Niall Ó Conghaile
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Niall Ó Conghaile
@nialloconghaile.bsky.social
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European.

Views my own; RT = interest, not endorsement.
Pinned
I understand. We understand.

We understand the importance that Europe had in your lives and the sense of biting loss for many of you.

We understand what Brexit has done.

2
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
UK to re-join Erasmus+ – here are six benefits of the European exchange scheme

Brexit didn't have to mean the end of Erasmus+, and the government has now announced we will join the scheme again
@centralbylines.co.uk
UK to re-join Erasmus+ – here are six benefits of the European exchange scheme
Brexit didn't have to mean the end of Erasmus+, and the government has now announced we will join the scheme again
centralbylines.co.uk
December 26, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Electoral reform to some sensible form of proportional representation seems to be essential to me as well. A lot of the dysfunction and vulnerability to hijack by corporate/far right influences has been facilitated by first past the post in both the U.K. and the U.S.
December 26, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
It's the "any unionism will do" phenomenon.

Reform in Scotland is largely made up of exScotTories. The fact that racist, anti-EU and immigration views have always made up a section of the unionist vote. Is only a surprise to some because it's been VERY inconvenient for the press to acknowledge it.
December 26, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
At the moment, indications are he will inherit a lot of fhat Tory coalition, while expanding the English nationalist agenda in Scottish and Welsh constituencies (impressive, whatever way you look at it)

That appeal in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 is down to his and Brexitism's appeal to wreckers:

7
December 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Actually, it will be Starmer's fault.

One certain way to stop Farridge in 2029 is to switch to a proper system of PR. That is something that Starmer can deliver, now. If he doesn't, he has no-one else to blame but his own stupidity. And the process needs to start NOW, as it can't be done overnight.
December 26, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Ditto King of Sweden’s Christmas speech.
Key themes: hope, humanity and responsibility in the midst of a troubled time of conflicts and crises. Hold on to faith in the future, show solidarity and appreciate the efforts of civil society. Importance of cooperation. That the dark never wins.
December 26, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Isokon building looking fine in the pale light of a winter afternoon.
December 26, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
(the former group distrusted Brexiter Corbyn profoundly, seeing him as a wrecker, unpatriotic and with a party that's soft on Europe)

If Farage wants to get into government, he needs to assemble just such a coalition.

6
December 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
There were contradictions, such as Lexiters and the far right being bedfellows. United by Brexit, within the Johnson voter coalition were people who believed Brexit was a patriotic reassertion of British democracy and institutional strength, and those that just wanted to wreck everything.

5
December 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Their claim to be ‘patriots’ is entirely spurious. Their aims are all about self-interest and they never put country above their greed for money and power. The EU by its nature got in the way of that.
December 26, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
He'll want to close Holyrood & Sennedd, He'll want to send troops in to opposition constituencies, EDF will get ICE powers..... Spanish Trawlers will be fair game...... We'll get incessant AI photos of him & he'll be spouting shit 24 hours a day..... and EVERYTHING will be Starmer's fault 🤣🤣🤣
December 26, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Scotland would quickly have a very clear pro-indy majority. Farage might try to remove devolution from the Commons. The SNP might try to seize the moment. Or Farage won’t get off his arse to do anything and Scottish politicians may want to manage the chaos to bide their time.
December 26, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Similarly the far-right in Spain are in a huff after the king had the temerity in his Xmas speech to denounce "extremism and populism.. doctrines whose adverse consequences we have long known in Spain", which anyone here knows is a reference to Franco.
December 26, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
The fuss they are making over some postponed local elections makes me fear they are laying the groundwork for doing something similar at some point with a GE if they ever get in

The Democrats didn’t do anything much to reign in MAGA when they had the opportunity, we can’t make that mistake too
December 26, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
As Orbàn showed in 2010 and especially when he was able to alter the constitution a few years later, and now as Trump is showing when a populist with a radical plan gets into power there seems to be little that can be done to stop them

They can keep saying “he’s not allowed to do that” but unless
December 26, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
I agree with you on much but not on this. I think they do see it as cruelty, indeed as cruelty that's deserved by the victims. American culture is puritanical (literal sense) above all, and Providence is key to the deserving and undeserving, and the performative cruelty imposed on the latter.
December 26, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
The voter coalition that Boris Johnson managed to assemble in 2019 is remarkable, as it included "left social conservatives" alongside authoritarians of the right and traditional right-liberals.

We can parse the Tory agenda, but that was down to the popularity of Brexit

4
December 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Traditionally, nationally, the UK divided into two camps: economically right, with both socially liberal and conservative voters; and economically left, again with conservative and liberal voters.

That picture looks very different when you zoom in to UK's constituent nations in particular

3
December 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
And turning back equality, particularly for women, foreigners, non-whites and gays
December 26, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
The UK (like the US and a few other Western countries) has an electoral system that tends towards building a voter coalition within, rather than getting the vote out and then building coalitions after the elections.

That is the same issue for the Brexitist right.*

2
December 26, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Nobody said these idiots had any self awareness.

They’re gammons for a reason.
December 26, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Don't forget the cruelty. They are all about that as well. Performatively so.
December 26, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
The far-right don’t give a damn about anything they actually use (so many very smart issues the gaslight idiots) to gain and maintain voters. That’s all a tool!

They’re all about a new evolution of capitalism and making sure the wealthiest get every leverage possible.
December 26, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
Starmer should have begun work on a proper Constitution for the UK on day one.
Yes, a huge job but of no cost and a project that sets him apart from all previous governments.
Its no mistake that the far right want to leave the ECHR as this is the nearest thing to a Constitution the UK currently has.
December 26, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Reposted by Niall Ó Conghaile
The good news is that extremists, like rats in a barrel, always end up eating each other.
December 26, 2025 at 10:47 AM