Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by James O’Brien

Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 23h

A day in the Portland war zone

The Portland War Zone isn't for everyone but at least the chaos is locally sourced.

Reposted by James O’Brien

Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 5h

"15 years ago, Polish workers came here to find opportunity. Now Poland is growing twice as fast as we are," says Kemi Badenoch.

Any ideas what may have happened in the interim?

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 1h

Chill out, lads.

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 2h

Making people feel they need to carry citizenship papers.

Invading our state with military troops.

Sending in war helicopters in the middle of the night.

Arresting elected officials asking questions.

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 2h

His masked agents already are grabbing people off the street.

Separating children from their parents.

Creating fear.

Taking people for “how they look.”

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Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 2h

I will not back down.

Trump is now calling for the arrest of elected representatives checking his power.

What else is left on the path to full-blown authoritarianism?

Donald Trump Truth Social Post: Chicago Mayor should be in jail for failing to protect Ice Officers! Governor Pritzker also.

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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 13h

According to hacked emails obtained by @dropsitenews.com, 'journalist' Douglas Murray was allegedly writing secret draft speeches for the Israeli ambassador to the UN while also pretending to be an independent 'journalist'.

David Frum, Douglas Murray Secretly Drafted Speeches for Israeli Ambassador

Leaked emails from former Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor show David Frum, Douglas Murray offering to write his speeches and a CNN producer fundraising for Israel’s Iron Dome during Israel’s 2014 war

www.dropsitenews.com

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 3h

Much shorter speech too. Win win.

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 3h

Badenoch is flunking in part because she wants to speak as if her party has been out of power more often than not in recent years, which was true of Thatcher in 1975 and is comically untrue of Badenoch in 2025.

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 4h

£12 billion when you factor in stamp duty.

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 4h

Good to see the Conservative Party committed to keeping the deficit down by *checks notes* spending £2 billion giving tax breaks for private education, creating a massive new deportation force and pledging to maintain pensioner benefits.

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 5h

You & me both.

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Corpsie @thecorpsie.bsky.social · 5h

Would rather have these two giving the commentary. But I guess @mrjamesob.bsky.social is an adequate second choice.

a puppet holding a sign that says 1 on it

Alt: Statler and Waldorf, the old guys from the muppets holding a sign that says 1 on it.

media.tenor.com

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Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · 7h

Visiting UK for the fall, where they’re having their own f-word debate. But that’s just the problem: it’s more than a word. Media’s semantic dodge of a concept, fascist, that may be (is) a fact, the acknowledgment of which wld require a paradigm shift in coverage.

James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 7h

One significant - & dangerous - thing to watch for is professional commentators objecting to words rather than examining the evidence. It's pearl-clutching & cowardly, obviously, but also a deliberate attempt to avoid confronting exactly what they themselves are facilitating and often cheering on.

BBC Newsnight @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social · 22h

“You described Reform and other parties across Europe today as among the 'right wing equivalents of the fascists in the 1930s'. Why?”

“Because that’s what they are”

@vicderbyshire.bsky.social asks Lord Heseltine about remarks he made at Conservative Party Conference.

#Newsnight

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 7h

This is magnificent.

Sathnam Sanghera @sathnam.bsky.social · 1d

I've responded to Robert Jenrick's vile comments in @thetimes.com

www.thetimes.com/life-style/c...

I sang Jerusalem with Robert Jenrick at school — he’s wrong about race

The Conservative MP has complained that, visiting Handsworth in Birmingham, he didn’t see ‘another white face’. You can’t judge whether someone is integrated by skin colour, argues fellow Wulfrunian S...

www.thetimes.com

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 7h

One significant - & dangerous - thing to watch for is professional commentators objecting to words rather than examining the evidence. It's pearl-clutching & cowardly, obviously, but also a deliberate attempt to avoid confronting exactly what they themselves are facilitating and often cheering on.

BBC Newsnight @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social · 22h

“You described Reform and other parties across Europe today as among the 'right wing equivalents of the fascists in the 1930s'. Why?”

“Because that’s what they are”

@vicderbyshire.bsky.social asks Lord Heseltine about remarks he made at Conservative Party Conference.

#Newsnight

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 9h

Lords Heseltine & Kinnock seem more alive to these self-evident truths than most members of the Commons. Similarly, I find thinkers with direct lived experience of far right dictatorship, Greeks of a certain age for example, crystal clear about what’s happening now.

BBC Newsnight @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social · 22h

“You described Reform and other parties across Europe today as among the 'right wing equivalents of the fascists in the 1930s'. Why?”

“Because that’s what they are”

@vicderbyshire.bsky.social asks Lord Heseltine about remarks he made at Conservative Party Conference.

#Newsnight

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 20h

Do watch this. It’s very good. Sound absolutely on.

Dave Bagpuss Forsey 🍺 @bagpuss.org · 21h

Robert Jenrick and his wiggy puppet

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Dave Bagpuss Forsey 🍺 @bagpuss.org · 21h

Robert Jenrick and his wiggy puppet

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 20h

Genius.

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 20h

Did you do this Dave? Sorry to be that guy but I want to be sure that I share the original.

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Reposted by James O’Brien

Rhianna Pratchett @rhi.bsky.social · 1d

Dad’s books are full of empathy, common sense, and a healthy suspicion of the powerful. But at its heart his work is also about how systems keep people poor while pretending it’s their own fault. So I hope Kemi’s taking notes as well as reading the jokes.

Paul Haine @paulhaine.bsky.social · 1d

Kemi Badenoch claiming Terry Pratchett as her favourite author is wild

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igyphoto @geoffyoungphoto.bsky.social · 22h

The 'Honest Bob' hour was a doozie! 👏🏼

James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 22h

October 7th & the politics of commemoration. Magen Inon, whose parents were murdered that day, must be listened to.
Honest Bob Jenrick’s unhappiness about all the non-white faves in Handsworth. tinyurl.com/4rrn2mkx

James O'Brien Daily

Daily News Podcast · Updated daily · Welcome to the best bits of James O'Brien's LBC phone-in show. Listen back to all the highlights in a 60-minute bite sized chunk of his show with new episodes ever...

tinyurl.com

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 22h

October 7th & the politics of commemoration. Magen Inon, whose parents were murdered that day, must be listened to.
Honest Bob Jenrick’s unhappiness about all the non-white faves in Handsworth. tinyurl.com/4rrn2mkx

James O'Brien Daily

Daily News Podcast · Updated daily · Welcome to the best bits of James O'Brien's LBC phone-in show. Listen back to all the highlights in a 60-minute bite sized chunk of his show with new episodes ever...

tinyurl.com

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 1d

“Gottle of geer.”

Honest Bob Jenrick holding a judge’s wig in a manner that makes it look like his ventriloquist’s dummy.

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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 1d

Magen Inon.

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