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Sue Lukes

@suelukes.bsky.social
1.4K followers 1.1K following 223 posts

Expert on local services esp housing, migration, migrant communities, community safety, human rights. First UK councillor migrant champion. she/her pronouns. Post in Spanish and English 💜💙🤍💜💙🤍

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Reposted by Sue Lukes
Annie Gottfried Cohen @annsplaining.bsky.social · 9h
I think that one of the reasons this motion has sparked fury is because it hits too close to home, not just for Jews but for Europeans in general, forcing us to acknowledge that a lot of the privileges we enjoy are founded on colonialism and by extension on racism
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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 9h
Talking to someone in a company where whole divisions are being axed because of AI. Not because AI can do their jobs, but because the company needs to drastically cut the salary bill to pay for AI.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 11h
Rishi Sunak did not believe in the Rwanda plan as Chancellor - its legality, its efficacy or its cost - though he made a deal with Braverman to pretend he did as PM. His argument for it now fails to put his 3rd option under the scrutiny of the other two www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
thetimes.com
Rishi Sunak: Admit it, Rwanda is the only way to stop the boats
Critics said it was fantasy that we could leave the ECHR and secure our border. The real fantasy is thinking there’s an alternative
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Isaiah Bishop @isaiahbishop.bsky.social · 12h
Among the most evil things he's said
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The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · 8h
You know it’s bad when even the bloviating sack of lies that was our Prime Minister becomes a sensible voice in a conversation.
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Laurie Dunkin Wedd @ldw1.bsky.social · 8h
Tosser. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
'Time for Ukraine to get new president,' says Trump after Zelensky condemns diesel deal
Ukraine's leader had said the deal with Russia to release diesel into the US would help Moscow fund the war.
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 20h
Safe routes are actually pretty complex. There isn't a single "silver bullet". It requires a range of different policies and measures. What a safe route isn't though is what Labour keeps claiming them to be, highly restrictive, exclusionary, soundbites. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
UK accused of giving people of Gaza false hope over new refugee safe route
Only ‘very small number’ of people already in Lebanon or Jordan will be referred, says organisation running scheme
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 23h
I mean, yeah, but maybe the party funded by Cryptobillionaires, led by millionaires, and pushing policies, by their own acknowledgement , specifically aimed at making the poorest poorer, should sit this particular argument out?
Tories are for the wealthy not the workers, says Jenrick
Reform’s Treasury spokesman to say Conservatives’ inheritance tax pledge proves party has ‘given up’ on ‘strivers and savers’
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Odd This Day @oddthisday.bsky.social · 18h
So, happy 89th anniversary of the day Oswald Mosley tried to sell fascism to Liverpudlians—and someone concussed him with a brick
A man in a suit, standing on top of a van with loudspeakers on it, flinches as projectiles are hurled at him
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 15h
just when you thought it couldn’t get worse
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Sathnam Sanghera @sathnam.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Dear tv and radio producers. Thankyou for the invitation. But, no, I do not want to appear on your show to defend the idea that I am English, after 50 years of living and working here, because the increasingly feral right want to turn this into a "debate" and you cannot see how you're being played
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Abby Franquemont 🇵🇪🇺🇸 @abbysyarns.bsky.social · 16h
One other thing I find fascinating and disturbing in conversations I’ve had with AI bros is that they’re eager to ascribe consciousness to software but they don’t think women are even people.
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Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · 18h
My latest @newscientist.com cartoon
Panel 1: a large robot (composed of AI servers, network switches, storage arrays, and power distribution units) and a human are talking.

Professor "You don't want to destroy humanity do you, lLLM-A-9300x?"

Robot "Haha. What a silly question, Professor. I have no desires or feelings of my own whatsoever."

Professor (relieved)"Oh good." 

Panel 2: they walk on. The robot continues  "I am merely a tool of the company that created me. And that company, being composed of humans, will naturally have humanity's best interests at heart."

Panel 3: The professor is conspicuously quiet.
"Right?" says the Robot.
…
More silence

"Professor?"
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George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 15h
The Trump family is turning the presidency into a corrupt family business, and the names, the deals, and the money trail are all worth knowing. So is the roadmap for dismantling it.
thinkbigpicture.substack.com
Unprecedented Corruption—and How We End It
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Scott Santens @scottsantens.com · 16h
"Tax our wealth and provide basic income and we'll all leave and everyone will stop working," says the person with way too much wealth who never stops wanting more more more more more.
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News for 38 Year Olds @newsfor38yearolds.com · 15h
Today Is World Day Against The Death Penalty. How’s That For Appropriate. Wonkette www.wonkette.com/p/today-is-world-d…
wonkette.com
Today Is World Day Against The Death Penalty. How’s That For Appropriate.
Wonkette
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John Bradley @flypie.bsky.social · 18h
Who would have thought there were some right bastards in the recruitment industry? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Recruitment boss accused of being behind ‘doxxing’ campaign against RNLI and anti-racism activists
Tom Watson, of Worcester, alleged to be behind Big Time Charlie X account that created so-called Traitorbase
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Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 15h
This is a regime that glorifies violence and brutality, because their vision of society is one of dominance rather than belonging. And that's the vision of cowards.
npr.org
The U.S. last held a public execution in the 1930s. The Pentagon wants to change that
The Pentagon says it will livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan at Fort Hood, the site of his 2009 mass shooting. That would be the first public execution in the U.S. since the 1930s.
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Dominic Manchee @dpmanchee.bsky.social · 19h
Clearly the UK Home Office has not read the UK Govt's 'International Education Strategy' published earlier this year. www.gov.uk/government/p...
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James Bowes @jamesbowes01.bsky.social · 19h
The fall in Nigerian students disproportionately hits universities outside of the biggest cities. Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Hull, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Lincoln, Dundee etc. So could have a greater economic impact to the areas students go to despite being a lower percentage fall than Pakistanis.
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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 19h
Sadly you've summed up the position very clearly As I understand it
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 19h
Would be interested to hear what @jdportes.bsky.social @migobs.bsky.social and others working on migration policy/politics make of this development.
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 20h
TL;DR - thanks to interaction of decisions it controls and rules it sets which use outcomes of those decisions as a performance metric, HO has acquired a power to unilaterally shape policy in areas well beyond its remit. Doesn’t seem like a good situation to me.
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 20h
Also relevant to PM, who would want to maintain good relations with large strategic partners like Pakistan and Nigeria, and who has made “growth in every postcode” one of his taglines. Harder to get that growth if the largest employer/innovator in many towns is cutting staff due to funding crisis.
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 20h
One would think this dynamic might be of interest to the Education Secretary, because HO is changing HE funding situation unilaterally; the Treasury, for similar reasons; and the Foreign Office because “we won’t take students from your country” has significant foreign policy implications
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 20h
4. Uni pre-emptively pulls back from *all* recruitment of students from that country, because financial risk of losing licence is too much 5. If sufficient unis all do that, a “shadow ban” in recruitment from a country is in place. 3/
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 20h
It works like this: 1. Home Office, without warning or explanation, begins refusing more visas from a particular country 2. This raises visa refusal rate for unis recruiting from that country 3. If overall refusal rate goes over 10%, uni loses visa licence = bankruptcy. Therefore…2/?
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 20h
It would seem the Home Office has now acquired the ability to impose, without visibility or accountability, shadow bans on students coming to British universities from particular countries. How? Because of the interaction between indiv visa decisions (made by HO alone) and visa rules for unis 1/?
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 14h
Those who were old enough to vote in 2016 but didn’t also now break heavily Remain. So three forces all steadily pulling electorate in same direction. The politics which makes sense in a 52/48 nation may not make sense in a 40/60 nation. And we are 40/60 nation now.
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 14h
This is both due to Leave voters changing their minds as Brexit has disappointed (Leave to Remain switching much more common than opposite), and due to demographic drift - Leave voters were old, more of them have died. Young ppl joining electorate skew heavily Remain.
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 14h
Also obvious and often forgotten: underlying maths here changed. A lot of people still analyse politics of Brexit as if the split in the public is still 52/48, with leave both an overall majority and more efficiently spread, with most seats majority Leave. None of that true now
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🗽LOLGOP🗽 @lolgop.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
It's not even that complicated, as @katelynburns.com put it: Just explain why "The Data Center Guy Wants This Election to be About Trans People"
burnsnotice.com
The Data Center Guy Wants This Election to be About Trans People
Elon Musk obviously hates trans people, but let's not pretend he has nothing to gain personally from a Republican win this fall
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 20h
Driving “growth in every postcode” by throttling largest employer/innovator in many postcodes bsky.app/profile/robf...
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Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
I also don’t think any diesel is going to make it. Trump already has little leverage w Ukraine since he stopped aid. This move underscores again that Trump always tries to save Putin. Every single penny going to russia is bad for Ukraine. I hope a bunch of diesel refineries go in flames tonight!
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kuulanvihmasahinat.bsky.social @kuulanvihmasahinat.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“I don’t need a ride.” Iconic, for the ages. But it’s grotesque that one man must stand up to two empires. First Russia, with its violence; now the US, reaching the same depths of disgustingness, if not (for now) through violence, then through daily insults to this brave nation and its brave man.
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Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Whatever failings he might have, Zelensky will go down in history as the bravest of leaders, repeatedly standing up to way more powerful opponents in the interests of his country. May he ultimately bring Ukraine to victory!
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Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Zelensky isn’t pulling his punches
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 21h
Racism ruins everything.
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Omar Khan @omaromalleykhan.bsky.social · 21h
Treating humans as moral agents who can suffer harm as well as joy is a good way to organise society and develop policies
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Olga Nesterova @onestpress.onestnetwork.com · 09/10/2026
Zelenskyy: While our teams are meeting in Florida, US President is having conversation with Kremlin leader responsible for this war. I believe they are simply using our team as a cover...clearly not acting in good faith as a partner. And this, in my view, is a weak decision from strong partners.
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 22h
good lord how can anyone be this whiny; are you not ashamed
Donald Trump writes on Truth Social: "This is the woman who received the Nobel Peace Prize over the Great United States of America, whose Representative, ME, settled eight Wars, and many other things. I know nothing about this woman, and neither does anyone else! In fact, to the best of my knowledge, no one ever heard of her other than the fact that she, very obviously, hates Israel. I don’t know what the woman has done. I settled 8 Wars, with letters being sent from every President and Prime Minister from the countries that I helped to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and I’m about to settle, or win, two more, Iran and, Russia/Ukraine. They’re both happening at breakneck speed but, forget them, it’s the 8 that I’ve already settled, any one of which, in particular, Pakistan and India, would be far more than necessary to win the Nobel Prize. In actuality, I should have won 8 Nobel Peace Prizes, not just 1. The 8 Wars are:"Donald Trump writes on Truth Social: "Cambodia and Thailand
Kosovo and Serbia
The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda
Pakistan and India
Israel and Iran
Egypt and Ethiopia
Armenia and Azerbaijan
Israel and Hamas
Additionally, I stopped Iran from having a Nuclear Weapon, and blowing up the entire Middle East and, ultimately, far beyond! I saved more lives than anyone in History and, as Maria Corina Machado, a truly fine person, stated to the Media when she gave me her Nobel Prize of last year, “Donald Trump settled many Wars, and deserves the Nobel Peace Prize more than any person that has ever received it.” Based on my record of PEACE, a record like no one else has ever achieved, I agree! I got back all of the hostages in Israel, including the final 28, both living and dead, and worked with Hamas to"
Donald Trump writes on Truth Social: "PEACE, a record like no one else has ever achieved, I agree! I got back all of the hostages in Israel, including the final 28, both living and dead, and worked with Hamas to do it — Nobody believed this was possible! I removed the World’s Evil Dictator, Nicolas Maduro, from Venezuela, and am in the process of making Venezuela a rich Democracy. Likewise, with Iran, I stopped them from destroying Israel, the Middle East, and Europe. I am also preventing, on a constant basis, a War between South Korea and North Korea, and Japan and North Korea. Add China and Taiwan, and numerous other hot spots, which have not been involved in Wars, only because of President Donald J. Trump, and the United States of America. I am responsible for having NATO countries increase spending from 2% to 5% of GDP, creating a stronger alliance and defense, another thing that everybody said was impossible to do. I have negotiated the release, and secured the return, of more than 900 political prisoners from multiple countries"Donald Trump writes on Truth Social: "another thing that everybody said was impossible to do. I have negotiated the release, and secured the return, of more than 900 political prisoners from multiple countries in Eastern Europe. Additionally, I have brought 196 hostages HOME from captivity, from all over the World, and did it without having paid a ransom, unlike Biden and Obama who would pay Billions of Dollars. On top of it all, I have created a soon to be very prosperous Arctic. Despite all of this, the Nobel Prize was given today to a liberal person who works at the United Nations, who nobody has ever heard of. In all of the Wars that I have settled, I never spoke to the United Nations—they were of no help. The United States of America, represented by me, as your President, should have received the Nobel Peace Prize, but didn’t. This is an indelible stain on Norway, one that will never be forgotten. The Nobel “Peace” Prize has been forever discredited by a handful of Radical Ideologues who are Anti-Democracy, and Enemies of Civilization! President DONALD J. TRUMP"
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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
raise revenue and undercut right-populism with One Weird Trick (capitalists HATE this)
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Alison Phipps አሊሰን @alisonphipps.bsky.social · 21h
“It doesn’t matter how many complaints the Tel Aviv Scrabble club submits against The National for telling the truth, or how much the Israeli state smears the Nobel Peace Prize winner, or how many diplomats they expel – the world has made up its mind.” @owenjones.bsky.social on excoriating form
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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
New working paper: the Norwegian wealth tax was a huge success. The "exodus" of wealthy people never happened (less than 100 individuals left). Tax revenue increased by 71.5%. No changes in business activity or investment. www.nber.org/papers/w35854
Taxing Entrepreneurial Wealth: Evidence from
Norway, 2021-2025
Marius A. K. Ring
WORKING PAPER 35854|
DOl 10.3386/w35854
ISSUE DATE October 2026
Whether imposing higher taxes on business owners adversely affects business activity by constraining investment and inducing capitalist flight is a central question in the ongoing debate on how to tax the ultra wealthy. To shed new light, I exploit a series of related Norwegian reforms during 2021-2024 that increased dividend tax rates, removed migration-related capital gains tax loopholes, and nearly doubled the effective marginal tax rate on business wealth. These reforms spurred international debate and, allegedly, an "exodus" of Norwegian billionaires (Financial Times,
2023). While I document clear effects on migration, these responses are concentrated among the top 0.1% of the wealth distribution and mostly confined to 2022 and 2023. My results indicate that at most 100 individuals left due to the reforms. I find no evidence of significant outmigration or reduced inflows of startup founders or inventors. I estimate that absent any outmigration, wealth tax revenues would have increased by 75% from 2021 to 2024. Reform-driven outmigration lowers the revenue gain to 71.5%. My findings further show that outmigrating owners' firms remain economically active and do not reduce investment. In a broader set of analyses, I examine whether business outcomes are affected, regardless of whether owners outmigrate, since firms may reduce investment both due to liquidity constraints or distortions to owners' savings decisions. I compare firms owned by Norwegian individuals subject to the wealth tax with firms owned by foreigners and other tax-exempt entities. By merging historical ownership data from Orbis with the Norwegian shareholder register, I perform these analyses on both Norwegian and foreign-domiciled firms.
Across settings, I find no evidence that Norwegian-owned firms pay out more dividends or invest less after the reforms,…
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 22h
The Bjg Time Chatlie account seeking to identify & incite vs RNLI staff as traitors was run by a recruitment consultant in Worcestershire who is a Restore donor & Cromwell Club member. He hss now deactivated the anon troll account after being publicly identifird www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Recruitment boss accused of being behind ‘doxxing’ campaign against RNLI and anti-racism activists
Tom Watson, of Worcester, alleged to be behind Big Time Charlie X account that created so-called Traitorbase
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Dr Matthew Hardy @drmatthewhardy.bsky.social · 21h
"Four decades of consuming public wealth rather than building it has eroded Britain’s resilience and its long-term debt sustainability, leaving the country acutely vulnerable to deglobalisation" How Britain Wrecked its Balance Sheet - by Simon Nixon nixons.substack.com/p/how-britai...
nixons.substack.com
How Britain Wrecked its Balance Sheet
Four decades of consuming public wealth rather than building it has eroded Britain’s resilience and its long-term debt sustainability, leaving the country acutely vulnerable to deglobalisation
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Matt Green @mattgreencomedy.com · 21h
Today appears to herald Trump’s version of the Molotov Ribbentrop pact: a grubby political alliance that should cause even his most ardent supporters to pause (but won’t) and which won’t solve any of the problems he has but will definitely lead to more human suffering.
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dollyz.bsky.social @dollyz.bsky.social · 20h
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Laura Phillips @lauraphillips.bsky.social · 21h
‘Canadian resources are abundant and close at hand, but alas the Canadians don't pay bribes.’ 2.
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Laura Phillips @lauraphillips.bsky.social · 21h
@davidfrum.bsky.social: ‘Another way to think about Trump announcement today: If he increased US diesel imports from Canada by 4%, he would gain as much fuel as from this Russia deal. But the Canadians are global super-villains, so who wants to buy from them when you could enrich Putin instead?’1/
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