Hywel Da
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hjd.bsky.social
Hywel Da
@hjd.bsky.social
Former producer/reporter at BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera. Just shortlisted for the Emerging Author Dagger by the Crime Writers’ Association. Needs a literary agent. Interests: politics, writing, travel, London, rugby and cricket.
ianvisits.co.uk is such a superb website - been to so many events in London that I wouldn’t have heard of without it. Also, while I’m re-tweeting him, Borderlines by @lewisbaston.bsky.social is a brilliant exploration of Europe, seen through its frontier zones - politics, history, folklore and war.
November 25, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Reposted by Hywel Da
This is the content today needs. lmao
🤣🤣🤣🤣
November 25, 2025 at 12:48 PM
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We stand with Ukraine 💙💛🇺🇦🌟🇪🇺✊🏼✊🏽✊🏻💯SLAVA UKRAINI
November 22, 2025 at 11:24 PM
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“Just when you thought the US, after a rough start earlier this year, finally got on the right path regarding Ukraine support, the administration revealed a 28-point plan that seems (on its face) very pro-Russian.

Let’s not mince words: It’s appeasement.”

No paywall

wesodonnell.medium.com/trumps
Trump’s Ukraine Plan is a Path to World War III
Trump’s so-called peace plan for Ukraine reveals a critical misunderstanding of Vladimir Putin’s motives, ambitions, and timeline.
wesodonnell.medium.com
November 21, 2025 at 11:15 PM
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Ukraine is on the brink of an historic betrayal by Trump to Putin.

Keir Starmer must bring our European allies together to back Zelensky, starting by seizing frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine.
November 21, 2025 at 5:16 PM
More UKIP/Reform politicians facing ten years in jail?
Police are investigating former British MEPs who were tasked by Nathan Gill on behalf of his handler

Several EU forces are investigating other politicians who may have been instructed directly by Oleg Voloshyn, and an international investigation team has been started
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/w...
Former Reform U.K. Politician Sent to Prison for Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
www.nytimes.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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This is really all you need to know. It’s good to be on top, but it’s even better to turn anxiety into joy & hope.
Sport, politics, life.

bsky.app/profile/numb...
England cricket fans at 6am
England cricket fans at 9.45am
November 21, 2025 at 10:57 AM
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The UK isn’t a “soft touch” on asylum.

UK asylum seeker benefits are similar to European neighbours

No right to work before 12 months (it’s 6 months in France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands)

UK settlement after 5 years (it’s 3 or 4 in Germany)

Let’s cut out the alarmist rhetoric.
November 19, 2025 at 11:52 AM
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Increasingly think Britain's problem is that we're governed be people who are really fucking thick.
July 28, 2025 at 4:12 PM
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Inconvenient facts for malign (often foreign) influencers who try to portray my home city as a lethal no go zone.

After more than half a century living here, I’ve never felt safer

And kudos to Fraser Nelson for his work on this
November 16, 2025 at 1:12 PM
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Reform in Kent are “a threat to public safety”, the Fire Brigades Union said.

Reform haven’t signed off on fire brigade budgets, “failed to govern and lead the fire service” and haven’t even met with the fire service which is one of their responsibilities.
Reform leader branded “captain chaos” as Kent fire authority in disarray
The Fire Brigades Union has slammed the record of Reform’s ‘flagship council’ as it emerged that Kent and Medway Fire Authority was in disarray following the removal of five councillors, including its...
www.fbu.org.uk
November 12, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Yup, really impressive reporting on the BBC and the attempt by the right to clip its wings - the best I’ve seen anywhere.
This article is just one reason why I'm a subscriber to @bylinetimes.bsky.social

Independent media is critical now, more than ever, for shining a light where others choose not to.

Subscribe for yourself, or as a gift for someone, to allow them to continue speaking truth to power
🧵On our revelations today about the BBC Coup and the Prescott Dossier.

The leaked ‘BBC Bias’ memo Trump used to attack the BBC was authored by Michael Prescott — a Hanover lobbyist paid by US tech/media giants tied to Trump. Full story: bylinetimes.com/2025/11/11/b... 1/12
November 12, 2025 at 9:33 AM
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Information underpins democracy and the BBC is a key part of that.

We need to protect our institutions

open.substack.com/pub/christin...
Information underpins Democracy – why the BBC must be defended
Recent events at the BBC have wide-reaching implications for our democracy - and the sooner we realise it, the better
open.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:42 AM
So much for impartiality on the BBC Board..."In a talk to the TaxPayers’ Alliance in March 2020, Gibb described himself as “a long-standing Conservative. I’m not a Chris Patten apologist-type Conservative. I’m a proper Thatcherite Conservative.” He is, (says) the Telegraph, a “lifelong” Brexiteer."
Nearly two years ago, I wrote about the extraordinary influence of former Tory spin doctor Sir Robbie Gibb on the BBC. It's still a helpful backgrounder for what's going on now. New readers start here: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/...
How the government captured the BBC
A right-wing cabal, largely unaccountable, is waging war on the principles that made our public broadcaster great. It must not succeed
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Reposted by Hywel Da
Robbie Gibb was appointed to the BBC Board by Boris Johnson, was an editorial advisor for GB News, and worked as Theresa May's Director of Comms.

He is not impartial or neutral. The government should remove him from the Board immediately to protect the BBC's independence.
November 11, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Reposted by Hywel Da
M&S are advertising on GB News, a channel notorious for its coverage targeting migrants, Muslims and the LGBTQ+ community while promoting far-right propaganda. Click on the link and sign a petition to urge Marks & Spencer to stop funding hate. #StopFundingHate
actionstorm.org/petitions/ma...
November 9, 2025 at 10:02 PM
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November 10, 2025 at 8:02 PM
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Good news for a change.
Train hero Samir Zitouni wakes in hospital and speaks to wife
The injured crew member is credited with saving multiple lives during a mass stabbing incident.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by Hywel Da
Oh for the love of

Sharing, since I just googled these so I could leave angry voicemails telling these motherfuckers to hold the line

Schumer's DC office number: 202-224-6542

Gillibrand's DC office number: (202) 224-4451
Sounds like the squishes in the senate caucus are ready to pull the plug with no ACA changes. This is real. If you want to register your opinion you shld call yr senator in the next hour. They not only want to reopen w/nothing. They want cover from their colleagues who still want to hold out.
November 9, 2025 at 9:24 PM
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We are so far through the looking glass that the man who tried to overthrow an election becomes president, the people who attacked the Capitol are turned into martyrs, & it's the BBC that gets punished - cheered on by the worst news outlets in the UK & the two most dishonest politicians of our age.
It’s not at all clear to me how the BBC can do any kind of serious journalism if its top two bosses can be forced to quit over such an obviously confected scandal. There is no substantive error here. How can the BBC report on Trump, or Farage, or anyone else, in these circumstances?
November 9, 2025 at 9:08 PM
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Jesus Christ. We go mad about one bloke we wrongly released, yet hear next to nothing about this horror? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
More than 50 child asylum seekers still missing after disappearing from Kent care
Council data obtained by the Guardian shows 345 children have gone missing in recent years, many probably taken by traffickers
www.theguardian.com
November 1, 2025 at 1:57 PM
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Bat and Moon — Yamada Hōgyoku, c. 1830
October 22, 2025 at 7:15 PM
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"It is the first moment in my lifetime that I am aware of a piece of legislation materially impacting my life in a positive way. I think this is what enfranchisement is supposed to feel like."

Pippa Bailey on the Renters' Rights Act
The Renters' Rights Act may be the first law to improve my life
Labour should make more of a fuss of these long overdue reforms
www.newstatesman.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reposted by Hywel Da
Honey, who was sold for £400 in a car park and turned out to be both pregnant and epileptic, has single-pawedly spent our whole operations fund. Help please? 😬
Our operations fund disappeared overnight
We recently took in a beautiful British shorthair called Honey who was sold for £400 in a car park. Her new owner quickly found that she was a) pregnant and b) epileptic. She gave birth to 10 kittens, of which 8 survived. When they'd all been sold, her new owner decided she didn't want her anymore because of her (untreated!) seizures. And so she came to us. We took her to the vets and ordered some phenobarbital, which we've used with great success on two other epileptic cats. However, before it came in, poor Honey had a severe seizure and then two more in the space of a day. Our fosterer took her to the emergency vet, where she had to be kept in on an IV to get her phenobarbital level up quickly to stop the seizures. She's recovering beautifully, but her treatment has completely emptied our bank account, and we had quite a few operations planned that we still need to do: - Lemon, an old lady found on the street needs a full dental and a scan to find out why she's so wheezy - Thomasina, another golden oldie stray, needs a full dental now she's stable on her thyroid meds - Lenny, who spent 2 years wobbling on the streets, needs his neuter and jabs - Sabrina, who survived the panleukopenia that killed her kittens, needs her spay and jabs - Kirby, a sweet grey wobbler, needs his neuter and jabs - Boots, a handsome orange boy who recently spent his 14th birthday outside as his owners didn't want him anymore, needs a fair bit of treatment, plus a birthday party! If you can help with any of this, we would hugely appreciate it. I'm taking some of my jewellery to be sold at the weekend but I don't think it's worth very much unfortunately. I'm really glad we could help stop Honey's constant scary, debilitating seizures, so I know we did the right thing. It's just that the others have been waiting so patiently for their treatment so they can find wonderful new homes, and I don't want to let them down. Thank you. Love Holly and the moggies x
www.paypal.com
October 22, 2025 at 2:59 PM
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Three Tory Home Secretaries wasted billions of pounds on a chaotic, costly and mismanaged asylum accommodation system, a new highly critical report from MPs reveals. Priti Patel, Suella Braverman & James Cleverly presided over a huge surge in the cost of providing accommodation for asylum seekers.
🔴The Sheer Scale of Conservative Mismanagement of the Asylum System Revealed

Billions of pounds were wasted by successive Conservative Home Secretaries on a chaotic and costly system that left vulnerable people at risk, according to a new Parliamentary report

bylinetimes.com/2025/10/27/t...
The Sheer Scale of Conservative Mismanagement of the Asylum System Revealed
Billions of pounds were wasted by successive Conservative Home Secretaries on a chaotic and costly system that left vulnerable people at risk, according to a new Parliamentary report
bylinetimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:35 PM