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Sir Almaviva

@ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social

540 followers 940 following 4.6K posts

Lover of trams, classical music, maths, tea and cats. Opera addict. Member of the cycling lobby. 🇮🇹 immigrant in 🇬🇧. Refugees are welcome, racists are not.

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Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · Jan 8

Let's see if I can keep it up, but I am going to try to do a thread with all the books I read in 2025, starting from the following post.

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Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 4h

I'm rewatching "Dress to Kill" and it's such a fantastic comedy show. I was lucky enough to see Eddie Izzard live in Nottingham a few years ago (in a different show) and it was amazing. One of the first comedians I liked, and still one of my favourites.

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 4h

They employ people on lack of talent

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 8h

If Jenrick, Hollinrake and other Tories don't know how to live in a multiethnic and multicultural society like modern Britain, it's up to them to learn how to integrate. The rest of us are doing fine.

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 9h

Nobody hates their own country as much as nationalists — like Tice.

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 9h

He's not considered any of this, he wouldn't be writing on the Spectator otherwise.

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Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 12h

I particularly enjoyed (not) the bit where he says "those who acquire citizenship by migration ineligible for an additional period (say, ten years).", basically creating a group of second-class citizens.

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Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 15h

The last one 🤯 I didn't know

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Reposted by Sir Almaviva

Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 16h

Every Labour intervention on migration has 'trade - good, brown people coming here - bad' lurking in the background.

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 18h

Wilful ignorance of how trade and migration actually work in a globalised economy.

The idea that the (short and long-term) movement of people -especially between India and the UK - has nothing to do with trade and investment is (obviously) wrong.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

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Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 16h

It's the Spectator, one of the worst papers in the UK.

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Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 17h

As always an excellent thread from @snig.bsky.social

Spooky Snigdha @snig.bsky.social · 1d

Robert Jenrick's comments about Handsworth represent more of his abhorrent racism. There's no way he can look at the colour of someone's face and tell how "integrated" they are. Also, he went to Handsworth during a bin strike to make a video about litter to smear that community. #ToryRacism

Robert Jenrick

Robert Jenrick complained of 'not seeing another white face' in Birmingham neighbourhood

Shadow justice secretary criticised for suggesting he could tell how integrated Handsworth was based on short visit

Rowena Mason Whitehall editor

Tue 7 Oct 2025 06.57 BST

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Robert Jenrick complained about visiting an area of Birmingham where he "didn't see another white face" and said it was not the kind of country he wanted to live in.

After highlighting the lack of white people, the shadow justice secretary said it was not about "the colour of your skin or your faith" and he wanted people to live alongside each other.

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He told the dinner: “I went to Handsworth in Birmingham the other day to do a video on litter and it was absolutely appalling. It's as close as I've come to a slum in this country.

But the other thing I noticed there was that it was one of the worst integrated places I've ever been to. In fact, in the hour and a half I was filming news there I didn't see another white face.

"That's not the kind of country I want to live in. I want to live in a country where people are properly integrated. It's not about the colour of your skin or your faith, of course it isn't. But I want people to be living alongside each other, not parallel lives. That's not the right way we want to live as a country."

The area's independent MP Ayoub Khan said: "The claims made by the shadow justice secretary are not only wildly false but also incredibly irresponsible. He has misrepresented a storied and diverse community, awkwardly distorting the product of an all-out bin strike to fit his culture-warrior narrative filled with far-right cliches.

According to Birmingham city council, the ethnicity of Handsworth is 25% Pakistani, 23% Indian, 10% Bangladeshi, 16% Black African or Black Caribbean, 10% mixed or other ethnic group and 9% white.

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Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 18h

“‘Hello. Look, I’m Lord Vader and just pay a-bloody-ttention, all right? Luke, the Force is strong with you.”
“Is it?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, who told you that?”
“Some bloke. He said the Force is really rather strong with you.” “How strong?”
“Er, as strong as a small pony.”
“That’s quite strong, that is.”

Eddie Izzard - British VS American Movies

YouTube video by MykalxKnife

youtu.be

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 18h

"Who needs that woke Shakespeare bloke?" is probably going to be in the Tory manifesto

The Bear @bearlypolitics.co.uk · 20h

So, the plan is to cut English, the arts, and sociology - the degrees that actually study culture - while on another part of your platform claiming to “defend” British culture.

It’s performance nationalism with a reading age of seven.

Badenoch: Curb students taking 'rip-off' degrees such as English
The performing arts, sociology and anthropology are among the subjects the Conservatives would like to cut

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 19h

"I've just seen a face
I can't forget the time or place..."

I prefer the original song by The Beatles to Bob Jenrick's racist spin-off "I've just seen no white face"

I've Just Seen A Face (Remastered 2009)

YouTube video by The Beatles - Topic

www.youtube.com

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 1d

My first memory of him is when he had the Mickey Mouse mural painted over so that the child refugees didn't feel too welcome, so I can't say I have experienced the non-fash version.

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Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 1d

When I became a British citizen just over a year ago, the Lord Mayor said that in becoming British we were not leaving our own cultures behind, but enriching Britain with them. The message goes to all the jenricks (yes, that's an insult now) of this world: all you fascists bound to lose.

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Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 1d

"You can't even be racist anymore" is basically what she's saying (unfortunately you can, as Jenrick shows very clearly)

Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 1d

Shadow DEFRA SoS, Victoria Atkins MP, bemoans those trying to score points off Jenrick's "private" remarks: "These are conversation we must have thoughtfully away from the clickbait of social media that, sadly, is so often the case."

And here is Victoria Thoughtful-Atkins at a farmers' protest. ~AA

Victoria Atkins with a thoughtfull bullhorn, wearing a non-clickbait union jack jacket.

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Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 1d

This is definitely on my list!

Alexandra Wilson @amwilson.bsky.social · 1d

This book means more to me than any other book I have written. I want to get copies into the hands of everyone who cares about opera or is interested in the broader cultural history of our country.

Please consider buying a copy. Thank you. 🙏

global.oup.com/academic/pro...

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Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 1d

Lol I knew about the conference but it didn't even cross my mind

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 1d

What's going on around there? I noticed it the other day but have no idea.

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 1d

Also, can I say that "stealing" and "entering a country to seek asylum" are not comparable?

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 1d

A scriverlo in inglese sembra ancora più ridicolo.

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 1d

Robert Jenrick going around Birmingham being racist reminded me of when a few years ago Matteo Salvini (current Infrastructure and Transport minister in the Meloni government) went around ringing doorbells and asking Tunisian immigrants "Excuse me, do you deal drugs?"

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Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 1d

Also "fuel duty freeze" is not something to brag about.

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 1d

About point number 2: it's ironic that the people most vocal about the need for net contribution from immigrants are always the ones that provide a net negative contribution to society by spreading hate.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1d

Katie Lam says a proper system
1. People here illegally must leave & go home, if arrived without permission or overstayed
2. Everybody should be a net contributor "except maybe a few top academics" [joke]
3. Integrate.
4. World's most talented people should have a clear route
5. Numbers matter

Sir Almaviva @ilcontealmaviva.bsky.social · 1d

Now there are no red lines anymore, anything can be said without any consequences, no matter how racist or hateful.