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Helen Walters

@helenmw66.bsky.social
246 followers 509 following 103 posts

Slowly transitioning from public health professional to retired knitter, urban cyclist and Quaker.

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Reposted by Helen Walters
Mark Doidge @markdoidge.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
This one is doing the rounds
A picture of Elon Musk, via the London Economic. The quote says “If a monkey hoarded more bananas than it could eat, while most of the other monkeys starved, scientists would study that monkey to figure out what the heck was wrong with it. When humans do it, we put them on the cover of Forbes.“ – Nathalie Robin Justice. 
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Jay Waters @jaywaters.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The President of the United States is a liar.
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Natacha @natacha.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The Guardian had a lot of letters about Gabby Hinsliff’s article advocating a lower state pension. None had a comparison with the rest of Western Europe, which the rest of mainstream media also omitted. A media consensus of this kind is an abuse of power. This is the letter they didn’t publish.
Gaby Hinsliff's piece advocating cutting the UK state pension (ie abandoning the Triple Lock), avoided comparing the UK with our neighbours, a problematic contextualisation to leave out.
Below I provide a rough list of current state pensions in Western Europe, in pounds sterling;
Luxembourg: £2436
Switzerland: £2400
Norway: £2164
Denmark: £1822
Holland: £1403
The only country I could find with a lower state pension is Portugal at £815
As you can see the UK has the lowest state pension in Western Europe bar one, considerably undermining any arguments for abandoning the Triple Lock. In my opinion this information needs to be included in every article about this subject.

Italy: Men £1437, Women £1056
Belgium: £1401


Malta: £1400 - £1600
Spain: £1341

France: £1296


Germany: £1281
Sweden: £1226


Austria: £1121 (min)

Ireland: £1115 (min)
UK: £1045
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St Mungo's @stmungos.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
What happens when 35 clients and 24 staff are given the opportunity to connect, challenge themselves, and be supported? Amazing things! 🌳 Find out about St Mungo's Big Weekend here: tinyurl.com/mrd66u3
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Paul Hindley 🏳️‍🌈🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇳 @paulhindley2210.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
It is now Lib Dem policy to mutualise failing water companies. The privatisation of the water industry has been a license for rich executives to extract billions of pounds instead of reinvesting it to benefit customers. The Lib Dems now have a more radical policy on water than Labour. 🔶🤝🌊 #LDConf
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Liberal Democrats @libdems.org.uk · 22/09/2026
This is a fight for the future of our country. For liberty, equality and community. For the values we hold dear. This is the fight of our lives. And we are going to win it.
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Liberal Democrats @libdems.org.uk · 19/09/2026
Day 1✅
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 18/09/2026
Private jets pollute up to 14 times as much as commercial planes and are undertaxed in US, report says
theguardian.com
Private jets pollute up to 14 times as much as commercial planes and are undertaxed in US, report says
Number of private jets has surged in recent years, but they do not pay commensurate portion of fees to FAA operations
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Grant Ennis @grantennis.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
“Car travel incurs USD 0.16 per vehicle-kilometer in private costs and USD 0.55 per vehicle-kilometer in social costs [subsidies]. Globally, these costs translate to USD 2.1 trillion in private and USD 7.2 trillion in social costs [subsidies] per year" www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
‘It’s the best feeling’: how Copenhagen gave cyclists a green wave. “Traffic lights are synchronised so a rush-hour cyclist at 20km/h can catch green lights all the way.” If you want people to choose not to drive, make the non-driving trip better & easier for them. It’s as simple as that, really.
theguardian.com
‘It’s the best feeling’: how Copenhagen gave cyclists a green wave
Traffic lights are synchronised so a rush-hour cyclist at 20km/h can catch green lights all the way
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BladeoftheSun @bladeofthes.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Tesco could pay every worker an extra £10,000 and still make a profit. British Gas could pay every worker an extra £35,000 and still make a profit. Shell could pay every worker an extra £300,000 and still make a profit. It's the billionaires who are ripping you off.
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
You can access the smokefree generation communications toolkit discussed yesterday here: ash.org.uk/resources/vi...
ash.org.uk
Smokefree generation communications toolkit - ASH
This communications toolkit has been created to help guide partners through public and stakeholder engagement and comms ahead of implementation of the smokefree generation policy on 1st January 2027.
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Action on Smoking Health (UK) @ashorguk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
We were pleased to host an event yesterday bringing together 150 colleagues from across the South of England, focusing on how we can work together to implement the upcoming smokefree generation policy, and maximise the opportunity that this presents for public health. Thank you to all our speakers.
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Helen Walters @helenmw66.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Amazing piece of radio drama - bringing the reality of 9/11 alive without the need for any CGI #BBCradio #radiodrama #9/11 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
Drama on 4 - Welcome to Defiance - BBC Sounds
A drama about the ordinary people who landed 5,000 planes on the morning of 9/11.
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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
If you feel like donating to the RNLI, here’s a link. I just have. Their minimum donation is £2: I think it might be nice for them to receive a lot of donations this week, even if they’re mostly very modest. Just so they know a lot of people out here appreciate their work. rnli.org/support-us/g...
rnli.org
Donate to the RNLI and help save lives at sea
Your donations really make a difference. We depend on your generosity to educate people to stay safe and prevent tragedies on and offshore. Donate here.
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HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 08/09/2026
Tomorrow night, Channel 4 Dispatches airs the findings of a year-long investigation into Tommy Robinson’s finances. Watch it. Then come back here. We’ve got more to show you.
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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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Andrew Graystone @andrewgraystone.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Is it credible for James Orr to remain an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge?
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 02/09/2026
2014: Harmful air pollution above legal limits. 2024: Harmful air pollution driven down to legal limits. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
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Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
"The question is no longer whether Andy Burnham believes First Past the Post is flawed. The question is whether, as Prime Minister, he is prepared to do something about it." labourlist.org/2026/08/doin...
labourlist.org
‘Doing politics differently’ – LabourList
Andy Burnham has never exactly hidden his views on electoral reform. Long before entering Downing Street, he had become an increasingly vocal advocate for changing…
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Tom Red @tomredmemes.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
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Andy @andydrummond.eurosky.social · 26/08/2026
“We took the children off the roads. In 1971, 80% of seven and eight year olds got to school on their own. By 1990 it was 9%, and the fall has not stopped: more children are driven than ever, and cycling to school still barely registers. We did not defeat the danger. We surrendered to it.”
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Ellen Steinke @ellensteinke.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Our CDOT study showed that bike lanes didn’t affect business outcomes but they did take the streets safer for everyone including drivers
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Greenpeace International 🌍 @greenpeace.org · 24/08/2026
Amazon’s AI data centre plan in Texas could become the biggest single climate polluter in the US. Big Tech’s AI race cannot run on fossil gas while communities pay with polluted air, strained water and higher bills. #TimeToResist
futurism.com
Amazon's New AI Data Center Is So Enormous That It Appears It Will Become the Largest Single Source of Pollution in the United States
Amazon's planned data center for Pecos County, Texas would come with a gas plant capable of emitting 33 million tons of CO2 every year.
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
This iconic Fabian Todorovic cartoon is still one of the best I’ve seen at illustrating the remarkable amount of space we surrender to cars, leaving little space left for everyone and everything else. The text added later makes the bonus point that many drivers still manage to complain about it.
Cartoon image of a street with much of the space taken up by a car with a single driver, while the rest of the street has people tightly packed in a bus, a bus shelter and riding bikes in a bike lane. Adding insult to injury, the driver says “damn those bike paths and bike lanes taking all the space.”
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
“Since 2008, when the Housing First principle was introduced as the foundation of all homelessness policies in Finland, the country has achieved remarkable results. Between 2012 & 2023, homelessness rose across Europe, but in Finland, the # of homeless people dropped by more than half.” But then…
theguardian.com
Finland tried to end homelessness. What can we learn from its runaway success – and recent failures?
The Housing First policy led to the number of homeless people in Finland dropping by half. Those with firsthand experience explain why it worked
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Helen Walters @helenmw66.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
The ULEZ has significantly improved the lungs of children - this @nihr.bsky.social funded research shows @adphuk.bsky.social @local.gov.uk @brenttoderian.bsky.social
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Peter Smith @redpeter99.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
There are 71 Lib Dem MPs in Westminster. There are 8 Reform MPs. When was the last time a Lib Dem press release led the BBC News headlines or was the main story on the BBC News website? (Rhetorical question)
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kevjs1982.uk @kevjs1982.uk · 16/08/2026
Utilities doing the councils job so they can dig up the pavement can highlight how bad this gets!
Grass covering over 50% of the footpath. The adjacent road has not long been resurfaced
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Natasha Simonova @philistella.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
While this was all happening, friends and I were literally listing off senior white men who were still in post despite not being able to work with students because they're actual sex offenders.
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Ben Wood @cosmichope.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
'Progressive thinkers hold that [beautiful buildings, clear air, & open spacious parks] are no slight & trivial things. Beauty also has its uses; art also has its claims' (Herbert Samuel, "Liberalism: An Attempt to State the Principles & Proposals of Contemporary Liberalism in England", 1902). 🔶️
Herbert Louis Samuel, National Portrait Gallery. Baden-Baden, Southern Germany 🇩🇪
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Annie Leymarie @annieleymarie.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
"The best thing to keep us safe will always be one another, collectivism over individualism. But here we are, driving around in Batmobiles, thinking ourselves heroes, blithely unaware we just might be the baddies."
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Trish Greenhalgh @trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Preventable Diseases - Preventable Tragedies. Our report from a year ago on the diseases that could see resurgence if vaccination continues to fall. @independentsage.bsky.social independentsage.org/wp-content/u...
independentsage.org
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Village Bicycle Cooperative @villagebicyclecoop.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Better cycling cities are not just "more bike-friendly." They are also more equitable in access to cycling between genders. This means that infrastructure, safety, and policy improvements tend to benefit women more by removing barriers that affect them disproportionately.
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Fietser @americanfietser.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
This change WILL happen eventually. This car madness can't go on forever, but we need to decide if significant change happens in our lifetimes or not.
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Independent Age @independentage.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
We’re distributing £1.5 million in grants to help older carers access financial support. This fund aims to make it easier for older carers to get face-to-face advice in their communities, improving financial health. Find out more:https://www.independentage.org/grant-making/older-peoples-fund-2026
Light cream flyer with a map of the UK and the Independent Age logo in the left corner reading: Round 3 Older People’s Fund: Supporting older carers in financial hardship. Our latest £1.5 million grants fund is now open for Expression of Interest.
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Parody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
It's been an absolute honour to visit Clacton fewer times than I've visited America, hold zero surgeries and do fuck all for the town.
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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
SERIOUSLY, WATCH THIS: If you really want to understand how SUVs and pick-up trucks have ended up being MOST of the vehicles out there in cities, and the absolutely HUGE consequences of that, watch this easy-to-watch video by Not Just Bikes. Then share it as much as you can. youtu.be/jN7mSXMruEo
youtu.be
These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us
YouTube video by Not Just Bikes
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Wild Card @wildcard.land · 03/08/2026
Spot on spectator.com/article/rewi...
spectator.com
Rewilding is the best defence against wildfires
Rewilding is not the cause of Britain's worsening upland wildfires. Increasingly, it looks like one of the most promising solutions.
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Qagggy! @qagggy.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Folks, if you’re not creating active public spaces, you’re not properly celebrating the full diversity of people, talents, interests, cultures, and subcultures that exist in your city.
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Ben Wood @cosmichope.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
'Once the basic needs of food and shelter are met, man’s greatest satisfactions are to be found in love, trust and friendship, in beauty, art and music and in learning, none of which are served by the mythology of growth for its own sake' ("The Environment: A Liberal Party Report", 1972) 🔶️
Male couple kissing 💏
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Greg Jenner (Historian) @gregjenner.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Please sign this UK government petition to compel AI companies to reveal whose books they used to train their data petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...
petition.parliament.uk
Petition: Protect creators' rights: require AI firms to disclose training data
We ask the Government to introduce a statutory duty requiring AI developers to disclose the copyrighted works used to train generative AI in enough detail for creators to identify use of their work, e...
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GwedLid (Fisto to my mates) @gwedlid.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
RIP Bill Oddie. Legend.
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Count Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Here it is. My manifesto for the 2026 Clacton By-Election. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Join me, clean up Clacton and let's make 13th August Bin Day! #VoteBinface #VoteyMcVoteface #YesWeTinCan
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Helen Walters @helenmw66.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
The forecast says it “might” rain tomorrow and suddenly I am 5 years old and the weatherman has just said it “might” snow tomorrow….
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Jay Waters @jaywaters.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
The President of the United States is a liar.
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Dewie @judgedewie.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
I have to say, the men's Lionesses football team did pretty well in this World Cup. I know they haven't reached the final for decades so not quite up to the standard of the actual Lionesses, but they're getting there. Come on lads. Keep it up. Let's prove that we can be as good as the girls.
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Helen Walters @helenmw66.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
“the secretary general of the archbishops’ council, said the motion was inconsistent with the church’s legal obligations and responsibility to ensure “long-term capital growth” similar comments were probably made by the money changes in the temple when Jesus flipped the tables….
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Max B 💙 🔶 🇺🇦 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 @maxbrockbank.com · 12/07/2026
Erling Haaland and the rest of the Norwegian men's team are paid the same as the women's team. In 2017, they took a voluntary pay cut to allow the women's pay to be increased. The move came from the players' union, not management.
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