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Catherine Phillips

@kittypetersburg.bsky.social
141 followers 151 following 35 posts

Art historian based in Norwich, interested in Old Master drawings and the history of collecting, and the glorious angel roofs of East Anglia

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Reposted by Catherine Phillips
Michael Spicer @michaelspicer.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
it's real support from actual racists
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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
I hope this isn’t true. There are times when it’s more important to put country before party. This is one of them. Burnham’s longstanding commitment to a fairer voting system could transform our democracy & counter the dire threat of a Reform UK government elected on a minority of the vote
theguardian.com
Greens suggest they will properly contest byelection in blow to Burnham
Statement follows speculation party would not field candidate in Makerfield or barely fight seat
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Larry the Cat @number10cat.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Does anyone know if Andy Burnham likes cats?
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Catherine Phillips @kittypetersburg.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
And don't forget the 'luxury' model, the Dyane!!!
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
The U.S. has spent billions to lose a war that enriches its oligarchs, impoverishes the citizenry, sabotages its alliances, and strengthens its enemies. Empires have risen and failed before, but to my knowledge no state has ever chosen to kill its own power. snyder.substack.com/p/on-superpo...
snyder.substack.com
On Superpower Suicide
And the recovery of justice
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Jonathan Coe @jonathancoe.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
AI's most spectacular inaccuracy about one of my books remains this effort from Musk's Grokipedia. (I have indeed written a book called 'Like a Fiery Elephant', but it's a biography of the experimental novelist B S Johnson.)
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Katie Lumsden @katiejlumsden.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
I get a lot of AI slop book marketing emails, but this is the first time I have ever been . . . mistaken for Jane Austen.
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East Anglia Bylines @eastangliabylines.co.uk · 04/05/2026
Know what your May 7 local election vote is for - its local issues. Don't be misled.
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Labour has already delivered more manifesto pledges than Reform UK has total policies www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/lab...
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Larry the Cat @number10cat.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Exodus 20: 3 You shall have no other gods before me 4 You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath 23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold Trump 2026:
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
We fought and lost a war in Iran so that both the Iranians and the Russians could make far more money from oil—the Iranians from tolls, the Russians from higher prices and the end of sanctions. That isn’t just strategic defeat; it’s self-destructive foolishness at a level unknown to military history
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Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Major General Randy Manner, US Army (Ret), "We have a Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth, who has actually stated words in his speeches and in writing that are literally the words of war criminals" "Even if President Trump pardons him for these things, The Hague will eventually come to get him"
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Paul Lewis @paullewismoney.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Starmer uses the Trump playbook for negotiating - call off strike or we’ll attack the place you work bit.ly/41Mjptq withdrawing the pay offer might be a reasonable response, condemning newly qualified doctors to unemployment is bizarre.
bit.ly
Keir Starmer withdraws offer of training places for striking doctors
The BMA rejected the government’s demand that it call off strikes, saying its proposed deal on pay and career progression ‘falls short’
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Dr Duncan Robertson @duncanrobertson.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
What a great interview. youtube.com/shorts/nMYT7...
youtube.com
What I asked President Zelenskyy 🇺🇦
YouTube video by Max Klymenko
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Daniel Sugarman @danielsugarman.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
The Jewish News, which I am proud to work for as Deputy Editor, has published an editorial on this week's Iftar prayers in Trafalgar Square www.jewishnews.co.uk/voice-of-the...
Excerpt from the article:

"The question here is not really one of whether such prayer is in fact an attempt to “dominate” – or the more obvious explanation, that during Ramadan one breaks ones’ fast by eating very briefly just before and then more properly after the evening Maghrib prayer (yes, like our own Maariv prayer). Rather it is about whether one has the right to publicly express their religious identity in this country. In this specific instance, an event to mark a key event in the Islamic calendar had been openly and legally booked for Trafalgar Square. Muslims present had every right to pray as a part of that."
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Catherine Phillips @kittypetersburg.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
www.theguardian.com/politics/202... What has gone wrong with the Tory party? How can such views be considered "normal"?Are these people listening to what they say? This is not the Tory party anymore but an extreme and dangerous group. Good to hear the attorney general putting the right questions.
theguardian.com
Attorney general asks if Kemi Badenoch would object to Jewish public prayer
Exclusive: Richard Hermer, who is Jewish, says Tory leader and shadow minister seem ‘to only have an issue with Muslim events’
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Ed Davey @eddavey.libdems.org.uk · 18/03/2026
GB News has turned into the Reform channel. After a New World investigation found hundreds of breaches of the rules on accuracy and impartiality, Ofcom has failed to do its job and act. We've seen what Fox News has done to politics in the US. We can't let it happen here.
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
It is fascinating that as Trump threatens and insults US allies to try and get them to get him out of this ridiculous strategic bind, he does not have the courage to even ask Putin politely to stop helping Iran kill American soldiers. Interesting that.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
With almost every passing hour Tony Blair’s calls for U.K. - and Starmer - to fully commit to US and Israel’s war in Iran looks more deranged
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James Fallows @jfallows.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
1/2 This is crucially important point. 1) "No quarter" is indeed specifically war-crime term 2) Under Geneva Conventions, after sinking an enemy ship, the attackers must "take all positive measures" to find and rescue any survivors. Text in next post No evidence US sub did so after attack, AFAIK
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Rory Cellan-Jones @rorycj.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
This very straight news piece buried deep within the FT never uses words like corruption or insider dealing but every detail is quietly devastating. Why is the FT virtually alone in the UK media in covering this important story?
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
The President of the USA is now openly threatening Iran with being the target of one of the greatest crimes in world history. Trump is saying he will destroy the basis of life for more than 90 million people. He should be removed from office for this.
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Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez doing what UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has chosen not to do, criticise the US and Israel for their attack on Iran which breached international law
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Ed Davey @eddavey.libdems.org.uk · 01/03/2026
Starmer needs to get on the phone to Trump and ask him to set out a plan to protect civilians and support a democratic transition in Iran. We've seen before that bombs don't bring about democracy and regime change without a plan just leads to more chaos and suffering.
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Catherine Phillips @kittypetersburg.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
theguardian.com
A war foretold: how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans and why nobody believed them
Drawing on more than 100 interviews with senior intelligence officials and other insiders in multiple countries, this exclusive account details how the US and Britain uncovered Vladimir Putin’s plans ...
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Catherine Phillips @kittypetersburg.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Our right to protest is under threat. I just signed @friends-earth.bsky.social petition to stop new police powers that could shut down many peaceful protests and weaken our democratic rights. Add your name too: action.friendsoftheearth.uk/petition/rig...
action.friendsoftheearth.uk
Stop the attack on our right to protest
The government is planning new powers that could seriously restrict your right to protest. Under these proposals, police could limit or block protests based on the so-called “cumulative impact” of pas...
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Keir Giles @keirgiles.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
On Thursday (19 Feb) I'll be interviewing @lucyaash.bsky.social about her book 'The Baton And The Cross' on the Russian Orthodox Church - amzn.to/3Obg1oL We brainstormed some images for the welcome slideshow to remind the audience this is not a "church" in the sense they might be familiar with.
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Ed Davey @eddavey.libdems.org.uk · 13/02/2026
This ruling shows that proscribing Palestine Action was a grave misuse of terrorism laws. Labour must accept its mistake, drop its appeal and stop wasting taxpayers' money suppressing civil liberties. Degrading counter-terror powers is a genuine threat to national security.
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Catherine Phillips @kittypetersburg.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
First Past the Post can no longer deliver real mandates - only chaos. 60% of Brits want it scrapped. Yet the Representation of the People Bill won’t even touch our voting system, which leaves millions unrepresented. Tell Keir Starmer to change this. actionnetwork.org/petitions/th...
actionnetwork.org
The Representation of the People Bill MUST scrap First Past the Post
First Past the Post can no longer deliver real mandates - only chaos. 60% of Brits want it scrapped. Yet the new Representation of the People Bill won’t even touch our rotten voting system, which lea...
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Lucy Ash @lucyaash.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
An alarming piece from @andreisoldatov.bsky.social and Irina Borogan on young enemies of the Russian state. From the age of 14 you can be held criminally responsible and jailed for 14 years. cepa.org/article/russ...
cepa.org
Russia: The Price of ‘Treason’
State security agencies are amplifying warnings to enemies of the state using compliant pro-Kremlin Russian journalists.
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Dr Duncan Robertson @duncanrobertson.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
(screams)
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Keep Our NHS Public @keepournhspublic.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Keep Our NHS campaigners are taking a stand against Palantir. Repost if you think they should have no place in our NHS. www.mylondon.news/news/east-lo...
mylondon.news
Data firm used by ICE and IDF 'should be rejected by London NHS trust'
Hackney campaigners are concerned NHS software built by controversial tech giant Palantir does not properly protect personal health records
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Catherine Phillips @kittypetersburg.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...
theguardian.com
From Dorset to the world: wave of donations helps to secure Cerne giant’s home
Support from more than 20 countries propels National Trust to its target to protect chalk figure and local wildlife
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
The corruption went into overdrive even before the inauguration. People saying that the American system of checks and balances is holding are detached from reality. When it comes to checking corruption, they don’t seem to exist. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
wsj.com
‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret Stake in Trump Company
$500 million investment for 49% of World Liberty came months before U.A.E. won access to tightly guarded American AI chips.
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Liberal Democrats @libdems.org.uk · 29/01/2026
Nigel Farage wants every police officer in the UK to carry a gun. Don't let him turn Britain into his version of Trump's America.
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Larry the Cat @number10cat.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Let's hope this positive news gets as much attention as the people who try to convince us that the UK is a murder ravaged hellscape. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Homicides at lowest level in nearly 50 years, ONS statistics show
The 499 homicide cases in the year to September were the lowest in England and Wales since 1977.
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Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
We urgently need a parliamentary debate on Palantir. Please sign this & share with your network. Via @the-citizens.bsky.social & @change.org. www.change.org/p/hold-a-par...
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Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
ICE agent tells a protestor, "If you raise your voice" "I'll erase your voice"
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Lucy Ash @lucyaash.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
libertasfidei.org/ru/oskorbite... My interview for the Kyiv based think tank Libertas Fidei which analyses the weaponisation of religion. Ukrainian version coming soon!
libertasfidei.org
«Токсичная взаимозависимость Кремля и Русской православной церкви отравляет российское общество», — журналистка Люси Эш
Люси Эш — британская журналистка, проработавшая на BBC четверть века....
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 27/01/2026
Breaking news: Composer Philip Glass withdrew his highly anticipated Symphony No. 15 from its scheduled Kennedy Center performance, saying “the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message of the Symphony.”
wapo.st
Philip Glass pulls world premiere from Kennedy Center
The pioneering composer announced that “the values of the Kennedy Center today are in direct conflict with the message” of his Symphony No. 15: “Lincoln.”
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elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
The UK version of “Project 2025” by the Reform party includes a British ICE, a concentration camp for 24,000 people, mass surveillance and withdrawing from refugee, anti-torture and anti-trafficking conventions. It’s on their website. That’s how comfortable fascists are in the UK today.
The Legislation
Upon winning a general election, a Reform government under Prime Minister Nigel Farage will:
1) Leave the ECHR
2.) Repeal the Human Rights Act and replace it with a British Bill of Rights.
3.) Pass The Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill:
This Bill will:
Create a legal duty to remove illegal migrants for the Home Secretary
The Bill opens with a blunt obligation for the Home Secretary: "The Secretary of State shall ensure the removal from the United Kingdom of each person who does not have extant leave to remain and is not an Irish citizen or otherwise protected by regulations made under this Act."
The following parts of the legislation are introduced on an emergency basis, with an in-built sunset clause after 5 years:
Disapply the 1951 Refugee Convention, the UN Convention Against Torture, the Council of Europe Anti-Trafficking Convention (ECAT)
Derogation is justified under the Vienna Convention doctrine of state of necessity: Britain faces a national emergency in which uncontrolled illegal migration undermines public order.
These treaties will otherwise be used by activist judges to frustrate deportations, even after the repeals of the HRA and ECHR.
Create Detention Power Without Hardial Singh Constraints
This means illegal migrants can be detained until they are deported. Activist lawyers routinely use Hardial Singh to secure their client's bail, after which the client absconds.
If you came to the UK illegally, you are ineligible for asylum. End of story
All asylum claims will become inadmissible if made by a person within the Act's scope. If you came to the country illegally, you are ineligible for asylum in the UK. This strips the Home Office, the immigration tribunals and the higher courts of jurisdiction to even consider claims. A claim that cannot be considered cannot suspend removal and therefore, cannot delay a flight.
Re-entering after deportation and destroying ID becomes a serious criminal offence
Re-entry after deportation will be…The Operational Plan
We will create an enforcement unit called UK Deportation Command, including an Illegal Migrant Identification Centre - harnessing cutting edge data fusion
A Reform government will create a cutting edge enforcement data centre to relentlessly identify and detain all illegal migrants in the UK. Using powers granted by the new legislation, it will automatically share data between the Home Office, NHS, HMRC, DVLA, banks and the police. It will power bulk warrants, including mandatory biometric capture during any police encounter. Each power addresses a failure mode observed over the past decade - for example, banks and GP surgeries unaware of a customer's status, or overstayers slipping through because a warrant covered only a single property.
Secure Immigration Removal Centres (SIRC) will be built rapidly to detain up to 24,000
Detention capacity for up to 24,000 will be created within 18 months. The Home Office will build Secure Immigration Removal Centres. This will be modular accommodation built in remote parts of the country. Conditions are basic but not punitive: prefabricated two-person rooms, canteen catering, on-site medical suites. Robust perimeters and internal movement controls prevent escapes.
This enables detention-on-arrest: no more bail. This capacity would allow for up to 24,000 illegal migrants to be deported per month.
Initial Voluntary Return Window
A six-month Assisted Voluntary Return window precedes large-scale raids. Illegal migrants will be offered a financial incentive to self-deport. An app will be launched to facilitate this.
The Deportation Flights
The Home Office will scale up charters to 5 flights per day. To guard against last-minute aircraft unserviceability, the RAF will keep one Voyager aircraft on six-hour 'hot-spare' readiness. If a commercial charter breaks down, detainees can still be flown out that night, preserving operational integrity. The legal reset will mean activist lawyers will no longer be able preven…
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Dr Duncan Robertson @duncanrobertson.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
The BBC News summary of Minnesota is *worse* than both-siding. It says there are 'conflicting accounts'. But only states *one* of them - that ICE agents fired 'defensive shots'. Nothing about the *other* account - that ICE agents murdered him.
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Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Please share. 💔
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Abolish ICE, abolish DHS, redistribute the other agencies, prosecute actual criminals, such as people who commit execution-style murders of Americans in broad daylight.
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Liam Thorp @liamthorp.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Worth remembering when looking at the horrific scenes in the US right now that both Reform and the Tories have pledged to bring in ICE-style organisations to the UK if they win power
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Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
NEW: this is how the US press would report on this if it was happening in a ‘shithole country’. It’s an execution. But it also reveals how weak Trump really is open.substack.com/pub/broligar...
open.substack.com
Death Squads Execute Second Dissident
Or what the US press would say if this was happening on the streets of a "shithole" country overseas
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
If you don't admit that the Trumpian Board of Peace is likely a vehicle to corruptly funnel funds between dictators, authoritarians and their wannabes, you are wilfully refusing to understand the era we are living through. Its all about who controls the money and where it goes.
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