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Fergus Murray

@oolong.co.uk
8.6K followers 6.7K following 13K posts

Monotropic writer, science tutor, Autistic community organiser and independent researcher. Based in Edinburgh. they/them. linktr.ee/0olong

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Reposted by Fergus Murray
Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 10h
Thank you to everyone who came out to campaign in Holborn & St Pancras today! The election is feeling incredibly close from the thousands of conversations today. We need to keep it up for just a few more days. Every conversation matters. Join us: linktr.ee/HSP_6thGreenMP
Drone shot of a huge crowd from above
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 10h
C'est drôle, je voulais recommander mon ami français autiste Panda Mery, mais je ne crois pas qu'il soit présent ici !
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 15h
Thanks Katie! To add some French speakers to the mix: @clearautism.bsky.social is worth a follow; @autihub.org has some great resources; CLE is a French organisation - cle-autistes.fr - and Lava @lavavzw.bsky.social are Belgian. bsky.app/profile/clea...
cle-autistes.fr
CLE Autistes - Revue Neurostyles
NeuroStyles, la revue de CLE Autistes dédiée à la neurodiversité où toute personne neurodivergente peut s'exprimer librement
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flyingrodent @flyingrodent.bsky.social · 15h
If you’re rolling your eyes at the Tory leader recruiting a criminal Neo-Nazi as an antiracism advisor but you’re puking blood with fury at the Green Party, then you’re doing my job for me. The public can easily see what you’re playing at, without my assistance.
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Dr Katie Twomey @k2mey.eurosky.social · 03/10/2026
Walked through town ON MY OWN and didn't have a wobble 💪. If anyone reading this is having an awful time with panic disorder and/or autistic burnout, I hope you can take some hope from my experience. Recovery takes a very, very long time and it's not linear by any means, but it is possible.
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 17h
This morning's sunrise timelapse.
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Barry Lyndon LaRouche @colfer.bsky.social · 17h
Since it we're doing this again: the ECHR does *not* prohibit compulsory nationalisation: governments of all stripes compulsorily purchase things all the time. The issues are around public interest and "fair compensation." Thames Water is worthless as its liabilities exceed its assets and its...
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Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 17h
Did you know the first Bond film (Dr No) and first single by The Beatles (Love Me Do) were released on the same day? 5th October 1962 was (in hindsight) a momentous day for British music and film and would have long lasting impact on the global zeitgeist. Discuss using TGT. bit.ly/TutorGroupThink
Monday 5th October
64 years ago today, two huge British cultural phenomena were launched on the same day.  In cinemas audiences watched Sean Connery introduce himself as “Bond, James Bond” in the opening scene of Dr No.  Whilst in record shops a new group from Liverpool called the The Beatles released their first single Love Me Do.
Neither were guaranteed to be influential, and neither had instant success.  Love Me Do peaked in the charts at No. 17, while Hollywood had shown little interest in adapting Ian Fleming’s spy novels in the ten years since they were first published and Dr No received mixed early reviews. 
More than six decades later, both are still part of global culture and hugely influential.  6 different actors have reinvented Bond across 25 films and the glamour, gadgets and villains have influenced many more films and franchises.  The Beatles influence too, stretches beyond their 12 albums and 65 singles to songwriters and bands across the world.  Yet by coincidence, both were launched to the public on exactly the same day.
Which is your favourite James Bond film and why is it The Living Daylights?
Which is your favourite song by The Beatles and why is it The Ballad of John & Yoko
Which do you think had the bigger cultural impact, James Bond or The Beatles?  How could we empirically measure it?
What music and film has been influenced by The Beatles and Bond?
Monday 5th October
64 years ago, two cultural phenomena were launched on the same day. Cinemas audiences saw Sean Connery introduce himself as “Bond, James Bond” in the opening scene of Dr No.  Whilst a new group from Liverpool called the ‘The Beatles’ released their first single Love Me Do.
Neither had instant success.  Love Me Do peaked at No. 17, while Dr No received mixed early reviews. 
Six decades later both are still part of global culture and hugely influential. Yet by coincidence, both were launched to the public on exactly the same day.
Which is your favourite James Bond film and what is your favourite song by The Beatles?
Which do you think had the bigger cultural impact, James Bond or The Beatles?  How could we empirically measure it?
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 17h
Oh, ha. www.presentindicative.com/products/an-...
presentindicative.com
An Illustrated Guide to Birds that Sound like Insults
This is a fun guide to real birds with silly names, full of fascinating facts about their behaviours, characteristics and habitats. Laugh whilst you learn and, as the title suggests, acquire a few cho...
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 17h
Thou bar-tailed godwit! Thou leecheater! Thou stinkbird! Thou art a plain wanderer. How rich, coming from a titmouse such as thou!
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 17h
I like these a lot!
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 17h
I love it when bird names sounds like Shakespearean insults (Nice shots btw!)
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 19h
Ohh, my dog. 🥺 #DogsOfBluesky
A little dog, snuggling under my arm in a ball, head against my dressing gown. My hand, cradling get back, looks almost as big as she is, making her look especially tiny (perspective is funny).
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 19h
It really, really would, and it's actually quite odd that it doesn't have one.
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Pollik @pollik.bsky.social · 20h
For text based images, such as those above, BS would benefit hugely from an inbuilt feature to extract text from an image.
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 20h
bsky.app/profile/sylv...
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 20h
I haven't read this yet, but here it is with alt text.
Tomorrow, Green Party conference is due to debate a motion entitled 'Zionism is Racism'. I know this is a motion that has stirred really strong feelings for many members of our party.

As a party and as parliamentarians, we stand opposed to racism in all its forms. We have always been united in standing up for Palestinians and other oppressed peoples, in calling out the genocide in Gaza and other human rights violations in Israel and the occupied territories, in opposing the Israeli government's crimes of apartheid, calling for sanctions, boycotts and divestment, and much more beyond. I do not believe, though, that passing this motion would move us forward in this work. In fact, I worry that it could set us back. As such, I cannot support it as it has been written.

I am particularly concerned by the suggestion in this motion that the Green Party makes an explicit commitment to a particular constitutional outcome for the region. Our party has a long-standing commitment to the fundamental right to self-determination and therefore supports the right of Palestinians and Israelis to determine their own future. As a Green Parliamentarian I want to continue to push the government to advocate for the right to self-determination on the international stage. And while this motion focuses on Palestinian rights and doesn't change the party's policies outlining our more universal commitment, I am worried that this vital work will be undermined if the Green Party adopts a position in support of one particular outcome.

Further, I do not think that trying to pin down a definition for something that has been a point of contention among scholars for decades helps us in our efforts to support the people of Palestine or end the genocide.

[Text continues in next image][Text continued from previous image:]

If this motion passes as written, I am concerned that elected Greens will be forced to spend our time and energy debating and defending definitions, at the expense of focussing on the essential actions that only we can take to make things materially better for people in Palestine.

I also worry that the current wording risks alienating a significant proportion of Jewish people, including those who vehemently disagree with the Israeli government; support boycott, divestment and sanctions; and are strong advocates for Palestinian rights.

In this party, I know we are united in tackling the ongoing and enduring injustices in Gaza and across Palestine. I am proud of the Green Party's culture of robust political debate coupled with a drive to build positive consensus, so I am confident that it would be possible for us to come to a position and write a motion that addresses the concerns that I and others have raised, while strengthening our support for Palestinian liberation. Sadly, I do not think this motion is it.

Carla Denyer MP
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 21h
Labour just don't get it. They don't get how scared people are with extreme weather becoming our new normal. We need voices in parliament that will force them to take wildfires seriously, not quietly shirk responsibility.
Revealed: government quietly dropped plan to orepare England for wildfires
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Majority @majorityuk.bsky.social · 21h
Check out Hostage Nation: Britain’s Escape Plan today - hostagenation... 2/2
hostagenation.com
Hostage Nation: Britain’s Escape Plan
Britain has the money, the land and the people. What it lost was the nerve. Hostage Nation is the practical plan to escape, ready to implement today
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Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Millward says billionaires hoard power, divide us and sell a bleak future—but collective action can reclaim our world, communities and democracy.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Holborn and St Pancras is looking incredibly close. Thank you to everyone joining us today on the doorsteps - we know it's only by having conversations with voters that we can win this. With just five days to go - we need you!
Action day photo with Zack and Ross and a big crowd
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 03/10/2026
Our photopigments already respond to UV! But our corneas block it out, because it damages the retina over time. Cats and dogs, with very similar short-wavelength photopigments, evolved to spend much less time awake in the day, so their eyes allow much more of the UV through.
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 03/10/2026
Nice! Of course, 'narrow' is a bit misleading when you're looking at a logarithmic scale like this...
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economymedicine.bsky.social @economymedicine.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The idea that you have to watch uncensored snuff films on repeat to understand what is happening and is virtuous is one of the most destructive things going on right now. It doesn't actually teach them anything and actively ruins their mental health.
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Natacha @natacha.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
“This Labour Government is the worst thing to have ever happened to trans children. They have step by step dismantled every protection that supported my daughter […] At every point when the Labour Government could have made something better, they have turned around and given her another kick.”
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Kristian Kiehling @kristiankiehling.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Amid russian/Belarusia influence campaigns, Latvians are heading to the polls today to elect a new government. There is a real threat that the pro-European government may be forced into a coalition with ethnic russian parties (SV, LPV) sponsored by the Kremlin and intent on destroying the country.
en.rebaltica.lv
Fear still sells. What marked the election campaign in Latvia | Re:Baltica
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 02/10/2026
Posted some autumn leaf photos on Patreon. www.patreon.com/posts/171210...
patreon.com
Autumn Leaves (2026) | Fergus Murray
Autumn might be my favourite season. I'm not a big fan of the heat or the cold, and the flush of colour as leaves lose their chlorophyll bri
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Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 02/10/2026
It never fails to astound me how cheap UK politicians are
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 01/10/2026
Huh. I've been wondering for a while if differences in the lining of blood vessels in the brain are the link between EDS and neurodivergence...
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Brandon Moore, PhD @rando.insalubrio.us · 01/10/2026
This newly discovered feathered dinosaur, Norellraptor barsboldi, suggests that bird-like flight features evolved separately and gradually, in a step-wise manner, across multiple related dinosaur lineages! 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Life reconstruction of Norellraptor barsboldi.

Credit: Zhao Chuang.
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Greenpeace UK has threatened The Crown Estate with legal action over what it describes as its “extortionate” lease fees for offshore wind farms www.rechargenews.com/legal/greenp....
rechargenews.com
Greenpeace threatens Crown Estate with lawsuit over 'extortionate' offshore wind lease fees
The Crown Estate argues its approach has helped build the UK’s world-leading offshore wind sector and that lease fees were determined by an auction process
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 01/10/2026
All the trees planted on my local green last year are red-leaved varieties, but right now, for autumn, they're putting out fresh green leaves. Mostly-green, at least.
Greenish beech leaves with red veins, backlit by the sun.More of those beech leaves, but from this angle we can see that there's a lot of red in their colouration.Crabapple leaves - a mix of green, orange and bright red.
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Chris #ChangeEverything #VoteGreen @chrisl86.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
#Zack has written to, #Miliband, querying whether hundreds of millions of pounds that are flowing from North Sea Oil and gas drilling, to the UN blacklisted Delek Group, will be covered by his partial sanctions regime.... 💚💚💚👏👏👏💚💚💚 greenparty.org.uk/2026/10/01/z...
greenparty.org.uk
Zack Polanski sets out North Sea Oil test for Foreign Secretary’s illegal settlements sanctions regime  - Green Party
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has today written to Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband to ask him whether the hundreds of millions of pounds that are flowing from North Sea oil and gas production to the ...
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 01/10/2026
I don't know if CAPS might be helpful, too. capsadvocacy.org/individual-a... SIAA lists various organisations, but most of them are extremely specific... 😕 www.siaa.org.uk/find-an-advo...
capsadvocacy.org
Individual advocacy - CAPS
Individual Advocacy for adults If you’re resident in East Lothian or Midlothian whether in the community or in a hospital and you have a mental health issue or are affected by drug or alcohol use, or ...
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 01/10/2026
There's @advocard.bsky.social? You could also try asking in the mutual aid channel on the @amase.org.uk Discord...
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Eve @evenicholls.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I'm having a rough time with diabetes distress and general disability burnout, and the NHS hasn't the faintest idea what to do with autistics (I'm not officially disgnosed) when it comes to either mental health or diabetes. Does anyone know where I could get some advocacy? @oolong.co.uk, any ideas?
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 01/10/2026
Hahaha, there they go. 'Centre right', 5 followers, 600+ posts, sure sounds like a legitimate human being engaging in good faith! 🙃
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Bob @bobappleyard.me · 01/10/2026
iirc the really scary statistics are about who paid for recession. normally the poorest do; in the 1970s it was the richest. that's the destruction we must never go back to
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 01/10/2026
It's very important to Tories that people believe the 1970s were a disaster decade, because they were pretty much the only justification they ever had for the policy framework that's dominated the next 46 years. Here's a corrective from @redpeppermag.bsky.social www.redpepper.org.uk/political-pa...
redpepper.org.uk
The myth of the 1970s - Red Pepper
The myth is that in the 1970s, the dead lay unburied, unions held the country to ransom, and it was impossible to govern: was it so bad?
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 01/10/2026
Love how potted histories of the 1970s always seem to go an about high unemployment, but then you look at actual statistics and see that it doubled in the five years after the Tories took power in 1979 and took twenty years to come back down to its previous level www.ons.gov.uk/employmentan...
ons.gov.uk
Unemployment rate (aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted): % - Office for National Statistics
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 01/10/2026
This is the Simon Clarke who was born in 1984 talking about "memories" of the 1970s?
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 30/09/2026
I've never heard of them before, I don't think. It's easy to miss publications' track records, in my experience...
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Kingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 30/09/2026
Go read Diane’s books! Seriously, they are the best!
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Them Fatale, @mxthemfatale.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This KC has the batshit idea that you can win cases by retroactively applying guidance changes onto historical situations. So the NHS and the RCN must discriminate against trans women back then, because we have segregation today. That by not segregating and discriminating back then, they broke rules
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 30/09/2026
This is what it comes down to every time someone ends up in court defending their transphobia. They say their beliefs and free speech are protected, and it turns out they've behaved abominably, in a way their beliefs absolutely don't require. Does anyone know an exception? rtie.org/trans-facts/...
rtie.org
Trans Facts
Preamble: the “debate” is toxic.Sex is not binary.Gender is (at least partly) a social construct, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real.This is not a dispute between scientist…
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 30/09/2026
Many of the most prominent campaigners against trans rights, and politicians overseeing their removal, are 'pro trans rights' according to themselves
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Elizabeth Taylor @elizabethtaylor47.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Yes and in those 11 weeks the EHRC guidance has come into force (which he supported) as has the schools guidance. He also kept the ministers responsible in place, and is currently drawing up plans to ban trans people who lay sick and dying from appropriate hospital wards, endangering their lives
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The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 29/09/2026
"It is clear that Labour needs the Greens to keep them in check everyday to push them towards the real transformation this country needs." @zackpolanski.bsky.social reacts to the Prime Minister's speech at Labour conference.
HOPE IS NOT JUST A SLOGAN, IT NEEDS TO MEAN REAL CHANGE

ZACK POLANSKI
LEADER OF THE GREEN PARTY

"Unlike his predecessor, we have a PM who talks like he gets it. But sadly like his predecessor he isn’t prepared to break from the powerful and wealthy interests that have created an inequality, affordability and a climate crisis.
 
Hope is not just a slogan, it needs to mean real change. The speech today had no wealth taxes, no rent controls, no water nationalisation and a strong hint of more North Sea drilling.
 
It is disappointing that we have a country ready to break from the last 40 years, a Labour government with the majority to do it, and yet what we see are more half measures, reannouncements and tinkering."

Green Party
Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of the Green Party of England and Wales c/o PO Box Green Party, London SE1P 6YL
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Sara Gibbs @sararoseg.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
It’s my birthday! What an incredible gift to wake up to this Crowdfunding figure. Thank you so bloody much! If anyone wants to give me a birthday gift, all I want this year is for the show to be funded: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/its-a-supe...
It's a Superpower??
Season Two
£5,550
Target: £30,000
139 supporters
18%
80 days left
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Fergus Murray @oolong.co.uk · 29/09/2026
Say more?
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