The Council of Europe's human rights commissioner warns that “for every inch yielded, there’s going to be another inch demanded” on the ECHR. I think he's right, and yesterday's attempts to amend it will only increase support for withdrawal. www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...

Nothing quite says ‘House of Lords reform’ and ‘improving trust in our politics’ as appointing 34 unelected life peers 🙄

We’ve put together a starter pack of alternative media outlets. Follow these to get a different take on the news. 👇

The media onslaught against people on benefits/those suffering from anxiety & depression is sickening & will have direct consequences in our communities. This continued othering of sections of our society is a predictable as it is repulsive. It won’t stop. Will it be you next?

The lifts at Biggleswade 🚂 station in Bedfordshire will come in to public service tomorrow, 8th December, ending an 8 year campaign 🥳🎊🎉 Still waiting for the much delayed DfT confirmation of funding for Leagrave and the other 49 stations 572 days from 1st being announced 🤦‍♂️ @sarahowen.org.uk

Words can’t really express the horror that is Hillsborough - not just on the day but everything that has happened after. The new Hillsborough duty of candour is a step in the right direction but will it be enough to combat a culture of defensiveness, delay and impunity?

We need action, not warm words and timidity. julianvaughan.blog/2025/12/05/a...

29 November 1926 | A Polish girl, Zofia Łucarz, was born in Jasło. In #Auschwitz from 19 January 1943. No. 29814 She perished in the camp on 3 April 1943. --- A podcast about registration photos: https://youtu.be/c2l9hDA5MZc

It's been a long slog, but finally some good news re #Biggleswade 🚂 station. Lifts on track to enter service 'before Xmas'. Details in the blog... #accessibility #stepfreeaccess julianvaughan.blog/2025/11/28/b...

It's been a long slog, but finally some good news re #Biggleswade 🚂 station. Lifts on track to enter service 'before Xmas'. Details in the blog... #accessibility #stepfreeaccess julianvaughan.blog/2025/11/28/b...

£11B on the Trans Pennine Upgrade - but they can't afford toilets at the brand new Ravensthorpe station it seems. If they want to "deliver a fully accessible railway fit for the 21st Century" as they claim, they need to install toilets. Actions speak louder than words. @thetrupgrade.bsky.social

For anyone who wants to dive back into the middle of the pandemic, here is my blog on Johnson and Cummings response to Covid 19 written in May 2020. #covidinquiry julianvaughan.blog/2020/05/27/t...

Welcome news that Labour are stopping the obscene profiteering from the resale of tickets - next step must be the end of freebie tickets to MPs.

It’s the most bizarre form of gaslighting that places the blame of a) Labour’s troubles and b) the prospect of a Reform government, on those who criticise/leave the Party, rather than on the policies, lack of vision and dreadful comms of the current Labour leadership.

Well as it turns out, leadership sits on Starmer’s shoulders just as uncomfortably as it did on Corbyn’s. One fundamental difference between the two is that, whether you agreed with them or not, you knew the principles that Corbyn stood for. Whatever the question is, Streeting isn’t the answer!

One of the aphorisms that's been going around resonates with me: “The underlying purpose of #AI is to allow wealth to access skill while removing from the skilled the ability to access wealth.” ~ need to remember the author. 😖 They don’t to pay or work for expertise anymore!

A pilot friend always says to me: "Yes, we are very well paid. And, if everything goes as it should, we do hardly any work. But then there there is that once-a-decade trip, when we earn a whole career's worth of salaries in ten minutes."

From the details we have so far, it sounds like an exemplary response from both railway staff and the emergency services dealing with an incredibly difficult situation. Wishing those physically injured a speedy recovery and hope all impacted by this incident are provided with appropriate support.

While 'The Hack' hasn't had the same impact as 'Mr Bates vs the PO’ the sheer scale and breadth of the corruption and the sickening fact that most involved have smugly got away scot free is yet another stain on our political and legal system - and why we need a Leveson 2.

Finally got round to finishing my blog about our Hadrian’s Wall walk. It won’t quite convey the tiredness in the legs, but hopefully it shows the beauty of the area and will be of some help to future hikers. #HadriansWall #Northumberland julianvaughan.blog/2025/10/29/h...

"This plan must be ambitious, practical, and transformative. It must make people’s lives better – especially those struggling most. If the government is to take the public with them in rebuilding a society fit for the future, this is absolutely vital.” https://bit.ly/42Uza2C

My blog on a train driver’s experience following a fatality is still my most regularly read. I hope it is a help to people both inside and outside the rail industry. If you need to talk to someone you can call the Samaritans at any time on 116 123. julianvaughan.blog/2024/06/17/f...

How has the government got itself into the position of standing up for Israeli football hooligans, while criminalising peaceful supporters of Palestine Action?

Too many straws. Too many backs. It is with sadness not bitterness that I have today resigned from the Labour Party. I've set out why below. However, my passion for social justice and trade unionism remains undimmed. julianvaughan.blog/2025/10/15/l...

“I’ll declare war on you if you don’t give me the peace prize” is an incredible bit

“It is too expensive to bring water companies back into public ownership”. Really? ⬇️ www.common-wealth.org/publications...

Hadrian’s Wall Walk in memory of my sister and in aid of two amazing charities completed 👊 Over £3,000 raised so far ❤️ Details here: www.givewheel.com/fundraising/...

Early on Day 2 of the Hadrian’s Wall Walk for Sky. I wasn’t this chipper 5 hours later 😁 £2,400 raised so far ❤️ Details here: www.givewheel.com/fundraising/... @poetsin.bsky.social

'There has been a monumental cover up' On #BBCBreakfast Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester urged Keir Starmer to meet the British nuclear test veterans campaigning for justice after suffering lifelong health problems

Jimmy Kimmel and other late-night comedians have certainly said things about me that I found offensive, even outrageous. It never crossed my mind to call up the networks and say, "Hey, get rid of this guy." Because that's not how America works. play.prx.org/listen?ge=pr...

Earlier this year my sister her own life. I’m determined something positive comes from this dreadful situation. Starting Monday, I’m walking Hadrian’s Wall in her memory and in aid of 2 charities I know would be close to her ❤️ Details about the walk here ⬇️ gvwhl.com/JEZLQ

Sanders is calling the war in Gaza a "genocide" for the first time.

Peter Mandelson can sit as a Labour Lord while my colleagues have lost the whip for opposing disability benefits cuts and the two-child benefit cap. Such draconian, politically-motivated suspensions undermine democracy and make a mockery of our party. They should have the whip restored immediately.

The #HillsboroughLaw is a fitting tribute to the remarkable determination of the families. However, any future use of the law will by definition mean the state has failed yet again. Fundamental changes are needed to our political & regulatory system. julianvaughan.blog/2024/04/01/f...

Fascism thrives on apathy. Whether you’re ‘political’ or not, we all have a duty to speak up for a more tolerant society that values everyone within our communities. That’s real patriotism 🇬🇧

"...Apart from the lack of accountability, I sense a profound lack of empathy and compassion from the current leadership...." My latest blog covering the goings on at Central Beds Council. julianvaughan.blog/2025/09/13/a...

If Labour put in as much effort into effectively countering Reform as it did fighting factional battles within the Party, we wouldn’t be in the mess we are now. Starmer is either being badly advised, or is ignoring the advice given. Something has to change.

If Starmer doesn’t deal with the colossal misjudgement of Mandelson re Epstein, it will the PM’s judgement in the spotlight. Expressing “deep regret” doesn’t fly for us plebs - why should Mandelson be an exception? He’s surely got to go, again.

To transform the country and take on the populist right, Labour must heed the voices of its radical realists - and build a principled, practical, popular left alternative. Join @mainstreamlabour.bsky.social and together we can bring that alternative to life. www.mainstreamlabour.org/get-involved

When Labour tacks to the right it doesn’t weaken Reform, it empowers it. We need courage not appeasement, or a disastrous election defeat awaits. Signposts, not Weathercocks.

We need a fairer voting system - one where every voice is heard. 📣 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/01/keir-starmer-legacy-electoral-reform-farage

The Labour response to Farage policy of leaving the Refugee & Humam Rights Convention should not be “he won’t deliver”. It should be “this is not morally right” (not “British values” even). Voters want to see authentic consistent leadership. Not debate the workability of cruelty.

Flying a flag isn’t patriotism. It’s tolerance and respect (oh, and pubs) that makes Britain Great. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧🏳️‍🌈

11 years from being awarded 'Access for All' funding, Ally Pally and Palmers Green 🚂 stations are STILL at the design stage 🤦‍♂️with no end date in sight. We can't keep blaming the Victorians! #accessforall julianvaughan.blog/2024/09/10/u...

The lies of the hard right require firm rebuttal, not appeasement from Labour. julianvaughan.blog/2025/08/15/f...

⚠️ "First Past the Post is not sustainable; not for Labour, and not for the country. We must modernise Westminster and launch a National Commission on Electoral Reform." 🌹 Excellent article for @thefabians.bsky.social by @steveracemp.bsky.social #Labour4PR

💥 Labour's National Policy Forum has once again been inundated with calls for electoral reform No surprise given PR is backed by: 🙋 83% of members 🛠 2/3rds of affiliated trade unions 🌹 annual conference 🗳 @appgfairelections.bsky.social 🏦 @houseofcommons.parliament.uk 📈 60% of the public 🧵 1/2

Holding a placard is not ‘terrorism’ labourhub.org.uk/2025/08/10/h... by @davidosland.bsky.social

As a bit (OK a lot) of an Apollo nerd, I was sad to hear of the passing of Jim Lovell, the CM Pilot of Apollo 8 and Mission Commander of Apollo 13 - the source of the “Houston, we’ve had a problem here” quote. There are now only 5 Apollo astronauts alive who have walked or circled the moon.