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mike

@graftinggasman.bsky.social
185 followers 937 following 111 posts

socialist, pro EU, anti Brexit, pro rejoin, pro PR

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Reposted by mike
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The threats to our resilience are the same as the threats to our democracy: corporate lobbyists shaping policy, with dire consequences for our ability to withstand crises. Burnham seems to want to change this. But is he aware of scale of the task? My column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Stockpile food – and wash your hands: is that really how to prepare for environmental catastrophe? | George Monbiot
The UK state is dumping its responsibilities on our doorsteps, while green-lighting policies that lead us closer to crisis, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Here is how politics, in most cases, works: Rich and powerful interests, whether in fossil fuels, finance, big tech, media, meat, pharma or foreign governments, make a demand, and use their sophisticated tools to persuade a government to adopt it. The government adopts it. Please read whole🧵
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 14/09/2026
Your regular reminder: If the Russians stop fighting, the war ends. If the Ukrainians stop fighting, their land will be occupied, their leaders will be killed, their history and language will be erased, their children will be kidnapped to serve Russia.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Reform have made £72m from two donors in a single day. Absolutely obscene. And Labour refuse to cap political donations. The Green Party are funded and powered by you. Please donate to help us win Holborn & St Pancras today! donatetothe.greenparty.org.uk?fbclid=IwdGR...
donatetothe.greenparty.org.uk
Donate to the Green Party - Green Party
We need your help to stand up to the billionaires backing other major parties and fight for social, environmental and climate justice. Donate now.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Ffs. Well, it’s up to us to make sure that their grubby ‘investment’ is a phenomenal waste of money. Reform is a shitshow of crooks and idiots who have no idea how to behave, let alone govern. The majority of us who loathe them must unite to keep them out of power forever.
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Graham Hughes @grahamdavidhughes.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Let's spend an hour ripping into Farage and his increasingly INSANE personality cult that is "RefUK" 12pm to 1pm - Live and Interactive - ONLY on Hughes of the World! youtube.com/live/uqTsG7L...
youtube.com
The Week Reform UK Fell Apart Like A Cheap Suit | 😇 SUNDAY SERMON with Graham Hughes 😈
YouTube video by Hughes of the World
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Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Our undercover reporter, Chris Atkins, posed as a far-right journalist at the Reform Conference and got thrown out for asking difficult questions about Farage's corruption scandal @scatatkins.bsky.social
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fife4europe #FBPE #RejoinEU @fife4europe.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
James O'Brien exposes the absurdity of Farage’s scandal defense: top aides resignation proves Reform is built on dodgy funding and incompetence. Behind the anti-establishment spin lies complete lack of governance. Will voters ever see through the spell? (1/2) 🤔 #FBPE
youtu.be
Will this finally break Farage's 'spell'?
YouTube video by LBC
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Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Stop whatever you’re doing & watch this now! Reform’s magic money tree has been bust wide open. Huge kudos to undercover reporters Verbatim via @channel4news.bsky.social youtu.be/aXut3s90rUI?... huge
youtu.be
Undercover: Exposing Reform's secret donations plot
YouTube video by Channel 4 News
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Victoria Derbyshire @vicderbyshire.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Undercover filming shows Nigel Farage celebrating illegal foreign donations Footage shows a plan to break electoral law by funnelling money from a US ‘businessman’ through a UK donor The donations funded a series of widely reported polls secretly commissioned by Reform
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Nigel Farage filmed celebrating illegal foreign donations Undercover footage reveals plot to break the law by funnelling offshore funds through a UK donor. Donations funded a series of widely reported polls boosting Reform ahead of the local elections channel4news.substack.com/p/exclusive-...
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Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation. 🔗 Read the exclusive story on Substack:
channel4news.substack.com
Exclusive: Nigel Farage filmed undercover celebrating secret new foreign donations
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Labour stands up for corporations and big money. I'm running to stand up for people and our communities. www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/excl...
camdennewjournal.co.uk
Exclusive: Green Party leader Zack Polanski tells CNJ he WILL go for Holborn and St Pancras
Green leader lays out hopes for by-election
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
It is always the same betrayal: the public interest is sacrificed for the sake of immensely wealthy people. And Andy Burnham has already gone and done it. My column on how Burnham needs to defy the ultra-rich if he's not to follow Starmer out of the door. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Andy Burnham has already made a mistake that will cost him his premiership: he lost his nerve over political donations | George Monbiot
Being subservient to the interests of the wealthy now means that his hands are tied, and he will be unable to tackle Britain’s most pressing issues, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Some lovely pics here. Total trip down memory lane!
theguardian.com
Kevin Keegan – a life in pictures
English footballing great Kevin Keegan has died at the age of 75. We look back at some of his many career highlights
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Labour have taken money from oil & gas companies, arms trade, private healthcare and gambling firms. Until they resist vested interests - they'll never be the answer to ending rip off Britain. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Burnham too influenced by ‘vested interests’ to offer change, Polanski says
Exclusive: Green party launches pushback against idea that next PM will have more left-leaning agenda than Starmer
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fife4europe #FBPE #RejoinEU @fife4europe.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
The playbook? Aggressive lobbying and paid-for political access. This is how a Trump-backing billionaire's surveillance firm secured a massive £330m NHS data contract.
theguardian.com
I investigated Palantir’s foothold in the British state – and what I found should worry us all | Peter Geoghegan
Paid-for political access and threadbare regulations have helped to embed the US tech firm in the NHS – and beyond. But there is a way to free ourselves, says Peter Geoghegan of Democracy for Sale
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James 🔞 @faeblemind.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
I don't watch the world cup but it would be funny if Spain won and the orange man had to give the trophy to a country he currently seems to really dislike.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
The £5Mill-Farage-crybaby-by-election-farce is the funniest political blunder of recent times. He’s now campaigning against a bin. And Reform losing their shit in a frenzy of humourless self-righteousness just makes the whole thing even funnier and more absurd. Keep going guys. We needed this.
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Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
👇👇👇👇
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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Oh. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Brexit cost 6% of UK economy, Bank of England company data suggests
Analysis showed how much the UK could have grown if it had not exited the EU.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Whatever the result, we badly need a party that is willing to redistribute wealth and power. A party that will nationalise our public services, tax the super rich and call a genocide exactly what it is. And that's the Green Party. Join.greenparty.org.uk
join.greenparty.org.uk
Join the Green Party
Join the Green Party from just £6 a year. Become a member today - join the only party standing up for people and planet.
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Graham Simpson @grahambs.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Brexit cost 6% of UK economy - You may think that doesn’t sound much but it really is! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Brexit cost 6% of UK economy, Bank of England company data suggests
Analysis showed how much the UK could have grown if it had not exited the EU.
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Graham Simpson @grahambs.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Brexit: “It’s a tragic tale – a once-confident nation making such a fearful, self-harming decision. Our economy, our politics, our daily lives in 2026 – all of it bears the imprint of that calamitous error” @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Britain is a swamp of lies and disinformation – and we got here on the Brexit bus | Jonathan Freedland
Ten years after the vote, our economy is battered – and our national conversation darkens by the day. Still, there is reason for hope, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Absolutely not shocking. This is Reform. No idea how things work… what laws really mean… how they protect us… Just peddlers of prejudice. Puppets for whoever’s bought them. They don’t even find out what their party is about when they decide they want to be an MP. All of them unfit for office.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
It would be bad for public confidence if there was a suspicion that large corporate interests are buying access to the Government via the Tony Blair Institute. My letter to the cabinet office. 👇🏼
Dear Chris, 
Tony Blair's essay published by the Tony Blair Institute yesterday contained some 
important points, notably, a call to switch to an AI focussed economy with more 
government investment in AI, which he argued would be facilitated by cuts to welfare 
spending, reductions in the minimum wage and reduced workers’ rights. 


It has been widely reported that Larry Ellison the owner of Oracle, which specialises in AI, 
 
funded the Tony Blair Institute with over £250m, and also that the Tony Blair Institute has 
significant contacts and influence within the government. 
We are sure you will agree that it's important for the public to know whether there is a 
link between Larry Ellison's donations and Tony Blair's public advocacy for more 
government funding of AI. We therefore request that all formal and informal contacts 
between representatives of the Tony Blair Institute and government departments 
(officials and ministers) are disclosed. 
It would be bad for public confidence if there was a suspicion that large corporate 
interests are buying access to the government via the Tony Blair Institute. 
Yours sincerely, 
Zack Polanski 
Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
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mike @graftinggasman.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Nothing sums up the death of accountability like the prospect of Nigel Farage in No 10 | George Monbiot www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Nothing sums up the death of accountability like the prospect of Nigel Farage in No 10 | George Monbiot
You’d expect the public face of Brexit to be punished by voters. But history shows that such leaders often profit from the chaos they sow, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Graham Simpson @grahambs.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
It’s vital, if Andy Burnham becomes Prime Minister, that he establishes a national commission on electoral reform to determine the best form of proportional representation for the country. He would have the support of the @libdems.org.uk and other progressive parties www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
More than 60 Labour MPs call for review of UK voting system
The MPs say the current first-past-the-post system for general elections is
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Graham Simpson @grahambs.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
If Burnham commits to electoral reform before the next General Election it’s in our interests to support him. The danger of Reform becoming the next government on 30% of the vote is too big. Country before party on this one.
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Graham Simpson @grahambs.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
If Andy Burnham commits to a Commission and introducing PR before the next General Election I’d argue the Lib Dems should only put up a paper candidate. Not sure the Greens would do that?
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
The next Labour leader must move decisively away from the status quo to beat Reform. That means giving power and wealth to working class people. It means a democratic revolution, rent controls and public ownership of water. It means someone who isn't Wes Streeting.
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Marina Purkiss @marina-purkiss.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Angela Rayner was dragged through every front page for weeks... HMRC's verdict: NOT deliberate. NOT even careless. Farage pockets £5 million and chooses not to declare it So where's the wall-to-wall coverage? Tell me this isn't a rigged game.
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Graham Simpson @grahambs.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Powerful speech by @eddavey.libdems.org.uk calling for electoral and constitutional reform. It’s time…
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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 08/05/2026
Zelensky issued an official presidential decree authorizing Russia to hold its Victory Day parade in Moscow tomorrow. He included the exact coordinates of Red Square. That's it. A+ trolling.
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Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Here's what Keir Starmer doesn't want you to know about the war on Iran:
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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Start with Tesla.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Can you imagine any other govt policy being allowed to do such barrelling damage to our economy and national standing... and politicians and media just shrugging and saying, "Oh well. Better not upset the rightwing nutbags” Brexit is like being pushed over and being too scared to ever get up again.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Trump is threatening further and greater war crimes in Iran: "completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants... and possibly all desalinization plants!". This directly contravenes the laws of war. One day he and his enablers must face justice. ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary...
ihl-databases.icrc.org
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Still not sure why we're putting Daily Mail *and* journalist in the same sentence? They protect power and wealth of their owner at all costs. That's all. Media reform to stop a tiny amount of people owning the vast majority of our media urgently needed. www.thenational.scot/news/2597765...
thenational.scot
Zack Polanski slams Daily Mail journalist over 'antisemitism' piece
Zack Polanski has slammed a Daily Mail journalist over a story which alleged his family members 'fear' they will be forced to leave the UK if he…
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aclieberman.bsky.social @aclieberman.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
There is something uniquely perverse about a 5-time draft dodger sending American men and women to war.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Everything we need to do to stop climate breakdown, we also need to do for national security. Energy saving, more renewables, more electricity storage and interconnectors, electrification of transport, heating, cooking and industrial processes, plant-based diets. We win on all fronts.
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Graham Simpson @grahambs.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
How did Denmark get proportional representation? electoral-reform.org.uk/how-did-denm... Electoral Reform Society – ERS
electoral-reform.org.uk
How did Denmark get proportional representation?
Denmark today is home to one of the most proportional voting systems in the world, but, for a long time, elections to the Danish Folketing took place using First Past the Post. So why an
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Brian Wernham C.Eng. @brianwernham.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
"The killing of a reported 168 people, primarily schoolgirls, in the bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab in Iran has shaken to its very core the conscience of the world." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Children killed, a school turned into a graveyard: even in wartime, we can’t accept this | Gordon Brown
There are rules and world leaders must insist they are honoured in practice and in spirit. After this atrocity in Iran, a more effective tribunal for crimes against children is essential, says former ...
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Sussex Bylines @sussexbylines.co.uk · 11/03/2026
Washington – the illusion of influence Are we seeing a significant change to the terms of our 'special relationship' with the US? | Mick Channon
sussexbylines.co.uk
Washington – the illusion of influence
Are we seeing a significant change to the terms of our 'special relationship' with the US?
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Graham Simpson @grahambs.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
“We cannot go back to a world where might makes right — where any nation can invade, bomb or destabilize another country for any reason they choose. That mentality leaves all of us, and future generations, increasingly unsafe” @sanders.senate.gov 👍
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Graham Simpson @grahambs.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
“Geopolitics is never far away. Fossil fuels tie the UK to unstable regions. A renewable-based energy system would free Britain from the slings and arrows of the fossil fuel economy. Britain, like Europe, remains exposed to fossil fuel markets beyond its control”👍 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on the Iran crisis exposing Britain’s energy vulnerability: clean power offers protection | Editorial
Editorial: The war reveals Britain’s exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices. More North Sea drilling will not shield households, building domestic green energy will
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Labour's core voters, on which its re-election entirely depends, are crystal clear about this: they absolutely hate its illiberal, intolerant, draconian, rightwards turn. Hence the total collapse in support. So how does the government respond? #SuicideMission🤦‍♂️ thesecretbarrister.com/2026/03/07/k...
thesecretbarrister.com
Keir Starmer and David Lammy are taking an extraordinarily dangerous gamble with our individual liberty
This week, MPs will vote on the second reading of the Courts and Tribunals Bill. Don’t let the anodyne name fool you – this is one of the most revolutionary pieces of legislation in our…
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Patrick Barkham @patrickbarkham.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
I’m trying to share positive nature stuff but, well, in the enveloping global darkness, this from Simon Tisdall is spot on. We desperately need wisdom, empathy and restraint from our global leaders and, in Britain, courage to step away from Trump. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The first lesson of war is ‘know your enemy’ – and Britain’s enemy now is Donald Trump | Simon Tisdall
As the Iran disaster escalates, the US president should be seen as an enemy whose actions threaten the lawful, democratic way of life everywhere, says Guardian foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdal...
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Jonathan Pie @jonathanpienews.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
WAR in IRAN. Tickets to see my new live show at: JonathanPie.com youtu.be/iAcgIMDQsog?...
youtu.be
WAR in IRAN
YouTube video by Jonathan Pie
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