Mick Brooks
@mick666.bsky.social
Anything but Mike. Poole-based, retired from the NHS, with birdy, movie, music and politics interests 🏳️🌈🇵🇸 🏳️⚧️. Ex-Labour now Green. Ex-union rep (Unite). PhD in neutron physics.
Full bird list on eBird.com
Films: https://boxd.it/mBT
Full bird list on eBird.com
Films: https://boxd.it/mBT
Reposted by Mick Brooks
New post: Labour’s Brexit stance is as untenable as their tax pledge
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/11/labo...
As public perception and econometric estimates of the damage caused by Brexit rise, Labour's refusal to discuss rejoining the EU's customs union or single market means more self harm.
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/11/labo...
As public perception and econometric estimates of the damage caused by Brexit rise, Labour's refusal to discuss rejoining the EU's customs union or single market means more self harm.
Labour’s Brexit stance is as untenable as their tax pledge
In my last post about the prospect of Labour breaking its tax pledge, I did something I don’t often do, which is indulge in some ‘I told y...
mainlymacro.blogspot.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:07 AM
New post: Labour’s Brexit stance is as untenable as their tax pledge
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/11/labo...
As public perception and econometric estimates of the damage caused by Brexit rise, Labour's refusal to discuss rejoining the EU's customs union or single market means more self harm.
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/11/labo...
As public perception and econometric estimates of the damage caused by Brexit rise, Labour's refusal to discuss rejoining the EU's customs union or single market means more self harm.
Reposted by Mick Brooks
Nigel Farage said their flagship council in Kent would be a "shop window" for how they would run the country.
Just months after taking over they're now set to slash multiple council committees as they struggle to fill posts after sacking nine of their own councillors
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/12/r...
Just months after taking over they're now set to slash multiple council committees as they struggle to fill posts after sacking nine of their own councillors
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/12/r...
Reform Council in Chaos as It Prepares to Slash Scrutiny Committees Following Wave of Councillor Suspensions
EXCLUSIVE: Reform's flagship Kent administration is planning to shut down multiple council committees as it struggles to fill posts after suspending nine of its own councillors
bylinetimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Nigel Farage said their flagship council in Kent would be a "shop window" for how they would run the country.
Just months after taking over they're now set to slash multiple council committees as they struggle to fill posts after sacking nine of their own councillors
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/12/r...
Just months after taking over they're now set to slash multiple council committees as they struggle to fill posts after sacking nine of their own councillors
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/12/r...
Reposted by Mick Brooks
Nigel Farage says small businesses have been betrayed by Brexit’s red tape, but the betrayal is his. He promised freedom from bureaucracy, yet delivered border chaos, higher costs and endless paperwork. The small firms that trusted him are now trapped in the system he built.
November 12, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Nigel Farage says small businesses have been betrayed by Brexit’s red tape, but the betrayal is his. He promised freedom from bureaucracy, yet delivered border chaos, higher costs and endless paperwork. The small firms that trusted him are now trapped in the system he built.
Reposted by Mick Brooks
One of the things we* learned from the genocide livestreamed from Palestine is that the obvious, indisputable starving of children is not enough to move the American political class. The brutal revocation of SNAP is no different. Been thinking about how far this says we are from the horizon.
November 11, 2025 at 2:56 PM
One of the things we* learned from the genocide livestreamed from Palestine is that the obvious, indisputable starving of children is not enough to move the American political class. The brutal revocation of SNAP is no different. Been thinking about how far this says we are from the horizon.
Reposted by Mick Brooks
Three points I keep repeating
1. Left and liberal voters actually really exist
2. The right and "centre" are trying to rule without liberals - they are way out over their skis
3. Reports of right wing total information control are greatly exaggerated
1. Left and liberal voters actually really exist
2. The right and "centre" are trying to rule without liberals - they are way out over their skis
3. Reports of right wing total information control are greatly exaggerated
🧵/ How far does the public support net zero?
Support: 60%
Oppose: 25%
Net support by party
Green: +81
Lib Dem: +67
Lab: +64
Con: +11
Reform: -44
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
Support: 60%
Oppose: 25%
Net support by party
Green: +81
Lib Dem: +67
Lab: +64
Con: +11
Reform: -44
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
November 11, 2025 at 11:09 PM
Three points I keep repeating
1. Left and liberal voters actually really exist
2. The right and "centre" are trying to rule without liberals - they are way out over their skis
3. Reports of right wing total information control are greatly exaggerated
1. Left and liberal voters actually really exist
2. The right and "centre" are trying to rule without liberals - they are way out over their skis
3. Reports of right wing total information control are greatly exaggerated
Reposted by Mick Brooks
This is what I'll miss about the BBC as it's inevitably broken up in the coming months: a series about traditional baking across several Nordic Isles, hosted by the Hebridean Baker, filmed in Gaelic with English subtitles
www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
Hebridean Baker takes a culinary cultural journey through Nordic Islands in new travel series
This is no ordinary food show - in his television presenting debut this autumn the Hebridean Baker will swap his kitchen on the Scottish islands for a Nordic foodie adventure
www.bbc.co.uk
November 12, 2025 at 12:20 PM
This is what I'll miss about the BBC as it's inevitably broken up in the coming months: a series about traditional baking across several Nordic Isles, hosted by the Hebridean Baker, filmed in Gaelic with English subtitles
www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
Reposted by Mick Brooks
"Robbie Gibb should have no role in appointing the next Director General, and given the Royal Charter gives the government the power to remove him will the Prime Minister sack him now?" asks Ed Davey.
Starmer says he won't interfere in running the BBC
Starmer says he won't interfere in running the BBC
November 12, 2025 at 12:17 PM
"Robbie Gibb should have no role in appointing the next Director General, and given the Royal Charter gives the government the power to remove him will the Prime Minister sack him now?" asks Ed Davey.
Starmer says he won't interfere in running the BBC
Starmer says he won't interfere in running the BBC
Reposted by Mick Brooks
WATCH — @repstevenhorsford.bsky.social : “My amendment would redirect that $40 BILLION from Argentina to fund the ACA subsidies for two years… a far better use of taxpayer dollars.”
Why do we have money for Argentina while our own people lose their health care? How does this make us great?
Why do we have money for Argentina while our own people lose their health care? How does this make us great?
November 12, 2025 at 5:17 AM
WATCH — @repstevenhorsford.bsky.social : “My amendment would redirect that $40 BILLION from Argentina to fund the ACA subsidies for two years… a far better use of taxpayer dollars.”
Why do we have money for Argentina while our own people lose their health care? How does this make us great?
Why do we have money for Argentina while our own people lose their health care? How does this make us great?
Reposted by Mick Brooks
Our latest media alert is out now.
Inversion Of Reality
The BBC: A ‘Leftist Propaganda Machine’?
medialens.substack.com/p/inversion-...
Inversion Of Reality
The BBC: A ‘Leftist Propaganda Machine’?
medialens.substack.com/p/inversion-...
Inversion Of Reality
The BBC: A ‘Leftist Propaganda Machine’?
medialens.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Our latest media alert is out now.
Inversion Of Reality
The BBC: A ‘Leftist Propaganda Machine’?
medialens.substack.com/p/inversion-...
Inversion Of Reality
The BBC: A ‘Leftist Propaganda Machine’?
medialens.substack.com/p/inversion-...
Reposted by Mick Brooks
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump - brilliant stuff from @davidallengreen.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/emptycit...
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump
A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim
open.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:02 PM
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump - brilliant stuff from @davidallengreen.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/emptycit...
Reposted by Mick Brooks
Reposted by Mick Brooks
NEW
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump
A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim
By me. Enjoy.
emptycity.substack.com/p/the-letter...
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump
A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim
By me. Enjoy.
emptycity.substack.com/p/the-letter...
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump
A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim
emptycity.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:00 PM
NEW
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump
A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim
By me. Enjoy.
emptycity.substack.com/p/the-letter...
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump
A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim
By me. Enjoy.
emptycity.substack.com/p/the-letter...
Reposted by Mick Brooks
seems hard to imagine that THE RUNNING MAN *wouldn’t* feel achingly prescient and yet…
Edgar Wright’s The Running Man is a near-total failure – review
The eerie prescience of Stephen King’s dystopian source material – written in 1972 and set, of all years, in 2025 – has been wiped from this bland reboot, which also seems to know it’s miscast its lea...
www.independent.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 7:09 PM
seems hard to imagine that THE RUNNING MAN *wouldn’t* feel achingly prescient and yet…
Reposted by Mick Brooks
Am I the only one who thinks Farage is an ungrateful f***er?
I mean the BBC platforms him all the time and rarely calls him to account (Left wing bias? Don’t make me laugh!).
Yet he slags the BBC off at every opportunity and wants to abolish the very media outlet that has made his career.
I mean the BBC platforms him all the time and rarely calls him to account (Left wing bias? Don’t make me laugh!).
Yet he slags the BBC off at every opportunity and wants to abolish the very media outlet that has made his career.
November 12, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Am I the only one who thinks Farage is an ungrateful f***er?
I mean the BBC platforms him all the time and rarely calls him to account (Left wing bias? Don’t make me laugh!).
Yet he slags the BBC off at every opportunity and wants to abolish the very media outlet that has made his career.
I mean the BBC platforms him all the time and rarely calls him to account (Left wing bias? Don’t make me laugh!).
Yet he slags the BBC off at every opportunity and wants to abolish the very media outlet that has made his career.
Reposted by Mick Brooks
🚨BREAKING -- Five UN special rapporteurs have condemned Britain's proscription of Palestine Action as unnecessary and authoritarian.
"We are concerned at the seemingly unjustified use of counter-terrorism laws against protest activity in a democratic society", they write.
"We are concerned at the seemingly unjustified use of counter-terrorism laws against protest activity in a democratic society", they write.
November 12, 2025 at 10:46 AM
🚨BREAKING -- Five UN special rapporteurs have condemned Britain's proscription of Palestine Action as unnecessary and authoritarian.
"We are concerned at the seemingly unjustified use of counter-terrorism laws against protest activity in a democratic society", they write.
"We are concerned at the seemingly unjustified use of counter-terrorism laws against protest activity in a democratic society", they write.
Reposted by Mick Brooks
I think it’s more “The Tories - not having a clue what to do with power - dumbly fucked themselves and everyone else, and everything since was one ridiculous, fraudulent stitchup after another, for nothing more than keeping the right type of people in charge and this shitshow on the road”.
November 12, 2025 at 10:46 AM
I think it’s more “The Tories - not having a clue what to do with power - dumbly fucked themselves and everyone else, and everything since was one ridiculous, fraudulent stitchup after another, for nothing more than keeping the right type of people in charge and this shitshow on the road”.
Reposted by Mick Brooks
I would prefer it if Wes Streeting did not become Prime Minister
November 12, 2025 at 8:47 AM
I would prefer it if Wes Streeting did not become Prime Minister
Reposted by Mick Brooks
All Airbnbs being rented year round are in contravention of planning laws. Houses built for private residential tenancy need to apply for change of use. If you built a house without following the rules it could be torn down. We could solve this Airbnb problem overnight, there’s no political will.
Rental crisis to intensify as ‘starved of supply’ housing stock dips below 2,000
Rental crisis to intensify as ‘starved of supply’ housing stock dips below 2,000
Housing stock is now less than half of the average available supply between 2015 and 2019
www.irishtimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:03 AM
All Airbnbs being rented year round are in contravention of planning laws. Houses built for private residential tenancy need to apply for change of use. If you built a house without following the rules it could be torn down. We could solve this Airbnb problem overnight, there’s no political will.
For all the problems I have with Lewis, I think this is a REALLY interesting read (and given his background, probably spot-on) goodallandgoodluck.substack.com/p/the-truth-...
The truth about impartiality at the BBC
And the hysteria of the current "crisis"
goodallandgoodluck.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:23 AM
For all the problems I have with Lewis, I think this is a REALLY interesting read (and given his background, probably spot-on) goodallandgoodluck.substack.com/p/the-truth-...
Reposted by Mick Brooks
Cis women cyclists reject Cycling UK’s transphobia.
Cyclists have just proven that including trans women isn’t hard
Cycling UK have gravely misjudged the people they claimed to represent.
metro.co.uk
November 12, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Cis women cyclists reject Cycling UK’s transphobia.
Reposted by Mick Brooks
The Rayner panicshuffle did the trick then.
Clowns.
Clowns.
November 12, 2025 at 12:06 AM
The Rayner panicshuffle did the trick then.
Clowns.
Clowns.
Reposted by Mick Brooks
Actually running ahead of schedule now.
Well done, everyone. Joke fucking country, honestly.
Well done, everyone. Joke fucking country, honestly.
November 11, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Actually running ahead of schedule now.
Well done, everyone. Joke fucking country, honestly.
Well done, everyone. Joke fucking country, honestly.
Reposted by Mick Brooks
#GVerse Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social just walked onto a plane full of veterans & thanked every single one of them: no stage, no teleprompter, no ego trip.
#MyPresidentBarackObama 🫡🇺🇸
Hit the like, & repost to show your love for this man, a true American Hero! #VeteransDay
#MyPresidentBarackObama 🫡🇺🇸
Hit the like, & repost to show your love for this man, a true American Hero! #VeteransDay
November 11, 2025 at 11:44 PM
#GVerse Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social just walked onto a plane full of veterans & thanked every single one of them: no stage, no teleprompter, no ego trip.
#MyPresidentBarackObama 🫡🇺🇸
Hit the like, & repost to show your love for this man, a true American Hero! #VeteransDay
#MyPresidentBarackObama 🫡🇺🇸
Hit the like, & repost to show your love for this man, a true American Hero! #VeteransDay
Reposted by Mick Brooks
Friend of Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Gates, donated a tiny fraction of his grotesque wealth to farmers suffering from climate change.
If he paid taxes properly he would have been paying billions and billions in taxes.
Now he pretends to be generous with the money he owes us all.
If he paid taxes properly he would have been paying billions and billions in taxes.
Now he pretends to be generous with the money he owes us all.
The funding will support drought- and heat-resistant crops and livestock for regions already hit hard by climate impacts.
After climate memo row, Gates gives $1.4bn to help farmers cope with a hotter world
The announcement follows Gates’ call for a “strategic pivot” in global climate efforts from focusing on emissions, with new investments aimed at helping smallholder farmers access climate-resilient…
buff.ly
November 11, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Friend of Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Gates, donated a tiny fraction of his grotesque wealth to farmers suffering from climate change.
If he paid taxes properly he would have been paying billions and billions in taxes.
Now he pretends to be generous with the money he owes us all.
If he paid taxes properly he would have been paying billions and billions in taxes.
Now he pretends to be generous with the money he owes us all.
Reposted by Mick Brooks
I just issued an executive order to develop a veteran food pantry network to provide food support for veterans, service members, and their families.
Regardless of what happens at the federal level, Minnesota remains committed to providing for those who protect our freedom.
Regardless of what happens at the federal level, Minnesota remains committed to providing for those who protect our freedom.
November 11, 2025 at 9:10 PM
I just issued an executive order to develop a veteran food pantry network to provide food support for veterans, service members, and their families.
Regardless of what happens at the federal level, Minnesota remains committed to providing for those who protect our freedom.
Regardless of what happens at the federal level, Minnesota remains committed to providing for those who protect our freedom.