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speckle48.bsky.social

@speckle48.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1.8K following 1.1K posts

Multilayered protections for everyone. Yearning for the days when public health protected public health.

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Reposted by @speckle48.bsky.social
Pissedoffpundit @pissedoffpundant.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
👏💯👏💯👏💯👏💯👏💯👏💯👏💯👏💯👏💯🤔...
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 18h
Super-rich UK energy/food magnates’ wealth skyrockets amid global crises Working-class face soaring prices, worsening climate impacts. Billionaires owning food/energy companies profit from hardship The same class funds political parties, uses tax havens, preaches low wages to workers.
theguardian.com
Super-rich UK energy and food magnates’ wealth skyrockets amid global crises
Analysis has shown the costs of daily essentials soaring in recent years, thanks in part to climate shocks, wars and geopolitical tensions
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 17h
Translated: "It is a matter of time before the financial bubble of AI and crypto collapses like a pack of cards" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
AI boom could trigger market shocks, Bank of England boss warns
Andrew Bailey says the central bank is watching the waves of cash being invested in artificial intelligence "very carefully".
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Northern & proud 👊 @gazlancs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Boris Johnson became PM based on these promises He kept none of them - & knew he would not He lasted 3 years Sacked MP’s that challenged his Brexit Illegally prorogued Parliament & lied to the Queen!!
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 17h
South West Water pleaded guilty to sewage dumping, fined £8m, a decade after the events. Yet govt introduced more deregulation. England's water industry controlled by organisations with criminal convictions. None has licence revoked. No exec prosecuted. Customers fleeced.
bbc.co.uk
South West Water fined almost £8m for sewage spills
South West Water previously entered guilty pleas to pollution offences spanning six years.
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Cornish Skipper #FBPE #RejoinEU 🇪🇺🔶🌹💚💙 @cornishskipper.wsocial.eu · 30/09/2026
“YouGov suggesting Labour could more than double its seat total if it went into the next election promising to rejoin…the influential Institute for Public Policy Research will release a paper calling for the country to rejoin” Brexit is a disaster www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
No 10 gathering evidence on public support for UK rejoining EU
Senior Downing Street officials reach out to thinktanks and pollsters as they look to test backing for reversing Brexit
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 18h
9 years after Grenfell fire killed 72 people, Police pass files to the Crown Prosecution Service for possible charges against 54 individuals and 20 companies. How many will be prosecuted? Years of litigation will follow. Justice delayed is justice denied.
bbc.co.uk
Met Police submits Grenfell Tower fire investigation files to CPS
The force is seeking charges against 54 individuals and 20 companies over the 2017 tower block fire.
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Richest 1% of Britons owns more wealth than the bottom 70% of the population combined. 50 richest families hold more wealth than the poorest half of the population combined. The concentration of wealth in fewer hands has not provided the necessary economic stimulus. Need redistribution.
leftfootforward.org
This is how the Chancellor can increase the personal allowance and lift millions out of hardship
Sustained economic growth can’t be achieved without a major boost to the purchasing power of the bottom 50% of the population
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 30/09/2026
This is promising. The UK could go "all the way" towards rejoining the EU, Burnham tells the BBC. 🚨 EU membership is the only option that delivers £92 billion of growth. The government needs to take us back to where we belong: at the heart of Europe.
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Macron: “Brexit is the biggest lie of the last 30 years. “Those who said, "We will be richer" - eight points of GDP less ten years later. "”We will solve the problem of immigration" - it is more complicated than before. "”We are going to crush it in international trade" - it is worse.”
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Peter Smith @redpeter99.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The go to Opposition spokesman after Sky News coverage of Burnham's speech was.......Nigel Farage. Why?
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
It only feels “radically progressive” because we’ve spent 40 years normalising radically regressive ideas. This was broadly how Britain worked from 1945–79, when average GDP growth was 2.6% a year — compared with 1.9% in the post-Thatcher years. It works www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Burnham gambles on radical progressive plan to help Britain ‘rise again’
PM accepts some of his plan could be difficult and admits he ‘may pay a political price’
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
If people don't want to pay tax to make this country function and help out the rest of society and particularly those who need help most... then maybe they should move to Dubai and stop bleating about it. Really sick to death of it.
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Andy Burnham announces end of triple-lock on the state pension from 2030. It will be replaced by double-lock, slower growth in state pension. Full state pension is already less than 50%of the minimum wage. Poverty awaits future retirees. £500bn of taxes not collected by HMRC since 2010.
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Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
💥 HUGE NEWS 💥 “Ministers say it is ‘not if but how’ the prime minister puts rejoin in the next election manifesto” Exclusive for The Independent.
independent.co.uk
Burnham edges Labour closer to rejoining EU
Exclusive: After Ed Miliband told the Labour conference in Liverpool that Britain’s future is at the heart of Europe, ministers say it is ‘not if but how’ the prime minister puts rejoin in the next el...
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Andrew @andydownie.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
So the BBC continue to quote Farage, who is now bellyaching on about National Security (he is the expert and the only MP quoted - so must be). Oddly enough he’s now silent about the ethnicity of the terrorists.
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The London Economic @thelondoneconomic.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Appropriately for the chancellor, this description of Farage is absolutely on the money 😂
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Cheers, Nigel Farage is crying now
Headline: men arrested near RAF airbase are UK citizens from London
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Times - which has v much joined in the rightwing clamour to reduce immigration - now reporting that Mahmood’s “success” has cost the economy £4- to £7Bn. Would they like to now honestly confirm that fewer people = less spending power for all. There’s a high price to pay for this nasty obsession.
Patrick Maguire
Chief Political Commentator Oliver Wright Policy Editor

Falling migration numbers could cost the chancellor as much as £7bn in fiscal headroom as he writes his first budget, The Times has been told.
Government insiders believe that John Healey, who already faced an uphill battle to balance the books next month, is likely to have an even bigger challenge after immigration undershot projections from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
The Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank estimated last month that the success of Shabana
Mahmood's
reforms, which have cut net migration to the low hundreds of thousands, could cost Healey some £4bn.
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Niall Ó Conghaile @nialloconghaile.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Consensus seems to be that PM Burnham will do *something* on Europe. Still not convinced it will be substantial. And I feel they're still angling to blame Europe for this. But there is no argument about the need, for the UK and for Labour, to change 👇👇👇 eastangliabylines.co.uk/pecksniff/pe...
eastangliabylines.co.uk
Pecksniff: Hey, Labour: we need to talk about Brexit
In which Mr Pecksniff lays before his readers for their approval certain observations and speculations reflecting on the political life
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The chipping away at citizenship, which started with Shamima Begum, is utterly poisonous. Anytime now, Restore will support the removal of citizenship on the basis of race or religion.
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 25/09/2026
A new chapter for London’s buses. I’m launching Buses for London with TfL- the capital’s publicly owned bus company. Starting with Route 6 in 2027, we’ll reinvest profits into better services, safer journeys and a greener network.
bbc.co.uk
TfL announces capital's publicly owned bus company
Transport for London says one west London route will switch to its own operator from late 2027.
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 25/09/2026
🚨 "Sir Richard said the vote in 2016 had been an “unprecedented act of economic and political self-harm”, and the British people should be given a “second chance” to decide whether to be in the EU."
edp24.co.uk
Richard Branson joins call from Tony Blair think tank for Britain to rejoin EU
The Virgin Group founder compared Brexit to ‘swapping an F1 car for a hatchback’.
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Tim Schofield 🌹 @timschofield.org.uk · 24/09/2026
Nigel Farage says an attack on Russia pushing disinformation in the UK is an attack on Reform UK When they tell you who they are, believe them.
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Wear The Peace @wearthepeace.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Actress Susan Sarandon being arrested earlier today for protesting Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the United Nations. One is speaking out against genocide, one is committing it. One was arrested, one was not.
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Financial Times moans about modest trade union reforms, workers rights. Most of the EU has worker-elected directors on boards of large companies. FT silence on low wages, fire and rehire, worker insecurity, undeserved exec pay. Only unions can negotiate with powerful companies. archive.ph/lbOyk
ft.com
Britain’s union reforms are a risk to business dynamism
Labour’s expansion of workers’ rights adds to pressures on the private sector
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Russ Jones @russincheshire.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Good. Now arrest those who were with him for conspiracy, and then arrest those who tried to set fire to a hotel for arson. And then proscribe the group as a terrorist organisation. Which is what you are if you use violence for political ends. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Police arrest far-right activist Daniel Thomas after dinghy slashed in Channel
Thirty-seven-year-old in custody on suspicion of crimes including criminal damage with intent to endanger life
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
No, BBC, he has not been arrested over the video of dinghy slashing. He’s been arrested over the dinghy slashing. Words matter.
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M Meerkat @kackbro.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Good Question.......?
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ET Heisenberg @utdheisenberg.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Eric Cantona has slammed Jim Ratcliffe following his latest comments on immigration. The United legend says he wouldn't have signed if Ratcliffe had been a co-owner of the club in 1992. #MUFC
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Cornish Skipper #FBPE #RejoinEU 🇪🇺🔶🌹💚💙 @cornishskipper.wsocial.eu · 22/09/2026
“Tom Watson’s appointment exposes the increasingly desperate measures the firm is taking to maintain its choke-hold on the British state in the face of increasing public disgust.” #NoToPalantir www.thenerve.news/p/palantir-r...
thenerve.news
The Palantir pipeline: how Peter Thiel's surveillance firm hired more than 30 senior UK officials
The AI company holds £670m in UK government contracts. It has also hired dozens of senior officials from the departments awarding them – raising what transparency experts call an 'acute' corruption ri...
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 23/09/2026
School exclusions and suspensions in London are now half the national average. Keeping children in school helps to keep them safe – and that’s why this progress is so important.
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Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Rebuilding our relationship with the EU “is the cheapest way to boost the economy, the fastest way to unite Europe in the face of security threats and the best way to get leverage on a global system that no longer has an American anchor.” So obvious it hurts. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
independent.co.uk
Brexit has left Britain ‘impotent – a bobbing cork in the sea,’ says David Miliband
Exclusive: Former foreign secretary adds to mounting pressure for a new UK deal with EU to repair Brexit damage
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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 22/09/2026
This is also a lesson for the UK. To stop the rise of Reform UK, the government must improve living standards. EU membership could offer a £92bn boost to our economy. It is not an opportunity we can afford to lose.
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on Friedrich Merz: Germany’s chancellor must change course to halt the rise of the AfD | Editorial
Editorial: A failure to address widespread economic insecurity, and a crisis in living standards, is allowing the far ri
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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
www.thepoke.com/2026/09/22/f...
thepoke.com
The first and last time Nigel Farage dared to face James O’Brien has gone viral again, and it’s still a glorious own
It’s easy to forget that Nigel Farage was once (technically) a colleague of James O’Brien at LBC, before he left the station in 2020 having made inflammatory remarks about Black Lives Matter protester...
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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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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Jim Ratcliffe suspends production at key UK plants as gas prices soar. High prices due to Trumpian wars, profiteering by energy companies. UK squandered the North Sea oil revenues, privatised energy. Govt has fewer policy options but can remove green levies from customer bills. Nationalise energy
bbc.co.uk
Sir Jim Ratcliffe suspends production at key UK plants blaming high gas prices
Ineos said natural gas in the UK is twelve times more expensive than in the US.
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Large part of the UK press has been on the wrong side of history, fuelling hatred, social divisions, supporting authoritarianism. Their support for the current Blackshirts has a history (see below) as they continue to support the far-right stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8672...
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Broken Politics 🌍 @landofbritain.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thanks to years of Tory underfunding, the #ToryBrexitDisaster and Farage's persecution of all immigrants... ...our #NHS is now seriously understaffed. Labour will have to sort out the mess, as usual, and no doubt be criticised by the party that caused it! #ukpolitics #RejoinEU #r4today #wato
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lukewarm24.bsky.social @lukewarm24.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Things that aren't patriotic: - Racism - Moving abroad for tax purposes Things that are patriotic: - A love and sense of duty to your country, including paying taxes that contribute to it
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Oh God, What Now? – the politics podcast @ohgodwhatnow.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The only possible conclusion to draw here is that Sunderland’s Reform council leadership are absolutely fine with racism in football. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Sunderland's Reform Council ends Show Racism the Red Card support
Reform ends Sunderland Council support for Show Racism the Red Card in a row with the charity's head.
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Burnham reappointed Shabana Mahmood. That made it clear that he’s not the man to deal with this.
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nancabell.bsky.social @nancabell.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
It’s not your imagination, groceries ARE much more expensive 😡👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Vet prescription fees capped at £21 under rule changes. Doesn't deal with the real problems. Control of vet services by private equity, local monopolies. Profiteering High charges for treatment PE has overlapping interest in insurance and pet medicines.
bbc.co.uk
Vet prescription fees to be capped under rule changes
Vets must also tell clients if cheaper medicine is available online as part of the rule updates which surgeries have the coming months to bring in.
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Just to be clear, I really want Burnham to succeed. And by succeeding, I don’t mean winning the election - he’ll probably do that, as Farage is a charlatan and being found out, and Badenoch is an idiot - I mean changing the UK’s path away from racism, extremism and negativity. I just see no signs.
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 22/09/2026
London’s creative talent deserves the space to thrive. Through my Creative Enterprise Zones, we’re creating 71,000+ m² of workspace from Hounslow to Hackney Wick, supporting 1,000 businesses and helping 5,000 young Londoners into the creative industries.
lbc.co.uk
London Fashion Week can be the start of a golden era for a sector that keeps the capital prosperous, writes mayor Sadiq Khan | LBC
Yesterday, London Fashion Week drew to a close – and what a week it was.
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“We think it will be of public interest that the most expensive house in British history was acquired in a way that saved £18.5m of stamp duty.” Sold by Reform's treasurer, no less open.substack.com/pub/londonce...
open.substack.com
London’s most expensive house, Reform UK’s treasurer, and a massively reduced tax bill
A £265m mansion in the heart of the Chelsea • Sold by billionaire Nick Candy and his ex-wife Holly Valance • Bought by a Labour-donating hedge fund boss • Why was the tax bill so small?
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thousands of university jobs lost too, and barely a peep either.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Great to see @financialtimes.com following up @lucasamin.bsky.social and @samgelder.bsky.social ‘s excellent reporting on how English police forces are dropping Palantir
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