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Kiran Sidhu

@kiransidhu41.bsky.social
78 followers 18 following 43 posts

BAFTA Cymru award-winner, writer, journalist & Prospect columnist. Author of 'I Can Hear The Cuckoo'. Contributor to The Guardian, Observer, I Paper, etc.

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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Prospect Magazine @prospectmagazine.co.uk · 25/09/2026
In Kiran Sidhu’s latest column, some tragic news stopped a budding friendship from blooming
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: Autumn reminds me of a friendship I never got to have
Some tragic news stopped a budding friendship from blooming
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Autumn has arrived; a transition of colour like a Mark Rothko painting…. I’m in The Spectator: spectator.com/article/autu...
spectator.com
Autumn is the cruellest season
My mother died from cancer at the age of sixty-two on Christmas Eve 2014. I remember so clearly that last autumn I spent with her
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
We don’t just grieve the things we’ve held close, but possibilities and potentials… My new column: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/lives/...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: Autumn reminds me of a friendship I never got to have
Some tragic news stopped a budding friendship from blooming
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I’m in The Spectator this week…
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Prospect Magazine @prospectmagazine.co.uk · 09/09/2026
“Through my father’s complexities and troubles, I learnt what it means to fail and to forgive,” writes Rural life writer, Kiran Sidhu
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: I am eternally grateful to my alcoholic father
His battle with addiction did not stop him being a great parent
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Prospect Magazine @prospectmagazine.co.uk · 05/09/2026
"It might sound odd that I consider my father, who was prone to intoxicated rages and responsible for so much damage, to have been a good parent," writes Kiran Sidhu
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: I am eternally grateful to my alcoholic father
His battle with addiction did not stop him being a great parent
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
We are more than our addictions… My column: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/lives/...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: I am eternally grateful to my alcoholic father
His battle with addiction did not stop him being a great parent
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
You might expect the child of a parent with a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality to be confused. But instead, the experience brought me clarity and valuable insight: I understood from a very young age that adults weren’t infallible. My column out today: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/lives/...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: I am eternally grateful to my alcoholic father
His battle with addiction did not stop him being a great parent
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
You might expect the child of a parent with a “Jekyll and Hyde” personality to be confused. But instead, the experience brought me clarity and valuable insight: I understood from a very young age that adults weren’t infallible. My column out today: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/lives/...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: I am eternally grateful to my alcoholic father
His battle with addiction did not stop him being a great parent
001
Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
It’s #WorldLetterWritingDay Here’s an article I wrote: It is magical how words arranged in a particular order, immortalised in a letter, can make their way through your fingertips and travel through your veins until all you can feel is heart.❤️ www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
theguardian.com
‘Handwritten letters belong to you like your DNA’
When Kiran Sidhu rediscovered letters her aunt had written 20 years ago, she could picture her and hear her voice. The discovery transported her to a precious time in her family life in a way that a t...
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Our quest for happiness has mythified it. Happiness has become a place that is something searched for, but never quite reached; it remains a forever elusive state. An article I wrote on happiness. #Schopenhauer #Happiness inews.co.uk/opinion/farm...
inews.co.uk
What this farmer's life could teach us about the pursuit of happiness
When my interview with Wilf Davies inspired an award-winning documentary, I knew his life lessons should be shared with the world
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
#ICanHearTheCuckoo
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Summer might see us more exposed in terms of skin, but the most revealing season is most certainly autumn. If summer is all about our bodies, autumn is all about our soul. My article on melancholy and the approach of autumn: inews.co.uk/opinion/autu...
inews.co.uk
It may be gloomy, but the melancholy of autumn brings a new kind of clarity
As dreary as his time of year can be, it's also a period that can give our lives new insight and a sense of serenity
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
“Lessons in life come late; we have wasted tears & years on things that we may care very little for now.” My piece on #melancholy and #autumn inews.co.uk/opinion/autu...
inews.co.uk
It may be gloomy, but the melancholy of autumn brings a new kind of clarity
As dreary as his time of year can be, it's also a period that can give our lives new insight and a sense of serenity
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Having a dual culture is a gift – you grow up knowing there is always an alternative way of seeing things. inews.co.uk/opinion/comm...
inews.co.uk
Having a dual culture is a gift - it's made me more understanding and curious
Recent political events have shone a light on a part of me that I never valued like I do now
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Thx for the kind DMs regarding Filter folding. Not sure what's next for me... maybe a new book (not THR related). I’ve a monthly column in Prospect, so u can read my musings there! But if anyone is looking for a writer/columnist/journalist/author/Bafta-winner - I'm here!
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
“My favourite children’s books have not always saved me; we cannot be saved from everything. Some experiences live in our bones.” An article I wrote on why we should read children’s books… #ChildrensBooks #Books #RoaldDahl #Literature #Reading inews.co.uk/opinion/no-s...
inews.co.uk
There's no shame in reading children's books as an adult, it's the best antidote for sadness
There’s a certain joy in these books that helps me when I’m morose. Being an adult shouldn’t mean I have to stick to what's considered sensible
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Luca @lucagalletti.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
One of French puppeteer Raphaël Gromy’s most recognizable performances features a puppet painting real artworks on canvas, blending puppetry, live performance, and visual art into a unique theatrical experience. 😊 IG: @artistsuniversum @raphael_gromy
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
"If something’s not stagnant, there is hope: Change requires movement," writes @kiransidhu41.bsky.social. "THR advocates have faced derision, ostracization and slander. They have made things happen all the same."
filtermag.org
Finding Optimism in the Tobacco Harm Reduction Maelstrom
It's easy to feel that competing against the misinformation juggernaut is futile. Yet certain reflections fill me with hope.
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The government launched a 12-week public consultation seeking “views on proposals for vapes and nicotine products,” such as limiting colors of vaping devices to white, black or gray, and heated tobacco products to a “drab brown color.” By @kiransidhu41.bsky.social:
filtermag.org
Plain Packaging and “Drab” Colors: The UK’s Latest Anti-Vape Plan
Government plans to make vapes less visible and attractive completely ignore the likely impact on smoking rates, advocates tell Filter.
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
I spent an hour sitting in the garden listening to the frogs in the pond. Time well spent.
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
“Inanimate objects aren’t always just decorative; when we’re lost they can lead us back to ourselves”. My new column… www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/lives/...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: I will no longer be ashamed of being materialistic
I have come to realise that my treasured possessions form part of my sense of home
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Prospect Magazine @prospectmagazine.co.uk · 23/07/2026
“We should all be more willing to acknowledge the part our possessions play in shaping us”
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: I will no longer be ashamed of being materialistic
I have come to realise that my treasured possessions form part of my sense of home
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
The recent surge is expected to continue. It's unsurprising that more people—especially women—are using pouches to quit smoking, reports @kiransidhu41.bsky.social. But some are switching to pouches from vapes, and the reasons for this are more complex:
filtermag.org
What’s Behind the UK’s Migration to Nicotine Pouches?
It's unsurprising that many people are using them to quit smoking. But some are switching from vapes, and the reasons for this are complex.
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
“Inanimate objects aren’t always just decorative; when we’re lost they can lead us back to ourselves”. My new column… www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/lives/...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: I will no longer be ashamed of being materialistic
I have come to realise that my treasured possessions form part of my sense of home
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
“They have not considered the unintended consequences," says one expert, including "increased smoking rates across the age spectrum." Ireland's government appears more determined than ever to make tobacco harm reduction harder, reports @kiransidhu41.bsky.social:
filtermag.org
Disposables Banned, Flavors Next: Irish Vape Crackdown Gathers Pace
With one ban just confirmed and more restrictions imminent, the government continues to make tobacco harm reduction harder.
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
"I have a partner who is fit and well [after switching to vapes], and I’m not his carer, which I may have become." Tobacco harm reduction doesn't only concern health and the elimination of secondhand smoke, impacted people tell @kiransidhu41.bsky.social, but relationships and quality of life:
filtermag.org
“Not a Solo Act”—The Impacts of Smoking Cessation for Loved Ones
The often-overlooked benefits of tobacco harm reduction for partners and family include health, relationships and quality of life.
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Having a dual culture is a gift – you grow up knowing there is always an alternative way of seeing things. inews.co.uk/opinion/comm...
inews.co.uk
Having a dual culture is a gift - it's made me more understanding and curious
Recent political events have shone a light on a part of me that I never valued like I do now
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
PositiveEnerG @positiveenerg.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
I see @kiransidhu41.bsky.social book I can hear the Cuckoo - it’s a beautiful and brilliant book. Maybe I should read it again. The others are some photos I took and liked. Happy 3rd! (One minute left in Chicago)
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
"At stake is ... people’s access to tobacco harm reduction in the world’s highest-smoking region," reports @kiransidhu41.bsky.social. The EU parliament rejected two constrasting proposals, and advocates have constrasting views on the implications:
filtermag.org
EU Nicotine-Tax Doubts After Parliamentary Rejections
After the parliament voted against two contrasting proposals, the key outcome for tobacco harm reduction access remains unclear.
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
“No disclosure about who is funding and organizing the campaign, but we can be pretty sure it isn’t the taxpayers of Palau with a population of 18k.” Global nicotine scheduling would be a disaster, say harm reduction experts. @kiransidhu41.bsky.social reports:
filtermag.org
Tiny Pacific Nation Applies for Global Nicotine Ban. Who’s Behind It?
The WHO process could in theory lead to nicotine being scheduled internationally. Advocates believe Palau is being used as a "puppet."
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
“We can’t talk about harm reduction without tobacco harm reduction,” says service provider for people who use drugs. Experts discuss the acute need for integration, given this population's very high rates of smoking & related harms—and how to achieve it. @kiransidhu41.bsky.social reports:
filtermag.org
Growing Calls to Integrate Tobacco Harm Reduction Into Drug Services
“We can't talk about harm reduction without tobacco harm reduction,” says one service provider. The need among people who use drugs is acute.
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
fravery.bsky.social @fravery.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
This painting is "Quietest Evening" by the Ukrainian artist Olga Kvasha.
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
“A window on the [European] Commission’s thinking ... we can see that they will do more harm than good if they get their way.” Advocates dismantle "contemptuous" anti-harm reduction bias in survey meant to inform EU policy, reports @kiransidhu41.bsky.social:
filtermag.org
EU’s “Loaded” Public Questionnaire Pushes Anti-Nicotine Agenda
Advocates dismantle a survey that's intended to inform EU decision-making and appears heavily skewed against tobacco harm reduction.
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
"There is no smoking-cessation help available in the five-county area that I live in." Rural residents are much less likely to quit than city-dwellers. Complex factors are behind this disparity, so ending it won't be easy, reports @kiransidhu41.bsky.social:
filtermag.org
Why Is It Harder for People in Rural Communities to Quit Smoking?
Rural residents are much less likely to quit than their urban counterparts. Complex factors explain the disparity, so ending it won't be easy.
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
“I used to lament that getting older meant realising the world held no magic, so I read my favourite childhood books to refill my empty cup. However, as I age I realise the opposite is true.” My new column: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/lives/...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: All my neighbours believe in fairies
None of my friends in London believe in spirits. Perhaps they are missing out
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
“I used to lament that getting older meant realising the world held no magic, so I read my favourite childhood books to refill my empty cup. However, as I age I realise the opposite is true.” My new column: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/lives/...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: All my neighbours believe in fairies
None of my friends in London believe in spirits. Perhaps they are missing out
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
"The agency's first-ever report on pouches omits their key harm reduction role in favor of alarmism and a push for bans. Many experts object." By @kiransidhu41.bsky.social:
filtermag.org
World Health Organization Misses the Whole Point About Nicotine Pouches
The agency's first-ever report on pouches omits their key harm reduction role in favor of alarmism and a push for bans. Many experts object.
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
The risk is not only to harm reduction in Belgium, advocates say, but of "building pressure for an EU-wide flavor ban" as the EU Tobacco Products Directive is revised. The EU suffers around 700,000 smoking-related deaths per year. @kiransidhu41.bsky.social reports:
filtermag.org
Advocates Fear EU “Domino Effect,” as Belgium Bans Vape Flavors
The risk is not only to people who smoke in Belgium, but that the move could buld pressure for an EU-wide ban, advocates say.
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
“Repeals carry a different weight than reforms," says one Argentine expert. "They are an explicit admission that a previous policy failed.” "Prohibition has not worked anywhere it has been tried." @kiransidhu41.bsky.social reports:
filtermag.org
Argentina Repeals Vape Prohibition After 15 Years - Filter
Argentina has ended its prohibition of vapes and other safer nicotine products. Tobacco harm reduction advocates welcome the repeal as ...
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
The goal of a global smoking rate below 5 percent by 2040 is achievable, they write—*if* safer nicotine products are fully embraced. Their words are a clear rebuke to the WHO’s anti-tobacco harm reduction stance. @kiransidhu41.bsky.social reports:
filtermag.org
Three Former WHO Directors Urge It to Back Tobacco Harm Reduction
A global smoking rate below 5 percent by 2040 is achievable, if safer nicotine products are embraced, they write, in a rebuke to the WHO.
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Prospect Magazine @prospectmagazine.co.uk · 14/05/2026
“The hills also respond to my emotions—they speak to me in my dark and morose moods, holding me in an open palm that closes in to protect me.”
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: The hills of my Welsh village are alive with the sound of music
The call of the valley demands a response
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
"Most doctors downplayed the impact." Worldwide, people living with HIV have very high rates of smoking; lung cancer is the leading cause of death in some populations. Tobacco harm reduction can and should be rolled into HIV care, reports @kiransidhu41.bsky.social:
filtermag.org
Tobacco Harm Reduction Should Be Part of HIV Care - Filter
Globally, around 41 million people are living with HIV. And just about everywhere, smoking rates for this population are far ...
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
My favourite piece of music is ‘The Lark Ascending’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams….listening to it in the open space of the countryside feels as though the lark has been set free… My column out today. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/views/lives/...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Rural life: The hills of my Welsh village are alive with the sound of music
The call of the valley demands a response
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
The aim of the incremental tobacco ban is to create a "first smoke-free generation." "THR experts express concern that the law is mistargeted—and that it simultaneously paves the way for a clampdown on smoking-cessation tools," reports @kiransidhu41.bsky.social:
filtermag.org
Banning Cigarettes, Threatening Vapes: A New UK Landscape - Filter
The United Kingdom’s government aims to create a “first smoke-free generation,” after its long-running Tobacco and Vapes Bill finally became ...
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
“The stories shared by people who have used safer nicotine products to quit traditional tobacco are so vitally important, but almost never get attention," its founder says. THR Global aims to change that, and is seeking more consumer testimonies, reports @kiransidhu41.bsky.social:
filtermag.org
New Hub Platforms Lived Experiences of Tobacco Harm Reduction - Filter
People with lived experience of using safer nicotine products for harm reduction take center stage on a new platform that ...
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Reposted by Kiran Sidhu
Filter | harm reduction journalism @filtermag.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
"The report, likely to influence future policy, is attacked for anti-scientific opposition to tobacco harm reduction and biased authorship." By @kiransidhu41.bsky.social:
filtermag.org
“Embarrassing”—Experts Slam EU's Self-Congratulatory Smoking Report
The report, likely to influence future policy, is attacked for anti-scientific opposition to tobacco harm reduction and biased authorship.
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Kiran Sidhu @kiransidhu41.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
“Atticus said: “We are made of all those who have built and broken us.” I’d add to this: we are made of everything that’s ever resonated in us. We are made of everything that we have allowed to exist within us. We are made of everything that has ever made sense to us”. inews.co.uk/opinion/comm...
inews.co.uk
Having a dual culture is a gift - it's made me more understanding and curious
Recent political events have shone a light on a part of me that I never valued like I do now
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