@threadbarepanda.bsky.social
Reposted
So here we go again. Seems unlikely some (appalling) tweets from over a decade ago would rescind the citizenship. So it will go on and on. The law will shift to react to a single case and that law will then be used far more widely - especially should there be a Reform Home Secretary one day.
December 29, 2025 at 8:26 PM
So here we go again. Seems unlikely some (appalling) tweets from over a decade ago would rescind the citizenship. So it will go on and on. The law will shift to react to a single case and that law will then be used far more widely - especially should there be a Reform Home Secretary one day.
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Of course the tweets were abhorrent.
But what happens now, knowing that deportation etc are difficult legal processes, this wound will be relentlessly reopened by populists. Then policy shifts inexorably towards abrogating human rights.
We have to stop this dynamic.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
But what happens now, knowing that deportation etc are difficult legal processes, this wound will be relentlessly reopened by populists. Then policy shifts inexorably towards abrogating human rights.
We have to stop this dynamic.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Home secretary urged to strip activist of British citizenship
Shabana Mahmood is facing growing calls to revoke the citizenship of British-Egyptian dual national Alaa Abdel Fattah after the emergence of social media posts.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 29, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Of course the tweets were abhorrent.
But what happens now, knowing that deportation etc are difficult legal processes, this wound will be relentlessly reopened by populists. Then policy shifts inexorably towards abrogating human rights.
We have to stop this dynamic.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
But what happens now, knowing that deportation etc are difficult legal processes, this wound will be relentlessly reopened by populists. Then policy shifts inexorably towards abrogating human rights.
We have to stop this dynamic.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
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They'll blame you for them coming and blame you again for them leaving.
Why politicians trying to appease the anti-immigrant press is a complete hiding for nothing
Why politicians trying to appease the anti-immigrant press is a complete hiding for nothing
December 29, 2025 at 8:28 PM
They'll blame you for them coming and blame you again for them leaving.
Why politicians trying to appease the anti-immigrant press is a complete hiding for nothing
Why politicians trying to appease the anti-immigrant press is a complete hiding for nothing
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The Musk/Zuckerberg/Thiel Effect
(Two of those are migrants too BTW)
(Two of those are migrants too BTW)
Number of people who say Britons must be born in UK is rising, study shows
About one-third of people (36%) thought a person must be born in Britain to be truly British, up from one in five (19%) in 2023, a YouGov poll carried out this month found
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
About one-third of people (36%) thought a person must be born in Britain to be truly British, up from one in five (19%) in 2023, a YouGov poll carried out this month found
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Number of people who say Britons must be born in UK is rising, study shows
Exclusive: Research finds ‘worrying’ surge in support for hard-right narratives on national identity
www.theguardian.com
December 29, 2025 at 8:32 PM
The Musk/Zuckerberg/Thiel Effect
(Two of those are migrants too BTW)
(Two of those are migrants too BTW)
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It's really beyond belief. Now, the "Romanians propped up UK's economy" (though I notice the Mail have now changed the headline). Then, they were taking our job/ scrounging welfare/ committing crimes. As, ofc, the Mail now says non-EU immigrants are doing.
Mail report: 70,000 more EU nationals left than arrived in the 12 months June 2024- June 2025, while somewhere around 3.5 million to 4 million EU nationals live in the UK
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
Up to 1m Romanians propped up UK's economy - now they are going home
The numbers of Romanians leaving the UK are higher than for any other EU nationality, dwarfing the 25,000 Poles who left Britain to return to their low-tax homeland in the year up to last June.
www.dailymail.co.uk
December 29, 2025 at 6:47 PM
It's really beyond belief. Now, the "Romanians propped up UK's economy" (though I notice the Mail have now changed the headline). Then, they were taking our job/ scrounging welfare/ committing crimes. As, ofc, the Mail now says non-EU immigrants are doing.
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I'd go further, and say it shouldn't ever be revoked unless it can be demonstrated that it was acquired in bad faith AND that the person is not left stateless.
As someone else noted, the alternative is that naturalisation only creates second-class citizens, here on sufferance.
As someone else noted, the alternative is that naturalisation only creates second-class citizens, here on sufferance.
December 29, 2025 at 5:58 PM
I'd go further, and say it shouldn't ever be revoked unless it can be demonstrated that it was acquired in bad faith AND that the person is not left stateless.
As someone else noted, the alternative is that naturalisation only creates second-class citizens, here on sufferance.
As someone else noted, the alternative is that naturalisation only creates second-class citizens, here on sufferance.
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A lack of realisation that the Western political spectrum doesn't map that well in a lot of other countries and that many dissidents and pro-democracy campaigners might not necessarily be cuddly Westernised liberals, etc.?
Without getting too relativist.
Most famously, Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
Without getting too relativist.
Most famously, Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
December 29, 2025 at 5:09 PM
A lack of realisation that the Western political spectrum doesn't map that well in a lot of other countries and that many dissidents and pro-democracy campaigners might not necessarily be cuddly Westernised liberals, etc.?
Without getting too relativist.
Most famously, Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
Without getting too relativist.
Most famously, Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
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Indeed. I do would also just note (not targeted at you) that some of the people commenting on this visibly did not hold Navalny to this standard (and rightly did not).
December 29, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Indeed. I do would also just note (not targeted at you) that some of the people commenting on this visibly did not hold Navalny to this standard (and rightly did not).
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Your regular dose of hypocrisy from Farage who, unlike apparently Abd El Fattah, has made neither a full nor a sincere apology for all the hateful racism he spewed out as a young man.
December 29, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Your regular dose of hypocrisy from Farage who, unlike apparently Abd El Fattah, has made neither a full nor a sincere apology for all the hateful racism he spewed out as a young man.
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Number crunching: Telegraph editorial columns in December highlighting ‘the unreliability of social media’ v corrections the Telegraph has had to publish so far this year due to inaccurate reporting
From the new Private Eye, out now.
From the new Private Eye, out now.
December 27, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Number crunching: Telegraph editorial columns in December highlighting ‘the unreliability of social media’ v corrections the Telegraph has had to publish so far this year due to inaccurate reporting
From the new Private Eye, out now.
From the new Private Eye, out now.
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I've been doing this as a comedy bit for years, but I do believe it; before I die, I will see the establishment of a Royal Commission on Britain's failure to attract sufficient immigration, and many of today's broadsheet ethnonationalists will be on it
December 29, 2025 at 4:49 PM
I've been doing this as a comedy bit for years, but I do believe it; before I die, I will see the establishment of a Royal Commission on Britain's failure to attract sufficient immigration, and many of today's broadsheet ethnonationalists will be on it
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21% of NHS staff are immigrants, but only 16% of the UK population was born overseas.
So are you more likely to be treated by an immigrant - or stand behind them in the NHS queue?
Here’s what people told us.
So are you more likely to be treated by an immigrant - or stand behind them in the NHS queue?
Here’s what people told us.
December 29, 2025 at 5:37 PM
21% of NHS staff are immigrants, but only 16% of the UK population was born overseas.
So are you more likely to be treated by an immigrant - or stand behind them in the NHS queue?
Here’s what people told us.
So are you more likely to be treated by an immigrant - or stand behind them in the NHS queue?
Here’s what people told us.
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"Farage and Badenoch are free to offer up an explanation as to why Connolly should be able to incite violence without consequence, while el-Fattah should face extrajudicial punishment for it. Until they do so, there is an all too obvious one: they are openly pandering to racists."
Calls to remove el-Fattah’s UK citizenship are dictatorial
Yes his tweets were disgusting, possibly criminal, yet it should not be possible for politicians to revoke someone’s national identity just because they dislike their views
www.thenewworld.co.uk
December 29, 2025 at 6:05 PM
"Farage and Badenoch are free to offer up an explanation as to why Connolly should be able to incite violence without consequence, while el-Fattah should face extrajudicial punishment for it. Until they do so, there is an all too obvious one: they are openly pandering to racists."
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when labour started down this path, over 200 uk politics academics singed an open letter warning them it wouldn't work
www.politicalphilosophypodcast.com/starmer
www.politicalphilosophypodcast.com/starmer
December 29, 2025 at 6:01 PM
when labour started down this path, over 200 uk politics academics singed an open letter warning them it wouldn't work
www.politicalphilosophypodcast.com/starmer
www.politicalphilosophypodcast.com/starmer
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Number of people who say Britons must be born in UK is rising, study shows
Number of people who say Britons must be born in UK is rising, study shows
Exclusive: Research finds ‘worrying’ surge in support for hard-right narratives on national identity
The number of people who believe “Britishness” is something you are born with has almost doubled in two years, according to research that warns of a rising tide of ethno-nationalism in Britain.
Although a majority of the public still believe being British is rooted in shared values, a growing proportion see it as a product of ethnicity, birthplace and ancestry, according to analysis carried out by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and shared with the Guardian. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 29, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Number of people who say Britons must be born in UK is rising, study shows
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Predictions for British politics in 2026 will be even tougher than usual because I think we are potentially near inflection points for both Lab and Con - if current steep declines continue, that will soon provoke leadership crisis/challenge which will change poll dynamics.
A reminder of yesterday's post reviewing last year's Christmas predictions for 2025. I will start a new prediction thread for 2026 about a week from now. If there's a prediction you'd like me to make, post it in the replies here!
New Swingometer post! I review the preditions I made last Christmas about politics in 2025 and try and draw some lessons from my various blunders and missteps:
swingometer.substack.com/p/my-2025-pr...
swingometer.substack.com/p/my-2025-pr...
December 28, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Predictions for British politics in 2026 will be even tougher than usual because I think we are potentially near inflection points for both Lab and Con - if current steep declines continue, that will soon provoke leadership crisis/challenge which will change poll dynamics.
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I'm certainly not defending the Abd el-Fattah tweets but I really can't stomach the outrage about them from those who also insisted that Lucy Connelly was a heroic martyr for free speech and were equally outraged by her punishment.
December 29, 2025 at 6:15 PM
I'm certainly not defending the Abd el-Fattah tweets but I really can't stomach the outrage about them from those who also insisted that Lucy Connelly was a heroic martyr for free speech and were equally outraged by her punishment.
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It is *incredibly* weird that the President publicly claimed three days ago that the US struck a facility in Venezuela and we still don't even know whether it actually happened or not.
I mean, I just don't have words for how weird that is. And I do words for a living.
I mean, I just don't have words for how weird that is. And I do words for a living.
Another report on Trump's radio comments with no additional confirmation from any federal officials:
Trump says the U.S. took out a 'big facility' in Venezuela amid strikes on alleged drug boats
The president did not provide details about the apparent strike, which NBC News has not independently confirmed.
www.nbcnews.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:58 PM
It is *incredibly* weird that the President publicly claimed three days ago that the US struck a facility in Venezuela and we still don't even know whether it actually happened or not.
I mean, I just don't have words for how weird that is. And I do words for a living.
I mean, I just don't have words for how weird that is. And I do words for a living.
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A genuinely progressive and liberal govt would act to reverse this trend and entrench citizenship rights given the dangers ahead. I fear the current govt will do the opposite.
December 29, 2025 at 3:12 PM
A genuinely progressive and liberal govt would act to reverse this trend and entrench citizenship rights given the dangers ahead. I fear the current govt will do the opposite.
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To be honest, reading this, things have proceeded much further than I had realised. I fear the precedents already established in last 20 years or so will mean a Reform Home Sec has sweeping powers to act against any dual citizen or naturalised citizen they take against bsky.app/profile/bows...
I was also really concerned about the entirely possible next party in power until I read "Someone who was born British and has no other nationality cannot be deprived of their citizenship in any circumstances."
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...
Deprivation of British citizenship and withdrawal of passports
In the 21st century there has been a revived use of government powers to deprive people of their British citizenship and withhold UK passports, particularly as a counter-terrorism measure.
commonslibrary.parliament.uk
December 29, 2025 at 3:12 PM
To be honest, reading this, things have proceeded much further than I had realised. I fear the precedents already established in last 20 years or so will mean a Reform Home Sec has sweeping powers to act against any dual citizen or naturalised citizen they take against bsky.app/profile/bows...
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I already agree with this in principle - citizenship is an untouchable status or it is nothing - but also for reasons of prudence. “The Home Sec can revoke citizenship when he/she deems someone’s online output sufficiently offensive” is a v dangerous precedent to set with Reform leading all polls.
Hell, I'm not convinced we should revoke citizenship at all.
But certainly not for being a twat online.
But certainly not for being a twat online.
December 29, 2025 at 11:18 AM
I already agree with this in principle - citizenship is an untouchable status or it is nothing - but also for reasons of prudence. “The Home Sec can revoke citizenship when he/she deems someone’s online output sufficiently offensive” is a v dangerous precedent to set with Reform leading all polls.
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At the other place, a Tory MP was saying that “he’s not really British”. Leaving aside the legal incoherence of such a statement, the same could, at some point, very much have been said about his leader
December 29, 2025 at 10:54 AM
At the other place, a Tory MP was saying that “he’s not really British”. Leaving aside the legal incoherence of such a statement, the same could, at some point, very much have been said about his leader
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Frankly for a policy that is many ways *less* liberal than her own route to citizenship. 'You have an automatic right to citizenship if one of your parents is a British citizen' is a much much less controversial citizenship route than 'your posh Nigerian parents flew to the UK then flew out': !
December 29, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Frankly for a policy that is many ways *less* liberal than her own route to citizenship. 'You have an automatic right to citizenship if one of your parents is a British citizen' is a much much less controversial citizenship route than 'your posh Nigerian parents flew to the UK then flew out': !
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Hell, I'm not convinced we should revoke citizenship at all.
But certainly not for being a twat online.
But certainly not for being a twat online.
December 29, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Hell, I'm not convinced we should revoke citizenship at all.
But certainly not for being a twat online.
But certainly not for being a twat online.