Mike Allen (he/himself)
@fatuousplatitudes.bsky.social
Charity worker and ridiculous music aficionado
Also beer; always beer ..
Also beer; always beer ..
Reposted by Mike Allen (he/himself)
Bernie Sanders once again showing that socialist (or social-democratic) economics are worthless without social liberalism, just as people like Nick Clegg show that social liberalism without socialist (or at least Keynesian) economics is worthless.
You need both.
You need both.
October 25, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Bernie Sanders once again showing that socialist (or social-democratic) economics are worthless without social liberalism, just as people like Nick Clegg show that social liberalism without socialist (or at least Keynesian) economics is worthless.
You need both.
You need both.
Reposted by Mike Allen (he/himself)
National Front —> BNP —> UKIP —> Brexit Party —> Reform
Different names, same racist bigotry.
Don’t let Reform voters claim they are anything but the National Front in disguise.
WE SEE YOU.
Different names, same racist bigotry.
Don’t let Reform voters claim they are anything but the National Front in disguise.
WE SEE YOU.
September 26, 2025 at 4:23 PM
National Front —> BNP —> UKIP —> Brexit Party —> Reform
Different names, same racist bigotry.
Don’t let Reform voters claim they are anything but the National Front in disguise.
WE SEE YOU.
Different names, same racist bigotry.
Don’t let Reform voters claim they are anything but the National Front in disguise.
WE SEE YOU.
Gobsmacked by the appearance of Watertown, the heartbreak concept album by Sinatra, that I’ve owned for years and didn’t know anyone else even liked, in the @500songspodcast.bsky.social l episode on… wait for it… Led Zeppelin.
Yes.
Awards should be given for working this narrative.
Yes.
Awards should be given for working this narrative.
August 25, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Gobsmacked by the appearance of Watertown, the heartbreak concept album by Sinatra, that I’ve owned for years and didn’t know anyone else even liked, in the @500songspodcast.bsky.social l episode on… wait for it… Led Zeppelin.
Yes.
Awards should be given for working this narrative.
Yes.
Awards should be given for working this narrative.
You know there's a good reason there are no (recent) (at all) posts here: I'm trying to get my aged head around WordPress and a vanity site.
Gimme a break: I was used to using a ZX81 and suddenly...
Gimme a break: I was used to using a ZX81 and suddenly...
June 12, 2025 at 11:46 PM
You know there's a good reason there are no (recent) (at all) posts here: I'm trying to get my aged head around WordPress and a vanity site.
Gimme a break: I was used to using a ZX81 and suddenly...
Gimme a break: I was used to using a ZX81 and suddenly...
I know I should be able to make up my own snides about the papacy, but this:
FFS. Two and a half years ago we had two Popes, now we have none. When you've used one of them up you're supposed to buy another before the other one runs out. We had a system! Did you check in the back of the cupboard in case there's half of one still there?
April 21, 2025 at 7:02 PM
I know I should be able to make up my own snides about the papacy, but this:
Reposted by Mike Allen (he/himself)
Just noting that with Trump, as with all narcissistic abusers, it's DARVO all the time—if Trump claims Zelenskyy ‘disrespected US’ and is not ready for peace, it's a tell that Trump demanded Z get on his knees and kiss the ring, and Z told him where to get off.
February 28, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Just noting that with Trump, as with all narcissistic abusers, it's DARVO all the time—if Trump claims Zelenskyy ‘disrespected US’ and is not ready for peace, it's a tell that Trump demanded Z get on his knees and kiss the ring, and Z told him where to get off.
Lotsa questions; need answers, as it could easily be the UK soon, with the Poundshop Trump, our very own Nigel
open.substack.com/pub/owenjone...
open.substack.com/pub/owenjone...
Elon Musk stages coup d'etat. Expect the Democrats and media to roll over
No big deal. Just the unravelling of an already flawed democracy by an unelected plutocrat
open.substack.com
February 6, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Lotsa questions; need answers, as it could easily be the UK soon, with the Poundshop Trump, our very own Nigel
open.substack.com/pub/owenjone...
open.substack.com/pub/owenjone...
Reposted by Mike Allen (he/himself)
How about we honour the victims and survivors of Auschwitz by correctly identifying Nazis when they sieg heil in front of us
January 27, 2025 at 5:23 PM
How about we honour the victims and survivors of Auschwitz by correctly identifying Nazis when they sieg heil in front of us
Reposted by Mike Allen (he/himself)
if they want to go back to the 1950s, we’re bringing the cuisine back to the 1950s too. you put me in the kitchen, I will spend 100% of my time in there finding how much horseradish and shrimp I can put in Jello before God personally comes down here to stop me.
January 24, 2025 at 9:26 PM
if they want to go back to the 1950s, we’re bringing the cuisine back to the 1950s too. you put me in the kitchen, I will spend 100% of my time in there finding how much horseradish and shrimp I can put in Jello before God personally comes down here to stop me.
Reposted by Mike Allen (he/himself)
To instrumentalize what my sister is saying below: every time someone says DEI say “you mean civil rights?” Every time someone says they are against woke reply “oh so you’re a segregationist!” Words have meaning! Don’t allow that nonsense to stand.
Only saying once on bsky b/c I know it is not entirely useful, but it is totally exhausting that in 2016 some of us said “they’re Nazis,” some of us screamed “they’re segregationists,” and a whole lot of very serious people now posting about them being Nazis and segregationists gaslight us for years
January 24, 2025 at 12:46 PM
To instrumentalize what my sister is saying below: every time someone says DEI say “you mean civil rights?” Every time someone says they are against woke reply “oh so you’re a segregationist!” Words have meaning! Don’t allow that nonsense to stand.
Doctorow talks about enshittification and a solution of "adversarial interoperability," but HOW to generate a head of steam seems distant 😖
Big tech is now formally in league with the far-right. The resistance to it will be personal and political iandunt.substack.com/p/how-to-res...
How to resist the tech overlords
Big tech has now made its position clear. It is on the far-right. Here's what happens next.
iandunt.substack.com
January 24, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Doctorow talks about enshittification and a solution of "adversarial interoperability," but HOW to generate a head of steam seems distant 😖
Another pointed and illuminating post from Ian; so much so that I read it on my Bezos-phone than the usual Substack email.
Agree with all of what he says, but how do we do this both individually AND collectively?
Agree with all of what he says, but how do we do this both individually AND collectively?
Big tech is now formally in league with the far-right. The resistance to it will be personal and political iandunt.substack.com/p/how-to-res...
How to resist the tech overlords
Big tech has now made its position clear. It is on the far-right. Here's what happens next.
iandunt.substack.com
January 24, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Another pointed and illuminating post from Ian; so much so that I read it on my Bezos-phone than the usual Substack email.
Agree with all of what he says, but how do we do this both individually AND collectively?
Agree with all of what he says, but how do we do this both individually AND collectively?
Tulyn Lavinshy Allen-Price Cat was a blue-point Oriental of extreme intelligence and noise, a rescue with a history of being over-bred, and real fun being.
January 23, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Tulyn Lavinshy Allen-Price Cat was a blue-point Oriental of extreme intelligence and noise, a rescue with a history of being over-bred, and real fun being.
Nothing says "J'accuse" quite like Marco Louderkatz
January 7, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Nothing says "J'accuse" quite like Marco Louderkatz
Reposted by Mike Allen (he/himself)
Just in from mammoth interview session to two bits of news. One that a DV perp got locked up because of something I did and that a vulnerable constituent had a a massive wrongful debt written off after our intervention. This is why I came to politics, this is why I'll just keep cracking on.
January 7, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Just in from mammoth interview session to two bits of news. One that a DV perp got locked up because of something I did and that a vulnerable constituent had a a massive wrongful debt written off after our intervention. This is why I came to politics, this is why I'll just keep cracking on.
Stolen from LinkedIn (sorry, can't find from whom), but clear the 💩 faced by neurodiverse people all the time from us typicals 🫣😡
December 10, 2024 at 3:42 PM
Stolen from LinkedIn (sorry, can't find from whom), but clear the 💩 faced by neurodiverse people all the time from us typicals 🫣😡
I'd always liked, but never quite got, Parliament Funkadelic, and to this day I don't know why. Now going to watch this to study my mistakes.
December 8, 2024 at 5:32 PM
I'd always liked, but never quite got, Parliament Funkadelic, and to this day I don't know why. Now going to watch this to study my mistakes.
Reposted by Mike Allen (he/himself)
Stokes and McCullum need strong start to year that could define Bazball
Stokes and McCullum need strong start to year that could define Bazball
Series against familiar foes New Zealand, where they haven’t won 16 years, is taster for even bigger challenges ahead for England
The way the cricket calendar is carved up sounds a bit absurd; a kind of speed-dating event for the chief executives and…
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2024 at 11:34 PM
Stokes and McCullum need strong start to year that could define Bazball
Reposted by Mike Allen (he/himself)
Please do read the comments under my article on assisted dying. People on both sides of the debate, who've gone through terrible grief talking about their conclusions. Really moving and even inspiring.
iandunt.substack.com/p/trying-to-...
iandunt.substack.com/p/trying-to-...
Trying to make a damn bit of sense of the assisted dying debate
Everything you need to know about a profound change in the law
iandunt.substack.com
November 23, 2024 at 9:19 AM
Please do read the comments under my article on assisted dying. People on both sides of the debate, who've gone through terrible grief talking about their conclusions. Really moving and even inspiring.
iandunt.substack.com/p/trying-to-...
iandunt.substack.com/p/trying-to-...
Reposted by Mike Allen (he/himself)
[To the tune of Eleanor Rigby]
Aleister Crowley,
Practicing summoning Satan while out on the beers,
Santa appears
Aleister Crowley,
Practicing summoning Satan while out on the beers,
Santa appears
November 23, 2024 at 6:32 PM
[To the tune of Eleanor Rigby]
Aleister Crowley,
Practicing summoning Satan while out on the beers,
Santa appears
Aleister Crowley,
Practicing summoning Satan while out on the beers,
Santa appears
Just seen Robert Plant presents Saving Grace featuring Suzi Dian, and @andrewhickey.500songs.com was right: they were really good AND the tour name has more words than there were people on stage 😊
November 24, 2024 at 12:17 AM
Just seen Robert Plant presents Saving Grace featuring Suzi Dian, and @andrewhickey.500songs.com was right: they were really good AND the tour name has more words than there were people on stage 😊
Can you please remind me to stop going "Oooogh' whenever the Orange Hitler does something that he (and Project 2025) said he would. It's wearing me, and my American wife, out 😭
November 15, 2024 at 12:36 AM
Can you please remind me to stop going "Oooogh' whenever the Orange Hitler does something that he (and Project 2025) said he would. It's wearing me, and my American wife, out 😭
We knew he'd proposed it, but really? Really??
Trump selects Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, as health secretary
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump selects Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, as health secretary
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Live updates: Trump selects Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, as health secretary
Get the latest news on the transition to the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump and a new Congress.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 14, 2024 at 9:30 PM
We knew he'd proposed it, but really? Really??
Trump selects Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, as health secretary
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump selects Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, as health secretary
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
In a week of ridiculous crap, this, at least 😏
November 14, 2024 at 9:25 PM
In a week of ridiculous crap, this, at least 😏
Reposted by Mike Allen (he/himself)
Data point the Church of England might bear in mind. Of the three living Archbishops of Canterbury, two hold gay sex to be sinful, and have been disgraced for covering up sexual abusers of children. One signed a letter calling for a ban on conversion therapy for trans people and hasn't been.
November 13, 2024 at 1:17 AM
Data point the Church of England might bear in mind. Of the three living Archbishops of Canterbury, two hold gay sex to be sinful, and have been disgraced for covering up sexual abusers of children. One signed a letter calling for a ban on conversion therapy for trans people and hasn't been.