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Anne Newton

@grannanne07.bsky.social
612 followers 179 following 215 posts

Mancunian - retired education admin. Interests include arts, politics, gardening. #FBPE

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Reposted by Anne Newton
Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Our full report is here, complete with a recreation of Cebr's model that lets you see precisely how they came up with their too-good-to-be-true numbers. buff.ly/5DDA6rg Summary below, but *way* more detail in the report.
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Chris Rivers @chrisrivers50.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
“Labour will create a National Care Service” - It’s right there in the 2024 manifesto. Labour subsequently won in a landslide. Next steps? Let’s stick it in the next manifesto.
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Catriona @catrio.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Do you know what would help address this? A National Care Service 👍. If only someone had that in their manifesto and won an election 🤔
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George Eaton @georgeeaton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Your regular reminder that UK taxes are average by western standards and low on middle-earners. Labour figures, especially, should not fall into the trap of pretending that we have a “high” tax burden and that taxes are to blame for the living standards crisis. www.arguably.uk/p/the-tax-tr...
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Jacob Öberg @profjacob.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🚨🚨 "there seems to be no sense of urgency about anything: about tackling the far right, about protecting liberal norms of governance, about challenging the immigration panic, about improving relations with the EU, or about recalibrating geo-political strategy." @chrisgrey.bsky.social
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Lethargy in place of strategy. New post on my fortnightly Brexit & Brexitism Blog looking at the urgent lessons from the Reform mega-donations, Piddington, and the growth of the far right; reset inertia; and the real lessons from Canada & Carney: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/09/leth...
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Mike Wilson @whisperingwind.eurosky.social · 24/09/2026
So many problems would go away if instead of asking "what can we do about X?" we instead ask "is X a problem?". Cutting welfare further will create misery & invite another recession -- the least well off spend most of their money locally. We might consider doing something about corporate welfare.
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This chart published by the Economics Laboratory, shows that the UK social spending is 23% of GDP, covers NHS, social security and support services. It is a useful rebutal to neoliberals calling for cuts to the NHS, state pension and other benefits. www.linkedin.com/posts/charto...
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Samphire @samphire-charity.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Did you know? Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen, fled Zanzibar for England in 1964 as a refugee. Source: Refugee Week 🧵
Samphire 'Did You Know' graphic featuring Freddie Mercury. Text: did you know Freddie Mercury fled to the UK as a refugee?
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Barbara Exon @barbaraexonwriter.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Could you please possibly sign and repost as widely as possible this gov.uk petition, critical for UK politics: Petition: Make lying or spreading disinformation in public office a criminal offence. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/77...
gov.uk
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Darren Jones MP @darrenpjones.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
On the one hand, AI is going to end humanity. On the other, it's all just marketing hype before an IPO. I spoke with Times Radio to discuss why governments can't afford to wait and see, when AI agents are already making decisions without us knowing.
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Reece Dinsdale @reecedinsdale.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
It’s time to stop adhering to a decade-old referendum that caused us nothing but problems. An increasingly volatile world now changes faster, year on year. The days of Empire are long gone. We cannot survive alone. We need the power/safety of our neighbours. Unity not isolation.
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Kai Schmithuesen @bennierinireland.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I wonder which level of idiocy needs to be achieved before a politician will say "No, this is silly, not going to listen to you. Come back to me when your are sober again"
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Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
You can read my latest piece in @theguardian.com here 2027 is going to be grim www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The incoming ‘super’ El Niño will create chaos around the world. And we are far from ready for it | Bill McGuire
One of the biggest upheavals in a millennium is on its way, strengthened by the climate crisis. We need leaders who make things better not worse, says climate professor Bill McGuire
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Peter Kay @theonlypeterkay.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Union funding pools contributions from working people. It is governed collectively and every member can opt out. A £36m gift from one billionaire turns private wealth into a political voice louder than millions of voters. One is democratic representation the other is plutocracy x.com/implausibleb...
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Former Tory Chancellor George Osborne calls for UK to rejoin EU customs union and boost trade. Brexit has brought no economic gains to the UK. Brexiteers want to cosy up to the US but being the 51st state is no future.
theguardian.com
George Osborne calls for UK to rejoin EU customs union and boost trade
Ex-Tory chancellor says economy has ‘fallen off a cliff’ since Brexit but rejoining union could be ‘quite simple’
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bggyoneandonly.bsky.social @bggyoneandonly.eurosky.social · 14/09/2026
"It also confirmed that 100% of the recycling and component retention took place within the UK, supporting domestic green jobs and at least 10 supply chain companies."
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Daily Herald #FBPE #NAFO 🇬🇧🇺🇦🇬🇱 @dailyherald.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Do not believe this graphic, fact checked: since 2021 Reform has taken £110m, not £74m — a second £36m crypto gift landed Saturday. Since 2024: Reform ~£113m, Labour ~£57m, Tories ~£54m. Reform has out-raised both combined, and the bars aren't drawn to scale. Two men account for most of it.
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Darren Jones MP @darrenpjones.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I wouldn’t say lawmakers are “freaking out” but it’s right we respond to calls from AI labs to help pace the frontier. That mustn’t mean banning innovation or science, or over regulating and killing off safe AI start ups in the UK (the main driver of economic growth in the UK in the last quarter).
wired.com
UK Lawmakers Are Freaking Out Over AI’s Summer of Chaos
As AI agents go rogue and fears of superintelligence grow, politicians are raising the alarm over its potential harm to human existence.
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Richard Corbett CBE @richardcorbett.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Across Europe, far right political parties are getting money and help from: - crypto and tech billionaires - MAGA - the US ultra Christian right - Putin’s Russia We need to defend democracy with robust funding rules and digital safeguards
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Andy Burge 🇬🇧🇪🇺 @andygjburge.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The hard-right crypto billionaires Delo and Harborne cannot be allowed to buy our elections by buying our democracy. Burnham *must* make the £100k donation limit retroactive and extend the limit to include UK residents too. There is no choice about this - Burnham has to act and act now.
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Labour4PR 🌹🗳️ @labour4pr.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
🌹"Its those people who are losing faith with politics who feel disenfranchised the most. We owe it to them to have a national conversation about how we can reform our voting system" @joemorrismp.bsky.social
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David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Technology has created our modern world but politicians still think it was them. Now the tech bros actively want to change government mostly to empower themselves and the politicians are still in denial.
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
£72 million from 2 individuals - both of whom have faced questions about money laundering, both of whom live/d overseas to avoid tax - is not compatible with democracy. I don't care if it's Reform, Labour or whoever. We can't function like this. Not for long. So how do we fix it? My plan:
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Anti-Reform @antireform.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
"We're not broke, we're being robbed" #BlameMillionairesNotMigrants meme via Joshua ABD
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 12/09/2026
Lee Anderson claimed last week that “there’s literally thousands of square miles” of solar panels on UK farmland. That’s way off the mark, as our fact check explains 👇
fullfact.org
Solar panels do not currently occupy ‘thousands of square miles’ of farmland – Full Fact
Reform UK party chair Lee Anderson claimed there are “thousands of square miles” of solar panels on farmland in the UK. This is a huge overstatement.
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History and Heritage Yorkshire @handhyorkshire.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
The Battle of Holbeck Moor took place in Leeds on 27 September 1936, when Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists attempted a march through the city. Their original route through the Jewish quarter was blocked, but they regrouped and headed for Holbeck Moor, daubing swastikas in the Leylands 1/3
Plaque on St Matthew's Church, facing Holbeck Moor Road. It commemorates a violent incident on 27 September 1936 when crowds disrupted an attempted rally by fascists. Leeds Civic Trust plaque funded by Stand Up to Racism. Image Chemical Engineer CC !.0
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Hendrik Klaassens #FBPE #BanX #NoAfD #FBR @aurorablogspot.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
If you allow billionaires to have their way, they take control of the media, refuse to pay taxes and keep wages very low so that they can maximise their profits. To protect their interests, they will also restrict freedom of speech and support far right parties. Prevent this by limiting their power!
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Darren Jones MP @darrenpjones.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Britain is pro-innovation, a world leader in science and a brilliant place to start up a business - especially when using AI. We must get the balance right between this and rightly calling for multi-lateral frameworks for the safe development of technology. 👉 www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
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La Reine des Metaphores @metaphorqu.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
@seanlwoodcock.bsky.social
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Phil Brickell MP @philbrickellmp.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Party financing in this country is out of control The government needs to act via the Representation of the People Bill to restrict spending limits and donations👇🏻 Reform receives second £36m donation in two days as crypto investor matches record www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Reform receives second £36m donation in two days as crypto investor matches record
Cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne says he has matched a donation from Ben Delo announced late on Friday.
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A picture of post-Brexit Britain. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog on a fortnight of ugly political scenes, why a government-led counter-narrative on asylum is needed, and why these domestic political events are a national security issue: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/09/a-pi...
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Gunnar Hillert @hillert.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
As someone who grew up in East-Germany: This @quietriotpod.bsky.social podcast episode with @annettedittert.bsky.social is the best English-language explanation I’ve seen yet of WTF 💩 happened in #SaxonyAnhalt #Germany. #fascism
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Daily Herald #FBPE #NAFO 🇬🇧🇺🇦🇬🇱 @dailyherald.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
So two Reform councillors where involved in the assaults at the Reform conference
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HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 10/09/2026
HOPE not hate can conclusively prove that Stephen Lennon AKA Tommy Robinson’s business empire has been built on fraudulent means, tax evasion, and perjury. This is a long one. Strap in.🧵 hopenothate.org.uk/the-grift/
hopenothate.org.uk
The Grift
Stephen Lennon, or Tommy Robinson as he is better known, has amassed a multimillion pound fortune by monetising hate and fear. But, as HOPE not hate can conclusively prove, his business empire has bee...
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Andy Burge 🇬🇧🇪🇺 @andygjburge.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Well I've just watched "Tommy Robinson: Where's the Money Gone?" on C4 and I have one overriding question: If the investigative journalist Matt Shea & his team can in 1 year uncover this apparent web of fraud perpetrated by Yaxley-Lennon and his ex wife then ....
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HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 09/09/2026
🚨 THE TOMMY FILES: Tonight, our work with #C4Dispatches put Tommy Robinson’s finances under scrutiny. Now, we’re publishing everything we found, in one place. hopenothate.org.uk/tommy-files-...
hopenothate.org.uk
Tommy Files: The Game Is Up
For years, Stephen Lennon, better known as Tommy Robinson, has asked his supporters to fund his political campaigns, legal battles and media operation. Now his finances are coming under unprecedented ...
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Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Wow. That C4 Dispatches on SYL/Robinson was DARK. I mean, the grift was always obvious, but the amounts are staggering and the treatment of that poor grooming gang victim is utterly heartbreaking. Really worth watching. www.channel4.com/programmes/t...
channel4.com
Tommy Robinson: Where's the Money Gone?
For Dispatches, Matt Shea examines the complex finances of Tommy Robinson
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JustJane @deludedtrot61.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
In case #r4today are demonising welfare recipients this morning [ i'm not listening at the mo ] A message not just 'to MAGA' , but Tory-types in UK too ....
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Melissa Chemam @melissaontheroad.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
In the UK, Darren Jones, former chief secretary to Keir Starmer, thus urges the new PM to push for global treaty on AI regulation, in an open letter also addressed to the UN secretary general António Guterres & the OECD secretary general Mathias Cormann x.com/darrenpjones...
x.com
Darren Jones MP (@darrenpjones) on X
I’ve never thought we should ban innovation or scientific endeavour but it’s clear we need a new multinational treaty for the safe and regulated development of superintelligence. I’ve written to @an...
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Suz Brinkman-Wordle @firmlyaground.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Ninety short years ago: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_...
en.wikipedia.org
Battle of Cable Street - Wikipedia
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Anne Newton @grannanne07.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Worth a read - Lucy Powell!
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Ben Taylor @vox-dei.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
For those asking why the police need a complaint: Seems to be that they don't. But getting a conviction is often substantially harder if they don't have the co-operation of the victim. Hence, I guess, why they want her to "come forward".
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Sean Jones KC @seanjones.org · 05/09/2026
I’m flat out begging politicians to stop trying to win votes with a little light xenophobia. All you do is feed the racists without ever satiating them. Stop legitimizing hate
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 05/09/2026
Head to Trafalgar Square today from 12–6pm for Black On The Square, a free celebration of Black Londoners and the enormous contribution Black communities have made to our city's culture, character and success. Expect food, music and workshops for all ages.
london.gov.uk
Black On The Square 2026
Black On The Square is entering its fourth year, so save the date, for what is set to be another year of celebrating Black culture and creativity.
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AlanR @alan2210.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
more lies from reform and farage
The image shows an authentic BBC News Live Text update published on September 4, 2026, by political correspondent Jack Fenwick. The update correctly states that West Midlands Police contradicted claims from Reform UK party sources regarding a delay to Nigel Farage's headline speech at the Reform UK Party Conference 2026 in Birmingham
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Farage was - once again - lying when he said counter terrorism police had delayed his speech because of threats. West Midlands police confirm they gave no such advice.
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Phil Brickell MP @philbrickellmp.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
🧵1/ I worked in anti-corruption for years before becoming an MP. Nigel Farage has serious questions to answer following the undercover investigation into Reform UK's fundraising practices. This is now for the police and donations watchdog to resolve, but here is what I want to know:
theguardian.com
Reform officials ‘plotted to break law on foreign donations’ in undercover film
Investigation broadcast by Channel 4 News shows man posing as ‘impermissible donor’ paying for polling that helped Reform
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Fionna O’Leary @fascinatorfun.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
As one of my mates just said: “Surprised Jenrick didn't chip in with "you should see what I did for the Westferry porn baron"
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Jazzaoxon @jazzaoxon.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Has it crossed Farage's mind that without wrongdoing there would be no wrong and no Verbatim documentary. Wrongdoing was found so Channel 4 showed it. It's good investigative journalism.
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