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nosemonkey.bsky.social

@nosemonkey.bsky.social
283 followers 365 following 681 posts

Used to be a European politics blogger. Occasionally considering a revival, but mostly focused on earning a living and walking the dog.

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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Fresh tech hell: Elderly people accidentally reviving a WhatsApp group for a friend's lockdown funeral from four and a half years ago, and then all asking the same questions about what's going on. Nothing's going on. She's still dead. Leave her family alone.
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Martin Calladine @uglygame.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Re-normalise mainstream politicians harshly condemning fascist public disorder without fear of losing voters to the far-right.
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BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
I'm sorry, but if you think Nathan Cofnas being suspended for being a racist is an 'academic freedom' issue you are the dumbest fucking mark alive.
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Haven't read anything by Will Self in years - this is a good reminder of how good he can be when he gets going, and why I always used to like him so much, decades ago. willself1.substack.com/p/2089334077...
willself1.substack.com
Jason Arday: J'Accuse the British Media
After the death of Jason Arday, Will Self asks what happens when the media machine mistakes what interests the public for the public interest.
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
I'm assuming the patriotic traditionalists are getting fully behind Sadiq Kahn's campaign to protect pub culture from attacks by a right-wing council, and will remember this the next time they think of accusing him of all kinds of Islamophobic nonsense? www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Council wants pubs in London’s Soho and West End to ban standing
Sadiq Khan criticises Westminster council’s ‘anti-growth policies’ after it recommends stopping ‘vertical drinking’
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Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
No mass deportations: 61.6% Mass deportations: 37.4%
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The Google News feed on my phone (that I can't turn off or customise without giving Google all my personal data) continues to serve up outright propaganda.
A screenshot showing a Russian Embassy post on Twitter / X with a headline quote from Putin
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
I'll claim credit for that. This is the first match I've watched in this World Cup, and I went for a wee just before the goal.
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Not being one for football, all this talk of Bellingham just got me thinking about gravy adverts. I then discovered Linda Bellingham died over a decade ago, and I missed it. And that it's spelled Lynda, despite what autocorrect insists.
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I once got stuck in a lift with Ann Widdecombe and Glenda Jackson, 20+ years ago. The small talk was extremely awkward, but not sufficient motive.
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Theresa May was so woke she sent out "go home" anti-immigration vans and created the hostile environment when she was at the Home Office, leading my wife and I to decide that if she ever became PM we should emigrate. (We should have followed our instincts.) Woke my arse. She was vile.
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Peter Whitewood @pwhitewood.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Discouraging an activity with a benefit-to-cost ratio of nearly 10:1. A triumph of policymaking.
timeshighereducation.com
Fall in international student numbers ‘cost UK £2.9 billion’
Latest cost-benefit analysis finds overseas enrolments generate nearly 10 times more money for UK than they take away
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Just a thought, but maybe - especially given you're meant to be a leftish paper opposed to everything he stands for - don't accept and amplify Farage's framing of his actions in their entirety?
A screenshot of the Guardian with the headline: "Farage says he is resigning but will stand in 'people v establishment byelection", followed by a sub: "Reform UK leader to stand again, saying people of Clacton 'should be the judges of my actions' and party will cover byelection cost", and a photo of Farage with a union flag in the background
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
I was going to do a thread on Farage, but sod it. He's "resigned" so many times now I've got bored of it.
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Zero interest in football, but there's a moderate chance I'm going to be watching rugby almost solidly until 10pm today. (Albeit I suspect everything will be a little disappointing after starting with New Zealand v France)
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Not a great economy alert! Wall Street Bets users think Palantir spiked today because The Onion story titled “Palantir Acquires Pentagon for $800 Billion” hit their front page. They’re guessing trading bots indexed the top post on the subreddit reddit not understanding source.
A chart showing an immediate spike after the headline hit the front page of Wall Street Bets.
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Alistair Coleman @alistaircoleman.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Well. www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2624087...
oxfordmail.co.uk
Raise the Colours Oxfordshire leader to stand trial over 'indecent child images'
A leading figure in the Oxfordshire's Raise the Colours movement is due to stand trial accused of making indecent child images.
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Dr Vanessa @hpsvanessa.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
*stares in British University*
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Natalie Sedacca @nataliesedacca.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee finds govt’s “earned” settlement proposals will will harm integration, make it impossible for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups to settle, cause child poverty, and increase labour exploitation of sponsored workers www.workrightscentre.org/publications...
workrightscentre.org
Lords Committee rejects government’s ‘earned’ settlement plans and finds retrospective changes ‘manifestly unfair’ | Work Rights Centre
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Wandering around central London in the heat makes me appreciate London more than ever. Plant more trees. The contrast between full sun and shade is *glorious*. Well done everyone involved in the street tree planting initiatives of 30-odd years ago.
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
If I were one of Labour's 400-odd MPs, I'd be pretty bloody pissed off at the idea that no one among the current cohort was even worth considering. Also doesn't say much positive about the future of the party, does it?
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
This week's @privateeyenews.bsky.social describes Shabana Mahmood as a "centrist favourite" a) Centrist? How? b) Favourite? Whose?
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Back in 2010, while still an active EU politics blogger, I was told by several UKIP supporters that I should have turned down a €5,000 journalism prize from the European Parliament as it made it look like I owed the EU a favour.
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
If only anyone had predicted that SpaceX stock was going to tank.
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
I like the way the generic rejoin option has higher percentage support than there is *in the UK*, by most polling. And yet some people still think we'll be rejoining sooner than - my most optimistic estimate - about 2046.
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Fascinating the extent to which people responsible for billions of pounds base their views on nothing but vibes.
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Anthony Zacharzewski @anthonyzach.be · 22/06/2026
How are things in Belfast? Are the people with Legitimate Concerns about paedophilia attacking unionist politicians’ homes in response to the Donaldson verdict? They aren’t? How strange. Their Concerns seemed so Legitimate when they were burning foreigners out of their homes a few weeks back.
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Emma Jacobs @emmavj.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Where are the save our girls crowd?
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The Onion @theonion.com · 22/06/2026
Keir Starmer Resigns Amid ‘Not Being Very Good Prime Minister’ Scandal
Keir Starmer Resigns Amid ‘Not Being Very Good Prime Minister’ Scandal
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
While I've found him disappointing, frustrating, short-sighted and often a bit pathetic, I don't get the *hatred* of Starmer. He's too bland to get passionate about. Continuity Sunak, with less of the arrogance. Burnham, though, I've long actively disliked and haven't seen much to change my mind.
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Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 22/06/2026
been furious with Starmer for long enough that this is genuinely coming as a surprise to me, but I'm feeling a bit.......sad this morning? not really about him per se but about the waste of time, I guess, and the end of yet another political failure when Britain really couldn't afford another one
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Have spent the afternoon under a tree reading about Heidegger, Gadamer, and Derrida - as you do. Adequate, and far preferable to football or politics. Where's the Bluesky postmodern hermeneutics starter packs?
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
I dunno, man - all I want is some genuinely good sci-fi movies I've not already seen. Is that so much to ask?
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But Andrew Hickey Died Ten Years Ago This Very Night @andrewhickey.500songs.com · 19/06/2026
For fuck's sake. That was the one thing I was actually looking forward to.
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flyingrodent @flyingrodent.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Darkly funny that this was ultimately pushed through to prop up and secure the Conservative Party most of the status quo, and to fend off the threat of a Labour government that might be politically disastrous and economically ruinous. Funny how things turn out, isn’t it.
YouGov @@YouGov.24m
X
10 years since the EU referendum, majorities in England, Scotland and Wales believe Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU
Scotland
Wrong: 75%
Right: 16%BBC News (UK) 7
@BBCNews
x.com
Brexit cost 6% of UK economy, Bank of England company data suggestsBrexit costing
Scotland
£30bn
annually
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Over 40% of the people of Makerfield voted for parties who want to deport my wife, so forgive me I'm not exactly seeing the positives here.
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Yes, but... The last time Labour won a massive majority they managed to screw it up so completely that today a Prime Minister who's so bland he makes John Major look like a charismatic titan is one of the most hated men in the country.
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Danielle Blake @abradacabla.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
If you were wondering just how much Dan Hannan’s brain and soul have rotted, he’s casually sharing naked racism from his Front National supporting pals without a care in the world now.
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nosemonkey.bsky.social @nosemonkey.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
This. Insisting on people using their own names may seem like a simple solution, but will actively discourage participation in public life.
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Dr Fern Riddell @drfernriddell.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
But that is exactly how the suffragettes operated. With a nationwide organisation of sleeper cells of arsonists and bombers. I’m gratefully people have reached out and referenced my work today. I remain (I believe) the only academic expert on the terrorism of the suffragettes. Links below:
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Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
I am going to continue to push back on "high skill migration" even if I am the last dead ender. The UK has a much more pressing shortage of low-skill labour than high-skill labour. We have people giving up jobs as magic circle lawyers to take care of their parents.
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flyingrodent @flyingrodent.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
When it was a “racism crisis” mostly composed of heavily interpreted tweets and Facebook likes - created offscreen by party insiders and newspaper journalists, working together - it was all screeching, finger-pointing and calls to destroy and eradicate and expel. Now it’s the real thing: Nothing.
Tom Usher
@tomusher.bsky.social
Probably too late to put "everything is the fault of black and brown people" back in the bottle but it is darkly funny to see the media realise that it's all getting a bit too real and wondering where it will end. Because we're likely going to be electing people that want to do these riots legally
09:20 • 11 Jun 2026 & Everybody can reply
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Tom Usher @tomusher.bsky.social • 8m
But its nice we get former Tory champions, promoters and even advisors going "no no no this isn't how you do things" when really what they mean is "the racial violence is too explicit it should be done in silence and behind closed doors"
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flyingrodent @flyingrodent.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Yes, we probably do deserve “Posh National Front MP in tears after verbal assault by thuggish Lib Dems, just because his party is deliberately inflaming hate that is now causing riots”. It is not IMO that much dumber or more insulting than any of the rest of the shenanigans.
Sun: PARLIAMENT BUST-UP Reform MP left 'shaken' and felt 'accosted & threatened' in furious clash with Lib Dem over Belfast riots
Sophia Sleigh, Whitehall Correspondent
Published: 13:13, 10 Jun 2026 | Updated: 16:05, 10 Jun 2026
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
If we get very assymetric "two tier" media coverage & political attention to a murder in Cambridge or an attempted murders in Belfast - depending on ethnicity of the perpetrator - then broadcasters will generate + reinforce skewed public perceptions. They do have a duty to try to check that.
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Jo Kibble (Political Animal) @politicanimal.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
I see that the Southampton rioters are once again proving to be the kind of decent, law-abiding, women-defending, pleasant stout yeomen of the shire we should be paying attention to.
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DC🕊🌍🔥🌱 @dcminx.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
🚨 A network of Russian far-right extremists – created under the umbrella of a sanctioned oligarch close to Putin, and now openly promoted by Tommy Robinson – has been driving ‘White Lives Matter’ propaganda over the murder Henry Nowak. @bylinetimes.bsky.social bylinetimes.com/2026/06/10/r...
bylinetimes.com
Revealed: The Russian Neo-Nazi Network Pushing ‘White Lives Matter’ Division in Britain – Promoted by Tommy Robinson
As riots spread across Belfast, Tommy Robinson promoted a movement founded by a sanctioned Russian oligarch, which has pushed white supremacist propaganda about the death of Henry Nowak
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Lucy Prebble @lucyprebblish.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
It’s so wild that we are dependent on the grieving families of recently dead and maimed people for leadership right now Jesus Christ
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Will Farage, Musk etc be condemning white people in general for the actions of this violent white person, and advocating rage or violence in response? Will the BBC be laundering their 'legitimate concerns' about those white folks?
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Ed Morrish @edmorrish.com · 10/06/2026
surely you can see how the anger needed to burn down homes must be understood and empathised with, but the anger needed to throw some paint at an aeroplane is criminally dangerous?
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