Astrid
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astridbrand.bsky.social
Astrid
@astridbrand.bsky.social
Love gardening, keeping an eye out on climate, concerned at current affairs
This morning's crisp air is filled with delicious biscuit smells.
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Reposted by Astrid
Prof. Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social with the always-timely rundown of Trump's crimes for the week.

Watch, then share with people in your world who may not know what is happening with this criminal administration.

As always: keep demanding impeachment.
Helluva week in America... here are 5 minutes breaking down some of the key things you should know!

All these actions and more available on www.trumpactiontracker.info

youtu.be/3xjl2U2QteY
Undermining democracy this week in America
YouTube video by Professor Christina Pagel
youtu.be
November 21, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Increadibly good post.
"Europe faces an existential choice: build genuine technological sovereignty now, or accept governance by platforms whose architects view democracy as an obsolete operating system."

authoritarian-stack.info
The Authoritarian Stack
How Tech Billionaires Are Building a Post-Democratic America — And Why Europe Is Next
authoritarian-stack.info
November 17, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Up the Dragon's back today with the kids and the hounds. T'was wet, muddy and very very slippy. I may have come down on my backside, which was very undignified and hilarious in equal measures. #hiking #chromehill
November 8, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Astrid
You may have seen quite a bit of news from Caerphilly today.

But how much have you seen about the Reform candidate’s relationship with Nathan Gill?? Anything? Nothing?

Watch & read @johnsweeneyroar.bsky.social on the trail of ‘Moscow Gold’

bsky.app/profile/then...
"It's democracy, but not as we know it"
Nerve Reform UK correspondent
@johnsweeneyroar.bsky.social
went to Caerphilly on byelection day. Where *was* candidate Llŷr Powell, ex-colleague of Russian puppet Nathan Gill? And what did Plaid Cymru's Lindsay Whittle say?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq83...
Film made by John Lubbock & Daisy Steinhardt
YouTube video by Lyn Cat Irv
www.youtube.com
October 24, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Astrid
Wise from Paul Musgrave... U.S. hegemonic withdrawal and the destruction of the post war liberal international order is proceeding apace and it's not coming back.. we need imaginative thinking about what should come next.
musgrave.substack.com/p/dual-colla...
Dual Collapse
The republic and the empire fall separately
musgrave.substack.com
October 24, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Reposted by Astrid
Thank you to @mrjamesob.bsky.social for having me on, one of the v few people in the UK press to follow this story during what is now a decade of media apathy &/or complicity
lbc.co.uk LBC @lbc.co.uk · Oct 22
‘The threat couldn’t be more urgent and imminent. Yet here we are, still putting our head in the sand.’

@carolecadwalla.bsky.social says it’s ‘peculiar’ that the case of Farage ally Nathan Gill admitting to making pro-Russia speeches for cash isn’t being followed more closely.
October 22, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Reposted by Astrid
🔴 Farage’s new senior advisor has some awful views on Russia and Ukraine
Farage’s new hire won’t help his Putin problem
He’s got a new senior advisor... who has some pretty awful views.
writesbright.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Reposted by Astrid
He moving to the most pro EU country in the Union 🤣
October 19, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Astrid
Is he under some sort of misapprehension that Ireland will be the right-wing paradise he's looking for? 😂
October 19, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Unbelievable! Brexiter and stout EU hater from my village selling his house to move to Ireland, because he does not like what is going on in the UK. I hope the Irish are ready for him.
October 19, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Astrid
It's easy to see this speech as just weirdly performative, but there's a lot more—and a lot worse—going on here.

The meeting & speeches are part of a larger project aimed at promoting the military leadership’s partisan alignment with the administration.

How? 1/
Hegseth: "If the words I'm speaking today are making your heart sink, they you should do the honorable thing and resign."
September 30, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by Astrid
Wow! Nearly 1000 followers already. We are blown away. 🎉

We’re launching on Tuesday and we’d love your support.

Sign up here for free to receive our new biweekly newsletter. Or join us as a paying member of the Nerve community. 🙏

thenerve.news
The Nerve
thenerve.news
September 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Reposted by Astrid
What do you do when your media org is captured? You start your own.

Introducing....The Nerve!!! @thenerve-news.bsky.social

We're all-female, journalist-owned & launching next week.

Please help us build a truly independent, progressive new media!👊👊👊
Former Observer big-hitters inc @carolecadwalla.bsky.social launch new title The Nerve with redundancy payouts

After Observer sale: "We decided to launch a title that the journalists themselves would own, that would be truly independent"
pressgazette.co.uk/news/former-...
Former Observer big-hitters launch new title with redundancy payouts
Five former Observer journalists including Carole Cadwalladr have launched their own culture publication using their redundancy money.
pressgazette.co.uk
September 26, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Reposted by Astrid
Taking paracetamol doesn’t give you autistic babies but voting for Trump definitely gives you fascism.
September 23, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Reposted by Astrid
Die @vbohrnmena.bsky.social und der @bohrn-mena.at fechten gerade einen sehr schwierigen Kampf aus, der allen demokratischen Kräften hilft: sie zeigen was passiert, wenn man sein Recht online konsequent einfordert. Die extreme Rechte baut seit Jahren darauf, dass man das nicht macht.
„Es ist ein lukratives Geschäftsmodell, in dem Menschen wie die Bohrn Menas zu Hass-Clickbait verarbeitet werden...“ - Der deutsche Journalist @alexanderknowledge.bsky.social berichtet für den @deutschlandfunk.de.web.brid.gy über die Klagen von @vbohrnmena.bsky.social & @bohrn-mena.at. (1)
September 24, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Leccinum versipelle cluster on Cannock Chase. #fungus #orangebirchbolete #cannockchase #autumn #foraging
September 23, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Reposted by Astrid
I wrote about the most frightening and dangerous trend in Britain

www.newstatesman.com/comment/2025...
Queueing in pubs disgraces Britain
The practice is unpatriotic and must be banned
www.newstatesman.com
September 20, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Delighted with my haul of porcini and orange capped birch bolete. #fungi #chase #cannockchase #staffordshire
September 20, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by Astrid
1/11 Why is Elon Musk pushing for civil war in the US and Europe?

This thread breaks down how Musk is using his platform, wealth, and influence to amplify far-right movements, incite political violence, and undermine democracy—across continents
September 15, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Reposted by Astrid
last night as i was trying to wind down for bed i had a unified theory of what the fuck just happened, and i wrote it down, and filed it under "well, i can't talk about this on main without sounding insane until and unless the perp gets caught and is provably a groyper"

anyways, great news! (1/X)
September 12, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Reposted by Astrid
Not just a Helldivers problem. You have the same happening in the 40K community, in the Hearts of Iron community, Judge Dredd, Starship Troopers (which inspired Helldivers). They flock to certain games and try to take them over.
This story is a year old and very important. As someone who knows jack shit about right wing references and ideology but knows plenty about gaming culture, Helldivers was specifically attracting fascist freaks even though the devs went to great lengths to explain the concept of satire.
For some Helldivers 2 players, the fascist role-play has gone too far
‘They talk like we’re actually soldiers’
www.polygon.com
September 12, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Rude i tell u, just rude. Found on my walk today. #stinkhornfungus #fungus #dimmingsdale
September 7, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Rainbows.
September 5, 2025 at 5:58 AM