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Paul Pudney

@ppudney.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1K following 1.6K posts

Scientist, spectroscopist, Iron, still a socialist, ex runners, dad, Hon Prof Liverpool Uni Chemistry.

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Reposted by Paul Pudney
Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 5h
Kemi Badenoch condemned Reform's ban on critical journalists covering their conference as "authoritarian", saying her own party would never do the same as "we believe in free speech. We believe in a free press." Now the Conservatives have banned Byline Times from their conference
bylinetimes.com
Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives Ban Byline Times From Conference After Condemning Reform for Journalist Ban
The ban comes just weeks after the Conservative leader called Reform's barring of critical journalists from their conference an "authoritarian" attack on the free press
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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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Leonardo Carella @leonardocarella.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
More generally, in Western Europe we’ve collectively decided that if we ignore Russian hybrid influence operations hard enough, Putin is just going to get bored and move on.
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It will never not be wild to me that the Russians attacked Keir Starmer's home, successfully spread falsehoods about Starmer's love life, and this didn't changed British politics and British political elite behaviour *at all*.
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Philip Ball @philipcball.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I can find no paper/preprint/scientific documentation of any kind. Without that, this claim is worthless.
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Tom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Wait no, hang on, I was informed that masked men in balaclavas are peaceful protesters? Why is this woman judging their legitimate concerns about immigration?
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Kirsti, an architect - directly affected - on her MP not appearing to understand that protecting [only] care workers would mean forcing out vets, architects, chefs and many others (but perhaps unwittingly for most MPs + ministers who have not spotted this) bsky.app/profile/heri...
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Tariq Panja @tariqpanja.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The club is effectively a proxy for United Arab Emirates, an ally of the United Kingdom, which has been found guilty (pending an appeal) of corrupting Britain’s biggest cultural force for so many years. Friends like these 😵‍💫
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Andrew Sissons @acjsissons.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Another piece on energy from me today (happy Friday, I guess!) This time it's a bit of a good news story: the latest on electricity prices decoupling from gas. Decoupling is still happening, and electricity bills would be higher if the UK didn't have so much clean power.
Chart shows the change in gas and electricity bills between April and October in 2022 and 2026 - during two energy crises.
In 2022, electricity prices rose almost as fast as gas prices (88% v 68%). In 2026, gas prices rose much faster (33% compared to 9%)
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John Stott @jpsastro.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Had a UKRI funded grant proposal rejected at the "AI triage stage". "This AI-based triage was used only to identify approximately 50% of the strongest proposals to take forward to full human review." 🧪 #academicsky
I am writing to let you know that, unfortunately, your application was not successful.

Review process

As part of the initial triage of the 179 proposals submitted to this call, each was assessed using an AI-based review. Every proposal was read independently by several different AI models against the same seven criteria used to shape this call (including cyber security relevance, research quality and novelty, importance of the problem addressed, feasibility of the project plan, likely outputs and impact, value for money, and responsible research practice), with each model asked to give a score and a written justification with supporting quotations from the text. To guard against any one model's idiosyncrasies, we also ran a second, independent process in which different AI models debated the merits and weaknesses of each proposal before reaching a judgement, again against the same criteria. Scores from both processes were combined to produce an overall ranking. 

This AI-based triage was used only to identify approximately 50% of the strongest proposals to take forward to full human review.  Projects selected for funding were drawn from those that progressed to the full human review stage. We recognise that AI-assisted assessment is a new and evolving part of the review process, and we are continuing to evaluate how well it aligns with the judgements of human reviewers on this call. We will soon produce a document detailing our method, so that others can build upon it and improve it.

Feedback on your application

Your application was not selected to progress beyond the AI triage stage.  To provide transparency on the outcome of this assessment, we are sharing below the scores (out of 5) from each of the two AI review processes described above, together with the mean score across the two processes.
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SlenderSherbet @slendersherbet.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"I don't fucking think so"
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 24/09/2026
"The early days of Andy Burnham’s government have made Starmer’s look positively energetic: a PM who usually loves nothing more than being on camera has studiously avoided saying a word as he loses control of law and order in Britain, and his home secretary seems determined to appease the thugs."
thenewworld.co.uk
If Shabana Mahmood is tough, why is she so slow to crack down on Danny Tommo and the far right?
Weeks of what looks like blatant lawbreaking have finally resulted in an arrest. But the home secretary seems happy to look elsewhere
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Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
January 2025 🤷‍♀️
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Leo Hickman @leohickman.carbonbrief.org · 24/09/2026
Yes, you read that right. NINE times cheaper.
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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
‘This is playing into his hands’/‘this will allow him to play the martyr card’/‘this will help with his fundraising’ are all really bad takes. Criminals should be arrested and charged with crimes.
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Not a dicky bird about thugs trying to sink a dinghy with a rescue worker on board or their claims to be "forming an army". Two boats of people seeking safety land and bingo bango they're the ones portrayed as the issue. Labour is complict in the rise of the far right. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Home Secretary hits out at 'unacceptable' migrant landings in Kent
Usually brought ashore by Border Security Command or the RNLI, these are the first uncontrolled landings since 2025.
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Yes, there are technical, formal legal reasons why terrorism law is applied to protesters carrying placards, but not to political activists slashing boats. But stepping back, there is something wrong with a legal regime which criminalises one more than the other. A triumph of form over function.
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 23/09/2026
I think once black clad men are interfering with rescues at sea, we are past "legitimate concerns". Once they're attacking boats, and risking the lives of everyone on board, it's just thuggery. The Home Secretary's statement is on the side of criminals. There's no other way to read it.
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Tom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Not to harp on this, but one man has now coordinated the disruption of a port, two separate attacks on the RNLI, and interference with the border force and the police have no further questions? And the Home Secretary has not noticed?
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David Beech @davidbeech.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This is what happens though when the government doesn't show moral leadership. Presenters ask ridiculous questions like this. People in the pub chat about 'maybe it's the right thing to do' because there is zero counter narrative from the PM. And that's how this stuff feeds on itself and grows.
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Daniel McElroy @danielmcelroy0.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We’re just in a position where the far right are trying to murder people on the streets or at sea and the government have had almost nothing to say about it. It’s all on fucking video you can watch them do it!
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Why does the UK press continue to treat Trump like a normal politician when he is demonstrably wicked and insane inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...
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Rachel Cunliffe @rmcunliffe.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
So much wrong with this, but it's the "denies me my Asian heritage" that gets me the most. If she really feels that way, okay. Sad but okay. But it's an insult to all the people - like me! - who have no issue reconciling their immigrant heritage and English identity, and are equally proud of both
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Slow marching being an obvious threat to public safety meriting prosecution, unlike blocking ports and knifing boats with someone still on board /s
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Cllr Dr Alex Powell @apowelllaw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Oh, and also, Section 1 of the Terrorism Act defines Terrorism as an action which (amongst others) "involves serious damage to property" and/or "endangers a person's life" and the action is for the purpose of advancing a political cause. Ergo, this is terrorism by definition of UK law.
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Cllr Dr Alex Powell @apowelllaw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It is interesting to reflect that less than a week ago, Shabana Mahmood said he would face the full force of the law and yet here we see, once again, the Far-Right being enabled to act with absolute impunity in a manner that endangers both vulnerable people at sea and members of the RNLI.
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Chaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
who's up for robbing banks while shouting "stop the boats" so no-one arrests us?
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Just as well those committing wrongs against the RNLI are not holding placards supporting a proscribed organisation, else they would really be in trouble.
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Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I wouldn't consider myself a particular expert in national security, but it is absolutely obvious what the problem is and what needs to be done. The failure of the UK government to respond to disorder over a sustained period is egregious.
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Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
It is now more than two years that this became obvious - two years!! I do genuinely feel like I'm going mad seeing the level of complacency and inertia on this issue. The problem is so obvious and the solutions are not complicated. It just takes will...
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Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Oh look, what's this, the consequences of failing to respond firmly to masked mobs roaming the streets yesterday? Two years in and somehow the Labour government still just do not get it.
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Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Endangering another during a journey by sea; criminal damage; carrying an offensive weapon; possession of a bladed article; conduct endangering ships or individuals; unlawfully and intentionally destroying a ship breaching section 11 of the aviation and maritime security act;
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David Beech @davidbeech.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Genuinely cannot understood why any Prime Minister would stand by and allow scenes like this to unfold without unleashing the full force of the state on these people.
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Tom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The complete and total collapse of state function in the face of far right extremists. It is frankly ludicrous that Daniel Thomas continues to be at large given the series of crimes committed which he has literally filmed.
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David Beech @davidbeech.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Awful, horrific and I'm still confident if a video of that appeared on bbc news (child's face hidden) the vast, vast majority of people seeing it would be appalled.
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Why has this live-streaming serial criminal not been arrested?
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JWexTheSpa @jwsidders.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I want Douglas Carswell to tell to me to my face why my grandson is less English than his Dad or me. I don't think he'd dare. It's easy to be an edgy racist online.
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Samantha Asumadu @samanthaasumadu.substack.com · 22/09/2026
'New analysis on UK media: British media is not delivering the news to its readers. They are delivering an agenda. The seven days after Channel 4 filmed James Orr are a damning indictment of the British press. Orr is a Cambridge associate professor.' via @newscord.org
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thousands of university jobs lost too, and barely a peep either.
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Bridget Phillipson MP @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
We should be proud that being British is something that unites people regardless of their skin colour. If today’s parties of the right want a backward-facing, exclusionary patriotism – Labour will fight against them, and we’ll win.
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Endless Screaming @infinitescream.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH
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Mikey Smith @mikeysmith.com · 18/09/2026
Donald Trump announces 'ban on the free press' in furious White House meltdown www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news...
mirror.co.uk
Donald Trump announces 'ban on the free press' in furious White House meltdown
In a furious meltdown, the President said CNN, Politico and MS Now, the TV channel formerly known as MSNBC, because they don't report the news in a way that he likes
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Mr. Ron @mrrevron.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This is how stupid our moronic president sounds. What a total Idiot and disgrace.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It is not humiliating for him, since he has no sense of dignity, but it is humiliating for the rest of us that the president of the United States serves as a subordinate press officer of the Kremlin. (1/2)
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Paul Pudney @ppudney.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
@janabassjs.bsky.social
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 18/09/2026
It is incredibly important that political violence does not succeed. The far-right mob that shut down Portsmouth wanted this outcome. If the state wishes to avoid more of these actions, it needs to make sure this RNLI branch reopens *immediately*, or as close to that as humanly possible.
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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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Edward Luce @edwardluce.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"Out of spite for President Donald Trump, Carney is accelerating the decoupling of a trade bloc that has generated enormous prosperity for North America." Seriously, Wapo editorial - you're going with Canadian spite? www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
washingtonpost.com
Opinion | Canada’s great European misadventure
Donald Trump is for now. A Brussels bureaucrat is forever.
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