HughBankier.bsky.social
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hughbankier.bsky.social
HughBankier.bsky.social
@hughbankier.bsky.social
140 followers 250 following 190 posts
Social democrat. Hoping we learn the lessons of the 20th Century. It's not looking too clever, is it?

For God's Sake Get The Ground Lights On

HughBankier.bsky.social
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
peterstefanovic.bsky.social
Should the UK rejoin the EU and reverse Brexit? Vote in the Daily Mirror poll👇

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...
Mirror readers debate rejoining EU ahead of Brexit anniversary
Keir Starmer is trying to repair relations with the European Union but Brexit remains a thorny issue in the UK - and we want to know your views on whether to rejoin the EU or not
www.mirror.co.uk
January 6, 2026 at 10:41 AM
hughbankier.bsky.social
Brilliant analogy.
uglygame.bsky.social Martin Calladine @uglygame.bsky.social · 1d
Don't know how any country can claim to be serious about doing its best for its people and improving the world, when it has had as Prime Minister Starmer, Sunak, Truss, Johnson and May in just ten years. Britain is the Man United of countries.
January 5, 2026 at 11:34 AM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
lisariemers.bsky.social
Do you live in or near SE London? Is one of your goals to get out more and meet new folks in 2026? Join us @itspuboclock.bsky.social

Turn up any time from 6.30pm, drop in or stay all eve. I'll have a tiny whiteboard with an incendiary question like "What's the best and worst biscuit?" #ItsPubOClock
itspuboclock.bsky.social It's Pub O'Clock @itspuboclock.bsky.social · 6d
Want to meet new people?
Often work from home?
Want an excuse to pop out?

Heading into the 4th year of #ItsPubOClock and next dates:

Thurs 15th Jan, Rusty Bucket 🪣 SE9

Thurs 29 Jan, Green Goddess SE3 💚

Thurs 5th Feb, Rusty Bucket 🪣🪣 in BEXLEY, DA5

6.30pm onwards, drop in or stay

#ItsPubOClock
Pub? It's Pub o clock logo, hand written on a post it note
January 5, 2026 at 8:13 AM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
davidrvetter.bsky.social
A crucial point. Elon Musk and several other tech executives are right now producing and distributing child pornography, and that is how the media should be covering this.
ketanjoshi.co Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 4d
This is a thread of major media outlets falsely anthropomorphising the "Grok" chatbot program and in doing so, actively and directly removing responsibility and accountability from individual people working at X who created a child pornography generator (Elon Musk, Nikita Bier etc)

#1: Reuters
Grok says safeguard lapses led to images of 'minors in minimal clothing' on X By Reuters January 2, 20267:40 PM GMT+1Updated 1 hour ago Illustration shows xAI and Grok logos xAI and Grok logos are seen in this illustration taken, February 16, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Jan 2 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's xAI artificial intelligence chatbot Grok said on Friday lapses in safeguards had resulted in "images depicting minors in minimal clothing" on social media platform X and that improvements were being made to prevent this. Screenshots shared by users on X showed Grok's public media tab filled with images that users said had been altered when they uploaded photos and prompted the bot to alter them. "There are isolated cases where users prompted for and received AI images depicting minors in minimal clothing," Grok said in a post on X. "xAI has safeguards, but improvements are ongoing to block such requests entirely." "As noted, we've identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing them — CSAM is illegal and prohibited," Grok said, referring to Child Sexual Abuse Material. Grok gave no further details. When contacted by Reuters for comment by email, xAI replied with the message "Legacy Media Lies". In a separate reply to a user on X on Thursday, Grok said most cases could be prevented through advanced filters and monitoring although it said "no system is 100% foolproof," adding that xAI was prioritising improvements and reviewing details shared by users.
January 2, 2026 at 11:07 PM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
warriorseamstress.bsky.social
OBrien nails Rusamerica. And this American carnage - from the 670,000 people who starved to death in 2025 under 🇺🇸 aid cuts to every victim of Russia's genocide war in Ukraine - falls on shoulders of every 🇺🇸 voter who failed to vote for only candidate who could have stopped it. Unforgivable. 🎯 👇
December 31, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
bskybeer.bsky.social
Not Getting any Love of your #Beer #CraftBeer Posts
Try #BskyBeer Join us and Follow @bskybeer.bsky.social use #BskyBeer
Let us spread the beer love 👇
December 29, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
georgetakei.bsky.social
A monumental waste of money, all to try to trick U.S. evangelicals into continuing to support Trump as a “protector of Christians.”
Screenshot of an X post claiming that U.S. Christmas Day airstrikes in Nigeria were a failure and cost nearly $30 million. Below the text is a collage of photos showing unexploded missiles embedded in dirt and farmland, with people standing nearby.
December 28, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
andraswf.bsky.social
Contrast this with every single British newspaper
zeets.bsky.social Zito @zeets.bsky.social · 9d
LeMonde said, not on our watch
December 28, 2025 at 4:46 PM
hughbankier.bsky.social
Draught St Bernardus Christmas at the excellent Fuggles in Tunbridge Wells.

Decidedly sippable, classic Christmas flavours of dried fruit and orange peel.
Glass of St Bernardus Christmas beer, alongside a jar with a lit candle, and an old beer bottle with some wheat stalks.
December 28, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
ottoenglish.bsky.social
December 27, 2025 at 7:34 PM
hughbankier.bsky.social
Laugh out loud brilliant.
thecallisandra.bsky.social Callisandra @thecallisandra.bsky.social · 11d
The Lord of The Rings movies were rated PG-13. By current rules that means that each film could contain one use of the word "Fuck". Which line are you altering to insert the most useful swear word?

"I can't carry it for you, but I can Fucking carry you"
December 27, 2025 at 8:59 AM
hughbankier.bsky.social
Change of pace. Sierra Nevada DIPA: dangerously drinkable at a well-disguised 8%

The keen-eyed among you will notice my Christmas bottle of Becherovka in the background. Thanks to daughter who's just back from Prague. Good girl!

Cheers

#BskyBeer
Can of Sierra Nevada Cosmic IPA and a stemmed beer festival glass containing the same.
December 26, 2025 at 6:46 PM
hughbankier.bsky.social
Sussex glasses and Sussex beer - but it's actually Gun's Chummy Bluster best bitter.

Oddly, Long Man's Best is the only beer of theirs that I don't like and as for Harveys? Bland and sweet with their overpowering yeast.

Chummy Bluster is jolly good in comparison.

Cheers

#BskyBeer
Two pint glasses with best bitter in them.
December 26, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
protectthewild.bsky.social
Boxing Day is the biggest day of the year for fox hunts across the country. So help us ruin their big day.

Share this and drop us a follow if you're against the sick pastime of fox hunting.

Support wildlife this Boxing Day.
December 26, 2025 at 7:00 AM
hughbankier.bsky.social
Christmas. That'll do me.
WWII book, Newcastle United shirt, large Toblerone, 1l bottle of Becherovka and a Christmas card.
December 25, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
dreadships.bsky.social
This here, a proud and upsetting member of His Majesty's Royal Navy, is Pollyanna the reindeer.

And for the avoidance of doubt, she's the one on the right of the photograph.
A Royal Naval captain (left) cuddling a rather non-plussed reindeer. Somebody will almost certainly reply to this thread with the greatest Wikipedia photo caption edit ever, and yes, this was a deliberate reference.
December 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
hughbankier.bsky.social
This is possibly the greatest thread ever, anywhere.

Richy, you legend.
richycraven.bsky.social Richy Craven @richycraven.bsky.social · Nov 27
The most stressed out I've ever been about Christmas was when I was 16 and I got my first ever job, working at M&S in Dundrum. As soon as I started I kept hearing these myths about the Christmas Eve Waste Sale, where all the food that wasn't sold on the 24th was marked down 90%.
December 24, 2025 at 10:31 PM
hughbankier.bsky.social
Not typical #BskyBeer fare, but after wrapping presents, this is a satisfying combo for UK drinkers. Always liked a Stella, with a pleasant bitterness

Various more interesting stuff from can, bottle and mini-keg over the weekend.

Cheers all
Glass of Stella Artois, its can and a pack of Original flavour Hula Hoops
December 24, 2025 at 10:23 PM
hughbankier.bsky.social
If you could play in a covers band for just one song?

Saxon: Stallions of the Highway

Top that!

#metal
#rock
#coversongs

And just for good measure: #BskyBeer

Happy Christmas everyone 🎄😁
December 24, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
worflags.org.uk
Christmas can be a difficult period for a lot of people. If you are struggling please reach out. #BeAGameChanger #NUFC #worflags
📞 Samaritans 116 123
📞 Mind 0300 123 3393
📞 Calm 0800 58 58 58
📞 Women’s Aid 0808 2000 247
📞 Age UK 0800 678 1602
📞 Childline 0800 111
📞 YoungMinds 0800 018 2138
December 24, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
jayhulmepoet.bsky.social
Was at a Christmas party with a load of clergy last night and as some people were leaving they found a person collapsed on the street outside so the Verger took over and called an ambulance and sent all the clergy away because "if they wake up surrounded by priests that'll just make things worse"
December 23, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
benansell.bsky.social
Short new post from me about Bloc Politics. A lot of commentators have argued, with evidence from @profjanegreen.bsky.social, @robfordmancs.bsky.social and others, that British politics has split into blocs. So what does that mean for electoral strategy? 1/n

benansell.substack.com/p/bloc-parties
Bloc Parties
In a world of bloc politics, what's a good offensive strategy?
benansell.substack.com
December 15, 2025 at 12:57 PM
hughbankier.bsky.social
Ayinger Hell at the estimable Ypres Castle in sunny Rye, East Sussex

Lots of great beers here, as ever.

Prost!

#BskyBeer #rye #yprescastle
Bottle of Ayinger Hell on a beer garden table
December 13, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
robinince.bsky.social
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career. I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters. Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B
December 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Reposted by HughBankier.bsky.social
jamesrball.com
Absolutely amazing chart from @peterkellner.bsky.social's piece in @thenewworldmag.bsky.social today:
www.thenewworld.co.uk/peter-kellne...
A flow chart shows 17.4 million leave voters in 2016, vs 16.1m remain. In 2025, 5 million of those people have died, and 3 million new voters have come of age. The result (plus some people changing their mind) is 19.8 million voters now back rejoin, versus just 11.7 million wanting to stay out.
December 9, 2025 at 9:58 PM