Kathy O'Donnell
kathyodonnell.bsky.social
Kathy O'Donnell
@kathyodonnell.bsky.social
Journalist, parent to two grown-ups, LGBT+ rights campaigner, former night editor of The Times, Scotland. Lives in France. [she/her]
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
Tapp is a perfect example of the pathetic politician of our times. So much suit, so little inside it. #r4today
January 5, 2026 at 7:36 AM
If, like the UK Government, you fail to make a stand over gross breaches of international law by a rogue state, this is what follows.
Trump: "We need Greenland from a national security situation. It's so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place. We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security. And Denmark is not gonna be able to do it ... the EU needs us to have it"
January 5, 2026 at 8:15 AM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
Despite reposting the call to arms below, I didn’t act on it until a few minutes ago.

Why? Because it felt too hard and overwhelming.

It was SO EASY.

Add your name to the letter now. If you choose not to write anything individual it will take less than a minute ❤️

tacc.org.uk/Biological-S...
January 4, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
My first blog post of the year is here

thecosmicshamblesnetwork.substack.com/p/a-difficul...
A Difficult Few Months
Robin Ince reflects on the final night of Monkey Cage
thecosmicshamblesnetwork.substack.com
January 4, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
I mean, what is this shit from my "profession".
#TomorrowsPapersToday The Mail: Trump declares "Now I'm running Venezuela" following the capture of Nicolas Maduro.
www.dailymail.co.uk
For more papers visit our website at www.thesentinelcurrent.co.uk/tomorrows-pa...
January 4, 2026 at 12:29 AM
True
The PM and Foreign Secretary should be condemning this illegal strike and breach of international human rights law.

After years of arming a genocide and worshipping the “special relationship”, Trump now believes he can act with impunity.
Trump just kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela
January 3, 2026 at 11:46 AM
Trump starting a war.
CNN: CNN just getting report that the smoke appears to be rising from the vicinity of Fort Tiona, which is where the Venezuelan ministry of defense is headquartered, which would seem to indicate that somebody is targeting the defenses of Venezuela.
January 3, 2026 at 7:12 AM
Yes. This.
January 2, 2026 at 8:55 AM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
Your government will say “well that’s where the people are,”
…and you can remind them that there are plenty of people on PornHub, but they don’t feel the need to establish a presence there… and PornHub actually self-police!
At the stage now where it's probably easier just to assume anyone still using that site is using it for this. I mean, there's no good answer to the question "what are you doing on the AI child porn site?" and we should be asking public figures and orgs that _exact_ question all the time
January 2, 2026 at 8:05 AM
A couple of weeks ago I posted that "... in journalism it is surprisingly easy to find people who aren't burning to tell truth to power? Who have no moral and ethical tether.
Oligarchs ... spot them and put them in charge."
Read the interview below to see how this works at the NYT.
In this in-depth interview Billie Jean Sweeney — a former editor at The New York Times — details how the paper shifted towards openly promoting anti-trans hatred, why this was directed from the very top, how some staff pushed back and the immense damage done by the NYT legitimizing bigotry.
'A directive from above': Former NYT editor lays out how the paper pushes anti-trans bigotry
In this in-depth interview, former New York Times editor Billie Jean Sweeney details how the paper shifted towards openly promoting anti-trans hatred, how some staff tried to stop it, how it's directe...
transnews.network
January 1, 2026 at 8:17 PM
A magnificent read from @jim.londoncentric.media
A story of two awful men of the same name who both made a fortune from London property and loans 400 years apart.
Set out six months ago to investigative some dubious evictions. Ended up writing a sprawling story spread over 450 years about London property deals, the ethics of money lending, Tommy Robinson, Barbary pirates, Jacobean earls, and wealth in the capital. www.londoncentric.media/p/henry-smit...
A Tale Of One City And Two Henry Smiths
These two London landlords are separated by four centuries — but joined by a common name and business interests.
www.londoncentric.media
January 1, 2026 at 10:29 AM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
I chaired a briefing for politicians where we brought trans legal experts into Parliament to explain the ruling, and what might be needed from them in response.
December 31, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
He got three years and nine months, and was disqualified from being a company director for seven years.
Producer of Brexit: The Movie jailed for fraud
And not before time, you may very well think. BBC News reports: A film producer who lied about his income to secure a £519,000 loan has bee...
liberalengland.blogspot.com
December 31, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Oddly enough, this was not discussed in the interview with Dromey of the Fabian Society.
The hoarding of resources and political corruption and manipulation by the rich is up there with climate change as an existential threat to us all.
Yet it can be countered by legislation and tax.
January 1, 2026 at 9:09 AM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
If you watch the deposition of Jack Smith, you'll conclude as a matter of necessity that Donald Trump should be in a federal prison right now rather than the White House. He's only living outside a cage due to dumb luck. And all of us are paying the price.
Jack Smith Deposition
YouTube video by House Judiciary GOP
youtu.be
January 1, 2026 at 3:59 AM
Absolutely this.
"They need to look at the way that people are brought in at the top of the BBC"

youtu.be/4tSm2YnkW00
December 31, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
For the British Art Journal @britishartjournal.bsky.social, I reviewed the National Gallery's, 'Joseph Wright of Derby: From the Shadows'.

It's a fine show, yet repeats a number of mistaken assumptions about Wright, and British 18thC art in general.
1/4

britishartjournal.co.uk/wright-of-de...
Wright of Derby ‘From the Shadows’ – British Art Journal: Online
This review challenges some of the assumptions behind an important and absorbing exhibition
britishartjournal.co.uk
December 31, 2025 at 12:12 PM
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Her starting place is the segregation of trans people.
MPs were right to say Mary-Ann Stephenson is not a suitable person to lead the EHRC.
Also, her interpretation here of the Supreme Court ruling is wrong, as we shall see.
Segregation is not equality.
Judge me on what I do, says new EHRC chair after transgender groups’ criticism
Mary-Ann Stephenson says she must build relationship with LGBTQ+ sector amid debate over single-sex spaces
www.theguardian.com
December 31, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
Ludicrous for the Guardian to badge 'single sex spaces' a key test facing Starmer. It's neither a key test (polling shows it's a voting issue for almost no-one) nor a test for Starmer (it falls to judges to try and work out the disgraceful Supreme Court meant). Still, gotta stir the culture war pot.
December 30, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
My #follow of the year is @joannechocolat.bsky.social.

Her regular tips here on writing are invaluable, and she did sterling work for the @societyofauthors.bsky.social which will benefit anyone seeking to earn money from their writing.

(She also happens to be one of my favourite authors.)
December 30, 2025 at 10:14 AM
Hello, @humanists.uk .
I refer you to the column by Suzanne Moore in today's Daily Telegraph, which denigrates trans people and calls for curbs on their human rights. These are her often-stated beliefs and fail all eight of the criteria that Humanists UK stand for.
Please act.
December 30, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
how all youtube ads sound to me
December 30, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
We try not to amplify hate, and have deliberately avoided going head to head with those who spew it. But we’re sorry to all the trans people, their families and friends who have to face daily articles questioning their validity. We want to show and share that you’re loved

notinourname.org.uk/about/
About - Not in our name
We are a collective of women united in solidarity with our trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse siblings. We reject the weaponisation of our identities to justify...
notinourname.org.uk
December 30, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
Jess is absolutely right.

The Court of Appeal’s decision in the Begum deprivation of citizenship case, and the Supreme Courts reasons for not hearing an appeal, are two of the worst legal judgments of recent years.

There are other bad decision, but these were awful.
Begum was one of the worst legal decisions ever made.
December 29, 2025 at 11:22 PM
Reposted by Kathy O'Donnell
Sharing posts from @nionwomen.bsky.social as it's important to make it clear that so many of us cisgender women stand with our trans siblings.
We are now at 75k signatures, with many messages of support on Instagram, Facebook and here.

This is a genuine groundswell of love over hate, and a call to focus on the real harms faced by women and girls.

Thank you all who’ve signed and shared. Let’s keep it going 💜

notinourname.org.uk
Home - Not in our name
Not In our Name: Women in support of the trans+community
notinourname.org.uk
December 29, 2025 at 1:32 AM