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Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 14h

Russian bribes, Farage/Johnson, Brexit and now Nathan Gill? Motive, Nigel’s fake indignation/Tice’s rant : it’s all adding up. You’re guilty as hell. Oh and no idea of how to govern, run a complex relatively small organisation (Kent county Council), bring people together. You’re incompetent snakes.

Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 22h

Ever since I finished Question Time, Reform have massively been on the attack.

Including a rant from Richard Tice entirely designed to distract from Reform and Russia.

Everyone should know about Nathan Gill, the bribes from Russia and the link to Reform.

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Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 3d

Ah yes, the European Coal and Steel Community agreement signed in 1951. Who would have thought such collaborative treaties would have endured for 3/4 of a century - and now the U.K. realises that 80% of our steel exports go there and cries wolf. Johnson/Farage’s “cake and eat it” was always a myth.

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 5d

So Tories choosing between a racist, a bigger racist and a tax dodger. Very inspiring! Waiting for the remaining reasonable Tories to wander over to the Lib Dems.

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 5d

Latest from YouGov: half of Tory members want Kemi Badenoch to go, a majority favour Robert Jenrick over any of his rivals. (At the time of James Cleverly's backers playing silly buggers over the vote, a majority of members favoured Cleverly.)

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 5d

BBC should interview Polanski. Viewers will learn about Green policies and FOR ONCE the focus wouldn’t be on small boat crossings- Brits are interested in many more fundamental issues and this sad story has been overplayed. His presence might also demonstrate your neutrality- remember that?

Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 5d

BBC now suggesting they didn't interview Zack Polanski on Laura Kuenssberg when he was elected because they weren't on air then. Which is technically true because he was elected on a Tuesday. However, they did air just days later on Sunday and featured interviews with Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch

BBC Laura Kuenssberg Show Accused of Anti-Green Bias After Cancelling Zack Polanski Interview

The new Green Party leader was the only major party leader not to have been granted a conference interview on the flagship BBC show

bylinetimes.com

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 5d

Very interesting. Rather than an outright ban, you seem to be arguing for more intelligent guardrails. I agree and think the US techbros and the EU need to revisit this with a greater spirit of collaboration. Trump may object of course.

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Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 5d

Now why don’t we have the same legislation? Asking for a democracy under major attack.

Who Targets Me @whotargets.me · 5d

Meta ends (at least for now) political ads in the EU today. Per their ad library data, they've run nearly 11,000,000 different political, social and issue ads in the EU since 2018 and made around €800m from them.

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Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 6d

Tortoise Media clearly stuffed full of Chelsea and Arsenal fans- no match report again for the glorious Spurs in the Observer today.

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 8d

Spot on

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 8d

This Israeli government decision to host Tommy Robinson will widen the growing gulf between the Netanyahu government and the British public, including the broad majority of Jews in Britain (3/4 of whom dsapproved of Netanyahu, before this new link to this anti-Muslim racist UK far right convict).

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 8d

It doesn’t matter who leads the Tories. Johnson purged the bright ones leaving only incompetent isolationists who think we only care about immigration. Despite the daily efforts of Paul Marshall and Jonathan Harmsworth to trash every aspect of the Labour government Farage is not a serious contender.

Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 8d

Here we go again!

Tory plot to replace Kemi Badenoch with Robert Jenrick as soon as next month

Up to a dozen supporters of the shadow justice secretary are said to have penned letters to use against Kemi Badenoch when the time is right

inews.co.uk

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Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 8d

Democrats, take your vaccines- you know why!

Ian Weissman, DO @drianweissman.bsky.social · 9d

The lag by the CDC is very unusual. Typically, the CDC acts within days – sometimes hours – because of the urgency of rolling out vaccines before the winter surge. The delay has created a lot of confusion both among the public and providers.
www.npr.org/sections/sho...

The CDC still hasn't issued COVID vaccine guidelines, leaving access in limbo

Access to the COVID-19 vaccines remains difficult because of an unusual and unexplained delay by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in accepting recommendations from its advisers.

www.npr.org

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 9d

Sickening incitement from the gutter press at a time when everyone is pulling together to prevent a reoccurrence of this dreadful attack. Harmsworth/Verity wringing every last drop of bad blood and ill gotten profit from such a terrible tragedy.

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 9d

Mone and Barrow, your offer to repay £23m for shoddy uncertified PPE shows you know you are both guilty- we’d like the £122m please. Sell the yacht, wind up those trusts, sell the mansion and don’t have the brass neck to protest your treatment. Tories and The Spectator have gone very quiet!

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Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 12d

Facebook algorithms, explicitly designed to spread highly contentious content, often with no basis in fact, whips up racism. Their response? “It doesn’t cross our guidelines for unacceptable political hate”. And trust in politicians is at an all time low? Wake up and legislate to remove this cancer.

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 13d

Starmer’s ‘enemy’ attack on Reform ‘bordering on inciteful’, says Farage.

Mr. Farage, c’mon, we know your game. You would implement MAGA Project 25, ignite racial division, slash taxes on the richest 1%, gut the NHS and community assets, and turn the UK into the febrile society we see in the US.

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 15d

Of course he’s going to push back against (necessary) regulatory guardrails but this is medieval language. Just where is the US headed?

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 16d

On MAGA’s current negative trajectory, Europe must assume responsibility for its own destiny. It’s time to start from a blank canvas and build ground up our effective ring fencing, if not separation, from the US. A long difficult journey but hanging on every word of madmen will destroy our society.

Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.bsky.social · 17d

Negotiations have stalled. Trump keeps changing his policies. Ukrainians, backed by Europeans, are taking matters into their own hands, by targeting the Russian oil industry:
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Ukraine’s Plan to Starve the Russian War Machine

Negotiations have stalled. Trump keeps changing his policies. Ukrainians, backed by Europeans, are taking matters into their own hands.

www.theatlantic.com

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 18d

Incompetent Tories - no strategy, governing by Daily Mail headlines: The Conservative government, having cut police staffing by 20,000 officers since 2010, then decided to rehire 20,000 new officers in three years, putting forces under big pressure to recruit large numbers in a hurry w poor vetting.

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 19d

Its good to see recognition of what Starmer is achieving over on that Musk channel. And the right wing press is in hyperdrive trying to tear him apart on a daily basis while fawning over Reform’s ever more ludicrous ideas on their one and only theme of immigration. x.com/martinplaut/...

Martin Plaut on X: "The real fear of the British right: Keir Starmer might succeed https://t.co/sdtk1Pbo6t" / X

The real fear of the British right: Keir Starmer might succeed https://t.co/sdtk1Pbo6t

x.com

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Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 19d

Maybe ask Robert Shillman, Robbie Gibb, Paul Marshall, Jonathan Harmsworth or Rupert Murdoch to explain.

Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 19d

Small boats: TV coverage - day after day after day after day....

PPE scandal: TV coverage - let's stick this powerful, enraging documentary on at quarter past ten on a Sunday night.

The Covid Contracts: Follow the Money review – a devastating picture of the biggest spending scandal ever

This rigorous look at the Tories’ ‘VIP lane’ for PPE suppliers during Covid raises questions about the motivations of those involved – ones that are almost too disgusting to contemplate

www.theguardian.com

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Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 20d

If Owen Jones and the Daily Mail are both venting at Starmer he must be the semi sensible leader we last had in Gordon Brown. What are the odds on him being PM after GE29?

Phil Burton-Cartledge @philbc3.bsky.social · 20d

And this is the book the Times are reporting on.

The Fraud

Using a cache of hitherto unseen documents and exclusive insider accounts, this sensational new book tells the story of how a shadowy group, Labour Together, came to the cusp of delivering Sir Keir St...

orbooks.com

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Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 26d

Mahmood the scrapper- she is the one to take on the far right. More please.

Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 26d

Elon Musk's language at rally was "abhorrent", Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Elon Musk's comments at march were abhorrent, says home secretary

Shabana Mahmood says the tech billionaire "doesn't get to mess with British democracy" after Musk calls for dissolution of Parliament.

www.bbc.com

Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 26d

Mr. Netanyahu thinks a social media campaign is going to whitewash his far right government’s destruction of Palestine? Words fail.

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Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 27d

It’s as if Starmer is conceding for ReGorm to win in 29. What happened to promises to cap foreign political donations? Why is the BBC allowed to give constant coverage to Farage’s every stupid utterance? Why isn’t facial recognition used for far right demos? Mahmood the fixer needs to get to work.

James Fitzgerald @jamesfitzjourno.bsky.social · 28d

... interesting.

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Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 28d

Why do an impact assessment before leaving the EU? Because it would have forced government to state explicitly what Brexit meant. Leaving the single market and customs union wasn’t on the referendum- it was erroneously stated as policy by Theresa May in a conference speech which she couldn’t retract

Brexite: you either love it or (inceasingly) hate it @brexite.bsky.social · 28d

“Brexit was not an abstract shift. It was not esoteric. It was not a vague change. It has translated into measurable harm, counted in vacancies, waiting times, drug shortages, and most painfully, avoidable deaths.”

The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · Sep 9

Forget about GDP graphs, trade coefficients and happy fish.

Brexit’s damage to the NHS shows up in your GP queue, your A&E wait and your local care home in devastating, measurable impacts.

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Howard Barrett @howardbarrett.bsky.social · 28d

Oh this is well worth sharing.

Don Cochrane 🇨🇦 @doncochraneyow.bsky.social · 29d

Interesting graphic from an article in The Economist.