Wonkish
@wonkish.bsky.social
Soft left(ie), former Labour staffer, and a tech/climate nerd who follows US politics a lot for a Brit. He/him + 🏳️🌈.
One of the big problems with the Labour right running the government is that because they are so reactionary and vibes based, they don’t really seem to understand that better comms or having a different leader, can’t actually override having horrifying policies.
like there's talk that now mcsweeney's out they're gonna have a bit of a 'messaging reset' on this
cool, sure - but are you gonna rethink the absolutely heinous 'earned settlement' & refugee reforms? because the home secretary seems set on plowing ahead with those
cool, sure - but are you gonna rethink the absolutely heinous 'earned settlement' & refugee reforms? because the home secretary seems set on plowing ahead with those
February 12, 2026 at 10:08 AM
One of the big problems with the Labour right running the government is that because they are so reactionary and vibes based, they don’t really seem to understand that better comms or having a different leader, can’t actually override having horrifying policies.
As infectious diseases have, throughout human history, killed more people and caused more suffering than everything else combined, I consider our fight against them to be a war, and antivax grifters like RFK Jr and Malone are siding with the enemy.
Blunt, but they're traitors to the human race.
Blunt, but they're traitors to the human race.
RFK Jr says, falsely, that Covid vaccines are “the most deadly vaccines in history,” & he says, falsely, that "Gardasil HPV vaccine appears to be increasing the risk of cervical cancer in vaccinated age groups," so it's no surprise the next targets of his anti-vaxx activism are Covid & HPV vaccines😔
Federal vaccine advisers are setting their sights on the next targets: the mRNA Covid shots, and vaccines offered to pregnant women. One panelist, Robert Malone, says he is “trying to force FDA to come clean” on data showing harms of COVID shots
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/h...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/h...
February 11, 2026 at 2:45 PM
As infectious diseases have, throughout human history, killed more people and caused more suffering than everything else combined, I consider our fight against them to be a war, and antivax grifters like RFK Jr and Malone are siding with the enemy.
Blunt, but they're traitors to the human race.
Blunt, but they're traitors to the human race.
Reposted by Wonkish
Reposted by Wonkish
Something compelled me to make this
February 10, 2026 at 10:57 AM
Something compelled me to make this
For anyone wondering how Keir Starmer became the leader of what's meant to be a left wing party, this is the stuff he promised to get people like me to vote for him. He then ditched almost every one of these pledges, and acts like it's absurd for anyone to take issue with his bait and switch.
A good reminder from @billybragg.bsky.social about what Starmer once pretended to be - always worth remembering he threw this all away and managed to get fewer votes than Corbyn
February 10, 2026 at 7:04 AM
For anyone wondering how Keir Starmer became the leader of what's meant to be a left wing party, this is the stuff he promised to get people like me to vote for him. He then ditched almost every one of these pledges, and acts like it's absurd for anyone to take issue with his bait and switch.
1. Total banger
2. Works for him in prison or a casket.
2. Works for him in prison or a casket.
February 10, 2026 at 2:18 AM
1. Total banger
2. Works for him in prison or a casket.
2. Works for him in prison or a casket.
Uber-woke? Good.
Net-zeroist? Good.
Rejoinerism? Goooood.
Net-zeroist? Good.
Rejoinerism? Goooood.
"full speed ahead to uber-woke, net-zeroist, rejoinerism"
The PLP needs to go for a lie down.
The PLP needs to go for a lie down.
February 9, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Uber-woke? Good.
Net-zeroist? Good.
Rejoinerism? Goooood.
Net-zeroist? Good.
Rejoinerism? Goooood.
Reposted by Wonkish
"You are not important enough to have a laser death" seems inadvertently @funranium.bsky.social coded.
February 9, 2026 at 2:20 PM
"You are not important enough to have a laser death" seems inadvertently @funranium.bsky.social coded.
Reposted by Wonkish
This is the 12th Olympics that trans women have been eligible to compete in since 2003. So far we have never seen a trans woman winter Olympian.
No trans women qualified in Milano Cortina they couldn't even beat Lindsey Vonn who qualified with a completely torn ACL. How?
No trans women qualified in Milano Cortina they couldn't even beat Lindsey Vonn who qualified with a completely torn ACL. How?
February 8, 2026 at 9:11 AM
This is the 12th Olympics that trans women have been eligible to compete in since 2003. So far we have never seen a trans woman winter Olympian.
No trans women qualified in Milano Cortina they couldn't even beat Lindsey Vonn who qualified with a completely torn ACL. How?
No trans women qualified in Milano Cortina they couldn't even beat Lindsey Vonn who qualified with a completely torn ACL. How?
Reposted by Wonkish
In these dark days of February, a little something to look forward to.
February 7, 2026 at 6:42 AM
In these dark days of February, a little something to look forward to.
Reposted by Wonkish
It's like Mandelson and Starmer watched and learned from the Tory VIP Lane:
💷 Privileged access ✅
💷 Personal benefit ✅
💷 No competition ✅
Mandelson benefitted financially through his stake in Global Counsel.
💷 Privileged access ✅
💷 Personal benefit ✅
💷 No competition ✅
Mandelson benefitted financially through his stake in Global Counsel.
That £240m contract Palantir won after Peter Mandelson took Keir Starmer to visit them? Government asserts "there were robust processes in place to ensure that government contracts are awarded fairly and transparently" but the award notice says it was a "directed award", ie without any competition.
February 7, 2026 at 10:01 AM
It's like Mandelson and Starmer watched and learned from the Tory VIP Lane:
💷 Privileged access ✅
💷 Personal benefit ✅
💷 No competition ✅
Mandelson benefitted financially through his stake in Global Counsel.
💷 Privileged access ✅
💷 Personal benefit ✅
💷 No competition ✅
Mandelson benefitted financially through his stake in Global Counsel.
It's fun when the YouTube recommendations randomly show you some seemingly deep lore from a world you have no idea about.
February 6, 2026 at 11:13 AM
It's fun when the YouTube recommendations randomly show you some seemingly deep lore from a world you have no idea about.
Reposted by Wonkish
Okay but Zack Polanski has been coming out with bangers
February 5, 2026 at 12:56 PM
Okay but Zack Polanski has been coming out with bangers
Reposted by Wonkish
Genius! Blackmail countries which have significant human rights concerns to take back people who often should not be being sent back and then celebrate it by threatening more countries with similar blackmail. Labour really is digging down with its xenophobic policies.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Three African countries agree to UK migrant returns after sanctions threat
The Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia and Angola have said they will cooperate on migrant returns.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 6, 2026 at 6:49 AM
Genius! Blackmail countries which have significant human rights concerns to take back people who often should not be being sent back and then celebrate it by threatening more countries with similar blackmail. Labour really is digging down with its xenophobic policies.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Oh god, is there a secret third evil Green brother?
February 6, 2026 at 5:06 AM
Oh god, is there a secret third evil Green brother?
Reposted by Wonkish
I was working with @direthoughts.com when he broke the first stories about Labour Together's funding way back in 2021.
Now it turns out they were paying private investigators to investigate him for reporting on them and Morgan McSweeney knew about it
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/exclusive-...
Now it turns out they were paying private investigators to investigate him for reporting on them and Morgan McSweeney knew about it
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/exclusive-...
BREAKING: McSweeney’s think tank paid PR firm to investigate journalists
Labour Together put private investigators onto journalists writing about its funding. Starmer's right-hand man knew.
democracyforsale.substack.com
February 5, 2026 at 7:59 PM
I was working with @direthoughts.com when he broke the first stories about Labour Together's funding way back in 2021.
Now it turns out they were paying private investigators to investigate him for reporting on them and Morgan McSweeney knew about it
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/exclusive-...
Now it turns out they were paying private investigators to investigate him for reporting on them and Morgan McSweeney knew about it
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/exclusive-...
Nothing will teach you just how much your mental model of days and functioning relies on having a shower to officially start your day, like having to redo the seal around your shower and having your brain low-key implode because you can’t use it for a few days.
February 5, 2026 at 4:36 AM
Nothing will teach you just how much your mental model of days and functioning relies on having a shower to officially start your day, like having to redo the seal around your shower and having your brain low-key implode because you can’t use it for a few days.
Reposted by Wonkish
This is specifically and exactly why the government wants to ban jury trials. A magistrate would have done exactly what the government wanted.
A truly hideous right wing smear campaign against these six activists for exercising their free speech rights to protest - and confronted with the evidence all six have been acquitted.
Palestine Action activists cleared of aggravated burglary at Israeli defence firm site
None of the six activists were convicted of any offence over break-in at Elbit Systems factory near Bristol in 2024
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 2:31 PM
This is specifically and exactly why the government wants to ban jury trials. A magistrate would have done exactly what the government wanted.
Reposted by Wonkish
don't mind me, just finding lots of bread crumbs showing Epstein and the League of Pederasts were a driving force in pushing transphobic hate.
This email was sent in October 2014, at the start of the current anti trans political campaign and astroturphing.
This email was sent in October 2014, at the start of the current anti trans political campaign and astroturphing.
February 1, 2026 at 6:30 PM
don't mind me, just finding lots of bread crumbs showing Epstein and the League of Pederasts were a driving force in pushing transphobic hate.
This email was sent in October 2014, at the start of the current anti trans political campaign and astroturphing.
This email was sent in October 2014, at the start of the current anti trans political campaign and astroturphing.
Evil is real.
"A 2-year-old boy was breastfeeding in detention. One 6-year-old boy had leukemia. An 8-year-old girl began wetting the bed. A 14-year-old girl engaged in self-harm...None of these children or their parents had a criminal history anywhere in the world."
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/o...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/o...
Opinion | Liam Ramos Was Just One of Hundreds of Children at This Detention Center. Release Them All.
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Evil is real.
Reposted by Wonkish
somebody installed a camera meant to look like an electrical box on a pole near my friends place so he put a sign that said "camera" with an arrow in his yard and then somebody came and took the camera back down lol
February 1, 2026 at 8:48 PM
somebody installed a camera meant to look like an electrical box on a pole near my friends place so he put a sign that said "camera" with an arrow in his yard and then somebody came and took the camera back down lol
Reposted by Wonkish
*sigh* here we go again. Your phone is not listening to everything around you 24/7 for advertising purposes. *If* you have voice activation on for the assistant, the mic is listening for the activation phrase: the processing power for listening for a single specific phrase is much lower.
Do you remember when people were saying "I think my phone is listening to me, i'm getting ads for stuff I spoke about" and people said "They arent listening to you, they're just this good at predicting your interests"?
Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...
Well, it happens they were doing exactly that.
www.cbsnews.com/news/google-...
Google to pay $68 million over allegations its voice assistant eavesdropped on users
Class-action lawsuit alleged that Google's voice assistant illegally recorded and shared private conversations with advertisers.
www.cbsnews.com
February 2, 2026 at 1:07 AM
*sigh* here we go again. Your phone is not listening to everything around you 24/7 for advertising purposes. *If* you have voice activation on for the assistant, the mic is listening for the activation phrase: the processing power for listening for a single specific phrase is much lower.
Reposted by Wonkish
Chotiner: Tell me what you found interesting about these vampires.
Documentarian: Well, it's just -- the group dynamics, I guess.
Chotiner: I can see that. I can see finding Nandor, Laszlo and Nadia entertaining.
Documentarian: Exactly.
Chotiner: So. How many people did you watch them murder?
Documentarian: Well, it's just -- the group dynamics, I guess.
Chotiner: I can see that. I can see finding Nandor, Laszlo and Nadia entertaining.
Documentarian: Exactly.
Chotiner: So. How many people did you watch them murder?
February 2, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Chotiner: Tell me what you found interesting about these vampires.
Documentarian: Well, it's just -- the group dynamics, I guess.
Chotiner: I can see that. I can see finding Nandor, Laszlo and Nadia entertaining.
Documentarian: Exactly.
Chotiner: So. How many people did you watch them murder?
Documentarian: Well, it's just -- the group dynamics, I guess.
Chotiner: I can see that. I can see finding Nandor, Laszlo and Nadia entertaining.
Documentarian: Exactly.
Chotiner: So. How many people did you watch them murder?