Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)

@sundersays.bsky.social

36K followers 5K following 19K posts

Director of @britishfuture.bsky.social Author How to be a Patriot https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/how-to-be-a-patriot-why-love-of-country-can-end-our-very-british-culture-war-sunder-katwala?variant=40518936559694 Evertonian

harpercollins.co.uk

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 4d

I spoke to The Guardian's Steve Rose for this wide-ranging interview about identity issues: flags & patriotism, the far right & racism online + offline, control & compassion on asylum, and still looking for the common ground in polarised times
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Sunder Katwala on race, patriotism and flag-waving: ‘The far right is vocal and angry because it is shrinking’

The director of British Future has spent his career trying to find common ground when it comes to race and immigration. He describes his own experience of racism – and why he’s still hopeful for the U...

www.theguardian.com

4 29 78

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 6m

My recent report sets out an approach to asylum which most people could support. This could usefully aim at securing support of two thirds of people

The 1% of people who want to deport all ethnic minorities and abuse them online are not going to be engaged by positive arguments about immigration!

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1h

I am doing something useful, which is continuing to collate evidence of the failure to be legally compliant, to pursue regulatory intervention and political pressure. Separately I produce a great deal of evidence on migration attitudes, to show how to secure broader confidence in migration

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1h

I don't think it should be a difficult investigation, with the picture of his now late dog, the back of his head & all of the personal information

2 7

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1h

They are in law legally responsible for whether their complaints systems are compliant with their legal obligations. There is a failure to use existing powers and existing laws effectively when they proactively defend unlawful harassment and abuse, then actively impede its prosecution too

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1h

I wonder if Bob feels in a healthier place having had to end his racist harassment canpaign 4 months ago once he realised he had made himself identifiable
bsky.app/profile/sund...

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · Jun 15

But did Bob stop digging in time? I don't think he will be in the Reform Party for much longer ...

1 16

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1h

A sense of impunity is clearly driving the disinhibition of unlawful hatred. (The racist trolls boast openly about it). Awareness there can be consequences can reinforce basic norms against this but those involved or tempted need to see it happen
bsky.app/profile/sund...

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · Jun 15

And now the X account is deleted. A 37 year old Reform member who is a cricket playing former teacher in Worcester who digs holes in his garden (and online) is starting to panic about facing the consequences of his actions

(We could do so much for social norms if platforms had boundaries)

2 3 11

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1h

I did not hear anything else after that so have followed up in mid-Sept and today to see if they have identified or expelled the racist troll

1 13

Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)

James Plunkett @jamestplunkett.bsky.social · 4h

Feels timely with Pride in Place and the growing recognition that a lot of the answer lies in revitalizing civic life, neighbourhood-level activity, etc. Supporting the tech that enables this.

Maybe it’s not a fund, or only partly a fund. Also a network, investment in convening people, etc. 2/n

4 2 5

Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)

James Plunkett @jamestplunkett.bsky.social · 4h

Are there any live proposals to get DSIT (and/or CLG?) to create a Civic Tech Fund? An initiative to support the UK’s civic tech movement (pro-social platforms like Library of Things, Olio, Park Run, etc) and shared infrastructure for community organising. 1/n

5 10 14

Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)

David Klemperer @dmk1793.bsky.social · 2h

In piece for @renewaljournal.bsky.social, I suggest Labour conference saw the emergence of two distinct approaches to practicing politics in a broken public sphere:
- YIMBYs and Growth Groupers pursue disruption
- "progressive communitarians" seek re-connection

1 8 15

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 2h

The Putin/Trump alliance again: Putin seems an especially credible witness on peace!

4 3 36

Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)

Steve Williams @iloatheskies.bsky.social · 15h

Moderation can happen at the platform level (but won't), or at the police level (which it has been, but v haphazardly) or it cannot happen at all.

If the platform won't police the racial harassment, and the government won't police the platform, and the police won't investigate, it's de facto legal.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1d

Met chief Mark Rowley's comments are being interpreted by this racist stalker as a green light. (I am fine with not recording non-crime incidents if the police will police hate crimes, and the government/regulators clean up an unlawful sewer. BUT the racists are hearing permission for more racism)

2 10

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 2h

Thanks Hannah. I am focusing on X. The regulators should take a platform neutral response, in principle, collect relevant indicators on compliance, and intervene if the evidence requires it. I think there is evidence of significant regression on X since 2022 and perhaps on Facebook since 2023.

Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)

James Harvey @keepof4worlds.bsky.social · 3h

It seems to me that it’s highly unlikely the government can compel any refund, other than by public shaming. One of the reasons of having procurement and due diligence processes is to understand whether you’re dealing with a reputable counter party or a disposable shell… oh.

1 11

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 3h

The £23 million was based on the proposition that the government was struggling in court, which makes the offer hard to comprehend at the time. I would have thought > £60 million might be the place to start now

2 1

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 3h

There was an offer of £23 million to avoid the £122m verdict against the company.

In law, Mr Barrowman looks like he has lots of hurdles and shields to avoid paying the ill gotten profits back. It should become a defining albatross for him

bsky.app/profile/dann...

Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 8d

This is the confidential settlement offer Barrowman/Mone made to the Government, offering to settle the litigation for £23m.

(We'd never normally see this, but for unfathomable reasons, Mone posted it on X.)

1 4 7

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 3h

Without the use of threat or intimidation, it is legitimate to consider the sustained recurring use of reputational stigma & shame - in the media + in society - designed to make it much more difficult to try to enjoy these ill gotten gains until and unless tens of millions of pounds are given up

3 2 9

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 3h

Useful explainer from David Conn with statements from Barrowman's comms people trying to say nothing. There will be a significant public appetite to see the pursuit of criminal charges, all the more so if the attempt to get the cash back is successfully impeded
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

Will UK taxpayers get their £122m back from PPE Medpro?

The high court told the company linked to Michelle Mone to pay up over the supply of defective gowns, but there appears no clear route to reclaim the funds

www.theguardian.com

5 17 47

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 4h

This call is for an intervention into its legal duties (which cover all protected characteristics). Any egregious cases of clearly unlawful conduct/abuse being protected would help. In principle, an intervention needing a legally compliant system for complaints ought to have a broad impact too.

1 1

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 5h

Aome challenges of making issues about intervention accessible/communicable outside the policy wonks. May also now some fatalistic, fatigue about this happening or whether it can change. I think there are several options to make it more communicable & reportable in media outlets.

2 2

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 5h

In which Tristram Hunt appeals to the super-rich to still choose London over Dubai

Janine Gibson @janinegibson.ft.com · 6h

You definitely shouldn't move to Dubai, writes V&A director Tristram Hunt on.ft.com/46MfW1t

Don’t move to Dubai — this is still the place to be

[FREE TO READ] Better to buy the dip and celebrate the UK as an enduring cultural behemoth

on.ft.com

1 2 9

Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)

Janine Gibson @janinegibson.ft.com · 6h

Good morning and welcome to your FT Weekend highlights in threaded gift link form. Each is free x300 and then it's gone but if you miss out you can pop out and buy a paper! It lasts all week! Enjoy!

3 20 59

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 5h

It would be helpful to have 6+ people willing to share a shockingly egregious example of having a report rejected.

It would also be helpful to hear from MPs & other public voices willing to add their voices to calls on Ofcom (new powers Nov) and EHRC (new chair Dec) to act
bsky.app/profile/sund...

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1d

If I had 6-12 people who had reported something unlawful & obviously indefensible, get the report rejected, and be willing to speak/advocate about it, that would be a good basis for asking a wider group of people - eg MPs - to support the call for an intervention & investigation of legal duties

1 14 13

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 5h

Having illustrated the problem of X ignoring its legal duties, I want to build an effective coalition for intervention. If you are or know people on X receiving racist abuse, rape threats, I would welcome receipts of one rejected attempt to report to the platform an indefensible case

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks for this kind note. I hope to do something useful with this by Nov/Dec (new Ofcom powers, new EHRC chair). I'd like more women + ethnic minorities to go through (futile) process of reporting shocking stuff (eg rape threats, p-word, n-word) & share receipts with me of one egregious example

3 48 64

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 5h

I am there primarily to collect the information for a regulatory/legal challenge to it being unlawful & to communicate to decision-makers and opinion formers the case for intervention. That is my idea if a better way to try to uphold laws and norms