Adrian Short
@adrianshort.uk
„ייִדן, שרײַבט און פֿאַרשרײַבט!“ -- שמעון דובנאָװ.
פּראָנאָמען: ער/אים. 🕎
פּראָנאָמען: ער/אים. 🕎
Pinned
I'm still waiting for someone of consequence on the British left to very politely say that hunger striking is not a viable tactic to get yourself released from prison or to change the UK's foreign policy, and that the activists doing it would be better off to stop rather than kill themselves.
Reposted by Adrian Short
No electricity. Poor heating. Weak mobile internet at home. −10°C in Kyiv.
Numb fingers, a cold nose, sleeping under two blankets — but no cough yet.
russia is blatantly committing a crime against humanity right in the middle of the best and most beautiful peace talks.
Numb fingers, a cold nose, sleeping under two blankets — but no cough yet.
russia is blatantly committing a crime against humanity right in the middle of the best and most beautiful peace talks.
January 13, 2026 at 2:15 PM
No electricity. Poor heating. Weak mobile internet at home. −10°C in Kyiv.
Numb fingers, a cold nose, sleeping under two blankets — but no cough yet.
russia is blatantly committing a crime against humanity right in the middle of the best and most beautiful peace talks.
Numb fingers, a cold nose, sleeping under two blankets — but no cough yet.
russia is blatantly committing a crime against humanity right in the middle of the best and most beautiful peace talks.
It really needs to be emphasised that leaving X is not just about reputation or "optics" but that it also takes all the images of people on that account's feed out of a system where they can be directly used for abuse. Legally, there's a data protection side to that too.
January 13, 2026 at 2:12 PM
It really needs to be emphasised that leaving X is not just about reputation or "optics" but that it also takes all the images of people on that account's feed out of a system where they can be directly used for abuse. Legally, there's a data protection side to that too.
If only there were immigrant doctors too.
January 13, 2026 at 2:10 PM
If only there were immigrant doctors too.
If a defendant on remand were literally and irreversibly going to die soon, it's possible that a court would free them on bail. Short of that, going on hunger strike as a form of activism or prison resistance reduces the chance of getting bail rather than increases it.
January 13, 2026 at 2:05 PM
If a defendant on remand were literally and irreversibly going to die soon, it's possible that a court would free them on bail. Short of that, going on hunger strike as a form of activism or prison resistance reduces the chance of getting bail rather than increases it.
But it remains that the court should only formally consider the objective risk of freeing a defendant on bail. If someone is so badly incapacitated by ill health, even though self-inflicted, they could argue that the risk is manageable (for now). bsky.app/profile/adri...
The exceptions to granting bail, from schedule 1 Bail Act 1976. I'm sure you're familiar with them.
January 13, 2026 at 2:01 PM
But it remains that the court should only formally consider the objective risk of freeing a defendant on bail. If someone is so badly incapacitated by ill health, even though self-inflicted, they could argue that the risk is manageable (for now). bsky.app/profile/adri...
These defendants' lawyers could attempt to negotiate with the CPS to get them to drop their objection to bail. If that's agreed, they could apply to the court, but the court would still be able to decide either way. Generally, the court isn't going to want to reward hunger strikers in that way.
January 13, 2026 at 2:01 PM
These defendants' lawyers could attempt to negotiate with the CPS to get them to drop their objection to bail. If that's agreed, they could apply to the court, but the court would still be able to decide either way. Generally, the court isn't going to want to reward hunger strikers in that way.
I don't have inside knowledge of this case. In general, the court isn't going to spontaneously do anything about bail. When the defendants are next in court (ie for trial) they can apply for it. They could apply at any other time. But the court isn't going to hear the same arguments more than twice.
January 13, 2026 at 2:01 PM
I don't have inside knowledge of this case. In general, the court isn't going to spontaneously do anything about bail. When the defendants are next in court (ie for trial) they can apply for it. They could apply at any other time. But the court isn't going to hear the same arguments more than twice.
Ban over-16s from social media.
January 13, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Ban over-16s from social media.
They can apply to a court at any time to be released on bail. Government ministers can neither order them to be released nor block their release.
January 12, 2026 at 11:43 PM
They can apply to a court at any time to be released on bail. Government ministers can neither order them to be released nor block their release.
I'm well aware there's a much wider context here. But it literally just does come down to carrying on with the hunger strike and dying, or stopping and hopefully living. No-one's forcing them either way.
If they think that dying is a price worth paying then it will be a price they end up paying.
If they think that dying is a price worth paying then it will be a price they end up paying.
January 12, 2026 at 11:27 PM
I'm well aware there's a much wider context here. But it literally just does come down to carrying on with the hunger strike and dying, or stopping and hopefully living. No-one's forcing them either way.
If they think that dying is a price worth paying then it will be a price they end up paying.
If they think that dying is a price worth paying then it will be a price they end up paying.
You may have noticed a few stories in the news about Israel and Palestine in the last couple of years. It's not as if the general public doesn't have a pretty good idea what's going on.
They can choose to continue or choose to stop. It's up to them whether they think literally dying is worth it.
They can choose to continue or choose to stop. It's up to them whether they think literally dying is worth it.
January 12, 2026 at 11:19 PM
You may have noticed a few stories in the news about Israel and Palestine in the last couple of years. It's not as if the general public doesn't have a pretty good idea what's going on.
They can choose to continue or choose to stop. It's up to them whether they think literally dying is worth it.
They can choose to continue or choose to stop. It's up to them whether they think literally dying is worth it.
Go and ask their lawyers why they haven't made an application for reconsideration of bail.
There are 18,000 people on remand right now in England and Wales. If you could hunger strike your way out of prison there'd be no point sending anyone there in the first place.
There are 18,000 people on remand right now in England and Wales. If you could hunger strike your way out of prison there'd be no point sending anyone there in the first place.
January 12, 2026 at 11:16 PM
Go and ask their lawyers why they haven't made an application for reconsideration of bail.
There are 18,000 people on remand right now in England and Wales. If you could hunger strike your way out of prison there'd be no point sending anyone there in the first place.
There are 18,000 people on remand right now in England and Wales. If you could hunger strike your way out of prison there'd be no point sending anyone there in the first place.
I'm still waiting for someone of consequence on the British left to very politely say that hunger striking is not a viable tactic to get yourself released from prison or to change the UK's foreign policy, and that the activists doing it would be better off to stop rather than kill themselves.
January 12, 2026 at 11:00 PM
They've been in prison on remand for a very long time now. That doesn't happen unless there are charges brought and an application for post-charge bail is denied by the court.
January 12, 2026 at 10:40 PM
They've been in prison on remand for a very long time now. That doesn't happen unless there are charges brought and an application for post-charge bail is denied by the court.
Yes, variously with conspiracy to cause criminal damage and entering a prohibited place (RAF Brize Norton).
January 12, 2026 at 10:38 PM
Yes, variously with conspiracy to cause criminal damage and entering a prohibited place (RAF Brize Norton).
Ministers don't have the power to free them, even if they wanted to. The rest really is irrelevant, however true it may be.
January 12, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Ministers don't have the power to free them, even if they wanted to. The rest really is irrelevant, however true it may be.
Why have they dressed up as the 14 words?
Anyone want to organise a whip-round?
I would but I’m laughing too much.
I would but I’m laughing too much.
January 12, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Why have they dressed up as the 14 words?
Good luck with knowing how the system "really" works. It sounds like the hunger strikers have got about a week at most to get to the bottom of it and somehow persuade ministers through their magical secret process to tell the courts they're wrong.
January 12, 2026 at 9:26 PM
Good luck with knowing how the system "really" works. It sounds like the hunger strikers have got about a week at most to get to the bottom of it and somehow persuade ministers through their magical secret process to tell the courts they're wrong.
I had an adult library card when I was something like 8 years old.
Kemi Badenoch would probably oppose that too by shutting the whole library down.
Kemi Badenoch would probably oppose that too by shutting the whole library down.
January 12, 2026 at 9:19 PM
I had an adult library card when I was something like 8 years old.
Kemi Badenoch would probably oppose that too by shutting the whole library down.
Kemi Badenoch would probably oppose that too by shutting the whole library down.
Reposted by Adrian Short
The creation of CSAM on X is unrelated to whether children use the site or not. So what Badenoch appears to be arguing is that only adults should be allowed to look at CSAM. She’s also implying that that it’s rather judgy and illiberal of the govt to “not like” a CSAM generator
Kemi going to bat for the non-consensual, violent, child porn app formerly known as X.
January 12, 2026 at 9:02 PM
The creation of CSAM on X is unrelated to whether children use the site or not. So what Badenoch appears to be arguing is that only adults should be allowed to look at CSAM. She’s also implying that that it’s rather judgy and illiberal of the govt to “not like” a CSAM generator
Reposted by Adrian Short
Continues to enrage me that so far zero mainstream journalists have written a story about straight up, zero quibbles, white supremacist Nazi propaganda being posted *daily* by multiple, official, US Government accounts. Just fucking crickets.
A recent Department of Labor post uses a slogan similar to the Nazi propaganda slogan "One People, One Empire, One Leader”
January 12, 2026 at 8:59 PM
Continues to enrage me that so far zero mainstream journalists have written a story about straight up, zero quibbles, white supremacist Nazi propaganda being posted *daily* by multiple, official, US Government accounts. Just fucking crickets.
The hunger strikers also have administrative demands (eg to be relocated to a different prison) which are within the powers of the prison service.
January 12, 2026 at 8:55 PM
The hunger strikers also have administrative demands (eg to be relocated to a different prison) which are within the powers of the prison service.
By "legal demands" I mean things that are within the powers of the courts, and by "political demands" I mean things that are within the powers of ministers and/or Parliament.
January 12, 2026 at 8:55 PM
By "legal demands" I mean things that are within the powers of the courts, and by "political demands" I mean things that are within the powers of ministers and/or Parliament.
You're getting the process the wrong way around.
If the CPS decides that they shouldn't get bail then they will oppose it in court. The court will then decide what happens.
The "government" in the sense of ministers has no say in it whatsoever.
If the CPS decides that they shouldn't get bail then they will oppose it in court. The court will then decide what happens.
The "government" in the sense of ministers has no say in it whatsoever.
January 12, 2026 at 8:54 PM
You're getting the process the wrong way around.
If the CPS decides that they shouldn't get bail then they will oppose it in court. The court will then decide what happens.
The "government" in the sense of ministers has no say in it whatsoever.
If the CPS decides that they shouldn't get bail then they will oppose it in court. The court will then decide what happens.
The "government" in the sense of ministers has no say in it whatsoever.
They went out to do direct action and allegedly did things in the process that are illegal in every context. Obviously the activists' motives are political but the specific offences they're charged with in themselves aren't.
January 12, 2026 at 8:51 PM
They went out to do direct action and allegedly did things in the process that are illegal in every context. Obviously the activists' motives are political but the specific offences they're charged with in themselves aren't.