Sam Alston
@moosealston.bsky.social
Working in energy advice, qualified teacher former youth worker, suffering follower of England Cricket, Liberal Jewish Green Party Member. Treasurer of Acorn Oxford, Iffley Road Residents association, and Secretary of Jewish Greens
Reposted by Sam Alston
New from BBC Verify: 'Our job is only killing' - how Sudan's brutal militia carried out a massacre
Our team verified dozens of videos, analysed satellite imagery and tracked RSF fighters across social media to piece together how the mass killings unfolded www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Our team verified dozens of videos, analysed satellite imagery and tracked RSF fighters across social media to piece together how the mass killings unfolded www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'Our job is only killing' - how Sudan's brutal militia carried out a massacre in el-fasher
BBC Verify tracks how the RSF killed unarmed people in a massacre that humanitarian officials believe left 2,000 dead.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 10:07 AM
New from BBC Verify: 'Our job is only killing' - how Sudan's brutal militia carried out a massacre
Our team verified dozens of videos, analysed satellite imagery and tracked RSF fighters across social media to piece together how the mass killings unfolded www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Our team verified dozens of videos, analysed satellite imagery and tracked RSF fighters across social media to piece together how the mass killings unfolded www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
So we already did this it cost 22bn first time.
However sure it will work this time.
(Would feel differently about the hydrogen levy)
www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-cut...
However sure it will work this time.
(Would feel differently about the hydrogen levy)
www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-cut...
November 5, 2025 at 10:09 AM
So we already did this it cost 22bn first time.
However sure it will work this time.
(Would feel differently about the hydrogen levy)
www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-cut...
However sure it will work this time.
(Would feel differently about the hydrogen levy)
www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-cut...
Shocked at the lack of understanding played by leading greens in the vital role that Lord Lieutenant plays in the everyday lives of oxfordshire residents.
Too often at full council we get to too few motions.
30 minutes at the beginning of full council to hear from a representative of the King is not a good use of our time (Marjorie Glasgow seems lovely btw).
25 minutes from the start of motions to the usual end of the meeting (3.30pm) is woeful.*
30 minutes at the beginning of full council to hear from a representative of the King is not a good use of our time (Marjorie Glasgow seems lovely btw).
25 minutes from the start of motions to the usual end of the meeting (3.30pm) is woeful.*
November 4, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Shocked at the lack of understanding played by leading greens in the vital role that Lord Lieutenant plays in the everyday lives of oxfordshire residents.
However id cards days of banner headlines
Great read from @iandunt.bsky.social on whether Starmer should stay or go, including the mystery of how, if you’re launching a popular climate, energy, and growth strategy, why wouldn’t you stage a press conference on it?
iandunt.substack.com/p/a-world-wi...
iandunt.substack.com/p/a-world-wi...
October 31, 2025 at 6:14 PM
However id cards days of banner headlines
National trust is key part of how we see ourselves ( I had a great time at a temprate rainforest last week)
If you can please vote to stop if falling into the hands of those scared of the past
If you can please vote to stop if falling into the hands of those scared of the past
If you're a National Trust member, it's that time of year again: Midnight tonight is the deadline. It's a shame people have to keep doing this to keep a toehold on historical truth in this country, but here we are. Voting link: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/who-we-are/a...
![[Scene is the entrance cabin to a NATIONAL TRUST PROPERTY AND GARDENS]
1
NATIONAL TRUST EMPLOYEE [inside cabin]:
Hello there
2
[A young family - two parents two kids - have arrived at the front desk].
DAD:
Hi - do you have an activity trail, for the kids?
3
NT EMPLOYEE:
Of course – you’re just in time for the Autumn Gammon Trail!
4
MUM:
That sounds fun, doesn’t it kids?
5
NT EMPLOYEE [handing an activity sheet and pencils to the kids]:
Every autumn, the Reform Trust gammons flock back to the National Trust for the AGM. Just follow the trail round the grounds, and see how many you can spot!
6
NT EMPLOYEE [hearing something in the gardens]:
Listen - that's their call
[Calls emanating from the landscape]:
tut-tut
woke-woke
7
NT EMPLOYEE [showing the family an apparently empty fenced enclosure with some bushes in]:
They are extremely sensitive and fragile...
But you can bring them out of hiding if you put a little sign down mentioning slavery.
8
KIDS [pointing]:
There they are!
[Some little red faced PEOPLE wearing Barbour jackets and gilets emerge cautiously from the bushes. They are creeping towards a TINY SIGN in the middle of the enclosure].
[Little people noises]:
woke-woke
tut-tut
woke-woke
9
[Close-up of the TINY SIGN - we can read that it says]:
Slavery had a bit to do with building this massive house.
[Noises from the little people again as they inspect the tiny sign]:
tut-tut
woke-woke
10
MUM [pointing]:
What's that one doing there?
NT EMPLOYEE:
Oh, that's so sweet…
11
[We see that one of the people is sat on a rock, with a little laptop open on a tree stump, and they are furiously typing away].
NT EMPLOYEE:
I think he's writing a column for the Daily Telegraph…
12
[We see close up to the little person’s screen, it is a word document reading]:
Are National Trust scones secretly WOKE?
[ends]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4m3we4apbjayclzcnhwe3pfp/bafkreib7lt736b6rmzinml5s7kxjdaapo2a36xp4d4lssypimx3taqicdm@jpeg)
October 31, 2025 at 11:47 AM
National trust is key part of how we see ourselves ( I had a great time at a temprate rainforest last week)
If you can please vote to stop if falling into the hands of those scared of the past
If you can please vote to stop if falling into the hands of those scared of the past
Reposted by Sam Alston
It perfectly sums up modern sport/business to make great play of having a UNICEF ambassador in attendance, at an event sponsored by a company whose activities United Nations experts have highlighted as being a threat to human rights.
October 30, 2025 at 10:33 AM
It perfectly sums up modern sport/business to make great play of having a UNICEF ambassador in attendance, at an event sponsored by a company whose activities United Nations experts have highlighted as being a threat to human rights.
Bibi in any possible situation continues to do the worst thing possible.
Middle East crisis live: Benjamin Netanyahu orders immediate ‘powerful strikes’ on Gaza
Israeli prime minister orders IDF to carry out strikes on Gaza after it accusing Hamas of violating the ceasefire
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Bibi in any possible situation continues to do the worst thing possible.
The other bit here is where the cost energy goes
Funding gas has directly proped up a regime that's now invading Europe pushing up defense costs and on a lesser scale funded energy incumbents that flooded us, both literally and with climate disinformation.
Funding solar propped up farmers.
Funding gas has directly proped up a regime that's now invading Europe pushing up defense costs and on a lesser scale funded energy incumbents that flooded us, both literally and with climate disinformation.
Funding solar propped up farmers.
Wind power has cut £104bn from UK energy costs since 2010, study finds
Reduction comes from energy generated from windfarms and lower cost of gas owing to lower demand
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 5:08 PM
The other bit here is where the cost energy goes
Funding gas has directly proped up a regime that's now invading Europe pushing up defense costs and on a lesser scale funded energy incumbents that flooded us, both literally and with climate disinformation.
Funding solar propped up farmers.
Funding gas has directly proped up a regime that's now invading Europe pushing up defense costs and on a lesser scale funded energy incumbents that flooded us, both literally and with climate disinformation.
Funding solar propped up farmers.
Potentially the most significant achievement of this government (after grid decarbonisation that they look set to bottle).
The chilling effect of section 21 on complaints can barely be overstated and condems the most vulnerable to poor conditions while enriching the unscrupulous of already rich.
The chilling effect of section 21 on complaints can barely be overstated and condems the most vulnerable to poor conditions while enriching the unscrupulous of already rich.
The Renters’ Rights Act is NOW LAW!
Soon S21 evictions, which have forced millions of people out of their homes for no reason & with just 2 months notice, will be a thing of the past.
This is what our movement can achieve when we stand together.
Soon S21 evictions, which have forced millions of people out of their homes for no reason & with just 2 months notice, will be a thing of the past.
This is what our movement can achieve when we stand together.
October 28, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Potentially the most significant achievement of this government (after grid decarbonisation that they look set to bottle).
The chilling effect of section 21 on complaints can barely be overstated and condems the most vulnerable to poor conditions while enriching the unscrupulous of already rich.
The chilling effect of section 21 on complaints can barely be overstated and condems the most vulnerable to poor conditions while enriching the unscrupulous of already rich.
Cricket is not punishment it is progress
I don't understand why we even let the Canadians play baseball. The never fought a revolution war. They are still part of the Commonwealth!
They should have to play Cricket as a sort of historical punishment.
They should have to play Cricket as a sort of historical punishment.
October 25, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Cricket is not punishment it is progress
Reposted by Sam Alston
Marginal Gains: how wind is pushing gas out of the power market and cutting costs
Growth in British renewables cutting electricity prices by up to a quarter.
eciu.net/analysis/re...
Growth in British renewables cutting electricity prices by up to a quarter.
eciu.net/analysis/re...
Marginal Gains: how wind is pushing gas out of the power market and…
Growth in British renewables cutting electricity prices by up to a quarter.
eciu.net
October 25, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Marginal Gains: how wind is pushing gas out of the power market and cutting costs
Growth in British renewables cutting electricity prices by up to a quarter.
eciu.net/analysis/re...
Growth in British renewables cutting electricity prices by up to a quarter.
eciu.net/analysis/re...
Reposted by Sam Alston
Almost nobody in the Cons Party or beyond it had noticed that the Shadow Home Secretary with two other frontbenchers and 5 backbenchers tabled a bill in May to deport 3 million people - stripping almost every pensioner, parent or nurse who did not take out citizenship of their right to live here
October 23, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Almost nobody in the Cons Party or beyond it had noticed that the Shadow Home Secretary with two other frontbenchers and 5 backbenchers tabled a bill in May to deport 3 million people - stripping almost every pensioner, parent or nurse who did not take out citizenship of their right to live here
Excellent thread.
Would argue having got to stage where renewables saves money in the medium to short term (shorter with reforms outlined below) . If we can not complete this it bad for other types of climate action where benefits are more long term
Would argue having got to stage where renewables saves money in the medium to short term (shorter with reforms outlined below) . If we can not complete this it bad for other types of climate action where benefits are more long term
This would be a regressive step. Shows a poverty of thinking inside No10
Why? 🧵🧵
1. There are ways of bringing bills down and keeping costs lower whilst continuing to build out clean power.
2. The problems the renewables build out addresses haven't gone away
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Why? 🧵🧵
1. There are ways of bringing bills down and keeping costs lower whilst continuing to build out clean power.
2. The problems the renewables build out addresses haven't gone away
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Keir Starmer prepares to miss key green target in effort to keep energy bills down
Exclusive: Promise to remove almost all fossil fuels from UK’s electricity supply by 2030 may be quietly abandoned over cost
www.theguardian.com
October 23, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Excellent thread.
Would argue having got to stage where renewables saves money in the medium to short term (shorter with reforms outlined below) . If we can not complete this it bad for other types of climate action where benefits are more long term
Would argue having got to stage where renewables saves money in the medium to short term (shorter with reforms outlined below) . If we can not complete this it bad for other types of climate action where benefits are more long term
Reposted by Sam Alston
One reason why the government is in a mess is that “is that true tho?” doesn’t get anywhere near enough weight against “what do the public think?”
Home Sec describes a widely held public perception (UK is the destination of choice for asylum seekers in Europe) + endorses it as true. Home Office data shows it is not true. Whatever merits of her policy change, should not make false factual claims
www.thesun.co.uk/news/3709465...
www.thesun.co.uk/news/3709465...
Migrants come to Britain because they think we're Europe's most generous country
TODAY’S small boat numbers are shameful, and the British people deserve better. They contain a lesson: we must go further and faster to secure our borders. Under the last Conservative Government, t…
www.thesun.co.uk
October 23, 2025 at 9:46 AM
One reason why the government is in a mess is that “is that true tho?” doesn’t get anywhere near enough weight against “what do the public think?”
This is a story about a man being threatened in his place of work due to being Israeli and having done the normal functions of society 20 years ago.
Discrimination of people based on nationality is wrong and it really no more complicated than that
thelondonstandard.pressreader.com/article/7509...
Discrimination of people based on nationality is wrong and it really no more complicated than that
thelondonstandard.pressreader.com/article/7509...
The London Standard Digital Edition
The London Standard Digital Edition
thelondonstandard.pressreader.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:34 AM
This is a story about a man being threatened in his place of work due to being Israeli and having done the normal functions of society 20 years ago.
Discrimination of people based on nationality is wrong and it really no more complicated than that
thelondonstandard.pressreader.com/article/7509...
Discrimination of people based on nationality is wrong and it really no more complicated than that
thelondonstandard.pressreader.com/article/7509...
There are worse ways to reduce energy bills most of them in the current reform platform.
But this: costs a lot, serves the richest or higher consumer most, extends tax complexity and makes a minor difference
But this: costs a lot, serves the richest or higher consumer most, extends tax complexity and makes a minor difference
Under pressure to reduce household energy costs, Ed Miliband has suggested the government is looking at the possibility of cutting the rate of VAT on energy bills
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articl...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articl...
Ed Miliband hints at cut to VAT on energy bills
The energy secretary says the government needs to address the "cost-of-living crisis" facing the country.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 20, 2025 at 8:52 PM
There are worse ways to reduce energy bills most of them in the current reform platform.
But this: costs a lot, serves the richest or higher consumer most, extends tax complexity and makes a minor difference
But this: costs a lot, serves the richest or higher consumer most, extends tax complexity and makes a minor difference
Reposted by Sam Alston
Oxford social and environmental justice warriors and worriers, there’s a political home for you. Let’s make hope normal again.
October 20, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Oxford social and environmental justice warriors and worriers, there’s a political home for you. Let’s make hope normal again.
These are the people who keep on claiming that they have run business and know how things work
Amazing story in The Times. Reform UK failed to pay VAT to HMRC on its sales (tickets, merchandise). About £400k in all.
Not tax avoidance. Not tax evasion. They just didn't realise when you sell stuff you have to charge VAT.
Not tax avoidance. Not tax evasion. They just didn't realise when you sell stuff you have to charge VAT.
October 20, 2025 at 12:59 PM
These are the people who keep on claiming that they have run business and know how things work
Please note not all Green Party action days have friendly cats
Green Party Action Days are the best - getting delicious stew, fruit crumble and cat snuggles for lunch 💚💚💚
October 19, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Please note not all Green Party action days have friendly cats
What has not been reported so much is that the protest was displaced from Bonn Square by a p potted plant sale.
The effect of polticsl demonstrations on potted plants remains an understudied area
The effect of polticsl demonstrations on potted plants remains an understudied area
Around 100 counterprotesters from Stand Up to Racism, Oxford for Trans Rights, and the Oxford Green Party chanting ‘We don’t want your culture war’ were also in Bonn Square. Thames Valley Police were present to keep the various protests separate.
October 19, 2025 at 7:55 AM
What has not been reported so much is that the protest was displaced from Bonn Square by a p potted plant sale.
The effect of polticsl demonstrations on potted plants remains an understudied area
The effect of polticsl demonstrations on potted plants remains an understudied area
I don't know why after all read over the last few months this gets me
Aftonbladet's report is harrowing and should make anyone who doubted it feel ashamed.
Greta Thunberg: “They kicked me every time the flag touched my face”
– Greta Thunberg on her days in Israeli captivity Beating, kicking, and threats of being gassed in cages. Greta Thunberg and several others from the flotilla ar
www.aftonbladet.se
October 15, 2025 at 9:34 PM
I don't know why after all read over the last few months this gets me
On a micro example: losing a hardworking experienced friendly colleagues, because of the end of their graduate visa. We are charity so nowhere close to the salary requirements.
It beggers belif that our economy or culture will be anything but poorer as a result.
This is happening all over.
It beggers belif that our economy or culture will be anything but poorer as a result.
This is happening all over.
It is laughable to think that you can neuter the far right with minor tweaks like this.
How many Conservative or Reform supporters even know that immigrants have to pass a language test? They object to immigration on emotional grounds, not because they have dry objections to eligibility criteria.
How many Conservative or Reform supporters even know that immigrants have to pass a language test? They object to immigration on emotional grounds, not because they have dry objections to eligibility criteria.
October 15, 2025 at 8:38 AM
On a micro example: losing a hardworking experienced friendly colleagues, because of the end of their graduate visa. We are charity so nowhere close to the salary requirements.
It beggers belif that our economy or culture will be anything but poorer as a result.
This is happening all over.
It beggers belif that our economy or culture will be anything but poorer as a result.
This is happening all over.
Completely agree, adding additional regulation
adds additional cost which makes it harder to deliver the programme at any scale.
It also paradoxically reduces resident voice, when in normal insulation jobs they are the ones who have the power and control.
adds additional cost which makes it harder to deliver the programme at any scale.
It also paradoxically reduces resident voice, when in normal insulation jobs they are the ones who have the power and control.
There’s not much to say about the solid wall insulation failures that hasn’t already been said. A diabolical policy failure that wasted money and harmed people.
But one thing I will add is: I think it highlights the need for more state delivery capacity on warm homes, not just regulation
🧵
But one thing I will add is: I think it highlights the need for more state delivery capacity on warm homes, not just regulation
🧵
Almost all external insulation fitted under Tory scheme needs repair or replacing, report finds
Homeowners who took advantage of government programmes left with cladding likely to cause damp
www.theguardian.com
October 14, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Completely agree, adding additional regulation
adds additional cost which makes it harder to deliver the programme at any scale.
It also paradoxically reduces resident voice, when in normal insulation jobs they are the ones who have the power and control.
adds additional cost which makes it harder to deliver the programme at any scale.
It also paradoxically reduces resident voice, when in normal insulation jobs they are the ones who have the power and control.
Reached 50 sign ups please add
Fellow Greens - please do sign the below.
We didn't have time to debate this emergency motion - on the Yom Kippur murders at a synagogue in Manchester and the arson attach at a mosque in Peacehaven - and I really wish we had.
We didn't have time to debate this emergency motion - on the Yom Kippur murders at a synagogue in Manchester and the arson attach at a mosque in Peacehaven - and I really wish we had.
For Green members: following demand from multiple members been asked to turn the emergency conference motion around the hate crimes that happened last week into an open letter for Greens to show their unified opposition. Please sign and share widely:
October 14, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Reached 50 sign ups please add