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helendawe.bsky.social

@helendawe.bsky.social
120 followers 99 following 38 posts
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Pay rent, eat or keep warm? Growing numbers face hard choices as housing benefit gap grows. No curbs on rents. Shortage of social housing. 2.8m council homes sold since the 1980s, not replaced. Low wages, 37.8% of Universal Credit claimants are in work. Poverty is a political choice.
theguardian.com
Pay rent, eat or keep warm? Growing numbers face hard choices as housing benefit gap grows
Wirral mother among renters turning to food banks as gap between a two-bed and housing benefit hits £158 a month – rising to as much as £324 in London
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Dianne Dupuis @iamfreetobeme.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Byline Times has identified seven Reform councillors who are listed as members of the masked anti-migrant groups bylinetimes.com/2026/09/16/t...
bylinetimes.com
The Reform Councillors Embedded in Britain’s Masked 'Patriot' Anti-Migrant Network
A Reform councillor and campaign co-ordinater urged his followers to join and support the masked group
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Hakan Sandal-Wilson @hsw.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
“Simultaneous operations targeting the LGBTI+ movement: Digital blackout, home raids, searches of associations, and workplace raids” #Turkey kaosgl1.org/en/single-ne...
kaosgl1.org
INFORMATION: Simultaneous operations targeting the LGBTI+ movement
Simultaneous operations targeting the LGBTI+ movement: Digital blackout, home raids, searches of associations, and workplace raids
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Resistance is not futile
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elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Jesus. 35 UK universities quietly- without debate - joined the Ministry of Defence’s “Battlefield Alliance” which seeks to “reorientate academia towards Defence and National Security” They’re destroying the social sciences and humanities while militarising the institutions
• Durham University
• Newcastle University
• Northumbria University
• Lancaster University
• University of Cumbria
• University of Lancashire
• University of Liverpool
• University of Manchester
• University of Huddersfield
• University of Sheffield
• University of York
• Loughborough University
• University of Lincoln
• University of Nottingham
• Aston University
• University of Birmingham
• University of Warwick
• King's College London
• Kingston University
• Queen Mary University of London
• University College London
• University of Oxford
• University of Portsmouth
• University of Surrey
• University of Bath
• University of Bristol
• University of Exeter
• University of Plymouth
• University of Edinburgh
• University of Glasgow
• University of Strathclyde
• Cardiff University
• Swansea University
• Queens University Belfast
• Cranfield UniversityFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
14 July 2026
UK Universities Betray Public Trust by Joining MoD's 'Battlefield Advantage' Alliance
Without Debate
A coalition of campaign groups has accused UK universities of quietly integrating themselves into Britain's defence infrastructure after 35 institutions signed up to the Ministry of Defence's Defence Universities Alliance (DUA).
The Ministry of Defence says the alliance aims to "reorientate academia towards Defence and National Security", strengthen links between universities and the defence sector, and translate research into "battlefield advantage".
Campaigners say the move represents a significant shift in the role of higher education and has taken place without meaningful public debate.
Among the founding members are the University of Oxford, University College London, King's College London, the University of Manchester, the University of Edinburgh, Cardiff University and Queen's University Belfast.
"We are witnessing the formal incorporation of Britain's universities into the defence ecosystem," said Jinsella Kennaway, Founder and Executive Director of Demilitarise Education.
"The Ministry of Defence is explicit about its intentions. Universities exist to advance knowledge and foster critical inquiry, not to become pipelines for military research and defence recruitment.
Students and staff deserve to know who agreed to this and why."
Campaigners are calling on all 35 universities to publish the governance documents and board minutes relating to their decision to join the alliance, and to explain whether staff and students were consulted.
Many UK universities already maintain relationships with major defence companies, including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo, Thales, Lockheed Martin and QinetiQ. Critics argue that the DUA formalises and accelerates the integration of academia, industry and the state.
The coalition warns that, at a time of rising defence spending, universities risk becoming increasingly aligned with governme…
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Written by Uju ✍🏽 @writtenbyuju.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
🖼️- @nasimehehe
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Financialisation of humanity Vital services handed by the state to private equity 84% of children’s homes, 80% of adult care homes in England controlled by financial investors. Private equity is a key player. £1.5bn profit extracted from care homes. Public purse looted for poor service.
leftfootforward.org
The finance curse is devouring the UK
Prem Sikka is an Emeritus Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex and the University of Sheffield, a Labour member of the House of Lords, and Contributing Editor at Left Foot Forward. Th...
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Mon chat et moi (autoportrait avec son chat), 1932 is an pioneering work by Italian photographer Wanda Wulz, who created the image by printing two negatives-one of her face, the other of the family cat, on a single sheet of photographic paper #WomensArt
Monochrome photograph of a face which is half that of a woman and half of a cat
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Corporate Welfare Drax claimed £999m subsidy for burning trees in 2025 to produce electricity. £8.7bn since 2012, more to come. Its electricity is the most expensive. Company made operating profit of £947m in 2025. Biggest single polluter in the UK.
theguardian.com
Drax claimed record £999m in subsidies for burning trees in 2025, thinktank says
Company has received about £8.7bn in renewable energy subsidies since 2012, despite claims wood pellets are not sourced sustainably
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Oliver @oliver48.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
'To survive a British winter as a winged adult, these ten species utilize "supercooling." They purge their digestive tracts of any particles that could trigger ice crystal formation and produce high concentrations of glycerol & sorbitol—natural antifreeze—in their hemolymph' via Echoes of the Earth
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Strike Map @strikemap.org · 08/02/2026
We stand with the #Birmingham Bin Strikers. You cannot ban solidarity. Standing with workers is not a crime. Shame on @bhamcitycouncil.bsky.social. #StrikeMap #BrumBinStrike #BirminghamBinStrike.
Strike Map logo. Text reads: You cannot ban solidarity. standing with workers is not a crime. pictures of picket lines.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
200 people die in a mine collapse during a war for rare minerals so that you can have a new smartphone.
news.sky.com
More than 200 killed after landslide hits miners extracting key smartphone mineral
Heavy rain in the Democratic Republic of Congo leads to the collapse of mines used to extract coltan - used in phones, computers and aircraft engines.
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Jen Johnson @joyinthecorners.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Really grateful for Mwenza from @foodandsolidarity.bsky.social repping the north-east and speaking out so clearly about the grim picture of #ukpoverty2026 as a continued political choice, and highlighting the urgent need for collective care and action on issues such as rent control.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Mutual aid and decentralised organising in Minneapolis. Lots to think about and learn in case state violence increases.
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Solidarity RPM @solidarityrpm.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Everybody needs a home. Nobody needs a property portfolio.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Lows and Highs of 2025, and intentions for 2026: helendawe.com/2026/01/16/lows-and-h…
helendawe.com
Lows and Highs of 2025, and intentions for 2026
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
The lake in the park is still partially frozen
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentis… Cory Doctorow at The Guardian on why Britain now has the opportunity to stand up to trump and end enshittification.
helendawe.com
Helen Dawe
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
By Reza Farazmand at poorlydrawnlines.com
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SHAC: The Social Housing Action Campaign @shacaction.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
SHAC and Members in the Morning Star More embarrassment for Peabody - exposed for leaving tenants and residents without heating and hot water even in a cold snap ... including vulnerable people. morningstaronline.co.uk/article/hous...
morningstaronline.co.uk
Housing association tenants ‘without heating and hot water since September’
HOUSING association tenants have been left without heating or hot water since September last year, a campaign group has said, amid freezing temperatures.Peabody Housing Association is accused of repea...
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Colorful bird decorations with feather tails are hanging alongside eggs and pom-poms in a craft store.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
All sorts of goods and services in the Grainger Market (in the weigh house, once the home of market quality checks, you can be weighed and then have your numbers handed to you duscreetly on a handwritten ticket)
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
More adventures in the Grainger Market, Newcastle upon Tyne… where old meets new.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
I got new reading glasses fitted at the cutest opticians, a tiny Victorian shop & practice in the indoor Grainger Market in Newcastle upon Tyne. Afterwards, I took some photos of things that caught my eye in the market.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
🎉I’ve just found out I’ve been given a place on the Homes For Us Organising Committee. I look forward to 🫱🏻‍🫲🏾 being part if the collective leadership of Homes for Us, ❤️ representing my organisation Food & Solidarity, and 🏘 contributing my skills to their current campaign for rent control
helendawe.com
Helen Dawe
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
I had a good lunch at Beyruty in Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne. Beautiful presentation of simple, tasty food!
A serving of fries and sliced falafel wraps is accompanied by various sauces and pickles on a dark rectangular plate, with a fattoush salad in the background.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Happy New Year! I’m back at work today (and we’ll wrapped up even though i’m indoors). Planning and organising for the next week, month, and year and resetting my routines and dopamine balance.
A femme with brown hair is sitting in a home office with a laptop on the desk and various stationery items around.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Happy New Year! 🎆🍾🎊: helendawe.com/2025/12/31/happy-new-…
helendawe.com
Happy New Year! 🎆🍾🎊
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Old Weird Scotland @weirdscotland.bsky.social · 21/12/2023
Christmas advice for ladies courtesy of the Dundee Courier (1930-1934) #OldWeirdScotland
Be Gay this ChristmasDecide to be Very GayLet us be Gay
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
An evening walk in the west end of Newcastle the other day
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A— @guttermachinations.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
This seems completely paradoxical until you understand 'the commitment to the two-state solution' means simply business as usual in the Zionist settler colonialist project. Most countries have gone forward with a notion of a two-state solution that allows them a means of political inaction.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Best part of my day yesterday: a really nice message back from a client who I messaged to tell my work would take a bit longer.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
From earlier this month on the same Sea Holly, a Soldier Beetle for #MacroMonday
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
I was asked about the highlight of my day. It was seeing a Comma butterfly on Sea Holly. It is great knowing that a border I designed, planted, and maintain attracts and provides food for pollinators. But also the blue and orange combination made me happy 😊🦋💠
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Hmmm experiment of not downloading social media apps to my phone (including micro.blog and fediverse apps) means that doomscroll much less, but I also don’t communicate/produce content. I’m not spending much time on my lapto... helendawe.com/2025/07/18/hmmm-exper…
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Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
In a human sacrifice to deity there might be at least a mistaken and terrible beauty; in the rites of the moneychangers, where greed, laziness, and envy were assumed to move all men's acts, even the terrible became banal.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Yesterday one of my clients was celebrating his 92nd birthday; on Wednesday a different client celebrates his 81st birthday. Its such a privilege to work for people with such a huge amount of knowledge and experience, and to keep gardens they have spent time looking after the way they want them.
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kiyoshi murakami @travelinswallow.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
◆Elton, Lottie, 2025, "Benefits Cuts Will Have 'Catastrophic Impact' on Mentally Ill People: 'Some Will Struggle to Survive'", Big Issue, June 5, 2025, (www.bigissue.com/news/social-...).
bigissue.com
Disability benefits cuts will have 'catastrophic impact' on mentally ill people
The government's plans to cut disability benefits such as PIP will have a “catastrophic impact” on people’s finances and mental health.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Last week was chaos all because of a malfunctioning phone: I was locked out of 2fa and mfa for most sites I needed to use, until I bought a temporary second hand phone for £70. Today I’m plugging a mouse into my original phone so i can send it off to be repaired, as it’s still under warranty.
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
What do I do and where do I do it?: helendawe.com/2025/06/03/what-do-i-… My services include garden design, consultation, maintenance, and workshops with a focus on creating beautiful, wildlife-friendly spaces.
Vibrant purple irises and pink flowers bloom in a lush garden, set against a stone wall under a clear blue sky.
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
Delita Martin, contemporary US award winning artist who works across various techniques including printmaking while often focusing on fellow Black women #WomensArt
Print featuring head and shoulders of a Black woman facing left looking outwards with strong stare, overlsid with circular patterns in blues and white
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North East Anarchist Group ⬛️🟥 @neanarchogroup.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
3 weeks!
NEWCASTLE EWAN BROWN ANARCHIST BOOK FAIR



7 June 2025 Star & Shadow Cinema

Live music 
BSL interpreters 
Kids' space & activities 
Wheelchair accessible venue and toilets
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
Out at the Ouseburn Late Shows last night - an evening of hand feeding lambs, art, veggie burgers. Plus the very funny but containing poignant factsabout Palestine “Mr Ben on the Road to Perdition”. I’ll be exploring the Late Shows in Newcastle and Gateshead tonight. Any recommendations?
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kiyoshi murakami @travelinswallow.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
◆Addley, Esther, 2025, "Food and Freedom: Exhibition Charts Radical History of Gardening in Britain", Guardian, May 7, 2025, (www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...). ―❝Artefacts from 11th century on display at British Library in London, alongside work of modern-day community group❞
theguardian.com
Food and freedom: exhibition charts radical history of gardening in Britain
Artefacts from 11th century on display at British Library in London, alongside work of modern-day community group
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Food and Solidarity @foodandsolidarity.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Now, we stop this eviction, and expose the housing crisis. 🔴 NEXT STEPS: 1️⃣ JOIN US www.foodandsolidarity.org/join 2️⃣ sign the petition www.foodandsolidarity.org/dennis-eviction 3️⃣ SPREAD THE WORD Spare this post! 4️⃣ Join the Eviction Solidarity WhatsApp Group! chat.whatsapp.com/Lul6iOJEVcOE...
foodandsolidarity.org
A democratic, non-profit, and member-led organisation for low/no to moderate income people — Food & Solidarity
Fighting for our members and providing household parcels. We fight for members using our collective power. For issues including housing, immigration, and any other affairs in the lives of our members,...
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Food and Solidarity @foodandsolidarity.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
🚨 EVICTION UPDATE: Dennis is STILL fighting eviction, but we’re fighting back. After months in hotels, Dennis was given a flat, only to face another eviction? This is how the system fails people. ✅ Our strategy is working: The Chronicle covered his story www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-e...
chroniclelive.co.uk
Man who spent months living in hotels fears he is about to be made homeless
Dennis Cran has been told he must leave his flat in Vallum Court, on Westgate Road
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
If you live in the UK, please sign this petition. petition.parliament.uk/petitions…
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helendawe.bsky.social @helendawe.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Food & Solidarity (and organisation I’m a member of) are supporting Dennis and we will do direct action if needed, but he’s really been, and going, through the mill with this. www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nort…
chroniclelive.co.uk
Man who spent months living in hotels fears he is about to be made homeless
Dennis Cran has been told he must leave his flat in Vallum Court, on Westgate Road
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