Chris Gravell
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chrisg43.bsky.social
Chris Gravell
@chrisg43.bsky.social
1.3K followers 1.6K following 500 posts
Retired, reads a lot, doesn't dust, vague lefty. Bikes, e-bikes, cargo bikes, disability rights, trans rights, Palestine, etc.
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Reposted by Chris Gravell
Something not right in how we review things that such a consultation has zero references to the A10 but yet on crash map it has approximately +500 crashes one could reference as evidence a main road is a severance safety issue
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Sir Keir Starmer has been specifically named in a UN report for complicity in Israel's genocide.

The report states that the UK government played "a key role in military collaboration with Israel... a collective crime... with detailed knowledge and cooperation in the destruction of Gaza." 🧵
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Caerphilly shows we can beat Reform; but increasingly not with Labour

An array of Green & Gold parties will be responsible for shutting out Reform next election. Plaid, SNP, Green & Lib Dem

Labour can’t beat Reform by deforming into them
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Let's not forget the Tories, whose attempt to out-Reform Reform led to a vote of 2%.
Plaid Cymru won the Caerphilly by-election overnight, with Reform pushing Labour into a distant third.

Plaid got 47% of the vote on a record turnout, suggesting to me that there was some tactical voting to keep Reform out, which won 36%.

A factor that could be underpriced in a general election.
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Reminder that the Conservative/Lam narrative on ILR is built on the debunked/withdrawn Centre for Policy Studies paper from February, as I highlighted then.

@rcolvile.bsky.social complained then about my labelling his article as "dog-whistle racism". Might be time for him to clarify his position..
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Russia or orange-tinted billionaires and Musk, UK politics are obviously at risk of serious distortion. Starmer seems asleep at the wheel.
Reposted by Chris Gravell
This would be a regressive step. Shows a poverty of thinking inside No10

Why? 🧵🧵

1. There are ways of bringing bills down and keeping costs lower whilst continuing to build out clean power.

2. The problems the renewables build out addresses haven't gone away
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Keir Starmer prepares to miss key green target in effort to keep energy bills down
Exclusive: Promise to remove almost all fossil fuels from UK’s electricity supply by 2030 may be quietly abandoned over cost
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Josh MacAlister: "Weetabix, Sainsburys, Morrisons & Magic Breakfast.. British businesses stepping in"

Weetabix is owned by a US company, the largest shareholder in Sainsburys is Qatars sovereign wealth fund, Morrisons is owned by US private equity & Magic Breakfast is a charity
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Hallowe'en is just around the corner and it is one of the most dangerous days for children. Here are some safety tips:

1) Avoid hitting children with your pickup truck, SUV or other motor vehicle. It is technically against the law to harm or kill a child with your vehicle and you could be charged.
What about all the microplastic pollution from motor vehicle tires?
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Useful story on the Reform + Conservative plans

- How many nurses have ILR? How many earn < £38.7k or meet ANY of the other conditions?
- How many nurses are they removing who arrived 2021-25? (There were 25,497 in the 12 months to March 2023, for example)
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Here Lam explicitly sets out her proposal - which is official Conservative Party policy - to deport long-standing legal permanent residents who have *ever* claimed any benefit, including the state pension or child benefit (even if the child is British), or who earn less than £39K.
Reposted by Chris Gravell
LBC sacked Sangita Myska for challenging Israeli lies

But they’re OK with this vile tweet from Iain Dale

LBC has a racism problem

The Centrist frauds O'Brien and Fogarty are absolutely complciit
And far fewer council houses, which were a huge social asset.
Reposted by Chris Gravell
To be clear: deportations to increase cultural homogeneity is the text book definition of ethnic cleansing. Demands that come even close to this are so far outside any democratic norm and the rule of law. What has happened to a country when this is not condemned in the strongest possible terms?
Reposted by Chris Gravell
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Hmmmm. "The Home Secretary has said it is unacceptable for a European human rights watchdog to “question the validity” of the Supreme Court ruling".

Except the Commissioner didn't question the "validity" of the Supreme Court ruling, he questioned its fairness.
Mahmood hits back at European watchdog over trans and protest rights concerns
The Supreme Court ruled in April that the words ‘woman’ and ‘sex’ in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.
www.independent.co.uk
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Until Margaret Thatcher decided we needed to Privatise it the UK had the cheapest Water in Europe, among the cheapest Electricity and cheap rail/mail.

Now we have ripoff Water, the world's most expensive electricity and the most expensive rail/mail in Europe.
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Starmer on Sunday, Home Secretary on Monday, no 10 on Tuesday saying different things about what happens to people here legally. "It would tear our country apart" (Sunday) + prove your right to stay (Monday) + maybe apply some new rules but not others (Tuesday)
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Not only Oxfordshire. @libdems.org.uk and Greens should be pushing it nationwide.
Reposted by Chris Gravell
A remarkably powerful and highly entertaining rant‼️

And to steal a phrase from @bearlypolitics.co.uk...

The exasperation you'll sense comes from just how obvious so much of this is, and how determined our political system seems to completely ignore it.

Please read and experience the exasperation!
The Bear hears it everywhere: snip-snip-snip. ✂️

Every party’s reaching for the scissors again – even though there’s nothing left to cut.

A furious, funny howl at Britain’s obsession with “efficiency”.

@eastangliabylines.co.uk @bearlypolitics.co.uk
The ceaseless snip-snip-snip of a dying state
Fifteen years of cuts have left the UK trying to "efficiency" its way out of a collapse – and somehow still expecting growth to show up as well
eastangliabylines.co.uk
Come on Milton Keynes, adopt this, link with your neighbour.
OCC’s brief says that “The code should reflect the best street design code examples from around the world, such as Amsterdam's Handbook Rood and Oslo's Street Design Manual.” The finished code will be used by planners and developers to inform street design in new developments.
Reposted by Chris Gravell
Oxfordshire’s street design should be influenced by best practice in Amsterdam and Oslo, according to a new commission by the County Council. A revised Oxfordshire Street Design Code is being drawn up with the support of consultants Create Streets.