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Sam Bright @writesbright.bsky.social · 3d

🔴 The global far-right is brainwashing a town near you

Fascist memes are changing Britain, and the government is totally out of its depth.

The global far-right is brainwashing a town near you

📝 A guest essay...

writesbright.substack.com

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 14d

The richest man on earth owns X.

The second richest man on earth is about to be a major owner of TikTok.

The third richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The fourth richest man owns The Washington Post.

See the problem here?

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Jon Featonby @jonfeatonby.bsky.social · 6d

The idea that being a refugee is somehow a “golden ticket” is genuinely awful. These are people who the government have recognised are in need of protection. Do they think people chose that? That that’s what people wanted?

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Starmer to end asylum ‘golden ticket’ of resettlement and family reunion rights

People granted asylum will have to earn right to invite family in plan charities call ‘straight from populist playbook’

www.theguardian.com

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The Syllabus @the-syllabus.bsky.social · 7d

Larry Ellison's £257m patronage has reshaped the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) into a well-funded engine of techno-solutionism. Our essay of the week tracks the symbiotic relationship between the TBI and Oracle.

By @petergeoghegan.bsky.social & @maybulman.bsky.social

buff.ly/rt5ONlT

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Stop Trump Coalition @ukstoptrump.bsky.social · 12d

Authoritarianism is on the rise globally. Join us at #Lab25 to understand this challenge & build a movement to resist.

@labourlewis.bsky.social, @minnierahman.bsky.social, Shabna Begum, Amna Abdullatif, @maybulman.bsky.social (@lighthousereports.com) & @joemulhall.bsky.social (@hopenothate.org.uk).

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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 12d

Estimates of the size of the "shadow economy"

France 7%
Germany 7%
Italy 8%
..even Estonia 7%

UK: 5%

Idea that ID cards are some kind of panacea...

www.ey.com/content/dam/...

www.ey.com

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Paolo Sandro @paolosandro.bsky.social · 12d

This. We have had ID cards in Italy since always and people can readily see how the shadow economy is doing there

May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 12d

The idea that digital ID cards will stop people working in the shadow economy and thus reduce small boat crossings is baffling

The very nature of the shadow economy (the only way asylum seekers can find work) is employers don’t check documents.. That would obviously continue with ID cards

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May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 12d

& who published a report calling for digi ID cards & claiming they’ll reduce small boats the day before Starmer’s ID plan was trailed?

None other than the Tony Blair Institute, whose huge influence on Starmer’s govt & closeness to its tech donor we revealed this wk bsky.app/profile/mayb...

May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 14d

Glad to have got this over the line

How Tony Blair is lobbying on behalf of Big Tech

His Institute (TBI) is pushing AI solutionism on Starmer’s govt, which is embracing it w open arms, as TBI donor & tech billionaire Larry Ellison is set to reap the benefits

www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

Inside the Tony Blair Institute

Who really benefits from the former PM’s tech evangelism?

www.newstatesman.com

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May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 12d

The idea that digital ID cards will stop people working in the shadow economy and thus reduce small boat crossings is baffling

The very nature of the shadow economy (the only way asylum seekers can find work) is employers don’t check documents.. That would obviously continue with ID cards

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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 13d

afaict the evidence base that digital ID will reduce the number of people migrating to the UK is "Macron says so". I hope he is duly flattered. Digital ID will be useful for many people, unusable for others, but fundamentally the issue here is with employers who don't do right to work checks

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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 14d

🔴 NEW: Larry Ellison’s £257m bet on Tony Blair

Our investigation with @lighthousereports.com reveals how the Tony Blair Institute has been accused of pushing the interests of tech tycoon Ellison — Trump’s “CEO of everything” — and his company Oracle

democracyforsale.substack.com/p/inside-the...

Inside the Tony Blair Institute

A former PM, Trump's 'CEO of everything' and NHS data - what could go wrong?

democracyforsale.substack.com

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Emma Howard @emmahoward.bsky.social · 14d

Great (read scary) investigation into the Tony Blair Institute, its relationship with a US tech billionaire & efforts to get NHS health data opened up for AI

I also had no idea TBI was so big: 900 staff!

HT @petergeoghegan.bsky.social @maybulman.bsky.social

www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

Inside the Tony Blair Institute

Who really benefits from the former PM’s tech evangelism?

www.newstatesman.com

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May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 14d

This isn’t just about Tony Blair and Larry Ellison. It shows how Big Tech is gradually gaining power and influence across govts, pushing an AI/tech-first agenda that puts profits ahead of people, and could be damaging to us all

www.lighthousereports.com/investigatio...

Blair and the Billionaire

Insiders reveal how Larry Ellison’s money turned Blair’s institute into a tech sales and lobbying operation for Oracle

www.lighthousereports.com

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May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 14d

Another, Martin Akuagwuagwu, said TBI would push technology and AI solutions on countries with more fundamental issues to contend with

‘They have issues around hunger, poverty, mass unemployment – and we’re getting them to commit towards some fancy projects like using drones and AI’

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May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 14d

Elsewhere, ex-TBI staff describe a sea change in culture following the Ellison funds, with AI boosterism that silenced nuance & forced them to engage in ‘tech sales’ for Oracle in countries around the world

‘It felt icky,’ said one. Another said the focus became 'more tech, big tech, all the time’

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May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 14d

TBI staff have been brought into govt. Tom Westgarth was seconded to the dept for tech (Dsit) to work on the AI Opportunities Action Plan, w/ his salary paid by TBI

More recently, Kirsty Innes, who worked at TBI for 4 years, has been appointed special advisor for new tech secretary Liz Kendall

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May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 14d

In the UK, TBI is unusually close to govt, and it's advised ministers on AI policies that serve Oracle’s interests, including on unifying valuable NHS data

Ellison has expressed interest in NHS data, saying it has an ‘incredible amount of population data’, but that it's ‘fragmented’

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May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 14d

We spoke to 29 TBI insiders & obtained FOI docs to reveal TBI’s symbiotic relationship with Ellison, among the world’s richest men (2nd only to pal Elon), & his tech firm Oracle

We find TBI's become a vehicle for AI boosterism & ‘tech sales’ in UK & around the world – w/ potentially harmful effects

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May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 14d

Glad to have got this over the line

How Tony Blair is lobbying on behalf of Big Tech

His Institute (TBI) is pushing AI solutionism on Starmer’s govt, which is embracing it w open arms, as TBI donor & tech billionaire Larry Ellison is set to reap the benefits

www.newstatesman.com/politics/202...

Inside the Tony Blair Institute

Who really benefits from the former PM’s tech evangelism?

www.newstatesman.com

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Work Rights Centre @workrights.bsky.social · 19d

Let's get some facts right. There is absolutely no evidence that migrants "abuse" the NRM. Want to know how many bad faith applications were made in the last quarter? 1, according to the government's own data.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

UK anti-slavery commissioner condemns Shabana Mahmood’s asylum comments

Home secretary’s remarks about ‘vexatious’ claims will have real-life impact on trafficking victims, says Eleanor Lyons

www.theguardian.com

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May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 22d

NEW: French police have caused the deaths of dozens of people by intercepting small boats at sea

These violent tactics are deployed now off the French overseas island of Mayotte

Under pressure from the UK, France now plans to start intercepting boats in the Channel

This is where that could lead ⬇️

Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · 22d

REVEALED: French police have caused dozens of drownings by violently intercepting small boats trying to reach overseas territory Mayotte.

Similar tactics are being proposed for the Channel, to try to stop people from reaching the UK.

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Tomas Statius @tomasstatius.bsky.social · 22d

Pendant un an, avec @lemonde.fr @spiegel.de @thetimes.com @artefr.bsky.social, nous avons enquêté à Mayotte sur la manière dont la police arrête les #kwassas, ces petits bateaux qui tentent de rejoindre l’île

Nous révélons l'utilisation de tactiques dont les conséquences peuvent être mortelles 🧵

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May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 22d

NEW: French police have caused the deaths of dozens of people by intercepting small boats at sea

These violent tactics are deployed now off the French overseas island of Mayotte

Under pressure from the UK, France now plans to start intercepting boats in the Channel

This is where that could lead ⬇️

Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · 22d

REVEALED: French police have caused dozens of drownings by violently intercepting small boats trying to reach overseas territory Mayotte.

Similar tactics are being proposed for the Channel, to try to stop people from reaching the UK.

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Reposted by May Bulman

Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · 22d

REVEALED: French police have caused dozens of drownings by violently intercepting small boats trying to reach overseas territory Mayotte.

Similar tactics are being proposed for the Channel, to try to stop people from reaching the UK.

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Bashar Deeb / بشار ديب @bdeeb.bsky.social · 27d

Today, 100s of families are still searching for answers about their missing children. Our 9 month investigation, interviewing over 100 witnesses, survivors, and staff, and gathering official documents to reveal how Syria’s children were stolen and how international silence enabled this tragedy.

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