Ben Beck
@bsbeck.bsky.social
See benbeck.co.uk - my interests include: firsts in the recording of sight and sound; anarchism and science fiction; UK TMOs (tenant management orgs); family history; British Quaker history
Reposted by Ben Beck
Disabled people driving luxury cars on your dime? Just the latest rightwing lie peddled by Labour.
Govts stigmatize people claiming benefits as scroungers, claim fraud is rife.
Silence on corporate welfare, tax abuse by corporations/rich. HMRC failed to collect over £500bn tax since 2010.
Govts stigmatize people claiming benefits as scroungers, claim fraud is rife.
Silence on corporate welfare, tax abuse by corporations/rich. HMRC failed to collect over £500bn tax since 2010.
Disabled people driving luxury cars on your dime? Just the latest rightwing lie peddled by Labour | Frances Ryan
Starmer’s ailing government is happy to pursue ideas like cutting Motability, but all ministers will do is damage lives and themselves, says Guardian columnist Frances Ryan
www.theguardian.com
December 9, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Disabled people driving luxury cars on your dime? Just the latest rightwing lie peddled by Labour.
Govts stigmatize people claiming benefits as scroungers, claim fraud is rife.
Silence on corporate welfare, tax abuse by corporations/rich. HMRC failed to collect over £500bn tax since 2010.
Govts stigmatize people claiming benefits as scroungers, claim fraud is rife.
Silence on corporate welfare, tax abuse by corporations/rich. HMRC failed to collect over £500bn tax since 2010.
Reposted by Ben Beck
Jury trials in England & Wales for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than 3 years will be scrapped.
Bad move
Money may be saved but justice and trust in the system will be the biggest casualty.
Poor and minorities at the mercy of toff judges.
Bad move
Money may be saved but justice and trust in the system will be the biggest casualty.
Poor and minorities at the mercy of toff judges.
Jury trials scrapped for crimes with sentences of less than three years
The reforms are being brought in to tackle unprecedented delays in the Crown Court.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 3, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Jury trials in England & Wales for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than 3 years will be scrapped.
Bad move
Money may be saved but justice and trust in the system will be the biggest casualty.
Poor and minorities at the mercy of toff judges.
Bad move
Money may be saved but justice and trust in the system will be the biggest casualty.
Poor and minorities at the mercy of toff judges.
anarchysf.com: November update
Updates to:
• Vajra Chandrasekera, Victor Koman, Ayn Rand, Joanna Russ, J. Neil Schulman, Robert Shea, Mary Shelley, Robert Anton Wilson & Robert Shea
Updates to:
• Vajra Chandrasekera, Victor Koman, Ayn Rand, Joanna Russ, J. Neil Schulman, Robert Shea, Mary Shelley, Robert Anton Wilson & Robert Shea
Welcome to anarchySF! | anarchySF
anarchysf.com
December 2, 2025 at 10:03 AM
anarchysf.com: November update
Updates to:
• Vajra Chandrasekera, Victor Koman, Ayn Rand, Joanna Russ, J. Neil Schulman, Robert Shea, Mary Shelley, Robert Anton Wilson & Robert Shea
Updates to:
• Vajra Chandrasekera, Victor Koman, Ayn Rand, Joanna Russ, J. Neil Schulman, Robert Shea, Mary Shelley, Robert Anton Wilson & Robert Shea
Reposted by Ben Beck
i will never tire of this meme
December 1, 2025 at 7:36 AM
i will never tire of this meme
Reposted by Ben Beck
Hope is here.
Help us beat Reform in May. Donate today ⤵️
Help us beat Reform in May. Donate today ⤵️
November 28, 2025 at 7:31 AM
Hope is here.
Help us beat Reform in May. Donate today ⤵️
Help us beat Reform in May. Donate today ⤵️
Reposted by Ben Beck
Somebody posted an old photo in a Facebook local group and asked if anyone could clean it up. Well-meaning people turned to #AI. Lots of responders seemed happy with the results, but this is how you destroy historical records.
November 25, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Somebody posted an old photo in a Facebook local group and asked if anyone could clean it up. Well-meaning people turned to #AI. Lots of responders seemed happy with the results, but this is how you destroy historical records.
Reposted by Ben Beck
This is a thing for British SF. Write it down and stick it on your wall because I'm tired of post oil British sf where the UK runs out of oil, and road, rail and air freight ends and this is a crisis.
We have *canals*, *navigable waterways* and a coastline around which you can *sail* cargo ships.
We have *canals*, *navigable waterways* and a coastline around which you can *sail* cargo ships.
November 19, 2025 at 7:26 AM
This is a thing for British SF. Write it down and stick it on your wall because I'm tired of post oil British sf where the UK runs out of oil, and road, rail and air freight ends and this is a crisis.
We have *canals*, *navigable waterways* and a coastline around which you can *sail* cargo ships.
We have *canals*, *navigable waterways* and a coastline around which you can *sail* cargo ships.
Reposted by Ben Beck
A Government of cowards.
Rather than tackle inequality - they've gone for pensioners, disabled people and now it's people fleeing war and persecution.
They can't get away with this.
Join.greenparty.org.uk
Rather than tackle inequality - they've gone for pensioners, disabled people and now it's people fleeing war and persecution.
They can't get away with this.
Join.greenparty.org.uk
November 17, 2025 at 11:16 PM
A Government of cowards.
Rather than tackle inequality - they've gone for pensioners, disabled people and now it's people fleeing war and persecution.
They can't get away with this.
Join.greenparty.org.uk
Rather than tackle inequality - they've gone for pensioners, disabled people and now it's people fleeing war and persecution.
They can't get away with this.
Join.greenparty.org.uk
anarchysf.com: October update
Updates to:
• Dark Star, Robert A. Heinlein, p.m. (Hans Widmer), and L. Neil Smith
Updates to:
• Dark Star, Robert A. Heinlein, p.m. (Hans Widmer), and L. Neil Smith
Welcome to anarchySF! | anarchySF
anarchysf.com
November 2, 2025 at 9:21 AM
anarchysf.com: October update
Updates to:
• Dark Star, Robert A. Heinlein, p.m. (Hans Widmer), and L. Neil Smith
Updates to:
• Dark Star, Robert A. Heinlein, p.m. (Hans Widmer), and L. Neil Smith
Reposted by Ben Beck
It’s basically crap that the king has ‘private income’, which will now sustain the ghastly Andrew. He gets about £25m a year from the Duchies which were appropriated by the crown from previous owners and today not taxed. Basically theft or paid for by taxpayers like everything else they took.
October 31, 2025 at 1:08 PM
It’s basically crap that the king has ‘private income’, which will now sustain the ghastly Andrew. He gets about £25m a year from the Duchies which were appropriated by the crown from previous owners and today not taxed. Basically theft or paid for by taxpayers like everything else they took.
Reposted by Ben Beck
Yay. Priceless. The right column at the right time. And a gleefully English two fingers to the haters.
October 25, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Yay. Priceless. The right column at the right time. And a gleefully English two fingers to the haters.
Reposted by Ben Beck
Is there a single person who actually cares if billionaires left the UK because of a wealth tax? If we had no billionaires, society would reorganise itself accordingly (for the better).
October 9, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Is there a single person who actually cares if billionaires left the UK because of a wealth tax? If we had no billionaires, society would reorganise itself accordingly (for the better).
anarchysf.com: September update
New addition:
• Lois Waisbrooker
Updates to:
• Isaac Asimov, Iain M. Banks, Octavia E. Butler, Mick Farren, and James P. Hogan
New addition:
• Lois Waisbrooker
Updates to:
• Isaac Asimov, Iain M. Banks, Octavia E. Butler, Mick Farren, and James P. Hogan
Welcome to anarchySF! | anarchySF
anarchysf.com
October 3, 2025 at 2:50 PM
anarchysf.com: September update
New addition:
• Lois Waisbrooker
Updates to:
• Isaac Asimov, Iain M. Banks, Octavia E. Butler, Mick Farren, and James P. Hogan
New addition:
• Lois Waisbrooker
Updates to:
• Isaac Asimov, Iain M. Banks, Octavia E. Butler, Mick Farren, and James P. Hogan
anarchysf.com: August update
New additions:
• C.J. Sansom
• Robert Charles Wilson
• The War Game
Updates to:
• Octavia E. Butler, Suzanne Collins, E. Douglas Fawcett, p.m. (Hans Widmer), William Morris, George Orwell, and Herbert Read
New additions:
• C.J. Sansom
• Robert Charles Wilson
• The War Game
Updates to:
• Octavia E. Butler, Suzanne Collins, E. Douglas Fawcett, p.m. (Hans Widmer), William Morris, George Orwell, and Herbert Read
Welcome to anarchySF! | anarchySF
anarchysf.com
September 1, 2025 at 12:17 PM
anarchysf.com: August update
New additions:
• C.J. Sansom
• Robert Charles Wilson
• The War Game
Updates to:
• Octavia E. Butler, Suzanne Collins, E. Douglas Fawcett, p.m. (Hans Widmer), William Morris, George Orwell, and Herbert Read
New additions:
• C.J. Sansom
• Robert Charles Wilson
• The War Game
Updates to:
• Octavia E. Butler, Suzanne Collins, E. Douglas Fawcett, p.m. (Hans Widmer), William Morris, George Orwell, and Herbert Read
anarchysf.com: July update
New addition:
• Seb Doubinsky
Updates to:
• Terry Bisson, Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth, Philip Pullman, Charles Stross
New addition:
• Seb Doubinsky
Updates to:
• Terry Bisson, Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth, Philip Pullman, Charles Stross
Welcome to anarchySF! | anarchySF
anarchysf.com
August 1, 2025 at 7:56 AM
anarchysf.com: July update
New addition:
• Seb Doubinsky
Updates to:
• Terry Bisson, Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth, Philip Pullman, Charles Stross
New addition:
• Seb Doubinsky
Updates to:
• Terry Bisson, Frederik Pohl & C.M. Kornbluth, Philip Pullman, Charles Stross
I strongly recommend this video by the excellent Carne Ross, on complicity with the genocide in Gaza. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLN7...
Is our government complicit in genocide?
YouTube video by Carne Ross
www.youtube.com
July 26, 2025 at 1:35 PM
I strongly recommend this video by the excellent Carne Ross, on complicity with the genocide in Gaza. www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLN7...
I agree with every word of this.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECkV...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECkV...
Sharing This Video Could Get You 14 Years in Prison
YouTube video by Double Down News
www.youtube.com
July 19, 2025 at 4:18 PM
I agree with every word of this.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECkV...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECkV...
Reposted by Ben Beck
Labour are right to lower the voting age.
But if they're truly serious about creating a fair democracy:
Time to abolish the unelected House of Lords.
And time for Proportional Representation for all elections.
But if they're truly serious about creating a fair democracy:
Time to abolish the unelected House of Lords.
And time for Proportional Representation for all elections.
July 17, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Labour are right to lower the voting age.
But if they're truly serious about creating a fair democracy:
Time to abolish the unelected House of Lords.
And time for Proportional Representation for all elections.
But if they're truly serious about creating a fair democracy:
Time to abolish the unelected House of Lords.
And time for Proportional Representation for all elections.
Reposted by Ben Beck
We’re launching a website of revolutionary speculative fiction, art and poetry set in the world of Everything for Everyone! We’re calling it Project 2052. To support author honoraria, subscribe as a sustainer, make a one-time donation, or pitch a story here: www.commonnotions.org/project2052.
Project 2052 — Common Notions Press
Project 2052 is a website of revolutionary speculative short fiction, visual art and poetry, set in the world of Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052–2072.
www.commonnotions.org
June 30, 2025 at 4:30 PM
We’re launching a website of revolutionary speculative fiction, art and poetry set in the world of Everything for Everyone! We’re calling it Project 2052. To support author honoraria, subscribe as a sustainer, make a one-time donation, or pitch a story here: www.commonnotions.org/project2052.
Reposted by Ben Beck
Wes Streeting took £224,575 in donations from people and companies linked to the private health sector between Jan 2023-2025. 🚨🚨🚨
I find that unconscionable. Share if you agree!
www.itv.com/news/2025-07...
I find that unconscionable. Share if you agree!
www.itv.com/news/2025-07...
July 15, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Wes Streeting took £224,575 in donations from people and companies linked to the private health sector between Jan 2023-2025. 🚨🚨🚨
I find that unconscionable. Share if you agree!
www.itv.com/news/2025-07...
I find that unconscionable. Share if you agree!
www.itv.com/news/2025-07...
Reposted by Ben Beck
HMRC does not know how much tax UK billionaires pay, says parliamentary committee.
Committee can't probe tax abuse by the rich and 'sweetheart' deals by HMRC, they all hide behind 'confidentiality' of tax.
Empower parliament, make tax returns of wealthy and corporations publicly available.
Committee can't probe tax abuse by the rich and 'sweetheart' deals by HMRC, they all hide behind 'confidentiality' of tax.
Empower parliament, make tax returns of wealthy and corporations publicly available.
How much tax do Britain’s billionaires pay? HMRC has no idea, damning report finds
The finding comes amid growing calls for a wealth tax among Labour MPs
www.independent.co.uk
July 16, 2025 at 5:56 AM
HMRC does not know how much tax UK billionaires pay, says parliamentary committee.
Committee can't probe tax abuse by the rich and 'sweetheart' deals by HMRC, they all hide behind 'confidentiality' of tax.
Empower parliament, make tax returns of wealthy and corporations publicly available.
Committee can't probe tax abuse by the rich and 'sweetheart' deals by HMRC, they all hide behind 'confidentiality' of tax.
Empower parliament, make tax returns of wealthy and corporations publicly available.
Reposted by Ben Beck
Dear @UKLabour,
No matter what good you do domestically
For so many of us, it won’t matter one tiny bit
You will forever be the party complicit in genocide.
No matter what good you do domestically
For so many of us, it won’t matter one tiny bit
You will forever be the party complicit in genocide.
July 13, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Dear @UKLabour,
No matter what good you do domestically
For so many of us, it won’t matter one tiny bit
You will forever be the party complicit in genocide.
No matter what good you do domestically
For so many of us, it won’t matter one tiny bit
You will forever be the party complicit in genocide.
Reposted by Ben Beck
Thames Water refuses to claw back £2.5m bonuses paid to execs from £3bn emergency loan.
TW has 187 criminal convictions, £20bn debt, fleeces customers, dumps sewage in rivers, borrowed to pay dividends, neglects investment.
Execs to receive another £13m bonus.
Nationalise without compensation.
TW has 187 criminal convictions, £20bn debt, fleeces customers, dumps sewage in rivers, borrowed to pay dividends, neglects investment.
Execs to receive another £13m bonus.
Nationalise without compensation.
Thames Water refuses to claw back bonuses paid using £3bn emergency loan
Money was paid out from loan meant to stabilise firm’s finances weeks before it paused retention payments plan
www.theguardian.com
July 9, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Thames Water refuses to claw back £2.5m bonuses paid to execs from £3bn emergency loan.
TW has 187 criminal convictions, £20bn debt, fleeces customers, dumps sewage in rivers, borrowed to pay dividends, neglects investment.
Execs to receive another £13m bonus.
Nationalise without compensation.
TW has 187 criminal convictions, £20bn debt, fleeces customers, dumps sewage in rivers, borrowed to pay dividends, neglects investment.
Execs to receive another £13m bonus.
Nationalise without compensation.
Reposted by Ben Beck
If I'm to be honest, I think benefits should go up, not be reduced.
Yes, I'll eat the higher tax.
People should be able to live with dignity regardless of their physical or mental state.
We shouldn't be talking about cuts to benefits until we've taxed the super rich (who won't feel it).
Yes, I'll eat the higher tax.
People should be able to live with dignity regardless of their physical or mental state.
We shouldn't be talking about cuts to benefits until we've taxed the super rich (who won't feel it).
July 3, 2025 at 1:20 PM
If I'm to be honest, I think benefits should go up, not be reduced.
Yes, I'll eat the higher tax.
People should be able to live with dignity regardless of their physical or mental state.
We shouldn't be talking about cuts to benefits until we've taxed the super rich (who won't feel it).
Yes, I'll eat the higher tax.
People should be able to live with dignity regardless of their physical or mental state.
We shouldn't be talking about cuts to benefits until we've taxed the super rich (who won't feel it).
anarchysf.com: June update
New additions:
• Edward Abbey
• Claire North
• Raymond Williams
Updates to:
• Meg Elison, William Morris
New additions:
• Edward Abbey
• Claire North
• Raymond Williams
Updates to:
• Meg Elison, William Morris
Welcome to anarchySF! | anarchySF
anarchysf.com
July 1, 2025 at 8:10 AM
anarchysf.com: June update
New additions:
• Edward Abbey
• Claire North
• Raymond Williams
Updates to:
• Meg Elison, William Morris
New additions:
• Edward Abbey
• Claire North
• Raymond Williams
Updates to:
• Meg Elison, William Morris