@sturdyalex.bsky.social , I've been struggling to express how the use of the Union flag, cross of St. George etc. makes me feel uncomfortable. Then the Bolsonaro conviction put it in some perspective.

This is a short thread about Brazil, England and how far right appropriation of national symbols can make us uncomfortable in ways it's difficult to articulate.

NOTHING will prepare you for this 45-second story arc. From "I'm just doing this because I love the flag, it's totally grassroots, and I'm not part of anything political"... to who actually gave him the flags the night before. Anyone who believes it is an innocent movement needs to see this.

Said it before: this dude is heading to the top. youtube.com/shorts/IpO0S...

Surely, America, you've reached an inflection point when the regime starts messing with Tom Hanks... West Point cancels ceremony to honor Tom Hanks as ‘outstanding US citizen’ www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Ooh, ooh, do Owen Patterson next... www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nadine...

US foreign policy update: friends alienated, enemies united, armed forces spreading mulch in DC. MAGA

These are the facts that the government should focus on sharing and repeating as often as needed, not pandering to the far right. www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/realit...

Imagine the message it would send if Gary Lineker won 'Presenter of the Year' at this year's National Television Awards Standing up for compassion & the right to speak out And, the feathers it would ruffle My lovely followers, you know what to do: nationaltvawards.com/vote 🗓️ Deadline: 12th Sep

Here's how the real two-tier Britain works: 1. Whatever Nigel Farage says, however stupid, is looped and discussed by the media, while left-wing voices are treated as noises off. 2. Tiny far-right protests get massive airtime, while 10s of 000s gathering for Palestine or green causes are ignored.🧵

Trump has no cards. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/08/trump-putin-ukraine-talks/683899/

Interesting ay?

Twelve men have been charged with child sex offences. I’m sure all the ‘concerned parents’ will be out in force any time now. Unless there’s something… different about these perverts..?

BREXIT IS OVER. 52% would vote Remain. Only 29% would vote Leave. 49% want a rejoin referendum. The public has moved on. But the government hasn’t. Brexit lost the people. The mandate has flipped. And now, public wants a say on Europe, on rights, on who we are. #Rejoin #BrexitRegret #ReUnion

This guy will be President some day, if there's any justice. youtube.com/shorts/i-FvS...

98% That's the decrease in the annual number of single-use plastic bags in the UK since a 5p charge started 10 years ago (it's now 10p) Not all environmental problems are that easy to tackle, but change is possible Resharing the Mail's 2015 splash, which has aged well www.gov.uk/government/p...

I just signed this petition calling for better cooperation with the EU on the environment. Will you add your name, too? www.europeanmovement.co.uk/uk-eu-enviro...

Looking forward to this Friday

Nigel Farage and his Reform MPs just voted to let foreign governments buy up our British newspapers. I guess it’s hardly a surprise since these fake patriots outsource all their policies to Trump’s White House and Putin’s Kremlin.

Sometimes I'm in absolute despair about how Christianity in the USA has been hijacked by judgmental people who use it as a way to affirm their privilege and spurn others. Then there are people like this guy, a representative in Texas, who reminds me not to generalise. youtube.com/shorts/5HwmA...

Failing. He is failing. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06...

Ok, British media. You have here all the information you need to scrutinise Farage/Reform’s latest populist, headline-grabbing tosh. If you’re still handing out free ‘Robin Hood’ passes to them now we have the details, then you are actively deceiving voters and undermining democracy. Just don’t.

One beneficiary, for example, would be multi-millionaire Mr. N. Farage, who currently pays his taxes in Belgium. Reform unveils plan to top up poorest workers from £250,000 fee on rich UK newcomers www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Just watching #Outrageous (the Mitford sisters drama) and it's doing my head in. "Well girls, I'm orff to join the jolly old Nazis mwaff mwaff mwaff" "You're beastly, I've become a communist after seeing two paupers with a placard". Add a jaunty jazz soundtrack and repeat The depth of a puddle

In a more serious country, unilaterally withdrawing from the JCPOA would have immediately ended Trump's first presidency & destroyed the GOP's reputation on national security policy for a generation 🧐

Anyone know (without looking it up) the chair of the Labour party? How about the chair of the Tories, or Lib Dems? Whose the chair of the SNP or Plaid? They don't get big press introductions covered by all the major networks. So why does Reform's new chair get a whole news cycle?

This is a thing of beauty.

What could possibly go wrong?

This is what the pro-Brexit argument has been reduced to now: "I like being able to needlessly inconvenience myself. Why are you taking it away from me?"

Reform is a Limited Company Farage owns 53% It was formed in 2019 to push for a “no-deal Brexit” It wants to reintroduce the Liz Truss budget It wants to privatise the NHS & invest in fossil fuels Close the BBC & break International law It’s a scam Please retweet widely

It's futile trying to ape #ReformUK on immigration. Try to reduce immigration, as Labour are, and Reform will move to advocating net zero immigration. Get there, and Reform go to no immigration whatsoever. Get that far, then Farage starts talking deportations.

Remembering and honouring the Bradford fifty-six.

Yet another Reform councillor resigns. "Seven days after fighting an election on a promise to cut spending and waste, the Reform County Councillor for Newark West has resigned which will result in the triggering of a by-election that will cost taxpayers thousands of pounds" bbc.com/news/article...

Just watching the West Wing and it's unrecognisable how idealistic and civic minded their White House is compared to now oh wait I'm watching Veep.

As if we needed another reason... #YouYesYet 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #ScottishIndependence

RETWEET if you stand with Judge Hannah Dugan!

Never thought I'd ever want to tell a Dalek to go the bar and ask for Angela...

Uhm, I assume that Robert Colville has read the Telegraph articles which he is using as examples in his Times column, an interesting move for a columnist btw? The eye catching headlines aside, they are somewhat disingenuous in their arguments. 1/ www.thetimes.com/article/377c...

Uncommon Orange Loon, Washington DC.

www.independent.co.uk/asia/india/a... What a fucking tube.

I taught a US citizenship class to South Sudanese refugees in Nebraska, 2006-2007. Fleeing civil war, they worked arduous jobs at a meat packing plant. Many had no literacy in any language. But they studied hard for a citizenship exam which many native-born Americans would not be able to pass.

A US-UK trade deal threatens our food standards, our NHS, and our ability to control Big Tech. Join the campaign to say no trade deal with Trump: act.globaljustice.org.uk/node/4305

Confused why some of the people talking about penguins are accompanying it with a picture of this chicken.

www.theguardian.com/media/2025/a... UPDATE: Regime currently swiping people off the street for writing student magazine articles criticises UK for safeguards on radical terrorists, misogynists and paedophiles online.

Not making time to watch the actual programme everyone’s talking about but seemingly having time to absorb a twitter conspiracy about it is the most Kemi Badenoch response I ever heard