Alex Parsons
@alexparsons.bsky.social
Democracy Programme Lead / Senior Researcher - mySociety/TheyWorkForYou. Also for some reason Postman Pat reviews.
Pinned
Alex Parsons
@alexparsons.bsky.social
· Mar 4
WhoFundsThem
Building better information about money in politics.
whofundsthem.com
Today we've added some new features to TheyWorkForYou and launched an accompanying report about money in politics. See more at whofundsthem.com
With this and the Kylo Ren thing - big studios unexpectantly loyal to continuity over the money-printing machine.
James Bond’s death in No Time to Die is causing a nightmare for the next film. Writers are stuck because Bond “was blown to pieces.”
Anthony Horowitz, author of three 007 novels, says:
“You can't have him wake up in shower and saying it was all a dream."
radaronline.com/p/james-bond...
Anthony Horowitz, author of three 007 novels, says:
“You can't have him wake up in shower and saying it was all a dream."
radaronline.com/p/james-bond...
November 11, 2025 at 10:32 AM
With this and the Kylo Ren thing - big studios unexpectantly loyal to continuity over the money-printing machine.
Interesting on strategic use of not voting rather than voting against in the California Assembly calmatters.org/digital-demo...
Power is never having to say ‘no.’ How California Democrats kill bills without voting against them
Democrats in California's Legislature rarely vote against bills, yet few seem willing to discuss their voting records.
calmatters.org
November 11, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Interesting on strategic use of not voting rather than voting against in the California Assembly calmatters.org/digital-demo...
Reposted by Alex Parsons
Extremely funny that the gambling lobby is on the warpath about rising taxes on them and the threat of 'black market gambling' allegedly run by ... them
November 11, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Extremely funny that the gambling lobby is on the warpath about rising taxes on them and the threat of 'black market gambling' allegedly run by ... them
Reposted by Alex Parsons
Here's a full list of all the new things on TheyWorkForYou from last week www.mysociety.org/2025/10/23/t...
TheyWorkForYou Update: A richer view of Parliament
A big update to TheyWorkForYou, covering APPGs, open letters, alerts, and much more.
www.mysociety.org
October 27, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Here's a full list of all the new things on TheyWorkForYou from last week www.mysociety.org/2025/10/23/t...
Reposted by Alex Parsons
Yesterday's evidence session about freedom of information in Scotland felt really positive and ambitious - much needed at the moment!
Lovely to see @benworthy.bsky.social & @muteswann.bsky.social also speak to the committee, and huge thanks to @cfoiscot.bsky.social for all of their hard work!
Lovely to see @benworthy.bsky.social & @muteswann.bsky.social also speak to the committee, and huge thanks to @cfoiscot.bsky.social for all of their hard work!
Yesterday @alexparsons.bsky.social spoke at the Scottish Parliament about our views on the Freedom of Information Reform (Scotland) Bill.
Catch up on the evidence session and find out why we're really keen on the proposed proactive publication measures👇
www.mysociety.org/2025/11/07/a...
Catch up on the evidence session and find out why we're really keen on the proposed proactive publication measures👇
www.mysociety.org/2025/11/07/a...
A key moment to strengthen Scotland’s Freedom of Information law
We gave evidence to the Scottish Parliament on how to make Scotland's already good FOI system even better.
www.mysociety.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Yesterday's evidence session about freedom of information in Scotland felt really positive and ambitious - much needed at the moment!
Lovely to see @benworthy.bsky.social & @muteswann.bsky.social also speak to the committee, and huge thanks to @cfoiscot.bsky.social for all of their hard work!
Lovely to see @benworthy.bsky.social & @muteswann.bsky.social also speak to the committee, and huge thanks to @cfoiscot.bsky.social for all of their hard work!
Reposted by Alex Parsons
🌟 Tomorrow! 🌟
We've had a fantastic run of events all about the power of freedom of information to make real world change, and I think this one could be our best yet!
We'd love to see you there!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/networked-...
We've had a fantastic run of events all about the power of freedom of information to make real world change, and I think this one could be our best yet!
We'd love to see you there!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/networked-...
Networked auditors: crowdsourcing and community-led ATI
Discover how three organisations are using crowdsourcing and ATI laws to uncover data, monitor public projects, and drive accountability
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 10:06 AM
🌟 Tomorrow! 🌟
We've had a fantastic run of events all about the power of freedom of information to make real world change, and I think this one could be our best yet!
We'd love to see you there!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/networked-...
We've had a fantastic run of events all about the power of freedom of information to make real world change, and I think this one could be our best yet!
We'd love to see you there!
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/networked-...
The beauty of "learn from Australia" it is seven related-but-different "let's check out a different evolution of the Westminster system".
Ultimately democracy is an iterative process, just like everything else and it's IMO not surprising that the Australian system is IMV one of the best approaches in terms of system design.
November 10, 2025 at 9:43 AM
The beauty of "learn from Australia" it is seven related-but-different "let's check out a different evolution of the Westminster system".
Reposted by Alex Parsons
I’m old enough to remember when I got scolded on this here website by people who claimed a 3% false positive rate was good actually and well now it turns out to be an order of magnitude bigger! Still good guys?
HMRC trial of child benefit crackdown wrongly suspected fraud in 46% of cases
Exclusive: Almost half of families flagged as emigrants based on Home Office travel data were still living in UK
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:29 PM
I’m old enough to remember when I got scolded on this here website by people who claimed a 3% false positive rate was good actually and well now it turns out to be an order of magnitude bigger! Still good guys?
Reposted by Alex Parsons
The unironic skeleton key to TLJ is Knives Out because they are literally doing the exact same thing: they spend 75% of their length unpicking genre tropes and hinting the genre itself may be outmoded before the entire final act is one big celebratory reaffirmation of all of them
I remember someone summarising the theme as "it's more complicated than that.... but also, it isn't"
November 8, 2025 at 3:16 PM
The unironic skeleton key to TLJ is Knives Out because they are literally doing the exact same thing: they spend 75% of their length unpicking genre tropes and hinting the genre itself may be outmoded before the entire final act is one big celebratory reaffirmation of all of them
Obviously "Bingo plushies, but with different hats" is a scam, but some of these hats were never in the show.
November 8, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Obviously "Bingo plushies, but with different hats" is a scam, but some of these hats were never in the show.
"Should we have an adventure today?"
"No thanks. I don't want to have an adventure."
"No thanks. I don't want to have an adventure."
November 8, 2025 at 9:39 AM
"Should we have an adventure today?"
"No thanks. I don't want to have an adventure."
"No thanks. I don't want to have an adventure."
So this is pretty bad I think. What seems like a considered attempt to not make a public donation by splitting it across multiple "sources" just below the threshold.
I think debateable what "source" means here but the correct thing for Nandy would have been to declare them regardless.
I think debateable what "source" means here but the correct thing for Nandy would have been to declare them regardless.
November 7, 2025 at 1:05 PM
So this is pretty bad I think. What seems like a considered attempt to not make a public donation by splitting it across multiple "sources" just below the threshold.
I think debateable what "source" means here but the correct thing for Nandy would have been to declare them regardless.
I think debateable what "source" means here but the correct thing for Nandy would have been to declare them regardless.
Reposted by Alex Parsons
Parties offering cash for access is corrosive to democracy, reinforcing the public view that politics is a game for a wealthy elite, with little concern for those without deep pockets. Elections Bill is an opp to remove the corrupting influence of big money www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Kemi Badenoch to relaunch exclusive ‘advisory board’ for high-value donors
Exclusive: Tory leader has plans to reinstate group that provided top donors with direct access to senior ministers
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Parties offering cash for access is corrosive to democracy, reinforcing the public view that politics is a game for a wealthy elite, with little concern for those without deep pockets. Elections Bill is an opp to remove the corrupting influence of big money www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Alex Parsons
By my reading, it's hard to remember a more scandalous example of a social media company being negligent in their responsibility to users. It's so so bad, and deeper investigation and regulatory action must surely follow.
This piece suggests Meta is dragging its heels on reducing the (very large) number of scam ads on its services because they're concerned it will materially hurt revenue (the article estimates they make as much as $16bn a year from scam ads)
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
www.reuters.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:13 PM
By my reading, it's hard to remember a more scandalous example of a social media company being negligent in their responsibility to users. It's so so bad, and deeper investigation and regulatory action must surely follow.
In favour of a flat road tax. You shouldn't have to pay to go downhill.
November 6, 2025 at 2:22 PM
In favour of a flat road tax. You shouldn't have to pay to go downhill.
Great doing this today - learned lots from the other panellists!
Looking forward to living in Scotland for lots of reasons, but it does have a better FOI approach and people actively invested in improving it!
Looking forward to living in Scotland for lots of reasons, but it does have a better FOI approach and people actively invested in improving it!
Our @alexparsons.bsky.social is contributing now to Scottish Parliament's Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee, with thoughts on the Freedom of Information Reform (Scotland) Bill. You can watch along at: www.scottishparliament.tv/meeting/stan... #FOI
Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee | Scottish Parliament TV
www.scottishparliament.tv
November 6, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Great doing this today - learned lots from the other panellists!
Looking forward to living in Scotland for lots of reasons, but it does have a better FOI approach and people actively invested in improving it!
Looking forward to living in Scotland for lots of reasons, but it does have a better FOI approach and people actively invested in improving it!
One of the parts of the current proposed Scottish FOI law update is introducing an offence to prevent destruction of information with the intent to prevent disclosure, even if there has not been an information request made yet.
The ICO is investigating claims that on the same day that an FOI tribunal ordered Fermanagh & Omagh Council to disclose inspection reports for two dog breeders, the council destroyed eight years' worth of similar information about other dog breeding premises. The ICO is 'surprised and concerned'.
November 6, 2025 at 12:50 PM
One of the parts of the current proposed Scottish FOI law update is introducing an offence to prevent destruction of information with the intent to prevent disclosure, even if there has not been an information request made yet.
Reposted by Alex Parsons
New register up, a few notes to follow
A new House of Commons register of interests has been released and uploaded to TheyWorkForYou https://www.theyworkforyou.com/interests
Register of Interests
Making it easy to keep an eye on the UK’s parliaments. Discover who represents you, how they’ve voted and what they’ve said in debates.
www.theyworkforyou.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:17 PM
New register up, a few notes to follow
There's a certain kind of person who can get surprisingly far in politics through being strange enough that guardrails don't really expect them.
Just a short list of iconic Adams moments:
Telling the Dominican day parade "I may have been born in Alabama, but I'm Dominican baby" despite being born in Brooklyn.
Telling his baffled girlfriend "the first stop is always Istanbul" after taking a bribe from Turkish Airways to fly to Paris.
Telling the Dominican day parade "I may have been born in Alabama, but I'm Dominican baby" despite being born in Brooklyn.
Telling his baffled girlfriend "the first stop is always Istanbul" after taking a bribe from Turkish Airways to fly to Paris.
November 5, 2025 at 3:00 PM
There's a certain kind of person who can get surprisingly far in politics through being strange enough that guardrails don't really expect them.
Everything X does is in some way about warping basic reality for ideological reasons.
But Google has ended up in the exact same place - despite being the "find things out!" company.
But Google has ended up in the exact same place - despite being the "find things out!" company.
Grok and Google Lens AI overviews have been claiming that fake imagery shows the Huntingdon train attack.
Grok told users one AI-generated image, of an injured man lying in a carriage, “appears to be a genuine photo”.
Our fact check 👇
Grok told users one AI-generated image, of an injured man lying in a carriage, “appears to be a genuine photo”.
Our fact check 👇
Grok and Google Lens AI overviews claim fake imagery shows Huntingdon train attack – Full Fact
Grok told users one AI-generated image “appears to be a genuine photo”, while a Google Lens AI overview linked a video which does not show real footage of the incident to Saturday’s stabbings.
fullfact.org
November 5, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Everything X does is in some way about warping basic reality for ideological reasons.
But Google has ended up in the exact same place - despite being the "find things out!" company.
But Google has ended up in the exact same place - despite being the "find things out!" company.
Good quote in this about the conflict of interest being institutionalised - which is the big problem for the appointed model of the Lords. The selling point is experts chipping in on their areas of specialty - where they are likely to have exactly these kinds of conflicts of interest.
🔴 MPs are banned from been paid to give 'political advice' - but Lords can.
And guess what? Many Conservative shadow ministers in the Lords are being paid by the industries they’re meant to scrutinise.
New on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-lords-...
And guess what? Many Conservative shadow ministers in the Lords are being paid by the industries they’re meant to scrutinise.
New on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-lords-...
The Lords’ Work? How Tory Shadow Ministers Are Cashing In
Many Conservative shadow ministers in the Lords are being paid to ‘advise’ the same industries they’re meant to scrutinise.
democracyforsale.substack.com
November 5, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Good quote in this about the conflict of interest being institutionalised - which is the big problem for the appointed model of the Lords. The selling point is experts chipping in on their areas of specialty - where they are likely to have exactly these kinds of conflicts of interest.
New register up, a few notes to follow
A new House of Commons register of interests has been released and uploaded to TheyWorkForYou https://www.theyworkforyou.com/interests
Register of Interests
Making it easy to keep an eye on the UK’s parliaments. Discover who represents you, how they’ve voted and what they’ve said in debates.
www.theyworkforyou.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:17 PM
New register up, a few notes to follow
Reposted by Alex Parsons
This article is really great bc it's about an org everyone knows but seems so boring we forget about it (Common Crawl) and turns out they're doing something extremely shady, AND the guy in charge keeps saying the most damning things to a reporter www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
The Nonprofit Doing the AI Industry’s Dirty Work
The web archive Common Crawl has been quietly funneling paywalled articles to AI companies—and lying to publishers about it.
www.theatlantic.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:29 PM
This article is really great bc it's about an org everyone knows but seems so boring we forget about it (Common Crawl) and turns out they're doing something extremely shady, AND the guy in charge keeps saying the most damning things to a reporter www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
Anyone know more about this petition? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Labour MPs back gambling tax to fight child poverty
Nearly a quarter of Labour MPs say increasing taxes could enable to the government to lift the two-child benefit cap.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Anyone know more about this petition? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...