TomButcher
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thosb.bsky.social
TomButcher
@thosb.bsky.social
140 followers 320 following 25 posts
Actor, Spouse , Cat Master (Keith), part time thinker, MMT.
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Reposted by TomButcher
georgemonbiot.bsky.social
The Hamas attack on October 7 was a horrendous crime against humanity. But the only relationship between it and the even greater crimes against humanity being perpetrated in Gaza today is that it is being used as an excuse for what certain Israeli ministers and generals have long wanted to do.
August 2, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Reposted by TomButcher
davidallengreen.bsky.social
NEW

Explaining a 31-month sentence for a tweet

How a mixture of court process, law and sentencing policy led to the lengthy imprisonment of Lucy Connolly

By me

Substack: emptycity.substack.com/p/explaining...

Personal blog: davidallengreen.com/2025/05/expl...
Explaining a 31-month sentence for a tweet
How a mixture of court process, law and sentencing policy led to the lengthy imprisonment of Lucy Connolly
emptycity.substack.com
May 27, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Reposted by TomButcher
fascinatorfun.bsky.social
An ex Israeli PM speaks. “What we are doing in Gaza is a war of extermination : indiscriminate, unrestrained, brutal and criminal killing of civilians

bsky.app/profile/oluf...
May 26, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social
THREAD. When my parents' cat Bridget went missing, my dad, to try to ease his worry, painted her on a variety of historical ventures. Soon, these numbered in the dozens.

After much nagging, my dad has had some postcards printed of this brilliant series: michaelcoxmoredaysthansausages.bigcartel.com
The Girl With The Cat Earring Bridget Hangs Out With The Hunters In The Snow Bridget Meets The Beatles On Abbey Road Bridget Does Edward Hopper
May 26, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
oliver48.bsky.social
via Peter Jenkins
May 26, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Reposted by TomButcher
owenjones.bsky.social
Does this surprise you?
May 26, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
stevepeers.bsky.social
Island of Strangers - by @michaelrosenyes.bsky.social m.facebook.com/story.php?st...
Poem response to Starmer's Farage/Powell cosplay - full text in the link
May 14, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Reposted by TomButcher
adambienkov.bsky.social
Nigel Farage still insisting that he has "never ever, ever suggested anything other than the NHS should be free".

Here's what he's said in the past behind closed doors
May 1, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reposted by TomButcher
13sarahmurphy.bsky.social
On the eve of the #localelections thank you @privateeyenews.bsky.social for absolutely nailing the weapons-grade, rock-solid, brain-melting idiocy of voting for Farage and Reform…
Reform projected to do brilliantly in mayoral contests IN SHOCKING news many of the people who thought their lives would get better after Brexit are going to be voting for a party led by the man who told them Brexit would solve all Britain's problems. "It just makes sense,” said one voter, whose personal income had been hammered by a drop-off of trade with Europe, by the government having less money to spend and by an overall lack of economic growth. "This guy tells it like it is - he blames someone else and denies all responsibility. We should be punishing the government for not making my life better - and to do that, I'll be voting for someone who has made my life worse." Many thousands of others have decided that they will make a vote to protest against the mainstream, and, in order to register their disapproval, they will vote for a man who's been a professional politician for several decades and earned millions of pounds off the back of it. "This is the way to show those mainstream politicians what's what," said one voter, casting a ballot for arguably the most influential British politician of the last three decades. "This will turn everything round."
April 30, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
implausibleblog.bsky.social
Andy Burnham, "The country took a series of wrong turns in the 1980s"

"It's left people in a situation where the essentials of life, water, homes, electricity, buses, rail, these are way expensive compared to everywhere else in Europe"

"It's about fixing that and turning it around"
April 20, 2025 at 2:43 PM
thosb.bsky.social
Someone once said; there's nothing a Tory fears more than seeing someone they regard as an inferior, being treated as an equal.
April 18, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
ediewings.bsky.social
Similarly, I think. Looking at our use of language when we try to change things for the better for all is important. I got this below, off a group page on FB Obviously it refers to the American context, but similarly we can find the positive narrative and build our new story that way.
Words say: *copied from a human on an Indivisible page hi Everyone -- Want to make a suggestion about wording that is taken straight out of the indigenous Hawaiian's activist playbook, ie: that we refuse to use the word "protestor" when referring to our activities and activism (particularly when talking to the press). The indigenous Hawaiians realized a long time ago that words matter and the word "protestor" is triggering in the American context so they now insist on being referred to as "protectors" not "protestors" and will immediately correct anyone who says otherwise. I want to suggest we emulated this because we are not "protestors for American Democracy" but "Protectors OF American Democracy". It takes a critical mass of people to do this but once accomplished,it changes the entire dialogue and perspective in our favour.
April 14, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
danielsohege.bsky.social
I defy anyone to look at this and still say integration isn't working in the UK.
Picture of Morrison's "Mrs Unis Haggis Pakora with a spicy chilli dip"
April 6, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Reposted by TomButcher
penguinitoguate.bsky.social
April 3, 2025 at 3:48 PM
thosb.bsky.social
1927 'La Trahison des Clerks'. We've been here before
www.monbiot.com/2013/05/14/l...
March 30, 2025 at 8:49 AM
thosb.bsky.social
Especially the reference to Marcus Crassus. …
13sarahmurphy.bsky.social Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · Mar 29
Great letters in The Times on the ugly menace of Trump and what should be done about him:
See him for what he is, stand up to him, say no to him, never trust him, join forces meaningfully with Europe, ask to join the EU Single Market and rethink that not so ‘special relationship’.
Sir, The extreme transactional view the Americans are taking in talks on a ceasefire in Ukraine ("Trump makes $100bn grab for Ukraine's oil and mineral wealth", Mar 28) is utterly sickening. If ever there was a reason for a united European response to one aspect of the talks between the White House and President Putin this is it; to say with deafening clarity that conditions of this kind must not be a precursor to peace in a devastated country fighting for its life. The original rare earth minerals proposal was one thing but this additional set of terms, demanded not by Putin but by President Zelensky's supposed ally, the US, is shameful and abhorrent. The nations of Europe must say so loud and clear. Alastair Conan Coulsdon, Surrey Sir, Hugo Rifkind is right to point out the hypocrisy in the American complaint that Europe is failing to pull its weight ("A quick history lesson from the freeloaders", Mar 27). The present US administration demands self-reliant allies while still expecting to call the shots. It is a familiar imperial instinct - authority without burden, influence without responsibility. There is a simple reason why Europe's military strength has atrophied over decades: because America asked it to. The US may now prefer a world of transactional alliances, but it should not assume Europe will agree to the transaction. What is unfolding is not just a diplomatic rift but the unravelling of a postwar compact. Europe will rearm. But in doing so it will begin to act more independently. If that independence comes with fewer automatic alignments, Washington should not be surprised. Craig Eddyshaw Nottingham Sir, As the US becomes increasingly unpredictable and untrustworthy, the UK government would do well to have a contingency plan ready should any "special relationship" and preferential terms with the US and its president prove hollow. The obvious move would be to join the European Economic Area, along with Norway. The timely improvement this would bring about in the country's economic prospects, by taking down barriers to trade with our largest partner, would help to shore up the fragility of the chancellor's plans for the coming years. It would counter many of the downsides of Brexit, while still adhering to the result of the referendum itself. It would add even more substance to a "coalition of the willing", led by France and the UK to defend the future of Ukraine. Indeed, there could scarcely be a better time to negotiate such a deal. Lord Vallance of Tummel Former chairman, House of Lords select committee on economic affairs; Strathtay, Pitlochry Sir, President Trump's behaviour regarding Ukraine reminds me of Marcus Crassus, the general said to be the richest man in Rome and founder of its first fire brigade. His method was simple: he would arrive at the scene of a fire with his slaves and offer to buy the burning property at a derisory price. If the distressed owner refused, he would let it burn down. David Osmond Barnoldby, Lincs
March 29, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Reposted by TomButcher
implausibleblog.bsky.social
Darren Jones, "What is it that we need from our government?" #BBCQT

We need a government that, when it sees an impact assessment of a policy that puts 50,000 more children into poverty, says, no, that's a bad policy, we aren't doing it. That's what we need
March 28, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
mehdirhasan.bsky.social
Yep
March 28, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
bylines.cymru
How a false Net Zero claim became ‘news’: the right-wing disinformation loop

This direct debunk and mini-lesson on how the right-wing media ecosystem can work may help you to spot and critique these types of ‘stories’ in the future.

✍️ @monkemma.bsky.social

bylines.cymru/politics-and...
How a false Net Zero claim became ‘news’: the right-wing disinformation loop
This direct debunk and mini-lesson on how the right-wing media ecosystem can work may help you to spot and critique these types of ‘stories’ in the future
bylines.cymru
March 23, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
implausibleblog.bsky.social
Michael Gove on June 21st 2016, two days before the Brexit referendum,

"By voting to leave, we can not only take back control of hundreds of millions that we sent to the European Union, we will also be detaching ourselves from the sinking ship that is the European Union economy"
March 22, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
zarahsultana.bsky.social
UK billionaires added £182,000,000,000 to their wealth last year. That’s £35,000,000 every single day.

Their combined wealth is £795,361,000,000.

So don't let anyone tell you austerity is a “necessity”. There’s more than enough wealth to fund our NHS, public services & welfare.
March 22, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
ronfilipkowski.bsky.social
You don’t need to leak false information. If it is false, you are just making it up. So either it is a leak of truthful information or it is someone making something up.
March 21, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
peterstefanovic.bsky.social
Brexit a key factor in worst UK medicine shortages in four years, report says

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Brexit a key factor in worst UK medicine shortages in four years, report says
Nuffield Trust says supply chains have shifted, with medicines for epilepsy and cystic fibrosis among those now scarce
www.theguardian.com
March 22, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Reposted by TomButcher
jamesrball.com
I'd argue the "despite" in this headline should be "thanks to". I suspect Meta has realised the same thing, as after their initial HUGE blitz of public attacks on the book, they've gone awfully quiet since March 13th.
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/m...
Meta exposé tops bestseller chart despite company’s attempt to ban its promotion
Sarah Wynn-Williams’s account of her seven years as a Facebook executive is number one on the New York Times bestseller list and has flown off the shelves in the UK
www.theguardian.com
March 21, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by TomButcher
jdportes.bsky.social
"Israel acknowledges that this time, the targets aren't terrorists but civilians – an explicit war crime. It is killing for the sake of killing."

archive.ph/Zbxmu
March 21, 2025 at 6:11 PM