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joannic.bsky.social

@joannic.bsky.social
190 followers 204 following 120 posts
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Here's the full story that the Tony Blair Institute doesn't want to answer questions about, on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com
Tony’s minor tantrum: how Blair’s institute responded to fresh “cash for access” questions
We asked TBI about allegations of £500,000 corporate memberships and a logo that vanished at Labour conference. They said they’re not talking to us anymore
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Niall Huggan @hugan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This policy/linking is disingenous, neoliberal nonsense. There is no NEED to do this to the pensioners, whilst leaving the very wealthy untouched to continue accumulating more wealth & assets. c. 2million rely on state pension alone & will be collateral damage for this anti-progressive policy.
BBC NEWS website with photo of PM Andy Burnham: LIVE Burnham says existing pension triple lock will end in 2030 to help fund national care service
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fife4europe #FBPE #RejoinEU @fife4europe.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Antarctic winter sea ice dropping to its third-lowest level on record proves global heating is rapidly altering polar ecosystems. Treating deep polar loss as a distant concern ignores accelerating sea level rise and global weather disruption. Why delay climate action? 🤔 #ClimateCrisis
theguardian.com
Antarctic winter sea ice falls to third-lowest level on record as scientists warn of ‘now problem’
Coverage levels fall a million square kilometres short of the long-term average, with global heating likely driving losses
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UCU Edinburgh @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Day 1 of our strike at the University of Edinburgh while senior management shrugs and says 'crisis, what crisis?' at the complaints about the inevitable falling educational standards and job losses.
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SlenderSherbet @slendersherbet.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Me listening to other people's conversations that are absolutely none of my business whatsoever.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
🔴 Something Tom Watson won't tell you: Five police forces in the East Midlands working with Palantir on a controversial surveillance programme are ending their involvement Exclusive by Democracy for Sale and Liberty Investigates. democracyforsale.substack.com/p/revealed-f...
democracyforsale.substack.com
Revealed: Five police forces to drop Palantir surveillance tool
Exclusive: Palantir's UK policing ambitions take a hit as East Midlands forces end their involvement in a controversial data pilot.
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Dr Craig Dalȝell @thecommongreen.scot · 18/09/2026
This week's Common Weal Magazine! Subscribe: www.commonweal.scot/subscribe Support our Crowdfunder: www.commonweal.scot/crowdfunder 1) Craig - Borders are easy, but not simple www.commonweal.scot/articles/mag... GOTW Who is funding political parties? www.commonweal.scot/visuals/partyfundiing
EACH PARTY'S FUNDING SOURCES TELL YOU A LOT ABOUT THEM 
Basic data about where Britain's political parties get their money is largely unsurprising but still tells us a surprising amount about each party. The thing to look for is 'what is different about the funding of this party's big donors?'. Reform is very dominated by super-rich individuals where only Labor at gets any trade union money. But Reform gets no corporate donation which are the Tory's speciality (though both Labour and the Lib Dems get a share). Meanwhile the SNP is particularly reliant on public funding which relates to number of politicians. 
If you were to guess their positions only from this information you'd imagine Reform follows the whims of rich people, the Tories are the party of corporate Britain, Labour is mixed but has to keep its trade unions happy, the Lib Dems are small and mixed while the SNP is dominated by the interests of its own elected politicians. This is probably not far from reality, which suggests that a party is heavily shaped by its sources of funding.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
This is completely on Andy Burnham Last week Labour could have stopped this. Now we have a single person giving more money than the entire general election spending limit for a political party www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
telegraph.co.uk
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fife4europe #FBPE #RejoinEU @fife4europe.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
With the RNLI forced to advise staff against wearing branded clothing due to intimidation, extremist rhetoric is directly disrupting public heritage and humanitarian work. Targetting maritime volunteers who rescue drowning people erodes basic civic decency. How do we stop this abuse? #FBPE
civilsociety.co.uk
RNLI museum shuts doors due to verbal abuse of volunteers
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fife4europe #FBPE #RejoinEU @fife4europe.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
RNLI CEO Peter Sparkes condemning threats against volunteers by those hiding behind "a balaclava or a keyboard" hits hard. Unpaid crews saving lives under maritime law are being targeted by far-right mobs. Why are extremists allowed to terrorise life-savers? (1/2) 🤔 #FBPE
nen.press
A statement from the RNLI Chief Executive
I’m writing to you – a loyal RNLI supporter – following the recent events in the media that have generated deliberate misinformation and misunderstanding about the RNLI and our lifesaving work in t…
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The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The AI data centres will take from Scotland our electricity, our land, our money, our health and our jobs. And they’ll give us...what exactly? asks Craig Dalzell ✍️ 👉 www.thenational.scot/politi...
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Count Binface @countbinface.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
You might have to turn up for the results of this one, Nige.
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 09/09/2026
Well, look at that.
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Believe in Scotland @believeinscotland.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
🚨 Andy Burnham has stated that majority public support in Scotland for a second independence referendum will be the indyref2 trigger. ✍️ Sign the petition now: www.believeinscotland.org/indyref_peti...
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joannic.bsky.social @joannic.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
youtu.be/xpgFtmFhaJ0?...
youtu.be
Peter Oborne: Britain has FINALLY stood up to Israel
YouTube video by PoliticsJOE
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The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Read here: www.thenational.scot/news/2653562...
thenational.scot
John Swinney reacts to Andy Burnham's conditions for second independence referendum
Scotland's First Minister has welcomed Andy Burnham laying out the conditions on a second independence referendum, saying they mark an…
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Gàidheal Gèidh @grumps2772.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Wee Glasgow women gets racist off the bus
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The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Read the full story here: www.thenational.scot/comment/2652...
thenational.scot
Change is long overdue in local government – here's what Scotland should do
What are we going to do about Scottish local government? It’s about time someone asked the question and answered ...
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 06/09/2026
Photos: Gaza holds funeral for 100 Palestinians recovered from rubble aje.news/naywyr
Mass funeral for Palestinians recovered from beneath the rubble in Gaza [Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters]Mourners carry bodies covered in Palestinian flags during the mass funeral in Gaza City. [Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters]The victims recovered from rubble were killed by Israeli strikes in 2023. [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]Many of the dead came from the extended Malaka family, which alone lost 55 members, along with the Balawi, Salmi and other Zeitoun neighbourhood families. [Jehad Alshrafi/AP Photo]
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Rhoda Meek @wodieskodie.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
BBC: MG Alba boss says Gaelic media services lack funding www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2mdvy… #scothinews
bbc.co.uk
BBC: MG Alba boss says Gaelic media services lack funding
John Morrison says Irish and Welsh services receive millions of pounds of public money.
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weegingerdug @weegingerdug.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
My latest blog piece The smokiest of smoking guns, Channel 4 and Verbatim's undercover operation to expose Reform UK's dodgy finances is devastating to Farage whose existing problems with investigations into his finances have just got exponentially worse. weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/09/04/t...
weegingerdug.wordpress.com
The smokiest of smoking guns
If there are smoking guns, Channel 4 and Verbatim’s undercover sting on Reform UK is a slow motion video of the bullet exiting the barrel and hitting its target. If you haven’t seen the…
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Talk Media with Stuart Cosgrove @talkmedia.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
This week’s episode with @grahamjeffery.bsky.social is up now wherever you get your podcasts, and it’s a great show!
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Dr Craig Dalȝell @thecommongreen.scot · 04/09/2026
3) Megan - When aid becomes a tool for migration control. www.commonweal.scot/articles/whe... 4) Robin - Scotland is cutting its own throat. www.commonweal.scot/articles/mag... Graph Of The Week - Bond Yields
Image - Six graphs showing critically rising bond yields in the USA, Canada, Japan, UK, France and Germany

Text:
A lack of trust in major economies - and their Governments

A 'bond yield' is best thought of as the rate at which a nation can borrow money. The more reliable the nation, the stronger its economic fundamentals, the more stable a government is believed to be (along with its economic and fiscal policies) and the less indebted it is, the lower its borrowing rates will be and visa versa. At the moment the world is in a bond sale flurry as investors try to dump government bonds. But what is noticeable is how high bond yields have risen. The only two times in recent decades that they have been this bad are in 2007 and at Covid. 

These indicate an apparent lack of confidence in the Western governments and there is reason to fear this is merited. What is not being said enough is that this is being driven by what seems to be an inability of neoliberal economics to balance the books. Neoliberalism doesn't seem to bring in enough tax to meet spending demands and nor is it generating enough long-term growth to counteract that fact.
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Ionad Gàidhlig Dhùn Èideann @ionaddhuneideann.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Leabhar ùr – A’ Ghàidhlig ann an Dùn Èideann Tro na Linntean Sealladh air àite na Gàidhlig ann an Dùn Èideann bho na Meadhan Aoisean chun an latha an-diugh, a’ coimhead air eachdraidh, ainmean-àite, litreachas agus foghlam. Ri fhaighinn aig ionaddhuneideann.org no bho @leughleabhar.bsky.social
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joannic.bsky.social @joannic.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
🥲
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
The tech bros really are the most craven crowd of rent seekers ever vested upon us
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The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
An aspiring student from Gaza is trying to raise enough money to take her place at Glasgow University after being displaced repeatedly through the genocide Hamish Morrison spoke to Toqa Qudaih 👇
thenational.scot
Gaza student in desperate fundraising bid to take up Glasgow University place
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Rhoda Meek @wodieskodie.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
US woman at centre of dog-ban legal battle with islanders speaks out | The National www.thenational.scot/news/26502019.… #scothinews
thenational.scot
US woman at centre of dog-ban legal battle with islanders speaks out | The National
The American woman who is at the centre of a fierce legal battle with two community organisations in the Outer Hebrides has broken her silence on the case that could leave a charity bankrupt. Claire Kellerman has found herself in the middle of a media storm after it emerged that the Bernera Community Association, which runs a volunteer-run community cafe, and the Bernera Development Trust both face financial ruin after she launched legal action against them.
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David Pratt @foreigncorr1.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
US ‘get-out-of-jail card’ only serves to further embroil it in Iranian quagmire - Today’s column 👇 www.thenational.scot/politics/264...
thenational.scot
US 'get-out-of-jail card' only serves to further embroil it in Iranian quagmire
FIRST, it was bombs. Then came bribes in the shape of promised sanctions relief and billions of dollars in investment ...
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The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
A community organisation in the Outer Hebrides that faces bankruptcy due to a legal battle with an American woman over her dog being barred from its cafe has received tens of thousands of pounds in donations to fight the case 👇 www.thenational.scot/news/2...
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joannic.bsky.social @joannic.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
%raw(article_headline)https://www.thenational.scot/politics/26494458.vicious-contempt-now-replaced-unionist-tolerance-languages/?ref=li
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joannic.bsky.social @joannic.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Same
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joannic.bsky.social @joannic.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
%raw(article_headline)https://www.thenational.scot/culture/26485556.extent-scotlands-role-slave-trade-laid-bare-event/?ref=li
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The Past and other Places @pastandotherplaces.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Sluagh gun ghuth – ‘A people without a voice’: Reconstructing the past in a West Highland community. Prof Hugh Cheape. Saturday 12 Sept 2026, 14:00 - 15:00, RSE Edinburgh. #gaelic #LocalHistory #skystorians #Curious #Scotland rse.org.uk/event/sluagh...
rse.org.uk
Sluagh gun ghuth – ‘A people without a voice’: Reconstructing the past in a West Highland community
Discover the story of a West Highland community through the objects they left behind.
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Niall Huggan @hugan.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
UK Enshittification Latest...
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Niall Huggan @hugan.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Paging UK Labour... 😏
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joannic.bsky.social @joannic.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
youtu.be/_OWqzhwsWXM?...
youtu.be
The Psychological Trick That Keeps You Arguing About Immigration
YouTube video by Barry's Economics
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weegingerdug @weegingerdug.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
My latest blog piece. The nasty party gets nastier. Kemi Badenoch's race to the bottom with Reform UK. Former Nazis are welcome in the Tory party but not supporters of net zero or international human rights laws. weegingerdug.wordpress.com/2026/08/09/t...
weegingerdug.wordpress.com
The nasty party gets nastier
The Tories are on a mission. Having had the title of the Nasty Party wrested away from them by Reform UK and by the even more unpleasant Restore Britain, Kemi Badenoch is determined to prove that t…
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LiLBazula 👻 🎃 @lilbazza.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I'm hearing if we treat people with a touch of humanity & don't bang them up for 22 out of 24hrs they don't develop pent up rage & aggression & the need to self-harm or lash out on others to channel all that violence that's been cultivated in them. More as we get it
The motto of the unit, which is based on prisons in Sweden and Norway, is: "Building better neighbours." There are choir sessions, dance classes, a reading group and a weekly tea party where inmates and officers discuss their concerns. Prisoners are out of their cells for up to nine hours a day, compared with two in the rest of the jail.
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The Rest Is Politics @therestpolitics.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
A political candidate that answers questions directly? Who would have thought it...
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SlenderSherbet @slendersherbet.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
"How's your diet going?" Me:
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William Duguid @williamduguid1.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
'Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should have a constitutional right to hold regular referendums on independence under agreed rules. England's constitutional position should also be explicitly defined.' Richard Murphy's suggestions for Burnham's constitution.
taxresearch.org.uk
Andy Burnham wants a constitution. This is what it should include.
The Guardian notes this morning that: Andy Burnham has said his programme of devolution strengthens the case for a written constitution for the UK, a move that would fundamentally alter the workings of the state that have developed over centuries. The prime minister has long believed the UK’s “antiquated” political system needs...
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The National @scotnational.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
One of Scotland's most outspoken ferry experts has argued lifeline services are being delivered in the slowest, costliest way possible We take a look at his suggestions 👉https://www.thenational.scot/politics/26432928.scotland-create-ferry-network-islanders-need/
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Behind the bewildering transformation of British universities, are management consultants being paid millions Really proud to have this vital piece on our unis are being gutted from the inside by @jheathershaw.bsky.social on Democracy for Sale. Do read democracyforsale.substack.com/p/inside-bri...
democracyforsale.substack.com
Inside Britain's university crisis
As teaching staff face job loss, their bosses have netted pay rises and bought advice from a “vampiric” management consultancy, writes Prof. John Heathershaw of the University of Exeter
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Rhoda Meek @wodieskodie.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
BBC: Scottish islanders refused permission to stage annual seabird chicks hunt www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jnm4ldx… #scothinews
bbc.com
BBC: Scottish islanders refused permission to stage annual seabird chicks hunt
Each year hundreds of gannet chicks are killed for their meat on the uninhabited Hebridean island of Sula Sgeir.
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Rhoda Meek @wodieskodie.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
thenational.scot: Is this the way Scotland can create a ferry network islanders need? www.thenational.scot/politics/26432… #scothinews
thenational.scot
thenational.scot: Is this the way Scotland can create a ferry network islanders need?
Roy Pedersen, one of the country’s leading ferry experts, says minimising the time spent on water and maximising the time on road would better serve locals and tourists alike, while saving millions.
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Verminous Scot @etkwebster.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
This is the hatred and intolerance that has been stirred up by Farage, Tommeh & the RW and it's gonny keep happening.🤬
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joannic.bsky.social @joannic.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
😁
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joannic.bsky.social @joannic.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
www.bite-magazine.com/post/first-d...
bite-magazine.com
First, Do No Harm - Bread Street Kitchen by Gordon Ramsay
Bread Street Kitchen promises polish and personality, but six years after its debut, the food still can’t keep pace with its neighbours — or its own name above the door.I first visited Bread Street Ki...
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Andrew Sharpe 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿|🇪🇺 @andrew.sharpe.scot · 01/08/2026
Can we talk about those net zero targets again now?
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