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perseudonymous.bsky.social
@perseudonymous.bsky.social
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hleehurley.com
One week they're crying about people getting visits from the police because of tweets, the next week they're calling for inquiries into tweets.
Inquiry into failure to spot dissident’s offensive tweets Aubrey Allegretti - Chief Political Correspondent Alaa Abd el-Fattah celebrates with his family in Cairo after he was freed from jail An internal inquiry has been launched by the Foreign Office into the “unacceptable failure” of officials to spot “abhorrent” social media posts from Alaa Abd el-Fattah. Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, admitted “deep distress” had been caused to Jewish groups by government statements welcoming the political activist’s arrival in the UK. These included a Boxing Day tweet from Sir Keir Starmer saying he was “delighted” el-Fattah had been allowed to travel to Britain, which set off a backlash after a history of social media posts calling for Zionist civilians to be killed emerged. Downing Street stressed on Monday that Starmer had been unaware of the comments, including calls for Downing Street to be burnt down, made between 2010 and 2012. Cooper said that present Labour and former Tory ministers “were never briefed on these tweets” and civil servants in charge of the case “were also unaware”. “I take this extremely seriously both to ensure we have accurate information and because of the deep distress this has understandably caused,” she wrote in a letter to the foreign affairs committee on Monday night. “It is clear that this has been an unacceptable failure and that long standing procedures and due diligence arrangements have been completely inadequate for this situation.” The unexpected emergence of el-Fattah’s tweets risked contributing to the distress felt by Jewish people given “rising antisemitism, and recent horrific attacks”, Cooper added.
December 30, 2025 at 8:44 AM
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dlknowles.bsky.social
Politicians are terrified of an electorate they think is far more authoritarian and angry and right wing than it actually is, because they are out of touch because the literal media - the thing that mediates between public and polity - is corrupted
December 30, 2025 at 9:42 AM
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twlldun.bsky.social
Interested in how you square the circle of “British people who post ‘burn down a migrant hotel’ during race riots shouldn’t be arrested” with “someone who posted pretty objectionable and racist things 8 years before they became a British citizen should be deported” and am sure someone will ask Nigel
December 29, 2025 at 10:18 AM
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danielsugarman.bsky.social
Having had a day to think through everything about El-Fattah, here's where I stand. Yes, it's possible to believe all of these things at once! In fact, it really shouldn't be that hard.
1) His tweets are hideous, I don’t believe his ‘apology’ for an instant, I hate that he's now here and I believe that his presence, and the presence of any others who believe what he believes does, in fact, make the community I am a part of here less safe. 2) He had a right to citizenship based on the legal parameters (his mother was born here. It doesn’t matter that she was born while her own mother was here as a student and then left when she was two. That’s not how the system works). 3) I don’t believe that his citizenship should be somehow ‘revoked’ for his tweets. Apart from anything else, that’s a terrible precedent to set up. And no, he’s not in the same bracket as someone who literally went to join ISIS. 4) Among other things, he repeatedly supported the killing of civilians. Just dismissing that as “some tweets” minimises the issue. People in my community have the right to be vehemently critical about someone who doesn’t believe we’re human and has tweeted about how he thinks our relatives should be murdered. 5) The government was unbelievably stupid to actively celebrate him coming here 6) The Tories suddenly clutching their pearls on this is pretty hypocritical, especially since they worked very hard when they were in power to help him come here. 7) Watching Farage and others in Reform UK who celebrated someone who tweeted incredibly repulsive sentiments last year suddenly acting outraged at this guy is fairly revealing about their attitude towards someone’s actions based on their ethnic and racial background. 8) Watching some people bend over backwards to pretend that his tweets aren’t a problem or were a ‘long time ago’, doesn’t sound very different to those who ignore the accusations against Farage at school simply because they happened ’50 years ago’.
December 29, 2025 at 11:10 AM
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nick-pettigrew.bsky.social
"I don't do fantastical things, I don't do high concept" said the writer, director and star of The Invention Of Lying, set in an alternate reality where the concept of lying doesn't exist.
hleehurley.com Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 3d
Dicky Gervais
Working-classes the only people it’s safe to joke about, says Gervais The Sunday Telegraph28 Dec 2025By Joe Pinkstone THE working classes are the only group of people comedians can safely make jokes about, Ricky Gervais has said. On an upcoming episode of the Radio 4 podcast This Cultural Life, he said: “People understand most power struggles – they understand why racism, homophobia and misogyny are wrong but they are very disparaging about the working classes. It’s the one thing that it seems to be fine to take the mickey out of with no blowback at all.” The comedian, who has made a career out of portraying the working classes, including in sitcom The Office and After Life, who was raised by working class parents near Reading. He said people in Britain are obsessed with class but admitted he is no longer working class. He went on to say he would “probably” amend his older jokes that made disadvantaged people the butt of the joke. “You are a product of your time and you do make things for people of your time,” he said. “I’d put trigger warnings on things, but I wouldn’t go back and change something … Do I regret anything? No. Would I do things differently now? Probably.” Gervais said he “only deals in realism” in his work after a breakthrough moment as a child when he got an A for writing a “boring” story about his mother cleaning up for a neighbour. “I don’t do those heightened things. I don’t do surreal stuff. I don’t do fantastical stuff, I don’t do high concept, I don’t do time travel,” he said. “You can be watching the greatest movie ever on TV, but if you hear a siren, your neighbour being taken away, you’re at the window because it’s more interesting, because it affects you.” Gervais has, like many comics, a track record of controversial jokes and punchlines at the expense of certain people. A Netflix special in 2022 made jokes at the expense of trans women referring to genitalia and pronouns as part of a performance he says is a way of “satirising att…
December 28, 2025 at 12:32 PM
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spacedeer.gay
hey can we not call it skin hunger
December 23, 2025 at 10:26 PM
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ciara2001.bsky.social
"average person knows 3 sex offenders" factoid actualy just statistical error. average person knows 0 sex offenders. Journalism Georg, who lives in cave & is pals with 10,000 sex offenders and enjoys their dinner parties and their funny anecdotes, is an outlier adn should not have been counted"
hleehurley.com Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · 9d
The Times, just protecting women again today
Send Andrew a Christmas card? Of course We all have some dodgy skeletons in our historical cupboard of friends — and the choice to support or abandon them Libby Purves @LIB_THINKS Just as the nation posts or types out a Christmas salute to friends and kin, along comes a more squalid pictorial avalanche from the US justice department. The latest photos from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation appal more than they surprise: he was a rich man and a networker. He knew who to court, how to make use of courtier-houseguests, and how to keep any future blackmail-power on his side (always have a photographer handy). So there he is with Michael Jackson and Bill Clinton and rock stars and tycoons, snapping them in hot tubs and jets, on islands and at dinners. Or, even better, sprawling in black tie across multiple female thighs in the Jacob Rees-Mogg Commons-front bench position, like poor dim Andrew. The latter certainly paid his dues, enabling Epstein to pose himself at Royal Ascot, Balmoral and Sandringham as well as Downing Street, Mar-a-Lago and hedge-fund mansions. The drip of pictures is pretty grim, not least for any unfortunates who didn’t really know or like the man and were blind to his activities but get branded “Epstein friend” by the flashbulb. It can happen, even to semi-public innocents: heaven knows how many secret monsters I may have grinned alongside at book or charity events. So spare a kindly Christmas thought for any poor wretches who never accepted more than an unwanted drink and long to have their faces black-boxed like the victims. Still, at least they can publicly deny friendship, as long as they don’t get exposed like our former prince for secretly carrying it on. Or, like his wife, denying it then sending Epstein a reassuring message saying she didn’t mean it and he is a “supreme friend”. From youth, we have all had the odd friend who behaves badly
December 22, 2025 at 9:58 AM
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gregk.co.uk
I do not believe AI will liberate access to knowledge the way boosters proclaim it will because when an individual tried to liberate access to that knowledge, the keepers of that knowledge responded by driving him to suicide.
Mark Cuban •@mcuban.bsky.social • 9d That's what software has always been, optimize tasks. Now your boys will have access to every library in the world Everything they are curious about and want to learn, they can find out more from LLMs. As with every generation, they will invent new products, services and who knows what else * GoBlueHalimi @gobluehalimi.... • 9d I agree with your statement Mark. I use Ai for a lot of menial tasks that used to suck up 5-10 hours a week. But I can't help but think of my 2 boys (15 & 13) and if this is truly the future. So a vast amount of graduates will all essentially do the same job for different companies. Aaron Swartz • This article is more than 12 years old Interview Aaron Swartz: hacker, genius... martyr? Elizabeth Day Aaron Swartz was a tech whiz-kid and political activist devoted to a free and open internet. When he tried to 'liberate' data from an academic website, US authorities responded fiercely. He faced a fine of up to $1m and 35 years in jail. Then he took his own life. Here, his former girlfriend talks about the circumstances of his death
December 20, 2025 at 3:55 PM
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celestialrobin.bsky.social
GPs could do most of what most of us need with a pamphlet and a letter from the NHS telling them they have to do it. Then the next bottle neck will be surgery
December 20, 2025 at 11:54 AM
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kevinmkruse.bsky.social
"We here at Bank of America remember a time when a woman couldn't get a credit card without her husband's approval. Wouldn't that be fun again?"
gbbranstetter.bsky.social Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 12d
"Has feminism failed women brought to you by bank of america" is my MKULTRA sleeper agent activation phrase
CBS News/Free Press program "Has feminism failed women" brought to you by bank of america and hosted by Liz Plank and Allie Beth Stuckey
December 19, 2025 at 3:33 PM
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thatdocphoenix.com
It was already dodgy as hell legally-speaking that the UK banned puberty blockers for all trans kids while still quite rightly prescribing them to cis kids in Tanner 2 at those young ages. Terrible precedent was set to deny minority groups treatment based on characteristics other than capacity
December 17, 2025 at 5:36 PM
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ashleylynch.bsky.social
Harry Potter tattoos.

Higher regret rate than trans affirming care.
Laser clinic offers major discount to get rid of Harry Potter tattoos: "I hate JK Rowling" "Around 16% of people regret getting a tatoo," the offer reads, "less than 1% of people regret gender affirming surgery."
December 17, 2025 at 9:58 AM
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parismarx.com
taking data centres in space at all seriously shows how deep into this bubble we truly are. like they are never happening. what is wrong with people?
December 17, 2025 at 5:45 AM
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jessothomson.co.uk
"In an email to Novara Media, Cunningham said: 'It is not my habit to comment to the media on cases in which I am instructed as counsel.'"

Is she having a laugh? She did an BBC entire podcast.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Sandie Peggie lawyer says Scottish government is in denial
Lawyer Naomi Cunningham says the Supreme Court judgment is
www.bbc.co.uk
December 16, 2025 at 2:41 PM
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slurmsmackenzie.bsky.social
"Don't be ridiculous, the BBC would never force out staff who hold pro trans rights views!"

My friends, this was 2021
LGBTQ Employees Are Quitting the BBC Because They Say It’s Transphobic
VICE World News received a leaked recording of a heated “listening session” for LGBTQ BBC staff, and heard from ex-employees about why they have left the UK’s national broadcaster.
www.vice.com
December 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
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astrokatie.com
Deeply disappointed to hear that the BBC has pushed out one of the most brilliant presenters in all of science communication for speaking with integrity and honor in support of human rights and dignity.
robinince.bsky.social Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 18d
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career. I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters. Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B
December 13, 2025 at 1:15 PM
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scriblit.bsky.social
Can't wait for Robin Ince to get as many column inches in the national press over his actual establishment silencing due to his stance on lgbt+ rights as phobes get over their former friends not wanting to hang out so much any more
December 13, 2025 at 11:23 AM
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robinince.bsky.social
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career. I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters. Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B
December 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
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iandunt.bsky.social
Incredibly brave. Imagine the faceless bores the BBC will have making their programmes if they continue down this path.
robinince.bsky.social Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 18d
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career. I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters. Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B
December 13, 2025 at 7:28 AM
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adambienkov.bsky.social
The fact is no presenter has ever had to leave the BBC for expressing conservative views, or even explicitly endorsing a right-wing party.

Was never a problem for Jeremy Clarkson. Was never a problem for Andrew Neil. Was never a problem for Alan Sugar
thegmcconnachie.bsky.social Garry @thegmcconnachie.bsky.social · 18d
Robin Ince reveals to last night’s audience at a recording of Infinite Monkey Cage that the BBC has forced him to resign over his support of trans people
December 13, 2025 at 4:36 PM
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robfordmancs.bsky.social
WHY ARE YOU ANNOYED THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO HAPPEN
December 13, 2025 at 6:41 PM
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inthesedeserts.bsky.social
I think about this tweet every day
how the fuck r u talking about pronouns in a romance language. you think shoes are girls dip shit
December 13, 2025 at 9:23 PM
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goodlawproject.org
Bridget Phillipson knew her history, was told by MPs not to appoint her, insisted on appointing her, and in her first interview the Chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has ignored super clear and explicit human rights law that trans people are not a third sex. What a disgrace.
December 14, 2025 at 7:47 AM
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mcopelov.bsky.social
Incredible, not in a good way, how many academics, journalists, and policy folks continue to actively attend the Nazi Bar on a daily basis.
thorbenson.bsky.social Thor Benson @thorbenson.bsky.social · 17d
The richest man on the planet has a pinned tweet that's just straight up white nationalism. I can't say I miss Twitter!
Elon pinned tweet: Either the suicidal empathy of Western civilization ends or Western civilization will end
December 14, 2025 at 4:58 PM
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marcusjdl.bsky.social
You’d never know this was what was decided as part of that tribunal ruling…
But Ms Peggie's claims of discrimination and victimisation by NHS Fife did not succeed and were dismissed. • The tribunal also dismissed the claims which were made against Dr Upton.
December 9, 2025 at 8:27 AM