Mary McG
@jadegirl50.bsky.social
Green Granny, gardener, Taiji practitioner (4th duan), enthusiastic cook, sourdough baker and occasional rambler! Loves hills and wild places.
Reposted by Mary McG
My question is why haven't all local and national governments and political parties removed themselves from X much, much sooner.
I hope @oxfordshirecc.bsky.social (and all local and national govts) stop using X.
It is toxic and polluting and we should not be adding to its active users.
theconversation.com/hate-speech-...
It is toxic and polluting and we should not be adding to its active users.
theconversation.com/hate-speech-...
December 9, 2025 at 12:12 PM
My question is why haven't all local and national governments and political parties removed themselves from X much, much sooner.
Reposted by Mary McG
Why is the UK Govt still using the tool of a man who is against democracy and has turned X into a tool for destabilising democracy around the world?
I have never seen a logical reasonable answer as to why
I have never seen a logical reasonable answer as to why
🔴Elon Musk Has Made X a Threat to Democracy and His War on the EU Proves It
Caroline Orr Bueno reports on how the billionaire X owner has turned Twitter into a tool for foreign interference which monetises and weaponises a global network of disinformation
bylinetimes.com/2025/12/08/e...
Caroline Orr Bueno reports on how the billionaire X owner has turned Twitter into a tool for foreign interference which monetises and weaponises a global network of disinformation
bylinetimes.com/2025/12/08/e...
Elon Musk Has Made X a Threat to Democracy and His War on the EU Proves It
Caroline Orr Bueno reports on how the billionaire X owner has turned Twitter into a tool for foreign interference which monetises and weaponises a global network of disinformation
bylinetimes.com
December 9, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Why is the UK Govt still using the tool of a man who is against democracy and has turned X into a tool for destabilising democracy around the world?
I have never seen a logical reasonable answer as to why
I have never seen a logical reasonable answer as to why
Reposted by Mary McG
12. This is why I rail against it. There are things we can do now, which are not prevented by the legacy of those who lived a century ago, eg switching to a plant-based diet or swapping fossil fuels for renewables. Let’s grasp some simple arithmetic, stop shifting blame, and do what we can. 12/12
December 7, 2025 at 10:33 AM
12. This is why I rail against it. There are things we can do now, which are not prevented by the legacy of those who lived a century ago, eg switching to a plant-based diet or swapping fossil fuels for renewables. Let’s grasp some simple arithmetic, stop shifting blame, and do what we can. 12/12
Reposted by Mary McG
Excellent reporting by Peter Morris.
Well worth a read
Well worth a read
Ministers warn Tees Valley faces major financial risks if its Teesworks joint venture fails, with no government bailout | Peter Morris
No bail-out if Teesworks deal goes wrong, government warns Houchen
Ministers warn Tees Valley faces major financial risks if its Teesworks joint venture fails, with no government bailout
northeastbylines.co.uk
December 7, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Excellent reporting by Peter Morris.
Well worth a read
Well worth a read
Connections
Puzzle #910
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
Puzzle #910
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
December 7, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Connections
Puzzle #910
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
Puzzle #910
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟦🟦🟦🟦
Wordle 1,632 2/6
⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨
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Sometimes it’s a good guess!
⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Sometimes it’s a good guess!
December 7, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Wordle 1,632 2/6
⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Sometimes it’s a good guess!
⬜⬜🟨⬜🟨
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
Sometimes it’s a good guess!
Reposted by Mary McG
Remember folks, it has a very strong foothold in the UK as well
Streeting appears to be besotted
They have a habit of setting things up in such a way that you would find it difficult to pull out and move to another supplier
Streeting appears to be besotted
They have a habit of setting things up in such a way that you would find it difficult to pull out and move to another supplier
Palantir sells AI tools that help law enforcement agencies like ICE analyze massive amounts of personal data.
It's a big reason why it is quickly becoming the most dangerous corporation in America.https://youtu.be/x_VwyhErd88?si=4Ptdx0tQBOBOUin1
It's a big reason why it is quickly becoming the most dangerous corporation in America.https://youtu.be/x_VwyhErd88?si=4Ptdx0tQBOBOUin1
The Most Dangerous Corporation in America?
Robert Reich
youtu.be
December 7, 2025 at 5:54 AM
Remember folks, it has a very strong foothold in the UK as well
Streeting appears to be besotted
They have a habit of setting things up in such a way that you would find it difficult to pull out and move to another supplier
Streeting appears to be besotted
They have a habit of setting things up in such a way that you would find it difficult to pull out and move to another supplier
Reposted by Mary McG
What traitorous dolts the British rightwing were to oblige Russia and the network of oligarchs who hate the power of EU collaboration and prosperity. Now we find ourselves isolated, the EU weakened and Ukraine being betrayed.
Shame on all who paved the way…
Farage, you’re front of the queue.
Shame on all who paved the way…
Farage, you’re front of the queue.
Elon Musk and his Russian friends call for the abolishment of the EU
December 6, 2025 at 5:58 PM
What traitorous dolts the British rightwing were to oblige Russia and the network of oligarchs who hate the power of EU collaboration and prosperity. Now we find ourselves isolated, the EU weakened and Ukraine being betrayed.
Shame on all who paved the way…
Farage, you’re front of the queue.
Shame on all who paved the way…
Farage, you’re front of the queue.
Reposted by Mary McG
Farage hopes he can breeze into power without scrutiny. But his racism, corrupt donations, shady links to Russia and MAGA… make it harder for him to hide. And his tantrum reactions to being challenged reveal him for the nasty inadequate he really is.
#NeverPM
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-wheels...
#NeverPM
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-wheels...
The Wheels Are Falling off the Nigel Farage Project
The Reform leader's increasingly rattled public appearances betray a growing sense that the opportunity of a lifetime could be about to slip from his fingers
www.adambienkov.co.uk
December 6, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Farage hopes he can breeze into power without scrutiny. But his racism, corrupt donations, shady links to Russia and MAGA… make it harder for him to hide. And his tantrum reactions to being challenged reveal him for the nasty inadequate he really is.
#NeverPM
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-wheels...
#NeverPM
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/the-wheels...
Reposted by Mary McG
Here is the whole Trump, Brexit, Russia story neatly summed up for you
The battle started about Ukraine, now it’s about big tech monopoly power
The battle started about Ukraine, now it’s about big tech monopoly power
December 6, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Here is the whole Trump, Brexit, Russia story neatly summed up for you
The battle started about Ukraine, now it’s about big tech monopoly power
The battle started about Ukraine, now it’s about big tech monopoly power
Reposted by Mary McG
The legacy of Margaret Thatcher is debt, immense debt, more than £10tn.
Owed by the Government, owed by Privatised companies, owed by you.
Paid out to billionaires in fake profits.
Owed by the Government, owed by Privatised companies, owed by you.
Paid out to billionaires in fake profits.
The legacy of Margaret Thatcher.
Debt to banks has increased from 50% to 200%.
£100,000 per person.
Debt to banks has increased from 50% to 200%.
£100,000 per person.
December 6, 2025 at 2:30 PM
The legacy of Margaret Thatcher is debt, immense debt, more than £10tn.
Owed by the Government, owed by Privatised companies, owed by you.
Paid out to billionaires in fake profits.
Owed by the Government, owed by Privatised companies, owed by you.
Paid out to billionaires in fake profits.
Reposted by Mary McG
Absolutely….and Brexit is not the only thing he needs to apologise for.
"Nigel Farage should be here tonight apologising to the British people."
@LibDemDaisy.bsky.social on how Brexit has driven the small boats crisis ⬇️
@LibDemDaisy.bsky.social on how Brexit has driven the small boats crisis ⬇️
December 6, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Absolutely….and Brexit is not the only thing he needs to apologise for.
Reposted by Mary McG
The fundamental question on the EU-UK reset👇 is do we want to live within European norms or continue to fantasize we are a swash-buckling empire building nation of rabid capitalists with a side hussle as an American AI data centre & aircraft carrier. Tough call.
Whether by accident or design, the EU is making Britain decide whether it is truly, deeply, viscerally an 'all-in' European state, and not some half-arsed "let's-try-and-get-what-we-can-out-of-it" state.
It's going to be a long old road.
It's going to be a long old road.
You know what? I really don't think it is. Great domestic political posturing, but Labour have no plans to go beyond the 'reset' agenda, certainly none the EU are likely to accept. This will be talk to little if any action.
December 6, 2025 at 9:02 AM
The fundamental question on the EU-UK reset👇 is do we want to live within European norms or continue to fantasize we are a swash-buckling empire building nation of rabid capitalists with a side hussle as an American AI data centre & aircraft carrier. Tough call.
Reposted by Mary McG
@peterthurlow.bsky.social in @eastangliabylines.co.uk. Good article
There is definitely a mood shift within the UK and without.
Internally, the Brexit disaster is unavoidable; even the Brexiters are owning up; and UKG's budget has not made things better.
Can the UK talk about it?
A 🧵
There is definitely a mood shift within the UK and without.
Internally, the Brexit disaster is unavoidable; even the Brexiters are owning up; and UKG's budget has not made things better.
Can the UK talk about it?
A 🧵
December 6, 2025 at 9:14 AM
@peterthurlow.bsky.social in @eastangliabylines.co.uk. Good article
There is definitely a mood shift within the UK and without.
Internally, the Brexit disaster is unavoidable; even the Brexiters are owning up; and UKG's budget has not made things better.
Can the UK talk about it?
A 🧵
There is definitely a mood shift within the UK and without.
Internally, the Brexit disaster is unavoidable; even the Brexiters are owning up; and UKG's budget has not made things better.
Can the UK talk about it?
A 🧵
Reposted by Mary McG
How very Trumpian.
If we let him get away with everything he does, we'll be in deep shit very soon.
If we let him get away with everything he does, we'll be in deep shit very soon.
Nigel Farage, leader of the party who claim to care deeply about women’s equality, yesterday described bbc broadcaster Emma Barnett as a ‘lower grade’ presenter for asking questions about his alleged historic H*tler fanboying.
December 5, 2025 at 11:57 AM
How very Trumpian.
If we let him get away with everything he does, we'll be in deep shit very soon.
If we let him get away with everything he does, we'll be in deep shit very soon.
Reposted by Mary McG
Unpopular opinion: the obsession with whether Nigel Farage is taking Russian money is obscuring us from the far more troubling reality of where he's actually taking money from.
Yes, Russians have used Tether to launder money. So does everyone.
Yes, Russians have used Tether to launder money. So does everyone.
December 4, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Unpopular opinion: the obsession with whether Nigel Farage is taking Russian money is obscuring us from the far more troubling reality of where he's actually taking money from.
Yes, Russians have used Tether to launder money. So does everyone.
Yes, Russians have used Tether to launder money. So does everyone.
Reposted by Mary McG
🔴 Nigel Farage’s Reform is more reliant on super-rich backers than any major party in modern British political history
75% of *all* Reform donations *ever* have come from just three rich men
Is this what democracy looks like?
New on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/75-of-refo...
75% of *all* Reform donations *ever* have come from just three rich men
Is this what democracy looks like?
New on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/75-of-refo...
75% of Reform UK’s donations have come from just three rich men
Calls grow for donation caps as Democracy for Sale research reveals that three-quarters of Reform’s funding comes from a trio of wealthy donors
democracyforsale.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 10:55 AM
🔴 Nigel Farage’s Reform is more reliant on super-rich backers than any major party in modern British political history
75% of *all* Reform donations *ever* have come from just three rich men
Is this what democracy looks like?
New on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/75-of-refo...
75% of *all* Reform donations *ever* have come from just three rich men
Is this what democracy looks like?
New on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/75-of-refo...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
My kinda place!
My kinda place!
‘We miss having a dog but it’s the price you pay’: the village that banned pets to save wildlife
Australian eco community is a sanctuary for native animals and a showcase of sustainable living
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:10 PM
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
My kinda place!
My kinda place!
Reposted by Mary McG
Are we inching forward to a new era of actual consequences?
Putin is ‘morally responsible’ for Dawn Sturgess’s novichok death, inquiry finds
‘Overwhelming’ evidence that Russian state planned attack on former spy Sergei Skripal that led to Sturgess’s death in 2018, says chair
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Are we inching forward to a new era of actual consequences?
Reposted by Mary McG
Crypto investor and former Tory donor Christopher Harborne has just given a record-breaking £9 million donation to Reform.
Nigel Farage has spent recent months publicly calling for deregulation of the crypto industry, telling an industry conference that "I am your champion"
Nigel Farage has spent recent months publicly calling for deregulation of the crypto industry, telling an industry conference that "I am your champion"
December 4, 2025 at 10:30 AM
Reposted by Mary McG
It’s the Trump playbook - Farage n his ruck ilk will make billions -they will get rid of the NHS - not invest in- housing , education, or getting rid of poverty. They have already impoverished the uk by selling Brexit - which has been Detrimental to trade travel farming etc
The super-rich rightwing are pouring money into Reform. Do ordinary voters really think their aim is to even out social inequality and make their lives better? Do they think they’re doing it so Farage invests in infrastructure and public services? Ffs. Democracy being beaten to death in plain sight.
December 4, 2025 at 10:42 AM
It’s the Trump playbook - Farage n his ruck ilk will make billions -they will get rid of the NHS - not invest in- housing , education, or getting rid of poverty. They have already impoverished the uk by selling Brexit - which has been Detrimental to trade travel farming etc
Reposted by Mary McG
These are war crimes. Russia steals Ukrainian children and send them to camps to become ‘militarised’
Russia sends stolen Ukrainian children to North Korea to become militarized.
December 4, 2025 at 11:05 AM
These are war crimes. Russia steals Ukrainian children and send them to camps to become ‘militarised’
Reposted by Mary McG
Despite its financial success, Reform’s filings for 2019 show troubling gaps in transparency. For example, the party declared £18.9 million in expenditure. However, over 40% (£7.8 million) was listed as “other expenditure,” with no further explanation
🔴 Farage's Reform took in £10M in donations in last quarter - more than any other party.
£9m of that came from one donor - Christopher Harborne.
The same Harborne who gave Brexit Party £10m+, mostly after BXP stood down from Tory seats in 2019...
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-black-...
£9m of that came from one donor - Christopher Harborne.
The same Harborne who gave Brexit Party £10m+, mostly after BXP stood down from Tory seats in 2019...
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/the-black-...
The ‘black hole’ in Reform UK’s finances
Plus: We’ve spotted Liz Truss in Davos (again)
democracyforsale.substack.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Despite its financial success, Reform’s filings for 2019 show troubling gaps in transparency. For example, the party declared £18.9 million in expenditure. However, over 40% (£7.8 million) was listed as “other expenditure,” with no further explanation
www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...
Good for her. Not a waste of space after all!
Good for her. Not a waste of space after all!
‘I don’t take no for an answer’: how a small group of women changed the law on deepfake porn
The new Data (Use and Access) Act, which criminalises intimate image abuse, is a huge victory won fast in a space where progress is often glacially slow
www.theguardian.com
December 4, 2025 at 11:16 AM
www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i...
Good for her. Not a waste of space after all!
Good for her. Not a waste of space after all!
Reposted by Mary McG
Data centres are energy hungry but what if we could use their waste heat to heat our homes?
That's exactly what happens in places like Finland: Cities are tapping the vast amounts of waste heat generated by data centres, and feeding it into district-heating networks.
That's exactly what happens in places like Finland: Cities are tapping the vast amounts of waste heat generated by data centres, and feeding it into district-heating networks.
December 3, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Data centres are energy hungry but what if we could use their waste heat to heat our homes?
That's exactly what happens in places like Finland: Cities are tapping the vast amounts of waste heat generated by data centres, and feeding it into district-heating networks.
That's exactly what happens in places like Finland: Cities are tapping the vast amounts of waste heat generated by data centres, and feeding it into district-heating networks.