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Robert Vardill

@robvard.bsky.social
362 followers 125 following 1 posts

Film lover. Folk (and other) music enthusiast. Keen on social justice and equity. He/him.

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Reposted by Robert Vardill
European Movement UK @europeanmovement.co.uk · 18/09/2026
Day 4 of asking @andyburnham.bsky.social to jam with us so we can talk about getting UK artists touring Europe again! Tag @andyburnham.bsky.social in the comments so he sees this! 🎵
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Rob Davies @byrobdavies.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
"I want your children's lungs to be smaller and less functional" is a bold electoral strategy.
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Sian Berry MP @sianberry.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
John Bird is absolutely right - we cannot rely on council house building alone. I have written to Andy Burnham calling for a national ‘Buy the Supply’ fund for councils to buy existing properties and rapidly turn them into affordable homes. Sign my petition: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/fu...
you.38degrees.org.uk
Fund Councils to Buy the Supply of Council Homes
We urgently need to replenish our decimated council housing stock, and part of the answer is real funding for councils to Buy the Supply. Over 169,000 children are homeless and living in overcrowded ...
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Abigail Thorn @theabigailthorn.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
British drama school training is the envy of the world and, as more film + TV jobs are moving to the UK, our drama schools are the backbone of a global industry. These cuts are artistic vandalism and economic stupidity.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Banning children from social media will disempower teenagers, according to a governance expert at the Oxford Internet Institute. Dr Victoria Nash warns that children will be denied positive social interactions online and cut off from online news and learning. www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-06...
ox.ac.uk
Expert Comment: Is banning under-16s from social media protection or exclusion?
Dr Victoria Nash, Associate Professor & Senior Policy Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute, warns that a social media ban risks leaving teenagers 'protected' but disempowered, cut off from news, learning...
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Jo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Nearly half of our universities are forecasting deficits. Institutions across the country are closing departments and issuing redundancy notices. The government don’t yet consider this a crisis. How many more jobs must be lost before ministers act?
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Aliza Adi (she/her) @alizaadi.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
It's the total disregard Labour have for the people of Makerfield that's bothering me It's so obvious they're playing politics with ordinary peoples lives And, despite what some prominent Greens are saying, this is why the Green party must support a strong Green candidate
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CosmicRami 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @rami.spaceaustralia.com · 17/05/2026
Today is #IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia). It marks the day in 1990 that homosexuality was removed from the WHO Classification of Diseases. Celebrate queer friends, and challenge discrimination. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna... 📸 Minus18
A ribbon in rainbow pride colours. Poster says May 17 is the international day against LGBTQIA+ discrimination
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Diane Purkiss @janetanderson.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
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Alex Prichard @profalexp.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Good piece, brief and to the point from @drjogrady.bsky.social Gen Sec of UCU: “We are calling for direct government intervention before the crisis spirals further.” Intervention is cheaper than most think, and pound for pound excellent investment in our future economic prosperity.
politicshome.com
The government must intervene before the universities crisis worsens
During moments of political crisis it’s often said there are weeks when decades happen. This has been one such week.
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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 11/05/2026
Labour say further education is central to their growth mission. But they're cutting adult education budgets. Staff are haemorrhaging from the sector and FE workers in England are paid less than anywhere else in the UK.
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Elaine Francis @greenlainey.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
I wrote a thing about the local election here in South Tyneside. open.substack.com/pub/deedsand...
open.substack.com
South Tyneside chose anger, but it also chose hope.
There is no point pretending last Thursday’s local election results in South Tyneside were anything other than huge.
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QueerAF @wearequeeraf.com · 12/03/2026
LGBTQIA+ young people who feel safe and understood in online spaces report better mental health outcomes than those who do not, findings from @trevorproject.bsky.social show Why are politicians not considering this in conversations about social media bans?
wearequeeraf.com
Rise of social media bans is a blunt force that will harm LGBTQIA+ children, especially in rural areas
If we are serious about protecting young people, we need to approach social media policy with that nuance in mind.
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Hildur Knútsdóttir @hildur.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
I regularly see people wondering how it's possible that there are so many musicians and writers and film makers and artists from a tiny nation like Iceland. And the answer is really simple: State funding for art education and artists. I literally get a salary from the government to write books.
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The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 10/02/2026
"These are not the actions of a state seeking peace; they are the latest extension of a long-upheld system that denies Palestinians the right to determine their own future." - @elliechowns.bsky.social Israel's expanding control over the West Bank cannot go on. The UK Government must act.
END THE OCCUPATION
Image credit: Hosny Salah
Green Party
Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of The Green Party, both at PO Box 78066, London SE16 9GQ
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Joanne Harris @joannechocolat.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell (1943-) is a Northern Irish physicist who, while conducting research for her doctorate, discovered the first radio pulsars in 1967. This discovery earned the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1974, but not to her - the prize was awarded to her (male) supervisor. #CelebratingWomen
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Carla Denyer @carladenyer.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Yesterday I was in a room packed full of MPs imploring govt to rethink its proposed changes to ILR rules for migrants Govt is planning to make unfair retrospective changes that are racist & classist These would devastate the lives of many who have made this country their home
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The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 24/01/2026
Trump's "Board of Peace" is expected to include Blair, Putin and Netanyahu - but not a single Palestinian. At Davos, Jared Kushner presented the board's dystopian real estate vision for Gaza. Gaza’s future is for Palestinians to decide. Not foreign powers or corporate greed.
REBUILD
GAZA
FOR
PALESTINIANS' NEEDS
NOT CORPORATE GREED

Green Party
Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of The Green Party, both at PO Box 78066, London SE169GQ
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Abigail Nussbaum @abigailnussbaum.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
This is an excellent analogy, because my recollection from grade school is that the pen on the right looks fun and exciting, and then you play with it for a few minutes and realize it's not actually useful for anything and in fact makes some tasks more cumbersome, and never think about it again.
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Helen 🏳️‍⚧️✊🏻💕 @mimmymum.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
“Real progress will be slower and less headline-grabbing. It involves investing in high-quality relationships and sex education that reflects young people’s digital realities, and supporting parents to have informed conversations.”
inforrm.org
I research the harm that can come to teenagers on social media. I don’t support a ban – Emily Setty
The UK government has launched a consultation on introducing an Australian-style ban on social media for under-16s. The proposal is framed as a bold response to rising concerns about young people’s…
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Helen 🏳️‍⚧️✊🏻💕 @mimmymum.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
“We also need to ask why digital spaces have become the default arenas for meeting so many needs in the first place. Over years of funding cuts to youth services, reduced community spaces and intensified academic pressures, online platforms have filled a gap”
inforrm.org
I research the harm that can come to teenagers on social media. I don’t support a ban – Emily Setty
The UK government has launched a consultation on introducing an Australian-style ban on social media for under-16s. The proposal is framed as a bold response to rising concerns about young people’s…
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Helen 🏳️‍⚧️✊🏻💕 @mimmymum.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
I research the harm that can come to teenagers on social media. I don’t support a ban – @emilysetty.bsky.social “A ban treats social media as the problem, rather than asking deeper questions about why certain behaviours – harassment, shaming, misogyny, exploitation – occur in the first place.” 👇🏻
inforrm.org
I research the harm that can come to teenagers on social media. I don’t support a ban – Emily Setty
The UK government has launched a consultation on introducing an Australian-style ban on social media for under-16s. The proposal is framed as a bold response to rising concerns about young people’s…
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Helen @helenm40.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
A very interesting review, highlighting that social media bans have been shown to worsen rather than improve adolescent mental health: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
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Jess O'Thomson @jessothomson.co.uk · 08/12/2025
Mini thread on the ET decision in Peggie Top line: It says exactly what we have been saying for months. The decision of the Supreme Court was not to turn the Equality Act 2010 into a nationwide bathroom ban - regardless of how anti-trans organisations have sought to misrepresent the law. 🧵👇
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Natacha @natacha.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social's win highlights a massive problem for @jeremycorbyn.bsky.social. Transphobia does not win you votes, especially on the left, trans rights has become a litmus test of credibility for democratic socialists. A test Your Party is currently failing badly.
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Carla Denyer @carladenyer.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Scary to watch the Global Sumud Flotilla being intercepted by Israeli forces - we know how brutally the Israeli military has treated those on previous flotillas. The world is watching - the Foreign Secretary @yvettecooper-mp.bsky.social must urgently step up to ensure safety of UK citizens on board
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Jess O'Thomson @jessothomson.co.uk · 30/09/2025
It should be free, for all, at any age. A more educated world makes a better world. I believe in education for education's sake. It's disgraceful to see the Labour Party abandon that aspiration.
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Jess O'Thomson @jessothomson.co.uk · 30/09/2025
Everyone should have the right to go to University. Not because it's superior. Not because a degree should be required for every job. But because everyone should have the opportunity to spend a few years learning how to think critically about a subject they are really interested in.
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Amnesty International UK @amnestyuk.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
There are serious human rights concerns around not only the proscription of Palestine Action, but also the chilling consequences this decision has had. The UK's overly broad terrorism laws are being misused to suppress free speech.
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Amnesty International UK @amnestyuk.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
This is absolutely not a normal situation, and we cannot let it become so. This is a serious violation of our right to protest, happening in front of our eyes right here in the UK. These arrests should not be happening. It’s clearly both ridiculous and seriously disproportionate.
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Amnesty International UK @amnestyuk.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
BREAKING: Peaceful protestors arrested outside the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool Yet more peaceful protesters are being arrested today and hauled from the streets by police - a scene which just a few months ago would have been shocking but is quickly becoming the norm... 🧵
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Reform Party UK Exposed @reformexposed.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
Reform UK’s Darren Grimes chooses naive headline grabbing dogma over sanity. Durham Reform have scrapped a scheme that would have saved £77,000 per year. Reform UK removes Durham council solar panel building scheme
thenorthernecho.co.uk
Durham to prioritise 'care over carbon' as council solar panels scheme removed
Council leaders have reiterated a pledge to prioritise care services over net zero projects.
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Handed Down Folk Podcast @handdownpod.bsky.social · 24/08/2025
Is there anyone who knows the folk music degree at Newcastle? I know a thoroughly folky 21 year old who has 3 A levels but not in music. Experienced singer and songwriter, decent guitarist, great trad repertoire. Very keen to apply but not sure that they would qualify for an offer.
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Reform Party UK Exposed @reformexposed.bsky.social · 16/08/2025
“We are appalled that the Reform-led Lincolnshire County Council are trying to sell off some of our most important historic buildings in this way." www.lincsonline.co.uk/lincoln/we-a...
lincsonline.co.uk
‘We are appalled that the council are trying to sell off some of our most important historic buildings’
A political group has said it’s ‘appalled’ by plans to sell off some of the county's historic buildings.
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Sam Missingham @samatlounge.bsky.social · 04/08/2025
As I say very regularly, housing is the NUMBER ONE issue that drives poverty/cost of living crisis. Houses should have stayed as homes and not as investments.
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Equality Amplified @equalityamplified.org.uk · 01/08/2025
The EHRC’s appointment of Dr. Mary-Ann Stevenson, a figure with known anti-trans views, makes clear it no longer serves all people. Equality Amplified no longer recognises the EHRC as a human rights body. Read our full statement here: www.equalityamplified.org.uk/blog/stateme...
equalityamplified.org.uk
Statement from Equality Amplified on the Appointment of Dr. Mary-Ann Stevenson as Chair of the EHRC — Equality Amplified
Equality Amplified no longer recognises the EHRC as a legitimate human rights institution. The appointment of Dr. Mary-Ann Stevenson—who holds anti-trans views—signals a clear and dangerous shift towa...
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The Green Party of England & Wales @greenparty.org.uk · 01/08/2025
📈 Today, undergraduate tuition fees rise to £9,535. 💸 The marketisation of Higher Education has been a disaster - pushing universities into financial ruin and burdening students with huge debt. 💚 Education should be a right, not a privilege. The Green Party would scrap tuition fees.
REAL HOPE. REAL CHANGE.
SCRAP TUITION FEES
Green Party
Promoted by Chris Williams on behalf of The Green Party, both at PO Box 78066, London SE16 9GQ
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Natacha @natacha.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
Are you a cis-woman in the UK who is opposed to the government using your rights as an excuse to oppress trans people? If so, please sign this petition created by women like you.
change.org
Sign the Petition
Not in our name: Women in support of the trans+ community
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Philippa East (Author) @philippaeast.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Last chance to sign this open letter, which closes 9.00pm today 🤗 We already have over 1,250 signatures, which is fantastic! Once it closes I will print the whole thing out with all names and deliver to Bridget Phillipson. Thanks to all for your support 💪💪💪 docs.google.com/forms/d/180G...
docs.google.com
An Open Letter to the Minister for Women and Equalities re the EHRC Code of Practice and Human Rights Risks
The Minister for Women and Equalities will soon be called upon to approve a new Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), f...
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Caught by the River @caughtbytheriver.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
Published by @faberbooks.bsky.social, @lallymacbeth.bsky.social's 'The Lost Folk' is our July Book of the Month. Sophie Parkes reviews, finding an attentive author who not only cares deeply about folk culture, but also the people who create it www.caughtbytheriver.net/2025/07/lall...
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Rae Radford @raeradford.bsky.social · 19/07/2025
#BookSky
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Philippa East (Author) @philippaeast.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
Phillipson is being an idiot. Let’s keep the squeeze on. This letter now has 700+ signatures. Shall we get it to 1,000 before the Tuesday deadline? Then I’ll print it all out—with every name—and post it to her, plus copy to every supportive MP I know. Sign here 🤗 docs.google.com/forms/d/180G...
docs.google.com
An Open Letter to the Minister for Women and Equalities re the EHRC Code of Practice and Human Rights Risks
The Minister for Women and Equalities will soon be called upon to approve a new Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), f...
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QueerAF @wearequeeraf.com · 15/07/2025
🆕🚨 New statutory Relationships and Sex Education guidance published today will: - Restrict schools from using materials that "encourage pupils to question their gender" - Teaches children the laws about "biological sex" - Removes all references to the word transgender What we know so far 🧵
Logo of the Department of Education. Title: Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education. Subtitle: Statutory guidance for governing bodies, proprietors, head teachers, principals, senior leadership teams, and teachers. Dated July 2025
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Natacha @natacha.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
THREAD 🧵 of initial thoughts on the transphobic schools "guidance" produced by this deeply transphobic Labour government today. SECTION 28+ This morning the media coverage of the new RHSE guidance for schools led me to suggest it represents Labour’s Section 28. The real thing is, however... 1/11
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Caroline Russell @carolinerussell.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
🤔 So, government has chosen propping up the motor industry with huge subsidies for private EV cars over supporting public transport and fare payers? Surely better to provide affordable, convenient and accessible public transport alternatives to car use not baking in current congestion and traffic?
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Christyn Parkes @parkesland.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
This is beat for beat exactly what Section 28 did. Oh, and you can't blame this one on Tories. This guidance was drawn up exclusively after Labour took power. This Labour government is the single worst thing to happen to the LGBT+ community since Margaret Thatcher. Shame on every Labour member.
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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 12/07/2025
Brilliant to see so many out at the Durham Miners’ Gala. A powerful reminder of the strength, pride and solidarity that runs through our movement. Let’s carry that spirit into every fight ahead. ✊ #DurhamMinersGala #UCU #Solidarity
People at gala People at gala People at gala
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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 10/07/2025
Full statement here: www.ucu.org.uk/article/1410...
ucu.org.uk
UCU statement: Stop authoritarian attacks on the Palestine movement
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University and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 10/07/2025
Our statement on the Labour government’s escalating authoritarian crackdown on the Palestine solidarity movement. We will not be silenced. We are the majority. We urge you to join us on the streets of London next Saturday (19 July) and march for Palestine.
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