2026-04-09T02:56:22Z https://yabu.me Simon Johnson https://yabu.me/npub1u0ws28d25uwpssjmysvt7fccp86zf5fsvdz8j4527ktcy33t0nhs38jeq2 https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/accounts/avatars/109/289/807/059/777/949/original/da5e7c9efdc59516.png https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/accounts/avatars/109/289/807/059/777/949/original/da5e7c9efdc59516.png https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs9h08dc9wsvswzvw409f2zsj55x4mhvrklkglde5rks5u9y0k3phgzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7gnp4kq “You know, it’s interesting, because well-meaning MPs keep telling me ‘You’ll get used to this place’, and I think, do you know what – I hope I never get used to it. It is so strange. It’s broken, it’s so backwards. The day you stop questioning all that, and fitting in, is the day that you’ve lost touch.”<br/><br/>Apologies if this great interview with Green MP Hannah Spencer is paywalled but what a breath of fresh air <br/><br/>#uk #ukpol #greenparty <br/><br/><a href="https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/hannah-spencer-mps-tell-me-ill-get-used-to-westminster-i-hope-i-never-do">https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/hannah-spencer-mps-tell-me-ill-get-used-to-westminster-i-hope-i-never-do</a> 2026-04-20T10:17:30Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs8l4e02vkta72d7kdfkwmda4kthwzzj4x5cfaq42w959mr39a898qzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w74kyhhw In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs8c8ce30kknmm4crgr6s9sa2xdcqvn76dg6jcdxkzhzmjvnvlfytg59998z'>nevent1q…998z</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>but then what?<br/><br/>Will that automatically trigger the FWA to conduct an unannounced investigation into the employer’s practices? Will they be forced to accept unionisation to negotiate improved terms &amp; conditions and ensure compliance with all aspects of employment law?<br/><br/>Without any consequences, and with a regulator required by govt to “reduce the regulatory burden on business”, it strikes me as yet another meaningless gesture, co-opting shiny tech to pretend to do something 2026-04-07T06:17:19Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs2fe3dc8j973k6e8hxmtwa4h0cg6eq8ec837t4x0lqhkshv79xytqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7npfn2v In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsvedrttc9dsrpqla97pufuxl5y4fmhag3jqev55zfejt4tgkcnkqcz27uh2'>nevent1q…7uh2</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I think it needs to be recognised though that the Green Party is also a coalition of interests encompassing also people who may have more (in traditional terms) right wing or liberal economic views allied with concern for nature<br/><br/>I think how all this plays out and the extent to which the Greens’ ultra democracy can absorb and assimilate these potential fissures and maintain a cohesive political &amp; campaigning platform is a key question<br/><br/>We all desperately need it to succeed 2026-04-03T06:21:02Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsvya4yysn9ag7glucrus2gtnv4shdfy8r853xykee2fzhvmw8mlgczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w75eq40r In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsrmly2p4w2rlj97gk4hnn63asfq90qky0pwykcdjfa5g2cww83qcclyh0lh'>nevent1q…h0lh</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>quite agree but taking as read the fact that Reform is full of deeply unpleasant individuals who are totally unfit to run anything, what I find even more shocking - and vindicates what Grenfell residents were saying even before the fire - is that this man is described as “former head of Homes England”.<br/><br/>Indicative of the utter contempt in which too many in positions of authority have for the people over whose lives they exercise power <br/><br/>#uk #ukpol #classpolitics 2026-04-03T06:12:20Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsyt8nehvy6clpc7aghya9g3v28mdg5kynr2kq7lwd9wfjm2359tsgzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7yzuxe7 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsdn48a0qmw6sx9vrnwehhhw5hscnsrwr7kaa0t9j4gaxefrl3eggc0k05qh'>nevent1q…05qh</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>the Grauniad was also reporting last year, when the DoH was leaning on NHS Trusts to accelerate its introduction, that frontline staff were also in revolt because the software was useless compared to what they were already using <br/><br/>Let’s hope the backlash kills it once &amp; for all. Then we just need Palantir extricated from the police, military and all the other aspects of government in which they have been embedded 2026-04-02T07:24:55Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsvdng9qydd2gvlvv5c4qvg2ksnelq799am29atundmqg475hrqlkqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7ucsn8h In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs87yk7t4xfwwmsyll7nhnpytd2w93vkj0az8pev2x20gssnedjyyqg5haeu'>nevent1q…haeu</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>maybe proposing some measures to introduce democracy rather than this 5-yearly sham of a reverse beauty contest in which most voters only have the choice of the least worst and are then put back in their box, excluded from any meaningful discussion by a perfidious media that spouts only court gossip, a governing class that holds citizens in contempt and a political system that embodies privilege &amp; corruption<br/><br/>Radical democratic reform inc citizens assemblies would be a start 2026-03-17T07:43:46Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsyhm9laxx4dl5495nher8f3trffu6g35pthveat2zyegr6wkstv2qzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7gy0rsj Just a #labour Prime Minister repeating two Islamaphobic lies in Parliament, so desperate is he to undermine the #greenparty that has replaced Starmer’s failed Tory-Lites as the progressive voice in the #uk <br/><br/>‘They will get me killed&#39;: Mothin Ali slams Starmer and Tory MP over smears in parliament | Middle East Eye <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/they-will-get-me-killed-mothin-ali-slams-starmer-and-tory-mp-over-false-smears-parliament?link_id=5&amp;can_id=1dedd0e2eaa59cf7c585a010bdc9fcb3&amp;source=email-thursday-19-february-2026-2&amp;email_referrer=email_3127148&amp;email_subject=wednesday-4-march-2026">https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/they-will-get-me-killed-mothin-ali-slams-starmer-and-tory-mp-over-false-smears-parliament?link_id=5&amp;can_id=1dedd0e2eaa59cf7c585a010bdc9fcb3&amp;source=email-thursday-19-february-2026-2&amp;email_referrer=email_3127148&amp;email_subject=wednesday-4-march-2026</a> 2026-03-04T10:42:13Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsrkh5cfjrr5h888hn2mrjuxnrcu5gh8kv5dsyyz0uqu89dpuxk4wszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7puxjk4 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsq758tny8x3patmees7wmf5u2nuzwy6v9ca5clfjkhc2y60lud0mc8aw6xp'>nevent1q…w6xp</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I think it’s a fool’s errand trying to read potential GE trends from a byelection result but the evidence from Europe is clear: when centre-left parties ape the far-right, they don’t neutralise them, they normalise &amp; strengthen them. I’ve been saying for &gt;2 years that Labour is rolling out the red carpet for Reform<br/><br/>I don’t know what electoral impact it may have but there is also a fracturing of parties on the far-right with the Lowe/Musk axis 2026-03-02T06:55:57Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsd0tt2j5ww46qlu3yszkzau6jpnmhv84thw63tfcu8jn47susc5wgzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7wf7fjg In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsfey2p67lgg0xleahqd900eyznmpp5d8yulm3xh4v4846ag0fsa2gkgwflh'>nevent1q…wflh</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>as with all public services, it strikes me the collapse is principally down to neoliberal ideology that everything is a business that must be liberated from the scourge of taxpayer subsidy and make a profit or die<br/><br/>The shift online may be the final blow but if we still entertained the concept of using progressive taxation to invest in services that ensure we maintain a functional society and curb obscene &amp; damaging excess, the PO, and everything else, would be so much better 2026-02-16T07:26:04Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqstaqpfvcde5ukmqkvt649nr5qmmyj6vxkttuzf5gajr9hq4wyucjszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7selxre In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsg9ha00l7lh9j8ss0u4k6j8vuh4c04lrrz8lfz947yzsppx4478lcz03vc4'>nevent1q…3vc4</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>even in the unlikely event it was the printer’s error, that’s irrelevant. Conform UK’s election agent is legally responsible for compliance<br/><br/>But of course, it was as likely deliberate as not. Their “concerned neighbour” letter will have landed with some voters as genuine, rather than election literature and when they are fined or reprimanded, they can play the victim and claim they’re being silenced by the metropolitan elite <br/><br/>Classic Trump 2026-02-07T18:19:08Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs9qhfk4vaadczp5vlr7zegu2rwd6zggnncfz7w3xa59rs9kqcke6szyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7vdcu0c In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs8aycwu4lr4nkznjjtjyhk2pusr5wxqkv5cqfs2azrm8vlf8hgy6ggtjuhc'>nevent1q…juhc</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>the article only mentions in passing, and slightly indirectly in my view, the biggest reason why the notion of “sustainable peat harvesting” is a tautological &amp; dangerous nonsense<br/><br/>Peat bogs are one of the largest carbon sinks on the planet. Not only, as the article mentions, does their destruction release CO2 and contribute to climate breakdown, peat bogs take such an enormous amount of time to form, that that carbon sink is effectively lost forever 2026-02-01T17:24:19Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqszvh3478nzzwtrvlvc7ng4afastl0mk3uzzys3we263djxfwhwydqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w74e0u49 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsd99lfk09xlrwxudhn2uxmelja0aamyz8tzdv6vz76wd0l0sa455sdyks3m'>nevent1q…ks3m</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I think it’s also, to some extent at least, a function of the last Tory govt having made Child Benefit no longer a simple, universal benefit but introducing the principle of conditionality, by establishing the notion that higher rate taxpayers neither need nor deserve child support, rather than accepting truly progressive taxation as a key fiscal balance <br/><br/>Conditionality always translates into suspicion and, ultimately, performative cruelty, “Pour encourager les autres” 2026-01-14T07:17:29Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqstzrh8y0lhs4n5fd4eamzuhdsch9kaxqenzuffgjlmgk55ellufxczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w76h0zug In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs8xau7fu6ghcmfjgjgathh62dgnkhfp4reff3yx00vsy79nn5lxdq3gz6my'>nevent1q…z6my</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>an excellent article I thought but, as 🇬🇧 &amp; European NATO members more generally have embedded US tech even more deeply into their military infrastructures, it’s hard to see how they could now change course from their pathetic appeasement of Trump without risking their entire defence capability being effectively switched off. All while they continue to appease the US Broligarchy &amp; their flooding of information ecosystems with far right disinformation<br/><br/>It’s hard not to despair 2026-01-13T07:45:23Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsp3zk6ed8kfessx3atxzfs5cpe0xkv86evu7nw94q74rnpkyhnmkszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7h4e7xw In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsxqxw5flcx6czvwhrp7uq4s2d3qk2avhzh2xzugp3hxcdusmmwz9gxwefme'>nevent1q…efme</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>every “wicked problem” I’ve ever come across has had an expert claiming the answer is better education<br/><br/>Whether it’s teaching about credit in school, teaching kids to be “better consumers” or my favourite, send staff on a “Dealing with Difficult Clients” course because your service is so fucking awful, it makes people angry<br/><br/>Anything to avoid recognising &amp; tackling the fundamental systemic failure that enshittifies everything - capitalism 2025-11-13T14:15:26Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsrdf9jst9nkvu7f0gyqpznr4da4wjwuyr7mkcww3wl73088fwl6egzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7mfa92j In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs2kau5s3s5vrvlehud7q6puzf5ssauugqkcct6dp3sp7q0tq6d5uq7aganm'>nevent1q…ganm</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>given it was evidently a two horse race between Plaid &amp; Reform Ltd, progressives of all hues would have backed Plaid - why split the vote and let the far right in?<br/><br/>As a GP member, I’d have preferred a Green victory, of course, but that was never going to happen this time. I don’t think we can read any more into it than that 2025-10-24T08:48:48Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs0f6lx507lgmgrlpaqvqdhfv7vs8ss52hp9ty2pqw52rnvr4j7tyszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7dwxvm2 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsps7qw9unjxzxrn3t7kna4ky8hs840vzhuvl2vlk6zxr36c7rk5gsetyngw'>nevent1q…yngw</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>don’t know about the Lib Dems but you’re certainly right about Green Party England &amp; Wales, in which members determine policy at conference 2025-09-24T21:16:24Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs9swlye7xlgsww0zutc8zjmyazq8ycm0cttm6u0hmn8guc83thrpszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7468hyt In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqszfyvu35peh9h4lzr4j00raj68656cekkcrxxz3e5de2pxzuevmvs8kx22r'>nevent1q…x22r</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>couldn’t agree more. Until the world’s military powers insert troops to enforce the UN resolutions on Palestinian territorial integrity, expel the IDF from illegally occupied lands and ensures medical &amp; food aid are delivered to the people of Gaza, it is nothing more than trying to wash the bloodstains from their hands 2025-09-23T17:16:41Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs8ck560tdck30yj9qe4s39jdkajykykekypzznc2vdrkql0xvh9dczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7t4jp2h In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs0m2rhus3lesunl3muulfu259uufmg9jzgg40g98w4ngvyql9s4cqhkjte3'>nevent1q…jte3</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>compared to renewables, nuclear is hugely more expensive &amp;, while other countries invest in meaningful, proven &amp; safe storage solutions, we partner with the govt of an unstable lunatic to fast-track an unproven tech &amp; “streamline” safety regulations<br/><br/>But that’s not the main issue. We have already breached 7 of the 9 planetary boundaries, beyond which life as we know it becomes unsustainable. This dash for power for ever more growth has a far, far greater cost<br/><br/>#degrowth 2025-09-15T07:26:24Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs83t2ms36gupsyc9pc45fth5p9a45g33y3evdj4tu7h2fl4jafu9qzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7gv3jhe In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs22a8mxtd6jay9dm7j2jvzze56ksaznnn08lr8hdd7nuyl69kkvvs8h2w0f'>nevent1q…2w0f</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>you don’t think the fact she left school pregnant at 16 without any qualifications, worked for years as a care worker, then became a trade union official through which she became involved in politics, and having a disabled child might give her a few insights into real life?<br/><br/>I’m no Rayner supporter but seriously? 🤷🏽‍♂️<br/><br/>The whole point is that the billionaire media can’t bear a working class woman being in a position of power 2025-09-04T18:30:57Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs2av7zkjv724pwy8muplkmk7m688neaqg723xtvnv5fsnemn023lszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7depa4g In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs8vda6dma2hyfun8xel8ltqgqqynm6yq5259pt7xvx69e75s7kj9gm4pwc8'>nevent1q…pwc8</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>“I’m appalled at recent events in Gaza”<br/><br/>“I’ve always been very clear that…” 2025-07-24T17:10:43Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs0cepvph2kg4yhzzmdtmr9ds5wexflxa3ta5kp8twl3zuwpen9fsqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w75rcsvy In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs285erkhnryezcdku8xk99fk2ge0pn90yuh26cnurar8c09jwqamqpqchfx'>nevent1q…chfx</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>but will nobody think of the accountants and tax consultants currently retained by the Treasury to ensure tax guides are replete with loopholes they can then exploit on behalf of their wealthy &amp; corporate clients? 2025-07-15T06:47:08Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsps7cy4lsz6tl7rlk6krvk5n0zd4su6qthlem4082n35zrkd29kgqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7rful8c In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs8fjgp3drlng693d28lfy0dzm5qkva2aedww7l2jmzlvz9mknz3gg6xtm0x'>nevent1q…tm0x</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I thought you would be but thought the point worth underlining explicitly<br/><br/>And, of course, SM word limits never help… 2025-07-12T09:16:10Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsvhvdeguywl3csf3pz42jh4zwtay95vcfwp0e5vr7jzu0xmh4t0vszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7c2cmzp In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsdf55mhx6udzmlvpluy7y6lhwwrsh8lj5zazkh63yjqqmmta3y4zg8xysmp'>nevent1q…ysmp</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>quite agree, though, having worked for several years in debt, welfare benefits &amp; housing advice, I would take issue with the “often” relating to external causes of poverty<br/><br/>Poverty, in my experience is systemic &amp; structural. End of. Some poor people make what others may regard as poor choices but that is marginal at most &amp; who amongst us, not least finger-pointing journalists, has never made a bad choice? 2025-07-12T09:01:26Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsr0uhdveeavp7epuw67mj4pfl0jeg66k7q8gsyqzyu0s432r96r9czyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7vpvjyd “If the risk of a plane crashing was as high as the risk of the AMOC collapsing, none of us would ever fly because they would not let the plane take off. And the idea that our little spaceship, our planet, is under the risk of essentially crashing and we’re still continuing business as usual is mindblowing.”<br/><br/>#climate communication expert, Genevieve Gunther, on complacency &amp; doomerism. As she points out, despair is rational when “leaders” fail to respond with any urgency<br/><br/><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2025/jun/24/tipping-points-climate-crisis-expert-doomerism-wealth">https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2025/jun/24/tipping-points-climate-crisis-expert-doomerism-wealth</a> 2025-06-25T10:05:22Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsr4qu4fff2zm9hje6atlp2hztpulv5rxvvhvx76c7rw4vts24vsuszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w74wc4sv In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsvf3lu5umxvfya5gn9jgl8yxxtwfse29mxw2v6xm7m80p69czh5ss0sw4jn'>nevent1q…w4jn</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>for which act of non-violent resistance, 🇬🇧 govt - led by a “human rights lawyer” is planning to ban #palestine Action as “a terrorist organisation”<br/><br/>#genocide #zionist #uk #humanrights #freespeech 2025-06-21T05:57:00Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqst4p9p8artye3nrx6v03mm52eaetaqfz02qpnvxzkxn9k2gx0nwcqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w79zrys9 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqswvh2yqjutvg88glz8fxgztn5q7uutpvnwdax7qh8cz9420mpxq3qhwqa7g'>nevent1q…qa7g</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>couldn’t agree more but of course, the irony of slashing PIP is it is the one thing that enables many disabled people who are employed to carry on working<br/><br/>This is taking the incomes of the poorest to balance the books (an absurd notion in itself) because Labour is too beholden to large corporations, the obscenely wealthy and the lobbyists who represent them, now embedded deep within government 2025-06-20T16:21:09Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsztc26jjpuxnjgq0qevk349jyugpm5hrxln6qtdt7s9rwg0n86cagzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7gmat9u In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs98ppk55dsvvzhhkjn5m8jz7rthxvrqghfr0nj8y3xjvzw8uduasgf0mmc5'>nevent1q…mmc5</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>history repeating itself 30 years on from Netanyahu financing Hamas in Gaza in order to undermine the Fatah-led government <br/><br/>🤬🤬🤬 2025-06-07T13:30:36Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsq2mpwe9938x3x6mywfne3guwlnpmmsdn20qg2pkj7calujhzlrhqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7zqd40l In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsz0usxuwgky2h8ydvzwgg3cqp7z79x9y4wjeh2v86g3mp5stle2rqtfrj6g'>nevent1q…rj6g</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>2/2<br/><br/>Electoral success may well help facilitate this and is complementary to it but being alongside our potential voters, helping tackle day-to-day challenges, enabling people feel there is a point in engaging because good stuff can &amp; does happen are all crucial<br/><br/>I don’t accept the debate is binary but it’s one we really need to have to gain clarity about what we mean. Whether it will be helpful to have the discussion in the glare of a hostile media is another matter 2025-05-12T16:40:35Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsz0usxuwgky2h8ydvzwgg3cqp7z79x9y4wjeh2v86g3mp5stle2rqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w77npf2x In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsv9u2pp45z4p4twzy202ree09a4rh0fc8wmzz350d9y54vl2vc5agh0533m'>nevent1q…533m</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>as a #gpew member, I find this difficult. The electoral strategy to date has self-evidently worked well in its own terms &amp; elected office brings important benefits beyond the obvious<br/><br/>But power increasingly sits outside traditional politics (broligarchy anyone?) &amp;, as the executive arrogate ever power to itself, we must be clear of the limitations of electoral success<br/><br/>Also, we only beat Reform Ltd thro grassroots allyship, helping community solidarity networks take root 1/2 2025-05-12T16:36:08Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqszy8jmshkk49r7cu0hcfshvynp9tgcx935x50ra2q30u0y9vmh7rczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7fwevcp In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsrenv78ndu58yhkumg9jtxpy8mtxtvy83d2hljmps4m2fdf8ktvtcg2pwga'>nevent1q…pwga</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>superb - thanks for sharing 🙏🏾 2025-04-27T16:15:32Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs8jg0jf0wyzdxynd4rnqsv92vf5nks59c3nrkk3ppjy82mtakfj8gzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7tnfvz5 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsd7dcdtqwsujpl2rl4dav64qclyvze9xsy96rej2hhj2cl4wjd0cspd4354'>nevent1q…4354</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I read this article with growing fury then, on Mastodon, it appeared in my thread just after your more recent post about #farage spending 24 hours a week on other jobs<br/><br/>The extent to which this charlatan is enabled by a supine media &amp; political class to swan around sowing division &amp; bile, while never, ever being held accountable for, eg, his hand in the unnecessary deaths of cancer patients due to his beloved #brexit shows how utterly removed from reality politics has become 2025-04-21T06:39:54Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqstakpe7plhg9lx6gac3prkaud4fkjpn8pg38zw9tx82d9thxvujdqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7vfkqg6 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsyxj9zp9wp6mj6qqv8c0m8j2g8t55aql2qnghqhuj6ggy5nfxydsqptvf9c'>nevent1q…vf9c</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>what I find especially galling is that the Labour leadership, having learned how to game FPTP so effectively (huge parliamentary majority with small vote share) cling to that system &amp; so lurch ever more rightwards to protect their red wall, rather than releasing the power of that, presumably dispersed, majority through electoral reform as part of wholesale democratic renewal, which would bolster their natural support &amp; have so many wider benefits 2025-04-16T09:58:41Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs059a04gtnwf2xt9m4mrxu2la6f4kgcc7f6f55pkgnl5anzqj3vgqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w75cqsk6 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsgqmverm7wdfkuu54fpqnm98dtadher9yyzpg9cu844sp3u294qsgxqxmsn'>nevent1q…xmsn</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>it’s almost always the opposite way round because either politicians are seduced by the shiny new gizmo and love the sense of control it gives them or managers likewise<br/><br/>Or because the ITsales consultants convince them their system will revolutionise the world. The poor buggers on the front line then have to distort what they do and how they do it to fit the constraints of the IT , which has become master instead of servant <br/><br/>END 2025-04-09T08:06:32Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsgqmverm7wdfkuu54fpqnm98dtadher9yyzpg9cu844sp3u294qsgzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7nzqmyg In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsd6ly43wwvd9tsfndgkwrckfrtxwl6nlhyr7h7fnyjdm4upx4yhhgjmu7lg'>nevent1q…u7lg</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Design has multiple purposes to satisfy multiple stakeholders, invariably prioritising the recording of KPIs which always hinder learning &amp; improvement<br/><br/>The priority for services should always be:<br/><br/>1) Learn what matters to users &amp; how far we do/don’t deliver that<br/>2) Learn how to do exactly &amp; only what matters &amp; make that the normal way of working<br/>3) Learn what measures will support learning &amp; improvement (NEVER targets!)<br/>4) Learn how IT can support the above<br/><br/>2/3 2025-04-09T08:02:16Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsd6ly43wwvd9tsfndgkwrckfrtxwl6nlhyr7h7fnyjdm4upx4yhhgzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7snyc3f In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsva3hd3aa7ur48zfg5fdxzqm3yvk2qjjfp9wmpw7an7va39fvjzfgzsm69y'>nevent1q…m69y</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>in my experience, the problem with IT is invariably more embedded &amp; systemic than a lack of training. Public sector services I’ve seen genuinely commit to learning how to do the right things for people invariably learn that IT is one of the biggest obstacles<br/><br/>Invariably IT projects are led by a Project Manager who doesn’t understand the client base nor what actually happens on the frontline and rely on abstract notions of “typical” clients &amp; interactions 1/n 2025-04-09T07:56:41Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsytc5a5uu43vwpwmqgtfnfgg075qxyy9mrcayf8qldrlxypgmue0szyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7879h40 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs23mqa39g2ug3edqwdssmj22yy7qm33hzuwqugj5zumjwwtug7jxgeyywcu'>nevent1q…ywcu</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>agreed and, of course, health prevention is far wider than health: ensuring people have sufficient income for a healthy diet, housing that doesn’t make them sick, air quality that enables kids’ lungs &amp; brains to grow healthily, access to thriving natural green spaces, etc, etc are all vital.<br/><br/>And all are things about which a growth-obsessed government that refuses to disturb the obscenely wealthy seems to care nothing for - indeed, in most cases, is hell-bent on making worse 2025-04-08T05:57:33Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsxcgdlhknkzwdjmgj7u75nfd5ztdggluxa6jtyv4rzf79c63fuczqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w764xg3x In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsg3jaxl2ypp28apgske6qckalxnd565v0sqpu4x8updgz2z2f43uspsmd24'>nevent1q…md24</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>indeed - absolutely right<br/><br/>Don’t know whether you came across the Vanguard Method in your academic career?<br/><br/>The goal is not to advise managers but to support them on their own journey to learn how truly awful those who use their service experience it, despite all the reassuring nonsense the KPIs tell them. Very few leaders are brave or capable enough to make the mental shift, in my experience, but those that do achieve extraordinary transformation<br/><br/><a href="https://beyondcommandandcontrol.com/">https://beyondcommandandcontrol.com/</a> 2025-03-17T05:54:47Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqspg05hudcan2y95r3592r7ummmtdz88uz7avhclpmruwhfthjmeaczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7rsa8yj In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs96547k9epkrd55v5f9zzjkpryvn2t0ggd7glcz8dl28mpu8tfxnczs94y3'>nevent1q…94y3</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>2/2<br/><br/>Meanwhile, at the front desk, the public were met with an unthinking customer service interface that could do nothing but pass messages back &amp; forth, invariably creating more errors &amp; waste<br/><br/>The growth of AI-driven public services &amp; performance related pay will put rocket boosters under this systemic idiocy, driven, as you say, by the debasement of valuable individuals to economic units<br/><br/>When, in reality, ‘human’ services deliver far more, far better, at far lower cost 2025-03-16T11:58:10Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs96547k9epkrd55v5f9zzjkpryvn2t0ggd7glcz8dl28mpu8tfxnczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7uq45dz In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsgcfeu94wcffp27726ezdnrndfr3uerzkxgaegvwex29kdyx8fkxcjxneds'>nevent1q…neds</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I used to hear the systems thinking gurus from John Seddon’s Vanguard, with whom I worked closely, often say, “If you want people to do a good job, give them a good job to do.”<br/><br/>Instead, what we found was the economic demand to sweat the labour left skilled staff locked in a back office, never seeing the people about whom they were making life-changing decisions, doing nothing but processing data to scripted requirements, with no opportunity to exercise judgment<br/><br/>1/2 2025-03-16T11:50:55Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsqcvr8h5xjv9yaax5t7rglc50uetfdq0xzh68dtwnar3jhygqlecczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7u6lm6d In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsxcal4f7efpuhnzwzx7kpa57cz4uu9saact5thj97mrxfhlancn0q3fw9c5'>nevent1q…w9c5</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I think we also have to include the utter systemic shafting of younger generations and the resulting despair of ever securing a decent job or secure home, still less a liveable pension, while the media incessantly attacks their invented “snowflake” mentality (trans: caring)<br/><br/>Add to that the existential dread for a world hurtling into the abyss of climate &amp; nature collapse and the onrush of WW3, and it’s a miracle there aren’t far more people in even greater mental distress 2025-03-12T10:52:53Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqszzqw3d28ajzwmsk5ksy3r9xud4tlax2v2f9uhqn7zvlvzjfpmn5qzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7n64kuc In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsd7trth52eda72jn55ygudl235ne9h7fqmyhd3j8whepxgmft7rgclp52ee'>nevent1q…52ee</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>absolutely, though it’s only the extreme extension of the ideology of the last 40-odd years that, by definition, the private sector should run everything because, of course, successfully exploiting your workers and customers to maximise shareholder returns uniquely qualifies you to know how to run a hospital / government department / benefits system / adult &amp; child social care, etc, etc 🤷🏽‍♂️ 2025-03-11T11:03:04Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqszepm4p3a2luluqfgx2e5shrgq44en35etk68k8cj07nqrg3yz6ngzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w74gf4fj In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsqfc8k3y09y0gafwxr2lue9mhd87arwthrn9tecvdh3rf62uaz09gmwwrzl'>nevent1q…wrzl</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>fascinating!<br/><br/>But I have to wonder where he finds evidence of his government remaking an iniquitous economic model, boosting living standards or investing in public services<br/><br/>Because, save for the very minor tinkering at the margins he cites, everything I hear from senior ministers - and see as enacted policy - is putting rocket boosters under the most grotesque iniquities, removing local democracy and protecting the wealthiest while punishing the poor 🤷🏽‍♂️ 2025-02-20T07:45:18Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsz9pm369hm0755wf38n0wxjzdldwfkhye2r8zfdxhwes5qju9kzlszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7l39ytu In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsr9reag9h03rhuyvvf5dundtpp49vkeq39egw4k78s0ymd879x00q766k5g'>nevent1q…6k5g</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>as we’ve suffered decades of “policy-based evidence” (can’t remember who said this) as opposed to the evidence-based policy governments should deploy, how would anyone know? 2025-02-07T17:24:34Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs9k8wadmjhlxrwty3s232qnn877nk2724dswdu22c63cfrr95d8tgzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7z4mvau In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs9vnflv0984398ycwvpxt9fkxmpzqry93tfxglndcy39ndjfznpyqp283c0'>nevent1q…83c0</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I see your US study and raise you Finland &amp; Canada in recent years and numerous previous studies across the world<br/><br/>But, for UBI to really achieve its potential, it has to be universal &amp; matched by genuinely progressive taxation. Entrepreneurship covers all sorts of social &amp; economic goods, including caring responsibilities, community volunteering, growing-your-own, getting a job - or starting a business<br/><br/>Yet benefits conditionality make them all difficult 2025-02-07T14:00:10Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsratgxeggq97u98jlkfc7zc9xznzhxe9g2yufdy5xl3s5gq3p8l9gzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w70yd3gk In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsxqyvk6v7ttfmztlq2kwaduxaaas06t9q9ftd2a5e0l709uc5mrks039m55'>nevent1q…9m55</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>it is truly breathtaking. They had 4 years since Starmer won the leadership, considerably longer that Miliband has held an energy brief, yet they’ve come into govt, seemingly without a clue how, or indeed whether, to deliver their stated green ambitions, instead being swayed this way &amp; that by whichever industry lobbyist they spoke to - or had money from - last<br/><br/>New oil licences, biofuel subsidies, CCS…Zero understanding, zero vision, zero clue - the #labour party all over 2025-02-07T12:16:24Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsds38snue4zq86xwmjghcsc432ww0l2m6hxang0dapk7x8hap0xqczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7zm04cn In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs9v3z5zsftzwaraft5emxaflmapyw90cm4778mzje9ygew8vfhkssqkhm92'>nevent1q…hm92</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>this is the justification for the inbuilt cruelty of the system, but it’s complete nonsense<br/><br/>Whenever “universal” basic income has been trialled - unconditional payments for specific groups, so not actually universal as it would be in a sane world - research shows zero negative impact on recipients’ willingness to work. In fact, indications suggest the reverse is true. When people know they have a risk-free safety net, they are better able to take risks 2025-02-07T11:23:36Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsptecl5sc8c9peru2phhc32r4243ehvmf6faclkymfe3njr29lyegzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7wdzun6 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs93y6zytu4pqzpadrghvflf0akcg5vp7k8sqs5lafdtg7m82st3nqkmm47x'>nevent1q…m47x</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>no, on the contrary…<br/><br/>Did you see Clive Lewis’ excellent demolition of government economic policy in this morning’s Guardian? Absolutely on the money, to my mind 2025-01-31T11:17:40Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsgw05gtwh8vtxxhpyq2yw2ur6d8kj35zcfhx8z8x4e9w2sm30xssczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w70wrfsf In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsz3cxgfl43zp9hytnxy6qq40k26p3kxq2mr9tgpfphemvmw5d6ktgxvwktz'>nevent1q…wktz</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>it is truly terrifying<br/><br/>All the experience from mainland Europe seems to suggest that pandering to these far right tropes, eg, “Smash the gangs” clampdowns on immigration and scapegoating merely rolls out the red carpet for far right parties<br/><br/>It is desperate IMO that Labour adopts this tactic while also doing nothing to address inequality or living standards<br/><br/>To quote the Northern heckler in Aditya Chakrabortty’s excellent recent Grauniad article, “Who’s bloody growth?” 2025-01-31T07:32:18Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsyy6s2pzarje597rvugsznsgdwf3j7nk8l055lfxvx0arv0s7z7xszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7dvyzk7 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsqtnnre9zzqv5uqsm8sfklqc8ecvwldh3q64p8h9ghawaf88p3hxqlt7wxw'>nevent1q…7wxw</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Economics are, like all other social sciences, important but classical economics which, as I understand it, makes no account for the input of energy nor the output of waste, is sheer lunacy that will, quite rapidly, in all likelihood, be the death of us all as we drive our societies through climate and nature tipping points to a biosphere we can no longer inhabit 2025-01-29T11:47:45Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsf5kzlttkkmsrsfqej3wxhkcyc7uqaxr9la8f0w5lxuxrlgnep79qzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7tqyj4t In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs8jseqneym09t5zzts6tkucx2qaf98jqd5x3gaqhqjcdd9q6f7xggmqevlz'>nevent1q…evlz</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>couldn’t agree more. I’m guessing you’ll be familiar with Pickett &amp; Wilkinson’s work showing conclusively that, internationally, the greater level of inequality an economy generates, the worse the outcomes across every imaginable metric, and worse for everyone, not just the poor<br/><br/>That so-called progressive politicians refuse to accept such powerful evidence and persist in the fallacy of the virtues of inequality is as despair-inducing as almost anything this govt has done 2025-01-27T14:53:08Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsvt3sk32nmpm26ec7t46q6ungppm7ggtv879dnx0mkx4jqrw9qjjqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7vs7pua In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs9rz5k7ypextk0940tvcq9lf57jtc5m5wgjv6n3ejp92sazxuxnfqc6jklp'>nevent1q…jklp</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>strikes me that, like all the “wicked” problems we face - employment, housing, public services, climate &amp; nature collapse, etc, the problem is not what it seems so trying to “fix” it is what Argyris calls single-loop thinking and doomed to fail<br/><br/>At root, all of the above are about inequality of resources and power: the one problem that our politicians refuse to acknowledge, still less tackle<br/><br/>We can’t upset those mythical “wealth creators”! 2025-01-27T10:14:13Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqstpc5yqxegzunfs773vjrlmzrhmvvh4gu2kgjd935zm2gzja6s5vqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7h3q0x6 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqspaydstpsmu6qqu5qf5vnkc8eyafgpqgufanstfsvqkccelpklscqlvgvcr'>nevent1q…gvcr</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>that they promised “the highest economic growth in the G7” alongside the “green transition” merely served to prove they didn’t have the slightest idea what transitioning to a sustainable economy actually means<br/><br/>I’m not remotely surprised by this news as it’s just more evidence they are a disaster. While I held little hope, I desperately wanted them to succeed as the alternative is horrific. But they are far, far worse than I ever imagined possible 2025-01-21T21:38:57Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsfzvw7uykwmhla8lgyaskkv9kvcal9k3keh9s5625awhuf43lkr9qzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7wthjza In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs2zn2h65wz5jhjq9n4jr3vh6mexl6lr0lkhwqa3guc06rv85fzw7gaec2ge'>nevent1q…c2ge</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>couldn’t agree more<br/><br/>The timidity they display in the face of a corrupted mass media, overseas meddling in an unprotected electoral process and the rapidly growing withdrawal from what passes in #uk for democracy, as the billionaire press and far right eltitists of Reform et al claim to be the true voice of the people is as dispiriting and baffling as any #uklabour failures<br/><br/>It’s like they think governance and all that underpins it is unimportant 2025-01-06T10:20:40Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsrjetm98qdhazn6c9w2rr0p3slucray4cddgr6w4t5k7ekezn9u8qzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7rq84yk In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs273hlnphvylhzr949hk6w88396rw8z8tca6ewn4s8layzqgv037ghm7lpv'>nevent1q…7lpv</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>but it’s like so many things in the #uk…<br/><br/>EG National Rail’s inability to tell passengers the platform number for a train that arrives and departs at exactly the same time every single day <br/><br/>Or every institution you ever phone’s complete inability to plan for the “exceptional call volumes we’re currently experiencing” that they’ve been experiencing every hour of every day for the last 10 years 2024-12-28T10:32:09Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsgl4r6c4eedup5qtmh6kpf62m7wzmdneavtah6x8pxq3cryfqhsvszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7ut5r2g In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsxc9pkaecjztqxej6avyh4qj4cmqj8t9zmntz6nken5avz600nwtq97q86y'>nevent1q…q86y</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>is there a formal definition of what constitutes a political party? If not, it surely isn’t that difficult to come up with one 🤔<br/><br/>For me, this all speaks to the danger of tinkering with electoral rules, rather than the wholesale constitutional review and governance rewiring needed (but for which a landslide-winning party never has appetite) which should have taken place years ago 2024-12-19T08:05:57Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs9wm30jy87ckq44pmq9mjjr5k0zpfhwqx0ejd8twqkxlpfjvxy2tczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7c3tp33 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs05shpgkstsn4wveu64z7zs404av4qlx839a6tqsrjyyrudrjqucs38rnrh'>nevent1q…rnrh</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>or decades of underinvestment meaning so many UK businesses and institutions are regarded as a poor investment when rapid return seems to be the priority for UK financial institutions?<br/><br/>I’m no economist but today’s Positive Money open letter to Rachel Reeves outlining why further deregulation of the financial sector will be economically damaging seems very apposite (ref today’s Grauniad) 2024-12-16T07:25:35Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsgdfhrsyeefedv68hjum7kpgmmm8p7ufwrt9s6l79j0mgee6skxtczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7tsn5xt In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs8xefdrqvd2sc3qt72hv7q3jx769wt96yajy9w9p0372add9lhqvcl9vkkk'>nevent1q…vkkk</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>as a member of the GP of England &amp; Wales, this article screams to me what I’ve been thinking for a while: that whilst the Target to Win strategy to get closer to political power is important, our focus must be on community engagement and organising<br/><br/>If the last 10 years has proven anything, it’s that capitalism renders democratic institutions relatively powerless as it corrupts and subverts the entire process to maintain the status quo 2024-12-11T12:34:11Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsv49qrk2537g88m79sl9mvvl3a85tmnspyqzjq2wc9arpgfjlgktqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7qfpdtf In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsz7uy7vh0dpkma387s6x00e0cygy0w35u3e8s9u9s6y4x0v6lj78crf5dne'>nevent1q…5dne</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>indeed. But his statements when Leader of the Opposition made it fairly clear that, other than a bit of potential tinkering at the edges, the human rights lawyer [sic] is entirely comfortable with the removal of the right to peaceful protest<br/><br/>Although I didn’t vote Labour, I desperately hoped they would succeed, given the alternative prospect. But every word, every action shows them to be far worse than I ever imagined possible 2024-12-11T12:27:23Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqswzfhtql499py67m9v5frmshf0txfq4zcjrrpc688qf2haw4ktl6gzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7w2rceg In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsrjxpvrv2arqhv5ku7lu0srlhuceyqjg7ksj7ndra28y7zatglszcrln3n4'>nevent1q…n3n4</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I think it’s much more than being on the streets expressing our outrage though. We need to be in our neighbourhoods when we can, doing whatever might help build community solidarity and human relationships<br/><br/>God knows it’s hard but even insisting on saying good morning to everyone we bump into is a start<br/><br/>And our fury should not just be directed at the far right but at the so-called mainstream parties who legitimise their policies 2024-12-08T12:38:03Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs9u8dq4qgarazrzf3wc93dwtluqe60xcm7nxsy8h5kl0n9zs57tjszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7r5r9wn In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs8ahrnjusm7f65gpx0eske9mezc32x3qr6vl2y7mawvrltxvf7gpckc02cg'>nevent1q…02cg</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>of course, the benefit of CCS to the fossil fuel industry is not just being paid to pretend to clean up the mess they made, it’s that they anticipate using the CO2 under pressure to force oil and gas reserves to the surface that would otherwise be unreachable or uneconomic to recover, enabling them to pollute even more <br/><br/>And so on and so on and so on…<br/><br/>#stopBurningFossilFuels #JustStopOil #cop29 2024-11-16T10:58:23Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs2mr9rvm2n5d9kwstuqrw0zyhsvfy8gdudcs8uc99awvnx8dafh6gzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7mrtpd5 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqszx5z422gnekysae2mh2hn8rqf7jnnsly5j7p52ts7skf4er6qm8qj7zl5m'>nevent1q…zl5m</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>elderly person here - I absolutely do not look forward to this. I’m mad as hell and doing whatever I can to nudge the dial in whatever way I can, not only because I have kids and grandkids whose futures are being fucked but, by virtue of being a human being rather than a consumer, I actually care that my brothers and sisters across the world are dying from our excess now<br/><br/>I’m not special - far from it. Better to nurture the alliances we can build than dismiss groups of folks 2024-11-08T10:23:58Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsrq3m5rlxn02elenjgtrvk06sle2dpkum98pkz55uqqvpt4nq36aqzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w79jc4a7 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqstnndj7lq8hswdx5ak3kung53yah430yafp6qg93t3mqznf9uaulgj063u3'>nevent1q…63u3</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>I’ve said this for some time. As the article says, a Trump packed SCOTUS can be relied upon, as the ultimate arbiter of any legal dispute, to fall into line, not to mention the proven MAGA capacity for armed insurrection - I don’t recall the volume of reports of electoral violence, burning mail-in voting boxes, etc previously<br/><br/>One would hope Biden has the National Guard or even the military primed and ready to take decisive action to defend democracy but I’m not hopeful 2024-11-04T22:52:32Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsvpmjha5u0vd2p62jr2tfh0ymvh89e6nt2hlhxu04sh5yeu7e7q6czyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7d32l5f In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsym2y3wkezsj7cgyq5lm2eqssw32r5duhyjwpdydjn9nwftfpul4qw0tjkg'>nevent1q…tjkg</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>absolutely both!<br/><br/>In addition to which, Johnson is rumoured to have had a pathological hatred of Starmer because the latter has a knighthood and he doesn’t, despite (in his eyes) him deserving one following his decades of selfless service to his country 🤣🤣🤣 2024-10-08T10:11:09Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsql02sr0hs5rhh6zxfgar7deg6sfchhvexzjpfcenwjxku4jpkskczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7gmwsvv In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsqs7a9c7w7z5exnep9w2xsfk8smza7vdgyq4s03ezql8229s0tnec0872qs'>nevent1q…72qs</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>true<br/><br/>And yet, in the meantime and without a budget, they’ve managed to vote to continue the destitution of children, remove WFA from most OAPs, scrap infrastructure projects and announce the investment of £22 billion in unicorn technology to keep the fossil fuel industry in business<br/><br/>#uklabour only have themselves to blame that they need a reset after only 100 days <br/><br/>#ukpol #ukpolitics 2024-10-07T10:03:18Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs2eaykp5h6tk3200zhtu9z4d9duwwkccxz5y62qeyk2pgkshey08gzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7ghlm5y In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsttdd64k0zfmlj0n3ypughrfmed34wrz9nr5fkfcvhmqd6hegch6qrw4cra'>nevent1q…4cra</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>quite agree. And it’s even more pernicious as it aims to stimulate demand by playing on our insecurities and anxieties<br/><br/>As I saw someone say a few years ago, the advertising industry is the only one whose purpose is explicitly to make us feel unhappy<br/><br/>As well as its contribution to environmental collapse through its economic impact, it contributes massively to ongoing alienation and atomisation, undermining our hopes of building a better future 2024-10-03T16:56:31Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs03y7euclta7qls5ecw39g6jdnxs6nhtd566f0gq8r7zhd0z42jhczyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7zah6ta In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqs0fesuaynv77z4rvvk38xfgemnt9wumyst3qlzml2uyrghdf8zvdgprmz68'>nevent1q…mz68</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>couldn’t agree more. We already have the Nolan Principles, which have been in place for years and which public servants follow instinctively<br/><br/>With the apparent exception of politicians and senior civil servants who seem to think nothing of feathering their nest as a perk of their status. Saying we’re not as corrupt as Boris Johnson (a defence I saw yesterday) or “Everything is declared in line with the rules” when we all know the rules are useless just digs them deeper 2024-09-28T10:42:22Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsfr9e9z8dgh9tuazw9fna3t0afju9y2qjpq3t3cfcnadc03q96q4qzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7g6sl57 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqsd9jdrapyt85k0mcj7gvudksglyl3q8hkujmustgct5l7f5xz22acrpkdhh'>nevent1q…kdhh</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>it’s like they don’t see rightists as being in any way controversial, whereas lefties?<br/><br/>My dad was a shipyard shop steward in the 30s and involved in organising a fundraiser for the local branch of the Labour Party. When the management were asked if the works band could play, they refused, “because they don’t do political events.”<br/><br/>The band played at the Conservative Party summer fete every single year 2024-09-22T13:43:03Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsfg6gemv0kr059hzc28kdwvp8hvnd8t9lf7a2cnahc9qfdm2urccszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w74d7rha In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqstq0e6w5edg7kzt7ecc7jlpmwqeuf0xwlwk7jdrhz6eu2pexqg9kqm0rmrv'>nevent1q…rmrv</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>and, without appropriate resourcing for enforcement, by local authorities or others, and limited access to advice to enable tenants or prospective tenants to exercise their rights, I fear the power imbalance is likely to render these oh-so-limited changes fairly meaningless in practice 2024-09-11T16:41:56Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqs2s6y4qwnr8r9w0jcyrh5tgkefsgwu28qsepzhylkm3wfjy7nqpkgzyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w7km468h In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqspyhqp3e57840h05737yntvh2u4ny9jr6lhlwjd999364gs4q6vcs7j9qzn'>nevent1q…9qzn</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>it’s a truly depressing article though pleasing she has found better ways to contribute to her community since stepping down<br/><br/>But she also suggests the Labour Party machine carries much responsibility, seemingly placing absurd demands on a prospective candidate and then no doubt sitting member, rather than support to enable its representatives to make a difference<br/><br/>Further underlining the question why party politics should dominate local government? 🤔 2024-08-27T17:03:13Z https://yabu.me/nevent1qqsvwy4gp2pxn9tla96et3t4xt5mjal6vykyga65pyejp4utajuu7sszyr3a6pga42n3cxzztvjp30e8rqylgfx3xp35g72k3t6e0qjx9d7w78w95l9 In reply to <a href='/nevent1qqstuy2h39ew5j2g6l3e4peqzcch5dhlj7fx0qtusyamuddv4nfjxpgz6p63c'>nevent1q…p63c</a><br/>_________________________<br/><br/>Choosing orgs that can nominate to give somebody’s idea of a representative chamber is exclusionary<br/><br/>There is a model, which <span itemprop="mentions" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person"><a itemprop="url" href="/npub12pw99cs5a6j6r56yafxt355j8h38hhw6fh3zwunhj99m3gv3nfds7zzvxn" class="bg-lavender dark:prose:text-neutral-50 dark:text-neutral-50 dark:bg-garnet px-1"><span>Emeritus Prof Christopher May</span> (<span class="italic">npub12pw…zvxn</span>)</a></span> sort of alluded to - the Citizens Assembly, whereby individuals are called by lottery which can have an element of non-randomisation to ensure demographic representation<br/><br/>If we persist in retaining a 🇬🇧 the process cd also cover rep of the 4 nations, &amp;c 2024-08-05T13:13:11Z