Jackie mac ardle
virtualjackie.bsky.social
Jackie mac ardle
@virtualjackie.bsky.social
Sports enthusiast. All things Ireland.
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
For example

Institutional abuse
Isolationist economic policies
Great financial crisis
Environmental degradation
Climate change
Tax based FDI policies
Etc.
December 29, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
The lived reality is that of course bad things happen here and have done so since time immemorial, and each time the lack of checks and balances and contingency planning is shown to have contributed to the bad thing happening and making it immeasurably worse
December 29, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
I always think we've a problem in Ireland about planning for bad things. It's as if even having a plan acknowledges that bad things could happen and this goes against the idea that Ireland is the only place on earth where only good things happen.
December 29, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
In some ways it's a side effect of not having a real shared vision of where we are going that people buy into, but rather a state of hypernormalisation and a deep desire for stability amongst the people in charge
December 29, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
So latest episode of the pantomime is over. No agreement, no roadmap to an agreement. Trump continues to play Europe.
December 28, 2025 at 10:18 PM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
Today is the anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Let’s hope history repeats itself with its successor.
December 26, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
US media has decided to pretend that the Epstein-Nassar Letter Epstein sent just before he died merely had a "crude reference" to Trump.

NO.

It was a clear, unambiguous allegation by Epstein that Trump *regularly sexually assaulted* "young, nubile girls."

Our media is BROKEN.
December 23, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
Scorpion vows no more stinging if frog treats him with respect.
December 19, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
A reminder for all those who think perhaps Putin only wants Donbas: in 2021, Putin wrote an essay on the supposed unity of Russians and Ukrainians, not Russians and Donbassians. He wants ALL OF UKRAINE.
December 18, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
One Russian paper today calls updated Ukraine peace proposals “not just unacceptable for Russia...In effect it’s an escalation of the conflict.” On the Russian economy other papers report “stagnation” & “wage arrears rising 10% a month.” #ReadingRussia
Updated peace proposals "unacceptable for Russia" claims Russian paper
YouTube video by Steve Rosenberg
youtu.be
December 17, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
ICYMI — “I identified myself as a U.S. citizen and a veteran, but that didn't matter. ICE Agents smashed my window, sprayed tear gas and pepper spray into my car, dragged me out… this experience violated the very principles I fought to defend.”
December 11, 2025 at 4:16 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
Pressure is mounting on Hegseth over his order to murder victims at sea.
Congressional committees to scrutinize U.S. killing of boat strike survivors — The Washington Post
The Senate and House armed services committees’ pledge followed a Washington Post report revealing that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered that a U.S. strike leave no survivors.
apple.news
November 30, 2025 at 10:31 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
Two U.S. Navy F/A-18Es appeared and disappeared from radar off the coast of Venezuela.
November 29, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
This should worry everyone.

“US officials contacted by Reuters were surprised by Trump's announcement and unaware of any ongoing military operations to enforce a closure of Venezuelan airspace.”

Trump’s failing faculties could walk the US into war.
November 29, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
Having spent the last few days back in Ukraine — reminded how this amazing resilient culture just grows stronger with every atrocity committed against it—it’s so obvious JD Vance’s peace plan ventures are all about saving Putin’s face
November 25, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
Tuesday’s @theguardian.com front page: Victory for carers after inquiry into debt scandal

Incredible work by top colleagues @patrickjbutler.bsky.social & @joshhalliday.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
November 25, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
James Comey: "I'm grateful that the court ended the case against me, which was a prosecution based on malevolence and incompetence and a reflection of what the DOJ has become under Donald Trump, which is heartbreaking."
November 24, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
Emmanuel, a 15-year-old with intellectual disabilities, wandered away from his mom’s fruit stand in October.

She reported him missing to Houston police. But instead of reuniting them, the city turned him over to ICE.

“They’re failing all of us,” his mom said.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/11/24/d...
A Disabled Child’s Mom Reported Him Missing. He Was Locked Away by Federal Immigration Authorities for 48 Days.
Emmanuel, a 15-year-old who has an intellectual disability, walked away from his mom’s fruit stand in October. Houston Police called ICE.
thebarbedwire.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
On this day in 1995, Ireland narrowly voted to end its 70-year constitutional ban on divorce, with 50.28% in favour and 49.72% against. The referendum's close result, decided by a margin of just over 9,000 votes, reflected deep societal divisions on the issue.
November 24, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
The 750-page document also has stinging criticism of “toxic and chaotic” culture inside Boris Johnson’s Downing Street – which it said the then PM. actively embraced – in which loudest voices held sway and women were sidelined.
November 20, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
BREAKING: The UK’s response to Covid was “too little, too late”, a damning official report on the handling of the pandemic has concluded, saying the introduction of a lockdown even a week earlier than happened could have saved more than 20,000 lives.
November 20, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
The photo is of a man called Stephen who died shortly afterwards after becoming ill while sleeping rough. It was the first photo of the Outsiders project and was inspired by Don McCullin’s ‘Homeless Irishman’ photo from 1969.
November 20, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
Today I’ll be doing the first proper day of photography for the Outsiders project since 2022, focusing on long term street homelessness and tent encampments. The situation is much worse than it was and the exhibition must reflect that. Nobody should be sleeping rough in a country as wealthy as ours.
November 20, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
It's not just ambition on climate action that's being run down, but nature.

Planet Earth is in the fight of its life and, on balance, those of us who are its allies are losing.

It's our duty to work out why, and act on it.
share.google/N0QU31GX4Znw...
Conservation projects abandoned as rich countries retreat from climate fight | The Observer
share.google
November 15, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Reposted by Jackie mac ardle
About an hour after Ellis entered this injunction, a group of agents, including Bovino, drove away from a Southwest Side gas station where they were confronted by protestors, and fired a round of pepper balls at a sedan that pulled up alongside their vehicle, reports @chicagotribune.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:38 AM