Ghost of Hope 🏳️‍⚧️

No TERFs or other fash.

I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Dot lol on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched the fedipact glitter in the dark... etc

She/her, trans, ace/pan, leftie, woman, mother of four, autistic, semi-retired coder, esoteric priest, martial artist, Rejoiner, English and Euopean, anything else you want to know, just ask.

I talk about politics a lot. I generally use hashtags like ukpol and uspol so people can filter, but I don't content warning these posts. No shade, probably best you don't follow me if you want politics CW'ed.

Oh, and I don't boost images without alt text except in extremis.

Last Notes

2025-09-23 12:47:00 UTC

Pondering
What good does recognising Palestine as a state do? It does absolutely nothing directly. But last night I was trying to work it out a bit.
And I failed. There may be some obscure matters of international law that make a difference to this but in my layperson's mind I can see nothing that would change how the nations of the world react to Israel's genocide, nor that would change Israel's actions either.
Essentially Gaza has gone from being an internal matter to an external matter with respect to Israel in the eyes of much of the world, but the bombs won't stop.
So why the big deal?

2025-08-02 10:11:39 UTC

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Ah, I see what you mean.
Yeah, that might have an effect. Hmmmm

2025-08-02 10:05:34 UTC

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Yes, that's one of the avenues and I think a couple of organisations are already on it. GDPR is based on Article 8 and that's the primary basis for protections under what I've called item 2.
You're right though, it's going to take years to get any of this to Strasbourg and years to be implemented - if the UK government of the day even bothers.

2025-06-30 17:30:50 UTC

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The problem is these things will take time, usually years.
And Farage is waiting in the wings.
I'm scared.

2025-06-09 12:35:31 UTC

Public service announcement:
People in distress don't always read sarcasm posts clearly, especially when it feels like Poe's Law has come into play 24/7/365 as it has right now.
I suggest and especially to neurotypicals that you're careful to be clear you're deploying sarcasm if you're going to say things that can be taken the wrong way. The /s marker is a good way to do this.
I'm seeing a fair few instances of people getting their heads bitten off when they're actually parodying our enemies. I'm not saying stop doing that, you do you, just remember this is life and death to some of us and we're going to bite back.

2025-05-26 10:48:37 UTC

Just got called Pal by a lad at the gym... Just as I exited the women's changing rooms.
I don't know how long I can deal with the hypervigilance and outright fear.

2025-05-21 00:03:14 UTC

Well, what a spectacular day.
Everybody in Britain basically now needs to carry their birth certificate round with them, in order to use a toilet.
I can't wait for this to begin, particularly since
a) I have a corrected birth certificate
b) Anybody can buy anybody else's birth certificate
c) Anyone remotely gender non-conforming is going to be challenged
d) Any org that doesn't challenge everyone will open themselves up to a lawsuit
I'm starting to think Phillipson will fall on her sword over this. She's ultimately responsible for what Falkner and her crack team of genius lawyers get up to.
Watch out for Blair trying to get national ID cards in to "solve" the problem though.
#ukpol

2025-04-16 19:22:49 UTC

You know the worst thing about today's ruling? It doesn't take into account the primal, overwhelming power of - and I'm going to use the old term - gender dysphoria.
Most cis folk haven't experienced it, though many cis queer peeps know what I mean from a different context. The compulsion to live free or die. I wouldn't be alive now if I hadn't transitioned.
The lucky ones transition before they get there but the rest of us hit a point in our lives where it's transition or die and that's not hyperbole. I always wanted to see a world where transition happened for all before that point, because I barely made it through. That hope is pretty much gone.
Call us mentally-ill if you like. I don't care. I live, or I don't. For the sake of preventing some vile people feeling a bit uncomfortable, you've put our lives in real danger, judges of the Supreme Court.
You're disgusting bigots and any remaining respect I once had for the law has gone. We're outlaws again.
Please boost this unless you don't give a shit.

2025-04-05 18:35:33 UTC

Just having a look at UK media outlets to see if anyone's covering the Hands Off protests.
* Nothing on the BBC (surprise surprise)
* The Independent has a short piece that seems okay, but the headline writer is clearly dodgy, saying "Thousands to protest" - no mate, thousands of protests
* The Times - sod all but I didn't get to the end of the page because pictures of transphobes repelled me
* The Heil - nothing
* The Mirror - nothing
* Torygraph - short but accurate piece (wait what, journalism there of all places?)
* Daily Express - sweet FA
* Daily Star - tits and stuff about the annual horse-killing thing
* I can't be arsed to check the Guardian because there's bound to be some transphobic crap to wade through
So, nothing yet really and I predict not much afterwards. This is how the establishment disarms peaceful protest. I know this is the UK but frankly, US news is world news now.

2025-04-04 13:39:11 UTC

People are talking about China's retaliatory tariffs, but I'm wondering if the export restrictions on rare earths will do more damage.
Virtually all rare earths come from there. The US tech industry is going to be... well, not to be hyperbolic but this will bankrupt a lot of companies very quickly.
Sweet

2025-02-28 18:58:43 UTC

Zelensky, and every other NATO country, need to tell Trump and the US to fuck right off (sorry US friends, the sooner your King gets deposed the better for all of us).
Some Keynesian military spending in Europe, and the US will be isolated and friendless in a couple of years. Because they're now a rogue state.

2025-02-18 11:11:18 UTC

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As for the Panama Canal, the only reason Trump hasn't taken it already is he's waiting to see if the threat works and Panama kicks out any perceived Chinese influence. If that fails, a few thousand US troops will take the key bits and that'll be that.
Greenland? I think they'll just push their way into having multiple bases on there for "defence" and then expand their influence. But they could just take it. Article 5 means nothing, NATO is effectively dead.
I know a lot of people will disagree with me on that last bit. But with the possible exception of France (and honourable mention to Poland who've been tooling up) NATO countries have allowed ourselves to become so dependent on the US that without them we're weak.