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Judith Fairbairn

@judithfairbairn.eurosky.social
2.5K followers 1.1K following 2.5K posts

Enjoy discussing public service, UBI, voting systems, governance, urban planning. PhD in educational measurement at UCL IoE. Career in language testing. 🇬🇧 🇨🇦

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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 23/09/2026
Exactly. In 2024, my pro EU Labour MP won by 152 votes against the Conservatives.
Election 2024 Ben Coleman
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 31/08/2026
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 31/08/2026
I’ve been wondering about Chelsea and Fulham. Could Lib Dems take this seat from Labour? Pro EU, socially progressive, pro environment, not Reform or Burnham supporters.
Election results for Chelsea and Fulham. Labour won by 152 votes against Tories in second place. Lib Dems third but with only 7.7% of the vote.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 20/05/2026
Don’t we have to stick with the manifesto (or call a general election)?
Text re EU from the manifesto: “With Labour, Britain will stay outside of the EU. But to seize the opportunities ahead, we must make Brexit work. We will reset the 
relationship and seek to deepen ties with our European friends, neighbours and allies. That does not mean reopening the divisions of the past. There will be no return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement.”
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 28/02/2026
Yes, not great. The new MP exudes joy and bringing people together. He should have sent something like this by @johnslingermp.bsky.social
Gorton and Denton by-election result
It is disappointing. I feel sorry for Angeliki, who was a brilliant candidate running a very good campaign.
The important thing now is perspective.
The Conservatives lost all but one of 21 by-elections between 2010 and 2015, and yet increased their share of the vote in the general election.
We should stay calm and focus on supporting the Prime Minister and ministers to deliver change as effectively and quickly as possible. The economy is showing real signs of progress. All of that would be undermined if the lesson drawn from this is internal Labour Party debate, which the public is simply not interested in.
We don't need a "shift to the left" - this is a Labour government already delivering on Labour values. People want a stable government whose ministers are focused on their interests, not simplistic solutions.
We're in government, and governments lose by-elections. We need to dust ourselves down and get on with the job
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 05/02/2026
Agree and I didn’t support his appointment as Ambassador at the time (and was surprised how many people did). But I understood why he was appointed. This comment sums up it up. Plus he’s an expert on trade (tariffs).
A quote from David Frum: The thing Keir Starmer cannot say: “Of course I knew the man had sinister secret ties to Jeffrey Epstein. That’s why I chose him. The job was to protect Britain from the madness of President Caligula. Epstein connections are a bona fide job qualification for that mission.”
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 02/02/2026
Lifelong learning is such a wonderful initiative. I saw a great programme in Singapore where each citizen received credits to spend on learning. Hope we can overcome the change processes and develop something similar.
A picture of me in front of the Lifelong Learning Institute in Singapore.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 25/01/2026
My only worry is that it splits the progressive vote and Farage/Tories win. I voted for Polanski when he stood in an election for London Assembly. Regretted it. We have to compromise and vote tactically (unfortunately).
West Central London election 2021 results.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 25/01/2026
I read this one last month on the tube. Who does it remind you of? 🤔
Epitaph on a Tyrant by WH Auden

“Perfection, of a kind, was what he was after,
And the poetry he invented was easy to understand;
He knew human folly like the back of his hand,
And was greatly interested in armies and fleets;
When he laughed, respectable senators burst with laughter,
And when he cried the little children died in the streets.”
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 25/01/2026
I love Poems on the Underground. I even bought one at a British Council fundraiser.
Poem on the Underground: “Break my branches, saw me into bits, the birds will still sing in my roots.” Translated from French.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 18/01/2026
Always wrong
Photo of Hannan with quote: “Absolutely nobody is talking about threatening our place in the Single Market.”
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 16/12/2025
Missing the cycle route upset me too. What a pity.
At the outset of HS2, a cycling and walking path running alongside the whole of the route was suggested. John Grimshaw, a civil engineer who has built hundreds of miles of cycleways, was commissioned to produce a report for the Department for Transport in 2013, identifying cycling routes from London to Manchester and Leeds. A works access road has been built alongside much of HS2 to enable contractors to reach work sites. It is six metres wide and “of very high quality”, said Grimshaw. He knows because he cycled along it – chased by HS2 security. “It’s the best road in Bucks. If it had been built just 10 metres to either side, it could’ve been turned into an end-to-end cycle path.” Instead the road, which he estimates has cost £200m-300m, will have to be dug up once the line is built. More millions “completely wasted”, said Grimshaw.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 09/12/2025
New law in 2021 with a list of which flags can be flown. EU flag does not fall under any category. My council also had to remove the EU flag. www.gov.uk/government/p...
List of which flags are allowed to be flown) not EU). See link for details.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 18/11/2025
Refugees will be encouraged to move to a work or study visa as soon as possible.
“The government does not believe that refugees should seek to remain on core protection long-term. We want to encourage refugees to integrate more fully into the communities providing them sanctuary. To address this, we will encourage refugees to switch out of the Core Protection route wherever possible. We will introduce a new, in-country Protection Work and Study route. A person granted protection will be eligible to apply to move into this route if they obtain employment or commence study at an appropriate level and pay a fee. Once on this route, they will become eligible to ‘earn’ settlement sooner than they would under core protection alone.” https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-and-returns-policy-statement/restoring-order-and-control-a-statement-on-the-governments-asylum-and-returns-policy#part-i-reducing-arrivals
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 18/11/2025
That is not true. The incentive will be for refugees to move onto work or study visas, if possible. Great idea!
“The government does not believe that refugees should seek to remain on core protection long-term. We want to encourage refugees to integrate more fully into the communities providing them sanctuary. To address this, we will encourage refugees to switch out of the Core Protection route wherever possible. We will introduce a new, in-country Protection Work and Study route. A person granted protection will be eligible to apply to move into this route if they obtain employment or commence study at an appropriate level and pay a fee. Once on this route, they will become eligible to ‘earn’ settlement sooner than they would under core protection alone.” 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-and-returns-policy-statement/restoring-order-and-control-a-statement-on-the-governments-asylum-and-returns-policy#part-i-reducing-arrivals
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 02/11/2025
They might be learning. MAGA red hat “build baby build” by Labour MP Steve Reed. ‘DOGE’ list of savings by Labour MP Luke Charters.
List of Labour savings (e.g., £180m+ clawback on PPE fraud) referred to as DOGE.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 17/09/2025
Beautiful poem. Thank you Sir Sadiq Khan. Love this poem too about London:
Poem: “The London Breed” by Benjamin Zephaniah

I love dis great polluted place
Where pop stars come to live their dreams
Here ravers come for drum and bass
And politicians plan their schemes, 
The music of the world is here 
Dis city can play any song 
They came to here from everywhere 
Tis they that made dis city strong.

A world of food displayed on streets
Where all the world can come and dine 
On meals that end with bitter sweets 
And cultures melt and intertwine, 
Two hundred languages give voice 
To fifteen thousand changing years 
And all religions can rejoice 
With exiled souls and pioneers.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 16/09/2025
“Make no mistake - this is a law for the 97, but it is also a law for the sub-postmasters who suffered because of the Horizon scandal, the victims of infected blood, and those who died in the terrible Grenfell Tower fire.” Keir Starmer
PM Starmer’s statement on the new Hillsborough law.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 08/07/2025
Excellent article, as usual. I really hope Terry Burns is successful tomorrow. My view on the government would diminish if his amendment fails. It’s obviously the right thing to do.
The amendment is very simple. It would introduce a one-in-one-out policy for the Lords until the next general election, at which point it would become one-in-two-out until the Lords was the same size as the Commons. Afterwards, there would be a rule that the Lords must be smaller than the Commons.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 06/07/2025
I’ve been thinking exactly the same. So depressing and frightening to follow. I hope they pull out of it.
Cartoon of two people walking and talking. Caption: “My desire to be well-informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.”
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 05/07/2025
I don’t really understand these comments. The ideology/narrative seems so clear to me, summarised below. Essentially, it’s about security: financial, environmental and personal.
Labour’s 5 missions: financial growth, environment, crime reduction, education, NHS.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 04/07/2025
Agree. Here is the Labour mission. Clear to me and it is on track.
Labour’s mission: growth, clean energy, improve criminal justice, childcare and education, NHS
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 21/06/2025
Not really. We voted tactically to get rid of the Tories. My Labour MP won by 152 votes. There was no other option. In FPTP, we have to compromise before elections. My constituency is very remain and so is our Labour MP.
Table showing list of people standing to be MP. Ben Coleman won by 152 votes over the Tory (Greg Hands).
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 19/06/2025
Great report above worth reading. Maybe FoM isn’t the problem to closer alignment with EU? Could Labour have focused on food safety to gauge our appetite? Is European Court of Justice a bigger hurdle? @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social @therestpolitics.bsky.social @mrjamesob.bsky.social
Graph from report in previous post showing 68% of UK citizens would allow EU citizens to travel, live and work in the UK - and UK citizens to do the same throughout the EU. 51% accept EU food/product safety. Only 41% would allow ECJ jurisdiction.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 14/06/2025
It’s ambiguous how the audience is chosen. We wouldn’t expect to see SNP supporters in the audience outside Scotland. QT is in Greenford next week- safe Labour seat, with not much Reform support (Tories #2 and Green #3). I wouldn’t expect a Reform representative 🤨 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ealing_...
Vote in 2024: Labour in first place with 20,663 votes, followed by Conservatives
 (8144), Green (4056) and Reform (3948).
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 11/06/2025
Reminds me of the Brexit protest march. Only protest march I’ve ever been on. A million people showed up. No incidents, very civil. No media coverage.
Me on a Brexit protest march. Getting ready in my West London for Europe T-shirt.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 09/06/2025
I feel the same about the Greens. The environment is one of my top issues. Although this is what happened last time I voted Green. It’s why I dislike FPTP so much and support tactical voting.
Election in 2021 (west central London assembly) where the Greens, Lib Dems and Labour split the vote and the Tory won.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 06/06/2025
I recently bumped into an American family at the JFK memorial at Runnymede. We had a nice talk about democracy. They were worried, maybe even scared. I’ve thought about them a lot. By the way, Runnymede near Heathrow is an excellent place to go right now to think about freedom. Very inspiring.
John F Kennedy memorial: “Let every nation whether it wishes us well or ill that we shall pay any price bear any burden meet any hardship support any friend or oppose any foe in order to assure the survival and success of liberty”
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 29/05/2025
He needs to balance highlighting Farage’s inconsistencies with telling us what he’s doing to make our lives better. Is a mission the same as a vision? Here are Labour’s five missions: labour.org.uk/missions/
Labour’s five missions:

Kickstart economic growth – to drive growth, rebuild Britain, support good jobs, unlock investment, and improve living standards across the country.   

Make Britain a clean energy superpower through delivering clean power by 2030 and accelerating to net zero.   

Take back our streets by halving serious violent crime and raising confidence in the police and criminal justice system to its highest levels.   

Break down barriers to opportunity by reforming our childcare and education systems, to make sure there is no class ceiling on the ambitions of our young people.  

Build an NHS fit for the future that is there when people need it, where everyone lives well for longer. 
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 19/05/2025
It was at the home of the Magna Carta. An inspiring place (Runnymede). A much needed reminder about freedom under law and a must visit place for everyone. Hope Trump sees it when he comes for the state visit.
Magna Carta: “No free man shall be taken, imprisoned, stripped of his rights or possessions, outlawed or exiled or in any way ruined, nor will we proceed against or prosecute him except by the lawful judgement of his peers and by the law of the land.”

This passed into law on 15 June 1215 and remains on the statute book today.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 19/05/2025
Visited the JFK memorial in UK yesterday. Had a lovely moment with some American tourists ❤️ “Let every nation whether it wishes us well or ill that we shall pay any price bear any burden meet any hardship support any friend or oppose any foe in order to assure the survival and success of liberty”
JFK: Let every nation whether it wishes us well or ill that we shall pay any price bear any burden meet any hardship support any friend or oppose any foe in order to assure the survival and success of liberty
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 12/05/2025
Attenborough for the Nobel Prize
Attenborough: This is a picture of a dead honeybee. The pollen on her legs is from dandelions. Her tongue is sticking out due to what killed her that was on the dandelions.
It’s spring, dandelions are the bees first food. This bee is dead from weed killer spread on what we see as weeds, but what nature sees as food. Please don’t spray for weeds until you see the blackberries blooming. In this area, weeds, flowers and fruit trees are bees only source of food until middle of June. There are FAR more weeds than flowers or fruit trees, so it's their only food source. No bees, no food crops for us and we all starve.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 05/05/2025
Photo taken from my window. Lest we forget WWll. That generation who understood fascism will soon not be with us.
Photo of the VE planes flying over London today. The noise was deafening in West London. The clouds were somber and grey.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 19/04/2025
Agree re hereditary peers in the House of Lords. They need to go. One of my favourites re tactical voting:
"Voting isn't marriage, it's public transport. You're not waiting for "the one" who is absolutely perfect - you're getting the bus. And if there isn't a bus headed to your destination, you don't not travel - you take the one
going closest."
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 23/03/2025
Ahh, Mr. Dressup (lovely person) with Casey and Finnegan.
Picture of Mr Dressup with Casey and Finnegan.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 22/03/2025
And recommended by an FT journalist
Recommended by Stephen Bush, FY journalist.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 22/03/2025
Chaminda Jayanetti
Screen shot of a post from Chaminda Jayanetti about the Labour Party
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 18/03/2025
Would have loved to vote Lib Dem but this was my choice. Labour won by 152 votes. In our system, you have to compromise before the election. The country was not ready for FOM at the time.
Election 2024 results for Chelsea and Fulham. Labour won by 152 votes. Lib Dem’s had no chance.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 11/02/2025
The government already responded
The government was elected on a manifesto not to return to EU membership.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 01/02/2025
Was a such a great day ❤️
West London marching for Europe event
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 31/01/2025
He was defrocked from the Anglican Catholic Church (didn’t know there was such a thing - thought it was one or the other)
Statement by the Anglican Catholic Church defrocking Calvin Robinson
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 08/12/2024
Freedom
Public transport: frequency is freedom. Author is Jarrett Walker. Book is Human Transit.
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Judith Fairbairn @judithfairbairn.eurosky.social · 08/11/2024
With like-minded people at #OriginStory by @iandunt.bsky.social and @dorianlynskey.bsky.social discussing the US election. Exactly what I needed. Also 3 book launches: Fascism, Conspiracy Theory and Centrism. Ian signing my book 🤩
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