Author | Lightnews

@mickrab.bsky.social

420 followers 140 following 4.4K posts

Europhile boomer who appreciates how lucky I am. London accent with Yorkshire twinges, but heart in Galway. Savage cynic, a bit sweary, no prisoners. Tax is the price you pay for a civilised society.

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mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · Jan 13

The absence of a clear answer from a politician normally means the politically inconvenient answer is the truth.
Save this,it is a maxim for the ages.

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BremainInSpain @bremaininspain.com · 10h

Appalling. What is Britain becoming. ALL politicians must speak out now and stop normalising dehumanising rhetoric

Royal College of Nursing calls on government to stop using anti-migrant rhetoric, which it says emboldens racist behaviour

Racist incidents against UK nurses surge by 55%

Royal College of Nursing calls on government to stop using anti-migrant rhetoric, which it says emboldens racist behaviour

www.theguardian.com

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mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 6h

Absolutely. The whole objective of most consultancies is not to deliver successful outcomes but to create an ongoing dependency for their services.
People really need to get that into their heads.

mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 7h

They also need educating that failure to pay market rate to public sector professionals inevitably leads to brain drain to the private sector which necessitate buying in the same expertise from the private sector at twice the cost.
That's why KPMG, PWC and the like continually fuck us over.

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Krassensteins @krassenstein.bsky.social · 10h

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Angus Mmmbrains @angusmain.bsky.social · 13h

The hypocrisy of Reform going on TV to allege that certain groups are constantly over represented on TV is truly epic.

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mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 8h

It's also the easiest way to reduce the benefits bill apart from mass euthanasia.

mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 8h

We can't have a rational conversation about tax when we have a whole industry dedicated to helping the powerful and wealthy avoid tax. And that industry is so well resourced it can poach the cream of HMRC, and fight HMRC through the courts till the cows come home.

mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 10h

If Collison cared more about Ireland than money, he'd base his fucking company here.

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Beta Papa @betapapa.bsky.social · 11h

The BBC news report this morning portrays this as entirely the fault of the current government.

The right wing editorial policy is so obvious it's laughable.

Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 13h

🔴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

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mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 11h

Spot on. You mean a class of people who live in a political bubble, who've mostly never had a real job, insulated from real life by wodges of public money, who take "tough" decisions that are never tough for them and will walk into a cushy PR job if they fail?
That lot?

mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 11h

I'm thinking of changing my pinned post to: "Because they're fucking useless."

It would save so much time.

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fredabhatti.bsky.social @fredabhatti.bsky.social · Feb 15

“Be careful. When a democracy is sick, fascism comes to its bedside, but it is not to inquire about its health.”
— Albert Camus

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mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 1d

The absence of a clear answer from a politician normally means the politically inconvenient answer is the truth.
Save this, it is a maxim for the ages.

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Claire #FBPE ☘️ 🍉 🇺🇦 🇪🇺🐝 🦮🇮🇪🇧🇪 💙💚 @fbpech.bsky.social · 1d

Karma
We’re seeing a lot of it at the moment.

(In fact, it’s everywhere)

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mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 1d

"rising Tory star"? FFS! Are we going to get another talentless racist boosted into prominence by the media à-la-Farage?
I thought you better than that.
Anyway, rising Tory star equates to "best player in the Brixton lacrosse team".

Alan Rusbridger @arusbridger.bsky.social · 3d

The anti-migrant language about "cultural coherence" used by rising Tory star Katie Lam sounds very much like the 1930s, when her grandmother found sanctuary in the UK www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/pol...

Katie Lam’s anti-immigrant rhetoric sounds a lot like that of the 1930s

The Kent MP is espousing views that would have barred entry to her own ancestors when they were fleeing the Nazis

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk

mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 1d

In theory, nice! In practice, no. All we would get are crap party hacks not good enough to get into the HoC, and controlled by the party Whips. So the idea of a semi-independent revising chamber is still-born and we might as well scrap the whole lot.
Must be a better way to appoint independent minds

mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 1d

I keep saying that political donations should be capped at the level of UK tax paid by individuals or companies. No representation without taxation as someone once almost said.
Can't see why it's such a bad idea.

mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 1d

In that case he's talking total bollocks. It takes 2 teams to sort out Brexit red tape. His team are in their changing room ready to put their kit on. The other team are still in their coach on the motorway.
Just words....

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Ashley @inkedintrovert.bsky.social · 1d

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Krassensteins @krassenstein.bsky.social · 2d

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mickrab.bsky.social @mickrab.bsky.social · 1d

I hope not. McSweeney operates in the shadows. If Powell has the courage to relentlessly shine a spotlight on him, she can neuter him. It needs gloves off.