Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialRebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 9hThe rhetoric of tech in a nutshell: I value convenience, efficiency, ease first and also have no capacity to recognize humanity, my own or others, but feel qualified to run the world. Someone send an army of divorce lawyers; after all this guy already wants to disconnect. 50944192
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialMeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 3hThe U.S. re-joins an exclusive club 130937445
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialSteve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 1hMedieval barbarism 1513735
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialBill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 2hRubio is petulantly annoyed because he gave this big speech in Athens about The Future of Western Civilization -- and coincidentally, on the very same day, his ambassador to Greece gets caught soliciting a donor to pay off her $100,000 credit-card bill. 51905255
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialSteve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 1hThis is Nazi rhetoric 48528
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialMrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 1hThe Romans called such efforts to distract a restless public “Bread and Circuses.” 163758230
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialEliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 1hOf course Hesgeth and his warped concept of strength is behind this bsky.app/profile/robe... 7908
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialEliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 1hTurning state violence into a public spectacle is a very fascist move BTW. 431364437
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialAdam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 1hI think people should listen to what the administration trying to bring back spectacle lynchings, race riots, and middle passage-esque deportation voyages are trying to tell you about themselves. bsky.app/profile/bren... 441852748
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialRon Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 1hBecause it’s gonna cost that much to fool voters like we usually do with culture war bullshit to distract them from how badly we fucked up the economy with incompetence and another new Republican war. 36479106
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialOtto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 1hThe last legal public execution in the United States took place on August 14, 1936. 20,000 people turned up to watch it. Hegseth's horror show will be watched by millions. What has become of America? 1610218
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialOtto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 1hUnited States of America brings back public executions courtesy of Pete Hegseth. The sort of tyrannical behaviour that ISIS and the Taliban engage in. baynews9.com/fl/tampa/mil...baynews9.comPentagon says firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter will be livestreamedDefense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said the execution would be "public" 6327984
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialRon Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 1hAfter the First Gulf War, the Afghanistan War, the Iraq War, and the Iran War, Republican voters are just going to have to accept at some point that warmongering is their brand, despite how often the people who start them talk about peace. 28836221
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialJoey Politano🏳️🌈 @josephpolitano.bsky.social · 7hAgain he’s really losing it with the AI stuff now 3142263303
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialDorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 5hI've just been reading Albert Speer's Inside the Third Reich for a thing and Trump definitely resembles late-stage Hitler: surrounded by sycophants, rejecting all criticism, denying facts about the war he's losing, making mad declarations, seeing enemies everywhere. Not great 1732562
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialSarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 4hThe vested rightwing self-interest is becoming very shrill now. Still not enough for some voters to dump their tribe for betraying the country and letting us all down so disgracefully. 17410
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialBremain in Spain @bremaininspain.com · 07/10/2026The Trump playbook is showing up in Britain’s council chambers. When Reform gets power, journalists start losing access. www.uglypolitix.com/p/reform-has...uglypolitix.comReform has a problem with journalistsThe Trump playbook is showing up in Britain’s council chambers. When Reform gets power, journalists start losing access. 144
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialBremain in Spain @bremaininspain.com · 07/10/2026In a rather worrying development, it's now been revealed that Reform is intending to set up a 'digital newsroom' with an expanded ‘national publishing operation’ which will include video content, ahead of the next general election. leftfootforward.org/2026/10/refo...leftfootforward.orgReform is now setting up a national newsroomReform UK is now setting up a 'digital newsroom' with an expanded 'national publishing operation' which will include video content, ahead of the next general election. Press Gazette reports: "The N... 284
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialDavid Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 06/10/2026To be clear, we're going straight back to Brexit chaos if the Conservatives or Reform are in power, and that is because of their commitment to withdraw from the ECHR, which would almost certainly mean parts of the TCA suspended and huge US diplomatic pressure. www.ft.com/content/f923...ft.comTory plan to rip up UK-EU food deal risks ‘huge uncertainty’, producers warnFood and drink industry fears it may be forced to comply with different regulatory regimes every few years 1017772
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialThe New World @thenewworldmag.bsky.social · 07/10/2026The president was in Nebraska on a campaign stop when he came out with the eye-catching new policy – along with an idea for a new game show ✏️ Rats in a Sack 🐀buff.lyTrump says: ‘Bomb America!’The president was in Nebraska on a campaign stop when he came out with the eye-catching new policy – along with an idea for a new game show 051
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialHeather Stewart @guardianheather.bsky.social · 07/10/2026A £6bn tax cut that creates a perverse incentive for older people to *upsize* is not a good policy - www.theguardian.com/politics/202...theguardian.comBadenoch’s inheritance tax gambit makes no economic senseThe Tory leader’s proposal to slash the tax would shovel £6bn of taxpayer money to the already-wealthy 36924
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialOtto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Perfectly put. 37877243
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialPaula Surridge @psurridge.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Though it will be fun watching her being asked repeatedly if she will make Nigel Farage PM or force another election, the perpetual Lib Dem question for a new electoral landscape. 1315
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialJust Treatment @justtreatment.org · 06/10/2026🚨The government is looking for UK alternatives to Palantir to run the NHS data platform, the FT reports. This follows a week of protests in 40+ places across England and a rally of hundreds at Palantir's London HQ. Help keep the pressue up: nopalantirinthenhs.com 51874336
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialHard Boiled Egg @perigominas.bsky.social · 07/10/2026A minor point, but when mouthpieces say "promising future" they don't mean the person concerned is on a clear path to do things of great importance for the benefit of society that is redemptive for the terrible things they have done now. It means they've been promised a future that's good for them. 021
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialJo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Every now and then, when people say stupid things about socialism, I have to roll out these lines from Arthur Lewis, on what socialists want. 1421785
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialDavid Phinnemore @dphinnemore.bsky.social · 07/10/2026If you’re wondering why the anticipated UK-EU SPS Agreement will be GB-specific and not replace the arrangements for Northern Ireland under Windsor Framework, look no further. www.ft.com/content/f923...ft.comTory plan to rip up UK-EU food deal risks ‘huge uncertainty’Food and drink industry fears it may be forced to comply with different regulatory regimes every few years 097
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialForever @msforeverwondering.bsky.social · 07/10/2026#rejoinEU share widely please 32317
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.social50501: The People’s Movement ❌👑 @50501movement.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Breaking: Man Posing As ICE Agent Arrested Outside Polling Site. Deploying ICE to a polling place is illegal. However, trusting convicted felon Donald Trump to obey the law is a fool’s errand. 20747329
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialMarc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 06/10/2026🚨BREAKING: GOP lawyer Cleta Mitchell and convicted election denier Tina Peters are pushing a scheme to have Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick seize voting machines, as part of a broader effort for the Trump administration to interfere with the midterm vote. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...democracydocket.comElection deniers Cleta Mitchell and Tina Peters want Trump’s commerce secretary to seize voting machinesThe problem? No federal official can seize control of election administration from the states and counties, who hold the power run elections under the U.S. Constitution. 57152233195
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialMatthew Gertz @mattgertz.bsky.social · 06/10/2026It feels crazy to need to write this, but journalists should not be arrested because the president doesn’t like the way they report on the sizes of his crowds. www.mediamatters.org/donald-trump...mediamatters.orgTrump keeps demanding criminal punishment for reporting he dislikes — including about his crowd sizes 16659177
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialMaine Newsroom @mainenewsroom.com · 06/10/202610/6 The story of Senator Susan Collins refusing to meet with 17 female Maine elected officials who went to DC to talk to her about Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination #maine #MEpolitics 5405178
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialSarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 06/10/2026This is absolutely what’s going on with Badenoch’s polling improvement. She is very much not getting any better or any more popular or electable. There is no (shoot-me-now) ‘Keminaissance’. It’s just that Farage has got even worse. And rightwing money needs a horse to back… 617434
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialKevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 06/10/2026I'm not sure if @oversightdemocrats.bsky.social have issued a statement on this yet, but they should publicly announce that if Russ Vought tries to fuck with the election in any way they will fire him out of a cannon when they take power. 1162135599
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialBloomberg News @bloomberg.com · 06/10/2026Former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen criticized Trump’s treatment of US allies, and backed the idea of retaliation for protectionist movesbloom.bgYellen Says Trump ‘Appalling’ on US Allies, Backs RetaliationFormer Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen criticized President Donald Trump’s treatment of US allies, and backed the idea of retaliation for protectionist moves. 628659
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialNaomi Smith @pimlicat.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Less than a week to go before MPs debate joining the EU. Tell your mp to be there 👇 bestforbritain.org/take-action/...bestforbritain.orgTell your MP: 628 constituencies want EU membership. Only 4 don't. - Best for Britain 34017
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialSimon Usherwood @simonusherwood.bsky.social · 06/10/2026"Britain is coming back. Maybe. If we can agree on what we want, and if the EU lets us" Useful piece from @rostaylor.bsky.social 0124
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialNOELREPORTS @noelreports.com · 06/10/2026Zelensky says Ukrainian intelligence has updated information on Russian preparations for a massive strike and urged people to respond to missile alerts. He said Ukraine’s Air Force is ready, but its response is limited by available defenses and depends heavily on partners. #Ukraine 11406125
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialAdam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Thanks again to @mrjamesob.bsky.social for highlighting Kemi Badenoch's banning of journalists she doesn't approve of, which very few other journalists in the country seem willing to mention for some reason inews.co.uk/opinion/bade... 12610203
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialMarc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 06/10/2026NEW EPISODE: Less than 30 days before the midterms, Trump told a reporter that anyone looking for mail voting fraud should "start off by taking a look at California." I explain the real reason Trump is targeting the state and how we fight back. www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVTC...youtube.comALERT: Trump is Setting a Trap for California's Vote CountYouTube video by Democracy Docket 131177564
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialAaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 06/10/2026"Whatever conclusions reached by the commission of an octogenarian crank and two billionaires, they'll be handed off to Hegseth, who believes wars are won by whichever side can do the most pushups, and whose obsession with creating an all-white, all-male military is dragging DoD down by the day."publicnotice.co“Project Meridian” is the stuff of satireElon Musk, Newt Gingrich, and Palmer Luckey walk into a bar ... and are given the keys to the DoD. 831815581
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialSarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Voters loathed the Tory party when they booted them out in 2024.They really needed to shake off their disgrace with humility and better ideas. They haven’t. They’ve doubled down. More Brexit, more austerity, more anti-immigration ugliness, more tedious arrogance… and no good reason to vote for them. 871411446
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialArthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Gotta say until you read the actual motion it's not clear just how rabid the Greens' positioning is. The motion calls for the end of the State of Israel. 2239589
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialsouthpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 06/10/2026I despise seeing what’s really going on stuffed into a “but critics say” clause. 281436266
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialByline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 06/10/2026📌 ICYMI — Conservative Plan to Scrap Solar Rules for New Homes Would Lock Millions Into Gas Use — @josiahmortimer.bsky.social Pledge to abolish the Future Homes Standard is branded 'a plan for poor housing and high bills' by fuel poverty campaigners, as the solar sector urges the party to think…bylinetimes.comConservative Plan to Scrap Solar Rules for New Homes Would Lock Millions Into Gas UsePledge to abolish the Future Homes Standard is branded 'a plan for poor housing and high bills' by fuel poverty campaigners, as the solar sector urges the party to think again 177641
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialPhillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 05/10/2026This proves only two things. The Ukrainian campaign against Russian refineries is causing serious damage. Putin has asked Trump to help him out and the US president obliged. 941342446
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialJanine Gibson @janinegibson.ft.com · 06/10/2026This is as magnificent as an obituary as the life of its subject demands. Jeffrey Archer, perjurer, fantastist, charismatic grifter went to prison yet died ennobled; but somehow I still feel nostalgic for this specific breed of untrustworthy wrong'un www.thetimes.com/uk/obituarie...thetimes.comJeffrey Archer obituary: MP, peer and multimillion-selling authorLord Archer of Weston-super-Mare, politician with a ‘gift for inaccurate précis’ who became a prolifically successful writer, dies aged 86 94810
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialIan Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Just the dumbest collection of halfwit confetti emerging out of that conference. Tax cuts everywhere, paid for with imaginary spending cuts. Huge spending projects with precisely zero utility, except to anchor their 'defence day' narrative. Clowns. 67914184
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialJames Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 05/10/2026The pitch here seems to be, ‘we’ll build the houses and infrastructure we failed to build during the 14 years we were in government, but we’ll do it in the most damaging and lowest quality way possible’. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...theguardian.comTories to pledge to scrap Environment Agency and Natural EnglandShadow chancellor will also promise to scrap affordable homes regulations as part of strategy to refocus on growth 771394441
Reposted by @rogermerritt1.bsky.socialJames Austin @jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Anyway, about that plan to win back younger, remain leaning, wealthy, broadly socially liberal voters who form the traditional of the Tory coalition 2688