Andrew Sperling
@sperls.bsky.social
Pinned
Andrew Sperling
@sperls.bsky.social
· Nov 23
My very first post on here was about cherishing good news like a priceless diamond. So here is a thread about some good news. It has a happy ending but it is bittersweet, I’m afraid. This is a long read but worth sticking with, I hope.
THREAD
THREAD
Goodbye Ozzy. Very glad you got to experience the best of send-offs.
Here you are, singing from on high, courtesy of the very wonderful @coldwarsteve.bsky.social
Here you are, singing from on high, courtesy of the very wonderful @coldwarsteve.bsky.social
July 22, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Goodbye Ozzy. Very glad you got to experience the best of send-offs.
Here you are, singing from on high, courtesy of the very wonderful @coldwarsteve.bsky.social
Here you are, singing from on high, courtesy of the very wonderful @coldwarsteve.bsky.social
Goodbye Brian. You lit up the world.
June 11, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Goodbye Brian. You lit up the world.
Quite unusual to see a civil servant explicitly blaming the last government:
“This data breach was made possible by the long years of neglect and mismanagement of the justice system under the last government….”
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/may...
“This data breach was made possible by the long years of neglect and mismanagement of the justice system under the last government….”
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/may...
Legal aid hack: data from hundreds of thousands of people accessed, says MoJ
Data including criminal records downloaded in ‘significant’ cyber-attack at Legal Aid Agency in April, ministry confirms
www.theguardian.com
May 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Quite unusual to see a civil servant explicitly blaming the last government:
“This data breach was made possible by the long years of neglect and mismanagement of the justice system under the last government….”
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/may...
“This data breach was made possible by the long years of neglect and mismanagement of the justice system under the last government….”
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/may...
Reposted by Andrew Sperling
Had an excellent morning running laps at HMP Brixton for @prtuk.bsky.social with @sperls.bsky.social and residents.
There is still time to leave our fundraising on a nice satisfying round number...
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...
There is still time to leave our fundraising on a nice satisfying round number...
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...
April 25, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Had an excellent morning running laps at HMP Brixton for @prtuk.bsky.social with @sperls.bsky.social and residents.
There is still time to leave our fundraising on a nice satisfying round number...
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...
There is still time to leave our fundraising on a nice satisfying round number...
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...
Reposted by Andrew Sperling
#medalmonday Two fifty milers down for 2025. Three to go!
Next up though is half marathon at HMP Brixton for @prtuk.bsky.social
This will be @sperls.bsky.social first half and we are only £55 away from our target. Can you help? ☺️
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...
Next up though is half marathon at HMP Brixton for @prtuk.bsky.social
This will be @sperls.bsky.social first half and we are only £55 away from our target. Can you help? ☺️
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...
April 21, 2025 at 1:28 PM
#medalmonday Two fifty milers down for 2025. Three to go!
Next up though is half marathon at HMP Brixton for @prtuk.bsky.social
This will be @sperls.bsky.social first half and we are only £55 away from our target. Can you help? ☺️
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...
Next up though is half marathon at HMP Brixton for @prtuk.bsky.social
This will be @sperls.bsky.social first half and we are only £55 away from our target. Can you help? ☺️
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...
Reposted by Andrew Sperling
The state alleging that someone is a criminal is not a justification for denying them due process, it’s what creates the need for it.
April 19, 2025 at 10:09 PM
The state alleging that someone is a criminal is not a justification for denying them due process, it’s what creates the need for it.
Reposted by Andrew Sperling
I am less keen on the endless loops. This will be further than I have ever run before (unlike Emma who basically runs the earth most weeks).
Any donation, however small (or large) will be very welcome.
Please also suggest a suitably themed song for our combined running playlist…
Any donation, however small (or large) will be very welcome.
Please also suggest a suitably themed song for our combined running playlist…
Just under 6 weeks until @sperls.bsky.social and I run the HMP Brixton half for @prtuk.bsky.social along with residents who have been dilligently training.
The course is between 500/600 metres so 43/35 loops. Endless loops. My favourite.
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...
The course is between 500/600 metres so 43/35 loops. Endless loops. My favourite.
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...
Andrew Sperling and Emma McClure RUN for Reform - The HMP Brixton Half
Help Emma McClure raise money to support Prison Reform Trust
justgiving.com
March 18, 2025 at 8:08 AM
I am less keen on the endless loops. This will be further than I have ever run before (unlike Emma who basically runs the earth most weeks).
Any donation, however small (or large) will be very welcome.
Please also suggest a suitably themed song for our combined running playlist…
Any donation, however small (or large) will be very welcome.
Please also suggest a suitably themed song for our combined running playlist…
Congratulations to @laurajanes.bsky.social for her appointment as the new Chair of @prisonlawyersapl.bsky.social. Pretty disgraceful that it has taken over 15 years to get the first female Chair of APL but Laura always has been a trailblazer.
April 9, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Congratulations to @laurajanes.bsky.social for her appointment as the new Chair of @prisonlawyersapl.bsky.social. Pretty disgraceful that it has taken over 15 years to get the first female Chair of APL but Laura always has been a trailblazer.
Interesting to see Mr Yaxley-Lennon aka Tommy Robinson is a recent convert to the idea of human rights.
The article 3 claim was quite ambitious.
If anyone wants an enjoyable lunchtime read and can tell me how I attach a file on here I’ll happily post the judgment
The article 3 claim was quite ambitious.
If anyone wants an enjoyable lunchtime read and can tell me how I attach a file on here I’ll happily post the judgment
March 21, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Interesting to see Mr Yaxley-Lennon aka Tommy Robinson is a recent convert to the idea of human rights.
The article 3 claim was quite ambitious.
If anyone wants an enjoyable lunchtime read and can tell me how I attach a file on here I’ll happily post the judgment
The article 3 claim was quite ambitious.
If anyone wants an enjoyable lunchtime read and can tell me how I attach a file on here I’ll happily post the judgment
I am less keen on the endless loops. This will be further than I have ever run before (unlike Emma who basically runs the earth most weeks).
Any donation, however small (or large) will be very welcome.
Please also suggest a suitably themed song for our combined running playlist…
Any donation, however small (or large) will be very welcome.
Please also suggest a suitably themed song for our combined running playlist…
Just under 6 weeks until @sperls.bsky.social and I run the HMP Brixton half for @prtuk.bsky.social along with residents who have been dilligently training.
The course is between 500/600 metres so 43/35 loops. Endless loops. My favourite.
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...
The course is between 500/600 metres so 43/35 loops. Endless loops. My favourite.
justgiving.com/page/thebrix...
Andrew Sperling and Emma McClure RUN for Reform - The HMP Brixton Half
Help Emma McClure raise money to support Prison Reform Trust
justgiving.com
March 18, 2025 at 8:08 AM
I am less keen on the endless loops. This will be further than I have ever run before (unlike Emma who basically runs the earth most weeks).
Any donation, however small (or large) will be very welcome.
Please also suggest a suitably themed song for our combined running playlist…
Any donation, however small (or large) will be very welcome.
Please also suggest a suitably themed song for our combined running playlist…
There is much more to this story than the ‘alarm’ angle and the perspective of the unidentified probation officer. This new policy is actually delaying Parole Board reviews because there is now a backlog of cases awaiting review by MOJ officials.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Alarm over early re-release of recalled prisoners as jail overcrowding crisis deepens
Whistleblower says over 1,000 inmates in England and Wales considered for the scheme which bypasses Parole Board
www.theguardian.com
March 16, 2025 at 9:32 AM
There is much more to this story than the ‘alarm’ angle and the perspective of the unidentified probation officer. This new policy is actually delaying Parole Board reviews because there is now a backlog of cases awaiting review by MOJ officials.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Absolutely gutted about Rick Buckler. His drumming on Funeral Pyre is utterly magnificent. Check this out
m.youtube.com/watch?v=Endq...
m.youtube.com/watch?v=Endq...
The Jam - Funeral Pyre
YouTube video by TheJamVEVO
m.youtube.com
February 18, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Absolutely gutted about Rick Buckler. His drumming on Funeral Pyre is utterly magnificent. Check this out
m.youtube.com/watch?v=Endq...
m.youtube.com/watch?v=Endq...
This week was an important one for some people serving IPP sentences. Blog post
The Long, Long Road to Freedom
This month marked an important milestone for a few hundred people serving IPP (imprisonment for public protection) sentences who have been released from prison and are on licence in the community. A c...
gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
February 16, 2025 at 2:51 PM
This week was an important one for some people serving IPP sentences. Blog post
The ultimate narcissist has succeeded in having everyone talk about, write about, read about and listen about him day in and day out. His ratings are GREAT.
February 8, 2025 at 11:20 AM
The ultimate narcissist has succeeded in having everyone talk about, write about, read about and listen about him day in and day out. His ratings are GREAT.
Reposted by Andrew Sperling
For those who continue to deny that Trump and the MAGA GOP's objection to asylum-seekers and refugees isn't racist, check out which group, out of all the conflicts on earth, Trump has made a very special refugee resettlement for.
Yep.
White South Africans. Beyond parody.
Yep.
White South Africans. Beyond parody.
BREAKING
President Trump has signed sanctions against South Africa for their recent land seizure bill.
He is ordering all aid to South Africa be halted and he is also ordering federal agencies to prioritize humanitarian relief and admission to the United States for Afrikaner refugees.
President Trump has signed sanctions against South Africa for their recent land seizure bill.
He is ordering all aid to South Africa be halted and he is also ordering federal agencies to prioritize humanitarian relief and admission to the United States for Afrikaner refugees.
February 7, 2025 at 11:36 PM
For those who continue to deny that Trump and the MAGA GOP's objection to asylum-seekers and refugees isn't racist, check out which group, out of all the conflicts on earth, Trump has made a very special refugee resettlement for.
Yep.
White South Africans. Beyond parody.
Yep.
White South Africans. Beyond parody.
This week marks an important milestone for a few hundred people serving IPP sentences.
A change in the law implemented by the Victims and Prisoners Act reduces the period that IPP prisoners have to wait before they can apply for their licences to be terminated.
A brief explainer thread…
A change in the law implemented by the Victims and Prisoners Act reduces the period that IPP prisoners have to wait before they can apply for their licences to be terminated.
A brief explainer thread…
February 3, 2025 at 3:58 PM
This week marks an important milestone for a few hundred people serving IPP sentences.
A change in the law implemented by the Victims and Prisoners Act reduces the period that IPP prisoners have to wait before they can apply for their licences to be terminated.
A brief explainer thread…
A change in the law implemented by the Victims and Prisoners Act reduces the period that IPP prisoners have to wait before they can apply for their licences to be terminated.
A brief explainer thread…
This is essential reading and viewing for anyone who has wilfully or otherwise airbrushed the events of January 6th 2021 and thinks that Trump pardoning the rioters is normal.
Recommended listening also - the excellent podcast series by @restispoliticsus.bsky.social on January 6th.
Recommended listening also - the excellent podcast series by @restispoliticsus.bsky.social on January 6th.
The truth of January 6th can't be erased. Watch the pardoned criminals brutally attacking police inside the Capitol and see what some call 'patriotism.' No spin, just facts.
adamkinzinger.substack.com/p/revisiting...
adamkinzinger.substack.com/p/revisiting...
Revisiting January 6th: The Truth in Motion (Videos Of Pardoned Criminals)
Uncovering the Lies, Confronting the Violence, and Standing Firm for Democracy
adamkinzinger.substack.com
January 24, 2025 at 7:03 PM
This is essential reading and viewing for anyone who has wilfully or otherwise airbrushed the events of January 6th 2021 and thinks that Trump pardoning the rioters is normal.
Recommended listening also - the excellent podcast series by @restispoliticsus.bsky.social on January 6th.
Recommended listening also - the excellent podcast series by @restispoliticsus.bsky.social on January 6th.
Reposted by Andrew Sperling
Oh come ON now. This new JWST image is just ASTOUNDING.
I feel like I’m falling looking into it, and that I would fall forever, and that I would enjoy it.
NASA, ESA, CSA, K. McQuinn (STScI), J. DePasquale (STScI)
I feel like I’m falling looking into it, and that I would fall forever, and that I would enjoy it.
NASA, ESA, CSA, K. McQuinn (STScI), J. DePasquale (STScI)
January 17, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Oh come ON now. This new JWST image is just ASTOUNDING.
I feel like I’m falling looking into it, and that I would fall forever, and that I would enjoy it.
NASA, ESA, CSA, K. McQuinn (STScI), J. DePasquale (STScI)
I feel like I’m falling looking into it, and that I would fall forever, and that I would enjoy it.
NASA, ESA, CSA, K. McQuinn (STScI), J. DePasquale (STScI)
Reposted by Andrew Sperling
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock left the government meeting, refusing to be photographed with Chancellor Olaf Scholz after his decision to block the allocation of a new aid package for Ukraine, - Bild.
Instead of a thousand words.
Instead of a thousand words.
January 18, 2025 at 11:35 AM
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock left the government meeting, refusing to be photographed with Chancellor Olaf Scholz after his decision to block the allocation of a new aid package for Ukraine, - Bild.
Instead of a thousand words.
Instead of a thousand words.
Hoping that I manage to have a fine Lynch tribute dream tonight. But nothing too terrifying. I’m not up for a visit from Frank or Bob.
January 16, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Hoping that I manage to have a fine Lynch tribute dream tonight. But nothing too terrifying. I’m not up for a visit from Frank or Bob.
Reposted by Andrew Sperling
David Lynch gave us the language we needed to better articulate the indescribable strangeness of our shared reality. “Lynchian” is so overused because it’s a viscerally understandable word without any known synonyms. I can’t imagine a more beautiful artistic legacy than that.
January 16, 2025 at 7:47 PM
David Lynch gave us the language we needed to better articulate the indescribable strangeness of our shared reality. “Lynchian” is so overused because it’s a viscerally understandable word without any known synonyms. I can’t imagine a more beautiful artistic legacy than that.
Reposted by Andrew Sperling
One of my favourite things anyone has ever said about art. You'll be missed, David. 🌹
January 16, 2025 at 6:46 PM
One of my favourite things anyone has ever said about art. You'll be missed, David. 🌹
I absolutely loved David Lynch. He changed the way I look at life. And made me laugh a lot.
It’s hard to believe that there won’t be any more of his wonderful imagination and creativity in the world.
It’s hard to believe that there won’t be any more of his wonderful imagination and creativity in the world.
January 16, 2025 at 7:45 PM
I absolutely loved David Lynch. He changed the way I look at life. And made me laugh a lot.
It’s hard to believe that there won’t be any more of his wonderful imagination and creativity in the world.
It’s hard to believe that there won’t be any more of his wonderful imagination and creativity in the world.
Reposted by Andrew Sperling
Throughout 2024, the Guardian aimed to report on every woman allegedly killed by a man. Here are the 80 women whose deaths have led to a man being charged. Let us say their names. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-i...
Killed women count: 80 women allegedly killed by men in UK in 2024
Throughout the year the Guardian aimed to report on every woman whose death has led to a man being charged
www.theguardian.com
December 31, 2024 at 9:20 AM
Throughout 2024, the Guardian aimed to report on every woman allegedly killed by a man. Here are the 80 women whose deaths have led to a man being charged. Let us say their names. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-i...
This is such a distressing read. Yet another IPP prisoner losing their life in prison.
It’s an important finding that the delays to his parole hearing contributed to his mental distress. Parole delays have had a devastating impact on many people.
www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
It’s an important finding that the delays to his parole hearing contributed to his mental distress. Parole delays have had a devastating impact on many people.
www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
Delays and neglect led to death of prisoner serving IPP sentence, jury finds
Inquest concludes that Haydar Jefferies took his own life after Surrey prison’s ‘serious failure’ to put him in place of safety
www.theguardian.com
December 18, 2024 at 1:41 PM
This is such a distressing read. Yet another IPP prisoner losing their life in prison.
It’s an important finding that the delays to his parole hearing contributed to his mental distress. Parole delays have had a devastating impact on many people.
www.theguardian.com/society/2024...
It’s an important finding that the delays to his parole hearing contributed to his mental distress. Parole delays have had a devastating impact on many people.
www.theguardian.com/society/2024...