Sign in

wendyn.bsky.social

@wendyn.bsky.social
338 followers 1.1K following 21 posts
PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
JUSTICE @justicehq.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The UK is safer & stronger with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). New paper sets out how ECHR membership supports national security, international cooperation & UK influence abroad. Ft. foreword by Lord Carlile, @bricksilk.bsky.social & Sir Max Hill. justice.org.uk/news/former-...
0107
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Alastair Harper @alastairharper.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thomas Edison in 1910. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves on this net zero business, lads
Someday some fellow will invent a way of concentrating and storing sunshine to use instead of this old, absurd Prometheus scheme of fire.
I'll do the trick myself if someone doesn't get at it....
This scheme of combustion in order to get power makes me sick to think of—it is so wasteful.... We should utilize natural forces and thus get all of our power. Sunshine is a form of energy, and the winds and the tides are manifestations of energy. Do we use them? Oh no; we burn up wood and coal, as renters burn up the front fence for fuel.
We live like squatters, not as if we owned the property. There must surely come a time when heat and power will be stored in unlimited quantities in every community, all gathered by natural forces. Electricity ought to be as cheap as oxygen, for it cannot be destroyed.
Now, I am not sure but that my new storage battery is the thing. 167
214061
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Dan Snow @thehistoryguy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
England is a made up thing. It has no basis in the ineluctable laws of nature. Its extent is defined by Edward II getting his arse handed to him. Athelstan conquering York. The Welsh of Cumbria were incorporated, the Welsh of Gwynedd were not. It is a political idea, an aspiration - not taxonomy.
761734493
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Andrew Cutting @andrewcutting.coe.int · 30/09/2026
❗“The ECHR is not a constraint on British security. It is one of its foundations,” write 3 former Independent Reviewers of Terrorism Legislation👇 🔗 www.lawgazette.co.uk/commentary-a... via @lawsocietygazette.bsky.social “Walking away would not make Britain freer. It would make Britain weaker.”
lawgazette.co.uk
The ECHR is not a constraint on British security. It is one of its foundations
Britain should not be abandoning one of its greatest post-war achievements.
16233
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
David Anderson @bricksilk.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Letter printed in The Times today
8576238
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The environmental costs of AI is mostly in the infrastructure required to build these unwanted sinks, and here are these avaricious ghouls avoiding paying for their environmental desecration.
210430
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The Iran war is speeding up the shift away from fossil fuels. That's one reason I'm hopeful about electrification. I told @news.abc.net.au why, in a piece alongside Fatih Birol @iea.org and António Guterres. 🧵 www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10...
abc.net.au
Unintended consequences of war in Iran are helping the climate
The Iran war is turbocharging global electrification. But experts say the global grid needs to roughly double in size, as infrastructure bottlenecks prevent a clean energy revolution.
610933
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
As long as the Tories are threatening to leave the ECHR, they aren’t a serious party. Consider it the ultimate red flag. Any party who’d take this entirely unnecessary and ruinous risk with our rights and our country’s security and wellbeing should never get its hands on power. (Letter, Times)
Value of the
ECHR
Sir, In dangerous times, serious countries do not retreat into splendid isolation. They build alliances, multiply their influence and strengthen institutions. Key among those is the 46-member Council of Europe, at its heart the European Convention on Human Rights.As former independent reviewers of terrorism legislation we have seen at close quarters that the ECHR is not just a human rights instrument. It is a national security asset. Terrorist networks, hostile states, organised crime gangs and people smugglers do not respect borders. Tackling them requires arrangements for the closest possible co-operation with our neighbours, including through joint investigations and police access to European passenger, fingerprint, DNA and vehicle data.These arrangements expressly depend on internationally agreed human rights standards, applied by a supranational court. We detect no political willingness to excuse the UK from compliance with standards to which the rest of Europe already subscribes. As authoritarian powers grow more aggressive and democratic institutions face mounting pressure, Britain should not be abandoning one of its greatest postwar achievements.
The question is not whether we can afford to remain within the ECHR. It is whether, in an increasingly perilous world, we can afford not to.
Lord Carlile of Berriew, Lord Anderson of Ipswich, Sir Max Hill
Independent reviewers of terrorism legislation, 2001-18
831880685
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
EveryDoctor @everydoctor.org.uk · 04/10/2026
Over the last 3 years, NHS trusts paid nearly £1bn to insourcing firms, 17 of the top 50 owned by private equity. Money for frontline care and staff is lining shareholder pockets off the back of growing waiting lists. Tell your MP to end PE in our NHS: everydoctor.eaction.org.uk/stop-private...
04534
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Jarvis Googoo @jarvisgoogoo.com · 03/10/2026
Amazing editorial cartoon re artificial intelligence by @mackinnonart.bsky.social
191327454
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Joanna Hardy-Susskind @joannahs.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Be under no illusion: this is a significant victory for everyone who stuck their neck out and defended jury trials, day after day, clause by clause. But it is not a comprehensive victory. Magistrates should not be allowed to send people to prison for two years.
16588159
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
So many people already dealing with parents/grandparents with the toxic combination of diminishing mental faculties, online radicalisation via social media and AI slop, and chatbot seduction. Unfortunately we are now all getting to see what happens when one of those cases is the president of the USA
2484136
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Michael Caley @michaelcaley.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
this is by far the best "I quit my AI job over safety concerns" essay yet because it is the first one that is able to talk about safety concerns in practical terms and that understands "safety" as a topic with extensive literature in analogous fields www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Two changes are urgently needed. First: AI companies need to rely more on the safety expertise that already exists in other fields. And second, before we create systems significantly more capable than the ones we have today, we need new science to ensure that more capable models (and their successors) will make safe choices when we aren’t looking.

Given today’s risks, frontier labs need to run like nuclear-power plants or busy airports, with layers of redundancy and careful, time-consuming planning, so that the occasional and inevitable human error does not open a door to disaster. Right now, AI companies don’t know how—but other people do. In a nuclear-power plant, the technical systems and rules people follow are set up so that, if equipment breaks or someone pushes the wrong button, we still won’t risk a meltdown. OpenAI and other labs are growing and deploying frontier AI with far less redundancy and rigor than this, even though the harm from an irreversible loss of control would be much greater than the harm from any single meltdown. Even short of a full loss of control, we could see autonomous swarms of AI agents that act without human permission. Imagine “rogue” agents that work like teams of hackers (for example, holding hospital computer systems for ransom) but never need to sleep.
20737177
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Eugene Vinitsky 🍒 @eugenevinitsky.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
It is frightening to watch white nationalism grow and grow. That such a virulent thing now has multiple billionaire backers, among them the richest man in the world, is not a good sign of things to come
343751
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Time for this classic again.
156164845560
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Steve Jackson @atcherleyons.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The deadline for donations to the appeal to purchase the #Rothbury Estate in #Northumerland has been extended to the end of October - an extra month in which to raise the remaining £2.1m needed. #Rewilding #Nature #Wildlife #Conservation www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/environ...
“We are committed to doing all we can to acquire this Estate in its entirety. We have a clear and ambitious vision for this historic landscape; a place where people and nature can thrive side by side. A place for nature and nation.

“We couldn’t let down all the thousands of people who have supported us by letting this opportunity pass by at the very end. To ensure we raise the funds required we will continue with our fundraising campaign to the end of October, which is our deadline to complete on the purchase.

"To support, our Trustees have agreed in principle to take out a low interest impact loan to cover any funding gap between what has been raised and the total needed. The more funds raised through our fundraising appeal, the smaller the loan will be.”
12011
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 30/09/2026
🚨 We’re calling on Ofcom to open a formal investigation into Nigel Farage presenting GB News shows and whether his programme on 15 September 2026 was within the rules on impartiality ⚠️ Broadcasters are required to present news in an impartial manner, without political bias.
bestforbritain.org
Farage on GB News: Demand that Ofcom takes immediate action - Best for Britain
351035439
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
AshfromEnfield @ashfromenfield.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Show Them ❤️🙏🏽
13321
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
purr.in.ink @purrinink.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
🐾🤍..
A black cat with enormous round eyes holds out a small red heart towards the viewer. Text reads: “A big thank you to everyone who is still putting good things into the world when the world gives us so many reasons not to.” Beside the cat, an arrow points to the heart with the words “For you.”
7665264
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Good Law Project @goodlawproject.org · 03/10/2026
Predators don’t work in a silo. The Epstein files, Gisèle Pelicot, the over 50 students involved in the Cornell scandal - hundreds of men knew about the sexual assaults and abuses. And did nothing. No more silence. No more inaction. Add your name. bit.ly/4jv2tSs
goodlawproject.org
It’s time for men to speak up - and act | Good Law Project
210446
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Peter du Toit @peterdutoit.com · 03/10/2026
The world at ~1.5°C above preindustrial. Fossil fuel usage continues unabated, pushing more greenhouse gas pollution into the atmosphere, so heating will continue. We are *firmly* on track to pass 2°C We are *absolutely* not prepared for the associated climate chaos.
217595
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Jonathan Overpeck @greatlakespecktwo.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Island nations are getting submerged by sea level rise driven by the climate change they did nothing to cause. It’s the wealthy industrial nations that are causing the climate change. It’s us, and it’s wrong to wipe out other nations just so we can burn fossil fuels. japantoday.com/category/fea...
japantoday.com
'We're not giving up': Beset by climate change, island nations act as conscience of a warming world
When Palau President Surangel Samuel Whipps Jr. recently took his children to his nation's Helen Island, two-thirds of it was gone. Rising seas caused by climate change had swallowed generational buri...
094
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Phil Brickell MP @philbrickellmp.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I do think we are at a tipping point now where Delo and Harborne should demonstrate (i) when they registered to vote abroad, (ii) in the UK and (iii) how much time they have spent out of the country over the last few years. They will have this information. Out with it.
thetimes.com
Reform donor Ben Delo had vote in UK while living in Hong Kong
The billionaire who gave Nigel Farage’s party a £36m donation has been on the electoral roll since 2022 but has said he lives abroad
04518
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 28/09/2026
More than 7,500 people have signed our petition calling on Ofcom to take immediate action. Add your name: bestforbritain.org/petition/farage-…
12355169
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 01/10/2026
The green light for the largest coalmine in NSW history is shocking proof that our governance systems are betraying Australians | Georgina Woods
theguardian.com
The green light for the largest coalmine in NSW history is shocking proof that our governance systems are betraying Australians | Georgina Woods
There is no greater treachery than this failure to face up to the climate crisis. How can we now fend off despair? The Independent Planning Commission’s published reasons for approving the largest coalmine in New South Wales history in the context of mounting death, disaster and despair brought on by global heating reads like a hostage statement. In its decision, the commission accepts that the extension of the Hunter Valley Operations’ mine for a further 19 years – resulting 809m tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution – will materially worsen global warming. The panel members cite CSIRO’s finding that climate change is having a growing effect on the lives and livelihoods of all Australians and that the severity of that impact “will depend on the speed at which global greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced”. They reject the idea that keeping HVO’s coal in the ground would make no difference to global warming. Continue reading...
511448
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Parody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I'm sure the decision to hold Danny Tommo on remand will soon be reversed, now that a couple of dozen knobbly-kneed wife beaters in nonce bonnets have walked under an arch.
821133231
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Happy Kicked In The Head By A Horse Day, to all who celebrate. It's the 7th anniversary of this absolute banger.
442230730
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Tom Tugendhat in Sunday Times insists on leaving the ECHR to tackle “soaring” immigration. What a miserable rat. Lying to us all. Betraying our country’s best interests. Threatening to flounce out of our human rights framework, trashing our treaties and torching our protection from abuses of power.
The Tories are planning to make the ECHR a dividing line at the next election. Last week the party announced plans to deport every foreign criminal, apart from those convicted of the most trivial offences, and said their plan for ECHR withdrawal meant only the Conservatives were equipped to take on the problem of soaring immigration. One of the problems withdrawal would create is a legal dispute over whether it breaches the Good Friday agreement, which committed the UK to fully incorporate the ECHR into Northern Ireland's justice system. Tugendhat said the issue had not yet been raised in his conversations with lawmakers in the US, adding:
"There's a lot of work to be done."
79650190
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
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.
631164454
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Julie S. Lalonde @julieslalonde.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
The literacy crisis is not just referring to people's ability to literally read and write. It's also people's inability to read for context. I've been a public educator for over 20 years and I have never, ever seen it this bad.
8146951173
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Hope For The Planet @h4tp.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems recently broke their own previously held solar panel efficiency record with a new solar panel design with 34.4% solar module efficiency. #goodnews
cleantechnica.com
Most Efficient Solar Module in the World — New Record - CleanTechnica
Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) is no stranger to solar power records, and it’s just set another…
0107
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Hope For The Planet @h4tp.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Over the last ten years, green economy companies have regularly performed about 12% better than the rest of the market--if considered their own industry, they would be the third largest in the world. #goodnews
insideclimatenews.org
Green Economy Hits $10 Trillion in Market Value - Inside Climate News
If the green economy—defined as the group of companies heavily involved in environmental business—were its own industry, it would be the third-largest in the world.
0107
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Hope For The Planet @h4tp.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Scientists in China have developed a more efficient form of solar desalination that uses 47.4% less energy than alternatives. After the first year of testing, the scientists believe that at scale it would be able to desalinate water more cheaply than producing bottled water. #goodnews
goodnewsnetwork.org
New Solar Tech Makes Desalinating Seawater Cheaper Than Producing Bottled Water
Engineering teams around the world have been attempting to develop new methods of seawater desalination.
21711
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Hope For The Planet @h4tp.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
A new report affirms that Indigenous lands are so effective at carbon storage and biodiversity protection due to the knowledge and stewardship of the people that inhabit them. #goodnews
grist.org
Indigenous cultural practices are a climate solution, report finds
Indigenous lands are crucial for climate mitigation and resilience. Research shows their health is a direct result of Indigenous stewardship.
0209
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Hope For The Planet @h4tp.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Over 10 years Mozambique has gone from nearly completely wiped out megafauna to reintroducing 39 white rhinos, 22 black rhinos, and 16 other species like elephants, hyenas, leopards, and zebras. #goodnews
goodnewsnetwork.org
Herculean Effort to Restore Mozambique's Rhino Population Succeeds with 61 Animals Moved There
Since then, a staggering 2,540 animals from 16 different species were moved from the neighboring countries into Zinave National Park.
03019
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Hope For The Planet @h4tp.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
It took the world over 60 years to reach the first terawatt of solar energy--but getting from the second to the third terawatt took only 18 months. Estimates have us reaching 9 terawatts in 2036 but solar growth has outpaced past estimates at every turn. #goodnews
optimistdaily.com
The world hit 3 terawatts of solar power faster than anyone predicted | The Optimist Daily
Global solar capacity hit 3 terawatts in early 2026. The first took 68 years. The third took 19 months. Here's what's driving the acceleration.
02821
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Hope For The Planet @h4tp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A new analysis looked at when various green technologies should become self perpetuating. Solar and wind have already passed these tipping points in some locations and we could reach widespread tipping points for clean energy, heating, and transportation in only 2-8 years with supportive policies.
theguardian.com
Climate solutions most likely to reach ‘positive tipping points’ revealed by scientists
Global shift towards clean electricity could trigger ‘cascade’ of progress, helping reduce air pollution, cut waste and revive oceans
13729
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Hope For The Planet @h4tp.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
We now have rigorous pooled data showing that even without active restoration efforts, cleared rainforest can rebound to 75% of their former species composition and 90% of species diversity within just thirty years. #goodnews
optimistdaily.com
Rainforest biodiversity rebounds within a single generation | The Optimist Daily
A major Ecuador study finds cleared rainforests can recover 90 percent of their species diversity in just 30 years, as long as humans leave the land alone.
61097480
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Even the GB News presenter is thrown by his guest's suggestion that all asylum seekers be castrated. This is what happens when the narrative marches ever rightwards. It drifts out of everyone's control and requires individuals involved to suddenly realise 'no wait, f***, that's mad'.
61397143
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Dan Sohege @handle.invalid · 26/09/2026
Labour aren't winning over Reform voters by pushing for anti-immigration, anti-asylum, anti-trans, anti-disabled voters. They are reinforcing Reform's, Restore et al's arguments that marginalised groups are an "issue" and to be blamed for all the ills of the world though. That's not helping anyone.
19221
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Dan Sohege @handle.invalid · 26/09/2026
Labour's immigration/asylum policies are profoundly racist and xenophobic. They embolden far right, undermine international law and violate basic human rights, while being even more hostile than the previous government. They can't be tweaked. They need to be scrapped. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Angela Rayner criticises worker visa plans on eve of Labour conference
The housing secretary says the government's plans to change wait times for permanent residency are unfair because they "change the goalposts".
820065
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Liar. Small boat crossings peaked under Johnson in 2022 reaching 46,000 in 2022. In current year they are 18,565 and falling. Also prior to Boris Johnson's Brexit there were none.
It's a disaster, and it can all be traced to
Labour ideology. Burnham has no mandate
from the people. He has no real ideas, and
no plan,

Johnson on X
23132721209
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Prof Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Climate reality... The UK’s latest harvest figures are another reminder that climate risk isn’t some distant scientific forecast. It's already affecting our farms, our food security and our economy. eciu.net/media/press-...
eciu.net
UK faces worst harvest on record after summer drought: comment
Snap analysis of these yield estimates, including a ranking of where 2026 sits alongside other harvests going back to 1984.
110466
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Astra Taylor @astra.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Forget grandiose talk of curing cancer - this is what AI is actually doing to healthcare. In the words of one cardiologist: “it’s bots fighting bots, agents fighting agents, a horrible dystopic future nobody wants to live in.”
282159854
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 26/09/2026
I wonder if I maybe don't say this enough: the gas-fired data centre boom is *planned* but not *inevitable*. In fact, the plans are fragile, and this petrotech dream only works if everything lands with perfect timing and poise. stand.earth/insights/wes...
Article header from Stand.earth showing a large headline that Microsoft is quietly backing away from a major West Virginia data‑center project, with the site logo and date above and a cropped photo of a Microsoft building and logo.
418573
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Youngy @mancversusfood.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
All this Danny Thommo stuff makes me think of a family tradition we do every Boxing Day, and no its not all going stabbing lifeboats and intimidating lifeguards! Sorry longish thread as its a great story of actual heroes that should make us all feel patriotic.
514565
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
European Movement UK @europeanmovement.co.uk · 25/09/2026
"There are many things you can fight, but geography isn’t one of them." Stella Creasy, chair of Labour for Europe, speaking on Newsnight about how we can form stronger relationships with our European neighbours, especially as geopolitical threats increase.
03512
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
1/ People keep saying AI is inevitable. History disagrees. Plenty of technologies were called unstoppable, and societies stopped them or shrank them down to a niche. A thread 🧵
evitable
adjective
uk  /ˈev.ɪ.tə.bəl/ us  /ˈev.ə.t̬ə.bəl/

able to be avoided or prevented:
He believes that world war is evitable.
Inevitable suffering due to persecution is to be distinguished from evitable sickness.
3313153
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Relatedly: More could be done under existing legislation against platforms that host videos of criminal activity and individuals or organisations who profit from posting videos of crimes they & their members commit. This is also relevant to curbing stuff like dangerous driving video content.
327181
Reposted by @wendyn.bsky.social
Tom Cox @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Why aren't newspapers - even the supposedly conscientious, well-meaning one - encouraging people to see this? It's absolutely vital. Stop giving Farage and other hateful trolls space on your pages. Write about something positive. Use the small influence you still have and be part of the change.
512140