Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Steve Brown @dee-aspora.bsky.social · 3h

This is why we need electoral reform so we don't sleepwalk into authoritarianism

Make Votes Matter @makevotesmatter.bsky.social · 3h

Under First Past the Post, an extreme, even anti-democratic party can take full power on a fraction of the vote - without the consent of the majority.

In these troubled times, we shouldn't take our rights and freedoms for granted.

That's another reason why we need Proportional Representation.

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Reposted by Steve Brown

Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 6h

A bubble so large you can see it from space and it's going to fuck all of us.

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 14h

NVIDIA and OpenAi:

Concerns that their “increasingly complex and interconnected web of business transactions is artificially propping up the trillion-dollar AI boom.“

@bloomberg.com $NVDA 👀
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

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Steve Brown @dee-aspora.bsky.social · 22h

Mobilising a 'routes and returns' approach to small boats should do a lot to take the sting out of UK politics.
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Sunder Katwala on race, patriotism and flag-waving: ‘The far right is vocal and angry because it is shrinking’

The director of British Future has spent his career trying to find common ground when it comes to race and immigration. He describes his own experience of racism – and why he’s still hopeful for the U...

www.theguardian.com

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Steve Brown @dee-aspora.bsky.social · 1d

Will anyone listen? Not at #FIFA, that's for sure
www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Club World Cup has left an injury trail that is damaging football. But will anyone listen? | Jacob Steinberg

Response to strained schedule has been more football than ever, and a danger that the best will have nothing left to give at the World Cup

www.theguardian.com

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Alan Beattie @alanbeattie.bsky.social · 2d

OK, let's take this seriously. I had an odd half an hour and via Apple Books had a quick look at the three claims I knew most about - two re the post-Brexit bilateral preferential trade agreements replicated from the EU versions and one about cheaper bananas. All are wrong or wildly implausible. 1/n

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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 4d

There are lots of reasons not to leave ECHR. But apart from anything else, it just doesn't solve the problem the Tories/Reform think it does.

E.g. the Supreme Court judgment re Rwanda being unsafe explicitly said it was not based on ECHR.

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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 5d

The main reason climate policy has failed is that it's opposed by an international coalition of fossil fuel incumbents, authoritarian governments, & oligarch-owned media.

That's it. It's the people who killed it who are responsible for killing it! Not the people who supported it! FFS.

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James Murray @james-bg.bsky.social · 6d

The worst thing about the Tory pledge to repeal the Climate Change Act is not the decision itself, bad as that is, but the rationale given for it and the total lack of an alternative plan. It’s proof of the complete intellectual collapse of a once great Party.
www.businessgreen.com/news/4519805...

'A reckless decision': Conservatives pledge to repeal Climate Change Act

Kemi Badenoch accused of a "desperate attempt to sound like Donald Trump on climate change", as business and green groups slam "a new low point" for the Tories

www.businessgreen.com

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 6d

MADELEINE DEAN: The president is unhinged. He's unwell

JOHNSON: A lot of folks on your side are too

D: Oh my god, please. That performance in front of the generals?

J: I didn't see it

D: It's so dangerous! Our allies are looking elsewhere. Our enemies are laughing. You have a POTUS who's unwell.

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 7d

Nick Robinson asks "Can you have a racist policy without being racist yourself?"

Macpherson definition: racism not only simply intention - but discriminatory impacts too.

Farage policy on ILR discriminates: he protects Europeans but threatens those from Commonwealth countries (India, Nigeria)

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Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 7d

This is why we fund scientists to study things like oyster slobber even if you don’t think it sounds important

Leah McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 9d

⚠️ Chinese researchers have invented bone glue that mimics how oysters stick to surfaces underwater.

The adhesive can reportedly repair orthopedic fractures in 2-3 minutes, even in blood-rich environments, and is bioabsorbable.

interestingengineering.com/science/chin...

China's oyster-inspired 'bone glue' bonds fractures in minutes

A new oyster-inspired Bone-02 adhesive can revolutionize bone repair without metal fasteners.

interestingengineering.com

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The Secret Labuor MP🥀🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧 @secret-labour-mp.bsky.social · 8d

Here’s something that should never disappear….

Nigel Farage (in the company of Nathan Gill), being quizzed by Channel 4’s Matt Frei.

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Neil Mackay @neilmackay.bsky.social · 8d

‘So the rumours are true … time to ask some serious questions about Reform and Russia’

My column on Nathan Gill, former leader of Reform in Wales, admitting taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia while a member of the European Parliament

www.heraldscotland.com/politics/vie...

It's time we asked some serious questions about Reform and Russia, says Neil Mackay

As a former prominent leader of Reform faces jail for taking bribes to make pro-Russian statements, Neil Mackay says we have to ask serious…

www.heraldscotland.com

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Demos @demos-uk.bsky.social · 9d

📢 NEW REPORT | Solving The Tax Puzzle

Groundbreaking new Demos research released today recommends eight popular, pragmatic, pro-growth tax reforms to plug the fiscal hole.

📘 Read the full report ⬇️
demos.co.uk/research/sol...

Solving the Tax Puzzle: Eight popular, pragmatic, pro-growth tax reforms to plug the fiscal hole

Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.

demos.co.uk

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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 9d

Yep yep yep. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Far-right Facebook groups are engine of radicalisation in UK, data investigation suggests

Rioters were influenced by network that exposes hundreds of thousands of Britons to racist disinformation, Guardian research indicates

www.theguardian.com

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Steve Brown @dee-aspora.bsky.social · 11d

One for your war movie podcast @duncanweldon.bsky.social @roberthutton.co.uk

Iain Roberts @slowbikeiain.bsky.social · 11d

Statue to the WWII Cockleshell Heroes. #AlphabetChallenge #WeekMForMemories More information about their incredible story: www.historyextra.com/period/secon...

Statue of a man canoeing. The statue shows his torso, arms, head and the long double-ended paddle.

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Compass @compassoffice.bsky.social · 12d

This MASSIVE MRP (13k people polled!) lays bare the intrinsic issue with FPTP.

Reform would be on course the form a government with just 27% of the vote. The democratic deficit is huge.

The case for PR has never been clearer.

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 13d

Quite. So many Labour people on this website visibly have no idea of just how bad things have got for ethnic minorities since they came on, and how their visible indifference lands.

Amrk @amrk.bsky.social · 13d

Also frankly I am quite desperate! A party that’s at best ambivalent on the question of whether I’m English and wants to deport my friends is 9 points ahead in the polls and the current leader is floundering and visibly out of his depth!

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Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 13d

In 1992, Scott Bessent was one of the team at Soros Fund Management which speculated against sterling's membership of the ERM. What a long strange trip it's been.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 13d

Bessent on Argentina: "The plan is as long as President Milei continues with his strong economic policies to help him, to bridge him to the election, we are not going to let a disequilibrium in the market cause a backup in his substantial economic reforms."

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Steve Brown @dee-aspora.bsky.social · 13d

Thanks David. I think Ed Conway's Material World is also essential reading in this context.

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Steve Brown @dee-aspora.bsky.social · 13d

Hi David. How would you characterise the new global economy? I doubt many people working in place-based economic development think within that frame.

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Emma Jacobs @emmavj.bsky.social · 13d

This was the kind of nonsense confected when Eastern Europeans arrived in greater numbers… it would be funny if it wasn’t just a xenophobic grift

Natasha Devon @natashadevon.bsky.social · 14d

The original story Farage claptrapped about on air this morning was from the Sun more than 20 years ago (they subsequently had to retract and apologise). They’ve now run it again, off the back of Farage’s comments. It’s a self perpetuating circle of xenophobic gubbins.

SWAN BAKE Migrants are eating SWANS and carp stolen from UK parks, Nigel Farage claims.

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Birmingham 81 @birmingham81.bsky.social · 13d

RIP Danny Thompson. Here's a playlist featuring just some of the hundreds of songs that were graced by his bass playing. Includes Nick Drake, Pentangle, Donovan, John Martyn, Sandy Denny, Marc Bolan, David Sylvian, Kate Bush, Talk Talk, Lilac Time, Julian Cope etc
▶️ open.spotify.com/playlist/4XS...

RIP Danny Thompson

open.spotify.com

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Steve Brown @dee-aspora.bsky.social · 14d

Substitute Farage for Trump and this relflects the UK. Authoritarianism doesn't have to be our future.

Pete Buttigieg @petebuttigieg.bsky.social · 17d

Donald Trump is way less popular than he wants you to believe.

And you are significantly more powerful than he wants you to think.

Reposted by Steve Brown

Lewis Goodall @lewisgoodall.com · 14d

The “Ed Davey is obsessed with Farage” takes are weird.

A) The media is obsessed with Farage
B) If the next election looks anything like the polling, it will basically be a progressive/populist bloc election. Labour won’t be Davey’s enemy. They’ll be his path to govern.

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