John Blackwillow
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blackwillow1.bsky.social
John Blackwillow
@blackwillow1.bsky.social
1.9K followers 1.8K following 3K posts
Politics(over on the left). Poetry(I write). Science, nature and other stuff. ADHD(so I don't sleep much at night). Socialist not communist, veggie not vegan. From Stoke-on-Trent, England. Joined with @1tinyanarchist.bsky.social
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blackwillow1.bsky.social
We have submitted two requests for inquiry! One, a cross-party inquiry into femicides, which only needs two more signatories to reach the common platform! The other, into violence against women and girls committed by police and gendarmerie officers in the course of their duties.
November 18, 2025 at 4:25 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
Image of Karl Marx, with the quote: "There must be something rotten in the very core of a social system which increases its wealth without diminishing its misery."
September 16, 2025 at 11:42 AM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
Just some thoughts.
Numbers. Work 20 years in a physically demanding job. Your knees give out, or you develop chronic back pain, requiring surgery. The NHS will fix the problem, but there's a backlog of up to five years. You can't afford the cost of private treatment, so you end up on Universal Credit - Basic rate, £400pm. That's £4,800 over a year, £24,000 over five years. Add to that the money you're not earning, therefore not able to spend into the economy, plus the tax you're not paying because you have no earnings and it adds up to a significant amount. Investing in public healthcare - not bureaucracy or middle management, not funding private sector contracts which drain money for shareholders and leave patients out of the equation until there's no money left - but in actual healthcare, is a wise investment for any government. Healthy people spend less time out of work, have money to spend in local economies, and contribute taxes. This, coupled with the provision of sustainable, well-paid, useful jobs, is how you grow in a sustained and long-term way. Obsession. The obsession with AI and digital this and digital that - which will only sustain a limited number of jobs - appears to be either ignorant of the fact that most jobs still require a person to do the work, or complete indifference to the predictable outcome of focusing solely on tech and automation, which is that millions of people would be competing for fewer and fewer low paid jobs, because employers would be able to claim confidently that "There are hundreds of others waiting to take your place" when someone complains about poor working conditions, abuse of power or low pay, etc. Obsessing over one particular branch of work, in this case tech, will inevitably lead to a paradise for exploitative, criminal employers and a nightmare existence for millions. Solutions. So, what are the solutions to this problem in the making? Well, you have the Luddite option, which is basically to abandon technology and embrace a fully manual existence, which would certainly be a bonus for the environment, plus there's a powerful and undeniable appeal about a agearian utopia based on growing the food we need, making our own clothes and everyone who is able to, working together for our mutual benefit, and caring for those unable to work, of course, but the fact is that few people would be willing to embrace such a system, other than as a theme of a holiday experience. Another option is, for some, to do nothing, carry on as we are and just ignore the fact that the current system is what got us into the mess we now find ourselves in. So it really isn't a viable option. To my mind, the only viable solution is a system that is socialist in its architecture, with a primary focus on environmental aspects, because a burned crisp of a planet is no use to any but the most biTo my mind, the only viable solution is a szarre extremophile group of life forms. A mutually beneficial system, in which those who need care and assistance are included in society, where technology is prioritised as a tool for making life easier and less stressful, cleaning up the planet, and preventing the causes of war and conflict, not for the purpose of creating useless gadgets or stealing the work and earnings of creatives. Ecosocialism is not only the most beneficial for the overwhelming majority of the global population, but also, it's the only system that ensures our survival as a species without the need to revert to a pre-industrial state, which, as I said earlier, few would be willing to embrace.
July 12, 2025 at 3:57 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
Translated headline and a link in the alt-text.
Translated text: War in Gaza: Complaint filed against two Franco-Israeli snipers for war crimes. www.leparisien.fr/international
July 2, 2025 at 12:31 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
A quick piece inspired by the Bezos nuptials.
I'll leave each of you to choose an appropriate title.
Children hunger, and they die ever younger. "GREAT!" Say the vacuous, "They'll never get old!" Countless voices, countless songs, and countless stories never to be told. The old and abandoned die lost and stranded. "COOL!" Cry the vacuous, "Their misery ends. Now I'm off to party with friends!"
June 30, 2025 at 6:21 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
Cracked Glass.
Cracked Glass We live our lives through our senses, through the things we see, smell, touch and taste. Through the sounds we hear. Through our instinct for knowing how something feels right or wrong, normal or different. In these times of turmoil and division, many are seeing the world through cracked glass, their view distorted by the lines across the pane. We need to break the glass, remove the shards and see the world in its entirety. Our view isn't distorted because of the cracks, rather, because nefarious types have sought to fill the field of vision through them with lies, half-truths, misinformation and disinformation. By only looking through the cracks, you only see what certain people want you to see. You only hear the voices they want you to hear, because it's in their interests - both political and financial - for you not to hear counter argument, not to see the harm caused by the actions of the nefarious types. Don't be fooled. Don't allow yourself to be steered onto a path that leads to a very dark and dangerous place. If someone is saying it's fine that certain people shouldn't have the same rights, the same opportunities, and the same access to healthcare, public amenities, education or anything else that makes a society truly progressive and democratic, ask yourself: Who is funding these people? Who are they beholden to? Who do they call friend or foe?
June 30, 2025 at 12:16 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
You Only Have To Open Your Mind.
You Only Have To Open Your Mind. It's considered inappropriate to point out the obvious, Especially when talking about the globulous mass, The pustulating pile of crass stupidity, The lack of liquidity in thought. We're told we shouldn't highlight the ignorance, That we should accept the defence of idiocy, But it's giving me feelings of rage, When splashed across the page, Is a blatant lie. And the people who believe it are told it's fine, That it isn't their fault their minds are voids, That, like little boys and girls, They were lied to by smart people. How did we we get into the mess we're in? Stupid people voted for psychopaths!
June 30, 2025 at 12:15 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
Crud Vibrations.
Crud Vibrations (The Western Bullshit) You can feel it in the air, with every breath. You see it in the faces of despair, waiting for death. You hear it in the screaming of the dead and the dieing, in the wailing and crying as parents mourn their young. It's in the lament of children, orphaned and alone, amidst the body parts of parents, the wreckage of homes. And you'll feel it in the silence of the stories never told, of words never written and songs never sung. You'll hear it in the platitudes, in the weasel words of worthless men. Making excuses, denying reality, embedding the lies again and again. You'll see it on your devices, in the cowardice of 'civilised' nations. You'll feel it every time they speak with forked tongues and fingers crossed. They're giving off crud vibrations.
June 30, 2025 at 12:13 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
The Big Lie.
The Big Lie! Some people are deserving of more rights than others. That's the big lie. The mythology, the chosen narrative that has been used time and time again by hateful people with a very dark agenda. Dome of them are driven by religious ideology, others are driven purely by a lust for power and unfettered greed. The overlap between them is not insignificant, but what bonds them together is hatred. For the religious, it's a hatred born of ignorance and historical information that has been warped and distorted to suit the agenda of charismatic leaders, reviving ancient wars and vendettas, in order to fire up the faithful. Those driven by power and greed are some of the most hateful people ever, enamoured by the self-proclaimed 'Strongman' ideology of fascism. Some of them wholeheartedly support fascism, believing that a nation is defined by the level of fear amongst the people, and the degree of control over them. Some of them are indifferent to the harmful aspects, thinking only of the financial benefits afforded to corporations that support fascist regimes. When in power, authoritarian theocracies or authoritarian capitalist(fascist) regimes are dependent on the people fearing the consequences of defiance. The way to beat them is, quite simply, to make THEM fear YOU. This can be via armed resistance, which is perhaps inevitable when a people are oppressed, but it can also be through a artistic expression, through humour and ridicule, through the written or spoken word. Whatever you do. However you do it. Resistance is not futile. It is the duty of all human beings who believe in a future built on co-operation and community, not poverty and punishment for the many, alongside power and plenty for the few. RESIST! The Big Lie! Some people are deserving of more rights than others. That's the big lie. The mythology, the chosen narrative that has been used time and time again by hateful people with a very dark agenda. Dome of them are driven by religious ideology, others are driven purely by a lust for power and unfettered greed. The overlap between them is not insignificant, but what bonds them together is hatred. For the religious, it's a hatred born of ignorance and historical information that has been warped and distorted to suit the agenda of charismatic leaders, reviving ancient wars and vendettas, in order to fire up the faithful. Those driven by power and greed are some of the most hateful people ever, enamoured by the self-proclaimed 'Strongman' ideology of fascism. Some of them wholeheartedly support fascism, believing that a nation is defined by the level of fear amongst the people, and the degree of control over them. Some of them are indifferent to the harmful aspects, thinking only of the financial benefits afforded to corporations that support fascist regimes. When in power, authoritarian theocracies or authoritarian capitalist(fascist) regimes are dependent on the people fearing the consequences of defiance. The way to beat them is, quite simply, to make THEM fear YOU. This can be via armed resistance, which is perhaps inevitable when a people are oppressed, but it can also be through a artistic expression, through humour and ridicule, through the written or spoken word. Whatever you do. However you do it. Resistance is not futile. It is the duty of all human beings who believe in a future built on co-operation and community, not poverty and punishment for the many, alongside power and plenty for the few. RESIST!
June 30, 2025 at 12:12 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
Crud Vibrations (The Western Bullshit) You can feel it in the air, with every breath. You see it in the faces of despair, waiting for death. You hear it in the screaming of the dead and the dieing, in the wailing and crying as parents mourn their young. It's in the lament of children, orphaned and alone, amidst the body parts of parents, the wreckage of homes. And you'll feel it in the silence of the stories never told, of words never written and songs never sung. You'll hear it in the platitudes, in the weasel words of worthless men. Making excuses, denying reality, embedding the lies again and again. You'll see it on your devices, in the cowardice of 'civilised' nations. You'll feel it every time they speak with forked tongues and fingers crossed. They're giving off crud vibrations.
June 20, 2025 at 2:50 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
Cracked Glass We live our lives through our senses, through the things we see, smell, touch and taste. Through the sounds we hear. Through our instinct for knowing how something feels right or wrong, normal or different. In these times of turmoil and division, many are seeing the world through cracked glass, their view distorted by the lines across the pane. We need to break the glass, remove the shards and see the world in its entirety. Our view isn't distorted because of the cracks, rather, because nefarious types have sought to fill the field of vision through them with lies, half-truths, misinformation and disinformation. By only looking through the cracks, you only see what certain people want you to see. You only hear the voices they want you to hear, because it's in their interests - both political and financial - for you not to hear counter argument, not to see the harm caused by the actions of the nefarious types. Don't be fooled. Don't allow yourself to be steered onto a path that leads to a very dark and dangerous place. If someone is saying it's fine that certain people shouldn't have the same rights, the same opportunities, and the same access to healthcare, public amenities, education or anything else that makes a society truly progressive and democratic, ask yourself: Who is funding these people? Who are they beholden to? Who do they call friend or foe? Cracked Glass We live our lives through our senses, through the things we see, smell, touch and taste. Through the sounds we hear. Through our instinct for knowing how something feels right or wrong, normal or different. In these times of turmoil and division, many are seeing the world through cracked glass, their view distorted by the lines across the pane. We need to break the glass, remove the shards and see the world in its entirety. Our view isn't distorted because of the cracks, rather, because nefarious types have sought to fill the field of vision through them with lies, half-truths, misinformation and disinformation. By only looking through the cracks, you only see what certain people want you to see. You only hear the voices they want you to hear, because it's in their interests - both political and financial - for you not to hear counter argument, not to see the harm caused by the actions of the nefarious types. Don't be fooled. Don't allow yourself to be steered onto a path that leads to a very dark and dangerous place. If someone is saying it's fine that certain people shouldn't have the same rights, the same opportunities, and the same access to healthcare, public amenities, education or anything else that makes a society truly progressive and democratic, ask yourself: Who is funding these people? Who are they beholden to? Who do they call friend or foe? Cracked Glass We live our lives through our senses, through the things we see, smell, touch and taste. Through the sounds we hear. Through our instinct for knowing how something feels right or wrong, normal or different. In these times of turmoil and division, many are seeing the world through cracked glass, their view distorted by the lines across the pane. We need to break the glass, remove the shards and see the world in its entirety. Our view isn't distorted because of the cracks, rather, because nefarious types have sought to fill the field of vision through them with lies, half-truths, misinformation and disinformation. By only looking through the cracks, you only see what certain people want you to see. You only hear the voices they want you to hear, because it's in their interests - both political and financial - for you not to hear counter argument, not to see the harm caused by the actions of the nefarious types. Don't be fooled. Don't allow yourself to be steered onto a path that leads to a very dark and dangerous place. If someone is saying it's fine that certain people shouldn't have the same rights, the same opportunities, and the same access to healthcare, public amenities, education or anything else that makes a society truly progressive and democratic, ask yourself: Who is funding these people? Who are they beholden to? Who do they call friend or foe?
June 18, 2025 at 1:06 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
@1tinyanarchist.bsky.social
A white cat looking indignant, with the caption: 'Touching grass isn't enough. I need bad things to happen to evil men in power.'
June 10, 2025 at 5:19 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
To those in the replies, or anyone else, saying that protesters shouldn't wear masks if ICE are wrong to do so. This is the energy you're giving off: ⬇️
A dictionary definition of 'Quisling' referring to Major Vidkun Quisling, who ruled Norway on behalf of the nazis in WWII.
June 9, 2025 at 11:59 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
We can, and must, do both. 😉
Fascists in power like having nukes, but the power they fear is in the form of books, They thrive on division, fear, and hatred, But fear the threat of the educated. So read, my friends, and encourage the masses, But don't be afraid to punch a fascist. Take a book in one hand, make a fist of the other, Read up, then rise up, my sisters and brothers!
May 23, 2025 at 2:56 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
Palestinian Jewish children from the Haredi community remove Israeli flags on their 'independence' day.
May 18, 2025 at 5:08 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
Well, listen, Slovenia has just passed the signature threshold: the required 7 countries have been reached, all that's missing is a million votes in the EU! So, really, take a few minutes to sign and get Europe moving for the right of LGBTQ+ people to EXIST.
May 16, 2025 at 1:18 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
On this day in 1925, Nancy Grace Roman was born. This astronomer astronomer was the 'mother' of the Hubble Telescope, NASA's first chief astronomer, and one of the agency's first executives. There's an asteroid named after her. #WomenInSTEM
May 16, 2025 at 11:25 AM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
"FUCK YOU! I won't do what you tell me. FUCK YOU! I won't do what you tell me. FUCK YOU! I won't do what you tell me......MOTHER-FUCKERRRRRRS!!!"
Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music singing "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me! Motherfuckers!"
May 3, 2025 at 4:07 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
This kind of thing is becoming more and more common in almost all so-called 'developed economies' because monetary wealth has been declared the only indicator of a person's value. People are not valued, only their bank accounts. Sickening. (translation by a machine).
A 75 year old woman who learned that she was being evicted by her landlord in Adana could not hold back her tears: "I received a pension at the age of 65. I have no other income. I want a single room and a roof over my head."
April 22, 2025 at 5:48 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
Socialists: We want everyone to have the same basic essentials, opportunities and dignity, regardless of status. That's equality. Liberals: Sounds...reasonable. Soc: We also want fairness, so specific needs aid needs to be tailored to specific needs, enabling diverse minorities to be fully engaged in society. Lib: Ah, that's different. We can't go pandering to niche groups, that would just encourage people to do nothing for themselves, so I'm afraid we can't have equality AND fairness. We'll stick with the current system, it's better that way.
April 13, 2025 at 1:05 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
From Rwanda to Rahkine, Guernica to Guatemala, Chile to Chechnya, I've read descriptions of genocide and wholesale destruction in the name of 'Greatness' imposed by fascist dictatorships or religious extremists. This is the future if you don't resist. If you're not one of their's, you're the enemy.
The fires burned for twenty days, quelled only by the rain. Great edifices were tumbled to the ground, infrastructure was smashed and bent beyond use. The institutions were pillaged, stripped of anything useful, the rest burned in a great bonfire. On every street, in every town, there was destruction and devastation. The smell was the worst of it, permeating through everything and everyone. Bodies, parts of bodies and slick, rancid stains that were once living beings littered the roads, corpses riddled with bullet holes and stab wounds, piled high in the local parks. This isn't what they promised. This was never part of the plan to make our nation great again. We have to leave now. They've decreed that anyone who opposes the reform programme is an enemy, to be executed on sight. How did we not see them for what they are? Blood, fire and death are all they know. How could we be so stupid?
March 12, 2025 at 2:05 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
@1tinyanarchist.bsky.social
8values results. Libertarian Socialism.
February 16, 2025 at 10:08 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
We give them to our cat as a reward after her meds. Also, as a random treat. I only forgot the post-meds treat once, and the look of hurt, confusion, and finally contempt burned into me like a fire Dante would have described! 😁
A black female cat staring intently from a cardboard box.
February 4, 2025 at 4:33 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
A few of the books I've read in the last two years. #booksky
A list of some of the books I've read in the past two years. More books! And more books! A selection of political, pop culture, infrastructure, social commentary, and a couple of novels.
January 30, 2025 at 2:16 PM
blackwillow1.bsky.social
NichCage expressing disbelief
January 20, 2025 at 1:23 AM