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hampo53.bsky.social

@hampo53.bsky.social
65 followers 284 following 18 posts
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Reposted by @hampo53.bsky.social
Clive Lewis MP @labourlewis.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Former Labour Deputy Leader Lord Thomas Watson, now Senior VP at Palantir UK, wrote to me defending their public contracts. Instead of trading letters, I’ve challenged him to an open, public debate. He can defend Palantir’s ethos; I’ll argue for public accountability. Will you accept, Tom?
Formal letter from Clive Lewis MP, Member of Parliament for Norwich South, to Lord Thomas Watson of Wyre Forest, Senior Vice President of Palantir Technologies UK Limited, dated 7 October 2026. In the letter, Lewis challenges Watson to a public debate regarding Palantir's role in government contracts and public institutions. Lewis rejects Watson's claim that criticisms malign software engineers, stressing that elected officials must scrutinize corporate power, democratic control, and public accountability. He proposes a debate with an impartial chair, equal time, and audience questions.
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Beau @drbeaubeaumont.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
To be fair, you honestly can’t say that Enid Blyton isn’t prepared to move with the times.
BBC headline: Five arrested as counter-terror police investigate major incident near RAF Fairford
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Times this morning. Me in December last year. It was pretty damn obvious this would happen to anyone who did the maths. samf.substack.com/p/the-oversh...
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Paul Mason @paulmason.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Travelled from Bristol to Southampton on a train packed with @bristolcityfc.bsky.social fans... 2.5 hrs with maximum 🍻few 🚽 & standing room only, 90% young white men... yet heard 0️⃣ racism, saw 0️⃣ bad behaviour... even managed a chat about Econ: that's the 🇬🇧 I ❤️ - only sorry about the score, lads!
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A reminder that Delo previously pled guilty in the US to violating money laundering protections and agreed to pay a $10 million fine for "willfully” breaking the law with his BitMex platform, which was described as "in effect a money laundering platform.” This is who owns Farage now
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John Harris @johnharris1969.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I wrote about Ben Delo back in July... was obvious something like this was about to happen. Also, further evidence that Starmer was completely asleep. Donations reform should have been a priority as soon as Labour got in www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
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Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 12/09/2026
Reform has already enjoyed several years of support from a loss-making TV channel whose main function seems to be to give money and favourable coverage to its MPs. The government has done nothing about this. It's probably a more effective way of spending millions than Farage will manage.
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Dr Julia Grace Patterson @jujuliagrace.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
It’s great to see Zubir Ahmed MP speaking up about Palantir in this way. All politicians should be doing so in my opinion!🚨 Link to article: www.lbc.co.uk/article/form... jujuliagrace.substack.com
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Reform UK, which promises to "defend free speech" at all costs, has again banned Byline Times from its conference
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East Anglia Bylines @eastangliabylines.co.uk · 27/08/2026
What should Britain do with depleted North Sea oil and gas fields? Don't abandon them just yet. Here's why researchers believe they could become vital infrastructure for a clean-energy future. Report by Stuart Jones, Andrew Crossland and Chris Groves.
eastangliabylines.co.uk
Could old North Sea gas fields hold the key to Britain’s green energy future?
New research suggests depleted North Sea oil and gas fields could store green hydrogen, helping Britain make better use of its abundant wind power
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
New immigration stats show that the numbers of asylum seekers in hotels is down to 16k - falling 50% in a year. Small boat crossings down 23% in the year to June. Numbers waiting for initial decision down from almost 180k to 40k.
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hampo53.bsky.social @hampo53.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The government has launched a consultation on guaranteed hours. Sign this petition asking them to stand firm on their pledge to tackle insecure work and ban exploitative zero-hours contracts. www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/st...
megaphone.org.uk
Stamp out zero-hours contracts: protect all workers from exploitation
The government has launched a consultation on guaranteed hours. Sign this petition asking them to stand firm on their pledge to tackle insecure work and ban exploitative zero-hours contracts.
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Reposted by @hampo53.bsky.social
Cath Martin 59 @cathmartin59.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Did you know a barrister is facing prison just for reminding a jury they have the right to vote with their conscience? This historic right has existed since 1670. We can't let it be silenced in court now. Add your name to help protect Britain's juries: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Save Britain's Juries
Juries have had the right to acquit based on their conscience for centuries. Now, a barrister is facing jail just for mentioning it in court. Add your name to help save Britain's juries.
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hampo53.bsky.social @hampo53.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Did you know a barrister is facing prison just for reminding a jury they have the right to vote with their conscience? This historic right has existed since 1670. We can't let it be silenced in court now. Add your name to help protect Britain's juries: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/sa...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Save Britain's Juries
Juries have had the right to acquit based on their conscience for centuries. Now, a barrister is facing jail just for mentioning it in court. Add your name to help save Britain's juries.
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Reposted by @hampo53.bsky.social
Peter Jukes @peterjukes.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Both the Thiel/Palantir scandal, and the Mandelson/Deripaska scandal lead back to one figure — Jeffery Epstein
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Digital Brain @yourdigitalbrain.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
A camel bathing in the lush, misty hills of Salalah, Oman, where the khareef monsoon turns the Arabian desert green every summer.
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
"The government will repeal the Vagrancy Act on Monday 29 June 2026, ending nearly two centuries of legislation that has criminalised rough sleeping and begging" www.gov.uk/government/n...
gov.uk
Rough sleeping no longer a crime as Vagrancy Act repealed
The government will repeal the Vagrancy Act on Monday 29 June 2026, ending nearly two centuries of legislation that has criminalised rough sleeping and begging.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Few people understand the scope of the powers UK governments have granted themselves, to criminalise us as terrorists for expressing an opinion. Fewer still understand how illiberal the Court of Appeal judgement is. But @davidallengreen.bsky.social does.🧵 www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
What the Palestine Action appeal decision tells us about terrorism law
An already broad law is now matched with broad ministerial powers
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Scribbler Pen @scribblerpen.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Half of UK welfare is pensions, 1 in 3 people on Universal Credit are in work, disabled people are disabled, more of them since Covid hit, but the welfare bill as % of GDP is stable (lower than most developed countries) and is forecast to stay stable and below OECD average for the next 5 years.
Chart from the Resolution Foundation of Social security spending as a proportion of GDP by category, Great Britain. The chart from 2007-2008 shows social security spending falling since 2013 from a peak in 2008-2009, pensions rising to account for the biggest share, and disability and incapacity spending rising in the post-Covid years from 2023.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
61% of all political donations in the last quarter came from just 14 people Reform took in £9.3m from a handful of super rich donors British democracy is being bought. We urgently need action to take the money out of our politics
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Ash Oro @ashoro.co.uk · 22/05/2026
Shameless plug - But I am a little bit excited... Volume 1 of The Hormuz Crisis series I am writing is now fully live on Amazon for pre-order. It will be Kindle-only I am afraid for the moment - but I am looking to expand to a physical book when / if it takes off. #HormuzCrisis #Booksky
amzn.eu
The Hormuz Crisis Volume 1: The Illusion of Open Seas - February to April 2026 eBook : Oro, Ash: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
The Hormuz Crisis Volume 1: The Illusion of Open Seas - February to April 2026 eBook : Oro, Ash: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store
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Dr Julia Grace Patterson @jujuliagrace.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Why won’t these NHS Trusts tell us what’s happening? 🚨🚨🚨
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
🔴 SCOOP: Remember Labour Together paid PR firm APCO £36,000 to investigate journalists? Now the firm has been reported to Serious Fraud Office + senior APCO executive told a freelance contractor to destroy evidence of Labour Together work NEW on D4S: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/labour-tog...
democracyforsale.substack.com
Labour Together PR firm tried to destroy crucial evidence
Controversial firm reported to Serious Fraud Office after senior executive ordered deletion of evidence of Labour Together’s smear campaign against journalists
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Ash Oro @ashoro.co.uk · 23/04/2026
1/3 Thank you to @mrjamesob.bsky.social for taking the call - just a shame the phone line was rubbish - all my fault. To summarise - Globalisation = supply lines without use of the navy NATO supply lines are complicated and very entwined between the USA and other allies.
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Ash Oro @ashoro.co.uk · 23/04/2026
1/10 Oh look - he wrote an entire article in the Washington Post - Shall we debunk it for fun? This Washington Post take on Iran is a good example of how confident language can mask very weak assumptions. It’s mostly speculation layered on misunderstanding. #Iran #Hormuz #Geopolitics
washingtonpost.com
Opinion | Trump doesn’t need a deal to get what he wants from Iran
The regime is running out of oil storage, money — and time.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Almost everything we argue about is a substitute for the thing we should be arguing about: the immense wealth & power of an oligarchic class, which captures governments, ruins lives and wrecks the living planet. This class redirects our rage at scapegoats. To resist its lies is to resist its power.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
BREAKING: We’re taking the government to court over Palantir. The government is refusing to hand over important briefings given to Wes Streeting about the £330m NHS data contract with Peter Thiel’s surveillance firm So we’re taking legal action. democracyforsale.substack.com/p/breaking-w...
democracyforsale.substack.com
BREAKING: We're taking the government to court over Palantir
Peter Thiel's surveillance firm is embedded in the NHS. Wes Streeting won't show us the briefings - so we have launched a legal challenge.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
BBC today correct Nigel Farage's false claim to Nick Robinson on Political Thinking (13th February 2026) that net migration was only down due to an "exodus" of people leaving the UK since 90% of net migration fall was a fall in immigration. After my 3rd complaint! www.bbc.co.uk/helpandfeedb...
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Zoë Grünewald @zoegrunewald.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
The Government cannot keep telling us everything has changed for the worse while insisting the same approach will suffice. Today's column for @theleaduk.bsky.social - repeating the same message again and again - it's time to raise taxes open.substack.com/pub/theleadu...
open.substack.com
Tax is the answer – why won't Labour take the shot?
Britain needs to raise more money to meet the moment. The question is why Labour still won’t say so.
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
BBC News leading all its bulletins on demands by former Government advisor Lord Robertson for more defence spending, without at any point mentioning his current paid senior role for US defence lobbyists
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Adrian Goldberg @goldbergradio.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
'Orbánism Survived for 16 Years - It Won't Disappear Overnight'. My latest for @bylinetimes.bsky.social with @gsamaras.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/bylineti...
open.substack.com
'Orbánism Survived for 16 Years - It Won't Disappear Overnight'
Dr Georgios Samaras warns Adrian Goldberg on the Byline Podcast that joy over defeat of Hungary's authoritarian leader may be short-lived
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
The Home Office' anti-immigration agenda is strangling growth across the economy. It prevents a closer relationship with Europe, deprives us of the workers we need and undermines universities. getting-out-of-the-hole.uk/labours-red-...
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
When Angela Rayner underpaid £40,000 stamp duty on her flat, Richard Tice said it was "morally completely indefensible” and she should immediately resign if she had “any moral decency”. Now we learn he personally made £91,000 in excess payments by failing to pay the tax his company legally owed
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Ash Oro @ashoro.co.uk · 12/04/2026
1/11 After the breakdown of talks, Iran (specifically Kharg Island) is being discussed as if it can simply be “controlled” or “blocked”. It can’t. Because the thought process being applied is Cold-War-Era mentality. #IranWar #KhargIsland #Hormuz #NavalDoctrine justthenews.com/government/s...
justthenews.com
The Trump card the president holds if Iran won’t bend: a naval blockade
Trump used a naval blockade to weaken Venezuela before Maduro’s ouster.
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Ash Oro @ashoro.co.uk · 11/04/2026
1/8 I was asked a simple question at a board game club: “Why don’t shipping companies just absorb the cost of Hormuz tolls?” I teach this stuff for a living… and the answer isn’t simple. So I’ve tried to explain it as clearly as I can #Shipping #Hormuz #GlobalTrade
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Ash Oro @ashoro.co.uk · 10/04/2026
1/2 This is a side of the situation in the Strait of Hormuz that doesn’t get much attention. A piece from Personnel Today looking at the employment and human side of what’s happening to seafarers in the region. www.personneltoday.com/hr/how-emplo... #Seafarers #Maritime #Hormuz #Shipping
personneltoday.com
How employment rules are failing seafarers trapped in the Persian Gulf
A minimum of 20,000 seafarers are currently trapped by war in the Persian Gulf. Adam McCulloch investigates their plight.
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Ash Oro @ashoro.co.uk · 10/04/2026
1/10 This came from a really good question by @jeffm2018.bsky.social Paraphrased: What happens to crews if ships start moving again? How do reliefs actually work? Short answer: it’s going to be very difficult. And the longer this goes on, the worse it gets. #Seafarers #Hormuz #MaritimeSafety
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Parody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
My Easter reading: "..the Lord said I was hungry and you told me I could make a meal for 30p, I was a stranger and you told me to fuck off back where I came from, I was sick and you said I should get private health insurance..."
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Liam Thorp @liamthorp.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Is it any wonder our media ecosystem is such a mess? The guy in charge of the supposedly impartial watchdog is slagging off the BBC to the right wing Telegraph - which is hostile to the BBC - & defending the fact his organisation has let GB News act share misinformation and constantly promote Reform
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
What could possibly explain the intensity of Western interest, over the past century and more, in this region?
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
I don't know how to clip a segment (sorry), but the bit I really want you to watch starts at 29'10". It's about the deep roots of the attack on Iran and why it's just as well Starmer is "no Winston Churchill". I'm surprised this aspect isn't more widely discussed. 🧵 www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
bbc.co.uk
Question Time - 2026: 05/03/2026
Fiona Bruce presents an hour of topical debate from Kettering. On the panel are Stephen Doughty, James Cleverly, Shashank Joshi, George Monbiot and Annabel Denham.
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hampo53.bsky.social @hampo53.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
A crypto investor just donated £9 million to the Reform Party. Right now, billionaires can pour unlimited money into our elections, effectively buying our democracy. Think that's wrong? Add your name to call for a cap on donations today: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ta...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Take Big Money Out of Our Politics
British politics is awash with money from super rich donors. In 2023, two-thirds of all private donations came from just 19 people. These so-called ‘mega donors’ enjoy privileged access to political p...
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hampo53.bsky.social @hampo53.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
I just signed a petition calling for an urgent investigation into Peter Mandelson's dealings with Palantir. Did he use his position as UK Ambassador to benefit the US spy tech firm? Sign now: www.foxglove.org.uk/campaigns/ma...
foxglove.org.uk
The Government must reveal all details of Peter Mandelson’s links to Palantir - Foxglove
Sign the petition for an urgent investigation into Peter Mandelson's dealings with Palantir. Did he use his position as UK Ambassador to benefit the US spy tech firm?
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Cambridge for Europe @cambsforeurope.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Good, hopefully this time without making inadequate offers (UK) or ridiculous demands (EU/France) for participation. This is no time for narrow "national interests", our collective European security is at stake!
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Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
The Doomsday Machine that is our university funding system will destroy everything in the end. First it destroys individual lives, then social mobility, then most universities, followed by the structure of income tax and the pension system. In the end it could threaten to destroy the economy itself.
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Spirit_blues ⭐️ @spiritblues.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
I know its a long shot but to rub salt into the wounds of yesterday my youngest left his scarf somewhere at the match yesterday. Got a load of badges on from this seasons Home games. Hes gutted. Any reposts appreciated in the hope it might be recovered.
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Sadly it is official, my current employment contract finishes at the end of March. It has been a fantastic three years at Migrant Voice. If you, or someone you know, knows of job opportunities for an experienced policy, advocacy and comms person, across multiple sectors, please do let me know.
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Dr. Michael MacKay @michaelmackay.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
It's OK for North Korea to send troops to help Russia wage war in Europe. It's "unthinkable" for Germany, France, Britain and Poland to have their soldiers stop Russia from waging war in Europe. In what universe does this make sense?
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