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Debra Cox

@mantascox.bsky.social
426 followers 517 following 1.1K posts

Difficult childhood, easier adult life, grateful, hopeful, never take anything for granted!

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Debra Cox @mantascox.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
@mickpuck.bsky.social Saw the show at the O2 last night, thank you so much, it was brilliant!! Think I saw Hank as we left 😁😉
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Everyone on X and elsewhere who called for a violent response should be charged with incitement. Everyone involved in the pogrom should be locked up with exemplary sentences. Govt should make it clear that will be the response in future anywhere else. Enough.
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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
They are all very deliberately ignoring the express wishes of Henry Nowak's family; the judge's sentencing report & the obvious, albeit brief, consequences of a crime being reported exclusively by a lying associate of the perpetrator. It may feel futile but this has to be repeated again & again.
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Debra Cox @mantascox.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
@mrjamesob.bsky.social guess Wes was only half listening this morning, James!
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Magsmanston @magsmanston.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
I naively thought a good chunk of the population basically being put on "benefits" during COVID would have sharpened people's minds on the importance of a welfare safety net. Seemingly not.
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Simon Marks @simonmarksfsn.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Here’s an idea for Labour: take a vow to come off Elon Musk’s cesspool, rather than give it the imprimatur of respectability by playing out the Party’s internecine drama on it. Something we could all get behind.
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Debra Cox @mantascox.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
@mrjamesob.bsky.social Sky news this morning, poll shows about 50% of people think lifting the 2 child benefit cap is a bad idea. How the hell is this even a question? Who are these people that think reducing poverty is a sign of a “too generous” society? Every day is more depressing than the last.
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Gemma Matthews - The Sewing Songbird @thesewingsongbird.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
It’s just over a year ago since I created my embroidery Emma, inspired by the Jane Austen novel. So come with me and take a look back… 😉🪡🌿🌺📚 *completely freehand stitched without patterns, paint or sketch, everything you see is thread. #stitchedart #thesewingsongbird
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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
I realize posting this here is preaching to the choir. But after the Grok White Genocide thing & Ye essentially launching an exclusive Neo Nazi single on the platform... I felt motivated to write about X and how bizarre it is that so many people (news outlets, celebrities, politicians) use it
theatlantic.com
What Are People Still Doing on X?
Imagine if your favorite neighborhood bar turned into a Nazi hangout
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Jo Michell @jomichell.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
Succinct summary.
About 4.8mn children are forecast to be in poverty in 2029-30 with the two-child limit in place, including half of children in large families, according to the Resolution Foundation.

Meanwhile, Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's chief of staff, is understood to be wary about ceding too much ground on welfare in efforts to appease Labour MPs. A YouGov poll last year found that
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Karl McDonald @karlusss.bsky.social · 23/05/2025
Wrote for Vittles about Irish cuisine in London - our ambivalent relationship to our own food, the Yellow Bittern, the Devonshire, posh chicken fillet rolls, deep-fried rabbit, the Blaskets diet and being a country of Europe instead of Britain's mirror. www.vittlesmagazine.com/p/trial-and-...
vittlesmagazine.com
Trial and Éire
On the new Irish cuisine in London. By Karl McDonald. Photography by Michaël Protin.
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Nathan Young DLY @nydeafswimmer.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
DAY 1431 #MyChallenge to the Govt @DCMS @Lisanandy @TNLUK #RoadToDeaflympics has been long. It’s not my deafness that’s to blame for this. It’s a policy. It’s that simple. A policy that hides the existence of every child born deaf, a young adult learning their way, an adult becoming isolated.
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Prof Damien Page @profdamienpage.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
I miss the days when there was understanding of the incredible benefits of properly supporting children and families. www.theguardian.com/education/20...
theguardian.com
Sure Start centres saved UK government £2 for every £1 spent, study finds
New Labour initiative created ‘remarkably long-lasting’ health and education improvements, says report
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 15/05/2025
You have to get a very long way through this Sun story labelling the Foreign Secretary "LAMMY DODGER" and a "THUG" before they report his fare was actually paid in full, and the taxi driver concerned admitted trying to scam him out of an extra £600 before being arrested and charged with theft
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
The government's new rules making migrants wait 10 years instead of 5 to qualify for permanent settlement in the UK are set to apply to people ALREADY in the country, subject to consultation www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Migrants already in UK face longer wait for permanent settlement
People will typically have to live in the UK for 10 years before applying for the right to stay indefinitely.
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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
And it’s absolutely vile & hugely offensive
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
Shameful bullish. What's done incalculable damage is a decade of pernicious falsehoods about immigration, while people who should know better refuse to counter the lies of the increasingly normalised far right. Let's tackle those lies:
Keir Starmer claims soaring immigration has done incalculable damage to UK economically and politically
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TheBossRoss 🧶 @thebossross.bsky.social · 11/05/2025
The Home Secretary might want to look at Spain which, against the prevailing populist trend, encourages & welcomes migration & legalises undocumented migrants. In 2024, it generated 40% Eurozone growth as a result. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Why is Spain’s economy booming? Thanks to migration – which proves xenophobia doesn’t pay | María Ramírez
With Spanish GDP growth leading Europe last year, diversity is making us richer – not only financially but culturally, too, says journalist María Ramírez
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Alasdair Mackenzie @alasdairmackenzie.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
In my experience most refugees are desperate to learn English and if they don’t, the reason usually isn’t that they somehow lack motivation to integrate but that funding for English classes has been slashed over the course of many years
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Downing Street sources playing down what to expect from the supposed "full and comprehensive" trade deal with the UK announced by Trump. Deal not yet agreed. This is just the general terms of an agreement which will need significant further negotiation before it can be ratified.
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Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
LibDem MP Max Wilkinson makes an important Point of Order, "A Reform UK social media account digitally manipulated those comments to give the appearance that I had described Nigel Farage using a four letter expletive" "This is misinformation, it is fake news, this is Trumpian tactics"
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 07/05/2025
The Conservatives' "two-tier tax" claim over the UK-India trade deal is nonsensical. We already have such deals with numerous countries. It's only for some short-term workers. It means companies aren't paying into 2 parallel social security schemes at the same time. And the deal's reciprocal.
Reciprocal agreements list
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Hugely misleading headline in the Daily Mail. This only applies to Indian workers who are seconded to the UK from a company based in India on a short term basis. India nationals applying for jobs based in the UK will not benefit from this convention and it does not disadvantage UK workers
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
UK Labour govt says it will not reverse cuts to winter fuel payments. Hopes dashed. Marching headlong off the electoral cliff is not a smart strategy. Labour needs to lift up the bottom 50%, that will stimulate the economy, make less demands on welfare and public services.
bbc.co.uk
No 10 resists Labour calls for winter fuel rethink
Calls to abandon cuts to the pensions top-up have grown in the wake of local election losses last week.
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Tom Scott @tom--scott.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
The Greens now have nearly 200 more councillors than Reform. This is not something you'd be likely to guess from all the copiously salivating media coverage of Farage & his crew of billionaire-backed far-right chancers.
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Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 03/05/2025
Dear Labour, Please stop dicking around. Do a bit of constructive taxation, fund some hospitals and invest in the future. You were elected to be Labour. Resurrect SureStart. Quit using gas to set the energy price. Fund some hospitals… Be Labour. Yrs Everyone
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Molly Scott Cato @greenpartymolly.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
It's obvious that taking over major services and large budgets with no experience, Reform councillors will fail But I take no comfort from that It will result in further loss of faith in democracy Which is Farage's real objective
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Ian Fraser @ianafraser.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
Sheila Hancock articulates here why I can never support politicians the likes of Farage, Johnson, Trump. It’s a betrayal of those who put their lives on the line to face down authoritarianism and fascism. Zero solutions to complex problems. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
My VE Day was nothing like our image of it today. I hope we can honour what it really meant | Sheila Hancock
Our street party tea was a muted celebration, full of uncertainty. Then, as now, we faced a long struggle towards a better world, says actor and writer Sheila Hancock
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
LIBERTY DEFEATS GOVERNMENT APPEAL AS COURT RULES ANTI-PROTEST LAWS ARE UNLAWFUL This should be on every UK News channel www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/issue/libert...
libertyhumanrights.org.uk
Liberty defeats Government appeal as Court rules anti-protest laws are unlawful - Liberty
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Lewis Goodall @lewisgoodall.com · 02/05/2025
Gaza community kitchens say food is running out after two months of Israeli blockade. “We used to receive more than 100 trucks every week - trucks of food parcels and hygiene kits. Now we don't have anything.” UN warns of starvation if blockade holds. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Gaza kitchens warn food running out after two-months Israeli blockade
Many Palestinians depend on community kitchens, but one says they have only two weeks of supplies left.
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Rebekah Jones @georebekah.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
There is NO "aborted fetal debris" in vaccines. They're resurrecting one of the most innacurate and outdated lies to trigger people not only into not trusting vaccines, but to make them angry at those who produce them. The cells used to produce a select number of vaccines are grown in a lab.
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David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Two posts to summarise the UK political moment from @stephenkb.bsky.social
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Simon Scarrow @simon-scarrow.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
So the BBC's ceaseless promotion of Farage and Reform is finally paying dividends for the far right.
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Liam Thorp @liamthorp.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Hi Labour, rather than learning all the wrong lessons from this election defeat - what about taking some people out of poverty and improving some lives?
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Mandoline Blue 🕸️ @mandolineblue.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Farage's Brexit was a hideous failure that cost Britain dear. Farage is now crushing it in the local elections. It's truly frightening how effective 'Big Lies' and emotional rhetoric are, and how weaponising the pain of immigrants & so called 'minorities' seems to be an easy path to power.
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Labour needs several million buckets of ice-cold water poured over their head and the nation's church bells ringing in unison as a very loud wake-up call. Hopefully, this is it. People voted for hope and change and vision not Reform lite and the same old Tory shite.
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John Harris @johnharris1969.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
New piece from me: Why the new political right is bad news for autism - RFK, Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch offer daily blasts of nonsense that amount to a cruel insistence: that neurodiversity must be denied, decried and put back in its box maybeimamazed.substack.com/p/why-the-ne...
maybeimamazed.substack.com
Why the new political right is bad news for autism
RFK, Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch offer daily blasts of nonsense that amount to a cruel insistence: that neurodiversity must be denied, decried and put back in its box
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European Movement West London #FBPE #FBPR #RejoinEU @em-westlondon.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
“Spreading misinformation only perpetuates stigma and makes life harder. We’re calling on all politicians to drop the political point scoring and stand up for their autistic and other disabled constituents.” www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
independent.co.uk
Farage sparks furious backlash over children’s mental health jibe
The Reform UK leader claimed GPs are over diagnosing adults with mental health problems and children with special educational needs
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John Harris @johnharris1969.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Farage talking arrant and nasty shit here. You can't get an autism/SEND diagnosis from a GP. People are having to wait years for one. This is just Trump/Kennedy stuff, with a flavour of Badenoch & the right wing UK media
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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Farage thinks this because "it never used to 'appen in the GOOD OWD DAYS". A lot/all of Farage's politics amount to GoodOldDaysism.
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Graham Simpson @grahambs.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
NHS cancer patients denied life-saving drugs due to Brexit costs - Another terrible Brexit cost… www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
theguardian.com
NHS cancer patients denied life-saving drugs due to Brexit costs, report finds
Exclusive: Britons found to have ‘lost out’ while rest of Europe benefits from golden age of research and treatments
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
It's a straightforward relationship: high #inequality leads to the triumph of the far right. It will keep winning until governments deliberately seek to make societies more equal. I'm looking at you, Keir Starmer. This week's column. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Rightwing populists will keep winning until we grasp this truth about human nature | George Monbiot
Economic inequality breeds resentment and a desire to get even. That’s what fuels support for even incompetent regimes, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
Perioidic reminder that the reason you didn't see autistic people with intellectual disabilities on the street five decades ago was not because they didn't exist. It's because they were sent away to institutions and their parents were told to put away pictures of them.
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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
why is *every* newspaper/programme running with the headline "tariffs are paused" when they haven't been. What's happened is that every country (except China) gets a flat rate of 10% for 90 days.
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Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
BBC News, "Some people are comparing Trump's tariffs to Brexit" Mark Field, "With Brexit there was a bigger lead time, but this is very similar. The level of uncertainty, the lack of consistency is really apparent" Trump's tariffs = 0.3% hit to GDP Brexit = 5% hit to GDP Brexit is much much worse
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Would very much like “heading off the threat of Reform/Farage” to STOP being the way government decides on policy. It’s done nothing but profound harm since 2016 and Farage is still going strong. It doesn’t work for anyone, except him. on.ft.com/42eewsY
Sir Keir Starmer is set to publish a white paper next month setting out the government's plans to cut net migration to Britain, with changes to the graduate visa route billed as an important part.
The move is part of his effort to head off the challenge to Labour from the rightwing Reform UK party.
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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
By ‘noteworthy’, you mean, of course, ‘disgraceful’.
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