Samira Shackle
@samirashackle.bsky.social
Freelance journalist (mostly for the Guardian Long Read) and author of Karachi Vice. I am also on Substack @samirashackle. Currently on maternity leave!
Having relied heavily on Google for my entire career, I really can’t get over this. It’s just so bad now!
Google at its peak was basically the best information retrieval system in human history and they and every competitor decided going from there to “you didn’t want answers you wanted half-assed auto-complete 80%-wrong hallucinations” in a few years was the right idea
November 25, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Having relied heavily on Google for my entire career, I really can’t get over this. It’s just so bad now!
Reposted by Samira Shackle
this just shows how the Western family unit has completely broken down because in Asia we all have uncles to fulfill this function in our lives
November 23, 2025 at 11:21 AM
this just shows how the Western family unit has completely broken down because in Asia we all have uncles to fulfill this function in our lives
Reposted by Samira Shackle
I find insane that shabana mahmood is going out there and saying "white british people cannot be asked to accept too many of us outsiders, it is not in their nature, and their pushback against all of us is to be placated". What???
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood made more explicit her argument that when ethnic minorities face racism, "we have no choice but to ask: what is the cause of our division"
Her answer is the level of net migration, 2019-23 causes racism. (She on Monday said it was caused by the scale of asylum)
Her answer is the level of net migration, 2019-23 causes racism. (She on Monday said it was caused by the scale of asylum)
November 21, 2025 at 9:47 AM
I find insane that shabana mahmood is going out there and saying "white british people cannot be asked to accept too many of us outsiders, it is not in their nature, and their pushback against all of us is to be placated". What???
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Quite the correction by the Telegraph. The publication in question is @freemovement.bsky.social
November 21, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Quite the correction by the Telegraph. The publication in question is @freemovement.bsky.social
Reposted by Samira Shackle
This story is all Nigel Farage should be asked about by journalists for months
Ex-leader of Reform UK in Wales sentenced to 10-and-a-half years for taking pro-Russian bribes
The judge tells Nathan Gill his actions were a
www.bbc.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 2:34 PM
This story is all Nigel Farage should be asked about by journalists for months
Reposted by Samira Shackle
This is one of the changes in the UK media landscape that should be more remarked on: the fact that being a very open, proud, outright racist is no longer a bar to being a pundit on some TV stations (in this case GBN and Talk TV).
Lucy White advocates a ban on "non-natives" from office, citing Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel.
So she is referring to UK-born ethnic minority citizens. (Her argument would apply equally to Shabana Mahmood, Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman and others)
Lucy White continues to be a GB News regular
So she is referring to UK-born ethnic minority citizens. (Her argument would apply equally to Shabana Mahmood, Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman and others)
Lucy White continues to be a GB News regular
November 21, 2025 at 11:12 AM
This is one of the changes in the UK media landscape that should be more remarked on: the fact that being a very open, proud, outright racist is no longer a bar to being a pundit on some TV stations (in this case GBN and Talk TV).
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Implying that the "cause of our division" is too many care workers, as Mahmood does here, is both absurd and sinister.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood made more explicit her argument that when ethnic minorities face racism, "we have no choice but to ask: what is the cause of our division"
Her answer is the level of net migration, 2019-23 causes racism. (She on Monday said it was caused by the scale of asylum)
Her answer is the level of net migration, 2019-23 causes racism. (She on Monday said it was caused by the scale of asylum)
November 21, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Implying that the "cause of our division" is too many care workers, as Mahmood does here, is both absurd and sinister.
Mandatory jail sentences for all asylum seekers seen smiling, laughing or dancing.
There is so much messed up about this front page Express story today.
There's no suggestion or evidence ANY alcohol or drugs was consumed. This is literally just people dancing.
And buried in the piece: "The footage is believed to have been filmed just before Labour took power in July last year."
There's no suggestion or evidence ANY alcohol or drugs was consumed. This is literally just people dancing.
And buried in the piece: "The footage is believed to have been filmed just before Labour took power in July last year."
November 19, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Mandatory jail sentences for all asylum seekers seen smiling, laughing or dancing.
Reposted by Samira Shackle
Indentured servitude as government policy? Great! Great news!!
Watching the Mahmood announcement and debate. Tory backbencher (Karen Bradley) suggests putting refugees into debt and making them repay during the rest of their lives. Mahmood says she’ll think about it.
November 17, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Indentured servitude as government policy? Great! Great news!!
This is such a good piece, well worth your time.
I spoke to two dozen BBC journalists, from frontline reporters to senior staff, about how the BBC came to symbolise the West's failure to prevent genocide in Gaza - and how the row over its coverage fed directly into its current meltdown.
www.equator.org/articles/ins...
www.equator.org/articles/ins...
Inside the BBC’s Gaza Fiasco • EQUATOR
How the world’s most trusted media organisation fell apart
www.equator.org
November 17, 2025 at 10:55 AM
This is such a good piece, well worth your time.
The line “vote for us or you’ll get the far right” doesn’t really work when the policies you’re enacting are barely distinguishable from what the far right propose.
November 17, 2025 at 8:16 AM
The line “vote for us or you’ll get the far right” doesn’t really work when the policies you’re enacting are barely distinguishable from what the far right propose.
Reposted by Samira Shackle
"Vote for us or the far right will get in. Also, we find the far right inspirational"
🤡🤡
🤡🤡
Somebody is briefing the Times that the Home Secretary finds inspiration in Kristi Noem's leading the Trump mass deportation effort - which has gone much too far for Americans
What a kamikaze piece of political madness that is on the eve of their asylum package
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
What a kamikaze piece of political madness that is on the eve of their asylum package
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
Shabana Mahmood threatens Trump-style visa ban on three countries
Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo will face Trump-style sanctions if they do not start taking back more illegal migrants and criminals
www.thetimes.com
November 16, 2025 at 10:50 PM
"Vote for us or the far right will get in. Also, we find the far right inspirational"
🤡🤡
🤡🤡
Reposted by Samira Shackle
These people are incompetent, scared of the tasks before them, adrift from any real values or vision, and cosseting themselves in sad fantasies of populism and authoritarian power. Even as its clear these are a wretched offer to the public and loser electoral propositions in the US.
November 17, 2025 at 7:25 AM
These people are incompetent, scared of the tasks before them, adrift from any real values or vision, and cosseting themselves in sad fantasies of populism and authoritarian power. Even as its clear these are a wretched offer to the public and loser electoral propositions in the US.
Did anyone who voted for Labour vote for this? If it does actually end up being proposed I hope the party finds its backbone.
The Sun has been told Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will on Monday propose confiscating jewellery, watches, necklaces from asylum seekers to meet asylum costs
This reflects the most controversial aspect of the Danish scheme - the Jewellery Law. The toughest Labour MPs thought this was OTT
This reflects the most controversial aspect of the Danish scheme - the Jewellery Law. The toughest Labour MPs thought this was OTT
November 17, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Did anyone who voted for Labour vote for this? If it does actually end up being proposed I hope the party finds its backbone.
Reposted by Samira Shackle
2015 Shabana Mahmood really needs to have a word with 2025 Shabana Mahmood
November 16, 2025 at 8:14 PM
2015 Shabana Mahmood really needs to have a word with 2025 Shabana Mahmood
Reposted by Samira Shackle
With the ending of permanent asylum, taxes on foreign students, two U-turns on income tax, a refusal to listen to business concerns about hiring costs, again I ask ‘who are Labour for?’ What is the vision underlying all these choices other than responding to last week’s polls?
November 15, 2025 at 10:36 AM
With the ending of permanent asylum, taxes on foreign students, two U-turns on income tax, a refusal to listen to business concerns about hiring costs, again I ask ‘who are Labour for?’ What is the vision underlying all these choices other than responding to last week’s polls?
Reposted by Samira Shackle
This contribution to the volume of human misery is yet another policy from Labour based on a false premise, in this case that refugees are overly attracted to Britain. It will increase bureaucratic limbo, thus making worse the problem of "cohesion" it purports to solve.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays
Shabana Mahmood is expected to say the era of permanent protection for refugees is over, in major changes to the UK's asylum and immigration system.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 8:47 AM
This contribution to the volume of human misery is yet another policy from Labour based on a false premise, in this case that refugees are overly attracted to Britain. It will increase bureaucratic limbo, thus making worse the problem of "cohesion" it purports to solve.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Samira Shackle
NEW: The biggest union in the BBC, Bectu, has written to culture secretary Lisa Nandy and BBC chair Samir Shah, demanding the removal of Robbie Gibb from the BBC Board.
They say Gibb, a political appointee, is a “direct block to the BBC maintaining its chartered objective of independence”.
They say Gibb, a political appointee, is a “direct block to the BBC maintaining its chartered objective of independence”.
November 14, 2025 at 9:24 AM
NEW: The biggest union in the BBC, Bectu, has written to culture secretary Lisa Nandy and BBC chair Samir Shah, demanding the removal of Robbie Gibb from the BBC Board.
They say Gibb, a political appointee, is a “direct block to the BBC maintaining its chartered objective of independence”.
They say Gibb, a political appointee, is a “direct block to the BBC maintaining its chartered objective of independence”.
Reposted by Samira Shackle
CLAIM: The government is run by a secret society of pedophiles
RATING: FALSE. This society is in no way a secret
RATING: FALSE. This society is in no way a secret
November 13, 2025 at 2:06 AM
CLAIM: The government is run by a secret society of pedophiles
RATING: FALSE. This society is in no way a secret
RATING: FALSE. This society is in no way a secret
It’s profoundly worrying that so many politicians and journalists, continue to use this platform which is increasingly a space for hate speech and far right propaganda. It’s having a serious impact on the state of national discourse. Government should at the very least make X abide by the law.
X is in clear + systemic breach of its legal duties in the UK to remove unlawful content from its platform.
Proof: when X users abuse + harass others with the racial slur "paki", X reporting system defends the racist abuse in more than 90% of cases reported.
A new thread documenting this.
Proof: when X users abuse + harass others with the racial slur "paki", X reporting system defends the racist abuse in more than 90% of cases reported.
A new thread documenting this.
November 13, 2025 at 7:24 AM
It’s profoundly worrying that so many politicians and journalists, continue to use this platform which is increasingly a space for hate speech and far right propaganda. It’s having a serious impact on the state of national discourse. Government should at the very least make X abide by the law.
This seems like a positive step, and something the U.K. should be thinking about doing too.
Ireland's media regulator has launched an investigation into X
It has good reasons to suspect X is not meeting its legal obligations to run a legally compliant complaints system in Ireland. It is not giving users who report unlawful content the chance to appeal
www.cnam.ie/coimisiun-na...
It has good reasons to suspect X is not meeting its legal obligations to run a legally compliant complaints system in Ireland. It is not giving users who report unlawful content the chance to appeal
www.cnam.ie/coimisiun-na...
Coimisiún na Meán Investigation into X - Coimisiún na Meán
Coimisiún na Meán’s Investigations Team has today (12.11.2025) commenced a formal investigation into the provider of the X online platform (X), under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA). The investigati...
www.cnam.ie
November 12, 2025 at 6:58 PM
This seems like a positive step, and something the U.K. should be thinking about doing too.
This is an incredibly moving story - well worth your time www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
When I met Craig he was 13 and homeless. I still thought his life might turn around. I was tragically wrong
The long read: I knew he was running away from something. It wasn’t until many years later that I discovered the truth
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:01 PM
This is an incredibly moving story - well worth your time www.theguardian.com/news/2025/no...
Reposted by Samira Shackle
i really believe in tackling gender inequality but few things seem quite as wrongheaded to me as the demand to transfer wealth from poorer younger generations with a far-distant retirement age, lower real wages and very little hope of property acquisition, to wealthy boomers who didn't read a letter
'Irresponsible Waspis have no right to state pension compensation. The women who missed out when the retirement age changed should have checked how much they would get and when' | ✍️ Tom McPhail
Irresponsible Waspis have no right to state pension compensation
The women who missed out when the retirement age changed should have checked how much they would get and when, says savings expert Tom McPhail
www.thetimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:12 PM
i really believe in tackling gender inequality but few things seem quite as wrongheaded to me as the demand to transfer wealth from poorer younger generations with a far-distant retirement age, lower real wages and very little hope of property acquisition, to wealthy boomers who didn't read a letter
Reposted by Samira Shackle
If you think that “the slow vanishing of employee benefits” is a better trade politically than “the other lot saying you broke your promise on income tax”, you are out of your tree: www.ft.com/content/1160...
November 11, 2025 at 12:16 AM
If you think that “the slow vanishing of employee benefits” is a better trade politically than “the other lot saying you broke your promise on income tax”, you are out of your tree: www.ft.com/content/1160...
Excellent piece by @lewisgoodall.com on the BBC mess and how the principle of impartiality has been distorted open.substack.com/pub/goodalla...
The truth about impartiality at the BBC
And the hysteria of the current "crisis"
open.substack.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Excellent piece by @lewisgoodall.com on the BBC mess and how the principle of impartiality has been distorted open.substack.com/pub/goodalla...