rob witts
@robwitts.bsky.social
a guy who hangs around universities and opera houses
Reposted by rob witts
To explain briefly: at the moment people successful in their asylum claims get permission to stay in the UK for 5 years, then have to apply for permanent residency. At that point a review of their status is done, but it’s rare not to succeed at that point unless they‘ve committed an offence 1/
To reiterate, this is about making life immeasurably more miserable and stressful for some of the most vulnerable people, in the almost certainly vain hope of winning over the votes of racists.
Anything more shabby and shameful is difficult to envisage.
Anything more shabby and shameful is difficult to envisage.
Asylum in UK to be made temporary under Home Secretary’s plans
Shabana Mahmood will lay out reforms modelled on the Danish system on Monday.
www.independent.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 9:36 AM
To explain briefly: at the moment people successful in their asylum claims get permission to stay in the UK for 5 years, then have to apply for permanent residency. At that point a review of their status is done, but it’s rare not to succeed at that point unless they‘ve committed an offence 1/
Reposted by rob witts
I came to this country as a child refugee. No English, no certainty, no idea what my life could become. Britain gave me refuge.
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays
Shabana Mahmood is expected to say the era of permanent protection for refugees is over, in major changes to the UK's asylum and immigration system.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 10:29 AM
I came to this country as a child refugee. No English, no certainty, no idea what my life could become. Britain gave me refuge.
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Not on a timer, not with conditions attached, but with a chance to grow roots.
A thread 🧵 1/8
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Not just doing nothing, but claiming credit for the volunteers' work! Nationalise these bastards immediately
I am bewildered that this labour of Sisyphus is being carried out by volunteers, while Southern Water, which has admitted responsibility for the catastrophe, is doing nothing to remediate it.
‘We feel we’re fighting a losing battle’: the race to remove millions of plastic beads from Camber Sands
A huge cleanup effort has seen volunteers working to remove beads by hand and machine. They can only wait and see the extent of damage to wildlife and dune habitat
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Not just doing nothing, but claiming credit for the volunteers' work! Nationalise these bastards immediately
Reposted by rob witts
The bloody neighbours have gone out and left John Cage’s 4’33 on full blast again.
November 15, 2025 at 8:36 AM
The bloody neighbours have gone out and left John Cage’s 4’33 on full blast again.
Reposted by rob witts
Someone should ask Starmer and Mahmood whether they think the Kindertransport, for example, should have been a return ticket. Whether Alf Dubs, rather than becoming a Labour MP and now Lord, ought to have been sent back with his family to Czechoslovakia once it was liberated from German rule.
This contribution to the volume of human misery is yet another policy from Labour based on a false premise, in this case that refugees are overly attracted to Britain. It will increase bureaucratic limbo, thus making worse the problem of "cohesion" it purports to solve.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays
Shabana Mahmood is expected to say the era of permanent protection for refugees is over, in major changes to the UK's asylum and immigration system.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Someone should ask Starmer and Mahmood whether they think the Kindertransport, for example, should have been a return ticket. Whether Alf Dubs, rather than becoming a Labour MP and now Lord, ought to have been sent back with his family to Czechoslovakia once it was liberated from German rule.
Reposted by rob witts
Coca-Cola paid $3 billion dollars for this ad
November 14, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Coca-Cola paid $3 billion dollars for this ad
Reposted by rob witts
[To the tune of Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison]
🎵Baba Yaga
🎵Walking down the street
🎵Baba Yaga
🎵House with chicken feet
🎵Baba Yaga
🎵Baba Yaga
🎵Walking down the street
🎵Baba Yaga
🎵House with chicken feet
🎵Baba Yaga
November 14, 2025 at 1:24 PM
[To the tune of Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison]
🎵Baba Yaga
🎵Walking down the street
🎵Baba Yaga
🎵House with chicken feet
🎵Baba Yaga
🎵Baba Yaga
🎵Walking down the street
🎵Baba Yaga
🎵House with chicken feet
🎵Baba Yaga
Reposted by rob witts
Not seeing this being referred to as a white male grooming gang, which it is.
This article is utterly damning for the New York Times and also for Vanity Fair and ABC, whose editorial teams were apparently intimidated into silence by a mix of legal and violent threats. Virginia Giuffre did not stand a chance against all this.
This story by @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social about Landon Thomas, former NYT reporter now appearing in the latest email tranche, soliciting a $30k contribution from Jeffrey Epstein?
Yes, you can read it here
www.npr.org/2019/08/22/7...
Yes, you can read it here
www.npr.org/2019/08/22/7...
November 13, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Not seeing this being referred to as a white male grooming gang, which it is.
Reposted by rob witts
Not often that I think the world needs Tony Blair's thoughts on a topic, but would watch a 60 minute interview with him on the topic of Epstein
November 13, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Not often that I think the world needs Tony Blair's thoughts on a topic, but would watch a 60 minute interview with him on the topic of Epstein
Reposted by rob witts
The majority of people — politicians, business folk and public alike — fail to realise how violent a 2.6°C hotter world (over 4°C in Europe) will be. Displacements, forced migrations and armed conflicts will become the norm at every level, everywhere, including in currently peaceful regions. #COP30
World still on track for catastrophic 2.6C temperature rise, report finds
Fossil fuel emissions have hit a record high while many nations have done too little to avert deadly global heating
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:00 AM
The majority of people — politicians, business folk and public alike — fail to realise how violent a 2.6°C hotter world (over 4°C in Europe) will be. Displacements, forced migrations and armed conflicts will become the norm at every level, everywhere, including in currently peaceful regions. #COP30
Reposted by rob witts
Every office has an executive tier whose emails are like:
saw on news , , can we replce complianc dept with web 3
and a worker tier whose emails are like:
Dear Jim,
First of all, I *love* this idea! Unfortunately, I spoke with Legal and identified a few issues with this approach. For starters…
saw on news , , can we replce complianc dept with web 3
and a worker tier whose emails are like:
Dear Jim,
First of all, I *love* this idea! Unfortunately, I spoke with Legal and identified a few issues with this approach. For starters…
Well, it's a little clearer now why billionaires are so invested in technology that produces better written emails.
November 13, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Every office has an executive tier whose emails are like:
saw on news , , can we replce complianc dept with web 3
and a worker tier whose emails are like:
Dear Jim,
First of all, I *love* this idea! Unfortunately, I spoke with Legal and identified a few issues with this approach. For starters…
saw on news , , can we replce complianc dept with web 3
and a worker tier whose emails are like:
Dear Jim,
First of all, I *love* this idea! Unfortunately, I spoke with Legal and identified a few issues with this approach. For starters…
Reposted by rob witts
Look, I know we’re all rightfully pissed about the current Epstein stuff, but you should really set aside some time and read this piece. There’s a reason “mitigating the effects of climate change” is one of my key policy positions.
November 13, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Look, I know we’re all rightfully pissed about the current Epstein stuff, but you should really set aside some time and read this piece. There’s a reason “mitigating the effects of climate change” is one of my key policy positions.
Reposted by rob witts
Yknow thinking more about MPs championing the no phones in schools thing in Brianna Ghey’s name just how arrogant you gotta be as a cis person not to wonder where all the trans people endorsing your project are at named after a girl murdered for being trans
November 13, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Yknow thinking more about MPs championing the no phones in schools thing in Brianna Ghey’s name just how arrogant you gotta be as a cis person not to wonder where all the trans people endorsing your project are at named after a girl murdered for being trans
It's a good day to be someone invested in the art of crafting a finely worded email
November 13, 2025 at 10:02 AM
It's a good day to be someone invested in the art of crafting a finely worded email
Reposted by rob witts
If only our society took major crimes by rich people as seriously as minor crimes by poor people. Ideally more seriously. But as seriously would be a big improvement.
November 13, 2025 at 5:56 AM
If only our society took major crimes by rich people as seriously as minor crimes by poor people. Ideally more seriously. But as seriously would be a big improvement.
Reposted by rob witts
JESUS CHRIST IN RICHMOND PARK: ORIGINAL UPLOAD
YouTube video by JAGGL113
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Reposted by rob witts
sending humbert humbert a 100% supportive email so badly written he turns himself in
November 13, 2025 at 1:34 AM
sending humbert humbert a 100% supportive email so badly written he turns himself in
Reposted by rob witts
What's from Chicago, hates Illinois Nazis, and is holy as fuck?
It's the Pope in 1982.
It's the Pope in 1982.
November 13, 2025 at 1:37 AM
What's from Chicago, hates Illinois Nazis, and is holy as fuck?
It's the Pope in 1982.
It's the Pope in 1982.
Reposted by rob witts
“Policies that favour the interests of the working class are disregarded as a fantasy, whereas those that push wealth and power towards the rich are seen as a realistic status quo.”
My col. on a politics and media that normalises Reform and dismisses the Greens. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My col. on a politics and media that normalises Reform and dismisses the Greens. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Labour’s rebuttal to the Green party this week sums up the double standard that dogs our politics | Frances Ryan
Why is it that the politics of hope offered up by the left is dismissed as naive, while the policies of the centre and right are portrayed as all that is possible? asks Guardian columnist Frances Ryan
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:05 AM
“Policies that favour the interests of the working class are disregarded as a fantasy, whereas those that push wealth and power towards the rich are seen as a realistic status quo.”
My col. on a politics and media that normalises Reform and dismisses the Greens. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My col. on a politics and media that normalises Reform and dismisses the Greens. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by rob witts
im 10 pages in and my jaw is on the floor
MORE DOCUMENTS obtained by Oversight’s subpoena of Jeffrey Epstein’s estate include communications between Epstein and Steve Bannon, Larry Summers, and others. Take a look: oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/evo-su...
🚨BREAKING: Oversight Dems have received new emails from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate that raise serious questions about Donald Trump and his knowledge of Epstein’s horrific crimes.
Read them for yourself. It’s time to end this cover-up and RELEASE THE FILES.
Read them for yourself. It’s time to end this cover-up and RELEASE THE FILES.
November 12, 2025 at 4:02 PM
im 10 pages in and my jaw is on the floor
Reposted by rob witts
I’m gifting this article so you can read it without a subscription.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
November 12, 2025 at 1:40 PM
I’m gifting this article so you can read it without a subscription.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/u...
Reposted by rob witts
NEW
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump
A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim
By me. Enjoy.
emptycity.substack.com/p/the-letter...
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump
A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim
By me. Enjoy.
emptycity.substack.com/p/the-letter...
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump
A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim
emptycity.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:00 PM
NEW
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump
A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim
By me. Enjoy.
emptycity.substack.com/p/the-letter...
The letter the BBC could send back to Trump
A proposal for a reply to his $1bn claim
By me. Enjoy.
emptycity.substack.com/p/the-letter...
I, a cishet dad to a NB kid, am *really* uncomfortable with the direction the 'no phones' campaign is taking. I'm also a gov at a school that introduced phone pouches as a safeguarding measure, &they seem to be a good thing DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. (The school is also vocally supportive of LGBTQ+)
I hate this "phones" conversation regarding queer people and queer kids because the bottom line is, cishet society KNOWS. Right-wingers KNOW that the internet is how queer people connect to each other---hell, that marginalized people period use it to organize and educate.
That's why they hate it.
That's why they hate it.
November 12, 2025 at 1:41 PM
I, a cishet dad to a NB kid, am *really* uncomfortable with the direction the 'no phones' campaign is taking. I'm also a gov at a school that introduced phone pouches as a safeguarding measure, &they seem to be a good thing DURING THE SCHOOL DAY. (The school is also vocally supportive of LGBTQ+)