Ann
@agvbergin.net
Both newts and housing, please. Personal account, views my own.
Pinned
Ann
@agvbergin.net
· Mar 5
"What children need to learn most is empathy for others, the capacity for nurturance, cooperation, and the maintenance of social ties, which cannot be done without the strength, respect, self-discipline, and self-reliance that comes through being cared for and caring."
George Lakoff, Moral Politics
George Lakoff, Moral Politics
Reminded of the time that George Monbiot wrote a whole screed about how someone associated with Policy Exchange became a trustee of the RSPB and missed that it was simply because **they noticed by reading annual reports**.
November 26, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Reminded of the time that George Monbiot wrote a whole screed about how someone associated with Policy Exchange became a trustee of the RSPB and missed that it was simply because **they noticed by reading annual reports**.
Reposted by Ann
(if you don’t want to be a magistrate, could you be a volunteer prison visitor? Or are you a school governor? Could you be a charity trustee? Maybe part of progressives critiquing “the system” should be inserting ourselves into it, helping where needed, challenging injustice when it happens)
November 25, 2025 at 11:24 PM
(if you don’t want to be a magistrate, could you be a volunteer prison visitor? Or are you a school governor? Could you be a charity trustee? Maybe part of progressives critiquing “the system” should be inserting ourselves into it, helping where needed, challenging injustice when it happens)
Reposted by Ann
if you are concerned that magistrates are being given more powers and you think that the demographics of magistrates might mean that these powers are unfairly deployed, a good thing to do is to look up the qualifications to become a magistrate and to think seriously about doing that yourself
November 25, 2025 at 11:16 PM
if you are concerned that magistrates are being given more powers and you think that the demographics of magistrates might mean that these powers are unfairly deployed, a good thing to do is to look up the qualifications to become a magistrate and to think seriously about doing that yourself
Reposted by Ann
What a mess
Bournemouth council faces £183m SEND deficit, and £10m in interest costs to finance the debt .... paid from its general fund (made up of council tax, business rates etc)
It wants to use high needs cash to pay the debt instead, which would hit schools
schoolsweek.co.uk/council-faci...
Bournemouth council faces £183m SEND deficit, and £10m in interest costs to finance the debt .... paid from its general fund (made up of council tax, business rates etc)
It wants to use high needs cash to pay the debt instead, which would hit schools
schoolsweek.co.uk/council-faci...
Council facing £183m SEND deficit warns of ‘devastating consequences’
A cash-strapped council facing a £183 million SEND black hole is warning ministers the deficit is “forcing” them to make “impossible financial decisions” with "devastating consequences”, ahead of tomo...
schoolsweek.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 5:35 PM
What a mess
Bournemouth council faces £183m SEND deficit, and £10m in interest costs to finance the debt .... paid from its general fund (made up of council tax, business rates etc)
It wants to use high needs cash to pay the debt instead, which would hit schools
schoolsweek.co.uk/council-faci...
Bournemouth council faces £183m SEND deficit, and £10m in interest costs to finance the debt .... paid from its general fund (made up of council tax, business rates etc)
It wants to use high needs cash to pay the debt instead, which would hit schools
schoolsweek.co.uk/council-faci...
Reposted by Ann
the timeline for this extreme shifting of views has basically been the same, the ways in which the Overton window has been yanked have been similar, it's often coming from the very same people - it's all vv blatantly part of the same phenomenon!
November 25, 2025 at 12:57 PM
the timeline for this extreme shifting of views has basically been the same, the ways in which the Overton window has been yanked have been similar, it's often coming from the very same people - it's all vv blatantly part of the same phenomenon!
Reposted by Ann
yes I don't really see how you can go "oh yikes these people have changed their political views incredibly quickly, mostly because of what Very Online people talk about on social media" and also think that people who went from never talking about gender to calling trans women predators are....normal
I don’t like subtweeting people I consider online friends, but there is a subset of people who are very worried about the ongoing radicalisation of our political elite but won’t ever acknowledge the echoes with the radicalisation of their colleagues on trans rights
And few who are sympathetic to us, some who are friendly with me on here, will ever stick their head above the parapet
November 25, 2025 at 12:55 PM
yes I don't really see how you can go "oh yikes these people have changed their political views incredibly quickly, mostly because of what Very Online people talk about on social media" and also think that people who went from never talking about gender to calling trans women predators are....normal
Higher education has been the main means through which my family achieved social mobility, and there's Lord Glasman wishing it all away again.
Well, it's looking likely that he'll get what he says he wants.
Well, it's looking likely that he'll get what he says he wants.
November 25, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Higher education has been the main means through which my family achieved social mobility, and there's Lord Glasman wishing it all away again.
Well, it's looking likely that he'll get what he says he wants.
Well, it's looking likely that he'll get what he says he wants.
Reposted by Ann
A child poverty strategy with the 2-child limit in place would *not* be a credible child poverty strategy. *All* of the growth in child poverty since the 2011/12 low point is for children in scope of this policy.
November 24, 2025 at 3:45 PM
A child poverty strategy with the 2-child limit in place would *not* be a credible child poverty strategy. *All* of the growth in child poverty since the 2011/12 low point is for children in scope of this policy.
Reposted by Ann
the only montage I'm interested in!!!!!
November 24, 2025 at 6:38 PM
the only montage I'm interested in!!!!!
Drink every time Look North says "Northern Powerhouse Rail".
November 24, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Drink every time Look North says "Northern Powerhouse Rail".
Reposted by Ann
I get that we all have to pretend to have a noble respect for plumbers or whatever, but the knowledge jobs are the jobs you actually want!
Ownership and creation of intellectual property, enforcement of legal rights, control of the technology etc, these are where the money is.
Ownership and creation of intellectual property, enforcement of legal rights, control of the technology etc, these are where the money is.
November 24, 2025 at 10:36 AM
I get that we all have to pretend to have a noble respect for plumbers or whatever, but the knowledge jobs are the jobs you actually want!
Ownership and creation of intellectual property, enforcement of legal rights, control of the technology etc, these are where the money is.
Ownership and creation of intellectual property, enforcement of legal rights, control of the technology etc, these are where the money is.
Reposted by Ann
1p on Income Tax would raise 20 times this, cost the average person around £30 a month at most, and, crucially, not risk collapsing one of our most valuable sectors.
i: Reeves to unveil £600m raid on foreign student
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
November 24, 2025 at 10:33 AM
1p on Income Tax would raise 20 times this, cost the average person around £30 a month at most, and, crucially, not risk collapsing one of our most valuable sectors.
Reposted by Ann
one response (true, funny) to the twitter location thing is "lol twitter/the gop/vc is cooked" and another response (true, less funny) is that a massive amount of the traffic on ALL public social media is money-making scams lying about national origin
November 23, 2025 at 5:26 PM
one response (true, funny) to the twitter location thing is "lol twitter/the gop/vc is cooked" and another response (true, less funny) is that a massive amount of the traffic on ALL public social media is money-making scams lying about national origin
Reposted by Ann
Some people are going to be forced underground. Others will be cheated and robbed because it’s now “open season” on migrants. Thanks to Starmer and his awful leadership
November 23, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Some people are going to be forced underground. Others will be cheated and robbed because it’s now “open season” on migrants. Thanks to Starmer and his awful leadership
Reposted by Ann
The fear and anxiety makes already vulnerable people prey to more exploitation. People are already afraid to report, say, a mendacious landlord who won’t deal with damp and mould. Giving such a grasping throbber another cudgel to beat up his tenants, under a Labour regime, is unconscionable
November 23, 2025 at 5:49 PM
The fear and anxiety makes already vulnerable people prey to more exploitation. People are already afraid to report, say, a mendacious landlord who won’t deal with damp and mould. Giving such a grasping throbber another cudgel to beat up his tenants, under a Labour regime, is unconscionable
Reposted by Ann
Of course, for many, this fear and indeed existential dread, is the point, not a side effect.
November 23, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Of course, for many, this fear and indeed existential dread, is the point, not a side effect.
Reposted by Ann
As many of you know, I do a lot of volunteer work with asylum seekers and refugees. One thing that’s going on is that Labour’s hostility towards migrants and the counterbattery from Tories and Reform is causing horrific fear and anxiety among vulnerable people who deserve our protection.
November 23, 2025 at 5:21 PM
As many of you know, I do a lot of volunteer work with asylum seekers and refugees. One thing that’s going on is that Labour’s hostility towards migrants and the counterbattery from Tories and Reform is causing horrific fear and anxiety among vulnerable people who deserve our protection.
Reposted by Ann
The problem with Labour droning on about 'contribution' is that their party is filled top to bottom with thick cranks like this, who contribute actually literally eff all to any level of society but still feel entitled to make demands of everyone else
There are some truly unhinged bits in the piece about Glasman, as to be expected when dealing with Glasman, but seriously what the actual? That's...one hell of a conflation of terminology.
November 23, 2025 at 4:42 PM
The problem with Labour droning on about 'contribution' is that their party is filled top to bottom with thick cranks like this, who contribute actually literally eff all to any level of society but still feel entitled to make demands of everyone else
Reposted by Ann
Being proud of being in the Russell Group is largely just cope for not being in Oxbridge, which is itself largely just cope for not being in the Ivy League, which is itself largely just cope for not being Harvard, which is itself largely just cope for not being Charles Sanders Peirce in particular.
November 23, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Being proud of being in the Russell Group is largely just cope for not being in Oxbridge, which is itself largely just cope for not being in the Ivy League, which is itself largely just cope for not being Harvard, which is itself largely just cope for not being Charles Sanders Peirce in particular.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network and the Autism Science Foundation signing the same open letters about vaccination is an illustration of how dire the situation is in the US.
November 23, 2025 at 7:06 PM
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network and the Autism Science Foundation signing the same open letters about vaccination is an illustration of how dire the situation is in the US.
Reposted by Ann
It is unprecedented that 47 medical and public health organizations should come together to condemn the actions of the CDC.
www.apha.org/news-and-med...
1. American Academy of Pediatrics
2. Academic Pediatric Association
3. American Academy of Family Physicians ....
www.apha.org/news-and-med...
1. American Academy of Pediatrics
2. Academic Pediatric Association
3. American Academy of Family Physicians ....
Statement on CDC autism website changes
Our organizations, representing autistic individuals, their families, medical professionals and public health workers, are alarmed that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is promoting the ...
www.apha.org
November 23, 2025 at 5:59 PM
It is unprecedented that 47 medical and public health organizations should come together to condemn the actions of the CDC.
www.apha.org/news-and-med...
1. American Academy of Pediatrics
2. Academic Pediatric Association
3. American Academy of Family Physicians ....
www.apha.org/news-and-med...
1. American Academy of Pediatrics
2. Academic Pediatric Association
3. American Academy of Family Physicians ....
Reposted by Ann
DOGE was created for data theft and infrastructure dismantling and it wildly succeeded on both counts within the first few weeks of its existence. It will take a generation to rebuild what it destroyed and the breach of data is unprecedented.
Bye bye, “DOGE”.
It no longer exists as a “centralized entity”, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...
It no longer exists as a “centralized entity”, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
@reuters.com
www.reuters.com/world/us/dog...
November 23, 2025 at 3:01 PM
DOGE was created for data theft and infrastructure dismantling and it wildly succeeded on both counts within the first few weeks of its existence. It will take a generation to rebuild what it destroyed and the breach of data is unprecedented.
Reposted by Ann
Free Birth Society shows how disordered discourse fills gaps left by institutional failure. When people feel harmed or unseen by formal systems, parallel worlds of knowledge become compelling, even when dangerous.
November 22, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Free Birth Society shows how disordered discourse fills gaps left by institutional failure. When people feel harmed or unseen by formal systems, parallel worlds of knowledge become compelling, even when dangerous.
Reposted by Ann
The deeper problem isn’t just misinformation, its the collapse of shared verification environments and the rise of influencer-led moral-epistemic systems that feel more authentic than institutions.
November 22, 2025 at 11:59 AM
The deeper problem isn’t just misinformation, its the collapse of shared verification environments and the rise of influencer-led moral-epistemic systems that feel more authentic than institutions.