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Ian Stevens

@ianstev91.bsky.social
293 followers 804 following 880 posts

Former teacher and lawyer, Liberal, pro-Europe.🇪🇺

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Reposted by Ian Stevens
Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Holborn and St Pancras byelection: Polanski is an utter failure and it's time for him to go iandunt.substack.com/p/holborn-an...
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Presumably in two years' time he won't be able to remember how he said he'd vote today.
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David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Today I think I might finally unlock economic growth by doing the same things that haven't worked for 18 years.
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James Austin @jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I still haven't seen a single person be able to defend or explain why you'd vote against this amendment or why it was unacceptable. It's the smoking gun as to exactly what the Zionism is Racism motion aims to achieve.
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Unlock Democracy @unlockdemocracy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
A year ago this week, Andy Burnham told a Labour Conference event that ‘PR is an idea whose time has come.’ Now, as Prime Minister, he has kickstarted the process to deliver it. A huge moment for everyone who believes in fair votes! Time is running out on First Past the Post.
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Chris Smith @ledredman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
If you had told me 25 years ago that a Labour government would be trying to find ways to deport people who are living here legally under ILTR, I wouldn't have believed you. It's utterly shocking.
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Why not Bat Intelligence?
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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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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 22/09/2026
What are we becoming?
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Lots of talk of growth ahead of the Budget, as if it were a baroque puzzle. Our problem is basic. It's that we no longer support the things which facilitate growth: Europe, immigration, higher education, tax simplification, policy stability. These are all choices and could stop making them anytime.
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
He might read it if you retitled it Expressland.
expessland.re
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
An EU-Canada association would, however, annoy the CANZUK Brexiteers. We must seek a little solace where we can.
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Simon Wren-Lewis @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This week's post: Racism and xenophobia are not 'legitimate concerns' mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2026/09/raci... The encouragement of violence against opponents by senior Reform politicians suggests they have the potential to become a fascist party. Perhaps we should call Reform proto-fascists.
mainlymacro.blogspot.com
Racism and xenophobia are not 'legitimate concerns'.
During the 2010 election campaign, Prime Minister Gordon Brown was questioned by a member of the public about immigration. Shortly afterwa...
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 18/09/2026
What on earth is happening?
  This had become the new normal. RNLI crew members had been forced to take their permits off their cars after their tyres have been repeatedly slashed. Most of them have been pilloried at the school gates or turned away from local pubs. One man who worked in search and rescue had been beaten unconscious and hospitalised, recognised for TV interviews he had done.
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Would this be the same Lime which reportedly decided not to compensate a woman pedestrian permanently incapacitated by a child on a Lime bike whose accompaying adult managed to spirit him away before he could be identified?
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Imagine still advocating that Canada should be grovelling to Trump. The supposed supporters of sovereignty can't recognise a real bully when they see one.
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The universities are full of people doing law, medicine, accountancy, engineering, performing arts and dozens of other vocational subjects.
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Hard to see how "suicide of a nation" could consist of large numbers of ethnic minority kids getting a traditional academic education before going on to do professional middle class jobs. It's not the usual reason people criticise grammar schools.
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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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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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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The Ben Delo who has just given Reform £36m is the same Ben Delo who US prosecutors said was the leader of a ‘criminal enterprise’ But hey ho, it’s fine for him- and any other crypto bro - to buy British democracy lock stock and barrel democracyforsale.substack.com/p/reforms-4m...
democracyforsale.substack.com
Reform's £4m donor "thumbed his nose at the law", US prosecutors said
Ben Delo has called his US conviction a "non-crime". Prosecutors said the Farage-backing crypto billionaire was a “leader of a criminal enterprise”.
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Can't say how much I agree with every word of this - and all the more powerful, perhaps, because it comes from (gulp) a Conservative!
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
It's hardly reassuring that the police have managed to arrest large numbers of mainly peaceful Palestine protesters for holding up prohibited placards but not organised groups wearing political uniforms (illegal since the 1930s) and clearly engaged in intimidation.
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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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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
How has nobody sent me this before? 👏
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
It should presumably read "Police found no offences they were prepared to investigate had been committed".
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
“Legitimate concerns” latest. The entire nation should be ashamed of how far we’ve fallen. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Group entered hotel of Pakistan cricketers mistaken for migrants
Protesters congregated at a Portsmouth hotel after false rumours that a coach of migrants had arrived.
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Worth a look for anyone who thinks the Conservatives and Reform won't do a deal after the next election even if the arithmetic adds up. (source: lordashcroftpolls.com/2026/09/shou...)
Graph showing two thirds of Tory voters would rather see a Con/Ref coalition after the next election.
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Adam @adamcobb.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
This bit from @stephenkb.bsky.social’s column today feels very relevant here
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Am I correct in thinking that "earned citizenship" is simply a euphemism for making it harder for people who've lived, worked and paid taxes here to take a full part in civil society? it's depressing to see these sort of posts by Labour MPs.
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
No doubt there will soon be hundreds of pieces in the papers about Orr and demands for Cambridge to explain how he could ever have received an academic appointment. Won't there?
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 04/09/2026
Nigel Farage is very lucky that he didn't know what was being discussed at the lunch where he was discussing it
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I imagine they'll be some fiendish piece of Brussels bureaucracy that will make this impossible.
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This is out-and-out racism but nobody should expect most of the media, including the BBC, to say so.
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Not sure how or why the EU would "disrespect" a decision which leaves Iceland in the single market and Schengen and keeps the door open for future membership.
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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Mahmood's proposals would force medium-skilled & care workers to leave the UK & would deter high skill workers from coming in future. This would widen the deficit/fiscal home. Would be deliberate economic and political self-harm for Burnham/Healey to proceed with them. inews.co.uk/news/politic...
inews.co.uk
Mahmood's 'hardline' immigration reforms hit by growing rebellion
More Labour MPs to publicly oppose Home Secretary's changes to indefinite leave to remain
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Politicians all love growth, but hate the things that create it: being in the EU, immigration, higher education and London.
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Not in Birmingham.
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Centre-right means people like the large number of Conservative politicians who have been driven out of the party or reduced to near silence since 2016 and we can be pretty certain she won't be making a pitch to anyone with similar views to them.
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Has he heard of the supplementary vote?
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
We're well past the stage where anyone can be certain
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Brexit Britain is still a tinderbox. New post starting the 11th year of my Brexit & Brexitism Blog with analysis of a long, hot summer of Brexit stasis & dishonesty & the reasons for it, Clacton, the Arday case & the culture war: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/08/brex...
Image of beginning of the latest post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
"If Labour’s strategy is essentially to do what Starmer did, but with better comms and more social-media dopamine, it will get the same result as he did." @chakrabortty.bsky.social
theguardian.com
Does Nigel Farage know what people really think of him? I do – and he won’t like it | Aditya Chakrabortty
An anti-Farage army of voters is there to be galvanised, as exclusive data shows. But getting them out will be tricky, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The depressing thing about the US isn't Trump really. He's just a grotesque. It's the complete failure of all the things liberals believe in: Congress, the judiciary, the press, voters themselves, all persistently unwilling or unable to stop him. It's the failure of an entire society.
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Remember how Brexit was supposed to bring the "regulatory agility" for rapid medicine authorisation and make the UK a "world-leading" medicines regulator? Well, that turned out to be yet another illusion. Good new @ukandeu.bsky.social analysis here: ukandeu.ac.uk/the-uk-us-me...
ukandeu.ac.uk
The UK-US medicines deal and the hidden costs of Brexit - UK in a changing Europe
Vilija Vėlyvytė argues that the UK-US medicines deal which will see the NHS pay more for new medicines is an unexpected cost of Brexit.
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Omar Khan @omaromalleykhan.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
The higher education participation rate for UK born Bangladeshi women went from around 2% (not a typo) in 1983 to nearly 67% in 2025 This must be one of the most dramatic, fast social changes in recent British history, and one that is barely noted or understood
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Really good piece on the nostalgic thinking which pervades contemporary British politics
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
What happens if a UK government removes benefits from EU citizens in breach of the withdrawal agreement? My analysis of the likely EU response to Reform Party policy, if ever enacted - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2026/08/what...
eulawanalysis.blogspot.com
What happens if a UK government removes benefits from EU citizens in breach of the withdrawal agreement?
Professor Steve Peers , Law School, Royal Holloway University of London   Photo credit : Martin Robson , via Wikimedia Commons  ...
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Let's not forget that not only did HM The King get into Cambridge without the grades but he also had a foreign-born father.
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Ian Stevens @ianstev91.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
We should probably have asked to see Bridgen's exam results before we agreed to proceed with Brexit.
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