Nostr notes by Reg

Agreed, but if we accept that the billionaires' weapon of ...

2026-08-26T07:55:26Z

In reply to nevent1q…js3c
_________________________

Agreed, but if we accept that the billionaires' weapon of choice is the corporation then we probably don't know who they are beyond a thin layer of egotists and psychopaths punting climate death and fascism.

It would be nice to see the entire sales, marketing and PR ...

2026-08-06T08:25:15Z

It would be nice to see the entire sales, marketing and PR industry banned as a public nuisance.

Such a move would likely make political elections much more representative too.

https://abcnews.com/Business/wireStory/france-banning-unsolicited-telemarketing-calls-starting-week-135392488?

Russia is a post-democratic, oligarch-run theist/ fascist state. ...

2026-07-27T22:01:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…sq9w
_________________________

Russia is a post-democratic, oligarch-run theist/ fascist state. Everything the USA aspires to.

junes (npub1gl0…9zdt)

Russia wd be white in this context tho? Many Americans have ...

2026-07-27T21:55:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…ez5q
_________________________

Russia wd be white in this context tho? Many Americans have Russian ancestors

AnarchoNinaWrites (npub12ks…yw4y)

Nostr event nevent1qqsy3mkxyad6yy875nu224sre95gq9v3gvyl3vf4le2z85mn23rh96szyrztmapgdec8uk46928hrw5zmerl4w2r7cemnvuer2ju5l0nkadrsade4hn

2026-07-27T19:06:55Z

RE: https://flipboard.com/@bbcnews/top-stories-hc55lmo2z/-/a-URhQZnozS6yKHMrxZ8cBLw%3Aa%3A3199692-%2F0

Hahaa!

Reform UK snowflake Zia Yusuf reporting Polanski to police: "this is incitement to murder".

"One of the images showed a man wearing a T-shirt which said: "We're only making plans for Nigel" alongside a guillotine.

quoting
note1pue…qa0t

Reform UK reporting Green leader Zack Polanski to police over Instagram post
[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y063yqlleo?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y063yqlleo?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub )

Posted into Top Stories [@top-stories-BBCNews](https://flipboard.com/@bbcnews/top-stories-hc55lmo2z )

RE: https://mastodon.social/@axios/116968765193162423 "Call ...

2026-07-23T11:06:17Z

RE: https://mastodon.social/@axios/116968765193162423

"Call us optimists, call us dreamers, call us whatever the hell you want but we're betting on people and we like those odds. The future is for everyone."

If it's OK with everyone, I'll continue to call them parasites.

quoting
note1uqv…v7l8

Mark Zuckerberg launches AI optimism campaign https://t.co/55McYaCA1T

If he wasn't then he'd have been kept well away from WM.

2026-07-16T17:57:19Z

In reply to nevent1q…wvnc
_________________________

If he wasn't then he'd have been kept well away from WM.

Nostr event nevent1qqsx5ngtxdyglzjwmzwg5c2l2ddxpmdeuqlza2xt44ukxd5jljzrpgczyrztmapgdec8uk46928hrw5zmerl4w2r7cemnvuer2ju5l0nkadrsrxpk40

2026-07-16T16:30:41Z

RE: https://flipboard.com/@independent/uk-politics-o7qj2rmtz/-/a-K55BCEB1SHOJ4qAjJ6M60g%3Aa%3A1855170754-%2F0

If Starmer is any precedent then we might expect Burnham to be reneging on his first leadership pledge as soon as this weekend!

quoting
note1p9k…mg3f

Andy Burnham latest: Prime minister-in-waiting set to become Labour leader within hours
[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/andy-burnham-prime-minister-labour-leader-latest-news-b3016293.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub ](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/andy-burnham-prime-minister-labour-leader-latest-news-b3016293.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub )

Posted into UK Politics [@uk-politics-Independent](https://flipboard.com/@independent/uk-politics-o7qj2rmtz )

RE: https://mastodon.social/@amalia22/116928340999182721 ...

2026-07-16T07:11:45Z

RE: https://mastodon.social/@amalia22/116928340999182721

Device-controlled curfews combined with identity verification laws is Big Brother authoritarianism.

Last month it was all about imposing age verification to protect the children, and now the Govt is using the same criteria to block sites for young adults. How long will it be before the Govt extends device-controlled restrictions to tax-paying adults?

People need to adopt alternatives to Android and Apple devices.

quoting
note1dm5…tz7d

Midnight social media curfew proposed for UK teens aged 16 and 17 - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c982857nlrlo

We're currently living in a time of Schrödinger's ...

2026-07-15T09:05:39Z

In reply to nevent1q…y2g3
_________________________

We're currently living in a time of Schrödinger's Russia, where leftwingers in the West are routinely criticised for being 'Vatniks', tankies and communists for mentioning US interference in pre-war Ukraine, while Russia itself is a post-democratic, oligarch-run, imperialist state that has much in common with the USA under Trump's second term.

"LASIT"?? when did this new acronym become a thing? Also ...

2026-07-15T07:41:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…kyh6
_________________________

"LASIT"?? when did this new acronym become a thing?

Also not sure how two, privately-educated conservative politicians can claim to be anti-Establishment.

This article seems to recognise that UK politics has been ...

2026-07-09T09:03:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…8ljx
_________________________

This article seems to recognise that UK politics has been captured by a band of 'sensible' commentators for whom any deviation from the economic status quo is dismissed as 'impossible' at best and 'student politics' at worst.

Whether this is doe to our political class being bought off by business lobbies, scared into submission by the USA or afflicted by a Thatcherite strain of Stockholm syndrome is hard to say, but nothing will change until someone rocks the political boat.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@DrALJONES/116888919044255689 Things ...

2026-07-09T08:04:26Z

RE: https://mastodon.social/@DrALJONES/116888919044255689

Things that really shouldn't need saying.....

quoting
note10ps…z5nf

*Petition to outlaw lying in elections in the Australian state of New South Wales

*Please consider signing if you reside in NSW

The petition calls for "truth in political advertising laws on the NSW Parliament website."

Such laws "have worked successfully in South Australia for 40 yrs."

"If 20,000 NSW residents sign our petition in the next eight weeks, the NSW Parliament will be forced to debate it."

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/parliamentary-business/petitions/sign-epetition

#AusPol #LyingInElections #NSW #AustralianElections .

Nostr event nevent1qqsxa32qufwwhcawfk9uymshlrc49ay5dkwf6htg8rwxzlqp5zqz4fszyrztmapgdec8uk46928hrw5zmerl4w2r7cemnvuer2ju5l0nkadrsf926gv

2026-06-25T07:27:50Z

RE: https://flipboard.com/@independent/politics-3e8prsldz/-/a-vblVJxxTTuWjVu1wQzIn5w%3Aa%3A1855170754-%2F0

The country famous for trying to bomb other countries back to the stone age is now inflicting medieval religious practices on it's next generation.

"Texas is poised to mandate Bible stories as required reading for over 5 million public school students, a move that has reignited a fierce national debate over widening efforts across the U.S. to introduce more religion into classrooms."

quoting
note1c9q…aew9

Texas Bible mandate sparks outrage as 5.5 million students face new classroom rules
[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/texas-bible-stories-public-schools-donald-trump-mandate-b3002720.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub ](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/texas-bible-stories-public-schools-donald-trump-mandate-b3002720.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub )

Posted into politics [@politics-Independent](https://flipboard.com/@independent/politics-3e8prsldz )

Completely understandable in these times. I'm deeply ...

2026-06-22T13:33:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…hw69
_________________________

Completely understandable in these times.

I'm deeply suspicious of anyone having a good time.

I'm honoured :)

2026-06-22T13:06:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…qj7r
_________________________

I'm honoured :)

I'm sorry :'(

2026-06-22T12:55:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…scl2
_________________________

I'm sorry :'(

Agreed. Decent in the sense that he wanted to be a Tory.

2026-06-22T12:55:10Z

In reply to nevent1q…g567
_________________________

Agreed. Decent in the sense that he wanted to be a Tory.

Nostr event nevent1qqstxwas7uykzf4wlves60r2p50yvd4g7chv8927696e7jwgf5e6myczyrztmapgdec8uk46928hrw5zmerl4w2r7cemnvuer2ju5l0nkadrs36sjfj

2026-06-22T11:07:05Z

RE: https://flipboard.com/@aljazeera/global-news-ds1mfku2z/-/a-S615AlQBQs-3KIox2kxHLg%3Aa%3A3199698-%2F0

Finally some journalism that doesn't descend into revisionist sycophancy:

"His victory was achieved with just a 34 percent share of the vote."
"Labour’s relatively limited popularity after the 2024 vote began to plunge quickly"
“Starmer’s governing project was to turn the Labour Party into the new Conservative Party,”
"...choosing Peter Mandelson, a man who had twice been fired from other Labour governments on ethical concerns"
“misunderstood...the need for bold economic reform”.

quoting
note14qz…s7yv

‘No sense of direction’: The downfall of decent but despised Keir Starmer
[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/22/decent-but-despised-the-downfall-of-keir-starmer?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub ](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/22/decent-but-despised-the-downfall-of-keir-starmer?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub )

Posted into Global News [@global-news-AlJazeera](https://flipboard.com/@aljazeera/global-news-ds1mfku2z )

Dw, you've got Andy Burnham's awkward evasiveness to look ...

2026-06-22T10:58:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…gu6f
_________________________

Dw, you've got Andy Burnham's awkward evasiveness to look forward to when our notatall biased journalists question him closely about Gaza and the details of his carefully worded 'people run' services.

And from a purely practical perspective I can't disagree and ...

2026-06-18T10:43:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…z2n5
_________________________

And from a purely practical perspective I can't disagree and I've even offered similar advice myself.

I'm less than convinced that this is an efficient way of managing resources, research and knowledge accumulation.

This is an interesting debate, but I don't think wealthy ...

2026-06-18T10:25:01Z

In reply to nevent1q…npne
_________________________

This is an interesting debate, but I don't think wealthy gentleman hobbyists provide the same level of social and academic benefit as talented, qualified and knowledgeable experts being paid for their expertise.

More generally, if academic work can be useful and valuable without being lucrative, and commercial work can be lucrative while being pointless or destructive then surely the problem is economic rather than academic?

RE: https://mastodon.social/@MJCarty/116763931571690076 While ...

2026-06-17T07:34:07Z

RE: https://mastodon.social/@MJCarty/116763931571690076

While Labour and Andy Burnham make some grand claims about renationalisation it's worth noting that the govt is only considering a 'temporary nationalisation' to bail out the company while it pursues 'market led solutions'....
nostr:note16e5q2fgx9tec7g4pyhuwyqr8vmt998qcn9s95yf6qmnr80lwmcksy2c4wh

I've always been a fan of currency demurrage for much the ...

2026-06-10T16:23:58Z

In reply to nevent1q…nnc2
_________________________

I've always been a fan of currency demurrage for much the same reason.

ZER0 BILLIONAIRES (npub1ngc…jmyu)

Burnham is still refusing to acknowledge a genocide, but he is ...

2026-06-09T16:36:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…cq7n
_________________________

Burnham is still refusing to acknowledge a genocide, but he is seemingly less servile to the Israeli cause than Starmer.

Unfortunately this might be simple electioneering at this point, because he's still a member of LFI and he also promised to prioritise a visit Israel had he become Labour leader in 2015.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/how-andy-burnham-stood-starmer-over-israel-and-could-now-reshape-uk-foreign-policy

Nostr event nevent1qqs9srp30k3wzmxln0a767z3zt259mu02hapu5rrm5ujfl8dvcwetkqzyrztmapgdec8uk46928hrw5zmerl4w2r7cemnvuer2ju5l0nkadrsme0erv

2026-06-09T07:24:16Z

RE: https://flipboard.com/@independent/uk-crime-news-dstf1id8z/-/a-E_J07GgiQNCOlouJ7ZQDSA%3Aa%3A1855170754-%2F0

What could possibly go wrong?

quoting
note1hef…canp

Government to introduce AI ‘legal assistants’ in courts to cut rising case backlog
[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/ai-crown-courts-uk-backlog-b2992190.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub ](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/ai-crown-courts-uk-backlog-b2992190.html?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub )

Posted into UK Crime News [@uk-crime-news-Independent](https://flipboard.com/@independent/uk-crime-news-dstf1id8z )

The biggest threat to the Green surge is Labour and the briefcase ...

2026-06-02T10:12:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…4pp6
_________________________

The biggest threat to the Green surge is Labour and the briefcase managerialism of centrist sensibles.

Antisemitism claims will undoubtedly be thrown at the Greens if only because afaik it's the only party that doesn't have a discreet 'friends of' faction (Reform/Restore both do)....although how that ties in with the pay-triotism and British nationalism of the other parties is hard to say.

Totts (npub1n5t…hrcm) rooftopjaxx 🏴‍☠️ 🎏🇮🇷 (npub1jze…nce0)

There are of course some genuine antisemites on the left (and ...

2026-06-02T09:00:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…e6e3
_________________________

There are of course some genuine antisemites on the left (and multiples more on the right), but I don't get the impression that the majority or even a significant minority of left-wingers are antisemitic unless antisemitism now encompasses anti-neoliberalism and anti-apartheid.

rooftopjaxx 🏴‍☠️ 🎏🇮🇷 (npub1jze…nce0) Totts (npub1n5t…hrcm)

Nostr event nevent1qqs0cnfs642dvf7xr52a60a0h3nmmwzzfnvc7wxxw2f5ngum4sqarvczyrztmapgdec8uk46928hrw5zmerl4w2r7cemnvuer2ju5l0nkadrsjzsfe0

2026-06-02T08:43:46Z

RE: https://flipboard.com/@eveningstandard/the-evening-standard-ed0gffd6z/-/a-d9w2Rt5bSB2pqsbudljZcg%3Aa%3A2656895573-%2F0

A social media ban for under-16s means compulsory age and identity verification for tens of millions of adult citizens.

In what world is this preferable to regulating a handful of foreign social media companies?
nostr:note13dygu8d2n9dtqz52u7gymlq9uqt4ev6k49epntp5a2gp2xuw7x0q6x6dwa

RE: https://kolektiva.social/@witchescauldron/116679600649526644 ...

2026-06-02T08:39:53Z

RE: https://kolektiva.social/@witchescauldron/116679600649526644

"They start to block with niceness., they silence with process, they smother with 'inclusivity' until there’s no air left to breathe. When people question this, then they start to become nasty, trolling, blocking and finally ignoring runs its predictable course…"
nostr:note1untqfdz7c4ll5q22f0uafc3teu9vqul46tvj99wx3zevhxglcs7q45xxpz

.....I would agree that most are pro-EU, at least on a practical ...

2026-06-02T08:02:15Z

In reply to nevent1q…ul4g
_________________________

.....I would agree that most are pro-EU, at least on a practical level (the EU still provokes much debate on the left), but I'm not sure that pro-NATO fits with the Green left so much as the liberal contingent, especially under the current US regime.

I strongly suspect that the left now makes up the majority of GPEW members, which is fine because neoliberalism causes both social and environmental harm.

Maybe the Tories-on-bikes will drift rightwards?

rooftopjaxx 🏴‍☠️ 🎏🇮🇷 (npub1jze…nce0) Totts (npub1n5t…hrcm)

I think that's fair comment, and the liberal/right/far-right ...

2026-06-02T07:56:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…s868
_________________________

I think that's fair comment, and the liberal/right/far-right obviously have the media backing to push many claims, but many of the ex-Labour Greens are seasoned campaigners and activists, and much like the surge in Labour support under Corbyn, there are many older voters who have been politically disenfranchised for most of this century. The exact same 'young and naive' rhetoric was used when Labour's membership numbers grew

.....

rooftopjaxx 🏴‍☠️ 🎏🇮🇷 (npub1jze…nce0) Totts (npub1n5t…hrcm)

Yes, many Labour members and supporters switched to the Greens ...

2026-06-02T07:23:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…cyhq
_________________________

Yes, many Labour members and supporters switched to the Greens after the Iraq war, some flipped back for Miliband, and thousands supported Corbyn.

ZP understood this when he adopted a more socialist stance and the split was more than evident in his election to leaders.

Roberto von Archimboldi (npub1zjt…6a2t) Totts (npub1n5t…hrcm)

The liberal wing lost big in the leadership election, and ...

2026-06-01T17:05:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…r4us
_________________________

The liberal wing lost big in the leadership election, and Caroline Lucas's pro-Burnham stance hasn't been well received by many.

rooftopjaxx 🏴‍☠️ 🎏🇮🇷 (npub1jze…nce0) Totts (npub1n5t…hrcm)

I'm certainly no expert on the Chinese economy but I ...

2026-06-01T14:56:14Z

In reply to nevent1q…ysuv
_________________________

I'm certainly no expert on the Chinese economy but I don't think China is capitalist in the same way that Western countries are capitalist. It's more of a country that does some capitalism than a capitalist country.

Yes, capitalism is the best way to organise and economy for those ...

2026-06-01T13:10:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…fl4d
_________________________

Yes, capitalism is the best way to organise and economy for those groups with the most capital to start with.

AKingsbury (npub182r…pm8s) @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

Ha! agreed. I do have some sympathy with the Mises and Hayek free ...

2026-06-01T10:03:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…f2wc
_________________________

Ha! agreed.

I do have some sympathy with the Mises and Hayek free market crowd in the sense that they tend to be opposed to cronyism and monopoly, but their purist take on free market capitalism demands some naive assumptions about coercion and govt's being controlled by Statist actors rather than capitalist billionaires and media moguls.

AKingsbury (npub182r…pm8s) @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

This should be read with the recent issues at Wikipedia in mind. ...

2026-06-01T09:03:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…9mg8
_________________________

This should be read with the recent issues at Wikipedia in mind. Once AI has stolen the world's information, it becomes good monopoly bizzniss practice to poison the original sources of information to drive more traffic to the AI.

A politically-motivated tech monopoly acting as gatekeeper and archivist for the world's data and information is a nightmare scenario.

It's kinda funny how often free market purists choose to use ...

2026-06-01T08:47:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…8st5
_________________________

It's kinda funny how often free market purists choose to use the 'economically illiterate' accusation rather than argue the case for non-existent free markets.....

[@alex_p_roe](https://mastodon.world/@alex_p_roe ) @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

Free markets don't and can't exist. ...

2026-06-01T08:39:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…ng59
_________________________

Free markets don't and can't exist.

[@alex_p_roe](https://mastodon.world/@alex_p_roe ) @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

RE: https://mastodon.me.uk/@PoliceStateUK/116657988933543925 ...

2026-05-29T13:45:09Z

RE: https://mastodon.me.uk/@PoliceStateUK/116657988933543925

Anyone fancy guessing the right-wing drug of choice?

quoting
note1zcl…8d6x

"The Mayor’s consort at #ReformUK’s flagship #London council was sacked from his job as a police sergeant for failing a drug test."

#UKPol #Havering

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/nigel-farage-havering-mayor-consort-sacked-police-cocaine-drunk-b1284021.html

....while Labour's arguably greater problem with the ...

2026-05-29T12:33:44Z

In reply to nevent1q…auhc
_________________________

....while Labour's arguably greater problem with the left-wing exodus to the GPEW is ignored in favour of painting Reform vs Labour as a two-horse race.

This gentle criticism of a failing (but ambitious) Labour Party that's repeated across articles in the Guardian, Independent and even BylineTimes seems to wilfully ignore the distrust of Westminster and the massive chasm on the left-wing of British politics in favour of a nudge towards business-as-usual centrism.

There's nothing on the surface to disagree with here, but ...

2026-05-29T12:26:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…nc4e
_________________________

There's nothing on the surface to disagree with here, but with regards to your unrelated post about the 'discussion' surrounding the Greens and Burnham in Makerfield, I think this may serve as an example of subtly sensible-washing politics.

For a start there's the inevitable reference to Labour's 'landslide' (not really a landslide) GE victory, but the theme is about 'economic renewal' (forget reform and wealth tax) and supporting 'British business' (hat-tip to the pay-triots)...

I agree completely, and I hope that the local party will consider ...

2026-05-29T11:18:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…kmv9
_________________________

I agree completely, and I hope that the local party will consider all of the factors and decide to compete, if only on the basis that the good people of Makerfield will undoubtedly receive better representation from an MP who isn't hogtied to the PLP party line.

[As ever your typos work on many levels, Chris!]

The electorate in England and Wales has fallen out with ...

2026-05-29T10:09:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…knlw
_________________________

The electorate in England and Wales has fallen out with Westminster, just as Scotland fell out with Westminster before them, and like it or not, Labour *are* seen as a Westminster party and they are not going to win the next GE.

Labour's optimistic expectations for Makerfield are surprising after Reform beat Labour in the local council elections and Gorton and Denton, where incidentally they were also beaten by the GPEW.....who won.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

Labour are a liability, and like the rest of the Westminster ...

2026-05-29T09:59:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…9ahk
_________________________

Labour are a liability, and like the rest of the Westminster parties they're going to receive a Scotland-style kicking in England and Wales at the next general election whether Burnham is in the Chairman's seat or not.

The only party that has a chance of beating Reform at the next general election is the GPEW, not least because there is zero chance that the Green's ex-Labour supporters will ever trust Labour again.

What started in G&D will continue in Makerfield

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

Ha! Poor wording on my part. Burnham has more political ...

2026-05-29T09:48:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…cnl0
_________________________

Ha! Poor wording on my part.

Burnham has more political credibility than Starmer because who doesn't?

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

The Achilles' heel of liberals and centrists has been ...

2026-05-29T09:46:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…wa0s
_________________________

The Achilles' heel of liberals and centrists has been managerialism and political dishonesty, which is interesting but largely irrelevant in a discussion about the GPEW competing against Labour in Makerfield......

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

I'm beginning to think that this 'discussion' is ...

2026-05-29T09:39:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…sr84
_________________________

I'm beginning to think that this 'discussion' is largely a product of centrist media commentary, because I've yet to find an ordinary member of the Green Party that thinks the Greens shouldn't compete for the Makerfield seat with any less energy than Gorton and Denton....where Labour finished in a very poor third place.

The only difference between Burnham and Starmer is that Burnham has yet to run out of political credibility.

.....and fwiw, a majority of conservatives want to see the ...

2026-05-29T09:30:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…nsng
_________________________

.....and fwiw, a majority of *conservatives* want to see the renationalisation of privatised suppliers of essential services and infrastructure.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

And neither do liberals and sensible centrists have a right to ...

2026-05-29T09:28:27Z

In reply to nevent1q…sqdm
_________________________

And neither do liberals and sensible centrists have a right to impose Thatcherite economics on left-wingers.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

The 'left' covers both social and economic policy ...

2026-05-29T09:23:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…0c28
_________________________

The 'left' covers both social and economic policy stances, and economically Labour are not left-wing to the degree that satisfies leftwingers who want to see he renationalisation of failed utilities and infrastructure companies.

Look closer at Burnham's very carefully-worded 'publicly run' or Starmer's 'GB Energy' and you'll notice that they're still privately owned and run for profit.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

I took a look at the bookies' odds for the Makerfield ...

2026-05-28T17:16:36Z

In reply to nevent1q…69jt
_________________________

I took a look at the bookies' odds for the Makerfield election today, and Labour were odds-on favourites to win, in spite of Reform cleaning up in the council elections just a couple of weeks ago.

Reform UK are in second place with best odds at 10/3, with Restore Britain coming in third at 8s and 7s.

The Tories and Libs are predictably nowhere, but the GPEW are currently at 500/1, with the longest odds coming in at 1000/1 if anyone fancies a high return on a G&D replay.

It certainly casts our democracy in a less than positive light, ...

2026-05-28T16:14:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…pwjp
_________________________

It certainly casts our democracy in a less than positive light, but then we've not yet managed an entire century of general suffrage....

Totts (npub1n5t…hrcm)

Yep, and it's hard to believe that this isn't a factor in ...

2026-05-28T15:47:24Z

In reply to nevent1q…dtaw
_________________________

Yep, and it's hard to believe that this isn't a factor in the govt's continued refusal to address the overwhelming public support for the renationalisation of privatised water companies.

Communities in the USA are seeing their water supplies throttled or wrecked by the prioritisation of supply to data centres.

Just wait until they connect the new data centres.

2026-05-28T15:37:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…v02k
_________________________

Just wait until they connect the new data centres.

It's the Google application layer. It's incredibly ...

2026-05-28T11:31:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…dq6p
_________________________

It's the Google application layer. It's incredibly difficult to buy a smart phone that doesn't come with either iOS or Googled Android preinstalled, even when the phones have an alternative (ie non-Google) OS.

Apart from the tiny minority of phones using Graphene/UBPorts/Libre etc, pretty much every phone you see uses an Apple/Google OS, which makes it a larger monopoly than Mac/Windows on Desktop.

Agreed, and not just routers (Chinese mobile operating systems ...

2026-05-28T11:04:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…utf2
_________________________

Agreed, and not just routers (Chinese mobile operating systems now have to include an Android layer), and not just GCHQ (the US Cloud Act gives the US govt access to all data held on servers owned by US cloud companies).

Similarly, Chinese cars, routers, operating systems and social ...

2026-05-28T09:07:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…fnw7
_________________________

Similarly, Chinese cars, routers, operating systems and social media platforms are outlawed for fear of unwarranted data collection and manipulation, but US cars and Big Tech hardware, operating systems, cloud platforms and social media apps are all fine.....even in Western countries outside the USA.

I agree with this, but many of the current cohort of university ...

2026-05-28T08:48:42Z

In reply to nevent1q…mkx9
_________________________

I agree with this, but many of the current cohort of university students are really just following the same path as their parents who received state-funded higher education, and many of those parents were brought up in a world that had ceased to exist by the time they reached adulthood.

Future generations will likely make different decisions, especially given the number of degree-educated people in McJobs, but we'll live in a far more unequal society as a result.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

It's a tough call. Universities must bring some pretty big ...

2026-05-27T08:44:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…wd2l
_________________________

It's a tough call. Universities must bring some pretty big financial benefits to their local communities through rent and student spending, but as the article says, there are a lot of students to find jobs for at a time when locals are also trying to find work.

Hard to say whether and to what degree these work placements would detract from the overall net benefit

Big mistake. Reform would have walked the election in G&D if ...

2026-05-27T07:23:47Z

In reply to nevent1q…v89k
_________________________

Big mistake.

Reform would have walked the election in G&D if the Greens hadn't turned out, and for all the pro-Burnham sycophancy he's still a party man with some odd ideas about the meaning of publicly-owned services, and if he wasn't going to toe the NewNew Labour line then the PLP wouldn't be backing him.

I'm Pretty sure that there'll be plenty of GPEW supporters on the ground in Makerfield regardless.

Lots of people rightly pointing out that Thatcher and Blair sold ...

2026-05-26T08:21:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…h49f
_________________________

Lots of people rightly pointing out that Thatcher and Blair sold off or crushed much of our manufacturing sector, but worth considering that the French have just produced their own fork of linux and kicked Microshite into touch, whch is something that Britain could and should absolutely do.

.....accepting here that Westminster is completely under the boot of US big tech.

Agreed. They both want to be a British version of Macron: ...

2026-05-22T07:33:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…kcjz
_________________________

Agreed. They both want to be a British version of Macron: liberals elected on a fear of fascism with borrowed socialist votes.

It worked great until the arse fell out of political centrism.

Nope they're done, because for once the left has ...

2026-05-22T07:24:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…krd3
_________________________

Nope they're done, because for once the left has alternatives.

....4.0 if you count Kinnock?

Tbf, this is the same party that dedicated thirty years to ...

2026-05-22T07:21:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…63v0
_________________________

Tbf, this is the same party that dedicated thirty years to economic liberalism as a means of fixing the problems caused by economic liberalism, so there's at least a degree of consistency.

I do hope so. Polanski has said that the GPEW is there to replace ...

2026-05-21T12:08:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…vptn
_________________________

I do hope so. Polanski has said that the GPEW is there to replace Labour on the left, and he can't do that by standing aside so that Labour's latest saviour can get himself elected.

John McDonnell neatly skewered Labour's centrists by pointing out that there'll be no reparation of Labour's relationship with it's estranged left-wing until they reach some kind of accord with Corbyn (which they obviously won't do). Burnham is just another con.

Benoît Jones (npub195f…nqyg)

Perhaps they're just testing the waters? @npub195f…nqyg

2026-05-21T10:55:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…5saz
_________________________

Perhaps they're just testing the waters?

Benoît Jones (npub195f…nqyg)

Presumably that red island at the top of the 2026 image is ...

2026-05-21T08:12:22Z

In reply to nevent1q…nnct
_________________________

Presumably that red island at the top of the 2026 image is Labour's centre-right faction?

I do hope not. I've noticed a few half-hearted attempts to ...

2026-05-19T10:29:50Z

In reply to nevent1q…s5ga
_________________________

I do hope not.

I've noticed a few half-hearted attempts to stir generational conflict in recent years, but the simple fact is that boomers are *not* the beneficiaries of any special privilege so much as predatory financial practices have actively denied younger generations an opportunity to own their own homes and live a peaceful retirement.

Adam Jacobs 🇺🇦 (npub10zx…uuel) MarjorieR (npub154p…gwly)

I think this, together with the fall in home ownership is the key ...

2026-05-19T09:56:53Z

In reply to nevent1q…vtrl
_________________________

I think this, together with the fall in home ownership is the key issue. Boomers were effectively the last recipients of the post-war liberal consensus, and that generation's pensions and property now represents one of the largest pots of capital owned by ordinary people that has yet to be trickled up. I get the impression that financiers are lining up to take advantage.

Adam Jacobs 🇺🇦 (npub10zx…uuel) MarjorieR (npub154p…gwly)

If I understand it correctly, it's also the full state ...

2026-05-19T07:54:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…g0xm
_________________________

If I understand it correctly, it's also the full state pension that not everyone will necessarily receive unless they've paid full stamp?

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

The minimum pension here is very minimal and doesn't even ...

2026-05-19T07:36:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…utrw
_________________________

The minimum pension here is very minimal and doesn't even include a car.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

They've declined because no other party was willing to work ...

2026-05-18T10:08:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…g6en
_________________________

They've declined because no other party was willing to work with them in coalition. This does present an awkward situation for the Greens, but there's also no guarantee that they're in any better position to form coalitions with the ousted Westminster parties.

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/reform-leader-says-party-unable-to-form-administration-on-birmingham-city-council-8541378

I think you're right, although I wonder whether the fact that ...

2026-05-15T09:59:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…74tq
_________________________

I think you're right, although I wonder whether the fact that they're unwilling is a tribute to the central selection of tame political candidates to office.

I suppose there's also a question of whether a willing candidate who slipped through the net would find themselves incapable if they tried to do anything to break the status quo.

That successive govts keep stalling on Leveson reforms and the ...

2026-05-15T09:20:56Z

In reply to nevent1q…83lr
_________________________

That successive govts keep stalling on Leveson reforms and the regulation of foreign social media platforms indicates that the mainstream parties are either unwilling or incapable when it comes to controlling private media interests.

Yes, Labour and the Libs are obviously better than Reform, but ...

2026-05-13T09:37:29Z

In reply to nevent1q…cpq2
_________________________

Yes, Labour and the Libs are obviously better than Reform, but unless they offer something beyond the status quo they'll struggle to gain the votes they need and will inevitably split the vote.

I'm increasingly concerned that RefUK will be elected to govt regardless and the only question will be the degree of dubious tactics, smears and bias that get them there.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

Labour are currently standing in the way of progressive politics. ...

2026-05-13T09:10:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…dwt6
_________________________

Labour are currently standing in the way of progressive politics.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

RE: https://mastodon.me.uk/@PoliceStateUK/116560772217365855 The ...

2026-05-12T09:27:00Z

RE: https://mastodon.me.uk/@PoliceStateUK/116560772217365855

The attrition rate among elected representatives of Reform UK is enormous, and with hundreds of new councillors elected last week we can look forward to countless Reform reps being arrested, sacked or simply walking out on their positions when they realise how hopelessly out of their depth they are.

This is not a serious party.

quoting
note1j9m…8su5

"With hundreds more seats in English local government and a sizeable presence in Scotland and Wales, #ReformUK has an unprecedented opportunity to convince people it is a genuine contender for power."

#UKPol

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/12/nigel-farage-reform-election-results-politics

I think that's fair comment generally, but I'm not sure ...

2026-05-08T16:19:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…ez7w
_________________________

I think that's fair comment generally, but I'm not sure that the Green's success is a product of Polanski's popularity so much as Polanski's popularity comes from his being astute enough to recognise that associating the party with socialism wouldn't be political suicide.

Ex-Labour voters have been moving to the Greens since Blair was Labour leader, and millions of disenfranchised voters supported socialist policies under Corbyn's Labour.

Polanski simply joined the dots.

Totts (npub1n5t…hrcm)

The Greens aren't strong enough yet, but history shows that ...

2026-05-08T15:31:28Z

In reply to nevent1q…gfg0
_________________________

The Greens aren't strong enough *yet*, but history shows that the Labour Party took a number of years of building support before finally becoming the opposition (even if the Libs did hang around to scupper elections for the Tories afterwards). I'd guess that the Greens will do the same.

Trade Union support would go quite a long way to achieving this, as would sensible legislation on political funding and media bias, especially political advertising on SM.....

Labour centrists are going to go to town on the GPEW and use them ...

2026-05-08T10:56:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…u7zy
_________________________

Labour centrists are going to go to town on the GPEW and use them as an excuse for RefUK's success.

I don't think too many people would be hugely surprised if by ...

2026-05-05T10:31:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…l2uz
_________________________

I don't think too many people would be hugely surprised if by 2050 China had inherited the leading economy and reserve currency titles from the USA, but what happens in the intervening period is hugely important to the world and everyone and everything in it.

I'd like to see Europe taking on more of a kingmaker roll.

GMB this morning captioned this as a 'pause', which ...

2026-05-01T08:57:48Z

In reply to nevent1q…mq6v
_________________________

GMB this morning captioned this as a 'pause', which suggests that they know that an outright ban would be hard to justify and hugely unpopular.

I have no doubt that any pause would be treated as a permanent ban.

There is no pure capitalism, just as there are no free markets ...

2026-04-29T14:43:02Z

In reply to nevent1q…cmxv
_________________________

There is no pure capitalism, just as there are no free markets because everything is rigged towards the interests of the already-wealthy. The idea that there's no coercion in capitalism is also false fwiw.

It's all part of the same fantasy used to convince gullible people that *this time* the capitalists won't turn into evil dictators if they're not screwed to the ground by regulation.

Pedestriansfirst (npub19ue…4ssw)

I'm not (as you know) because the Big Bad State is an ...

2026-04-29T12:02:04Z

In reply to nevent1q…yak8
_________________________

I'm not (as you know) because the Big Bad State is an entirely capitalist construct, purpose-designed to maintain and increase the wealth of the already wealthy through capitalism.

And if you remove all the externalities, like environment destruction, social coercion and resource capture from profit-making 'bizzniss' then that profit miraculously disappears completely, leaving capitalism as little more than the art of profiting from theft and destruction.

Pedestriansfirst (npub19ue…4ssw)

He's 100% correct for every single iteration of ...

2026-04-29T11:56:57Z

In reply to nevent1q…pgtq
_________________________

He's 100% correct for every single iteration of mildy-regulated capitalism to date, to include the latest 'neoliberal' release.

Capitalism is simply systematised theft and imperialism.

Pedestriansfirst (npub19ue…4ssw)

I suspect that there's a lot of political and financial ...

2026-04-24T08:17:35Z

In reply to nevent1q…5taj
_________________________

I suspect that there's a lot of political and financial pressure to adopt US corporate technology generally and AI is a big part of that because of the huge investments.

It's a big gamble.

HarriettMB (npub1s2u…42jv) @ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

I think we need to accept that a special relationship with the US ...

2026-04-23T09:07:45Z

In reply to nevent1q…d3x4
_________________________

I think we need to accept that a special relationship with the US might now come with a requirement to employ US cloud and analytics platforms.

This would not be so different from the way that oil and mineral rich countries that have been 'liberated' by the US are required to employ US fossil fuel and mining companies to extract their natural resources.

Data is the new oil afterall.

Agreed, Labour can no longer seriously claim to be on the side of ...

2026-04-21T14:29:31Z

In reply to nevent1q…a5gq
_________________________

Agreed, Labour can no longer seriously claim to be on the side of equality and free speech when they're locking grannies up for peacefully protesting a genocide.

Worse still, Labour have enjoyed half a century of Thatcher and the Tories being blamed for all the economic ills born out of the 80s, and the existence of the Greens heaps a whole bucket of responsibility back onto Labour centrists.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

Labour concerns about the Greens are likely two-fold, with losing ...

2026-04-21T14:14:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…r26v
_________________________

Labour concerns about the Greens are likely two-fold, with losing traditional Labour voters and the younger generation being only half the story.

The other problem is the potential for Labour to be irredeemably exposed as an economically liberal centrist party after 30 years of successfully neutering left-wing economic policies.

It seems odd to me that the UK govt is rushing to impose ...

2026-04-21T08:42:43Z

In reply to nevent1q…s9n9
_________________________

It seems odd to me that the UK govt is rushing to impose draconian restrictions on social media use while at the same time refusing to implement Leveson reforms and allowing foreign-owned and dubiously-funded mainstream media to flourish.

It also seems odd that the govt hasn't simply tasked corporately-owned social media platforms with the responsibility to limit their use of surveillance and retention technology or risk a national ban.

"AI's original sin" is a wonderful phrase, but I ...

2026-04-17T09:07:11Z

In reply to nevent1q…6muy
_________________________

"AI's original sin" is a wonderful phrase, but I suspect the free pass given to Western AI companies is more an indicator of the degree to which US Big Tech companies have become a tool for geopolitical influence and surveillance.

Allowing US Big Tech platforms, AI and social media applications to have free rein in sovereign states is the 21st century equivalent of hosting US military bases.

Nostr event nevent1qqsgnxvyhurdjag546e5tu9dfzad5use55qy43pnmkslq5u7kcpf6aczyrztmapgdec8uk46928hrw5zmerl4w2r7cemnvuer2ju5l0nkadrs8ev3rj

2026-04-14T15:57:19Z

RE: https://social.openrightsgroup.org/@openrightsgroup/116403024808284896

The USA now considers it a national security issue if foreign countries DON'T permit free cross-border data transfers and don't make use of US cloud services for sensitive information.

The UK is fully compliant with America's wish to have access to its data, and the UK govt's continued refusal to drop US cloud services and data companies like Palantir and Oracle effectively makes the UK a client state.

quoting
note1dch…87k7

The UK's "over-reliance on foreign [tech] companies has become an urgent issue of national security as US foreign policy actions are creating geopolitical uncertainty.”

Our new report calls for the UK government to pursue Digital Sovereignty to protect its critical infrastructure.

🗣️ ORG's Exec Director Jim Killock (npub1xqu…6z6j)

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366641487/UK-reliance-on-US-big-tech-companies-is-national-security-risk-claims-report

#DigitalSovereignty #nationalsecurity #bigtech #opensource #ukpolitics #ukpol

Making corporations pay rent on retained personal data would ...

2026-04-13T08:22:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…azsj
_________________________

Making corporations pay rent on retained personal data would likely have a similar outcome.

Em :official_verified: (npub1gmn…zh7q)

....on a slight tangent, this SM trend seems to mirror the ...

2026-04-02T13:56:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…f08p
_________________________

....on a slight tangent, this SM trend seems to mirror the Palestine Action protests, where those protesting (and being arrested) were predominantly pensioners who didn't have to worry about losing their livelihoods as a result of being identified or arrested during protests.

Are we now going to see pensioners lead the social media commentary on contentious issues that working people are too scared to interact with?

The numbers of lurkers on SM have always been pretty high, but I ...

2026-04-02T13:51:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…sulj
_________________________

The numbers of lurkers on SM have always been pretty high, but I wonder how much of this latest shift relates to 'age' (ID) verification, doxxing or police involvement following contentious social media activity?

I'd genuinely like to think that ppl have decided that US Corporate SM is evil and manipulative and refuse to participate, but it seemsmore likely that people are now worried that posting on SM might have repercussions.

......

I suppose the question is to what degree our MPs are aware of the ...

2026-04-02T10:05:09Z

In reply to nevent1q…3698
_________________________

I suppose the question is to what degree our MPs are aware of the global geopolitical implications, and by extension whether they themselves are conflicted.

Running a country using software and infrastructure provided by a foreign government raises some serious questions about national sovereignty.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

I've heard variations of this said before and while it might ...

2026-04-02T08:10:03Z

In reply to nevent1q…hmz9
_________________________

I've heard variations of this said before and while it might be a neat political deflection it completely misses the point.

MPs are mostly, sometimes laughably ignorant of technology but you'd hope that they'd make an effort to keep up with some of the more obvious technical trends and public sentiment.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us has moved (npub12pw…zvxn)

Yes, it's slightly reminiscent of Tony Cameron's Syrian ...

2026-04-02T07:53:08Z

In reply to nevent1q…syzt
_________________________

Yes, it's slightly reminiscent of Tony Cameron's Syrian adventure in that sense, except that Parliament hasn't been given an opportunity to refuse.

Dragged is a good word to describe the UK's involvement currently, but how much of that is down to coercion from the US and Israel or UK acquiescence under the political cover of 'not getting involved' is hard to say.

Major Denis Bloodnok (npub1dz7…nj48)