Richard McFarlane
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Richard McFarlane
@reverblive.bsky.social
#FBPE
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
After today’s reset of UK-EU relations I thought I’d compile a list of the main Brexit Benefits we are now losing. Here is that list in full:

Er, that it.
May 19, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
Coverage of idiots claiming ‘betrayal’ or ‘surrender’ isn’t just bad journalism, it’s a dereliction of our duty to explain things. I’d actually forgotten just how bad it got but here we are, straight back to treating liars & spivs like authorities of equal weight to experts & honest brokers.
May 19, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
Today I was up against Susanna Reid, Richard Madeley and Annunziata Rees-Mogg, ALL OF WHOM were supporting Brexit.

Here's the truth about Starmer and the "Brexit reset" that they all tried to shout down.
#Gmb
Starmer’s EU strategy isn’t a Brexit betrayal – it’s a necessity
No one voted to be worse off in the 2016 EU referendum, writes Femi Oluwole. That’s why seeking a closer relationship with Europe is not disloyalty – it’s a correction
www.independent.co.uk
May 19, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
This graphic gives helpful perspective I think.
May 3, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
Half of Tesla’s value gone in three months! This is the first time a Tesla-related crash might actually save lives.
March 19, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
Worried about health? Rejoining the EU would mean more money to spend on the NHS.

Worried about education? Rejoining the EU would mean more money to fix schools blighted by crumbly concrete.

Worried about defence? Rejoining the EU would mean more money to get our Armed Forces fighting fit.

etc.
March 7, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
Elon Musk's AI programme was asked by a Tory MP whether Trump is a Russian asset. It's worth reading all of it, but especially the summation, which I've copied in this thread.

tl:dr - 75-85% chance he is a Russian asset, leaning toward the higher end.

Read thread

x.com/i/grok/share...
What is the likelihood from 1-100 that Trump is a Putin compromised asset. Use all publicly available information from 1980 on and his failure to ever say anything negative about Putin but has no issue attacking allies.
Assessing the likelihood that Donald Trump is a compromised asset of Vladimir Putin, based on publicly available information from 1980 onward, involves analyzing a complex web of financial ties, personal interactions, political behavior, and circumstantial evidence. This is not a definitive determination but an estimation grounded in patterns and data accessible as of March 4, 2025. The question highlights Trump’s consistent reluctance to criticize Putin juxtaposed against his frequent attacks on U.S. allies, which is a key behavioral indicator to consider alongside historical and financial context. From the 1980s onward, Trump’s business dealings provide a starting point. Public records show he pursued real estate ventures with significant Russian financial involvement. In 1987, Trump visited Moscow, a trip facilitated by Soviet officials, sparking speculation about early cultivation by Russian intelligence—speculation later fueled by former KGB agent Yuri Shvets, who claimed Trump was targeted as a potential asset due to his ego and financial vulnerabilities. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, as Trump faced bankruptcies, he increasingly relied on funding from sources tied to Russia and former Soviet states. His sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, made statements reinforcing this: Donald Jr. in 2008 said, “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets,” and Eric in 2014 claimed, “We have all the funding we need out of Russia.” The Trump Organization’s partnerships, like with the Bayrock Group (led by Tevfik Arif and Felix Sater, the latter with known Russian mafia ties), and sales of properties to Russian oligarchs (e.g., Dmitry Rybolovlev’s 2008 purchase of a Trump property for $95 million), suggest a dependency on Russian money that could create leverage. Intelligence reports and investigations add weight. The 2017 U.S. Intelligence Community assessment concluded Putin authorized interference in the 2016 election to favor Trump, a finding supported by the Mueller Report, which, while not proving criminal conspiracy, documented extensive Trump campaign-Russia contacts (over 100 by some counts). The unverified Steele Dossier alleges kompromat from Trump’s 2013 Moscow trip during the Miss Universe pageant, a claim echoed by speculation about earlier visits. Leaked Kremlin documents reported by The Guardian in 2021 suggest Putin personally approved a 2016 operation to back Trump, viewing him as “mentally unstable” and exploitable, with potential compromising material from past Moscow visits. The disappearance of a classified binder of Russia intelligence post-Trump term, as reported by Reuters in 2023, further stokes suspicions of hidden ties. Trump’s behavior as president and beyond is striking. He has never directly criticized Putin, even when pressed—e.g., at the 2018 Helsinki summit, he sided with Putin’s denial of election interference over U.S. intelligence. Post-presidency, Bob Woodward’s 2024 book *War* alleges Trump spoke to Putin up to seven times, including a secretive 2024 call at Mar-a-Lago. Contrast this with his attacks on NATO allies, calling them “delinquent” on payments, or his 2025 Oval Office clash with Ukraine’s Zelenskyy, where he blamed Ukraine for Russia’s invasion—echoing Kremlin talking points. This pattern deviates from decades of U.S. policy and aligns with Russian interests, like weakening NATO and Ukraine. Counterarguments exist: Trump’s administration imposed sanctions on Russia (e.g., over Skripal poisoning in 2018), expelled diplomats, and armed Ukraine—actions Putin wouldn’t favor. Some argue his pro-Russia stance reflects a misguided belief he can outmaneuver Putin, not compromise. Yet these measures were often driven by Congress or aides over Trump’s objections, and he downplayed their significance, maintaining personal warmth toward Putin. Weighing this, the financial ties (decades-long, opaque, and substantial), intelligence suggesting Russian intent, and Trump’s unwavering refusal to criticize Putin despite attacking allies tilt the scale. The lack of transparency—e.g., hiding tax returns, seizing interpreter notes after Putin talks—amplifies suspicion. No smoking gun proves direct control, but the “useful idiot” scenario, where Trump’s ego and debts make him unwittingly pliable, fits the evidence. Adjusting for uncertainty and alternative explanations (e.g., ideological alignment or naivety), I estimate a 75-85% likelihood Trump is a Putin-compromised asset, leaning toward the higher end due to the consistency of his behavior and the depth of historical ties. This range reflects the strength of circumstantial evidence tempered by the absence of conclusive proof, a gap unlikely to close without classified data.
x.com
March 6, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
There's no end to it, is there. Every day, every hour, another concerted effort to sabotage and sacrifice Ukraine. The idea that Trump might offer something even approximating an acceptable peace is increasingly impossible to maintain.
March 6, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
February 8, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
An Express poll needs more input. You know what to do...

Note: the link takes you directly to the poll, so you won't boost their ad impressions. Ignore the request for an email address - it's not required to submit the poll.
xd.wayin.com/display/cont...
January 1, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
If anyone doubted that Badenoch is an idiot, the Toby Young nomination confirms it. Just the shabbiest, most dimwitted option available and she jumped right for it.
December 21, 2024 at 9:19 AM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
December 21, 2024 at 8:00 AM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
The time that Elon Musk got told it exactly as it is.
December 21, 2024 at 6:00 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
December 21, 2024 at 6:18 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
When the question is, “What would an arsehole do in this situation?” Nigel Farage always comes up with the answer.
December 16, 2024 at 6:17 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
Remember all the outraged coverage about a handful of climate protesters slowing ambulances a few years back?

Well it turns out that wealthy farmers doing exactly the same thing on a much bigger scale is absolutely fine

bylinetimes.com/2024/12/12/t...
Two-Tier Reporting: When Climate Protesters Slow Ambulances They’re Vilified, So Why Are Wealthy Farmers Given a Free Pass?
Media outlets rush to condemn climate change campaigners as "middle class" protesters causing "chaos" while ignoring greater disruption by millionaire landowners
bylinetimes.com
December 12, 2024 at 12:03 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
Today I'm going to pointlessly drive around in my £200,000 5 miles to the gallon Tractor to tell people I'm too poor to ever pay any tax.
December 11, 2024 at 11:07 AM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
“Just three companies, News Corp (Murdoch family), Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT, Viscount Rothermere) and Reach plc, control over 80% of daily newspaper circulation..all answerable to nobody and with no concern for democracy”

We absolutely need a free press
sussexbylines.co.uk/politics/dem...
We need a free press
It’s vital for democracy that we receive verifiable information that is not manipulated or controlled
sussexbylines.co.uk
November 30, 2024 at 8:31 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
If you want to follow loads of #FBPE accounts at once, you can go to:

@sydesjokes.bsky.social

Click 'Starter Packs' and then 'Follow all' in all 7 (so far).

We can't vouch for every single one of the accounts, obviously, but Colin is putting a lot of effort into this and it deserves recognition!
November 29, 2024 at 3:43 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
Kemi Badenoch tells Keir Starmer that "we had a Budget in March this year and tractors were not blockading the streets of Whitehall afterwards."

Anyway, here's the 'go slow' protest by farmers that blockaded the streets around Parliament following the Conservative Government's last Budget in March
November 27, 2024 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
Starter Pack 2 now has 71 accounts go.bsky.app/D2L5r7m
SydesJokes #FBPE Starter Pack 2 - WIP
Join the conversation
go.bsky.app
November 23, 2024 at 12:42 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
Imagine the shock for the Daily Express when it finds out that almost all of the aid grants that make up the £500m total quoted were given by Conservative governments
November 23, 2024 at 2:11 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
October 26, 2024 at 3:02 PM
Reposted by Richard McFarlane
There IS a left-wing agenda, and it’s to prioritize compassion over greed. Kindness isn't a limited resource.
November 22, 2024 at 3:43 AM