Torch Song
@lightorchestra.bsky.social
Proud member of Palestine Action & Defend Our Juries. Formerly on twitter @themattachines - Société Mattachine. Anti Zionist. Ex Labour. Democratic Socialist. Queer. Antifa. I oppose genocide.
There is precisely nothing about 'compromise' in the #Labour manifesto, as far as I can see.
Maybe there was a limited-edition with bonus material?
Or maybe talking about all this is better than talking about our absent friend. Growth.
Maybe there was a limited-edition with bonus material?
Or maybe talking about all this is better than talking about our absent friend. Growth.
November 28, 2025 at 10:41 PM
There is precisely nothing about 'compromise' in the #Labour manifesto, as far as I can see.
Maybe there was a limited-edition with bonus material?
Or maybe talking about all this is better than talking about our absent friend. Growth.
Maybe there was a limited-edition with bonus material?
Or maybe talking about all this is better than talking about our absent friend. Growth.
Concerns were raised after the judge who was expected to hear a legal challenge to the ban on #PalestineAction was removed without explanation.
Chamberlain granted permission for the judicial review, saying he would preside over the trial. But now, a panel of different judges will hear the case.
Chamberlain granted permission for the judicial review, saying he would preside over the trial. But now, a panel of different judges will hear the case.
November 25, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Concerns were raised after the judge who was expected to hear a legal challenge to the ban on #PalestineAction was removed without explanation.
Chamberlain granted permission for the judicial review, saying he would preside over the trial. But now, a panel of different judges will hear the case.
Chamberlain granted permission for the judicial review, saying he would preside over the trial. But now, a panel of different judges will hear the case.
Justice Chamberlain, "a judge widely respected for his fairness & independence" has been removed from tomorrow’s judicial review of the proscription of #PalestineAction with the Ministry of Justice refusing to provide an explanation.
#FreePalestine
#FreePalestine
November 25, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Justice Chamberlain, "a judge widely respected for his fairness & independence" has been removed from tomorrow’s judicial review of the proscription of #PalestineAction with the Ministry of Justice refusing to provide an explanation.
#FreePalestine
#FreePalestine
#Chancellor to target universities, with a tax on international student fees to fund grants for UK students as part of her cost-of-living drive.
#Reeves is also expected to extend a freeze on income tax thresholds, meaning anyone receiving the new state pension will face paying tax on their income.
#Reeves is also expected to extend a freeze on income tax thresholds, meaning anyone receiving the new state pension will face paying tax on their income.
November 23, 2025 at 11:21 PM
#Chancellor to target universities, with a tax on international student fees to fund grants for UK students as part of her cost-of-living drive.
#Reeves is also expected to extend a freeze on income tax thresholds, meaning anyone receiving the new state pension will face paying tax on their income.
#Reeves is also expected to extend a freeze on income tax thresholds, meaning anyone receiving the new state pension will face paying tax on their income.
“On the #Palestinian file, there’s no joy at all, I would argue,” Levy said. “#Israel has a very free hand. They’ve got the hostages out & they’re still bombing #Gaza.”
In the bigger picture, he argued, when it comes to #US policy in the Middle East, the more it changes, the more it stays the same.
In the bigger picture, he argued, when it comes to #US policy in the Middle East, the more it changes, the more it stays the same.
November 23, 2025 at 11:09 PM
“On the #Palestinian file, there’s no joy at all, I would argue,” Levy said. “#Israel has a very free hand. They’ve got the hostages out & they’re still bombing #Gaza.”
In the bigger picture, he argued, when it comes to #US policy in the Middle East, the more it changes, the more it stays the same.
In the bigger picture, he argued, when it comes to #US policy in the Middle East, the more it changes, the more it stays the same.
90 were arrested in the Peace Garden at London’s Tavistock Square yesterday. 5 were arrested in Hastings. Meanwhile, no arrests were made in NI as 45 signs were held across actions in Belfast & Derry.
The inconsistency of UK policing exposes how absurd & unenforceable this ban is.
#PalestineAction
The inconsistency of UK policing exposes how absurd & unenforceable this ban is.
#PalestineAction
November 23, 2025 at 7:16 PM
90 were arrested in the Peace Garden at London’s Tavistock Square yesterday. 5 were arrested in Hastings. Meanwhile, no arrests were made in NI as 45 signs were held across actions in Belfast & Derry.
The inconsistency of UK policing exposes how absurd & unenforceable this ban is.
#PalestineAction
The inconsistency of UK policing exposes how absurd & unenforceable this ban is.
#PalestineAction
ANTIFA means ANTIFAscist
November 23, 2025 at 12:52 AM
ANTIFA means ANTIFAscist
#Burnham faces several hurdles to be able to run. If things move quickly, he may not be able to return to parliament in time, to be a candidate.
This might give #Starmer and his team hope. If there is no obvious candidate that can beat him, he will feel much more secure in place.
#Labour
This might give #Starmer and his team hope. If there is no obvious candidate that can beat him, he will feel much more secure in place.
#Labour
November 23, 2025 at 12:39 AM
When it comes to the festering wound in what was once historic #Palestine, the job of western journalists is to obfuscate, equivocate, distort and excuse.
And it always has been.
And it always has been.
November 19, 2025 at 7:27 PM
When it comes to the festering wound in what was once historic #Palestine, the job of western journalists is to obfuscate, equivocate, distort and excuse.
And it always has been.
And it always has been.
237 people took action in 10 cities across the UK. Police made arrests at all 9 actions in England & Wales. Police Scotland did not arrest anyone holding the same signs.
Forces in Aberystwyth, Truro, Oxford & Gloucester exhausted their capacity for arrests, leaving people to continue protesting.
Forces in Aberystwyth, Truro, Oxford & Gloucester exhausted their capacity for arrests, leaving people to continue protesting.
November 19, 2025 at 5:26 PM
237 people took action in 10 cities across the UK. Police made arrests at all 9 actions in England & Wales. Police Scotland did not arrest anyone holding the same signs.
Forces in Aberystwyth, Truro, Oxford & Gloucester exhausted their capacity for arrests, leaving people to continue protesting.
Forces in Aberystwyth, Truro, Oxford & Gloucester exhausted their capacity for arrests, leaving people to continue protesting.
Gloucester Cathedral 1pm
Truro Cathedral 1pm
Nottingham Central Library 1pm
Northampton Guildhall 1pm
Oxford - Clarendon Building 1pm
Leeds - Dortmund Square 1pm
Newcastle - Civic Centre 1pm
Caerdydd Senedd 1pm
Aberystwyth - Promenade Bandstand 1pm
Edinburgh - Queen Elizabeth House 1pm
Truro Cathedral 1pm
Nottingham Central Library 1pm
Northampton Guildhall 1pm
Oxford - Clarendon Building 1pm
Leeds - Dortmund Square 1pm
Newcastle - Civic Centre 1pm
Caerdydd Senedd 1pm
Aberystwyth - Promenade Bandstand 1pm
Edinburgh - Queen Elizabeth House 1pm
November 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Gloucester Cathedral 1pm
Truro Cathedral 1pm
Nottingham Central Library 1pm
Northampton Guildhall 1pm
Oxford - Clarendon Building 1pm
Leeds - Dortmund Square 1pm
Newcastle - Civic Centre 1pm
Caerdydd Senedd 1pm
Aberystwyth - Promenade Bandstand 1pm
Edinburgh - Queen Elizabeth House 1pm
Truro Cathedral 1pm
Nottingham Central Library 1pm
Northampton Guildhall 1pm
Oxford - Clarendon Building 1pm
Leeds - Dortmund Square 1pm
Newcastle - Civic Centre 1pm
Caerdydd Senedd 1pm
Aberystwyth - Promenade Bandstand 1pm
Edinburgh - Queen Elizabeth House 1pm
It's make or break for #Labour.
In #Rayner & #Burnham, there are skills & talents that could get the party out of this existential mess.
But it’s going to require everyone to beat not just #Reform, but the centrist causes of Reform.
If this isn’t Labour’s endgame then nothing less will do.
In #Rayner & #Burnham, there are skills & talents that could get the party out of this existential mess.
But it’s going to require everyone to beat not just #Reform, but the centrist causes of Reform.
If this isn’t Labour’s endgame then nothing less will do.
November 16, 2025 at 7:53 PM
#PeaceForPalestine
#DefendOurJuries
#PalestineAction
London demos:
Thurs 20th 1pm Ministry of Justice, Petty France, SW1H 9AJ
Sat 22nd 1pm The Peace Garden, Tavistock Square, WC1H 9BQ
Mon 24th 1pm UK Home Office, Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF
Weds 26th 1pm Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, WC2A 2LL
#DefendOurJuries
#PalestineAction
London demos:
Thurs 20th 1pm Ministry of Justice, Petty France, SW1H 9AJ
Sat 22nd 1pm The Peace Garden, Tavistock Square, WC1H 9BQ
Mon 24th 1pm UK Home Office, Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF
Weds 26th 1pm Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, WC2A 2LL
November 13, 2025 at 5:27 PM
#PeaceForPalestine
#DefendOurJuries
#PalestineAction
London demos:
Thurs 20th 1pm Ministry of Justice, Petty France, SW1H 9AJ
Sat 22nd 1pm The Peace Garden, Tavistock Square, WC1H 9BQ
Mon 24th 1pm UK Home Office, Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF
Weds 26th 1pm Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, WC2A 2LL
#DefendOurJuries
#PalestineAction
London demos:
Thurs 20th 1pm Ministry of Justice, Petty France, SW1H 9AJ
Sat 22nd 1pm The Peace Garden, Tavistock Square, WC1H 9BQ
Mon 24th 1pm UK Home Office, Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF
Weds 26th 1pm Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, WC2A 2LL
November 10, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Celebrate this #Mamdani win for what it really is: evidence that working people do have the power to enact political change. Elections are not revolutions, but the energy that he has harnessed is evidence & a much-needed reminder of what is possible.
#Socialism
www.vashtimedia.com/mamdani-new-...
#Socialism
www.vashtimedia.com/mamdani-new-...
November 7, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Celebrate this #Mamdani win for what it really is: evidence that working people do have the power to enact political change. Elections are not revolutions, but the energy that he has harnessed is evidence & a much-needed reminder of what is possible.
#Socialism
www.vashtimedia.com/mamdani-new-...
#Socialism
www.vashtimedia.com/mamdani-new-...
“Damn you #Starmer, Damn you Sunak, Damn you Lammy, Cameron, Cleverly. A second damn for Lammy for shaking Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloodstained hand.
Damn you Mitchell and Falconer, the bag carriers. Damn you Lindsay Hoyle, Commons speaker who wrecked a ceasefire motion and got Starmer off the hook.”
Damn you Mitchell and Falconer, the bag carriers. Damn you Lindsay Hoyle, Commons speaker who wrecked a ceasefire motion and got Starmer off the hook.”
November 5, 2025 at 11:51 PM
“Damn you #Starmer, Damn you Sunak, Damn you Lammy, Cameron, Cleverly. A second damn for Lammy for shaking Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloodstained hand.
Damn you Mitchell and Falconer, the bag carriers. Damn you Lindsay Hoyle, Commons speaker who wrecked a ceasefire motion and got Starmer off the hook.”
Damn you Mitchell and Falconer, the bag carriers. Damn you Lindsay Hoyle, Commons speaker who wrecked a ceasefire motion and got Starmer off the hook.”
The ruling of #Birmingham Safety Advisory Group excluding #Maccabi supporters from the match at Villa Park, was not prejudice but prudence.
Not grounded in ideology, but in intelligence, in the careful phrase “current intelligence & previous incidents.”
This was weaponised by #Starmer and others.
Not grounded in ideology, but in intelligence, in the careful phrase “current intelligence & previous incidents.”
This was weaponised by #Starmer and others.
November 4, 2025 at 9:11 PM
The ruling of #Birmingham Safety Advisory Group excluding #Maccabi supporters from the match at Villa Park, was not prejudice but prudence.
Not grounded in ideology, but in intelligence, in the careful phrase “current intelligence & previous incidents.”
This was weaponised by #Starmer and others.
Not grounded in ideology, but in intelligence, in the careful phrase “current intelligence & previous incidents.”
This was weaponised by #Starmer and others.
The #JCB boycott campaign is an effort led by human rights & #Palestine solidarity groups, #AmnestyInternational, & Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights, to pressure JCB to stop the sale of its machinery to #Israel.
November 4, 2025 at 8:45 PM
The #JCB boycott campaign is an effort led by human rights & #Palestine solidarity groups, #AmnestyInternational, & Lawyers for Palestinian Human Rights, to pressure JCB to stop the sale of its machinery to #Israel.
A ceasefire remains a ceasefire when Israel drops bombs to “attack Hamas” but is violated when #Hamas kill an Israeli soldier. This is the Alice in Wonderland world, topsy turvy, Kafkaeqsque nightmare that #Palestinians are living in.
#Israel broke the January 2025 ceasefire - and massively.
#Israel broke the January 2025 ceasefire - and massively.
November 2, 2025 at 8:40 PM
A ceasefire remains a ceasefire when Israel drops bombs to “attack Hamas” but is violated when #Hamas kill an Israeli soldier. This is the Alice in Wonderland world, topsy turvy, Kafkaeqsque nightmare that #Palestinians are living in.
#Israel broke the January 2025 ceasefire - and massively.
#Israel broke the January 2025 ceasefire - and massively.
In Bronzefield prison, Quesser Zuhrah & Amu Gib refused food, marking the start of a rolling hunger strike, involving a group of prisoners in the UK.
The strike began today on the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration - which set in motion the catastrophe that would befall the Palestinian people.
The strike began today on the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration - which set in motion the catastrophe that would befall the Palestinian people.
November 2, 2025 at 7:03 PM
In Bronzefield prison, Quesser Zuhrah & Amu Gib refused food, marking the start of a rolling hunger strike, involving a group of prisoners in the UK.
The strike began today on the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration - which set in motion the catastrophe that would befall the Palestinian people.
The strike began today on the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration - which set in motion the catastrophe that would befall the Palestinian people.
The economics of Brexit are high on the agenda, rolling a pitch for tax rises. Reeves, handed weaker productivity forecasts from the OBR, caused by Brexit, contributing to a shortfall of £40bn against “iron-clad” fiscal rules, blames the vote for growth weakness & a downgrade in the public finances.
October 31, 2025 at 11:46 PM
The economics of Brexit are high on the agenda, rolling a pitch for tax rises. Reeves, handed weaker productivity forecasts from the OBR, caused by Brexit, contributing to a shortfall of £40bn against “iron-clad” fiscal rules, blames the vote for growth weakness & a downgrade in the public finances.
Authoritarian takeovers do not start with a military coup
They involve an elected leader who uses powers of the office to consolidate authority, and make political opposition more difficult, or impossible.
#Trump has impinged on free speech to a degree that government has not, since the Red Scare.
They involve an elected leader who uses powers of the office to consolidate authority, and make political opposition more difficult, or impossible.
#Trump has impinged on free speech to a degree that government has not, since the Red Scare.
October 31, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Authoritarian takeovers do not start with a military coup
They involve an elected leader who uses powers of the office to consolidate authority, and make political opposition more difficult, or impossible.
#Trump has impinged on free speech to a degree that government has not, since the Red Scare.
They involve an elected leader who uses powers of the office to consolidate authority, and make political opposition more difficult, or impossible.
#Trump has impinged on free speech to a degree that government has not, since the Red Scare.
STOP THE BAN ON PALESTINE ACTION #FreePalestine
Tuesday 18th - Gloucester, Truro, Nottingham, Northampton, Oxford, Leeds, Newcastle, Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Edinburgh
Thursday 20th - London
Saturday 22nd - London, Belfast
Monday 24th - London
Google Defend Our Juries for more details.
Tuesday 18th - Gloucester, Truro, Nottingham, Northampton, Oxford, Leeds, Newcastle, Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Edinburgh
Thursday 20th - London
Saturday 22nd - London, Belfast
Monday 24th - London
Google Defend Our Juries for more details.
October 29, 2025 at 3:55 PM
STOP THE BAN ON PALESTINE ACTION #FreePalestine
Tuesday 18th - Gloucester, Truro, Nottingham, Northampton, Oxford, Leeds, Newcastle, Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Edinburgh
Thursday 20th - London
Saturday 22nd - London, Belfast
Monday 24th - London
Google Defend Our Juries for more details.
Tuesday 18th - Gloucester, Truro, Nottingham, Northampton, Oxford, Leeds, Newcastle, Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Edinburgh
Thursday 20th - London
Saturday 22nd - London, Belfast
Monday 24th - London
Google Defend Our Juries for more details.
We on the left have been absolutely drubbing #Starmer since his 2024 landslide win, turned into a masterclass in disappointment, with policies that feel like Thatcherism in a red tie.
Such as keeping the two-child benefit cap and welcoming donors over workers.
Indeed.
Such as keeping the two-child benefit cap and welcoming donors over workers.
Indeed.
October 26, 2025 at 9:06 PM
We on the left have been absolutely drubbing #Starmer since his 2024 landslide win, turned into a masterclass in disappointment, with policies that feel like Thatcherism in a red tie.
Such as keeping the two-child benefit cap and welcoming donors over workers.
Indeed.
Such as keeping the two-child benefit cap and welcoming donors over workers.
Indeed.