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Joanna Abena Fianu

@joannafairtrade.bsky.social
539 followers 2.3K following 757 posts

Trade justice campaigner - supporting social and fair trade enterprise - working with cocoa farmers in Ghana via The FIG Tree fairtradecentre.org/workshops-2 Was Ranavalona111 on the other place

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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Palantir’s contract with NHS England is up for renewal in February 2027, with discussions expected to begin this year. This is a critical moment for us to tell the new Health Secr... www.amnesty.org.uk/get-involved...
amnesty.org.uk
Tell the Health Secretary, Yvette Cooper: No Palantir in our NHS
Palantir’s contract with NHS England is up for renewal in February 2027, with discussions expected to begin this year. This is a critical moment for us to tell the new Health Secretary: No Palantir in...
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Perfect that David Olusoga's excellent and important two part documentary about the Transatlantic Slave Trade and how it permeates all our lives and histories is airing during Fairtrade Fortnight It's why we should care about making trade fair. Our country was built on the labour of the enslaved
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I had a boyfriend twenty years ago who used to call Nick Robinson a "Prestbury Tory Pipsqueak" I bear this in mind with every political interview he does #R4Today
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Just what you want to hear at 10.30am "There's a man in the shop who wants to handle that £80 wall art. I don't know how sober he is" Luckily he handled it with care and it was hard to smell how sober he was through all the testers of our organic fragrance spray he was availing himself of
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Just realized I have accidentally signed up for a conference session entirely in French with no subtitles or translation. It's on a Sunday morning so I am very tempted to have a lie in and listen to the Archers instead of giving the organisers the headache of reassigning me.
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Thing is, if you actually listen to the "legitimate concerns" they boil down to "we don't know who they are and they might be criminals or planning to sponge off us" which could be simply dealt with by 1. Safe and legal asylum routes 2. Allowing asylum seekers to work 3. Speed up Processing
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Watching Death in Paradise and I realize for most of my life I have been playing a version of Yellow Car whereby if Kevin Eldon appears on screen you immediately have to say "The Actor Kevin Eldon" I blame @herring1967.bsky.social
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Feels like I've had the same "Fairtrade is too expensive for cash strapped customers" local radio interview every year for decades Yes it's a bit more expensive - because the others are too cheap to be sustainable This morning I went with: "there's more to the value of an item than just the price"
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
We hear a lot from politicians saying "we need to listen to legitimate concerns". Yes, absolutely, when those concerns are legitimate. Those around immigration and asylum are not. Listen to them, yes, but then debunk them and call them out. Don't base policies on them. 12/
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Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Funny how nobody ever talks about the “legitimate concerns” people have about the extreme concentration of wealth among a small number of billionaires.
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Britain's future relationship with Europe is being debated in Parliament on 12th October. I've just asked my MP to attend. Will you ask yours? www.europeanmovement.co.uk/contact-mp-a...
europeanmovement.co.uk
Ask your MP to stand up for our future in Europe
On 12 October, Parliament will debate the UK's future relationship with Europe, after a government petition got over 100,000 signatures. Will you write to your MP to ask them to attend the debate?
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
But surely because the Met had "legitimate concerns" about the identity of the Putney Pusher it's completely fine for him to be doxxed and insulted on social media Or does that only apply if you aren't the great great grandson of Queen Victoria? Shades of "Do you know who I am?" #r4today
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
There is no greater feeling of relief than asking a tradesperson who's going to be in your house for a relatively short time if they want a cup of tea and they reply "No thank you" No awkward swigging as they head out the door but you get to feel like Lady Bountiful
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I had to try to explain the Piddington situation to an Ethiopian asylum seeker today. How do you explain to someone who is busy volunteering to help with product photography that a village voted to leave the UK rather than have people like him living nearby?
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Has anyone explained why the field athletes at the #UltimateChampionships have to sit in discarded car seats while waiting to compete? Also, why do the trophies look like old school coffee makers? That and the pink sand, it's like some kind of fever dream
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Gildy Stern (Fully Rested) @oldhamletsghost.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The perfect parable of British life. "I meant to ..." ..go to that pub in the village more often before it shut down ..buy something nice from that independent shop on the high street before it closed ..stop shopping on Amazon (but it's so easy) .. notice that black shirts are running the country
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I didn't apply for university before I took my A Levels. It was an astute decision - I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself to achieve certain grades and frankly I didn't believe I was capable of the grades I ended up getting (3 As - decent for 1991) I applied for university afterwards
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Alex Says Stuff @alexsaysstuff.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The operative word in "Protect our women!" is not "women" but "our".
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Saw an interesting proposal that £1 levy is charged on every parcel sent and the funds are ring fenced to support the local high street where that parcel is delivered. Independent shops and retailers like ours who send less than 5000 parcels a year would be exempt. It's getting local press traction
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Andy Burnham has the charisma of Tony Blair and the ethics of Gordon Brown Keir Starmer had the charisma of Gordon Brown and the ethics of Tony Blair
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The fair trade community has been waiting with bated breath for news from Nepal in particular. We have a significant number of products made by Nepali artisans and sadly we've heard one of the knitters who make our winter hats is missing If you are able to donate: www.justgiving.com/campaign/sta...
justgiving.com
Nepal Needs Us Now
Nepal has been hit by severe flash floods since August 26, causing tragic loss of life, mass displacement, and widespread destruction of homes and critical infrastructure. Thousands of families urgent...
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Reece Dinsdale @reecedinsdale.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
I would love to breathe new life into this little gem… but I NEED funding! I may well eventually turn to you good people, but if there’s an arts-loving benefactor out there who fancies putting their shirt on a passionate, highly-qualified player, then do give me a shout.🙏🏻 Please RT, folks! x
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
It's objectively hilarious that there are so many things that would result in automatic disqualification in this image.
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
It's all very well making a blanket statement that nobody convicted of unlawful killing should be released until there's an elderly woman who took pity on her dying husband who was begging her to help him die or a woman who snaps after decades of domestic abuse & takes a knife to her violent husband
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
A lot of people kicking off about Sainsbury's taking on a few thousand young people on short term work experience placements arguing that they should instead give those same young people permanent contracts and pay them. Here's why this is unrealistic: 1. Not everyone is suited to retail work.
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I do wish the media would stop telling us that lots of the people caught up in the horrifying flash floods in Nepal are tourists as though that's a special, more important category of people.
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I'm expecting at any minute to hear that Dolly the sheep was so named not because she was cloned from mammary cells but because Dolly Parton funded the ground breaking scientific research that made her. Titan, legend, genius. She will live long in our memories.
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rael gost pictuers @jackfeerick.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
What Dolly taught us is that it is in fact possible to be wealthy beyond your wildest dreams of avarice but still be a fundamentally good person with a strong moral compass, and the only reason more rich people aren't like that is because they don't want to be.
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Fun @funkelly.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
this is one of my favorite visual jokes of all time. i think about it several times a week.
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Speechless Shameless Diabolical
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Idly wondering if the #Ghosts team has ever pitched a spin off set at the specific house in London where both Hayden and Jimi Hendrix lived because I for one would watch the hell out of that.
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
A customer asked me about a type of tea he'd bought from us in the past. He really liked it but it wasn't that popular and we ended up discounting some packs because it went out of date. He asked if I would get some in for him and I said yes but it would probably take about a month to come in
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Supertanskiii @supertanskiiii.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I know what they’re like. I grew up with them. This is about poverty, class, boredom, radicalisation and the boys I used to know. I didn’t want to paywall an article about poverty, so this is free. If you can afford to subscribe, I’d appreciate it! supertanskiii.substack.com/p/the-men-wh...
supertanskiii.substack.com
The Men Who Shout at Hotels
What happened to the boys I grew up with? The far right has even privatised working-class identity.
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Did a reel on Instagram talking about the amazing Trashy Bags who make bags from discarded water pouches and someone commented "Why don't they just put them in the bin: problem solved" and thats the whole problem. Correct use of recycling bins isn't "Doing your bit" Reduce first, reuse, then recycle
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Fairtrade gold was a thing a few years ago. You could get Fairtrade gold wedding rings at Argos. Sadly at least in the UK it disappeared partly due to the expense of licensing to put the mark on items. Jewellers could no longer afford to do it. But tragedies like this show how needed it was and is
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
I'm doing some reading for the course I'm on and one sentence resonated this week in particular. It's about whether your culture has a strong entrepreneurship ecosystem and the question is: "Does the culture at large tolerate honest mistakes, honorable failure, risk taking and contrarian thinking?"
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Galamsey mining is one of the most immediate threats to cocoa farming communities. When you can't make enough selling your cocoa it's tempting to take the money and sell all or part of your land but the process poisons everything for miles around - land, water sources and can never be farmed again
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
The desperately sad story of Jason Ardey shows we need to show rightwing newspapers that actions have consequences. Add your name: goodlawproject.org/s/abb8a1
goodlawproject.org
Jason Arday: Demand a public inquiry now | Good Law Project
Commission an immediate public inquiry into how to ensure a responsible press given its contribution to Dr Arday’s tragic death.
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Perhaps the most useful piece of information in here is that migrants represent the equivalent of 228 people per council area which is like a decent Avanti trainload
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I went to the European athletics Championships in Berlin and it was 38 degrees I went to the European athletics Championships in Birmingham and it was 38 degrees As well as banning disposable barbecues we might need to ban the European athletics Championships
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
If anyone is wondering what Farage could have been doing instead of wasting everyone's time with a ridiculous by-election I spent today in a shopping centre in Bolton at a Youth Drop-In event for local volunteer and careers groups organised by Kirith Entwistle MP. That's the job he should be doing.
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
My cat is just over a year old so I imagine she's thinking it must just get hotter and hotter from now on for the rest of her life and at this point there's an outside chance she's right
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Talia "ATTACK DOGS is out now!" Bhatt ⚢ @taliabhatt.itch.io · 12/08/2026
Not a single progressive movement has ever "gone too far".
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Emma Monk @monkemma.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Asylum seekers don’t receive support INSTEAD of struggling British people. They receive support ALONGSIDE struggling British families. And yet the media routinely pit them against each other. 17/
Three men sit at a table surrounded by a massive pile of cookies. One man gestures at the others, saying, "careful mate, that foreigner wants your cookie"
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Last Tuesday I got back to work and there were 18 eBay parcels to process. There are only 2 people who process them, one of our volunteers and me. I had been on holiday so they hadn't been processed for a few days Every order was purchased with "free" delivery - obviously there's no such thing
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
I'm at the European athletics Championships in Birmingham and one of the rules is that you aren't allowed to bring in flags from any nation that isn't competing This means you can bring in an Israeli flag but not a Palestinian flag
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Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
A very wise woman once told me her test for whether someone was a true social entrepreneur was this: What would you do if you were given £1 million? The answer you instinctively give is really illuminating. Do you give it away? Invest it in things to benefit your community? Buy a big house? Retire?
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Nettlecake @nettlecake.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Brilliant letter from Stuart Thompson to Jeremy Clarkson about his comments that benefit claimants should write weekly thank you letters to tax payers detailing how they spend their benefits each week.
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Mae Nick Phra Khanong @nickjbrumfield.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
The reason so few ostensibly progressive people are actually for open borders is because if they erase the arbitrary line on the map they'd have to reckon with the fact that the wealth with which they plan to build their utopia is unjustly hoarded by 10% of the world's population from the other 90%
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Marie Leanne Shrewsbury @crapcerealandpills.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
yorkshirebylines.co.uk/society/how-... Please do share the living crap out of this.
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
How misinformation and intimidation took down HRT café
HRT Café shared gender-affirming care info until Do No Harm shut it down; FDA records show no investigation took place
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