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Jonathan Calder

@lordbonkers.bsky.social

2.2K followers 1.6K following 7K posts

Blogger at Liberal England. Expect Dickens, politics, Steve Winwood, canals, British films, Richard Jefferies, Shropshire, Englishness, chess, social history, Malcolm Saville, philosophy, Leicestershire and Rutland, comedy, railways... That sort of thing.

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Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · Jan 14

Self-portrait with unimpressed cat

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Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · 4h

"Please, sir. George is at home with his organs."

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Election Maps UK @electionmaps.uk · 4h

Kenn Valley (Teignbridge) Council By-Election Result:

🔶 LDM: 50.4% (+11.0)
➡️ RFM: 23.1% (New)
🌳 CON: 9.6% (-19.0)
🙋 Ind: 8.2% (New)
🌍 GRN: 5.5% (-13.9)
🌹 LAB: 2.7% (-9.9)
🙋 Ind: 0.5% (New)

Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative.
Changes w/ 2023.

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Votescounted @votescounted.bsky.social · 4h

Results of 5 council by-elections to declare last night & tonight:

Hart- Yateley W: LIBD HOLD
Bath&NESomerset- Widcombe & Lyncombe: LIBD HOLD
Redcar&Cleveland- Skelton E: REF GAIN FROM CON
Teignbridge-Kenn Valley: LIBD GAIN FROM CON
W Lancs- Aughton & Holborn : LOCAL GAIN FROM LAB

2 more to come

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ALDC @assoclibdemcllrs.bsky.social · 5h

Widcombe & Lyncombe-Bath & NE Somerset

Lib Dem Hold!

🔶 Stuart Bridge Lib Dem 769 44.4%
🟢Green Party 267 15.4%
🔴Labour 212 12.2%
➡️ Reform UK 206 11.9%
🔵Conservative 149 8.6%
🔘 Independent 83 4.7%
🔘Independent 45 2.5%

Congratulations to Stuart & the Team!!

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ALDC @assoclibdemcllrs.bsky.social · 5h

Kenn Valley - Teignbridge BC

Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservative!!

Full result awaited!

Congratulations to Kevin Smith and the Team!!

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Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · 8h

the treatment of teenage asylum-seekers; governments are using War on Terror powers to suppress demonstrations; entrepreneurship is still the preserve of the privileged; Open Spaces Society calls for wider access to nature; Bring Her Back (2025); Anderton Boat Lift

The Joy of Six 1420

"'They are treated with the most appalling hostility at the border with officials laughing at them, and shouting,' says Rivka Shaw, policy o...

liberalengland.blogspot.com

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Lewis Goodall @lewisgoodall.com · 6h

I do wonder if Labour might look at the sorts of people dominating the discourse and dominating the content wars and maybe, just maybe, rethink the sorts of grey figures they routinely put up for interviews, instructed at that to be as cautious as possible. Things have changed. Their comms hasn’t.

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Tom Baldwin @tombaldwin66.bsky.social · 5h

Some really decent in depth and fact-based reporting from BBC which runs counter to a narrative swallowed whole by much of the media and politicians of all stripes (some of whom should know better). www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Would leaving the ECHR really 'stop the boats'?

The extent to which leaving the Convention would make a difference to immigration has been greatly exaggerated, argues Lord Sumption

www.bbc.co.uk

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Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · 5h

Groby

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 1d

What’s the word where you’re from that, when pronounced exactly as it looks, identifies a tourist immediately?

Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · 5h

Has it ever been in doubt?

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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 5h

Further arrests made over ‘shocking’ arson attack on Peacehaven mosque

Four people have so far been arrested as part of police investigation into attack in East Sussex, which caused ‘significant damage’ Police have made further arrests over an arson attack on a mosque in East Sussex. The building in Phyllis Avenue, Peacehaven was badly damaged by the fire at about 9.50pm on Saturday. Nobody was injured, but police said “significant damage” was caused to the front of the building and a nearby vehicle. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · 18h

Sam Bright reminds us that "every element of the Brexit campaign advocated for more non-white immigration – including Nigel Farage".

The Leave campaign – Nigel Farage included – called for more non-EU migration to Britain

You'd never know it from the debate on immigration today, but: In 2016, the official Vote Leave campaign actively advocated for more immigra...

liberalengland.blogspot.com

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Tom McAdam @tomm.org · 8h

Adding to the list of "why to not have online voting".

Private companies' incentives rarely align with the needs of voting systems in general, and this highlights risks of their owners not being impartial.

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 8h

fucking WOOF

Scoop: Dominion Voting sold to company run by ex-GOP election official

Dominion is one of the biggest election equipment providers and was used by 27 states during the 2024 election.

www.axios.com

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Freddie van Mierlo MP 🔶 @freddievanmierlomp.bsky.social · 8h

I spent the day at the Crown Court in Oxford, finding out more about the criminal justice system. Court delays and overcrowded prisons are getting in the way of the justice we all expect to be there should the unthinkable happen.

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Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · 8h

I, for one, shan't rest until I've visited Gants Hill.

Explore the history of the Central Line with Jago Hazzard

Jago Hazzard explores sites and stations on the Central Line that are significant in its history. I, for one, shan't rest until I've visited...

liberalengland.blogspot.com

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Michael Savage @michaelsavage.bsky.social · 13h

NEW: The BBC is pushing the govt to dip into the defence budget to pay for the BBC World Service.

But others close to the broadcaster are worried about the risks to its journalism that could arise from that.

The broadcaster feels crucial as the US withdraws...

www.theguardian.com/media/2025/o...

Former BBC controller fears for World Service independence amid defence funding push

Liliane Landor says journalism must not be ‘linked or subordinated to defence’, as BBC explores new funding sources

www.theguardian.com

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Bowiesongs (C. O'Leary) @bowiesongs.bsky.social · 10h

had no idea Robert Palmer makes a cameo at the end of the Sgt. Pepper movie (from a Record Mirror interview, Oct 1978)

wavering ever so slightly
because despite only being
interested in being involved in films from a producer's seat,
he accepted a small part in
'Sgt Pepper' with the Bee Gees
and Peter Frampton, despite turning down many other
offers to appear on screen.
"This is going to sound
terrible. I'd been on the road
and I hadn't done any
Christmas shopping and you can't get much In Nassau (his home). I got this invite to fly out to Hollywood, all expenses
paid, to stand with 2 or 300 of the Celebrities and sing a song. It was a great opportunity to do my Christmas shopping. It was a great party. That's all I want to say about It. "I think it's the worst film that's ever been made. I can't find any redeeming values in it."

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 8h

The advice I give young people on choice of degree programme. Choose something you love. You’ve got the rest of your life to be frustrated and miserable.

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localcouncils.co.uk @localcouncils.bsky.social · 7h

Polls have just closed in six byelections. Three are Conservative defences: @wychavon.bsky.social Bretforton and Offenham, Teignbridge council's Kenn Valley, and Redcar and Cleveland's Skelton East wards. The Liberal Democrats held @bathnes.bsky.social Widcombe and Lyncombe ... (1/2)

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Jonathan Calder @lordbonkers.bsky.social · 7h

It's been talked about since the Eighties, but it won't happen unless central government funds it.

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James Tarry @northamptonian.bsky.social · 7h

The most recent containing a very good section on Corby.

Andrew Teale @andrewteale.me.uk · 7h

We are expecting four by-election results tonight and another two in the morning. Get the lowdown with Andrew's Previews, which is having one of those weeks where there's something for everyone: andrewteale.me.uk/previews