Search results for tag #ukpol
Voting in the UK.
Rumour has it that Labour are keen to introduce compulsory voting, with an option of ‘none of the above’ and a £10 fine for non compliance. I know that Australia uses a similar system. What do UK voters think of it (please boost for coverage)
#Voting #Democracy #WouldBeNice #UKPol
| Hell yes: | 32 |
| Not on your nelly: | 5 |
| Only with a change from FPTP: | 50 |
| Only if ‘none of the above’ mens new candidates: | 12 |
Closes in 2:17:33:27
James Meadway runs a podcast called Macrodose.
I first learned of it via @marjolica.
James has, I think, a vestige of ‘green tech’ naivety to him, but he is in my view a very good economics communicator. I think I’m right in saying he is now actively a Green Party of England and Wales insider.
In my view, he would make an infinitely better UK Chancellor of the Exchequer than the militarist we now have under Burnham.
Who would you advocate for?
RE: https://mastox.eu/@ZackPolanski/116976393421028046
#RentControls #UKPol #UKpolitics #AndyBurnham #Greens #GPEW #Labour #Housing
Esther Payneboosted
By ruling out rent controls today, Andy Burnham has ruled out so much more.
He's ruled out a Labour Government who will work in the interests of ordinary people rather than just the wealthy.
Ruling in that real hope was never going to come from Labour.
Morning, all,
Nigel Farage is introducing America to the Grand Old British Satirical Tradition of ridiculing pompous egotistic politicians by standing joke candidates against them in their 'safe seats'...
From Count Binface, it is but a short step for the USA to embrace The Monster Raving Loony Party.
#USpol #UKpol
#Farage #Trump #GOP #MAGA
#ReformUKltd #CountBinFace
https://youtu.be/duHrANV_Sng?si=CzI_I-Nc558IM6Y0
120 brittiläistä miljonääriä on lähettänyt uudelle pääministerille, Andy Burnhamille avoimen kirjeen, jossa toivovat, että heitä verotetaan enemmän.
Mukana mm. ex-futaaja #GaryLineker, tuottaja #BrianEno ja kirjailija #ValMcDermid.
Kutsuvat itseään #PatrioticMillionaires -nimellä, ja tukevat 2 % veroa yli 10 miljoonan punnan omaisuuksille.
#miljonäärivero #verot #verotus #omaisuus #rikkaat #miljonäärit #UKpol #Britannia #politiikka #veropolitiikka
Unexpected, but not unwelcome:
Millionaires including former footballer Gary Lineker and music producer Brian Eno have written to new prime minister Andy Burnham asking to be taxed more.
In an open letter, 120 well-off Britons told Burnham: "We can afford it. We're not talking about higher taxes on those who get up and go to work for their income every day, but on the very richest whose income is derived from the wealth they hold."
Organised by Patriotic Millionaires, the letter said it would lead to a more equal society, and urged a "devolution of wealth and power from the very richest".
UKPol Misogyny [SENSITIVE CONTENT]
So, it looks like the faux-feminists have decided "she was asking for it" and "look at what she was wearing though" are, somehow, acceptable arguments...
Rowling with her harassment (and upskirting) of Freda Wallace and now Burchill and her comments on Maire-France van Heel (Andy Burnham's wife)...
(both of these are, obviously, on that hotbed of feminist discourse, Twitter and screenshotted and under endless repeat on Blusky)
Who needs patriarchy eh?
Sex Matters, gender policing [SENSITIVE CONTENT]
I saw today that Sex Matters are trying to change the law so that trans people would be effectively guilty of rape under gender deception laws in the UK. The current law on gender deception specifically exempts trans people.
Their clever idea is on their hate site. I won't link to it of course.
Sex Matters are despicable people. On the one hand, they say bathroom policing by appearance is perfectly fine because you "always know". But then they also push for laws like this, because apparently you don't "always know". You can date someone for weeks or months and not know. Maybe you marry them, adopt kids with them, and you don't know.
But if you are in a public toilet, a two-second glance is all you need to "know".
conversion practices, labour party's child abuse bill [SENSITIVE CONTENT]
I could easily allow my hatred of the child abuse party to eat me up. I'm going on a politics diet for the rest of this week.
as smashing and scattering the labour party and all it's financiers and supporters is the most pressing concern facing residents of the british isles. nothing further requires to be said.
In the UK another PM through the revolving door of 10 Downing Street.
Another PM inheriting decaying public services, decaying infrastructure, and social decline and trying to fix things while shackled.
What is he shackled by? He is shackled by the political toxicity of income tax. As were the Tories. The billionaire owned media (you know who they are) and the billionaire funded (owned) political right wing have made increasing tax rates politically toxic.
Hence trying to balance the books by stealth taxes such as not increasing tax thresholds. Bringing more into paying income tax at the bottom end rather than increase tax on those able to afford it.
The new PM came out bold to increase the tax threshold, but without being clear how it would be funded. Then no doubt it was pointed out to him that it couldn’t be afforded.
So the UK has a choice, keep cutting public expenditure, including defence, or face reality the UK cannot pretend to provide European style public services while aspiring to US tax levels.
The charade of cutting tax since the 1980’s has been funded by shifting the burden of public investment to the consumer or by borrowing. That or cutting the investment. Yes there is waste and inefficiency in the public sector but not as much as the usual suspects will pretend.
We have to face reality that the books cannot be balanced without doing something about income tax. Otherwise expect more stealth taxes. Expect the least able to pay to shoulder a bigger burden.
It’s not as if billionaires have a vested interest in income tax is it?
80 years ago, a bomb blew up the HQ of the British Mandate in #Palestine, at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. 91 people were killed.
Ir was planted by the Irgun, a right-wing #Zionist group.
UK Prime Minister Clement Attlee called it an "insane act of terrorism" .Winston Churchill was similarly outraged.
In 2006, on the 60th anniversary, 64 MPs signed an #EDM denouncing the attack. The proposer & 17 others were Tories.
#KemIBadenoch wouldn't allow that.
https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/31213/sixtieth-anniversary-of-bombing-of-king-david-hotel
Plan to restore nature in England by 2030 criticised as ‘completely insufficient’ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/13/england-rewilding-plan-restore-nature-2030-criticised
So.. When did it all go wrong ?
I mean the more I remember the more the current malaise is based on previous events.
I mean the IMF and the winter of discontent gave us the Tory government of 1979.
We got rid of the that at the turn of the century and we were all set for a glorious cultural renaissance. New deal for communities. But then the war started.
The crash hollowed everything out and Brexit spilt what was left into opposing camps.
| Brexit: | 1 |
| Financial crash 2008: | 3 |
| 9/11: | 3 |
| The IMF and the winter of discontent: | 1 |
Pentagon’s ‘FASTEST BOMBERS’ AIRBORNE from UK after Trump THREATENS to ‘HEAVILY’ BOMB Iran’s nuclear site
US strategic bombers carrying bunker busters are heading towards Iran.
(The unconfirmed reports were right, they flew into US bases in the UK to load and refuel).
Video on telegram:
https://t.me/newsvideofa/9340
via @faab64
https://todon.eu/@faab64/116957207149276146
#UK #UKpol #WarOnIran #B1Bombers #Iran #Irannuclearsites #BunkerBuster #Israel #WestAsia #Trump #EpsteinWar
A nice summary by Tomasz Oryński of this parish. Nothing new to many I suspect, but a well written summary for an outsider trying to explain the mess the political system is in.
“Because whenever I try to explain this system to my fellow Poles, the looks on their faces suggest that they are simply waiting for me to reveal the part played by the Knights Who Say “Ni!” in the British constitution.”
https://bylines.scot/opinion/britain-is-a-sensible-democracy-or-is-it/
@Wen It's worse than that. Tomasz writes:
"In 2024, there was a general election in Britain. The #Labour party won by a landslide. About one in three British voters cast their ballots for them, yet they ended up with over 400 seats in 650-seat parliament."
In fact, only one in five British electors voted for the #UKLabour party in 2024.
https://www.journeyman.cc/blog/posts-output/2024-07-06-The-election-and-after/
A new UK Prime Minister is a fresh opportunity to stand up to Big Tech.
We must break the excessive power that a handful of US-based companies have over our lives.
We've joined with partner organisations to end this dependency and unlock British innovation.
Read the joint letter ➡️ https://www.openrightsgroup.org/app/uploads/2026/07/Letter-to-Prime-Minister-Andy-Burnham.pdf
#burnham #bigtech #ai #digitalsovereignty #ukpolitics #ukpol
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Dear Prime Minister, You have inherited an economy that has been quietly wired to serve a handful of dominant US-based technology firms. You also have the rare opportunity to tap into the public mood by curbing their excessive power over the economy and our lives. A critical break with the UK’s current relationship with dominant Big Tech and AI monopolies is core to a successful premiership. The abuse of structural and market power of a small number of Big Tech companies is a root cause of many of the problems the UK public face: huge potential losses in tax receipts because of firms avoiding paying their fair share in taxes, an economy that feels increasingly out of reach for most, the extraction of value hindering real growth and innovation, and meaningful climate action being undermined. Our call to you is not for an anti-tech response, but an anti-monopoly one. Such a position would help unlock the British innovation and growth that these monopolies are currently suppressing.
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Use public procurement as an industrial-strategy tool.
You have duly spoken about bringing "good growth in every postcode." We share that ambition, however a different kind of growth cannot take root while a handful of Big Tech monopolies sit astride the digital economy, extracting value from our communities, returning it to shareholders while harming the environment. Fair competition is therefore not just beneficial to consumers, but one of the essential drivers of long-term growth and the improvement of living-standards. We would welcome the chance to discuss these points further, and to support you in turning it into policy.
The BMA (British Medical Association) review of the Cass Report was misreported in the British press to the point of "misinformation" according to insiders.
Widely reported as accepting the Cass Report and the subsequent actions of NHS England, the review actually raised several concerns and specifically rejected the puberty blocker ban as not supported by the Cass Report.
The British "constitution" is basically whatever you can get away with.
So go on, give yourself a partial veto on #Burnham's new cabinet. Name any 2 people who will be banned from the cabinet.
If your veto sticks, it's constitutional. If not, hey-ho.
You can veto whoever you like. But you will have more impact if you veto someone who might actually be considered for appointment.
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A digital graphic on a white background enclosed in a black border.
At the top, large bold dark gray text reads "YOUR CABINET VETO".
Below thatm centered are two identical, light-gray circular icons containing dark gray silhouettes of heads and shoulders.
Below the icons, the text "CHOOSE TWO NAMES TO EXCLUDE" is displayed in smaller, dark gray capital letters.
"Starmer was a fabricator and a fraud. Good riddance." ~Peter Oborne
"From attacking Corbyn for political gain, to abandoning the key pledges that got him elected, the UK leader leaves office in disgrace."
"The most serious parliamentary misdemeanour that a minister can commit is to deceive MPs. That is exactly what Keir Starmer did when he answered questions fothe last time as PM on Wednesday."
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/starmer-was-fabricator-and-fraud-good-riddance
UKPol, Burnham, fossil fuel, CN allusion to deaths [SENSITIVE CONTENT]
"Burnham to announce plans for new North Sea oil and gas drilling" - BBC News
Well, this is depressing.
Andy. Mr B. Mr New P M.
You know that heatwave we just had?
You know all those people who died, and the amount of chaos from things not working?
You want... more of that?
Al Jazeera: UK by-election sees record 34 candidates as Farage seeks return.
Nigel Farage will face a record field of 33 opponents as he seeks to regain his parliamentary seat in a by-election triggered by his resignation earlier this month.
Tendring District Council, which is administering the vote in Clacton, said the field of 34 candidates is believed to be the largest ever for a United Kingdom parliamentary election
Lacking proper arms-length from the UK government, the ICO hasn't properly supervised public bodies, allowing data malpractices to spread.
This is clear in the failure to take action over the MoD's Afghan data breach, the Home Office's flawed eVisa scheme and HMRC's unjust crackdown on child benefits.
Despite recognising that automated systems expose workers to heightened risks of discrimination and wage-theft, the ICO has taken no enforcement action.
The outgoing Commissioner even backed down to let UK data protection reforms gut our right not to be subject to solely automated decision-making.
The ICO has actively pushed for age verification measures in the UK at the expense of privacy.
This fails to address the repurposing of personal data from age checks for targeted online advertising.
In turn, advertising data is used to drive up engagement, exploit addictions and target harmful content.
The meltdown of the UK data regulator's leadership underscores the need to restore integrity at the top.
This starts with an end to the revolving door of senior staff working for the industries or companies that they were meant to police.
Establishing proper boundaries against corporate influence is necessary.
The ICO needs an overhaul of its regulatory and enforcement posture.
The UK government has an opportunity to restore effective oversight of data protection rule.
It's essential for trustworthy public sector delivery, innovation that benefits workers, and a digital economy that works for the public.
#ico #dataprotection #privacy #gdpr #ukpolitics #ukpol
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5 steps to an effective ICO
Be accountable
Give people the right to appeal.
Put the public first
Make its primary responsibility to enforce the law, investigate and remedy infringements.
Be independent
Make sure it's protected from government interference.
End corruption
Stop the revolving door between the regulator and Big Tech.
Let public interest organisations represent the public
Groups like ORG should be able to bring challenges.
Data protection is key to regulate AI and promote online safety, child protection workers’ rights and public service delivery.
Without proper regulation and policing of data practices, harms ensue, public trust erodes and markets fail.
That's why we need a UK data regulator with teeth.
Sign and share the petition ⬇️
Labour are fucked. It should have been Ed Miliband but Labour ain't here for the Voters, it's here for the Epstein Class.
"More of the same"
#AndyBurnham #ShabanaMahmood #UKPol #UKPolitics #Immigration #Labour #ZackPolanski
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Making Mahmood chancellor shows
Burnham ‘subservient to City’, claims
Polanski - UK politics live
Green leader says expected appointment shows new PM
‘won't challenge the power of the bankers, or tax their
wealth’
Is the UK data regulator is without a head. But its problems run deeper 🚧
The ICO has taken its hands off the wheel by failing to enforce data protection law for a long time.
As the search for a new Commissioner gets underway, the ICO needs a fundamental reset that puts our rights first.
Read our blog ⬇️
https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/wanted-government-to-fix-the-ico/
Yesterday we hosted an event on how the UK can build Digital Sovereignty.
Our panel explored open source and the Digital Commons in creating a more resilient, transparent and equitable future.
Catch up on the event with @jim, @megafreda.eurosky.social and @jmaris.
Watch now ⬇️
https://peertube.openrightsgroup.org/w/vCymXic7CWUNXgY5iXMY99
#digitalsovereignty #techsovereignty #opensource #bigtech #ukpolitics #ukpol
"Foundry is a proprietary product. Some #NHS data analysts told us that all their work on the FDP would be lost if they no longer had access to #Palantir’s platform. This raises concerns over what many experts call “vendor lock in”. Once you start using a Silicon Valley tech company’s product, it can be very hard to move off it – even if you are dissatisfied with the service"
The decision to row back on threats to VPN use in the UK comes after ORG and over 20 organisations issued a joint letter yesterday.
We warned that requiring users to go through age checks or other restrictions “would undercut the security and privacy of millions, without making children safer.”
#vpn #cybersecurity #privacy #onlinesafety #ukpolitics #ukpol
VPNs are safe... for now 🛡️
The UK government has backed down on restricting this vital cybersecurity tool.
Alongside the announcement of a social media curfew for 16 and 17 year olds comes a win for privacy!
Plans to age-gate or restrict VPNs have been dropped, but we're not complacent to future risks.
We'll continue fighting to protect VPNs.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/14/uk-16-17-year-olds-midnight-social-media-curfew
#vpn #cybersecurity #privacy #onlinesafety #ukpolitics #ukpol
UK digital sovereignty, if done right, could ensure we have a thriving software ecosystem.
Ecological digital sovereignty is where digital systems are diverse, interoperable, locally adaptable, and not controlled by any single point of power.
ORG’s @JamesBaker writes for Green Isles ⬇️
#digitalsovereignty #techsovereignty #opensource #bigtech #ukpolitics #ukpol
We must end the UK's digital subservience to US tech.
It has put the systems that underpin our public services and the State at risk of digital ransom from US powers of service withdrawal or data extraction.
We need a Digital Sovereignty strategy based on open source.
Sign the petition ⬇️
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-trump-s-kill-switch-secure-our-digital-sovereignty
#digitalsovereignty #techsovereignty #opensource #bigtech #ukpolitics #ukpol
TOMORROW ⏰️
We're hosting a special event on UK Digital Sovereignty.
We'll explore how the UK can build back control over our digital infrastructure, data and tech with open source.
Hear from @jim, @megafreda.eurosky.social and @jmaris.
🗓️ 15 July
🕧️ 6-8pm BST
💻️ Online
Register now ⬇️
https://www.openrightsgroup.org/events/from-digital-dependence-to-digital-sovereignty/
#digitalsovereignty #techsovereignty #opensource #ukpolitics #ukpol
Today we’ve joined over 20 organisations to urge the UK Government to protect children online without making the internet less secure by restricting VPNs.
Child safety and security aren’t competing objectives – we need both.
Read our letter ➡️ https://www.openrightsgroup.org/publications/joint-letter-protect-vpns/
#SafeAndSecure #ProtectVPNs #vpn #cybersecurity #onlinesafety #privacy #ukpolitics #ukpol
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Protecting children online is an objective we all share. The challenge is ensuring measures strengthen child safety without weakening the privacy and security millions of people rely on every day, including children.
As organisations committed to a safe, secure, and rights-respecting internet, we are concerned by suggestions that the Government restrict virtual private networks (VPNs). VPNs are cybersecurity tools. They help people protect personal information on public Wi-Fi, enable secure remote working, allow students to access education networks safely, and help small businesses protect their systems. VPNs are essential for human rights defenders and journalists, domestic abuse survivors, the LGBTQ+ community, and others at heightened risk online.
The evidence does not support assumptions that young people use VPNs to bypass age restrictions. Ofcom’s research found that only around 3% of children had used VPNs to access content meant for older audiences. Evidence from Australia shows children are much more likely to get around age checks by not being asked, giving false information, or even drawing on a moustache.
Restricting VPNs would undercut the security and privacy of millions, without making children safer. Age-gating VPNs would require everyone to surrender sensitive personal information simply to access tools designed to protect privacy. Blocking VPN traffic reliably is technically unfeasible, and risks blocking employers, schools and public authorities using
Alt...
Children deserve an Internet that is safe, private, and secure. Those objectives should reinforce one another, not come into conflict.
Yours sincerely,
• Amnesty International
• Big Brother Watch
• Defend Digital Me
• ExpressVPN
• Global Partners Digital
• Index on Censorship
• Internet Infrastructure Coalition
• Internet Society
• Internet Society UK
• lnternews
• IPVanish
• Liberty
• Mozilla
• Mullvad VPN
• Mysterium VPN
• NordVPN
• Open Rights Group
• Proton
• Reporters Without Borders
• Stop Killing Games
• Stop Killing Internet
• Surfshark
• Tuta
• VPN Trust Initiative
Sending up the bat signal for the Free Speech Activists!
Something tells me they won't say a thing.
Fergie Chambers, the American activist and heir to the Cox family fortune who has financed prominent pro-Palestinian groups, has been arrested in Spain on a US extradition request alleging money laundering and other offences.
Chambers was arrested on Friday morning on the island of Ibiza. Later that day, he appeared before a judge, who denied him bail pending extradition proceedings.
THEY HATE US BECAUSE OF OUR FREEDOM
They said....
#Fascism #PoliceState #US #Israel #UK #UKpol #Activism #Politics #Genocide
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Pro-Palestine activist Fergie Chambers arrested in Spain after US extradition request
"Entrenching a climate of surveillance across public life."
"People’s faces being scanned without consent and being added to lists is worrying enough, but the speed which Facewatch technology now makes it possible for someone to encounter the police force in the middle of their daily shop is a really dangerous escalation."
🗣️ Sarah Lasoye for ORG.
#facialrecognition #surveillance #policing #privacy #ukpolitics #ukpol
This is the actual #CountBinface talking about #Democracy. He's serious — and very interesting indeed. Strongly recommended.
I want to see this man in parliament.
Could an Ancient Athenian Fix Britain?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m000b4qq?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile
"Citizens of Clacton. Yoiur democratic choices are loading."
#CountBinface launches his first campaign video for the #Clacton by-eiection.
It's impressive. Very high production values.
But I wonder. I'm a very different sorta person to yer average Clacton voter. How will this appeal to the people who have a vote in Clacton?
#GreenParty MP #HannahSpencer to introduce bill on maximum workplace temperatures.
"Campaigners and unions have criticised the fact the UK has health and safety guidance on minimum workplace temperatures but nothing for maximums, despite rising summer heat caused by the climate crisis.
Unison and the Trade Union Congress have called for a maximum indoor work temperature of 30C, or 27C for strenuous work."
Might be worth everyone writing to their MPs and urging them to support this.
Serious article about Farage. And Count Binface [SENSITIVE CONTENT]
How the Clacton by-election, and Count Binface, could damage Nigel Farage - Politics.co.uk
Count Binface, the satirical candidate and self-styled intergalactic space-warrior, has now emerged as Reform’s principal rival. The 2026 Clacton by-election still promises spectacle then; just not on Farage’s terms. Andy Burnham, Britain’s next prime minister, believes Binface is “carrying the hopes of the nation”.
#CountBinface #ukpol
https://www.politics.co.uk/news-feature/2026/07/11/how-the-clacton-by-election-and-count-binface-could-damage-nigel-farage/
#ukpol #binface #binface4clacton
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The classic Girl In The Red Dress meme, only the girl being jilted, with a rather startled expression is the joke candidate for Clacton, and the Girl has been replaced with Count Binface, a very solid choice indeed, raising his hands in V for Victory.
RE: https://theblower.au/@frogglin/116893782631513295
Lol, watching Reform lose it to a man with a bin on his head is some very British Antifascism
RE: https://flipboard.com/@independent/voices-43p8nlc2z/-/a-4eASBq9kQOWu5W_C46cMSw%3Aa%3A1855170754-%2F0
Andy Burham looks like a wegovied Keir Starmer. y’all know how to pickem, dontcha?
UKpol BinPol [SENSITIVE CONTENT]
I’m not so sure Farage has this in the bag. He was expecting to run unopposed and use the media circus to push his fascist agenda and divert attention away from his corruption allegations. Reform have enough support in his electorate that any other credible party would just be subjecting their candidate to Farage’s distasteful politics in the media, with the only reward being a certain loss, because the constituency already rejects their party’s policies in favour of Reform’s rhetoric.
Count Binface really only needs two policies.
1. Count Binface is not Nigel Farage.
2. Electing Count Binface would save the taxpayer from a second £350k by-election.
That’s it. Now Farage in not running unopposed, voters have a second choice, and Farage is going to have to debate and have his policies challenged by a political comedian, who should be able to dissect him like a high school biology project whenever they share a stage.
I understand they’re even examining legislation to allow Count Binface to wear his “head” in Parliament, and the implications of electing a character who would have to appear “in character” as a Member of Parliament.
This is possibly the most entertaining thing in politics right now.
Lolz LBC. In your obituary for Anne Transphobicombe you say she was born in 1974! You transposed the numbers. Everyone knows she was born in 1794.
UKpol BinPol [SENSITIVE CONTENT]
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Photos of Nigel Farage and Count Binface.
Caption reads: Joke Candidate To Face Count Binface in UK By-Election
Binface vs Frogface - you decide.
Only votes for the official candidates Frogface and Binface count, but this poll lets you spoil your ballots and write in the name of some other person.
| Frogface: | 1 |
| Binface: | 56 |
| Boaty McBoatface: | 6 |
| Burnham Aboutface: | 1 |
| Zack Recyclebinface: | 1 |
| Ed Clownface: | 1 |
| Kemi Enochface: | 0 |
The UK and US seem to be teaming up against #protesters, #immigrants, and cheering on #EndlessWar. smh
Not gonna lie, reckon I might have missed my calling with this election sloganeering business.
#colourfulLanguage #Farage #UKPolitics #UKPol
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Vertical drawn image of colourful handwriting reading "BIN FOR THE WIN" one word per line. Each letter is lined in black and scruffily coloured in using orange, yellows and pinks. The letters are in a black bordered box with a darker slightly textured backdrop of green, red, purple and blue.
Dammit, a friend has just told me that "Make every vote Count" is doing the rounds and that is just beautiful.
Support the bin!
"Unlike some politicians with their £5million war chests (and ITV detective series back-catalogues), I'm an entirely independent space warrior. I donated all profits from my London mayor campaign to charity, but I'd love to be able to keep fighting the intergalactic fight. Any amount of support is hugely appreciated. I've got lots of plans for future endeavours. Watch this hyperspace!"
Briain is a deeply unserious country. We're a (usually anyway) soggy little island in the North Atlantic that brutalised half the world a couple of centuries ago and still hasn't realised we no longer control the resultant empire. Our main mode of parliamentary discourse is MPs braying at one another like drunken sheep and we still have statutes about wearing suits of armour in the chamber. And we carry on pretending this is all perfectly normal and sensible, so we need people like #CountBinface to puncture the illusion from time to time.
Count Binface has a dormant account on the Fediverse at:
Getting a few more follows might prod him into posting again? I think it might at least trigger an email from the server to tell him he is still getting followers 🙂
People of Clacton: you HAVE to elect Count Binface to displace Nigel Farage in the by election. Please, please I beg of you. This is your one chance to do something so monumentally funny.
Performing Arts courses in English universities face looming cuts https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/news/2026-07-08-massive-cuts-to-funding-for-performing-arts-courses-planned-news-story-by-jennie-kermode #acting #film #theatre #UKpol
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Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson. A white woman in a blue dress and black jacket stands beside a British flag.
#Farage has lost the #Telegraph!
Daniel Martin, #Torygraph Deputy Political Editor, puts the boot in hard. He basically accuses Frogface of having lost his grip. This is the 3rd article on the front page. See https://archive.ph/So7n5
A few months ago, this would have been unthinkable. The Telegraph would have gone out en masse to bat for Farage, defending their man and savaging his critics.
Something big has shifted on the right of #UKpolitics #ukpol
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A screenshot of a digital news article from The Telegraph website. At the top, the logo reads "The Telegraph," followed by the words "News" and "See all News." The main headline states, "Farage rolls the dice ... but no one else is playing his game," with a sub-headline that reads, "Reform leader wanted a battle between the people and the establishment but may only face the likes of Count Binface and Monster Loonies." Below the text, there is a close-up photograph of Nigel Farage against a background of light blue sky and part of a British flag.
It's only in circumstances like this that a fringe candidate is ever likely to win btw, so I think an earnest attempt to get Binface or whoever polls best against Farage elected would be worthwhile.
Reform is nothing absent Farage and this may well be his end. It'll be good that the national emergency ends if it turns out Farage has broken the law, but it'll sting a bit that Burnham is to benefit from it rather than Starmer.
First as tragedy, then as farce.
No major party is going to stand against Farage in his byelection. Count Binface may genuinely be his primary opponent.
I'd like to see him unseated and would've backed a fight against him, but this will make it seem all the more absurd with only small, fringe parties and joke candidates standing against him.
Though another byelection seems likely in short order when the standards committee rules on him.
RE: https://mstdn.social/@apenkop/116874810639833225
Must watch video.
Two minutes 50 seconds short.
"I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action"
#PalestineAction #gaza #palestine #uk #ukpol #NovaraMedia #DefendOurJuries #censorship #labour #YvetteCooper #KeirStarmer #zionism #genocide
UK Politics, sweary, Farage [SENSITIVE CONTENT]
"I am the most physically and verbally attacked public figure or politician of modern times," says the man who 2 minutes earlier took sole credit for the referendum that led to the death of one MP by a right wing white nationalist extremist.
Fucker.
Burnham should parachute in and stand.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn0v9l9x0g8t?post=asset%3Af66d5886-ed0d-4afa-81d4-5d0713fbed62#post
I don't have Photoshop on this machine at the moment as I'm in the process of rebuilding the sodding thing. So please imagine I've removed the 'o' in 'count'.
Alt...
Nigel Farage's stupid face photoshopped onto the front cover of the Count of Monte Cristo. The title reads "The count of dodgy crypto".
I wrote to them at the time.
They replied.
We now know they lied.
Trouble ahead for US data transfers 🧨
The US Supreme Court has overturned the precedent that Presidents can't remove heads of independent agencies at will.
They've taken a sledgehammer to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework on which the UK also depends.
Read how it makes the free flow of data unlawful ⬇️
https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/the-end-is-nigh-for-us-data-transfers/
#dataprotection #gdpr #eu #privacy #digitalsovereignty #uspolitics #ukpolitics #ukpol #trump
Data transfers to the US have been the centre of controversy for decades.
It concerned the protection of personal data from US mass surveillance programmes.
That's why the EU-US framework requires oversight to be independent in order to protect the agencies' ability to enforce legal standards.
#dataprotection #gdpr #eu #privacy #digitalsovereignty #uspolitics #ukpolitics #ukpol
Alt...
A timeline
2019 – Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT) initiative introduced by Japan.
2022 – Biden signs an Executive Order establishing ␃a mechanism to protect personal data transfers to the US, and restrictions to the President’s authority to conduct surveillance programmes.
2022 – OECD Declaration on Government Access to Personal Data Held by Private Sector Entities.
2023– DFTT endorsed by G7 leaders.
2023– European Commission adopted an adequacy decision for the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, legalising transfers of personal data between ␃the EU and the US.
2025– Trump tries to fire the head of the Federal Trade Commission, Rebecca Slaughter.
2026– Supreme Court overturns precedent of Humphrey's Executor that prevents Presidents from removing members of independent agencies at will, finding the dismissal of ␃Rebecca Slaughter without cause was lawful.
The US Supreme Court has undermined the oversight of data protection standards by letting Trump gut independent federal agencies.
It's a death warrant for the workability of the EU-US framework.
As Max Schrems points out, the invalidation of the US adequacy decision is not a matter of if but when.
https://noyb.eu/en/us-supreme-court-just-blew-eu-us-data-transfers
#dataprotection #gdpr #eu #privacy #digitalsovereignty #uspolitics #ukpolitics #ukpol
UK data transfers with the US come under an extension of the EU-US framework.
If or when the framework falls, so too with the extension. So what could happen next?
The UK's new data protection law allows personal data transfers to countries without independent or judicial oversight of data protection rules.
But this would likely screw the EU-UK adequacy agreement, costing billions.
https://neweconomics.org/2020/11/the-cost-of-data-inadequacy
#dataprotection #gdpr #eu #privacy #digitalsovereignty #uspolitics #ukpolitics #ukpol
The UK must ditch the failed path ␃of technological dependency on the US.
With this knock-out blow for US data transfers, having US Big Tech companies like Palantir running our critical infrastructure will fast become unworkable.
The need for UK Digital Sovereignty is clear.
Sign the petition ⬇️
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-trump-s-kill-switch-secure-our-digital-sovereignty
#dataprotection #gdpr #eu #privacy #digitalsovereignty #uspolitics #ukpolitics #ukpol #trump
"Mandelson allegedly worked with Russia for 35 years to manipulate UK politics
The Telegraph has reported on a secret dossier put together by a former MI6 British intelligence officer which exposes paedo-pal Lord Mandelson as being a “privileged contact” of the Russians.
Former MI6 spy Christopher Steele used to be the head of MI6’s Russia desk. Since leaving, he compiled a report under the codename “Project Fish” which detailed how, for over 30 years, Russian spies saw Epstein’s close confidant ‘Petie’ as: one of the most significant RIS [Russian intelligence services] achievements in manipulating UK politics.
Given Mandelson was one of the loudest accusers against Corbyn making the scandalous claim that the left-wing leader worked for Russia, as we have seen with Zionist Israel, it seems his cynical accusations were potentially mere projections as confessions of his own wrongdoing.
Project Fish suggests that the Kremlin did build files on Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings, Farage and indeed, Corbyn. But it seems only Mandelson came through for Putin’s Kremlin."
,.,.,.,.
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/07/02/mandelson-worked-russia/
In #PlainEnglish: almost-universally-loathed rat of an outgoing Prime Minister commits his successor to taking cash from much-needed road and energy projects to buy more overpriced #wartoys through processes that are proven to be complete crap.
Or "you blew the budget on shite toys with runaway costs, so here's billions to do it again".
Even worse: rat's succesor has probably agreed to this, to let the rat take the heat.
screenshot from https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/30/defence-investment-plan-keir-starmer-labour
#Starmer #ukpol #TheMadCountry
Alt...
A screenshot of a news article from The Guardian website. The top features a dark blue header with "The Guardian" logo and the text "UK", "News", and "UK". Below this is a red subheadline, "Defence policy", followed by the headline, "Starmer warns Burnham not to borrow to fund defence as he reveals £15bn plan". Underneath, the text reads, "PM unveils long-awaited defence investment plan, which he says will mean hit to road, housing and energy schemes" and "UK politics live - latest updates". The bottom of the image shows a blurry, close-up view of a multi-rotor drone.
since a fucking billionaire took control of royal mail, the service has become abysmal - & i don't blame the posties.
if you want it returned to public ownership, here's a gov UK petition for you to sign.
#royalMail #billionaires #UKpol #taxTheRich
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/761287
Early Day Motion 240: Stop the Starmer trans bathroom ban | ukpol [SENSITIVE CONTENT]
With all the Burnham things going on, only a trickle of MPs have backed EDM 240 recently, which aims to block the "Equalities" Commission's transphobic guidance on single-sex spaces.
The following MPs have added their support to the motion since my last update:
Dr Roz Savage (LibDem)
Steve Race (Labour)
Tristan Osborne (Labour)
If these are your MPs, let them know their bravery and integrity is appreciated!
I hope continued public pressure from constituents can bring more MPs on board. You can see if your MP is standing up to transphobes in the link below.
The newest MP, Andy Burnham, hasn't got round to adding his support yet. If he's your MP, let him know how important this is! Heck, if you live in Manchester, let him know that human rights are part of "Manchesterism"! Actually, if you live in the UK, let him know that you want him to be Prime Minister for everyone. Let's keep trying!
😖
Rowing back on the decision to block Palantir from the Met Police is the wrong move.
Palantir should have no place in the UK's digital systems, whether it’s policing, the NHS or defence.
We must completely break our dependency on US tech firms, especially a company powering ICE and war crimes in Gaza.
https://novaramedia.com/2026/06/26/sadiq-khan-backtracks-on-blocking-palantir-from-met-contract/
#palantir #metpolice #sadiqkhan #digitalsovereignty #ukpolitics #ukpol
Filton activists sentenced as terrorists: sentences up to eight years.
The ruling is the first time a terrorism connection has been invoked re property damage.
Why did Palestine Action destroy property at Elbit?
Israel's Elbit makes weapons for use in the genocide, especially drones. Some of the drones make sounds of crying babies in order to lure concerned people outside & kill them.
#UKPol #EUPol #USPol #Filton6 #news #palestineAction #palestine #autocracy .
Report: Israeli military goods imported by UK multiplied by 100 during Israel's genocide.
"Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories has effectively served as a testing ground for military & surveillance technologies later marketed internationally": A “Palestine laboratory” to refine killing systems.
#UKPol #USPol #EUPol #IsraeliCrimes #israeliArms #news #palestine .
Free expression is a human right. This includes the right to receive and impart information.
Children have this right too.
As Scotland's Children's Commissioner said, the social media ban “would not currently be a proportionate, effective, or enforceable way to protect children's rights".
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/scotland-childrens-commissioner-hits-starmer-092635827.html
#socialmediaban #socialmedia #censorship #freeexpression #ukpolitics #ukpol
Report: British Medical Association drops IHRA definition of antisemitism over healthcare workers being punished for expressing their views.
NHS England formally adopted the IHRA definition in October 2025.
The IHRA definition "risks conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism, potentially restricting legitimate political speech & advocacy for Palestinian rights."
#UKPol #USPol #EUPol #news #palestine #fakeAntisemitism #NHS #IHRA .
Report: British Medical Association drops IHRA definition of antisemitism over healthcare workers being punished for expressing their views.
NHS England formally adopted the IHRA definition in October 2025.
The IHRA definition "risks conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism, potentially restricting legitimate political speech & advocacy for Palestinian rights."
#UKPol #USPol #EUPol #news #palestine #fakeAntisemitism #NHS #IHRA .
Social media bans don't work. They just make things worse.
In Australia, for those teens who haven't bypassed the restrictions, their access to news has been curtailed.
How does this square with giving votes to 16 year olds in the UK? Children have rights to free expression too.
ORG's @JamesBaker explains.
https://peertube.openrightsgroup.org/w/crfbePPnNhcKMPQZts5urk
#socialmediaban #socialmedia #censorship #freeexpression #humanrights #ukpolitics #ukpol
The Met Police have announced a major expansion of facial recognition in London.
The use of this flawed and discriminatory tech still lacks oversight, putting our rights on the back foot.
We should be able to walk down the street with a full expectation of privacy and not being ID’d at every step.
#facialrecogntion #police #metpolice #privacy #ukpolitics #ukpol
In 2002, #JamesPurnell was a newbie MP, office-sharing with newbie #AndyBurnham.
James was chair of #LabourFriendsOfIsrael. #LFI took him to #Israel, as he wrote in #TheGuardian.https://archive.is/XP2g5 / https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/dec/12/israelandthepalestinians.jamespurnell
Usual #Israeli #hasbara via LFI. Purnell was on script.
Read it. No hint of a #Palestinian voice. James heard only Israel. 🤮
Now in 2026, #Purnell will be Chief-of-staff to Prime Minister #Burnham.
#Genocide in #Gaza. #Andy's #zionist at the core of #UKgov. 😡
Alt...
Yellow background warning: "This article is more than 23 years old".
Headline of linked article: "Five days in Israel", by James Purnell.
Strapline: "James Purnell MP, chairman of Labour Friends of Israel, visits a kibbutz, meets Ehud Barak and attends a peace conference in Tel Aviv".
Daated: Thu 12 Dec 2002 15.49 GMT
What's next after Starmer?
A new leader means a new approach to UK digital policy is possible. No, essential.
With Andy Burnham all but certain to step into Number 10, we've set out what needs to be reset for the benefit of our rights, our democracy and our economy.
Read our advice 🧵
https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/dear-andy-we-need-a-complete-reset-on-digital-policy/
#andyburnham #labour #digitalpolicy #digitalrights #starmer #ukpolitics #ukpol #burnham
#Corbyn's spokesperson responds to #Starmer's resignation speech.
Text via #NovaraMedia https://x.com/harriepw/status/2069053057418035272
Alt...
"Keir Starmer ends as he started: with lies.
"Corbyn turned Labour into the largest party in Europe, built and funded by half a million people who believed in social justice and peace.
"Starmer swapped political principles for corporate donors - and leaves behind a legacy of broken pledges, grotesque inequality and complicity in genocide. If that isn’t moral bankruptcy, then what is?"
— Corbyn's spokesperson responds to Starmer's resignation speech
RE: https://mastox.eu/@ZackPolanski/116804730423664410
"More Of The Same"
They aren't getting those Green votes back, Labour cannot change
British Prime Minister #KeirStarmer said Monday he is stepping down as leader of the governing #LabourParty & will leave office within weeks, scarcely 2 years after being elected in a landslide. #Starmer says he will remain caretaker prime minister until a new Labour leader is chosen by the party. Starmer is the sixth prime minister in a decade to announce a premature departure.
#UK #Europe #politics #UKpol
https://apnews.com/live/keir-starmer-resignation-uk-prime-minister-updates-06-22-2026
#AndyBurnham has been sworn in as a lawmaker in Parliament, following his victory in a special election last week in northern England that triggered #Starmer’s decision to resign.
Only members of #Parliament are eligible for the party leadership. Earlier Monday, Wes Streeting, another prominent #Labour politician with ambitions for the top job, said he would back Burnham. That made it much more likely that #Burnham will become the #UK’s next prime minister without a leadership contest.
The formal contest to replace #Starmer will begin in early July & could end in a matter of days. Starmer said Monday that nominations will open on July 9 & close when #Parliament breaks up for its summer recess, which is scheduled to begin July 16. The contest will be open to members of Parliament from the ruling #Labour Party. Former Manchester Mayor #AndyBurnham confirmed Monday that he will run to succeed Keir Starmer as Labour leader & #PrimeMinister.
So much for staying on as caretaker #PrimeMinister
#KeirStarmer finally announced his resignation as prime minister, bowing to a long-simmering mutiny inside his #Labour Party. The decision very likely paves the way for #AndyBurnham, a popular former mayor, to become the country’s next leader.
#Starmer, who vowed as recently as Friday not to “walk away” from his job, said that he would only remain in office until a new party leader was selected.
#UKpol #UK
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/world/europe/keir-starmer-andy-burnham-prime-minister-britain.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
@alexadeswift @Ulrich_the_elder @Lazarou meant too green as inexperienced btw and by that I probably mean connected, being too green to talk about #ukpol myself
EHRC Code Of Practice found to be genocidal by Lemkin Institute.
Pressure your MPs to back Early Day Motion 240!
"It is not that we keep getting rid of poor Prime Ministers that is the problem, but that we keep appointing them.
It is an input issue, not an output issue."
Well argued!
#UKpol #KeirStarmer #resignations #lessonstolearnifprimeministerskeepchanging
Social media can offer community for those who don't have support from their families or other sources.
Plus, digital ID checks carry real risks that personal information could be compromised and harm LGBTQ+ people in vulnerable situations.
We say tackle the root cause of online harms instead of banning under 16s from social media in the UK.
Sign the petition ⬇️
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/break-big-tech
#socialmediaban #lgbt #lgbtqia #freeexpression #censorship #ukpolitics #ukpol
“LGBTQ+ teens in particular may rely on social media for crucial information, exploration and support.
The ban will also impact how children access and share information that is important for their participation in democracy, as well as for their health and wellbeing."
🗣️ ORG for Queer AF.
https://www.wearequeeraf.com/youth-social-media-bans-should-raise-privacy-concerns-for-everyone/
#socialmediaban #lgbt #lgbtqia #freeexpression #censorship #ukpolitics #ukpol
This really was it though, after over a decade of the Tories people wanted 'change' and instead they got more of the same. He was the dog who ran after the car, caught the car and then was just hanging on for dear life as it sped away.
You didn't have to be a political journalist to see where it was all going...
#KeirStarmer #Starmer #UKPol #UKPolitics
Alt...
One staffer recounted asking why they had not yet seen a plan to govern, to
be told that there did not appear to be one. “After the win we expected some
sort of blitz of major policies. Instead, we just had the PM going round
‘meeting mayors on a UK tour. There were a lot of people saying: ‘This can’t
be it. This isn’t how you do politics”
That and the blatant lying, they both did a lot of that. I did say towards the end of his tenure that he reminded me of Boris Johnson for the endless fuck ups. He was another one who got the Prize and then didn't know what to do with it.
Will Burnham be the same?
Probably.
#KierStarmer #Starmer #BorisJohnson #UKPol #UKPolitics
Alt...
While Starmer is very obviously a different politician to Boris Johnson, the
two share similarities, notably the repeated and fruitless changes to their top
teams, followed by a creeping realisation that the problem was actually not
the aides, but the man at the centre.
Maybe if you guys didn't measure your PMs in lettuce units they'd have a longer shelf life? How about canned tomatoes?
#UKPol
UKpol: the delayed 10:55 from Manchester [SENSITIVE CONTENT]
"Dozens of photographers, broadcasters and reporters jostled for position at the end of platform 13 waiting for the delayed 10.55am from Manchester."
The Guardian's Matthew Weaver on Andy Burnham's arrival in London today. The perfect first sentence for a novel. Worthy to open a PG Wodehouse story.
Burnham arriving in London Euston is not _quite_ in the same league as the arrival of Ayatollah Khomeini at Tehran airport in February 1979, but perhaps the farcical UK version of 2026? Comedy rather than tragedy?
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/jun/22/keir-starmer-resignation-timeable-andy-burnham-labour-leadership-prime-minister-latest-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-6a3938338f0842d8664ef6c6#block-6a3938338f0842d8664ef6c6
#AndyBurnham #MatthewWeaver #TheDelayed1055 #Platform13 #UKPol
Starmer absolutely killed the Labour Party for us Queers, bending over for the JK Rowlings of the country at the expense of the LGBTQIA community.
Terfs don't win elections, but Starmer didn't care.
#TerfIsland #KeirStarmer #Starmer #Labour #LGBTQIA #TransRightsAreHumanRights #UKPol #UKPolitics
Alt...
One might dismiss the lurch to the right on social issues as a cause of fracturing Labour's
vote by isolating those issues. Trans people are, after all, a very small percentage of the
population. Yet they're not vanishingly small: they have friends and family, and queer
people tend to see their rights as interconnected. Labour claimed 43% of the LGBT vote in
the last election. That had fallen to 25% by May of last year and | suspect it’s fallen since
then (though | couldn't find a more recent figure). If you add all this up, we're talking a
reasonable number of votes. Likewise, those with foreign-born family members number in
the millions.