Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy proposed increase of sentencing powers for magistrates may well damage our justice system | Dr Elizabeth Peatfield

Labour admits 60% of parents wrongly targeted in HMRC child benefit fraud crackdown

Closing the year with one of our highest ever polls. Thank you everyone so much for your support and determination this year. We're all just getting started. Join.greenparty.org.uk

This is ridiculous. There clearly has not been a 660% increase in terrorism in the UK over the past year. How much is it costing the criminal justice system to arrest and prosecute all these people for the crime of wearing a t-shirt or holding a placard? news.sky.com/story/terror...

This is obscene. Why can't other politicians say that? The 25 richest families are collectively $358.7 billion richer than a year ago, with a combined fortune totaling $2.9 trillion.

Good read from @owenjones.bsky.social - the current economic conditions only work for the very few at the top. The only way to defeat the far right is through real, material change.

🚨 BREAKING: Keir Starmer has launched a formal investigation into foreign election interference It comes after former Reform UK Welsh Leader Nathan Gill was sentenced to over 10 years in prison last month for making pro-Russia statements for bribes

This is a critical threat to global democracy. Advocates of the Laffer curve saying taxing the rich more won’t raise more money fail to comprehend that taxing the rich to reduce inequality is a worthwhile goal in and of itself.

Plant taxonomy is disappearing - and so is our ability to protect species 🍂 Nearly half of countries have fewer than 10 plant taxonomists. Kew is working to close the gap, but we need more experts fast. Read the study’s key findings and what we're doing about it 👇 https://ow.ly/XhJo50XyGAa

An extrapolation: a newspaper stops employing an editor, and instead relies on an algorithm to pick which articles reach the front page. Is it still accountable for the things published? If the answer is yes, what if it then allows members of the public to submit articles to the algorithm?

This is bang on, if a company selects which posts get seen and promotes them then they ought to be held to the same standard as print media, whether it’s a person selecting what gets viewed or an algorithm.

The Express is furious about this because the moment you show those who repeat anti-immigration rhetoric the real human stories their narrative collapses. The “immigrants” are people. Our friends, colleagues and family. And it’s this nation of neighbours that is what makes Britain great.

Absolutely insane to me that GB News retains its broadcasting license. It's BNP TV.

4 years ago we delivered free bus travel for under 22s. Now we want to expand it to everyone under 30 - improving mobility, lowering congestion and pollution, and leaving more money in people's pockets. Reducing the cost of public transport is a win-win for people and planet.

Fantastic to see an economics reporter accurately reporting economics… #MMT

We need to rethink how we build in this country - having worked alongside ecologists in the construction industry, all of the incentives are to not find rare species. We need to find a way of building and developing that encourages biodiversity, rather than destroying it.

Utterly unsurprising, every day we grow closer to a US style system where money can buy anything, and democracy means less and less. It’s time for radical change.

“Minor tweaks to taxation and spending, or cuts to corporate regulation and ministerial budgets, aren’t going to un-break Britain.” More essential reading from the brilliant @graceblakeley.substack.com

Openness and transparency is the key to a functioning democracy. Please sign & share.

Zack telling it like it is… Looks like more minor technocratic fiddling in this budget, when we are in dire need of systematic change.

Don’t believe Nigel Farage’s denials. He targeted me for being Jewish – and it hurt | Peter Ettedgui

Would have been very interesting to see what came out about this at trial. Surely it is time for an inquiry into Russian interference in UK democracy…

If I’m understanding this correctly, X is owned by a white nationalist who pays poor people of color in developing countries to pretend to be working class white Americans to scare other white Americans into being afraid poor people of color from developing countries are going to ruin America?

“Paul Samuelson famously said that when a man marries his maid he reduces GDP. So let’s do the reverse.” Entertaining and accurate piece by @chrisdillow.bsky.social :

“Among the reasons cited by analysts for the Social Democrats’ decline in Copenhagen were voter fatigue over the prime minister’s hardline policies on issues such as integration and immigration” Someone in no10 needs to get this message. Pandering to the far right doesn’t work.

“It’s strange for western audiences to hear about China’s problems of deflation and overproduction – because they’re almost the exact opposites of the problems our economies seem to be facing.” Fascinating reading from @graceblakeley.substack.com - interesting parallels comparing east to west.

Nail on the head here from @robinlustig.bsky.social - this policy will only intensify an already toxic debate, without helping in any meaningful way.

A little bit of context always helps. When it's omitted you know someone has an agenda.

Outrageous news from my home town - freeholds are outdated and in dire need of reform. This behaviour ought to be illegal.

As someone who has managed a waste water treatment system - yes. The fibres will not break down quickly enough, even if they do biodegrade over time, and it will cause issues. At the very least there needs to be a ban on “flushable” labelling.

“We are scapegoating asylum seekers for the failures and political divisions caused by successive governments in the last 15 years – the failures of successive governments to address wealth inequality, funding for education, the cost of living and primary healthcare and infrastructure.”

The fact that Nigel Farage is presenting Reform as a realistic party of governance is laughable, and the fact that the Daily Mail/Sun etc are cheering him on is insane.

The only positive thing about Starmer’s current immigration policy is that it’ll give a huge boost to the Greens, from all of the people in this country who didn’t vote for policies designed to punish some of the most marginalised people in our country.

Zack Polanski is a breath of fresh air.

“it is true that the licence fee presents ethical problems. I would suggest that it is scrapped and replaced by levies paid to the BBC by Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Paramount, Disney and Sky, which frequently appropriate talents nurtured by the BBC” @thenerve.news

How anyone can believe accepting donations of this size isn’t damaging to our democracy is beyond me.

Big vibes from @zackpolanski.bsky.social - politics of hope are the way forward!

Great to hear @sianberry.bsky.social on LBC’s Cross Question last night. A ray of clarity against some outrageous views. Glad to hear someone arguing back against the “people on benefits struggling to afford their holidays to New York”.

It was apparent from the start that the BBC resignations were due to an attack from the right, however it wasn’t clear just how deep it went. This reporting is critical for the future of journalism in the UK, and for our democracy.

Nigel Farage is a fundamental threat to our institutions, and must be treated as such. While I agree the license fee is outdated and other forms of funding should be considered, the idea of turning it into a Netflix style subscription service is ludicrous.

The BBC has been one of the most trusted sources in the world, but the last 2 decades of politicisation has been leading us to this crisis and now the future is in jeopardy. Foreign states and the far-right press should have no influence over the board. Excellent reporting @owenjones.bsky.social

Excellent piece on the Bylines network by @garygilligan.bsky.social - there is a real chance that Reform might win the next general election, and it is critical that people know what it is they are voting for. Judging by their councils so far, that seems to be broken promises and rising bills.

Another fantastic article from @graceblakeley.substack.com - while America is leading the way, the current Labour government seems set on following in its wake, gambling our economy on the potential of AI without any thought to the potential damage.

Important read - it’s not good for anyone when doctors go on strike, however people do not strike without reason. These are people that dedicate their lives to caring for others, they deserve our support and understanding.

“A central theme of his campaign was that winning was only the beginning. This is why his team is seemingly making this two month transition process as public facing as possible.” @premthakker.bsky.social breaks down Mamdani’s plans to make his winning agenda a reality. 🔗 zeteo.com/p/zohran-mam...

We live in the 6th richest country in the world, in the most technologically advanced society that has ever existed. The fact that any children at all are still living in poverty is an outrage, and the real numbers are staggering. It is time for a radical rethinking of how our society is structured.

You think it'd be in Zia Yusuf and Reform's interests to be a lot more convincing than this...

Dear GOD if you want to save money in the asylum system 1. LET ASYLUM SEEKERS WORK 2. FAST TRACK STATUS FOR EVERYONE FROM CLEARLY UNDAFE COUNTRIES like Sudan, Syria, etc 3. Run an asylum accommodation system that is NOT FOR PROFIT #r4today

The need for more cooperatives has never been more urgent. Great write up by @godfreymoase.bsky.social on @graceblakeley.substack.com