Marita K
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maritak2024.bsky.social
Marita K
@maritak2024.bsky.social
50 followers 130 following 31 posts
Born in Germany but living in Walthamstow, East London for 30+ years.
Love food, nature, travelling & meeting nice people. Missing my dog, the daily walks & characters we met along the way.
Believing that most people are kind but worried about the future.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Marita K
tanjabueltmann.net
My letter to the Prime Minister. #immigration
Slightly amended so I can fit this here: I am writing to you as an immigrant who chose to make the UK my home. As someone who is now also a British citizen. And as a German-born historian who understands where the complete normalisation of the far right can end. I write to say: For shame! I first came to the UK in the 1990s for a visit with my grandmother. Objectively, much was backwards here. No mixer taps in the bathroom; awful ‘bread’; and strings had to be pulled to switch on lights. But however I felt about this, my own string had been pulled: I loved this Cool Britannia. It was quite possibly then that I decided that the UK was to be my home. When I arrived to settle here permanently, I made a choice: to contribute my skills, my knowledge—all I have to offer—to this country rather than another one. I am deeply disgusted by your comment today that immigration has done ‘incalculable damage’ to the country. This is the language of the far right. It is insulting, hateful & will fuel xenophobia. And it is just wrong. Migration is a normal part of the human existence. None of us would be where we are without it. Open your fridge and you will see migration. Immigrants help make the UK tick every single day, whether we clean toilets in our hospitals or provide care for the elderly; whether we empty our bins or carry out cancer research. We are mothers, sons-in-law, aunts and uncles, friends, neighbours and colleagues. I ask you not tell me that you do not mean me. I know that you do not—at least not primarily—mean a white woman from Europe who has a PhD. But who do you mean? And, much more importantly, who do you think those racists who were engaged in riots on our streets last summer think you mean? Anti-immigration narratives have defined UK policymaking for the best part of two decades. And fundamentally so. They were the key driver in delivering Brexit, for example, and, as such, have directly limited the rights and opportunities of British citizens. This obsessive focus on immigration as the ‘problem’—that is the real problem. And it is consistently delivering poor outcomes for the UK. Instead of tackling this, you are choosing to consolidate it, sowing divisions along the way. You may point me to polling and tell me that this is what voters want. Do they? I am not surprised at all that over 50% of voters might say they want to see immigration reduced if that is the question they are being asked. What we need to know is what they would answer to the question: “Would you like to see immigration reduced? What this would mean for you and your local community is XYZ.” That is not how surveys can ask questions, but governments absolutely can choose to make policy using such a more informed position. Prime Minister, you continue to talk a lot about making the tough choices. But let’s be clear: setting immigrants up as the ‘other’, as a scapegoat—describing us as a threat ‘pulling the country apart’, a ‘squalid chapter’, a risk that might make the UK an ‘island of strangers’—these are not tough choices at all. These are the easy choices. They are the choices that populists make who have no solutions to the real problems a country faces. What I would like to know, Prime Minister, is what you will do when your policies lead to the implosion of the UK’s Higher Education sector. What you will tell communities when they can no longer provide any care for the elderly. The policies you announced today will not solve anything at all. They will have exclusively negative impacts. For those immediately affected; for our communities; and for our economy. Being pro-immigration—it is progressive, yes, but the much more crucial point is that it is also the most pro-UK policy approach that any politician in the country can pursue. And you are choosing to do the opposite. This, Prime Minister, is the real damage—and it will be very calculable indeed. Tanja Bueltmann
May 12, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by Marita K
chrischirp.bsky.social
My new post mapping out 69 actions that President Trump has taken in the last twelve weeks to undermine democracy, undermine the rule of law, attack enemies, suppress dissent and control information.

Do read and share. Full 🧵 tomorrow hopefully!

christinapagel.substack.com/p/a-republic...
“A republic, if you can keep it” - but can the US keep it? How Trump is dismantling democracy
Mapping out 69 actions that President Trump has taken in the last twelve weeks to undermine democracy, undermine the rule of law, attack enemies, suppress dissent and control information
christinapagel.substack.com
April 13, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Reposted by Marita K
iandunt.bsky.social
This is fascinating and a useful corrective to much of the rhetoric out there.
tomcalver.bsky.social Tom Calver @tomcalver.bsky.social · Mar 30
🧵 NEW: Is Britain really a high tax country?

Our collective tax bill is at its highest share of GDP since the 1940s

But actually, the tax and NI paid by the average worker are at their lowest in decades.

What’s going on?

1/7

@thetimes.com

Free link 🔗 www.thetimes.com/article/25aa...
March 31, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Reposted by Marita K
chrischirp.bsky.social
🧵Censor, purge, defund - how Trump is following the authoritarian playbook on science & universities.

This isn't chaos - it's deliberate & well-established methods.

I've mapped 40 actions into 3 categories covering attacks on science, attacks on universities and international collaboration.

1/16
March 12, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Reposted by Marita K
briantylercohen.bsky.social
Trump just helped bring Andrew Tate — who is literally charged with rape and human trafficking — into our country.
March 3, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Reposted by Marita K
marina-purkiss.bsky.social
As we welcome the news that the UK will support Ukraine with a £2.26bn loan…

Here’s your reminder that the Conservatives wasted £9.9bn on unusable or defective PPE

Never forget their staggering corruption and incompetence.
March 2, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Reposted by Marita K
annettedittert.bsky.social
Important counterpoints that need to be added to the overall relief that the AfD didn't win more than expected in Germany tonight. (A relief I share, but Tanja is right nonetheless.)
tanjabueltmann.net Tanja Bueltmann @tanjabueltmann.net · Feb 23
I know we all love a dose of hopium, especially now. But the take, which I see all across here, that the far right was defeated in Germany tonight because 80% of Germans voted for other parties is very misleading and unhelpful. Understanding this really matters. 🧵
February 23, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Reposted by Marita K
tanjabueltmann.net
I know we all love a dose of hopium, especially now. But the take, which I see all across here, that the far right was defeated in Germany tonight because 80% of Germans voted for other parties is very misleading and unhelpful. Understanding this really matters. 🧵
February 23, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Reposted by Marita K
annettedittert.bsky.social
Why it is time to say goodbye to Germany as an oasis of stability, and why ironically it was JD Vance in Munich who might have helped the centrist parties to get a grip now after all.
My take on the most important elections in a generation on Sunday in Berlin. 👇👇
The far right rising
Ahead of a historic German election, the AfD is courting the global right – and threatening to upend European politics.
www.newstatesman.com
February 20, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Reposted by Marita K
paddyopatrick.bsky.social
BBC obsesses on Rachel Reeves but not Reforms James McMurdock whose CV doesn’t add up👇🏼

He says he worked at at Lehmans (it had gone bust when he claimed to be there)

He claims he dealt with Corporate Loans -they require FCA Reg but I couldn’t find him..

His bizs went bust
@adambienkov.bsky.social
Failed Firms and CV Boasts – Little-Known New Reform UK MP’s Past Comes Under Scrutiny
Is James McMurdock a business super-star, or has he embellished his CV?
bylinetimes.com
February 14, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Marita K
cmanning.bsky.social
We're looking for a PhD student for a project on how to make theme parks more inclusive for neurodivergent people, in partnership with Katapult and Drayton Manor. www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/cen... Deadline 5th March. Get in touch for more info and please share!
Neuroinclusion in themed entertainment attractions
Neuroinclusion in themed entertainment attractions
www.birmingham.ac.uk
January 31, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Marita K
theguardian.com
Be clear about what Trump and Musk’s aid axe will do: people will face terror and starve, many will die | Gordon Brown
Be clear about what Trump and Musk’s aid axe will do: people will face terror and starve, many will die | Gordon Brown
The decimation of USAid is already having a terrible effect in some of the poorest places on the planet. It damages America: it will harm us all An earthquake of magnitude 7.0 or above could not have caused more carnage. Recent floods in Asia and…
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2025 at 6:26 AM
maritak2024.bsky.social
@annettedittert.bsky.social the 👇 might be of interest. #lifeintheUKtest
taraocomics.bsky.social Tara O’Connor @taraocomics.bsky.social · Feb 6
I took and passed my Life in the UK test! Had to side eye this question big time. 👀
Practice Question reads: Question 5 of 24 Why did Ireland suffer a famine in the middle of the 19th century? •There was a heat wave • The whole country was flooded • The potato crop failed •There were not enough farmers
February 7, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Reposted by Marita K
implausibleblog.bsky.social
😅
February 4, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Reposted by Marita K
ledbydonkeys.org
It’s all beginning to feel a bit 1984. We’re in a battle against autocrats and oligarchs who are using money and misinformation to dismantle democracies. That’s why we’re looking for 1,984 new monthly supporters to make our biggest and boldest plans a reality (see link in bio)
January 30, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Reposted by Marita K
casmudde.bsky.social
Excellent NYT interview with the outgoing U.S. ambassador to Hungary. This is a key insight!
January 19, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Reposted by Marita K
martinlewis.moneysavingexpert.com
Dear BlueSkyers. Sadly I'm getting many reports of scammers pretending to be me here, incl messaging people with 'investments' . Pls share/help me spread word that, as you know, THIS IS MY ONLY BLUE SKY account (proved as my handle is an official MoneySavingExpert one). All others are scams
January 15, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by Marita K
mrjamesob.bsky.social
This is really good. Pointing out that Starmer at no point & in no way equated calls for an Inquiry with being ‘far right’ was a very lonely business last week. Here are *all* the receipts.
January 11, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Reposted by Marita K
eddavey.libdems.org.uk
We can't let British democracy turn into a plaything for overseas billionaires with short attention spans.

At PMQs, I urged the Prime Minister to work with us to make sure power always sits with the voters, not wealthy foreign oligarchs.
January 8, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Marita K
femi-oluwole.bsky.social
Nigel Farage and Reform last month: Everyone needs to ignore the sex-based violence committed by one of our MPs.

Nigel Farage and Reform now: How dare people ignore sex-based violence!
January 7, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Reposted by Marita K
richardcorbett.bsky.social
The damning statistics that reveal the true cost of Brexit, five years on:
January 5, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Reposted by Marita K
greenjennyjones.bsky.social
Well said Bear.
"Here’s the truth: obesity isn’t about laziness or weakness. It’s about a system stacked against people from day one.
... obesity is a public health crisis, not a personal failing."
bearlypolitics.co.uk The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · Jan 3
Thank you for everyone’s lovely, encouraging comments.

A few people have asked how I’ve managed it, and the post below explains a bit about how it’s become possible.

I hope everyone is having a lovely Friday!

🐻

substack.com/@iratusursus...
January 4, 2025 at 6:55 AM
Reposted by Marita K
sturdyalex.bsky.social
Five months ago, I recorded a 10-minute explanation, as a former regulator, of why the UK would be not only perfectly within its rights to ban twitter, but probably ought to.

Maybe now people will listen.

APPLE 🍏 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/q...

SPOTIFY 🔊 open.spotify.com/episode/6LuN...
SHOULD THE UK BAN TWITTER?
Podcast Episode · Quiet Riot · S1, E32 Bonus · 10m
podcasts.apple.com
January 3, 2025 at 6:34 PM
maritak2024.bsky.social
First time I’ve come across this article from 2021. It’s very sobering reading.
January 3, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Reposted by Marita K
dallasbarnett.com
Just had a wild experience I'd like to share.

I tool the bike out for a while around the back roads of the Franklin district in Auckland to get some throttle therapy and fresh air. I was going at a decent, but legal pace, when I came upon a car stopped pretty much in the middle of the road 1/
December 21, 2024 at 4:55 AM