concerns" is mealy-mouthed bollocks. Just grow a spine. Have the courage of you fucking awful convictions, and stop assuming we're all as stupid as you are.
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Legend @fubarrockchick.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
i like this guy
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Britain's Iron Dome crumbled in less than 18 hours. Another triumph for Semi Goodenough www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Badenoch denies ‘British Iron Dome’ plan – after Tories use phrase in press release
Tory leader says proposed ‘Britannia Shield’ would not be comparable to Israeli missile defence system
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terrible towelie @terribletowelie.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
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Paul Barnfather @clanger9.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
“How much would it cost?” “Oooh, let’s see. How does £1 billion a year for 10 years sound? We could definitely make a start with a commitment like that.” “It’s a deal!”
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Floff @floff123.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Her levels of smug self confidence are inversely proportionate to her actual abilities
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paulusthewoodgnome @paulusthewoodgnome.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
"I'm not a defence expert." Even by Kemi Badenoch's lamentable standards, this is agonising. Just give thanks she will never, ever be Prime Minister. 🙏 #politicslive
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EuropeanPowell @europeanpowell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Fact - Tech companies are becoming more powerful than sovereign states. Reminder - That's a private, unelected multi-billionaire silencing and deplatforming the verified voice of a sovereign G7 government during an active conflict.
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EuropeanPowell @europeanpowell.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Elon Musk used X to suspend the UK British Consulate’s account in Jerusalem after it called out the systemic abuse of thousands of Palestinians who were detained without trial. youtu.be/G6dRdO1I9WA
youtu.be
Ex-Diplomat Reveals Who Is Quietly Replacing Governments
YouTube video by Dr Myriam François
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Chris Smith @ledredman.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
This is fascism. Denying the right of the current electorate to change its mind. Nobody born in this century had a vote.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Brexit has been a Tory masterclass in ideological madness. It’s widely accepted by the country as a barrelling shitshow but *still* their entitled little reps strut about insisting we can’t be allowed to vote on it again. Who TF does this person think she is? And why TF should she decide anything?
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Rob Pearson @ericthefrog.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Not even 'nice but dim' either!
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Giles Brown @polkapiquee.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
So the Conservative party wrote a vague referendum leading to marginal victory for the less honest side of their party, and they want that to be treated as binding for some amount of time also not specified in the legislation? No thanks.
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Cambridge for Europe @cambsforeurope.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
ECHR membership protects UK citizens rights, underpins Northern Ireland's peace agreement, and is necessary for key security and justice partnerships. That the Tories under Badenoch are calling for the UK to leave it shows they are wreckers like Farage. www.europeanmovement.co.uk/keep_uk_in_e...
europeanmovement.co.uk
Open Letter: Keep the UK in the ECHR
Sign the European Movement UK's open letter now if you agree that the UK must remain in the ECHR.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
This intensely stupid right wing idea is an extension of Brexit ignorance and prejudice. It represents the failure of our politics and our media to act in our best interests and to inform voters properly. Brexit is more than enough idiocy. Leaving the ECHR shouldn’t even be on the radar.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
As long as the Tories are threatening to leave the ECHR, they aren’t a serious party. Consider it the ultimate red flag. Any party who’d take this entirely unnecessary and ruinous risk with our rights and our country’s security and wellbeing should never get its hands on power. (Letter, Times)
Value of the
ECHR
Sir, In dangerous times, serious countries do not retreat into splendid isolation. They build alliances, multiply their influence and strengthen institutions. Key among those is the 46-member Council of Europe, at its heart the European Convention on Human Rights.As former independent reviewers of terrorism legislation we have seen at close quarters that the ECHR is not just a human rights instrument. It is a national security asset. Terrorist networks, hostile states, organised crime gangs and people smugglers do not respect borders. Tackling them requires arrangements for the closest possible co-operation with our neighbours, including through joint investigations and police access to European passenger, fingerprint, DNA and vehicle data.These arrangements expressly depend on internationally agreed human rights standards, applied by a supranational court. We detect no political willingness to excuse the UK from compliance with standards to which the rest of Europe already subscribes. As authoritarian powers grow more aggressive and democratic institutions face mounting pressure, Britain should not be abandoning one of its greatest postwar achievements.
The question is not whether we can afford to remain within the ECHR. It is whether, in an increasingly perilous world, we can afford not to.
Lord Carlile of Berriew, Lord Anderson of Ipswich, Sir Max Hill
Independent reviewers of terrorism legislation, 2001-18
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Rob Pearson @ericthefrog.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
This arrogance after we endured #14YearsOfToryIncompetence and they were annihilated at the ballot box is astounding!! They have NO SHAME or the slightest shred of self-awareness! 😠
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
So, Tories would cancel Erasmus and youth mobility, scrap the SPS deal that reduces red tape, lowers costs and eases backlogs for goods trade and renege on our new energy, defence and security arrangements… Ridiculous threat, ridiculous party, ridiculous people…
Tories would reverse steps to undo Brexit
Alex Burghart, the deputy leader, also says his party is wedded' to triple lock and electoral reform is doomed
Ben Riley-Smith - Political Editor

Photo of Burghart, arms folded, looking absurdly self important
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Imagine being photographed in your suit, with your arms folded, all self-important and determined, but saying something as stupid as that… dear god, they’ve no idea how insane and unpleasant they seem.
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David L @dlynch.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Alex Burghart, you say? Nope, me neither.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
We do… but we’ve already learned a lot… (those who’ve refused to are the minority)… and it’s not just about us being better off, it’s about how much better it is to be part of a team that has genuine influence in the world, rather than twatting about on our own in our little sovereignty cul de sac.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
There are many challenges; a different UK&EU to 2016, a rogue US, 🇫🇷elections, the demands that could be made of us, our own fear of Brexit wars, Farage weakening our negotiating position BUT… At least Burnham “has created the political space to have a conversation” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
Does the EU want Britain back?
Burnham has reopened the Brexit debate. That doesn’t mean the UK will be welcomed back on its own terms
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Paul Russell @pwrussell.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
You would have thought that the last 14 years of Tory government and the subsequent implosion of Reform might have cured them of that, but their appetite for never-ending, self harming clownery seems insatiable.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A minority of voters don’t want serious politicians who tell them complicated things. They want simple-minded prejudice and easy bullshit solutions. Everything seems fixable that way. Blame someone foreign and talk shit. Sorted.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Braverman blathering on about who can be English, Farage starting his me-me-me tour of the country telling audiences he’ll fix the country in 100 days or they’ll all sack themselves… apart from him… and Yusuf fanboying that racist thug who got refused bail… A moron festival. Come on, UK. Enough now.
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D.Moore @d-moore.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Also when Farage spoke of Putin being the political operator he admires the most... Everyone focused on his love of Putin, that's a given. 'Operator' that's the word that gives him away. No love for his country, no empathy. The man is a snake.
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Sarah Chapman @sinurata.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Re-opening the debate means that Farage will have to demonstrate how Brexit has made the UK better off. And defend against a Labour party which is now free (or freer) to make the case for why it has impoverished us.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Yeah right… Says man with net favourability rating of minus 45, a shitload of investigations into possible corruption, a team of utter inadequates and with every constituency bar 4 favouring rejoining because we all know how crap Brexit is now. Bore off. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Burnham’s reopening of Brexit debate is ‘biggest boost in my career’, says Farage
Reform UK leader tells supporters PM’s move has ‘opened up a huge flank to us’
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
“The question is not whether we can afford to remain within the Convention [ECHR]. It is whether, in an increasingly dangerous world, we can afford not to” Political liars and lightweights, like Badenoch and Farage, must never be allowed to take that risk. www.lawgazette.co.uk/commentary-a...
The Law Society
Gazette

In short, if Britain were to leave the ECHR, it would not be
'taking back control. It would be surrendering influence over the rules and institutions that help keep us safe.
The debate about the ECHR is too often conducted as though it were a choice between national sovereignty and international law. That is a false choice.
The Convention advances British interests because it reflects British values: liberty under law, democratic government and the accountability of power.
Walking away would not make Britain freer. It would make Britain weaker.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Burnham made Farage seem “angry, thin-skinned… absurd. What we witnessed today was a masterclass in political communication which makes Farage look like an amateur” Finally. The confidence that comes with emotional intelligence. It could make all the difference. iandunt.substack.com/p/burnham-sp...
iandunt.substack.com
Burnham speech: An astonishing moment of radicalism and commitment
It’s easy to be cynical, but it would be false. Something extraordinary is happening here.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This mindset is the least we deserve from a leader. Of course it has to be turned into action. But this kind of ambition and love for the country, this kind of personal but positive vision is what takes people with you. How feeble-minded Farage and Badenoch seem. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Photo of Burnham waving to the audience in front of HOPE AGAIN backdrop Burnham was not going to die wondering. He knew he might be delivering one of the longest suicide notes in history, but he did it anyway. Because he couldn't not do it. Better to go down remaining true to his principles than being slowly airbrushed out of history like the previous six prime ministers. Failures all. Andy was prepared to burn through all his political capital right there in Liverpool, right then. Not just for his own legacy but for a country he wanted to rebuild. It was the only way he could look himself in the mirror.
Honour his parents.
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Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Burnham edges Labour closer to finally, maybe, being sane about Brexit. Over 10 years, £Billions of cost, thousands of business failures, mountains of red tape, wasted resources and lost opportunities later…. our govt may, at last, cautiously, start to be honest about the Brexit moronathon. Yay.
The Independent front page headline: 

Burnham edges Labour closer to rejoining EU
After Ed Miliband tells party conference Britain's future is at the heart of Europe, ministers say it is 'not if but how' prime minister will include Brexit reversal in next election manifestoThere is growing optimism that a way back into the EU could be put to voters at the next election after the prime minister and senior ministers made it clear they believe Brexit has been a failure at this year's party conference.
When The Independent asked Mr Burnham about whether Rejoin would be in Labour's next election manifesto on his recent trip to the UN in New York, he refused to rule it out - having said a year ago when he was
Manchester mayor that he believes the
UK should rejoin the EU.

Andy Burnham has already warned about the 'drift and division' in the decade since Brexit (Getty)
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Russia is bombing museums, apartment buildings, hospitals, research facilities, schools, and parks. Ukraine is bombing military targets and refineries. Guess which one Trump has been complaining about?
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Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
💥 HUGE NEWS 💥 “Ministers say it is ‘not if but how’ the prime minister puts rejoin in the next election manifesto” Exclusive for The Independent.
independent.co.uk
Burnham edges Labour closer to rejoining EU
Exclusive: After Ed Miliband told the Labour conference in Liverpool that Britain’s future is at the heart of Europe, ministers say it is ‘not if but how’ the prime minister puts rejoin in the next el...
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Disillusioned With Conservatives @neverevertory.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Police specifically told everyone not to speculate on the incident at RAF Fairford. So what does the moron Farage go & do? Post on X speculating.
Post from Nigel Farage on X
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Le Monde in English @english.lemonde.fr · 28/09/2026
Pope Leo XIV urges European unity to fight 'lies and deceit'
lemonde.fr
Pope Leo XIV urges European unity to fight 'lies and deceit'
On the final day of Pope Leo XIV's four-day visit to France, which has drawn crowds of French Catholics, the pontiff decried the 'increasingly uncivilized' state of international relations and urged Europe to help 'break this cycle.'
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Rob Pearson @ericthefrog.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I support Wikipedia, where information is still human-created, fact-checked, and 100% free. Join me! donate.wikimedia.org
donate.wikimedia.org
Make your donation now - Wikimedia Foundation
Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit that hosts Wikipedia and other crucial free knowledge projects. Each year, the generosity of the 2% of readers who donate allows us to expand the reac...
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
What’s your legacy Johnson? Brexit. Total collapse of trust in politics. And this. The small boats symbolise your dishonesty and your failure. You’re responsible for nothing but damage. Not one good thing. Not one proud moment. You’re forever a shameful disgrace who threw his own mandate in the bin.
Boris Johnson @BorisJohnson
X.com
It's a disaster, and it can all be traced to Labour ideology. Burnham has no mandate from the people. He has no real ideas, and no plan.
BORIS JOHNSON: UK is defenceless against migrants without...
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Only 10% of the richest 0.01% of the population paid close to the top 47% (45% income tax marginal rate + 2% NIC) rate on earnings. A quarter of that group paid an effective average tax rate of 20% or less. The tax system appears to be progressive for some but is frequently not so at the very top
bmmagazine.co.uk
Only one in ten top UK earners pay close to top tax rate, says CenTax
CenTax says equalising capital gains tax with income tax could raise £19.7bn by 2030, as HMRC data shows few top earners pay the 47 per cent top rate.
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MakeBritainNiceAgain @grahamgrumps.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
#Farage wants to remove the welfare system for his followers so that he can buy more oysters and Champagne The cult will be okay with that as long as he gives them permission to be openly racist Or, in Farage-speak - free speech
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