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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 3h

While China was building a massive network of "re-education camps" to imprison and torture Uyghur Muslims and wipe out their culture, Britain was welcoming refugees from Hong Kong.

John Rentoul @rentouljohn.bsky.social · 3h

“While Britain was redefining what a woman is, China was building five nuclear reactors.” Kemi Badenoch www.conservatives.com/news/kemi-ba...

Kemi Badenoch announces Stamp Duty Abolition Policy

In her remarks closing Conference Kemi made one more major announcement

www.conservatives.com

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 5h

"Ethnicity" is something that happens to other people

Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · 8h

"You go to some places like Handsworth.. parts of Dewsbury, Bradford, Leicester, where you see.. a single ethnicity.. we don't think that's healthy thing"

Kevin Hollinrake is MP for Thirsk and Malton, which according to the 2021 census is 98% white.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 7h

We occasionally used The Apparatus in the 80s (far less colourful than this one), but I think the sheer faff of setting it up deterred teachers most of the time.

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Reposted by Tom Freeman

Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 1d

But the great thing about Robert Jenrick is that wherever he goes, he increases the number of white faces by two.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 7h

Tempted to guess Derek Jacobi, but he's really more MMA than pure kickboxing

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 21h

Just imagine how much simpler it could be

A mock-up of the government "Life in the UK Test" web page, with the text changed. Under the heading "What happens at the test" it now says:
"We arrange for Robert Jenrick to pass you in the street so that he can look at your skin colour. He will then give a ruling on whether you have adequately integrated into British society, before angrily denying that this has anything to do with skin colour and complaining that it is dishonest and frankly unpatriotic of you to even ask such an obscene question."

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Reposted by Tom Freeman

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 22h

"The day had begun with Robert Jenrick accused of racism. This is of course quite unfair. Racists believe in something." Absolutely fantastic sketch by @roberthutton.co.uk. Every line is a banger:

Rob whistle | Robert Hutton | The Critic Magazine

The day had begun with Robert Jenrick accused of racism. This is of course quite unfair. Racists believe in something. Some of us remember Jenrick as a chubby-cheeked fan of David Cameron fighting…

thecritic.co.uk

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 22h

And we can definitely save taxpayers' money by replacing all those cumbersome citizenship tests with the Jenrick Melanin Detector

The skin tone chart from Family Guy, with the labels saying "integrated" and "not integrated"

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 1d

But the great thing about Robert Jenrick is that wherever he goes, he increases the number of white faces by two.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 1d

jfc Badenoch just read out the acrostic

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 1d

Just heard Badenoch on the radio, making vague excuses for Jenrick. She seems to have trained herself to believe that opposing racism is woke lefty CRT nonsense and that she must therefore never do it. And I'm sure he'll praise her generously on the day he takes her job.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 1d

Robert Jenrick complained of ‘not seeing another white face’ in part of Birmingham

Shadow justice secretary criticised for suggesting he could tell how integrated Handsworth was based on 90-minute visit 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. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 1d

I assume that someone has already done the "Sideshow Mel" joke, because I myself would never go for something so obvious

Rick @flipchartrick.bsky.social · 1d

I was wondering why the Shadow Chancellor was addressing a fringe meeting - then I realised it wasn’t a fringe meeting.

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

Bleak reality of opposition sets in for Conservatives

The Conservative Party, so often and for so long the dominating force in British politics, is a shrivelled version of its usual self.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 2d

OK so it turns out that a "badger" is not actually a distributor of badges. This has been an interesting and energetic learning experience

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 2d

It's really kind of heartbreaking that she is the only thing standing in the way of the moral black hole that is Robert Jenrick

Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 2d

perfect detail

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 2d

Le premier ministre? Le septième ministre, more like

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 2d

The usage of "nonce" meaning for one occasion, one use, a one-off (related to "once") long pre-dates America, and is still sometimes used in the UK, but it's now pretty rare and obscure here. The "paedophile" meaning that now dominates British usage was first recorded in 1970, origin uncertain.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 2d

"Nonce" is ground zero of the clash between British and American English

Danny Birchall @dannybirchall.bsky.social · 2d

"Understanding Wordpress Nonces"

pressidium.com/blog/nonces-...

Understanding WordPress Nonces: Enhance Site Security Effectively

Nonces play an important roles in securing your WordPress website. Find out what they are and how they work in this article.

pressidium.com

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 2d

Yes, and you too! I'm doing fairly well thank you, how are you? xxx

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 2d

Just heard an American Youtuber say "I always like to hear your guys's thoughts". The case-marking of pronouns and possessives may be the area of English grammar where intuition, colloquial convention and the partial influence of standardisation collide the most interestingly

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 2d

Sébastien Lecorn-who, more like

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 3d

Four weeks from today is the anniversary of her becoming leader, and the 1922 committee will start accepting no-confidence letters.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 3d

*Surely* she is doing this for a bet, *surely* she can't genuinely believe that she knows what she's talking about

"I make sure that when I announce something I think about how it is going to impact people. Winning elections without a plan is what got us into trouble, it is why Labour is floundering and that is what Reform will deliver."

Asked where the people being deported would be sent to, Badenoch said: "I'm tired of us asking all of these irrelevant questions about where should they go. They will go back to where they should do or another country, but they should not be here."

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 3d

Those rare, precious moments when the slippery bar of soap leaps out of your hand in the shower and then, somehow, you catch it in mid-air. The purest sense of triumph in all of human existence.

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Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 3d

"Badenoch said something about immigration today. It doesn’t matter what it was. The accompanying commentary in every listener’s mind was: 'You were in government when this happened.'"

John Rentoul @rentouljohn.bsky.social · 4d

The Conservative Party is slouching towards oblivion. My weekend article for @the-independent.com www.independent.co.uk/voices/conse...

The Conservative Party is slouching towards oblivion

It really is over for the Tories, says John Rentoul, which leaves Kemi Badenoch going through the motions at the party’s annual conference in Manchester. But the demise of the party of Margaret Thatch...

www.independent.co.uk

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Reposted by Tom Freeman

Tom Freeman @tomfreeman.bsky.social · 3d

You will not need to defend yourself against injustice, because all the state's decisions will be correct. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Tories also plan to abolish taxpayer-funded legal aid in immigration cases, with a document on the proposals arguing there "will be no need for lawyers" because claims would be "fairly assessed against the criteria".

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