Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Rosie Denham

Ben Stanley @benstanley.eu · 1d

"Unfortunately it's not in our strategic interests to say the racist part out loud" is quite the advice.

Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 1d

Montie gives Pochin the benefit of his wisdom.

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Steve Race MP @steveracemp.bsky.social · 1d

I’ve joined with civic and faith leaders from across #Exeter to reaffirm our aspirations for our city - where everyone lives in peace, free from intimidation and discrimination, and where we continue to prosper by working together.

Unity over division, hope over fear.

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 2d

Over the next 3 months, I am hoping to get somewhere on the questions of
- how do end the impunity for racist harassment?
- what are the mechanisms for X operating its legal duties, under the 2010 Equality Act, as well as new online laws
- what kind of coalition of pressure is needed for action

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Kevin Hague @kevverage.bsky.social · 2d

Sunder is a consistent, measured voice of reason and he shows admirable calm in dealing with appalling attacks like this - this is more than “worrying”, it is shocking and outrageous

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 2d

A very worrying escalation of online harassment.

Somebody has used a video of me saying "racism in football is a game of two halves" + put a fake voiceover on it saying "what I would say to the girls of Rotherham is it is a game of two halves"

x.com/EuropaIneffa...

Europa Ineffable on X: "In a recent panel at what looks like Labour conference, Sunder Katwala, wearing an England shirt, appeared to compare the R🦍 GANGS to a football match: "it's a game of two halves" 🥴 https://t.co/b5YNKyaQtu" / X

In a recent panel at what looks like Labour conference, Sunder Katwala, wearing an England shirt, appeared to compare the R🦍 GANGS to a football match

x.com

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 3d

One reason why the government is in a mess is that “is that true tho?” doesn’t get anywhere near enough weight against “what do the public think?”

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 3d

Home Sec describes a widely held public perception (UK is the destination of choice for asylum seekers in Europe) + endorses it as true. Home Office data shows it is not true. Whatever merits of her policy change, should not make false factual claims
www.thesun.co.uk/news/3709465...

Migrants come to Britain because they think we're Europe's most generous country

TODAY’S small boat numbers are shameful, and the British people deserve better. They contain a lesson: we must go further and faster to secure our borders. Under the last Conservative Government, t…

www.thesun.co.uk

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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 4d

A policy this expansive would certainly mean mass stripping of permanent residence status from people with ILR (including pensioners and parents of British children) on a scale far beyond anything any democracy has ever done before. There is no public support for such an extreme policy.

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 4d

Via @sundersays.bsky.social the Conservatives' draft legislation - absolutely clear that it applies to (and is intended to apply to) legal permanent residents claiming state pension (on the basis of their contributions) or child benefit for British kids.

publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbi...

Revocation of Indefinite Leave to Remain in certain circumstances Indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom is revoked with respect to a person (“P”) if any of the following conditions apply. Condition 1 is that P is defined as a “foreign criminal” under section 32 of the UK Borders Act 2007. Condition 2 is that P was granted indefinite leave to remain after the coming into force of this Act, but would not be eligible for indefinite leave under the requirements of section 2. Condition 3 is that P, or any dependents of P, have been in receipt of any form of “social protection” (including housing) from the UK Government or 5 10 15 20 25 30 353 Immigration and Visas Bill Part 3—VISAS a local authority, where “social protection” is defined according to the Treasury’s Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, subject to any further definition by immigration rules. (5) (6) (7) (8) 4 5 (1) (2) (3) (4) (1) Condition 4 is that P’s annual income has fallen below £38,700 for six months or more in aggregate during the relevant qualification period, or subsequent to receiving indefinite leave to remain.

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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 4d

Here Lam explicitly sets out her proposal - which is official Conservative Party policy - to deport long-standing legal permanent residents who have *ever* claimed any benefit, including the state pension or child benefit (even if the child is British), or who earn less than £39K.

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 5d

Peston tells Lam that she said something that he "genuinely didn't understand". "But who are these people who came legally who should leave?"

This does not look like faux naivety.
He should know the answer!

She misleads in her answer to him.
So he gives a misleading summary of her policy on air.

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John Denham @jydenham.bsky.social · 6d

The chronic, systemic, morbidity of many European nation states is the background to the rise of sovereigntism and national populism eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 8d

It's apparently perfectly fine for senior political journalists to call for the deportation of British Muslim politicians now, with zero consequences

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Rosie Denham @rosiedenham.bsky.social · 8d

At nearly 7 she now regularly cycles 10+ km. The sense of independence it has given her is incredible, and hopefully a lifelong habit.

Rosie Denham @rosiedenham.bsky.social · 8d

A side effect I hadn’t anticipated, though seems obvious now, is how much it’s normalised travelling by bike for my kids. It is their norm and my 6 year old has insisted (despite my own anxiety) on riding her own bike on the road this year.

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Rosie Denham @rosiedenham.bsky.social · 8d

Really the only downside to having an electric cargo bike is inevitably becoming boringly evangelical about how good they are 😅 If you’re thinking about it, do it. Zero regrets.

Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · 9d

Love this on e-cargo bikes & family life:

“Forgoing a second car may have been the reason we bought it, but it was simply more fun to see my son grinning on the bike.”

“You see the joy that the kids get out of it, the time you get to spend with them … [and] it encourages you to use it more.”

Load and behold: should you opt for an electric cargo bike over a second car?

Cargo ebikes are ideal for the millions of short-distance car trips Australians take every day. Here’s how to make one work for you

www.theguardian.com

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Chris Giles @chrisgiles.ft.com · 11d

There is no need for a moral panic about the UK's welfare system.

Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts

Spending is controlled, not spiralling

Worklessness is near record lows

My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...

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Rosie Denham @rosiedenham.bsky.social · 11d

Anti vaxxers and new world order people will latch onto any other conspiracy theory going except an actual, known conspiracy by massive global corporations 😭

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 11d

Hey, remember when car and oil companies successfully lobbied governments to create car dependent cities and suburbs, and once we became almost completely car dependent, WE became the loudest, angriest champions of unhindered road space for cars, unnaturally cheap gas, and subsidized free parking?

Cartoon of a single-detached housing subdivision with a road jammed with cars

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 12d

An example of the government not having a project: only yesterday the government was trumpeting new measures to make it easier to build things. We'll work out who actually builds stuff later on.

András Forgács W @andraswf.bsky.social · 12d

Well this will certainly do it www.gov.uk/government/n...

Migrants will be required to pass A Level standard of English

Migrants will be required to pass tough new English language requirements under a law introduced in Parliament today.

www.gov.uk

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Rosie Denham @rosiedenham.bsky.social · 12d

Can guarantee you these same people will criticise the council for not doing more to tackle homelessness with absolutely zero self awareness

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Rosie Denham @rosiedenham.bsky.social · 12d

I… what? 🤦‍♀️😩

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James Austin @jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 12d

If you want a classic of the NIMBY local press genre, this is it.

This is a brownfield (ex-hard stand caravan park) site, in the very centre of Bristop, where 40% of homes will be affordable. Its basically the dream development NIMBYs demand.

And this is how work is written up.

Trees begin to be felled at harbourside site

Around 70 trees are due to be felled to make room for 166 new flats

www.bristol247.com

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John Denham @jydenham.bsky.social · 13d

Governments and political parties that lack a nation-building project seem inexorably drawn to the agenda of those most hostile to change. The diverse and multicultural nations that are western Europe’s future are not the historic norm. They will not build themselves.

Migration, diversity and nation building

This post outlines the challenge to re-imagine nationhood created by migration and diversity.

open.substack.com

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Anna Clarke @annaclarke.bsky.social · 15d

So Farage wants to scrap double council tax on second homes - a policy that's been working well to raise more money for councils and also free up more homes for locals. And instead ban new homes from being sold to anyone not already local - a policy shown to grind housebuilding to virtually zero?

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FT Edit @ftedit.ft.com · 17d

A new FT analysis has revealed that the majority of all houses in England are in the wrong council tax band, with many homeowners paying too much or too little. You may well be one of them! Modest homes are often paying more than mansions.

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 18d

Once again, I am asking where on earth the Short money *goes* and what they are spending it on. They are not doing meaningful parliamentary scrutiny. They are somehow less credible, spending-wise, than Reform, who are are a shoestring operation!

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 18d

Good to see the Conservative Party committed to keeping the deficit down by *checks notes* spending £2 billion giving tax breaks for private education, creating a massive new deportation force and pledging to maintain pensioner benefits.

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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 19d

And we have even less protection here. Trump can't fire judges who have constitutional protection. A government here could pass a law allowing them to do so with a majority of one in the Commons.

Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 19d

If you can't see how this will end, then you're not paying attention (not least to what's going on on the other side of the Atlantic).

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John Denham @jydenham.bsky.social · 20d

Opposition to national populism is often framed as a defence of the values of liberal democracy. But to the extent that liberal democracy was associated with sovereign democratic nation states, it remains an idealised view of nations that hardly came into existence before it began to be eroded.

Changing and contested ideas of nationhood

This post explores how our ideas of democratic nation states can conflict with the current reality.

nationstateandpolitics.substack.com

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