George Pontikas
@georgepontikas.bsky.social
Lecturer in Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading
Interested in how children understand sentences and public life
Interested in how children understand sentences and public life
Reposted by George Pontikas
Labour can never be the party of those who reject the asylum principle. Hardline immigration conservatism is owned by the right. Low trust radical right voters will never believe an approach like this because they know it runs against grain of the party’s core electorate and history - so will fail
November 15, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Labour can never be the party of those who reject the asylum principle. Hardline immigration conservatism is owned by the right. Low trust radical right voters will never believe an approach like this because they know it runs against grain of the party’s core electorate and history - so will fail
Reposted by George Pontikas
Think there's something particularly dispiriting about the Greek governments various moves against climate change initiatives because if your country routinely bursting into flames each summer doesn't drive it home, what will?
November 7, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Think there's something particularly dispiriting about the Greek governments various moves against climate change initiatives because if your country routinely bursting into flames each summer doesn't drive it home, what will?
Reposted by George Pontikas
If racism has no place in his party, then Nigel Farage should prove it by withdrawing the whip from Sarah Pochin immediately.
October 28, 2025 at 6:00 PM
If racism has no place in his party, then Nigel Farage should prove it by withdrawing the whip from Sarah Pochin immediately.
Reposted by George Pontikas
Broadcasters - especially the BBC - have been working hard to ensure they give a voice to the 25-35% of people willing to vote Reform (and harder groups within that, like anti-asylum protest and Tommy protest)
Need to pay as much attention to the unheard majority who fear that form of politics
Need to pay as much attention to the unheard majority who fear that form of politics
October 24, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Broadcasters - especially the BBC - have been working hard to ensure they give a voice to the 25-35% of people willing to vote Reform (and harder groups within that, like anti-asylum protest and Tommy protest)
Need to pay as much attention to the unheard majority who fear that form of politics
Need to pay as much attention to the unheard majority who fear that form of politics
Reposted by George Pontikas
Will Hayward: "Beyond this campaign, the aim of the party to appeal to Reform voters that are never coming back (and often were never Labour voters anyway) at the expense of left and centre left traditional supporters has been a catastrophe."
October 24, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Will Hayward: "Beyond this campaign, the aim of the party to appeal to Reform voters that are never coming back (and often were never Labour voters anyway) at the expense of left and centre left traditional supporters has been a catastrophe."
Reposted by George Pontikas
To be clear: deportations to increase cultural homogeneity is the text book definition of ethnic cleansing. Demands that come even close to this are so far outside any democratic norm and the rule of law. What has happened to a country when this is not condemned in the strongest possible terms?
October 21, 2025 at 10:47 AM
To be clear: deportations to increase cultural homogeneity is the text book definition of ethnic cleansing. Demands that come even close to this are so far outside any democratic norm and the rule of law. What has happened to a country when this is not condemned in the strongest possible terms?
Reposted by George Pontikas
Badenoch's speech wasn't that bad, but listening to the punditry and you'd think it was Gettysburg Address.
Like declaring the school Nativity Play a success because Joseph didn't wet himself.
Like declaring the school Nativity Play a success because Joseph didn't wet himself.
October 8, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Badenoch's speech wasn't that bad, but listening to the punditry and you'd think it was Gettysburg Address.
Like declaring the school Nativity Play a success because Joseph didn't wet himself.
Like declaring the school Nativity Play a success because Joseph didn't wet himself.
Reposted by George Pontikas
Reposted by George Pontikas
On Yom Kippur many Jewish people in Britain have their phones off to mark the holy day.
As it ends at 723pm, some will hear the tragic Manchester news for the first time.
At that time, please join many of us to send a message of solidarity to British Jews.Thanks Together coalition for proposing.
As it ends at 723pm, some will hear the tragic Manchester news for the first time.
At that time, please join many of us to send a message of solidarity to British Jews.Thanks Together coalition for proposing.
October 2, 2025 at 4:06 PM
On Yom Kippur many Jewish people in Britain have their phones off to mark the holy day.
As it ends at 723pm, some will hear the tragic Manchester news for the first time.
At that time, please join many of us to send a message of solidarity to British Jews.Thanks Together coalition for proposing.
As it ends at 723pm, some will hear the tragic Manchester news for the first time.
At that time, please join many of us to send a message of solidarity to British Jews.Thanks Together coalition for proposing.
Reposted by George Pontikas
Reform's ‘plan’ to revoke the legal status of millions of UK residents is morally abhorrent & economic madness
The public believe in fairness & mutual respect, not this cruel Trumpian policy that would leave us all poorer. We are not America - we must resist this dangerous turn in British politics.
The public believe in fairness & mutual respect, not this cruel Trumpian policy that would leave us all poorer. We are not America - we must resist this dangerous turn in British politics.
September 22, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Reform's ‘plan’ to revoke the legal status of millions of UK residents is morally abhorrent & economic madness
The public believe in fairness & mutual respect, not this cruel Trumpian policy that would leave us all poorer. We are not America - we must resist this dangerous turn in British politics.
The public believe in fairness & mutual respect, not this cruel Trumpian policy that would leave us all poorer. We are not America - we must resist this dangerous turn in British politics.
Reposted by George Pontikas
I've said this before, but the next election will be the most consequential of my lifetime. Fascism v political norms will be on the ballot. If you don't vote for whichever party is most likely to stop Reform in your constituency, you share responsibility for what happens next.
September 22, 2025 at 7:40 AM
I've said this before, but the next election will be the most consequential of my lifetime. Fascism v political norms will be on the ballot. If you don't vote for whichever party is most likely to stop Reform in your constituency, you share responsibility for what happens next.
Reposted by George Pontikas
100k or more marching for a violent racist, the head of X live-streamed in to incite a violent overthrow of the government. And that same government can't find in itself the decency or even the instinct for self preservation to call this out. I despair.
September 14, 2025 at 8:31 AM
100k or more marching for a violent racist, the head of X live-streamed in to incite a violent overthrow of the government. And that same government can't find in itself the decency or even the instinct for self preservation to call this out. I despair.
Reposted by George Pontikas
'I decree today that life
Is simply taking and not giving
England is mine, and it owes me a living
But ask me why, and I'll spit in your eye'
(Morrissey/Marr, 1984)
Is simply taking and not giving
England is mine, and it owes me a living
But ask me why, and I'll spit in your eye'
(Morrissey/Marr, 1984)
Nine arrests at the Far Right thug march in London. Police said there had been "significant aggression", with some officers being "attacked with projectiles".
The thugs kept trying to breakthrough police lines to attack the anti-fascist counter protest.
The thugs kept trying to breakthrough police lines to attack the anti-fascist counter protest.
September 13, 2025 at 6:34 PM
'I decree today that life
Is simply taking and not giving
England is mine, and it owes me a living
But ask me why, and I'll spit in your eye'
(Morrissey/Marr, 1984)
Is simply taking and not giving
England is mine, and it owes me a living
But ask me why, and I'll spit in your eye'
(Morrissey/Marr, 1984)
Reposted by George Pontikas
And I wonder if this cycle then becomes BOTH the result AND the source of the politics we see. If progressive or left-leaning voters make ourselves, essentially, impossible to please and very easy to lose forever, doesn't that make it rational for parties to compete for right wing votes? 6/6
September 7, 2025 at 2:47 AM
And I wonder if this cycle then becomes BOTH the result AND the source of the politics we see. If progressive or left-leaning voters make ourselves, essentially, impossible to please and very easy to lose forever, doesn't that make it rational for parties to compete for right wing votes? 6/6
Reposted by George Pontikas
Angela Rayner accidentally pays less tax than she should have, resigns, and the media gives her hell.
Nigel Farage deliberately pays less tax than he should have, and the media gives him a free pass.
That, right there, is the problem.
Nigel Farage deliberately pays less tax than he should have, and the media gives him a free pass.
That, right there, is the problem.
September 5, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Angela Rayner accidentally pays less tax than she should have, resigns, and the media gives her hell.
Nigel Farage deliberately pays less tax than he should have, and the media gives him a free pass.
That, right there, is the problem.
Nigel Farage deliberately pays less tax than he should have, and the media gives him a free pass.
That, right there, is the problem.
Reposted by George Pontikas
Honking endorsement for Farage, Johnson et la, without a moment’s reflection that 10 years of UKIPified Tory govt created the mess they’re railing about — booming benefits bills, bond market routs, immigration surges, trade slump and investment slumps. Bring back Boris and Nadine! That’ll fix it. 🙈
September 5, 2025 at 6:25 AM
Honking endorsement for Farage, Johnson et la, without a moment’s reflection that 10 years of UKIPified Tory govt created the mess they’re railing about — booming benefits bills, bond market routs, immigration surges, trade slump and investment slumps. Bring back Boris and Nadine! That’ll fix it. 🙈
Reposted by George Pontikas
Rep. Jamie Raskin tears into Nigel Farage as a "far-right pro-Putin politician" and a "Donald Trump sycophant and wannabe".
September 3, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Rep. Jamie Raskin tears into Nigel Farage as a "far-right pro-Putin politician" and a "Donald Trump sycophant and wannabe".
Reposted by George Pontikas
A day of shame for the UK. A political party proposes mass deportations and the response from other political parties is not to condemn this as going further than even Mosley or the National Front.
No10 spokesman not prepared to criticise anything about Farage speech today.
Not his description of "invasion", not his prediction that the UK on brink of civil war, not plans to pay the Taliban or Iran to take back migrants, or indeed to rule out doing so themselves.
Not his description of "invasion", not his prediction that the UK on brink of civil war, not plans to pay the Taliban or Iran to take back migrants, or indeed to rule out doing so themselves.
August 26, 2025 at 12:56 PM
A day of shame for the UK. A political party proposes mass deportations and the response from other political parties is not to condemn this as going further than even Mosley or the National Front.
Reposted by George Pontikas
Just for perspective, a few weeks ago roughly 100,000 turned up for the London Trans+ Pride march. By contrast fewer than 3,000 ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY, have turned up to anti-asylum "protests". Yet we are meant to take the latter as "the voice of the people" and the former as "the minority".
August 23, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Just for perspective, a few weeks ago roughly 100,000 turned up for the London Trans+ Pride march. By contrast fewer than 3,000 ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY, have turned up to anti-asylum "protests". Yet we are meant to take the latter as "the voice of the people" and the former as "the minority".
Reposted by George Pontikas
@paulmason.bsky.social summed up the dangerous situation in which we now find ourselves:
August 8, 2025 at 9:40 AM
@paulmason.bsky.social summed up the dangerous situation in which we now find ourselves:
the #newsnight discussion on AI in UK HE could not have been more trite if it was generated by AI - really disappointing 😮💨
July 28, 2025 at 10:11 PM
the #newsnight discussion on AI in UK HE could not have been more trite if it was generated by AI - really disappointing 😮💨
Reposted by George Pontikas
This is England. They don't hate. They don't rage. They don't riot. They stick together. This is England. 🏴
July 27, 2025 at 6:57 PM
This is England. They don't hate. They don't rage. They don't riot. They stick together. This is England. 🏴
Reposted by George Pontikas
We are now at the stage at which alt-right posters utilising social media are a threat to Britain's race relations, public order and potentially even national security. Still the Rip Van Winkle of the UK state does sweet f-all.
July 24, 2025 at 4:48 PM
We are now at the stage at which alt-right posters utilising social media are a threat to Britain's race relations, public order and potentially even national security. Still the Rip Van Winkle of the UK state does sweet f-all.
Reposted by George Pontikas
But most of the one-in-five do speak English.
They missed that bit in the dash for clicks.
Night.
They missed that bit in the dash for clicks.
Night.
July 13, 2025 at 9:12 PM
But most of the one-in-five do speak English.
They missed that bit in the dash for clicks.
Night.
They missed that bit in the dash for clicks.
Night.
I have been promoted to Associate Professor
June 18, 2025 at 6:20 PM
I have been promoted to Associate Professor