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Melanie Croucher

@melcro.bsky.social
635 followers 503 following 577 posts

Southend United fan and veggie.

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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 15h
Homeless Action Resource Project - Southend is registered on #easyfundraising which means you can raise free funds for them as you shop online this autumn, at no extra cost! Plus, sign up this week and they could win one of ten £100 donations: join.easyfundraising.org.uk/harp/2MO4QE/...
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 21h
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
theatlantic.com
I Quit OpenAI Because Its Culture Is Broken
The industry’s approach to safety will guarantee more failures unless something changes.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
As long as the Tories are threatening to leave the ECHR, they aren’t a serious party. Consider it the ultimate red flag. Any party who’d take this entirely unnecessary and ruinous risk with our rights and our country’s security and wellbeing should never get its hands on power. (Letter, Times)
Value of the
ECHR
Sir, In dangerous times, serious countries do not retreat into splendid isolation. They build alliances, multiply their influence and strengthen institutions. Key among those is the 46-member Council of Europe, at its heart the European Convention on Human Rights.As former independent reviewers of terrorism legislation we have seen at close quarters that the ECHR is not just a human rights instrument. It is a national security asset. Terrorist networks, hostile states, organised crime gangs and people smugglers do not respect borders. Tackling them requires arrangements for the closest possible co-operation with our neighbours, including through joint investigations and police access to European passenger, fingerprint, DNA and vehicle data.These arrangements expressly depend on internationally agreed human rights standards, applied by a supranational court. We detect no political willingness to excuse the UK from compliance with standards to which the rest of Europe already subscribes. As authoritarian powers grow more aggressive and democratic institutions face mounting pressure, Britain should not be abandoning one of its greatest postwar achievements.
The question is not whether we can afford to remain within the ECHR. It is whether, in an increasingly perilous world, we can afford not to.
Lord Carlile of Berriew, Lord Anderson of Ipswich, Sir Max Hill
Independent reviewers of terrorism legislation, 2001-18
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Homeless Action Resource Project - Southend had 10 donations in the last 30 days, thanks to supporters using #easyfundraising when making online purchases! Sign up by midnight on 4 October and they’ll be entered into a giveaway to win a £250 donation: join.easyfundraising.org.uk/harp/2MO4QE/...
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
So, Tories would cancel Erasmus and youth mobility, scrap the SPS deal that reduces red tape, lowers costs and eases backlogs for goods trade and renege on our new energy, defence and security arrangements… Ridiculous threat, ridiculous party, ridiculous people…
Tories would reverse steps to undo Brexit
Alex Burghart, the deputy leader, also says his party is wedded' to triple lock and electoral reform is doomed
Ben Riley-Smith - Political Editor

Photo of Burghart, arms folded, looking absurdly self important
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mimij9.bsky.social @mimij9.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Richard Tice is trying to use Anne Widdecombe's death to stop legitimate scrutiny of Nigel Farage's £5m donation. Surprise!
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
bayoalaba.substack.com/p/arnhem-82-...
bayoalaba.substack.com
Arnhem 82 Years On: We Will Remember Them
By Bayo Alaba MP
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Parody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
"Dear Diary, There were six by-elections in England and Scotland this week and Reform lost all of them. Two of them were seats we previously held. The problem with running councils is that people can see how useless we are."
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Stop Funding Hate @stopfundinghate.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Today's GB News TV advertisers include *WeFixLondon *Tufferman *Simplicitycremations *Boxt *Whitescarcave *SimplyFactoring *RangefordLiving *AllClearTravel *WinSmart *BrundallAuto *WNLPrinting *EveysPreloved *WhatStores *MustHaveIdeas *Sonorizon *GoldReserves *TrailFinders *Elmhurst *SolomonGlobal
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Peter Jukes @peterjukes.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Since Suella Braverman is trying to exclude many of us from England, here’s my family story from seven years ago to push back against this ethnonationalism This is My England, and Yours: Reclaiming Englishness bylinetimes.com/2019/12/18/t...
bylinetimes.com
This is My England, and Yours: Reclaiming Englishness
Now that English Nationalism has been unleashed, Peter Jukes argues that we must all try to restore England's buried civic tolerance and historic diversity.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
CEO-to-worker pay ratio in 1965: 20-1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio in 1990: 75-1 CEO-to-worker pay ratio today: 325-to-1 Trickle-down economics was always a sham. Nothing has ever trickled down.
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Harry Eccles @harryeccles.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Hey friends, I’m trying to grow my substack! Please subscribe for free to receive regular articles from me! It really helps and I appreciate it! Please share 🙏 Thanks friends! open.substack.com/pub/harryecc...
open.substack.com
Harry Eccles | Substack
Nurse. socialist. Trade Unionists. Writer and content Creator. Personal Perspectives, all thoughts my own. Click to read Harry Eccles, a Substack with hundreds of subscribers.
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Femi @femi-oluwole.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Only white people can be English - Suella Braverman Every single black and brown person in the UK will be in danger if Reform UK ever wins an election.
youtube.com
Suella Braverman accidentally exposes Reform UK racism - BBC Question Time
YouTube video by Femi - F Politics!
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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I strongly believe schools should bring children together rather than try to impose one religious identity on them. If you agree - please add your name and call on the Education Secretary to introduce inclusive assemblies for all, and to keep dangerous Christian Nationalism OUT of our schools.
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
subscribe.bylinetimes.com/lightuptheda...
subscribe.bylinetimes.com
#LightUpTheDark – Byline Times
Dark Enlightenment: The US Far-Right War on British Institutions Help Byline Times Fund aN URGENT New INVESTIGATIVE SERIES #LightUpTheDark What is the Dark Enlightenment? The extraordinary anti-DEI me...
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
‘If you’ve got £1 million or £2 million to spend on political advertising, forget it,…. If you’ve got £8 million, you can make people believe anything you want.’ I wrote about Britain’s broken political finance system for the latest @lrb.co.uk
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
We need more men calling out misogyny, willing to stand with women, and take action. goodlawproject.org/s/748822
goodlawproject.org
It’s time for men to speak up - and act | Good Law Project
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Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 30/09/2026
NEW ANALYSIS: Record wind and solar save UK from gas imports worth £5.9bn during Hormuz crisis 🌤️ wind/solar generation up 14% in 2026 to date 🏭 gas down ~10% 🚢 >100 LNG cargoes avoided
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Resolution Foundation @resolutionfoundation.org · 30/09/2026
📢 The PM'S promise to amend the triple lock next parliament is good news for the public finances, and for the vulnerable pensioners who lose far more from a broken care system than they gain from a random ratchet on their pension ⤵️
Ruth Curtice, Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, said: 
“The triple lock is a terribly designed policy that has cost far more than originally anticipated and yet failed to reduce pensioner poverty.  The Prime Minister has been under pressure to show that he can take tough decisions on public spending – and scrapping the triple lock is a good way to demonstrate that.
“Recycling the savings from scrapping the triple lock into social care will especially help vulnerable pensioners who stand to lose far from a broken care system than they gain from a random ratchet on how the State Pension is increased.”
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The Manchester City case shows us how the global mega-rich now expect to operate with impunity | Jonathan Liew
When transnational alliances have scarcely been weaker, the way the club was allegedly run offers a bleak vision of a world driven by brute power and wealth, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Liew
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Dale Vince @dalevince.com · 29/09/2026
We have an enormous opportunity, not just to make things right in our country but to usher in a new era, a new orthodoxy. Here’s why and how. We present 4 major policies here that Andy Burnham’s new government could pursue. All of them deliver growth and greater fairness. All of them put people 1st.
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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Reform want to indoctrinate our children. Freedom of (and from) belief is a human right. humanists.uk/2026/09/10/s...
humanists.uk
Reform UK Braverman promises 'consequences' if pupils don't sing hymns
Reform UK has said schools will face ‘consequences’ if they fail to make pupils regularly sing hymns and the national anthem under a Reform government. The party’s education spokesperson, Suella Brave...
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Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Luxury retailers want taxpayers to fund a 20% tax break for foreign tourists. They paid consultancy Cebr to claim this will raise £2.6bn for the UK. That convinced Sadiq Khan and Kemi Badenoch. But it's false: a free lunch. Four basic errors mask a £600m loss. Thread:
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
www.covidfamiliesforjustice.org/tracker-home...
covidfamiliesforjustice.org
Inquiry Recommendations Tracker — Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Please sign up to support Homeless Action Resource Project - Southend for free on #easyfundraising today! Once you’ve signed up you can raise free donations when you shop online Plus, sign up before midnight 27th September and they could win £250: join.easyfundraising.org.uk/harp/2MO4QE/...
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
I have seen with pride how British overseas aid saves children’s lives. That is why I say cuts should be reversed | David Harewood
I understand the pressure on the public purse, but I have also seen the effect of our spending on the ground, says actor and Unicef UK ambassador David Harewood
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Pope Innocent III,who died in 1216, spoke of a certain kind of older man, who is "easily provoked", "will believe anything and question nothing", is "stingy and greedy" and "praises the good old days and hates the present." Reform UK's voter base has been knocking around for a very long time.
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
www.thenerve.news/p/stewart-le...
thenerve.news
Stewart Lee: Why don’t we stage public drownings of migrants, to address people’s legitimate concerns?
The collapse of compassion in post-Brexit Britain suggests it’s now time for Roman-style lethal spectacles.  The alternative – stopping malign global influences from destabilising our society, say – s...
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Something very strange and disturbing is happening in this country, of which Braverman is just the most pitiful example. iandunt.substack.com/p/the-return...
iandunt.substack.com
The return of race politics
Ethnic minority politicians on the right are engaged in depraved acts of self-hatred, in order to capture a movement which will never accept them
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Ash Oro @ashoro.co.uk · 25/09/2026
Why have we reached a stage where people call in to @natashadevon.bsky.social and say they want people to drown? Well headlines like this don’t help. Let’s forget that numbers are way down on years previous and just keep stoking fear and division. This is why the RNLI is under attack.
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...
mirror.co.uk
'Andy Burnham's GCSE shake-up will finally weed out the rot of Tory elitism'
For years working class students have been punished and mocked by a system set up to fail them. After benefitting from vocational school subjects herself, Ellie Fry writes that Andy Burnham's radical ...
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Win donations for Homeless Action Resource Project - Southend with Lucky Dip Street! 👗🧡 Join #easyfundraising, click today’s fashion and beauty item, and see instantly if you've won. There are 1,000 chances to win every day. Sign up free today: join.easyfundraising.org.uk/harp/2MO4QE/...
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Britain’s far-right violence comes to us direct from the 1970s. But so does the solution | Taj Ali
Young men punched in the street, mosques attacked: Britain badly needs an anti-racist uprising. Let 70s Asian youth movements provide the inspiration, says Taj Ali, author of Come What May, We’re Here...
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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Perfectly put. (The whole thread’s very good.)
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/law/ng-inter...
theguardian.com
From low-level drug dealer to human trafficker: are modern slavery laws catching the wrong people?
The long read: When I heard that a boy from my primary school had been convicted of trafficking, I had to find out what had happened to make him fall so far
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Did you know that all your online shopping can raise free donations for Homeless Action Resource Project - Southend? Please sign up today and they could win a £250 donation: join.easyfundraising.org.uk/harp/2MO4QE/...
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
www.comedy.co.uk/film/ghosts-... Cannot wait for this.
comedy.co.uk
Official trailer - Ghosts: The Possession Of Button House - British Comedy Guide
A Ghosts: The Possession Of Button House video. The official trailer for the big screen outing of the BBC sitcom. When a bunch of teenagers hold a séance in an abandoned Button House, things go badly ...
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Neoliberals want to end the triple-lock on state pension They inflict low wages, consign millions to poverty. Govt spending on state pension as % of GDP in G7 countries. Italy 12.8 France 12 Germany 9.8 Japan 8.9 USA 6.6 Canada 4.7 UK 4.7 UK has one of the least generous pensions in the G7.
adviserservices.fidelity.co.uk
How does the UK State Pension measure up globally?
A global comparison of State Pension provision highlights the onus on individuals in the UK to build pension savings for their retirement, rather than leaving
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Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Laura Kuenssberg asks if it bothers Labour's Bridget Phillipson that people who create jobs and pay a lot of tax, citing, Jim Ratcliffe, move abroad - except, that's not the full story. My View: Did you know companies owned by Jim Ratcliffe have received public support worth around £630 million?
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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
This is so true.
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Nick Harkaway @nickharkaway.com · 19/09/2026
I’ve worn a grubby RNLI cap for decades. I sound London, but I was born in Truro and I was a basically feral (Gen X) kid wandering the coast path with a dog until sunset for a lot of my early life. The lifeboats are in the fabric like trawlers and farms and pasties and fish and chips.
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Jay Hulme @jayhulmepoet.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Got incredibly bored and read up on the Falkland Islands and their entire history of settlement and like... What do you mean? We are? Actually in the right? On this one??? This is an unfamiliar feeling as an Englishman. I don't know what to do about it.
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LBC @lbc.co.uk · 19/09/2026
'Facism thrives when you let it.' Portsmouth RNLI temporarily suspended services after volunteers received abuse following an anti-migration protest. @mrjamesob.bsky.social says it's one of the most 'disgusting' stories he's heard throughout his career.
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
British journalism and polling are both utterly implicated in the Farage funding scandal iandunt.substack.com/p/british-jo...
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Melanie Croucher @melcro.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Win donations for Homeless Action Resource Project - Southend with Lucky Dip Street! 👗🧡 Join #easyfundraising, click today’s fashion and beauty item, and see instantly if you've won. There are 1,000 chances to win every day. Sign up free today: join.easyfundraising.org.uk/harp/2MO4QE/...
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
A short thread on “legitimate concerns”. The phrase is used repeatedly by UK government ministers. The Home Secretary is at it again this week. But only ever - as far as I can tell - in one context: people’s response to the arrival of asylum seekers. Please read whole 🧵before responding - thanks
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Patrick - Here for the craic❗️🤷🏼‍♂️😉 @paddyopatrick.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Rupert Lowe-Life is spitting teeth.. ohh he’s mad.. incandescent with rage about the state marking “its own homework” on Covid.. Fun fact — During Covid Lowe’s company took £100,000 in taxpayer funded furlough despite making a massive £7.9 million profit. He wasn’t so angry about that eh❗️
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Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I would love to ask a prominent BBC journalist to give me an example of an illegitimate concern. Is seems to me that it has become a question not of fact, logic, or ethics but of volume. If a big enough proportion of a village was anxious about Bigfoot or Chemtrails, BBC would cover it in a way...
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Parody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Steve Reed on 25 March explaining that the £100k cap on donations "will therefore apply retrospectively, so it includes all donations from overseas electors received from today". Yes, but how are people who never bother going to Parliament supposed to know that?
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