Sign in

Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

@richmountbasket.bsky.social
937 followers 481 following 7.5K posts

Just another Dick with an opinion. Author, journalist, international development wonk, #vegetarian #Humanist, #Unitarian.

PostsRepliesMedia
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 2h
Reporting about Burnham "ending the pensions triple lock" annoys me, it's stupid and lazy journalism. He hasn't ended it, it's just now a "double lock": inflation, or 2.5%. So pensions will always follow cost of living rises, and I think that's right. www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/ar...
bbc.co.uk
What is the pension triple lock and how is it changing?
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced plans for big changes to how the government spends its money on pensions and social care.
232
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 3h
In 2016 I remember I predicted that in 20 years we'd be back in the EU. That's looking to be about right. Hopefully Farage will be dead by then. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Brexit referendum 'possible' in Labour election manifesto, says Andy Burnham
The PM says a referendum wouldn't be the right thing now but the UK needs to consider its options for the future.
010
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 23h
I'm home alone at Mountbasket Magna, and I could've sworn I heard a faint sneeze. I think our resident ghost has allergies👻
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Once again Farage is guilty of breaking parliamentary rules - this time in Scotland, where he filmed and took photo ops inside Holyrood, in flagrant violation of rules against using the parliamentary estate for political campaigning!
111
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Given Doctor Who long ago degenerated into poorly written, formulaic, nonsensical CGI dross, making it AI generated seems the inevitable next step. Fan written AI versions may even be superior.
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
It's looking more and more like this farmer woman called police not because she "saw a large group of men in balaclavas" - she saw a small group of black and mixed race men, and called the police because she's a racist idiot. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
One of the five men arrested near RAF Fairford called 999 himself
He made the call almost an hour before a farmer also called police after seeing men in balaclavas.
110
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Police didn't even find explosives, only petrol cans?! This "terrorist" case gets even more embarrassing! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
RAF Fairford: 'Quantity of petrol' but no explosives found in three vehicles
Police say the decision to release five men on bail is one "grounded in experience and strategy".
120
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I support Andy Burnham's National Commission on Electoral Reform but I'd go further: I want a Commission on Constitutional Reform, considering regional and national devolution, the nature and location of Parliament, as well as how members are elected. It's urgently needed and long overdue.
022
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I'm also impressed that Andy Burnham is so experienced a rhetorician that he's able to deliver a 45-minute speech without notes or autocue, ad-libbing where necessary but sticking to his script, in the manner of Demosthenes or Cicero. Unlike Trump, who waffles for hours spouting lies and nonsense.
140
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Slight cringe at Andy Burnham's live laugh love reference, but I enjoyed the Liz Truss jibe and he generally seems like a real human being, unlike his predecessor and so many other politicians.
010
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Slight cringe at Andy Burnham's live laugh love reference😎
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Perhaps we should rename them "Russia-busters".
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Does "White trash couple go for walk in countryside" really deserve a BBC article? I did the same walk in the spring, oddly it didn't warrant the same media attention🧐 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Ex-England footballer Wayne and Coleen Rooney climb Wales' highest peak
The couple have just launched their new reality TV show on Disney+, called The Real Rooneys.
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
To channel Sir Humphrey, it's courageous for a PM with a huge majority to change the voting system so *no* party is likely to get a majority. But it's the right thing to do. Farage also used to support change, until it looked like he could sneak a win with FPTP. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Andy Burnham expected to say he will push ahead with electoral reform plans
Exclusive: Labour conference speech will kick off process that could replace current system with proportional representation
110
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Israeli's chanted racist abuse and monkey noises at a black Ireland player, and of course the IDF - sorry, IFA, easy to confuse the two - deny anything happened and say they'll "investigate". www.newsweek.com/israel-fans-...
newsweek.com
Israel FA responds to claims of racist abuse during Ireland game
Israel fans allegedly made monkey chants at Black Irish player Adam Idah.
030
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
How surprising. I thought Montenegro - where Daddy Farage's best boy George Cottrell lives and works - was quite relaxed about Russian spies and money laundering. Maybe it's the Israeli connection they don't like?
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is totally embarrassing for the US. First Trump says "we've been watching them for some time", a blatant lie, now Little Marco Rubio speculates about "foreign actors". They're supposed to be a superpower, but their leaders are totally clueless! www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c6...
bbc.co.uk
RAF Fairford incident 'clearly involves' foreign actor, says US secretary of state
Speaking to US media, Marco Rubio did not provide further details but thanked the UK for being "cooperative". Five men, arrested on Sunday, have been released on bail.
042
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Burnham should sack Mahmood. She's vile and brings nothing politically. Trying to beat the Nasty Parties is why Starmer failed. Kick her out. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Mahmood signals rethink on migrants right to remain
The home secretary has been under pressure to water down the proposals from some Labour MPs, including Angela Rayner.
072
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Seeing the pic of the RAF Fairford gang, I can't help wondering if police accidentally arrested a South London boy band. Also, why is that copper so extraordinarily interested in the young man's groin area?🧐🍆
221
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
US Air Force bases put on Charlie alert in response to Fairford attack... #wato #bbcwato
110
Reposted by Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Wes Streeting: "We know that Iran.. wish to do us harm" We are allowing US planes to take off from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire to bomb Iran as part of an illegal war. I'd say that was more than just wishing them harm, wouldn't you?
1618274
Reposted by Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
Vincent Zimmerman @zimmermanv66.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
02214
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It's good to see Jews speaking out against Israel's genocide. Netanyahu and his Judeo-Nazis have learned the wrong lesson from the 1940s Holocaust. www.ynetnews.com/culture/arti...
ynetnews.com
Jewish actor Wallace Shawn accuses Israelis of 'doing evil that is just as great as what the Nazis did'
American-Jewish actor, 81, known for his roles in The Princess Bride and Clueless, no stranger to anti-Israel statements, but he now has raised the bar by comparing the country's citizens to Nazis; 'H...
041
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A "large group of masked men" dressed in black, blocking roads and driving white vans... Was this RAF Fairford gang a Danny Tommo fash mob?! Having Grandpa Trump shitting on them would be hilarious. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c6...
bbc.co.uk
Farmer who called 999 saw 'large group of hooded and masked men' near RAF Fairford, she tells BBC
The farmer says someone "dropped the ball" by allowing five suspects to get near the base - but Defence Secretary Wes Streeting says she only has a "partial picture".
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A "large group of masked men" dressed in black, blocking roads and driving white vans... Was this RAF Fairford gang a Danny Tommo fash mob?! Having Grandpa Trump shitting on them would be hilarious. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c6...
bbc.co.uk
Farmer who called 999 saw 'large group of hooded and masked men' near RAF Fairford, she tells BBC
The farmer says someone "dropped the ball" by allowing five suspects to get near the base - but Defence Secretary Wes Streeting says she only has a "partial picture".
011
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
#StopTheBlokes
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The Parades Commission got this totally wrong, and it's shocking they allowed the parade to go ahead. It's seven members are appointed by Westminster which is also wrong. You'd think Stormont and local councils should be involved in decisions. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Orange Order march row goes to heart of ongoing divisions in Northern Ireland
The dispute over the controversial parade is a reminder that the peace process is not over.
010
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Good grief, didn't Boris Johnson propose a National Care Service years ago, and taxed us to pay for it? And now Burnham is promising to deliver... If he wins the next election?! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Andy Burnham proposes NHS-style social care system for England
The prime minister told the BBC that social care in England is "as unfair as American healthcare".
022
Reposted by Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
NewsThump @newsthump.com · 27/09/2026
NEWS! Reform demonstrate their commitment to 'looking after women and children' by closing every nursery in Reform led council buff.ly/oPF2UtH
buff.ly
Reform demonstrate their commitment to ‘looking after women and children’ by closing every nursery in Reform led council
Reform UK has successfully demonstrated its devotion to protecting women and children by closing every nursery in the South Tyneside council borough.
0177
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Cleaned our large downstairs picture windows yesterday, which a pigeon has just flown into with an alarming thump. I guess that's a sign I did a good job!
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Overturning this Orange march ban in Drumcree is totally wrong, but IRA terrorist mouthpiece Michelle O'Neill is showing how thin her mask of respectability is here, with barely veiled threats of violent reprisal. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Orange Order march to go ahead for first time in nearly 30 years after late night drama
The march, which in the 1990s sparked some of the most serious disorder in Northern Ireland's history, will go ahead on Sunday after a series of legal challenges.
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Ireland wearing black armbands is the right decision. Far better to display solidarity in public than silently refuse to play. If the Israeli players have any decency they'd wear black armbands in solidarity. www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
bbc.co.uk
Israel v Republic of Ireland: Republic of Ireland to wear black armbands for Israel game
Republic of Ireland players intend to wear black armbands "in recognition of all lives lost in the [Gaza] conflict" for match against Israel.
010
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Has anyone ever seen Fergie and Honest Ange Rayner in the same room together? I have my suspicions 🤔 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Angela Rayner criticises worker visa plans on eve of Labour conference
The housing secretary says the government's plans to change wait times for permanent residency are unfair because they "change the goalposts".
010
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Trump is totally demented, but you'd think with the midterms so close, he'd grab any chance to end the Iran War and bring down fuel prices. But no, cos he's bonkers.
bbc.co.uk
Iran offers US deal to reopen Strait of Hormuz in seven days
Asked about the Iranian proposal, a US official told the BBC "constructive discussions" were taking place through mediators.
021
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
There's nothing more pathetic than toxic men turning on the waterworks when they're forced to take responsibly for their actions. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Daniel Thomas pleads not guilty after dinghy slashed in Channel
Daniel Thomas is accused of criminal damage after a video appeared to show him slashing at a dinghy.
030
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Juicy word salad like "Meaning is the oxygen of the mind" is clearly why the Pope gets paid the big bucks 😎 news.sky.com/story/pope-g...
news.sky.com
Pope greets Paris crowds in popemobile as he warns of AI risks
Earlier on Friday, the first US pope urged the world to reconsider the development of AI, warning it could create a future where "a paradise of machines" takes over.
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
What use is a playground fence if a 3 year old can run right through it?! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Noah Woods died after leaving park through gap in fence, inquest hears
Noah's mother tells parents to "hold their children a little tighter and cherish every moment".
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Here's my suggestion: sack Kuennsberg, Mason and all the other overpriced Tories sucking at Aunty's teat. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Some BBC channels and radio stations 'may well' have to close, director general says
The BBC's financial situation "may well mean" some channels and stations close, Matt Brittin says.
170
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Tsk. She's just one of those typical antisemitic Jews🤔
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
So I guess all the thousands of Jews protesting against Netanyahu are also antisemitic... www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Netanyahu defends Israeli military action as delegates walk out before UN speech
The Israeli leader labels those who left his speech at the UN General Assembly as "moral cowards".
193
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I question these Heathrow runway protestors' choice to rock a Hitler moustache...
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I bet this idiot boomer is Reformite who'd love to see the facility restored to peak efficiency.
000
Reposted by Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️
Claire #FBPE ☘️ 🍉 🇺🇦 🇪🇺🐝 🦮🇮🇪🇧🇪 💙💚 @fbpech.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
act.38degrees.org.uk/act/Opt-out-... It’s got to the stage that I don’t trust any public institution.
act.38degrees.org.uk
I'm objecting to my personal data being included in the NHS’s national Palantir database!
I just emailed NHS England to object to my personal data being included in the NHS's national Palantir database
22112
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
What happened to Treacle Tart?! Haven't seen it in the supermarket for years! Might be driven to make it myself😎
000
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Fat, slow, eating a low nutrient diet and riddled with disease... Donald Trump remains president of the USA, for now. www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
independent.co.uk
Two giant pandas from China will arrive at Atlanta zoo in coming days, Xi says
Xi celebrated the loan program as showing ‘friendship between the Chinese and Americans’
010
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This story is absolutely horrendous. Someone should go to jail for this killing, instead the company just gets a fine they can easily afford. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Developer fined £1m after man killed by falling window
Mick Ferris was crushed when the 130kg window fell from The Corniche building in Vauxhall.
020
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
What troubles me is AI agents taking control of power, or trains, or military drones. This is not scaremongering, this is entirely possible. The FBI, supposedly an agency safeguarding the world's only superpower, got hacked - admittedly not by AI, but still.
001
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I met Tom Watson when I was a Labour member some years ago. I thought then he was a smug, self-aggrandising, self-interested twat, so this comes as no surprise.
031
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
So instead of watching everything you see and do, Meta's new audio spy glasses just merely listen to everything you say and do, and puts everyone around you under constant surveillance. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Meta debuts no-camera smart glasses and virtual reality spectacles
The new wearables come at a time of uncertainty for smart glasses, which are facing backlash over privacy concerns
100
Sir Richard Mountbasket🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @richmountbasket.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This card scheme is bonkers and I'm sure Kemi MadEnough knows it - what Labour don't see to be calling out is this is just Tory performative cruelty. They're desperate to be the Nasty Party again, nastier even than Reform or the Blackshirts. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Tories would prevent long-term jobless spending benefits on alcohol and cigarettes
The proposals would also see benefits cut for people who are able to work but have failed to hold down a job.
000