Dr Peter Starie
@stariep.bsky.social
Music, politics, history, art, photos, Southsea/Portsmouth & West Ham ⚒
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Real heads know him from The Balkans: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers, 1804–1999
Things that will interest Bluesky; Misha Glenny, author of McMafia, replaces Melvyn Bragg as host of In Our Time.
December 3, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Real heads know him from The Balkans: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers, 1804–1999
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Thank God for that. I was dreading it would be Amol Rajan.
December 3, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Thank God for that. I was dreading it would be Amol Rajan.
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Things that will interest Bluesky; Misha Glenny, author of McMafia, replaces Melvyn Bragg as host of In Our Time.
December 3, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Things that will interest Bluesky; Misha Glenny, author of McMafia, replaces Melvyn Bragg as host of In Our Time.
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Difficult to grasp how the crisis of UK universites - largely caused by bad policy and bad management - is not treated as a massive national problem that requires government involvement to help solve the issue. Product of a discourse in which parties don‘t want to be seen as appealing to graduates?
Grim news and vacuous messaging from Essex: 200 academic posts (in unspecified subjects) to go this year & 200 professional staff posts in the next 2 years. Closure of Southend campus will be a blow regionally as well. The vision and ambition that saw Essex et al established is sorely needed now.
Essex to close Southend campus and cut 400 jobs
University says it has been forced into making ‘decisions we could have never previously imagined’ after steep drop in international student numbers
www.timeshighereducation.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Difficult to grasp how the crisis of UK universites - largely caused by bad policy and bad management - is not treated as a massive national problem that requires government involvement to help solve the issue. Product of a discourse in which parties don‘t want to be seen as appealing to graduates?
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
it's Ofcom so the major social media platform they'll kick off with could easily be myspace
NEW: Ofcom has launched a new investigation into whether social media platforms are doing enough to identify and remove illegal terror and hate content
It will start with a detailed review of one major platform before extending to others
It will start with a detailed review of one major platform before extending to others
December 2, 2025 at 4:22 PM
it's Ofcom so the major social media platform they'll kick off with could easily be myspace
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
December 2, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Your Party should be made into a piss-take soap opera. The screenplay is already written.
Amazingly, Your Party used first past the post in its vote on which name to use permanently, meaning the winner – Your Party, shocker – only got 37% of the vote on 30% turnout.
November 30, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Your Party should be made into a piss-take soap opera. The screenplay is already written.
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Know what would REALLY ruin your life, middle-aged dude?
Discovering that your favourite cuddly, pint-in-the-pub right-wingers have abolished the NHS, and you're on the hook for tens of thousands of pounds of medical bills, just after you retire... or you can just die...
Discovering that your favourite cuddly, pint-in-the-pub right-wingers have abolished the NHS, and you're on the hook for tens of thousands of pounds of medical bills, just after you retire... or you can just die...
Wow - this guy must be really, REALLY bad with money if an extra £208 per month will “ruin” his retirement.
Let’s take a look at his situation based on what he told the @Telegraph
Because this does NOT add up!
No, this is not a “poor pensioner” scrabbling around for pennies…
🧵1/9
Let’s take a look at his situation based on what he told the @Telegraph
Because this does NOT add up!
No, this is not a “poor pensioner” scrabbling around for pennies…
🧵1/9
November 29, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Know what would REALLY ruin your life, middle-aged dude?
Discovering that your favourite cuddly, pint-in-the-pub right-wingers have abolished the NHS, and you're on the hook for tens of thousands of pounds of medical bills, just after you retire... or you can just die...
Discovering that your favourite cuddly, pint-in-the-pub right-wingers have abolished the NHS, and you're on the hook for tens of thousands of pounds of medical bills, just after you retire... or you can just die...
Authentic acting approach. Hmmm - it's still acting.
Inside Polanski's comms operation:
- Coached in Judie Dench-inspired acting methods
- Growing dialogue with Zohran Mamdani's people
- An expanding press team, including a former senior Corbyn adviser and ex-Bundesliga employee
- Social media “critical”
+ more from @sophiealichurch.bsky.social
- Coached in Judie Dench-inspired acting methods
- Growing dialogue with Zohran Mamdani's people
- An expanding press team, including a former senior Corbyn adviser and ex-Bundesliga employee
- Social media “critical”
+ more from @sophiealichurch.bsky.social
Inside Zack Polanski's Comms Strategy
The Green Party has doubled its membership since Zack Polanski became leader. Sophie Church explores how his training in the ‘Gonsalves method’ of ...
www.politicshome.com
November 29, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Authentic acting approach. Hmmm - it's still acting.
Utterly hilarious and pathetic in equal measure. Can't organise one day of a conference let alone a Party. The revolution is next Saturday...
Zarah Sultana boycotts first day of Your Party conference over 'witch hunt' expulsions
Zarah Sultana boycotts first day of Your Party conference over 'witch hunt' expulsions
Zarah Sultana has boycotted day one of the Your Party Conference over the expulsion of members of left-wing groups.
news.sky.com
November 29, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Utterly hilarious and pathetic in equal measure. Can't organise one day of a conference let alone a Party. The revolution is next Saturday...
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Snow Falling in the Lane 1906
https://botfrens.com/collections/90/contents/25479
https://botfrens.com/collections/90/contents/25479
November 28, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Snow Falling in the Lane 1906
https://botfrens.com/collections/90/contents/25479
https://botfrens.com/collections/90/contents/25479
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Kemi Badenoch is the Philomena Cunk of politicians, without the occasional accidental insight
November 28, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Kemi Badenoch is the Philomena Cunk of politicians, without the occasional accidental insight
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Welcome Shabana Mahmood to your next four years of headlines!!!
Foreign doctors trained by the NHS face deportation under visa rules
Foreign doctors trained by the NHS face deportation under visa rules
www.thetimes.com
November 28, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Welcome Shabana Mahmood to your next four years of headlines!!!
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Spot on. The terms of the plan 2 loan are utterly usurious. Notably the budget has not frozen just the threshold for repayments at a marginal rate of 9%, dragging more and more graduates into it, but it also freezes the interest of those loans which is as much as 6.2%! Which is ridiculous!!
I'm constantly shocked (but not surprised) by how little we discuss the additional financial burden placed on young people by the Clegg-Cameron student loan regime.
@rmcunliffe.bsky.social is one of the few journalists who brings it up continuously - once again in the wake of the budget 👇
@rmcunliffe.bsky.social is one of the few journalists who brings it up continuously - once again in the wake of the budget 👇
Rachel Reeves hits young graduates with a double stealth tax
The Chancellor plans to raise as much money from freezing loan repayment thresholds as from the mansion tax
www.newstatesman.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Spot on. The terms of the plan 2 loan are utterly usurious. Notably the budget has not frozen just the threshold for repayments at a marginal rate of 9%, dragging more and more graduates into it, but it also freezes the interest of those loans which is as much as 6.2%! Which is ridiculous!!
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Serious howls of outrage in the media this morning at what is a relatively modest Budget from Labour that does nothing more than fiddle around the margins.
It does highlight the missed opportunity. If you’re going to get this reaction anyway, why not at least get it for attempting a big swing?
It does highlight the missed opportunity. If you’re going to get this reaction anyway, why not at least get it for attempting a big swing?
November 27, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Serious howls of outrage in the media this morning at what is a relatively modest Budget from Labour that does nothing more than fiddle around the margins.
It does highlight the missed opportunity. If you’re going to get this reaction anyway, why not at least get it for attempting a big swing?
It does highlight the missed opportunity. If you’re going to get this reaction anyway, why not at least get it for attempting a big swing?
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Yeah. It’s fine for a Labour government to do things that Labour voters like and other people don’t. Should try it more often.
Also who cares why they did it? What matters is it's done. (In any case reducing poverty is one reason people vote for Labour MPs so mollifying is kind of the point of elected them).
I'm hearing criticisms of the end to the two child limit, because it was done just to mollify Labour backbenchers, at a cost of £billions.
I remember another govt delivering a referendum on EU membership, just to mollify restive backbenchers. That's costing way, way more... A little perspective?
I remember another govt delivering a referendum on EU membership, just to mollify restive backbenchers. That's costing way, way more... A little perspective?
November 26, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Yeah. It’s fine for a Labour government to do things that Labour voters like and other people don’t. Should try it more often.
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
I'm hearing criticisms of the end to the two child limit, because it was done just to mollify Labour backbenchers, at a cost of £billions.
I remember another govt delivering a referendum on EU membership, just to mollify restive backbenchers. That's costing way, way more... A little perspective?
I remember another govt delivering a referendum on EU membership, just to mollify restive backbenchers. That's costing way, way more... A little perspective?
November 26, 2025 at 6:54 PM
I'm hearing criticisms of the end to the two child limit, because it was done just to mollify Labour backbenchers, at a cost of £billions.
I remember another govt delivering a referendum on EU membership, just to mollify restive backbenchers. That's costing way, way more... A little perspective?
I remember another govt delivering a referendum on EU membership, just to mollify restive backbenchers. That's costing way, way more... A little perspective?
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
Immigration is collapsing, and will continue to do so - perhaps even more quickly. We need to reverse engines and encourage it, right away.
November 27, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Immigration is collapsing, and will continue to do so - perhaps even more quickly. We need to reverse engines and encourage it, right away.
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
A bit like crime. It’s been going down for decades but voters just need one anecdote to remind them how afraid they are
Only a sixth of the public know that immigration is now falling (significantly) from its peak levels. It is a challenge to the politicians and the media to do their distinct jobs more effectively by communicating this, so we can have a more informed debate
www.britishfuture.org/immigration-...
www.britishfuture.org/immigration-...
Immigration falling but public still thinks it is going up – new research - British Future
Findings from the British Future/Ipsos Immigration Attitudes Tracker into what the public thinks about immigration for work, study and asylum
www.britishfuture.org
November 27, 2025 at 9:44 AM
A bit like crime. It’s been going down for decades but voters just need one anecdote to remind them how afraid they are
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
In case you missed this, the BBC edited a historian's speech about Trump to remove the claim that he's "the most openly corrupt president in US history." This came after Trump had threatened a $1 billion lawsuit.
Elite capitulation continues.
Read all about it here:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Elite capitulation continues.
Read all about it here:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Trump Angrily Threatened to Sue BBC. Then Things Took a Darker Turn.
First, British Broadcasting Corporation execs resigned after Trump complained about a segment. Now the BBC edited out a line from a historian that was critical of Trump. Where does this end?
newrepublic.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:30 PM
In case you missed this, the BBC edited a historian's speech about Trump to remove the claim that he's "the most openly corrupt president in US history." This came after Trump had threatened a $1 billion lawsuit.
Elite capitulation continues.
Read all about it here:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Elite capitulation continues.
Read all about it here:
newrepublic.com/article/2036...
Richard Hughes, OBR, then whizzes through his press conference and then faces questions about his future. Oh dear.
Quick apology.
November 26, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Richard Hughes, OBR, then whizzes through his press conference and then faces questions about his future. Oh dear.
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
November 26, 2025 at 2:34 PM
And now for some voxpops on the Budget: over to a racist banging on about people coming over here living in the lap of luxury. No mention of the actual #Budget
November 26, 2025 at 2:24 PM
And now for some voxpops on the Budget: over to a racist banging on about people coming over here living in the lap of luxury. No mention of the actual #Budget
Reposted by Dr Peter Starie
BBC political correspondents looking crestfallen, if not devastated, that the budget has been largely well received.
November 26, 2025 at 2:12 PM
BBC political correspondents looking crestfallen, if not devastated, that the budget has been largely well received.