Dave Madden
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Dave Madden
@davemadden.bsky.social
Writer, editor, journalist, lecturer....all pretty much ex. Oh, and dad. Walking around Edinburgh most days. Opinions about books, politics, pubs, and, for my sins, MUFC, Hibs, and Scottish rugby. Typos my own.
Reposted by Dave Madden
“Mark my words: It may take some time, but Americans will be prosecuted for this, either as a war crime or outright murder.”
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Reposted by Dave Madden
in 1st century Judea, the corners of every field had to be left for the poor to pick crops for themselves, every seventh year *all* of the crops from fields and vineyards and orchards belonged to the poor, and all debts of all types were cancelled every 50th year.
November 28, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
See what you've done Rachel Reeves
Times are tough in the tasteless opulence market I see
November 28, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
🇷🇺🇬🇧 🇷🇺🇬🇧
The petition: ‘Call a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy’ has now passed 70,000 signatures.
Let’s get it to over 100,O00 by the weekend!
Please sign and share widely.
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
November 27, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
The version of the Gospels where the Samaritan crossed the road to kick the robbery victim in the head and go through his pockets for loose change was suppressed by the woke fathers of the early church.
November 28, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
November 28, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
Welcome Shabana Mahmood to your next four years of headlines!!!
November 28, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
1. A woman reporter. Pres Piggy once again insulted a woman reporter.

2. Kudos to the woman reporter for pressing him.

3. Watch her face as he rants defensively like the lunatic he is.
Asked if he’ll attend the funeral of the slain National Guard member from West Virginia, Trump immediately pivots to talking about how popular he is in that state
November 28, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
Q: Officials say the suspect in the DC shooting was vetted & it came up clean

TRUMP: He went cuckoo. He went nuts. There was no vetting

Q: Actually, your DOJ IG says there was thorough vetting of Afghans. So why blame Biden?

TRUMP: You're just asking questions because you're a stupid person
November 28, 2025 at 12:42 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
Farage's many defences .. have I missed any?

- Obviously I can't remember
- I can remember and I didn't do it
- I did it but I meant well when I racially abused those jewish kids
- I did it but they're left wing so it's ok
November 27, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
Right wing grifters cry-bullying that 'my racism is a protected characteristic', coming soon
November 27, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
Worth pointing out that this is a direct breach of the manifesto
NEW - the government poised to water down flagship workers rights bill, ditching day one rights to unfair dismissal but reducing qualifying period from two years to six months.

But in concession to unions, government will remove provisions for up to nine months probation.
November 27, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Not sure a country with critical labour shortages and an FE sector financially dependent on attracting international students should be celebrating a collapse in immigration and a spike in emigration today. You'd think people didn't want to be here.....
November 27, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
Massive drop in immigration.
Massive rise in emigration.
= ECONOMIC CATASTROPHE

Slow round of applause for Farage and a big slap in the logic for UK Labour who just sank the boat. Morons.

The “too much immigration” argument was always designed to HARM THE UK ECONOMY.
Another very large decline in net migration in today's ONS figures, with immigration falling and emigration rising. I'm sure this will get just as much media and political coverage as the earlier sharp rises, right? www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...
Long-term international migration, provisional - Office for National Statistics
Estimates of UK long-term international migration, year ending June 2012 to year ending December 2024.
www.ons.gov.uk
November 27, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
Another very large decline in net migration in today's ONS figures, with immigration falling and emigration rising. I'm sure this will get just as much media and political coverage as the earlier sharp rises, right? www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...
Long-term international migration, provisional - Office for National Statistics
Estimates of UK long-term international migration, year ending June 2012 to year ending December 2024.
www.ons.gov.uk
November 27, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
Getting Brexit wrong could harm Labour as much as it harmed the Tories.
euromovescotland.org.uk/how-europe-t...
How Europe turned the Conservative Party from political giant to intensive care patient. Labour beware. – The European Movement in Scotland
euromovescotland.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
The Prime Minister just told me any party leader should want to get to the bottom of this Russian bribery scandal with Reform.

He is the Prime Minister and a party leader. Why isn't he launching a national investigation himself?
November 26, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Reposted by Dave Madden
Many countries don't have use a jury system (including many in Europe, e.g. Spain, Germany), although they often have lay judges for some cases. I don't think there's any reason to think they are less just countries!
November 26, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
Is there any evidence on whether jury trials are more or less likely to lead to miscarriages of justice?
November 26, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
🔥 Highly recommended that you all sign and share.

Link to the petition—> petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...
November 26, 2025 at 8:55 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
Universities closing is bad news for many reasons

One concern I haven't seen data on is that those universities w/more low income students are likely greater risk

It might be seen as an accidental consequence but i will have short and long term effects on social mobility and economic grwoth
Chief exec of OfS 'said the OfS believes there are 24 institutions at risk of exiting the market in the next 12 months, seven of which are large providers with more than 3,000 students. There are another 25 or so institutions of various sizes at risk over a two- to three-year period, she added.'
Seven ‘large providers’ at risk of going under in the next year
Skills minister says no higher education institutions are at imminent risk of collapse this year but OfS confirms more than 20 providers are being closely monitored
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
Labour's proposed Brexit reforms are like chucking a glass of water on a house fire. A tiny flash of steam then the flames roar back.

Only a sustained intense fire-fighting effort can put the inferno out.

And that means going humbly cap in hand to the EU and opening negotiations on rejoining.
November 26, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Reposted by Dave Madden
My entirely lay concern is that reducing number of cases tried by juries makes it more likely that those who want to politicize judge appointments [Tories and Reform, to judge by their casual slandering of judges] feel they can do it, as judges now more visibly central to the decision process.
November 26, 2025 at 10:55 AM
The offending line will get far more notice now. Great job BBC.

www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
Reith lecturer accuses BBC of censoring his remarks on Trump
Dutch writer Rutger Bregman says claim that Trump was ‘most openly corrupt president in US history’ was removed
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Reposted by Dave Madden
This is how the JD Vance (seemigly Kremlin-drafted) Ukraine "Peace Plan" went down with *Republican* lawmakers. No wonder Trump is distancing himself from it, at a rate of knots.

NB McCaul was Trump's national security adviser during his first campaign. ~AA
November 24, 2025 at 2:15 PM