Finn Conway
@finnconway.bsky.social
DPhil Ancient History, Trinity College, Oxford | Hellenistic Miscellany | he/him
Reposted by Finn Conway
Be clear, the American far right are coming for British democracy.
November 9, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Be clear, the American far right are coming for British democracy.
Reposted by Finn Conway
twitter being bought and turned into a propaganda machine for fascism, which is directly pumped into every journalist in the world's brain, is one of the worst things to happen in the last few years. we might not survive it.
I'm guessing the BBC 'scandal' has been big on X this week as this was the first I had heard of it...
November 9, 2025 at 8:17 PM
twitter being bought and turned into a propaganda machine for fascism, which is directly pumped into every journalist in the world's brain, is one of the worst things to happen in the last few years. we might not survive it.
Reposted by Finn Conway
This is also yet another case which even a few years ago would have been universally recognised as scandalously disqualifying even on the British right. Actual popular views haven’t shifted since then, but British elites have baked their brains on Twitter so they think this repulsive bile is normal
October 18, 2025 at 8:24 AM
This is also yet another case which even a few years ago would have been universally recognised as scandalously disqualifying even on the British right. Actual popular views haven’t shifted since then, but British elites have baked their brains on Twitter so they think this repulsive bile is normal
Today in absurd Oxfordshire planning disputes
October 7, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Today in absurd Oxfordshire planning disputes
Reposted by Finn Conway
Maybe - just a crazy idea, but bear with me for a moment! - the reason why the Lib Dems should not “get serious“ is that the UK’s most important media organisation covers politics in babytalk so much of the time?
September 21, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Maybe - just a crazy idea, but bear with me for a moment! - the reason why the Lib Dems should not “get serious“ is that the UK’s most important media organisation covers politics in babytalk so much of the time?
Reposted by Finn Conway
(I think a lot of the BBC’s written output can likely be explained by them interpreting “need to write for a reading age of seven” as ”need to write for a moron with an adult reading age”.)
September 21, 2025 at 7:55 AM
(I think a lot of the BBC’s written output can likely be explained by them interpreting “need to write for a reading age of seven” as ”need to write for a moron with an adult reading age”.)
Reposted by Finn Conway
That is the point of a university you fucker.
September 19, 2025 at 7:52 PM
That is the point of a university you fucker.
Genuinely, how do I get the job as "guy who makes miniature displays for museums", because I think it would be great
September 18, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Genuinely, how do I get the job as "guy who makes miniature displays for museums", because I think it would be great
Reposted by Finn Conway
All political tribes can be hypocritical but the right's current level of hypocrisy on free speech is deliberate. It's an assertion of power not a blindspot.
September 18, 2025 at 7:19 AM
All political tribes can be hypocritical but the right's current level of hypocrisy on free speech is deliberate. It's an assertion of power not a blindspot.
Reposted by Finn Conway
think if you're broadly a centrist and were suuuuuper concerned about attacks on free speech from the left and so you decided to give the right a hearing then you need to realise you were taken for QUITE the ride (and don't really have anyone to blame but yourself)
September 18, 2025 at 6:55 AM
think if you're broadly a centrist and were suuuuuper concerned about attacks on free speech from the left and so you decided to give the right a hearing then you need to realise you were taken for QUITE the ride (and don't really have anyone to blame but yourself)
I have to wonder what the hardware store owner thought of me this morning when I, very obviously an English tourist in a resort town, arrived in his shop to buy a tape measure at 8:30 — can't happen very often, but we do need adequate tools for epigraphy
September 17, 2025 at 4:57 PM
I have to wonder what the hardware store owner thought of me this morning when I, very obviously an English tourist in a resort town, arrived in his shop to buy a tape measure at 8:30 — can't happen very often, but we do need adequate tools for epigraphy
Reposted by Finn Conway
If I had a penny for every time a British politician had a 4-letter first name that begins with “Ke”, led one of the two largest parties in parliament, and was utterly unsuited to a moment of rising fascism, I’d have two pennies. Which isn’t much, but that I got them at the same time is distressing
Kemi Badenoch refusing to acknowledge that Tommy Robinson is "far-right", now on LBC, and refusing to condemn Elon Musk's words. In fact she says what Musk said *isn't* incitement. So what would be incitement then? How violent would his words have to be before he was deemed a threat to this country?
September 16, 2025 at 7:56 PM
If I had a penny for every time a British politician had a 4-letter first name that begins with “Ke”, led one of the two largest parties in parliament, and was utterly unsuited to a moment of rising fascism, I’d have two pennies. Which isn’t much, but that I got them at the same time is distressing
Reposted by Finn Conway
This is a step in the right direction, but it isn't enough.
The issue here isn't an isolated statement, but that Musk is waging a concerted campaign (in part through exploiting his control of X) to foment ethnic and political violence in the UK in the apparent hope of overthrowing the government.
The issue here isn't an isolated statement, but that Musk is waging a concerted campaign (in part through exploiting his control of X) to foment ethnic and political violence in the UK in the apparent hope of overthrowing the government.
Amol Rajan: Do you condemn Musk's words on Saturday?
Jacqui Smith: "Absolutely I do. Those words were wrong & they were dangerous… For Elon Musk to talk about violence in our political system… is wholly unacceptable."
Good to hear a minister speak out at last. This should have happened much sooner
Jacqui Smith: "Absolutely I do. Those words were wrong & they were dangerous… For Elon Musk to talk about violence in our political system… is wholly unacceptable."
Good to hear a minister speak out at last. This should have happened much sooner
September 15, 2025 at 7:59 AM
This is a step in the right direction, but it isn't enough.
The issue here isn't an isolated statement, but that Musk is waging a concerted campaign (in part through exploiting his control of X) to foment ethnic and political violence in the UK in the apparent hope of overthrowing the government.
The issue here isn't an isolated statement, but that Musk is waging a concerted campaign (in part through exploiting his control of X) to foment ethnic and political violence in the UK in the apparent hope of overthrowing the government.
Paid an impromptu visit to Airai yesterday to get the lay of the land and see if we couldn't find anything
As it happens, we couldn't find anything, but interesting to see traces of old structures on the peninsula nonetheless
As it happens, we couldn't find anything, but interesting to see traces of old structures on the peninsula nonetheless
September 15, 2025 at 5:50 AM
Paid an impromptu visit to Airai yesterday to get the lay of the land and see if we couldn't find anything
As it happens, we couldn't find anything, but interesting to see traces of old structures on the peninsula nonetheless
As it happens, we couldn't find anything, but interesting to see traces of old structures on the peninsula nonetheless
Reposted by Finn Conway
When Ted Heath sacked Enoch Powell he was acting in the face of a majority in favour. Harold Wilson backed him up and called the speech “evil”. Long past time for Keir and Kemi to do the same.
September 13, 2025 at 8:32 PM
When Ted Heath sacked Enoch Powell he was acting in the face of a majority in favour. Harold Wilson backed him up and called the speech “evil”. Long past time for Keir and Kemi to do the same.
Reposted by Finn Conway
Keep thinking of arguments for why it would be completely insane to dump a prime minister with a huge majority just 14 months in, and also about how if he's not going to say a single word in opposition to the kind of shit we saw today then I no longer feel convinced by any of those arguments.
September 13, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Keep thinking of arguments for why it would be completely insane to dump a prime minister with a huge majority just 14 months in, and also about how if he's not going to say a single word in opposition to the kind of shit we saw today then I no longer feel convinced by any of those arguments.
Reposted by Finn Conway
As a colleague mentioned yesterday, Gamergate is one of the five most significant developments in US politics since the Cold War
September 13, 2025 at 9:53 AM
As a colleague mentioned yesterday, Gamergate is one of the five most significant developments in US politics since the Cold War
[guy who's just successfully caught a dolmuş voice] You could say I'm actually pretty much a Çeşme local now, yeah
September 13, 2025 at 2:52 PM
[guy who's just successfully caught a dolmuş voice] You could say I'm actually pretty much a Çeşme local now, yeah
Reposted by Finn Conway
Laurie Magnus: Rayner acted "in good faith", had "the intention to pay all appropriate taxes", "was twice informed in writing" that the lower rate was due, "sought quickly to correct the mistake", "acted with integrity", but didn't seek expert advice.
That was a mistake. But I find this much worse⬇️
That was a mistake. But I find this much worse⬇️
Farage uses tax avoidance vehicles meaning he paid only 25% corporation tax on profits, instead of 40% income tax, but his supporters see this as a virtue and of course there's a very legal difference between this kind of avoidance and evasion www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Nigel Farage uses private company to pay less tax on GB News earnings
Exclusive: Reform leader’s use of personal services firm is a practice criticised across the political spectrum
www.theguardian.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Laurie Magnus: Rayner acted "in good faith", had "the intention to pay all appropriate taxes", "was twice informed in writing" that the lower rate was due, "sought quickly to correct the mistake", "acted with integrity", but didn't seek expert advice.
That was a mistake. But I find this much worse⬇️
That was a mistake. But I find this much worse⬇️
Reposted by Finn Conway
get why she had to go but irksome she lost her job to something quite complex and, let's be honest, reasonably minor in the grand scheme of things, when shadow cabinet members get to merrily hang out with Eddie Swastika without any repercussions
September 5, 2025 at 12:00 PM
get why she had to go but irksome she lost her job to something quite complex and, let's be honest, reasonably minor in the grand scheme of things, when shadow cabinet members get to merrily hang out with Eddie Swastika without any repercussions
Reposted by Finn Conway
Indeed. Sorry, the core people behind the last year are not liberals! They use the word as a pejorative! Need to accept that if you want social liberalism you are in the business of building coalitions with actual liberals, not wishcasting!
September 5, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Indeed. Sorry, the core people behind the last year are not liberals! They use the word as a pejorative! Need to accept that if you want social liberalism you are in the business of building coalitions with actual liberals, not wishcasting!
Reposted by Finn Conway
I think she probably did have to go, but I’m still gonna be fucking bitter about the right-wing press scoring a win
September 5, 2025 at 11:22 AM
I think she probably did have to go, but I’m still gonna be fucking bitter about the right-wing press scoring a win
Reposted by Finn Conway
Cringed so hard while reading this terrific @jessicaelgot.bsky.social story I think I ruptured something. Who at GMG do I need to sue?
Doubts cast on Kemi Badenoch’s claim of US medical school offer
Stanford University staff and academic experts raise questions over Tory leader’s claim of place and partial scholarship offered at 16
www.theguardian.com
August 31, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Cringed so hard while reading this terrific @jessicaelgot.bsky.social story I think I ruptured something. Who at GMG do I need to sue?
Reposted by Finn Conway
"Future historians will surely debate at great length whether it was economics or media culture or simple incompetence that led the Starmer government’s moral compass to break. But they surely won’t debate who, out of the Taliban or the people who fled from their regime, were actually the baddies."
It’s Just Wrong, and They Should Say So
This week: if you think handing asylum seekers to the Taliban is good politics, you’re a bad person. Also: on the non-existence of purple; and a map of the mid-Tudor world.
jonn.substack.com
August 27, 2025 at 2:16 PM
"Future historians will surely debate at great length whether it was economics or media culture or simple incompetence that led the Starmer government’s moral compass to break. But they surely won’t debate who, out of the Taliban or the people who fled from their regime, were actually the baddies."
Reposted by Finn Conway
This is just mad now - all beefed up by news execs and journos terrified of offending a so-called 'real' Britain that doesn't even exist.
Reform UK, which has a grand total of four MPs, was just given an uninterrupted platform for an hour and a half on the BBC and Sky News channels, in order to talk about its plans for mass deportations
When was the last time the Greens (with four MPs) or the Lib Dems (with 72) were given the same?
When was the last time the Greens (with four MPs) or the Lib Dems (with 72) were given the same?
August 26, 2025 at 11:53 AM
This is just mad now - all beefed up by news execs and journos terrified of offending a so-called 'real' Britain that doesn't even exist.