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@westerneuropean

@westerneuropean.bsky.social
1.1K followers 2.1K following 522 posts

Retired university administrator. Interests include: Climate change, Brexit, UK Economy, Politics, Education, History and Music. Based in Devon, UK

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by @westerneuropean
Eunice Goes @eunicegoes.bsky.social · 7h
Gosh, what news to wake up to. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...
theguardian.com
Brazil’s presidential race goes to second round as Flávio Bolsonaro leads incumbent Lula
Far-right challenger and son of disgraced ex-president Jair Bolsonaro put in a stronger than expected showing, with Lula calling the result ‘unexpected’
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Joel S. @joelhs.bsky.social · 1h
"The version of Zionism the Israeli government put forward is racist" is a completely defensible and true statement. But that's not what the resolution says, is it?
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Cas Mudde @casmudde.bsky.social · 2h
NO! Y’all really got to stop doing this! A far-rightist doesn’t stop being far right just because you realized there is someone further right. Also, they are often not so much “further” right, they are differently far right! BOTH Rees-Mogg AND Tucker are threats to liberal democracy!
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Arthur Snell @snellarthur.bsky.social · 4h
Remarkable the impact a disorganised, impoverished terror state can have on a supposedly secure military installation in one nuclear armed state operated by the world's most powerful country. Hybrid war in action. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/04/u...
nytimes.com
U.S. Rushes to Withdraw Bombers From U.K. Air Base After New Threats (Gift Article)
The withdrawal came with unusual speed, following what U.S. officials said were threats of an Iran-based plot against the installation.
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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 3h
I'm sure this'll go down great at conference. I am absolutely not sure that scrapping an organisation called Natural England will go down so well at the election.
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Peter Murphy @peterwmurphy1.bsky.social · 17h
The UK Daily Mail obviously did not like the results of its own poll. Its own graphic portrays 75% as less than 50%. #UKPolitics #Brexit #EuropeanUnion
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 1h
Same has happened in Britain. Speed with which such extreme ideas have become mainstream is concerning.
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John Springford @johnspringford.bsky.social · 5h
Chinese cars aren't re-exported to the EU without EU tariffs being applied. So this is really about equalising the price of Chinese cars to help European manufacturers (including British ones).
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Alan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · 7h
Each protest costs £150,000 of tax payers money and means there are fewer police on the streets to protect white women & girls. The only consolation is that some of the men most likely to threaten them are part of the protests: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Protesters scuffle with police as migrants brought ashore on south coast
The Home Office said 149 migrants were brought ashore and taken by coach to a processing centre in Kent.
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 1h
When did it become so normalised to describe often far right thugs attacking people as "scuffles" but make out anyone just trying to seek safety is a threat to national security?
The Guardian

Anti-migrant protesters scuffle with police in Gosport after Channel rescue

5 hours ago

BBC

Protesters scuffle with police as migrants brought ashore on south coast

16 hours ago

BBC

Protesters Scuffle With Police as Migrants Brought Ashore

8 hours ago

The i Paper

Three arrested at Portsmouth anti-migrant protest as scuffles break out

3 weeks ago
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Elizabeth Taylor @elizabethtaylor47.bsky.social · 2h
Indeed, the proposers of the motion 1. Refused mediation with Jewish Greens (you can see published correspondence here) greens4palestine.uk/press/publis... 2. Asked their supporters to vote down any amendments which would have done what Jonathan asked
greens4palestine.uk
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Peter Walker @peterwalker99.bsky.social · 6h
The head of Jewish Greens has said she might quit the party, amid growing anger among some members at Zack Polanski for his inaction over the party’s policy motion equating Zionism with racism. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Head of Jewish Greens says she may leave party over ‘Zionism is racism’ vote
Vivien Lichtenstein says she believes motion is unhelpful as anger grows over Zack Polanski’s absence for vote
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Simon Nixon @nixonsimon.bsky.social · 6h
Important intervention
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 3h
Hugely dishonest to pass off a sentence for setting off a bomb as "destroying a camera"
Misleading statement by "journalist" Andrew Pierce
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Jacob Ware @jacobware.bsky.social · 1h
"The Mexican authorities estimate that as many as 500,000 firearms are smuggled from the United States into Mexico each year." America, exporter of gun violence and bloodshed.
nytimes.com
American High School Students Are Selling Guns Bound for Cartels
Drawn by money and status, teenagers in Arizona are buying, stealing and selling weapons destined for criminal groups in Mexico.
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Chris Bertram @crookedfootball.bsky.social · 1h
Just resigned from the @greenparty.org.uk . A pity, they could have been a force to make a serious challenge on Labour’s left. As it is, they’ve actually made it harder to defeat Israeli ethnonationalism. ime, of course. Don’t @ me
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Full Fact @fullfact.org · 1h
A video compilation shared on social media with claims it shows US strikes on 140 targets in Iran earlier this year includes miscaptioned clips which are actually from Gaza and Lebanon as well as multiple fake scenes.
fullfact.org
Compilation video shared of ‘US strikes on Iran’ includes fake and old footage from across the Middle East – Full Fact
The video features clips from Lebanon and Gaza as well as fake content.
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ECIU @eciu.net · 1h
British government ‘complacent about food as a national security matter’ Experts say country does not have plan to feed people in a crisis and is unprepared for future shortages www.theguardian.com/business/20...
theguardian.com
British government ‘complacent about food as a national security matter’
Experts say country does not have plan to feed people in a crisis and is unprepared for future shortages
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Phil Plait @philplait.bsky.social · 20h
Goddammit. The contempt these people have for everything wondrous and good and *human* is so grotesque.
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 7h
Robert Jenrick’s handling of donations to his failed 2024 Tory leadership campaign has come under fresh scrutiny, after the UK donor at the centre of the row claimed that the politician and his senior campaign staff knew about the involvement of an overseas donor. www.ft.com/content/38a5...
ft.com
Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick faces fresh accusation from campaign donor
British businessman Phillip Ullmann says the politician was aware of his relationship with potentially illicit US donor
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David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 5h
France and Germany's position towards China is heading towards the delusional, China may need the EU market but it is the largest trade partner for the majority of the world's countries, not a fly easily swatted away.
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 5h
Agree with Stephen here, this act of self-indulgence by a radical fringe of activists will put a lower ceiling on Green support right at a time when a broader breakthrough became plausible. The sooner it is reversed the better for their electoral prospects.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 12h
"A series of deadly heat waves from May to August overwhelmed Germany’s healthcare and emergency response systems and led to an estimated 16,000 heat-related deaths during the summer, the most heat mortalities ever recorded in the highly developed country."
insideclimatenews.org
Mass Heat Wave Deaths in Europe Show Climate Extremes Are Outpacing Adaptation Efforts - Inside Climate News
As preparedness lags, many regions around the world could be overwhelmed by rising temperatures, climate experts warn.
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Ben McWilliams @bmcwilliams.bsky.social · 5h
Denmark is fast becoming the new Norway. Battery electric vehicles are approaching 90% of new sales. Substantially ahead of the next EU cluster (BE, NL, FI, SE) at 50%. european-clean-tech-tracker.bruegel.org/s/PJ7Luw
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Elizabeth Taylor @elizabethtaylor47.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I will be resigning my membership of the Green Party, as this motion has passed unamended. I’m absolutely heartbroken.
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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
My God. It’s takes something special for me to have more sympathy for Rees-Mogg than his interviewer.
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kaybell27.bsky.social @kaybell27.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
For years I've heard of a large bloke in a red suit flying around in December, being pulled by a herd of reindeer, who breaks into peoples houses, strangely I don't believe that either🙄
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General Boles @generalboles.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Is there a subtle contrast being drawn between who Labour help and who the Tories help 🤔 #CPC26
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MAKS 26 👀🇺🇦 @maks23.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
🤬 Russian Armed Forces' strikes on Kyiv and other regions will be intensified, — Russian Ministry of Defense
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Lawrence Freedman @ldfreedman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
While Russia is struggling to meet its battlefield objectives it is hoping to win by making life intolerable for ordinary Ukrainians. The winter months will therefore be crucial. This will be a severe test of Ukrainian civilian and military resilience.
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Daniel Sugarman @danielsugarman.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Although it feels like I am shouting into the void about this sometimes, I want to share some further thoughts on the “Zionism is Racism” motion which the Green Party is due to debate in the next 16 hours. Just to address various points which I think people in general should know. A thread:
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Alan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
1/2 Dead right www.theguardian.com/education/20...
theguardian.com
Can teaching schoolchildren about Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade remain optional? | Morgan Ofori
Mounting evidence about how slavery shaped Britain shows that teaching about its history cannot be a matter of choice
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Kevin Schofield @kevinschofied.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Quite sad that this is even newsworthy, but there you go www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/reform...
huffingtonpost.co.uk
Reform UK's Nadhim Zahawi Insists You Don't Have To Be White To Be English
His comments put him at odds with his party colleague Suella Braverman.
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
An important thread from the brilliant @joannahs.bsky.social
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Nick Cohen @nickcohen.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
It was worth making Andy PM for this alone. There's no point in a Labour party that threatens our freedoms BBC News - Burnham scraps controversial plans to curb jury trials www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Burnham scraps controversial plans to curb jury trials
The key policy idea announced by David Lammy when he was justice secretary will no longer go ahead.
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Jason Sinclair @jsinclair.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Hammering it into an open goal like Jude Bellingham against a team of 12-year-olds.
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Niall Ó Conghaile @nialloconghaile.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Fascinating chat with a diplomat from a major European country this wee. In short, Burnham's speech has not had a big impact. The position, they say, is that UKG wants broadly speaking full access to the European single market. However: A 🧵
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Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The cope from some Man City fans is that the sham sponsorship income meant the club overstated revenue and so overpaid corporation tax. So they are due a refund! Awesome! Um, no. City paid *zero* corporation tax because they lost buckets of money. The receipts:
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UK in a Changing Europe @ukandeu.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
"The July 2024 general election produced the most disproportionate result in British history: Labour won more than 63% of seats despite winning less than 34% of the vote." ✍️ David Klemperer explains the debate around electoral reform, and how it could be implemented. ow.ly/vQBk50ZTW80
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WIRED @wired.com · 02/10/2026
DHS agents not only tracked and intimidated people observing ICE activity in Maine, but stored information about them in a Palantir-built database, newly unsealed court filings say.
wired.com
ICE Has Been Dumping Protester Photos Into a Palantir Database
DHS agents not only tracked and intimidated people observing ICE activity in Maine, but stored information about them in a Palantir-built database, newly unsealed court filings say.
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Liz Webster 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇬🇧🇪🇺 @lizwebster.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Truly vile. At a public event, Mike Graham mocked Andy Burnham’s father for having Alzheimer’s, less than three weeks after Roy Burnham died and apparently on the day of his funeral. Just the lowest of the low.
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Matilda Martin @matildamartin.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I spent a lot of time writing about the potential impact of Restore earlier this year Things have moved on since 6 months ago when Reform sources were insisting to me that they weren't worried about Rupert Lowe's party... www.politicshome.com/news/article...
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Sorry to be a (Conservative) party pooper, but
centrewrite.brightblue.org.uk
The Keminaissance is a myth. The Tories are still like a weird uncle.
Badenoch’s increasing tendency towards being ‘extremely online’ has led the party to paint itself into an ‘anti-woke’ corner that, to the majority of Brits who do not spend much time online…
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
One aspect of Manchester City story massively underplayed is that England now has an independent football regulator Premier League lobbied against it - even hired Peter Mandelson's lobbying firm Global Counsel Tufton Street think tanks lobbied against it But now the regulator exists - and can act
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Reuters @reuters.com · 03/10/2026
Renault to invest over 10 bln euros in France in EVs, affordable cars, CEO says reut.rs/4j7EfxD
reut.rs
Renault to invest over 10 bln euros in France in EVs, affordable cars, CEO says
Renault Group will invest ​more than 10 ‌billion euros ($11 billion) in France over ​the coming ​years in electric vehicles ⁠and more ​affordable cars, its ​chief executive officer said on Saturday.
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Sean Jones KC @seanjones.org · 03/10/2026
If someone threatens to withdraw investment because they are not getting their way, that does rather suggest that, until now, they have been getting their way.
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Legal C @legalclaret.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I may comment on this further when I have read the sentencing remarks. But there are broadly three considerations for the judge: Why did he do this? What harm was caused by doing this? Are there any mitigating factors in his offending?
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Twlldun @twlldun.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Good piece setting out the law on this case, which has been obscured by rather a lot of quite sensationalist claims
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Pam Spaulding @pamspaulding.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Kudos to TIME for the companion fact check; this could have been 3x as long. One whopper: 😆 What Trump Said: “We're popular [in Israel], like 99%” The Facts: A poll showing a 99% approval rating for Trump among Israelis does not exist... 🧾 time.com/article/2026...
time.com
Fact-Checking What Donald Trump Said in His Latest Interview With TIME
U.S. President Donald Trump sat for an exclusive interview ahead of the midterm elections. Here’s a check of the claims he made.
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Rachel Cunliffe @rmcunliffe.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
History is complicated. Last year, I learnt my grandmother's story. She was smuggled out of Berlin in 1936 as an unaccompanied teenager, to British Palestine. There was nowhere else for her to go. Six years later, both her parents were killed by the Nazis www.newstatesman.com/world/europe...
newstatesman.com
Berlin’s dark past and me
In retracing my family’s steps in the city, I realised becoming German wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
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