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Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 9h

That's an interesting point. I hadn't thought of that. Of course, not every Israeli voted for Likud and its far-right partners (many detest them). That said, the government is legitimised by the democratic process.

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Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 9h

I'm not saying I disagree with you. Israel is currently a self-proclaimed ethno-state: "Jewish and democratic." It might change in the future. I hope it does.

Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 9h

Depends on how you define democracy. There were a lot of people who thought Apartheid South Africa was a democracy! Democracy just means the rule of the demos, and it depends on who you include in that group.

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Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 10h

Here's an interesting article about the second class status of so-called "Israeli Arabs"
decolonizepalestine.com/myth/all-isr...

Myth: All Israelis are equal | Decolonize Palestine

Israel's existence as a colonial ethnocracy precludes any possibility for creating an equal society. While useful as a propaganda claim, it falls apart under the most cursory of research.

decolonizepalestine.com

Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 10h

I think Palestinians (or "Israeli Arabs as the govt refers to them as) make up around 20% of the population. The Palestinians aren't part of Israel's population. In the West Bank, they live under illegal military occupation & Gaza was an illegally blockaded enclave.

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Phil McDuff @mcduff.bsky.social · 13h

The thing to understand about Robert Peston is, he is ferociously intellectually incurious. Genuinely one of the laziest men in journalism. You'd think this would make him unsuited for his role, but you'll understand more when you recognise it's exactly why he has the highly paid position he does.

Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · 15h

Peston is aghast that @zackpolanski.bsky.social backs a sporting boycott of Israel, saying, its a democracy!

Israel has been engaged in a brutal occupation & apartheid for decades & denies millions under its control their basic civil rights. Was apartheid South Africa a democracy too?

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Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · 14h

Labour and tuition fees, then and now.

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Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 12h

I'm just stunned at how otherwise smart people are willing to tie themselves up in knots. The logical outcome of his argument is to leave everyone thinking, "Well, what's the point of liberal democracy, then"? People are willing to undermine the case for democracy to defend crimes against humanity!

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Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 12h

Apparently, it is.

Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 18h

Is Peston suggesting that Western democracies (albeit, apartheid states) should get a free pass on genocide?

This raises all kinds of questions, not least over whether, if equally capable of committing crimes against humanity, liberal democracy has any value other than being a Get Out of Jail card

BladeoftheSun @bladeofthes.bsky.social · 21h

Peston cuts Zack Polanski off because Zack points out that yes Israel should be boycotted because they Torture Western citizens, including from the UK.

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Mark Thomas @markthomasinfo.bsky.social · 1d

Trump university.
Trump casino.
Trump peace.

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Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 1d

The whole Maccabi Tel Aviv thing demonstrates that there's only a thin line between Tommy Robinson and the British political establishment (including Labour, the Tories, Liberal Democrats and Reform).

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Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 1d

I've not seen Monkey Man before. Man, what a movie.

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Kathy Hodgson 💚🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🚲🥄 @kathyhodgson.bsky.social · 1d

Hmm, only 10 years ago, what happened in the interim??

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Maureen Johnson @maureenjohnsonbooks.com · 1d

I spend a year plotting a mystery novel and then this happens.

"Police focus on ladder placed against the side of the Louvre"

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Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 1d

The frequency with which there are major Internet outages is concerning. One day, something major is going to fall over, and we're suddenly going to be shunted back to the mid-90s without a clue how to do anything. Has anyone still got a fax machine?

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Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 1d

I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask whether the late Queen Elizabeth contributed to the settlement paid to Virginia Giuffre?

The Head of State paying off a victim of sex trafficking to save her son the embarrassment of appearing in court is a pretty huge deal.

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Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 2d

My son joined the Green Party. There would have been a time when a young, leftwing progressive student from a working class background living in the north of England would have joined the Labour Party. It would have been a no-brainer.

Not any more and, most likely, never again.

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Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 2d

To be fair, that passes for razor-sharpe political analysis in the Sunday Times.

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Matt Widox @widox80.bsky.social · 2d

The United States is run by a bunch of immature little children.

Department of State @state-department.bsky.social · 3d

Give us a follow so we can update you on how the Democrats' partisan shutdown is harming America's national security.

(we also heard this is a great place to research visa revocations 👀)

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Jolyon Maugham KC @goodlawproject.org · 3d

"One of Austin’s meetings was with Rafael... [which] develops Spike missiles that appear to have been used by the Israel Defense Forces against targets including a convoy of ambulances." www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Revealed: UK Foreign Office staff pushed for Israel trip despite suspension of trade talks

Exclusive: Peer meet Israeli officials and business leaders on visit that had no support from ministers

www.theguardian.com

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Andrew Fisher @fisherandrew79.bsky.social · 3d

But keeps the title Prince and will still live on the Royal Estate at Windsor.

Oh the punishment!

Pure spin from Buckingham Palace

Headline from the Guardian about Prince Andrew

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PercyToplis @percytoplis.bsky.social · 3d

Was waiting for this.

Starmer hasn't thought this through has he

RichTheRed @richthered.bsky.social · 4d

Tommy ten names now on that international grift, for those who can’t read the language it’s translates to “sell out for cash”

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flyingrodent @flyingrodent.bsky.social · 4d

You have to marvel at how relentlessly insulting British politics is

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Adil Ray @adilray.bsky.social · 4d

The media seems to forget
to mention that when Tel Aviv Maccabi fans went to Amsterdam, there were reports they chanted “we will f**k the arabs” and ““There are no schools in Gaza because there are no children left.” They also pulled down Palestinian flags. They were met with attacks from locals.

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