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Simon Parker

@sparkerworld.bsky.social
2.1K followers 1.8K following 2K posts

Prof of Politics with a focus on migration, cities & social justice.

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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 59m
Remember how an ill thought out appointment of a man with a dodgy past as ambassador to Washington did for Starmer's premiership? Burnham's relationship to Sheikh Mansour is about to come under the same scrutiny & yesterday's comments show poor judgment from a man who is no longer Manchester Mayor
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 18h
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was shot by ICE 10 days ago. The bullet is still lodged in his back. He’s been forced to sleep on the floor and hasn’t been given medication, according to his attorney. Now DHS is claiming he assaulted an agent. Can we trust anything DHS says given its track record?
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 5h
If this is true and a criminal investigation proves that Manchester City committed tax fraud will Andy Burnham come to regret his claim that his past dealings with the club during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester would "stand up to scrutiny".
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 6h
The only sanction that fits the scale of the fraud and deception committed by Man City is a permanent ban from the Premier League & for the Etihad to be transferred to the nation in lieu of damages and renamed the National Stadium for the North. Oasis should perform the opening ceremony for free.
theguardian.com
Rival clubs feel relegating Manchester City to Championship would not be enough
The Premier League will face pressure from Manchester City’s rivals to push for a sanction that will result in a prolonged absence from the top flight
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 7h
Compare the Times Higher's relentless pursuit of Jason Arday with the silence over Reform's disgraced former head of policy-the enthusiastic cheerleader of ex-Hungarian PM Viktor Orban & Cambridge University professor of Divinity James Orr. Could a THE commercial partnership with Hungary explain it?
bylinetimes.com
Times Higher Education, Sponsored by Orbán's Hungary, Failed to Report James Orr Allegations
The publication signed a partnership with Viktor Orbán's government and has since published no coverage of the allegations around a Cambridge academic and former Reform UK policy chief whose foundatio...
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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"In order to deliver the PM's promise to save social care we need a permanent class of indentured migrant workers without labour rights".
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Brad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
We’ve now reached the point of “black site” hearings – secret, illegal hearings as part of Trump & Stephen Miller’s wretched crusade to detain & deport our immigrant neighbors. Quite literally: hidden tribunals that disappear people.
thecityreporter.nyc
DHS Opens ‘Black Site Docket’ for Immigrants Without Lawyers at 26 Federal Plaza
A reporter from The City Reporter was threatened with arrest while attempting to observe comings and goings from the new courtrooms, which have left advocates mystified and fearing the worst.
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
"The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear."
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
DoorDash spent $1.4M trying to stop Zohran Mamdani from becoming mayor. This week's historic $131.5M enforcement action against DoorDash for underpaying NYC delivery workers shows why. Yet another reminder that the only thing that can beat organized money is organized people.
theintercept.com
DoorDash Spent $1.4 Million Trying to Stop Mamdani From Becoming Mayor. Now We Know Why.
In a wage-theft settlement, DoorDash now has to pay its workers around 100 times what it spent trying to beat Zohran Mam
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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
They are playing in our faces
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Emma Monk @monkemma.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🧵 As front-page headlines go, this has to be one of the most misleading I've seen in a long time It's an out-and-out lie But notice the trick they use to get away with it...👀 *They're* not lying - they're just quoting someone else who is👍🏻 In this case, the leader of the opposition🙄 1/33
Daily Express headline:

"More Freedoms Handed to New Arrivals than British Citizens"

Above an image of Kemi Badenoch

All with a Monk Debunked stamp on top
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
One day, everyone will have always been against this
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Both the Lib Dems and the SNP are more committed to PR, human rights, civil liberties and closer ties to Europe than the current Burnham government. I'm struggling to see the downside of this projection.
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The vast majority of British voters do not want to see a far-right government under Nigel Farage. Tactical voting is therefore likely to reduce the seat estimate for Reform considerably.
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Deny Attack Reverse Victim & Offender
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Charlotte O'Brien @cobrien.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
'Thuggery' somehow does not seem quite serious enough to name what we are seeing in the increasing violence of anti-migrant hate-spinning. Thugs steal your lunch-money. These guys want to steal your humanity.
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James Talarico @jamestalarico.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thames Water has long passed its notice period. Labour can use its massive majority to nationalise it right now.
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Aka "capitalism"
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
😂🤣
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The police and the criminal law should be here to protect life saving organisations being shut down by racist, far-right thugs, not standing by and letting it happen. Every historian who has studied these developments in the past knows this is a prelude to full blown fascism.
theguardian.com
Lifeboat station in Portsmouth forced to temporarily shut after far-right action
RNLI facility had been targeted by activists trying to stop asylum seekers landing in boats from the Channel
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 17/09/2026
New in PN: Retire in peace "McConnell would never be allowed to drive a car, babysit young children, or file his own taxes. Why, then, should a cognitively incapacitated 82-year-old retain one of the most important positions of power within the national government?"
publicnotice.co
Retire in peace
McConnell is the latest example of an incapacitated politician refusing to let go.
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I think we should build a great big beautiful wall around Piddington in case any of them try to illegally invade the UK
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Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Rep. Thomas Massie has introduced a resolution to impeach Pete Hegseth — accusing him of defying Congress and illegally continuing the U.S. war in Iran.
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Fortunately I don't own any Ed Sheeran or Pink CDs that need throwing in the trash
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
We once assumed British democracy was very different from the USA because it wasn't owned and controlled by big corporations & financial institutions. But elite impunity is also a UK problem & the reluctance of Burnham's government to do anything about it proves the need for collective action.
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The far right have the tanks the other parties have the pea shooters. Asking for more peas to shoot is a sure sign that Burnham & Co are not serious about preventing a fascist takeover of Britain.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
This is completely on Andy Burnham Last week Labour could have stopped this. Now we have a single person giving more money than the entire general election spending limit for a political party www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
telegraph.co.uk
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
At least one part of the state appears to be doing its job
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: “The word "remigration" is nothing other than a synonym for ethnic cleansing based on origin and skin color.”
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Today I announce that the official view of the British Government is that the occupation is unlawful. Ed Miliband, Foreign Secretary. We may look back on this statement in years to come as having the same historical significance as the Balfour Declaration. Ed's late mother would be rightly proud.
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Utterly shameful. Burnham is giving Giolitti vibes - fascism grows from the passivity and silence of democratic governments that refuse to tackle it head on.
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Neo-Nazi criminals have been filming & doxxing the brave volunteers of the RNLI in order to intimidate them from saving lives at sea. This should be a criminal offence involving a long prison sentence. Instead we have heard nothing from our PM and Home Secretary. Show solidarity by donating to RNLI
RNLI donations page
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Louis 〓〓 @louishenwood.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Over on X, the far-right British Patriots have launched a hate campaign against the RNLI They are recording RNLI volunteers in order to dox them, reveal their identities and publish details of where they and their families live These men are dangerous
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bevevans.bsky.social @bevevans.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Two planned data centres will emit more carbon than the entire UK operations of ExxonMobil - and both plan to build their own gas power stations. Tell Andy Burnham to rule it out! www.foxglove.org.uk/campaigns/an...
foxglove.org.uk
Andy Burnham: no gas power stations for data centres
Two planned data centres will emit more carbon than the entire UK operations of ExxonMobil. Both plan to build their own gas power stations. Tell Andy Burnham to rule it out
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Why were climate protesters who simply planned to disrupt 'vital infrastructure' given 4-5 year prison sentences while masked paramilitary thugs who actually shut down a port and smashed police car windscreens are called 'protesters' who are only doing their 'job' by BBC correspondents?
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has accused the UK government of "Jew hate" following comments made by Ed Miliband regarding Gaza. 🚨Spoiler alert: Ed Miliband is Jewish. Mike Huckabee is not.
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
The benefits of Brexit never end do they? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Sweden confirms 458 Britons deported or forcibly removed since Brexit
Scale of deportations made public for first time amid criticism of hardline approach to UK citizens
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Burnham could not set foot in Liverpool again if he cooperated with the S*n. I'm sure few will mourn the departure from government of a Starmer appointee who holds a conviction under the Sexual Offences (amendment) Act for publishing a pixelated photograph of a sexual abuse victim without consent.
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
This country was built on the opposition to tyranny...so ICE must be abolished.
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HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 05/09/2026
🚨 BREAKING: Patriot Platform, a new far right group launched by Tommy Robinson’s right hand man Daniel Thomas (AKA Danny Tommo) has blockaded the port and several roads in Dover. The masked men are from subgroups of PP, including Sussex, Essex, and South East Patriots Here’s all you need to know.
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Surely C4's undercover investigation showed that Farage's top team *have* broken the law and secretly plotted to undermine our democracy?
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Commissioner for Human Rights @commissionerhr.coe.int · 04/09/2026
For more on #ReturnHubs, read my exchange of letters with ministers responsible for migration policy in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands⬇️ www.coe.int/en/web/commi... Read my OpEd in The Guardian ⬇️ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #migration #humanrights
theguardian.com
Europe is at risk of creating a human rights black hole with its ‘return hubs’ for migrants | Michael O'Flaherty
Without iron-clad legal safeguards, offshore migration centres can only repeat the worst mistakes of the recent past, says the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Or a University of Cambridge inquiry into Orr's appointment following an undisclosed donation to the university by Peter Thiel in 2019. Instead expect a wall of silence and that all press questions will be redirected by the university to Orr's lawyers.
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Pro-Palestine activists who were sentenced as terrorists launch appeal
Barrister representing four who smashed drones at Israeli arms factory says ruling of ‘terrorist connection’ led to heftier sentences
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Behold the "free speech" champions of Reform UK in action. The Guardian’s City editor, Anna Isaac, the investigative reporter Peter Geoghegan and the broadcaster and biographer Michael Crick were told this week that their credentials to cover the event, which begins on Thursday, had been declined.
theguardian.com
Reform UK bans three journalists from its conference after critical reporting
Guardian City editor Anna Isaac among those who had credentials to cover event declined
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Simon Parker @sparkerworld.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
That's not how you pass over a baton so they've got that AI prompt right at Tory HQ.
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Alistair King @alistairking.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Struggling to work out why Jenrick would single out these three Commonwealth countries rather than, say, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, whose citizens have exactly the same rights. It’s a head-scratcher.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
🔴 NEW: Special advisers accepted hospitality from lobbyists and businesses 700 times + since Labour took power Glastonbury tickets, Taylor Swift, UFC fights + more SpAds sit outside the UK lobbying rules. So no one knows what was actually discussed🧵 democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-700-fr...
democracyforsale.substack.com
The 700 freebies: how lobbyists and businesses courted Labour's special advisers
A Democracy for Sale investigation reveals the scale of hospitality accepted by ‘spads’ – and how little the public is allowed to know about it
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
I know this isn't terrorism. You know this isn't terrorism. The authorities know this isn't terrorism. But, once again, they have labelled protesters "terrorists", as part of the long-running programme to ensure that no one dares protest about anything any more. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Seven charged with damaging Trump’s Scottish golf course accused of ‘terrorist connection’
Course at Donald Trump’s Turnberry resort was painted with words ‘Gaza is not 4 sale’ and clubhouse was sprayed with graffiti
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