iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Stephen Baker

Claire Mitchell @clairemitchell.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

One of my favourite things about the last few days, is stories from trade unionist, artist, environmentalist circles… when the letter started circulating, people realised they didn’t actually know who was a Prod. Cue hilarious conversations. Happily, that’s how many of us in the north live now.

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Patrick Brannigan @patrickjmb.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

"However, it highlights the distress felt among the Protestant community at the “trauma being visited on the residents of the Garvaghy Road after 28 years of calm”." "‘Everybody wants this to end’: Protestant group pushes UK government to end Drumcree standoff." www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

irishtimes.com

‘Everybody wants this to end’: Protestant group pushes UK government to end Drumcree standoff

Standoff entered sixth day on Friday as residents prepare to lodge fresh legal challenge on Monday

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Brendan Hark! T'is nearly Halloween. @brendanjharkin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

The reaction from some loyalists to the open letter from Protestants calling for the OO to cancel the march has been as wild as expected. Particularly enjoying the accusations of fake signatories. UNTHINKABLE that there could be like 60 people having independent thoughts. They're all secret taigs.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Suddenly forcing an exclusively Protestant organisation down the Garvaghy Road has nothing to do with religion. It is purely political. It’s like the P gets dropped from PUL. So, are you executing a “culture war” or not?

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I thought the “culture war” Portadown Orangemen are executing was being carried out in the name of, and underpinned by the notion of a “PUL community”. I’ve always regarded this a myth, a gross simplification & an imposition. But when some Prods said, “Not in our name” the reaction was instructive.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I’m random. I’m not a nationalist! But I’m definitely random.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I'm radiant, Sean. Hope all's well with you.

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Paul Culloty @paulculloty.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Quakers are great - always on the right side of history!

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Louth For Ever 🦋 @louthforever.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Thank you friends. The value of this is deeply appreciated. Thank you. 💚🧡✊🏼

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Rev Karen @revkarensethuraman.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

🚨 Open letter from people of Protestant backgrounds concerning the Garvaghy Road 🚨 We feel compelled to speak publicly about what is happening in Portadown. 🚨Over the past few hours we have collected over 140 signatures. @RhonddaBryant @HMcEntee

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Cllr Barry McKee @barryndgreen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Thankful to have had the opportunity to sign this open letter.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I signed this. “This is a time when all of us committed to a better future have a responsibility to raise our voices to protect peace, progress and a shared society free from sectarianism.”

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Claire Mitchell @clairemitchell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

🚨 Open letter from people of Protestant backgrounds concerning the Garvaghy Road 🚨 We feel compelled to speak publicly about what is happening in Portadown 🚨Over the past few hours we have collected over 140 signatures

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

What's happening at Drumcree is an attempt to terrorise and divide people. It has no other discernible purpose. It offers no hope, no compassion or care. It can't conceive of a future that is anything other than a morbid, interminable replaying of a bitter, fearful past. Enough.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

For families on the road and victims families, this must be awful. What an insensitive, stupid, careless thing to do, to reopen and revisit such a terrible period.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I suppose what I would add is, is unionism capable of envisioning a future for this place that isn't one of bitter division and catastrophe? Why is unionism led by figures who are so hopeless? I mean that in both senses, useless and inept, as well as seemingly incapable of optimism?

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

"If a parade is forced down the road, our peace process will lie in tatters on the tarmac. I suspect this is the point of it all. Some unionists want this." Hard hitting article from @saraita101.bsky.social in the Irish News. www.irishnews.com/opinion/sara...

irishnews.com

Sarah Creighton: Drumcree is a f*** you to nationalism. Is this really what victory looks like for unionism?

If the Drumcree parade is forced down the Garvaghy Road, our peace process will lie in tatters on the tarmac

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Ireland against Fascism @irlagainstfascism.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Gemma is back, spitting truths like a boss. She's not wrong. What a wise young woman she is. Follow her on TikTok @fightingfitwithgemma

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Thoughtful, interesting thread 👇

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Loki @lokideburca.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I've been trying to word my feelings between fascism and AI and this just sums it up beautifully, better than I could ever word it.

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Michael Spicer @michaelspicer.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Most TV is just this now.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Fuck knows how. Universities are struggling to alleviate redundancies on campus for staff.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Lee nails it in this thread. 👇

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Tom Nairn, in the 1970s, referred to Ulster unionism's lumpen middle class leadership. Committed to what he referred to as "Bible fundamentalism and Union Jackery", it was incapable of developing a political intelligentsia that could apply itself to government. It's as true now as then.

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Sarah Creighton @saraita101.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Wallace Thompson on Twitter (former DUP man) summed it up for me

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Jon Burrows, UUP leader "We need to bring out those who stay at home, earn back those who have moved elsewhere and give young people a reason to vote unionist for the first time." Is any of this possible while unionism's de facto leader is Jamie Bryson? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

UUP conference: Unionism 'stands at a crossroads', Burrows to tell party

Jon Burrows will make his first conference speech as Ulster Unionist leader on Saturday.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Every year there should be a "Blue Bin Award" for pyrrhic victories. The equivalent of Dusty Bin, the consolation prize for losers on ITV's old 3-2-1 quiz show.

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Sarah Creighton @saraita101.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Unfortunately Drumcree is now the election. Want to talk about healthcare and housing? Sorry, what's your view on Drumcree. And that is not the fault of nationalists.

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Liesbeth Corens @onslies.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

“If the crisis is caused by the funding model, why are workers only fighting its consequences?” The #UKHE permacrisis needs a national response. tribunemag.co.uk/2026/09/brit...

For years, sector employers, represented represented by the Universities & Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), had already laid the ground for such an escalation: during national negotiations, they repeatedly claimed that casualisation, workload and equality could not be resolved at the institutional level. As the financial crisis deepened, senior managers and UCEA itself went further, arguing that the underlying funding model was unlikely to change and that redundancies were therefore unavoidable. In other words, these issues could not be resolved by institutions themselves, with meaningful progress instead ultimately requiring state intervention.

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Ireland against Fascism @irlagainstfascism.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Danny Tommo slashes a RNLI rescue dinghy with a volunteer onboard who was completing final checks on the boat. This was in the English Channel this evening. I don't know anything about maritime law, but surely that's still criminal damage and unlawful use of a knife. I hope he gets done for this.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Surely, this leads to a prosecution.

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Sarah Creighton @saraita101.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Blueskyers of the Northern/Irish persuasion, look at this site if you want a good laugh this morning securebritishfuture.com

securebritishfuture.com

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Tommy Greene @tommygreene.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Look forward to discussing my forthcoming book 'Troubled Waters' with Sam McBride and others as part of this event on Sunday. Tickets are still available and there's more info at the @shhomeplace.bsky.social event link here: seamusheaneyhome.com/event/a-loug...

seamusheaneyhome.com

A Lough Neagh Sequence - Seamus Heaney Home

Inspired by Seamus Heaney’s enduring connection to Lough Neagh, this special afternoon presents a sequence of events exploring the beauty, fragility and future of Ireland’s largest lake. Experience A ...

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

No one… abso-fucking-lutely no one - is pinning their hopes for a united Ireland on Trump’s support. That some unionists mistook him for their guy, just joins a long list of poorly judged alliances and coat-tailing exercises that unionism has engaged in.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Piddington has a song and an accompanying video. It's called the Battle for Britain. Both music and visuals are Ai generated, which really tells you something about the state of contemporary English nationalism.

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Bex Luther @superbreeze.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

BREAKING: Ed Sheeran to represent Piddington at Eurovision

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Pete Fraser @petefrasermusic.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

In the movie version of this, after Piddington runs out of food water and money as a result of leaving the UK, the residents apply for asylum and end up housed in a military base, with HILARIOUS consequences. www.bbc.com/news/article...

bbc.com

Piddington in Oxfordshire votes to leave UK over asylum plans

Piddington residents voted over proposals to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers nearby

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Dr. Sarah Wagner @sarahwagner.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Northern Ireland watching this 👀

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

“The cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne has given £36m to Reform UK, matching a donation from fellow billionaire Ben Delo.” Taking back control. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.com

Christopher Harborne matches £36m Reform donation of Ben Delo

Party leader, Nigel Farage, ‘humbled’ by contributions from billionaires as Harborne addresses ‘media speculation’

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Form Tom Nairn’s The Break Up of Britain. Published in 1977. 2026. There are men in balaclavas on English streets.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Indeed, UKHE's leadership have for decades played a hand in preparing the anti-intellectual ground for a far right government, cutting staff and courses, attacking the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and striving extinguish critical thinking... And here we are.

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Stephen Baker @stephenbaker.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

The advancing corporatisation and shrinking of so called universities aligns with the anti-intellectual agenda of the ascendant far right. When Malcolm Press, UUK president and other VCs court Reform UK, it's because they are paying homage to who they anticipate will be their new political master.

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