Author | Lightnews

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Hillary Rodham Clinton @hillaryclinton.bsky.social · 2h

This is the president of the United States taking a break from gold-and-marble interior renovations to say he’ll defy a court order to feed hungry Americans.

Nero would be proud.

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 2h

Walmart and McDonald’s are among the top employers of workers who rely on food stamps.

McDonald's CEO raked in $18.2M last year — over 1,000x the company's median employee pay.

Walmart's CEO pocketed $27.4M — 930x the company's median employee pay.

See the problem?

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The Lincoln Project @lincolnproject.us · 2h

Trump will illegally defy a court order just so he can starve poor people over a political dispute.

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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 13h

She is telling an accurate story of recent history - the triple punch of austerity, Brexit and covid. It's spot on. But it is terribly strange to say it now in government when you were not prepared to say it in opposition.

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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 11h

Notable in today's YouGov that the centre/left bloc - Lab/Green/LD/SNP are on 54%. With Reform/Tories on 43%. That's the biggest differential in a long time.

I think useful to track blocs given instability between parties at the moment.

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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 12h

There should be a tax on ridiculously bloated road boats registered in urban areas, because (a) they cause obvious problems in such areas (b) they are bad for the environment (c) they are dangerous for children (d) they are awful, and driving them should be expensive and socially stigmatised.

Jon Burke🌍 @jonburkeuk.bsky.social · 12h

Cars the U.K are up to 55% larger today than they were in the 1970s and there are twice the number of motors on our roads as there were 30 years ago, but anti-Low Traffic Neighbourhood and anti-cycle lane campaigners keep claiming they 'cause congestion'.

Okay.

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Pete Husky @petehusky.bsky.social · 11h

Also worth noting that permanent residents (aka people with indefinite leave to remain) can vote in local and general elections in NZ.

That huge extra voting bloc may deter some of the performative cruelty of the tories & reform!!

Pete Husky @petehusky.bsky.social · 11h

For what it’s worth having moved from a uk safe seat where my vote never counted, to NZ where it always counts is a breath of fresh air.

Turnout 78%

NZ parliament is based on Westminster and still swears allegiance to King Charles so won’t suffer the branding risk of a ‘European style’ system!

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Pete Husky @petehusky.bsky.social · 11h

Enjoyed this - but one thing you didn’t cover when saying the mixed member proportional system was open to manipulation: The NZ system ALSO has a rule that if you DONT win a constituency you have to get above a 5% threshold of national vote or you don’t get any seats.

Alba (0.5%)wheeze thwarted!

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Jo Michell @jomichell.bsky.social · 13h

Late period Osborne: interest rates at zero and 50-80bn of headroom: and his priority was “don’t invest”.

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Joseph Rowntree Foundation @jrf-uk.bsky.social · 12h

We're proud to join @crisis-uk.bsky.social in their call for Local Housing Allowance to be unfrozen at the Budget.

❄️ LHA has been frozen since April 2024, heaping financial pressure on low-income renters in the private rented sector.

Crisis @crisis-uk.bsky.social · 1d

Abel’s experience is too common among the people we support.

He experienced homelessness for five months. Because housing benefit did not cover the cost of rent, he couldn’t find anywhere he could afford.

His message to the Chancellor: fix housing benefit on 26 November. [1/5]

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Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 12h

One year ago, Donald Trump was re-elected to the White House. One of his biggest accomplishments? The total collapse of British trust in America.

Read more here: https://www.bestforbritain.org/uk_trading_partner

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Patriotic Millionaires UK @patmillsuk.bsky.social · 12h

The focus of the Budget should be taxing us, the super rich, rather than taxing ordinary people. We hope the Chancellor delivers.

Sky News @news.sky.com · 13h

Chancellor Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out manifesto-breaking tax hikes

Rachel Reeves has refused to rule out breaking her manifesto pledge not to raise certain taxes, as she lays the groundwork ahead of the budget later this month.

news.sky.com

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Reform Party UK Exposed @reformexposed.bsky.social · 12h

Let’s not forget Nigel Farage is commenting on his own promises here.

He’s saying Reform UK promises are unrealistic.

Promises made in a General Election ‘Contract’ and repeated during a local election.

What a liar.

#ReformLies

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Christian Dimmer @remmid.bsky.social · 17h

If the democratic (small 'd') opposition ever returns to power in the U.S., a huge task awaits: rebuilding the institutions and laws. It cannot be that a House Speaker shuts down the people’s house indefinitely or refuses to swear in the duly elected representatives. #RuleOfLaw

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 19h

This is seriously one of those things that probably blows the minds of most people outside of the United States.

A “swearing in” should obviously be completely ceremonial, and should have no legal weight at all.

THE ELECTION GIVES THE WINNER THE ROLE, not the Speaker.

It really makes no sense.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 18d

Swearing in isn’t some ceremony. You aren’t a member of Congress until it happens. He knows that.

No phones, no staff, nothing.

I had to escort her into the Capitol on Wed bc Capitol police must treat her as a public visitor until she’s sworn in. And solo visitors aren’t allowed during shutdown!

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 20h

The president of the United States thinks asylum-seekers come from mental asylums.

He says it in almost every interview where the topic of migration comes up.

How is this not 25th Amendment territory? How is he not an embarrassment to this entire country?

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David Gura @davidgura.bsky.social · 1d

“There are some people who hate London, and hate New York,” Mayor Sadiq Khan told me, on Bloomberg TV. “There's a reason why they demonize London, and now, indeed, New York. Why? Because we are progressive cities. We are liberal cities. We are multicultural cities. And we are incredibly successful.”

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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 1d

I'm going with "a raging bin fire"

What would UK economic policy look like under Nigel Farage’s Reform?

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Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @irishrainforest.bsky.social · 1d

92%: the percentage of funding for Nigel Farage's far-right political party Reform UK that comes from fossil fuel interests.

Across the world, anyone blaming immigrants, etc, it's all just a smokescreen to allow the rich to keep on getting richer by killing our planet.
share.google/W2gwfc0XVpUy...

‘You can’t eat electricity’: how rural solar farms became the latest battlefront in Britain’s culture war

Reform UK is exploiting opposition to solar panels – but most farmers are more worried about climate change.

share.google

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Pete Husky @petehusky.bsky.social · 1d

In 2017 true right 47.5% & left 45%! The populist party went with the left.

Much Jacinda did - state housing, healthy homes law, Zero carbon act, oil & gas exploration ban, child poverty ⬇️ act, gun restrictions after terror attack, health, pandemic- all done with the populist party in coalition!

Pete Husky @petehusky.bsky.social · 1d

The populist party in question is a chameleon. It is pro state intervention for regional development and anti foreign ownership and influence on housing price inflation, pro welfare for older people, but latterly a home for anti vaxers.

It’s leader is an accomplished foreign secretary.

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Pete Husky @petehusky.bsky.social · 1d

Fair. Although the other nuance is that the NZ situation has been complicated by a populist party that sided with the left to produce Jacinda arderns govt from 2017 to 2023 and is currently part of the right block. Without it the true right got 48% and the left bloc 45%

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George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 1d

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Pete Husky @petehusky.bsky.social · 1d

What I don’t understand is… do British Indians just go back to trusting the party which under Badenoch adopted deportation with zero scrutiny or safeguards? Surely this episode shows anything goes if they get reelected. Zero moral or economic or practical filter.

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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 1d

This becomes even more unfair when you look at the average modern-day valuation of a Band H house in each area…

John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 2d

The other problem with this is the vast discrepancies between councils in terms of house prices, wealth, and council tax demands.

Band H in Westminster is £2,034.36.

Band H in Middlesbrough is £4,973.06.

Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 2d

The simplest approach is the one the FT says the Government is considering - doubling council tax for Band G and Band H.

Yes, it raises £4bn - but there are so many more Band G properties that they generate 80% of the revenue.

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