Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Chris Smith

@ledredman.bsky.social

3K followers 1.7K following 10K posts

Retired Engineer #FBPE Life long anti Tory and Anti fascist Tactical voter

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Chris Smith @ledredman.bsky.social · Feb 12

The USA is no longer a reliable ally for Europe. We must build a European defence capability which is totally independent of the Americans. It will cost European taxpayers to do so, but we must stop fooling ourselves that Trump would ever honour the NATO article 5 commitment.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Feb 12

Hegseth: "We must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective ... the US does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement."

3 19 69

Reposted by Chris Smith

Joanne in Boston @vtgal.bsky.social · 2h

The “Soros is the boogeyman” bullshit is wearing pretty thin…

Jen Rubin @jenrubin.bsky.social · 1d

Report on Soros Cited by Justice Dept. Does Not Show Funding for Terrorism ... you don't say www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/u...

Report on Soros Cited by Justice Dept. Does Not Show Funding for Terrorism

www.nytimes.com

7 9

Reposted by Chris Smith

GA @gulliaz.bsky.social · 2h

I'M JUST GOING TO LEAVE THIS HERE.
♥️ IT. ⬇️

12 40

Reposted by Chris Smith

Ian Collins @icoll.bsky.social · 56m

Tice and Anderson are paid by X, so insulting them is a moneymaker

1 1

Chris Smith @ledredman.bsky.social · 44m

It will take a number of years to negotiate a return to the Single market and customs union. Perennially arguing that we shouldn't start because the end of the process might be difficult is ridiculous. There is no evidence that the EU would not be willing to start negotiations with the UK govt.

Reposted by Chris Smith

Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 4h

Did people actually believe Trump during his campaign, or did they just love the permission he gave them to be racist?

Trump on loop: “They’re stealing your jobs.”

If that were true, why aren’t Americans lining up to take those so-called “stolen” jobs?

Every Trump voter needs to see this.

150 920 2K

Reposted by Chris Smith

George Takei @georgetakei.bsky.social · 1h

These layoffs are illegal and will be challenged in court. Keep resisting, Democrats.

Tweet from The Washington Post reads: “Breaking news: The Trump administration began laying off federal workers while the government is shuttered, fulfilling threats from President Trump to take advantage of the closure to shave off more parts of the federal workforce he dislikes.”
Below is an image of Donald Trump speaking. Caption: “Trump administration begins laying off federal workers…”

42 250 1.3K

Reposted by Chris Smith

Chris Rivers @chrisrivers50.bsky.social · 1h

"The political decision to frame the UK’s digital ID primarily as an immigration control measure has fundamentally compromised public trust. Identity infrastructure should be built to serve citizens, not to police them."

blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2...

The UK’s mandatory digital ID scheme is repeating the EU’s mistakes

The UK's BritCard mandatory digital ID scheme is ignoring the lessons the EU learned from its own digital identity system, the EU Digital Identity Wallet.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

2 1

Reposted by Chris Smith

Peter Smith @redpeter99.bsky.social · 7h

We in the UK should be grateful that Farage is distracting from Nathan Gill by merely complaining about tampons in the Gents at Fountains Abbey and not sending thugs onto the streets of Northampton.

3 8 40

Chris Smith @ledredman.bsky.social · 1h

Did you make the mistake of actually eating them?

Reposted by Chris Smith

Edward Nirenberg @enirenberg.bsky.social · 5h

Not enough news outlets are making it absolutely clear that last night’s RIFs are unlawful

11 150 540

Reposted by Chris Smith

Hart Cunningham @hpsc24.bsky.social · 1h

cold WW3 started 1987, hot 2/20/14. We are losing

1 1

Chris Smith @ledredman.bsky.social · 1h

Who the bloody hell asked for any of this? Who benefits? Certainly not ordinary people.

Reposted by Chris Smith

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 16h

I see absolutely no downsides to huge private companies issuing their own currencies to compete with the currencies of major countries.

Techmeme @techmeme.com · 16h

Ten major banks including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, and UBS announce an early-stage project to explore issuing stablecoins to G7 currencies (Reuters)

Main Link | Techmeme Permalink

16 25 160

Reposted by Chris Smith

Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 5h

The child-kidnapping secret police would appreciate it if you stopped calling them fascists.

LongTime🤓FirstTime👨‍💻 @longtimehistory.bsky.social · 7h

ICE secretly kidnap autistic boy during bathroom break—never notify parents.

Mother reported him missing a week ago—turns out ICE had him detained the whole time.

He was helping sell fruit and asked to go to the restroom—by the time she was done helping a customer he was gone.

Houston, Texas

77 160

Reposted by Chris Smith

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 3h

Schatz: They’re stopping wind and solar because this guy has some very strange ideas about the energy mix. And it’s consistent with the rest of his political and economic philosophy — if there’s less of everything, it gives him more authority to dole out favors

110 1.2K 3.6K

Reposted by Chris Smith

Paul Marshall @pmarsha11.bsky.social · 9h

"I have worked with Nathan Gill over a period of years and he's been terrific, he's never, ever, let me down. He's as honest as the day is long."
Nigel Farage
BBC News 2016

Welsh election: UKIP's Farage backs 'terrific' Gill

UKIP leader Nigel Farage backs the party's Welsh leader Nathan Gill as

www.bbc.co.uk

1 16 21

Chris Smith @ledredman.bsky.social · 1h

What 5 events defined your childhood:
1. JFK assassination
2. 1966 world cup
3. The Beatles
4. Aberfan disaster
5. Sunderland winning the FA cup 1973

Bill Wilkinson @drwilkinsonsci.bsky.social · 3h

What five events defined your childhood?
Mine, in order…

1. Lockerbie Bombing
2. Berlin Wall Falling
3. David Platt’s last minute winner v Belgium
4. 1997 General Election
5. 1999 Division One Play Off Final

Dom White @domw.bsky.social · 4h

What five events defined your childhood?

Fall of the Berlin Wall
Italia 90 (marginally, over Mexico 86 and Euro 96)
Election of New Labour
1st Gulf War
Chernobyl

1 3

Chris Smith @ledredman.bsky.social · 1h

They have spent trillions and are earning pennies. It's madness.

Chris Smith @ledredman.bsky.social · 1h

The reign of terror of Trump's private army will change America permanently.

Reposted by Chris Smith

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 6h

With $75 billion and thousands of masked agents, ICE is just getting started.

The vast, terrifying scale of Trump’s detention state

With $75 billion and thousands of masked agents, ICE is just getting started.

www.motherjones.com

31 170 330

Reposted by Chris Smith

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 1d

Our nation's federal employees are more than just numbers on a spreadsheet.

They make sure we have clean water.

They protect us from financial fraud.

They provide healthcare to our communities.

They make our government actually work for people.

Do not forget this.

310 4K 12K

Reposted by Chris Smith

Steven Beschloss @stevenbeschloss.bsky.social · 2h

Let’s not forget that every single Republican who stands by and enables Donald Trump could stop this recklessness today, tomorrow or any damn day of the week. Their failure—their refusal—to do so makes them complicit in his crimes and the crimes of his corrupt, lawless regime.

46 370 1.1K

Reposted by Chris Smith

Nick Reeves #FBPE #NAFO @nickreeves.bsky.social · 6h

Farage, Arron Banks, and convicted Russian asset Nathan Gill have all parroted the Russian lie that NATO and EU expansion provoked Putin into invading Ukraine.

That's a lie for a Western audience. Putin is much more honest about Russia's imperialist motives when he's speaking to a Russian audience.

Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 10d

Pu spells out Ru's imperialist motivations for the war. He calls the conquest a long-held dream and historical destiny.

He beclowns those who insist NATO expansion caused the war. Let's see if anyone from the Mearsheimer fan club admits the claim has been falsified.
www.kremlin.ru/events/presi...

Обращение по случаю Дня воссоединения ДНР, ЛНР, Запорожской и Херсонской областей с Россией

www.kremlin.ru

2 34 71

Reposted by Chris Smith

darren32359.bsky.social @darren32359.bsky.social · 11h

61 550 950

Reposted by Chris Smith

Brendan May @brendanmay.bsky.social · 1h

Absolutely superb effort by all those who voted for this, many of whom are now dead.

21 69 300