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Rafe Smyth

@rafe-s.bsky.social
420 followers 1K following 130 posts

Climate, infrastructure(s), nature, interdisciplinary, radical pragmatism, solutions Based in London, UK. Don't see DMs.

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Reposted by Rafe Smyth
Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 1h
Today we’re launching Opt Out October, our guide for opting out of certain features and finding alternatives to products made by big tech companies. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
eff.org
Happy Opt Out October! Let’s Find Real Alternatives to the Tech Giants
Over the years, the major tech companies have found all sorts of ways to embed themselves into our lives. We often use their software, their AI tools, their social media, and their operating systems
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
For a decade, planning policy in England defined cars as "sustainable" if they were low (exhaust) emission, ignoring their wider impacts on people, place-making and nature. A small change slipped out in the new #NPPF last month corrected that. Happy #WorldCarFreeDay!
Screenshot of definition of sustainable transport modes from December 2024 version of NPPF, with the words "ultra low and zero emission vehicles" highlighted.Screenshot of text from August 2025 NPPF showing cars are no longer explicitly defined as sustainable. Words shown are: "Sustainable transport modes: Any efficient, safe and accessible means of transport with overall low impact on the environment, including walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport." 
Source: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-frameworkPhotograph of new red brick semi-detached housing in Kent. The public realm is full of motor vehicles, with all the pavements blocked by parked cars and vans.
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Simon Oldridge @sioldridge.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It’s extraordinary that as we breach 1.5° - which only in 2018, the IPCC said wouldn’t be reached until 2040 - that the PM is still holding up net zero by 2050 as an adequate response!

 The threat level has changed dramatically since the UK adopted its NZ by 2050 aim. Just a few examples: 🧵
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Incredible reporting.
bloomberg.com
Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School
Pentagon investigators have discovered that flawed intelligence, outdated imagery and an overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab.
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Carlton Reid @carltonreid.com · 18/09/2026
In 2012, Addison Lee boss John Griffin was all over the news when he ranted that cyclists should “pay road tax.” Yesterday, HMRC won its case saying that, since 2013, the taxi man has been avoiding paying income tax. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Telegraph headline from 2012:

Cyclists should pay road tax, says taxi boss Careless cyclists are on a
'voyage into the abyss'
The head of London's largest minicab company says cyclists should think more about their own safety before "throwing themselves on to some of the most congested spaces in the world".Guardian headline today:

Addison Lee founder owes
£20.5m in tax after UK tribunal ruling
HMRC wins challenge over John Griffin's claim to be non-dom despite having lived in England since childhood. With pic of old man in office.
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Another Burnham decision that's aged badly quickly. Is his judgement turning out better than Starmer's on the big issues?
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
A serious democratic society simply cannot allow this. That's £72 million from just two men. (Both, until lately, based overseas). The average UK earner (full-time) would have to work for over 1,800 years to raise that much. It's a nuclear strike on any pretence at the equality of political power
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Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The failure to understand the limits of Russian military power before the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine was until that time the greatest failure in modern strategic analysis. The failure to understand the limits of US military power since February 2026 might be worse.
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
NEW Why holding a placard is a terrorist act, while causing disruption in a balaclava is not The mess caused by ministers and the police not taking terrorism law seriously By me at @prospectmagazine.co.uk www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/law/th...

Recent events in England now reveal the practical difference between terrorists and protesters. It would seem that terrorists peacefully hold placards and get immediately arrested, while protesters wear black uniforms and balaclavas and disrupt infrastructure and do not get arrested.

How did we get into this mess? How have we placed ourselves in the position where terrorism legislation is used to detain and prosecute peaceful protesters, while those adopting the terror tactics of private armies seem to be free to do as they wish?

The reason is that for some time British politicians have not taken terrorism legislation seriously, and that ministers have got into the habit of misusing terror laws for easy targets.
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 07/09/2026
If every statement about Extinction Rebellion had opened with "Climate change is the single biggest issue facing humanity, and we understand why people have legitimate concerns the world isn't doing enough to tackle it…" this approach might be *faintly* defensible. But they didn't, and it isn't.
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Government to ban legal challenges against large data centres www.gov.uk/government/p...
gov.uk
The Simplification and Agency of Government - Letter to all ministers
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Half-expecting government to announce VAT cut on balaclavas to help with cost of living.
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#CarbonReckoning (Andrew Boswell) @drandrewboswell.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
🧵1/ Very grateful to @graceblakeley.substack.com for this guest blog on how promoters of carbon capture and storage (CCS) are trying to give Andy #Burnham a deceptively neat-looking get-out-of-jail-free card to drill Rosebank and Jackdaw. This thread explains its flawed carbon accounting
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James McAsh @jamesmcash.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Our local MP, Miatta Fahnbulleh, faces a choice: protect the planet and the people of Peckham or prioritise the profits of polluters. Help her make the right one. Tell her: No New Oil & Gas. Sign the petition 📝 www.southwarkgreenparty.org.uk/nonewoilandgas
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
25% turnout for the Greater Manchester Mayoral Election. Nearly 3/4 of voters didn't show up for a contest, whose previous winner has just become prime minister. We shouldn't be blase about this: it raises big questions about the health of our democracy & the public appetite for the mayoral model.
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James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I get no one wants to be the boy who cried wolf, but at the end of the story there was a great big wolf. If the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut the crisis the IEA and others feared will eventually arrive, probably just as the northern hemisphere winter starts.
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Nicolas Hénin @nicolashenin.net · 20/07/2026
On X, freedom of expression is just like the definition of hate speech: it’s all relative.
Tweets by UK in Jerusalem @UKinJerusalem
X.com
1/4 Joint local statement of diplomatic missions BRIE
DIon the extensive use of administrative detention by Israeli authorities without formal charge. Over 9,000 Palestinians are detained in Israeli prisons, including thousands held without charge or trial.
8:00 a.m. • 19/07/2026 • 53K Views
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2/4 Human rights organisations describe prison conditions for Palestinians as severe and life-threatening, citing inadequate food, denial of medical care and systematic abuse. We are deeply concerned by recent reports regarding the deterioration of Dr. Abu Safiyah's health.
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3/4 Detainees have the right to be informed about the charges underlying any detention, must be granted access to legal assistance, and be subject to a fair trial.
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UK in Jerusalemba
@UKinJerusalem • 10h
4/4 We call on Israel to uphold its human rights obligations towards detainees under international law, including by granting the ICRC immediate access to all detention facilities. We welcome the recent Israeli Supreme Court ruling on ICRC access and urge its full implementation.
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X suspends accounts which violate the X Rules
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
"The risk is that Labour have picked a leader who communicates well, but whose instincts are wrong.... a Prime Minister who reaches for gasfields and dockyards every time he needs to frame his vision"
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
New drilling isn't just a catastrophic signal of us stepping back from our climate commitments, it also runs against the geological reality of an almost depleted resource. Our focus should be on cheap, clean fuel for the future - not propping up oil and gas. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
Burnham to Back North Sea Oil and Take Control of Thames Water
Within days of taking office incoming prime minister Andy Burnham is preparing to announce new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea as well as taking public control of Thames Water.
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
As we face unprecedented heatwave, construction sector pleads to "recommit to current infrastructure plans". Reminder: (1) Govt says it won't cut rail but will consult on cutting road schemes. (2) Transport emissions up over last two years, so radical change now urgent. ice.org.uk/news-views-i...
ice.org.uk
Industry Leaders Urge New UK PM To Stick To Existing Infrastructure Plans
In an open letter signed by 27 built environment and industry bodies, the sector warned that “now is not the time to go back to square one”.
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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
As much as 40 percent of longform posts on LinkedIn and X that users actually see are fully AI-generated, according to new research Particularly notable because we know these platforms are flooded with slop, but this studied what the algorithm actually shows people www.404media.co/linkedin-and...
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Diane Coyle @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Of course unions look out for their members but it defies belief that they chose *this week* to lobby for more North Sea oil drilling. They should be lobbying for super-generous retraining terms.
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Wondering why it was too hot to sleep last night? Today's @thecccuk.bsky.social report shows carbon emissions from UK surface transport grew significantly in 2025, the only sector to do so. As the biggest sector, transport is particularly responsible for #climate breakdown.
A bar chart showing change in UK emissions for 2024-25 by sector. Transport is the only sector showing an increase. Note these are provisional figures quoted by CCC in https://www.theccc.org.uk/publication/progress-in-reducing-emissions-2026-report-to-parliament
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Desperate bid to move forward on Heathrow expansion in dying hours of Starmer premiership? ⌛🛬 New "Critical National Growth Infrastructure" phrase rolled out to try to steamroll legitimate questions. How on earth can this climate trashing scheme be justified as improving resilience? 🌡️🔥
Image of expanded Heathrow airport showing huge landtake on grey map.
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
There are about 25,000 schools in England, so today's promise of 5,000 miles of new safe routes by 2035 means...do the math. Actually you don't even need to bother. That 5,000 figure and the 10,000 new crossings are just "intentions", not even actual targets in the plan.
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Don't believe the hype! The new cycling and walking plan (CWIS3) is out, and yes the quoted £4.5bn is just a forecast fudge, exactly as feared. New figures show stalled cycling and walking levels in England. Hard to spot anything in this plan to shift that. www.gov.uk/government/p...
gov.uk
Cycling and walking investment strategy report to Parliament 2026
Third report to Parliament on the progress in meeting the objectives of the CWIS.
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David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
One can also make a case that today is the real end-point of Blairism, the ideology free zone in which everyone could have something because the world economy was so robust. It isn't now, and there's no reason to believe it will be any time soon.
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
UK govt agrees to give MPs half day debate on setting 7th carbon budget. By contrast previous budget had just 17 mins discussion. CB7 would mean cutting domestic greenhouse gas emissions by 87% from 1990 levels across 2038-42. committees.parliament.uk/work/9361/th... #climate
committees.parliament.uk
Government commits to greater debate on latest net zero targets - Committees - UK Parliament
Government response: The Seventh Carbon Budget
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Exclusive: government now allowing "dedicated funding" for active travel to be used for other transport priorities. Shock news exactly one year since @transportaction.bsky.social won historic Court of Appeal victory against cuts to walking & cycling. transportactionnetwork.org.uk/government-u...
Photograph of campaigners standing outside Royal Courts of Justice with banner saying "Fund healthy travel choices"
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Leo Murray @crisortunity.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Instead of banning private jet flights during the fuel crunch to protect people’s summer holidays, we’re doing this
reuters.com
UK allows diesel and jet fuel imports from Russian crude via sanctions carve-out
Britain will allow imports of diesel and jet fuel refined ‌abroad from Russian crude under a sanctions carve-out, easing restrictions as fuel costs surge and add to pressure on airlines and households...
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Iain Roberts @slowbikeiain.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Why aren't they parked? Presumably because parking would cost Waymo more than driving around small residential streets - so Waymo is just getting taxpayers and residents to subsidise it. Coming to the UK imminently.
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
The UK government has today announced laws to nationalise railways at the same time as privatising roads in the #KingsSpeech Does it make any sense though?
Cartoon generated by Perplexity AI headlined "Two ways, two futures - transport policy in England". 
On the left is a Great British Railways train leaving a station overseen by a smiling train conductor and a sign saying public good. On the right is the congested Dartford crossing watched over by shifty looking construction bosses sipping champagne next to a sign saying private profit.
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(((Tendar))) @tendar.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
A frail old man with have face full of botox looking at the ashes of his work. The Ukrainian people broke him and his army. In a way he fittingly represents Russia.
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Stefan Mohamed @stefmowords.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
pure, uncut, liquid Sir Keir to write an article about "breaking with the status quo once and for all" on Friday, then announcing new roles for Harriet Harman and Gordon Brown on Saturday
Guardian piece by Keir Starmer from Friday 8th May saying he will break with the status quo once and for allGuardian article from 9th May saying Keir Starmer has invited Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman back to government
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
The charts in this thread are crazy. No more excuses and delays, England needs fair votes now!
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James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Big win for the party that wants to increase gas reliance in the middle of a gas crisis, hates the clean technologies that are enjoying booming demand and will dominate the 21st century, and embraces Trumpist climate denial even as catastrophic climate impacts intensify everywhere.
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James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
In a rational world the government would be asking people to respond to the current fossil fuel crisis by car sharing, turning lights off, and generally saving fuel and energy. And yet Ministers can’t even propose better efficiency standards for tumble dryers without the right wing press going mad.
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Danica Priest @danicapriest.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
Who funds Britain Remade? The think tanks lobbying the government to rip up wildlife protections aren’t ‘grassroots’. They’re funded by American billionaires like Bill Gates and worse… Full story on my Substack. open.substack.com/pub/danicapr...
open.substack.com
American Billionaires Behind Efforts to Strip Nature Protections
Who really funds influential think tank Britain Remade?
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Robert Barat (volt4ire) @volt4ire.bsky.social · 07/03/2026
Study finds 2/3 of microplastics in urban air is caused by car tires phys.org/news/2026-03...
phys.org
Microplastics and nanoplastics in urban air originate mainly from tire abrasion, research reveals
Although plastic particles in the air are increasingly coming into focus, knowledge about their distribution and effects is still limited. Chemical analyses from Leipzig now provide details from Germa...
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 07/03/2026
The Daily Mail going to Tony Blair for a take on conflict in the Middle East, is it?
A daily mail front page shows Tony Blair under the headline "a monster of delusion"
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
“.. ‘many system vendors will go bankrupt or exit product lines due to a lack of memory. Mobile phone production will be reduced by 200-250 million units, and PC and TV production will be significantly reduced.’ Yikes.” @pcgamer.com #DRAM www.pcgamer.com/hardware/mem...
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Christopher Wiggins @cwnewser.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
A Reuters photographer captured this image of a page from Pam Bondi's "burn book," which she used to counter any questions from Democratic lawmakers during an unhinged hearing today. It looks like the DOJ monitored members of Congress’s searches of the unredacted Epstein files. Just wow.
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isaac @sevier.io · 11/02/2026
I think all of us need to move off google workplace which will be so annoying and painful. I’ve asked before for folks thoughts on this and there aren’t great alternatives but it seems imperative.
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elia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
My latest: Without anti-authoritarianism, 'anti-imperialism' is just conservatism with left-wing aesthetics www.hauntologies.net/p/iranian-pr...
hauntologies.net
Iranian protesters don't owe us an explanation
Without anti-authoritarianism, 'anti-imperialism' is just conservatism with left-wing aesthetics
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Sian Berry MP @sianberry.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
We need a UK Digital Sovereignty Strategy! Our over-reliance on foreign tech giants is a huge risk to our security and resilience when faced with Donald Trump’s ever increasing belligerence. Companies like Palantir have no place in our critical digital infrastructure.
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Thin from Thin Ink @thinink.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
✍ Sunday, Feb 1, marks 5 years since the military staged a coup in Myanmar, plunging the country back into authoritarian rule & pushing a lively, hard‑won media ecosystem underground. Independent journalism is still standing, but only just. 👉 news.thin-ink.net/p/five-years...
news.thin-ink.net
Five Years of Darkness
The fight to keep Myanmar’s stories alive
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Philip Gourevitch @pgourevitch.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
At its headquarters in Geneva, signs warning of the situation have been put up everywhere. In an almost desperate attempt to save cash, the escalators are regularly turned off and the heating turned down. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
UN risks 'imminent financial collapse', secretary general warns
António Guterres says the international body could run out of money by July due to members' unpaid fees.
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John Skiles Skinner @skiles.blue · 31/01/2026
A manual for ICE's immigrant-targeting computer system, Palantir ELITE, was leaked today. Let's look at it, then step back to evaluate how far we've come along a dangerous road and where that road might take us. 🧵
404media.co
Here is the User Guide for ELITE, the Tool Palantir Made for ICE
404 Media is publishing a version of the user guide for ELITE, which lets ICE bring up dossiers on individual people and provides a “confidence score” of their address.
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Rafe Smyth @rafe-s.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Latest evidence that UK Treasury has one rule for roads, another for public transport 🛣️⚖️🚋 Leeds tram delayed for a business case, meanwhile business case delayed to get building Lower Thames Crossing. Ministers betting £billions on wrong horse 💸🎠
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