'There must have been a moment, at the beginning, where we could have said no. But somehow we missed it.' (R&G Are Dead)...

Yesterday I went to Westminster for a gambling reform evidence session, sharing residents views. Proud to sit alongside @endgamblingads.bsky.social as 1st local authority in country to join the campaign. Good to speak w/ Beccy Cooper MP who shares our public health concerns & is a vocal advocate.

I've found myself using the f-word a lot lately. Fascism. There's a lot of it about. People don't like to say it because it makes them uncomfortable. It seems extreme. Well, fascism is extreme and you can't ignore it. Get used to it. Start using the f-word.

Medical model vs social model of health & wellbeing. We have the evidence. And many ideas & answers. Now we need to act!

This is our theme today - to raise awareness that smoking actually makes stress worse @dredbeveridge.bsky.social @adphl.bsky.social @ashorguk.bsky.social @thriveldn.bsky.social @profkevinfenton.bsky.social @ldasneves.bsky.social #mentalhealth #smoking #stopsmokinglondon

🚨 NEW REPORT 🚨 The government can act to transform the lives of babies and toddlers living in poverty – and do so with public support. Read @bencooper1995.bsky.social's recommendations to lift 230,000 under-fives out of poverty.

...because, as residents of Haringey, we love and are proud of the diversity of our community, we celebrate the values of equality and inclusivity, and we strive for dignity and respect for all our families, friends and neighbours. No strangers in Haringey!

Today Haringey Welcome jointly signed a letter to Home Secretary @yvettecooper-mp.bsky.social together with the Leader of @haringey.gov.uk , @perayahmet.bsky.social ...

#CareCantWait - it's too important to communities, individuals and society. We need change.

Join us online tomorrow at the launch of a new report on @wigancouncil.bsky.social's bold collective journey to Progress with Unity, harnessing the combined energy of all the people and organisations that care about Wigan Borough. Register now! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/online-lau...

Haringey are the first council in the UK to join the Coalition to End Gambling Ads! Councillor @ldasneves.bsky.social explained to Eddie Nestor on BBC London why they've taken a stand for the health of their citizens, and why society can choose to 'permit but not promote' gambling.

The Faculty of Public Health @fphuk.bsky.social have joined @adphuk.bsky.social and @rsph.bsky.social as members of CEGA to call for an End to Gambling Ads. @profkevinfenton.bsky.social and @willprochaska.bsky.social write in @bmj.com on why and how to achieve it. www.bmj.com/content/388/...

'The care challenges facing families and local authorities “simply unacceptable in a society with the levels of income and wealth that we have....That’s the clear and pressing, immediate, urgent task.” ' absolutely agree! www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

I choose to enter the new year with hope, and this is what I mean by hope. Bird divination available as a stand-alone print at https://bit.ly/hopedivination and part of the deck of 100 at https://almanacofbirds.org

A rare recording of Tolkien, born 133 years ago today, reading from "The Lord of the Rings" and singing "Sam's Rhyme of the Troll"

No matter what happens, London will always be a city of hope and a place for everyone. #LondonNYEFireworks

On Basquiat's birthday, his inimitable art for Maya Angelou's verses for children about overcoming fear

22nd December 2024 08.33

That is some graph on bus usage outside London after deregulation on.ft.com/49PfLlV

Diversity is what makes our city stronger. On International Migrants Day, we proudly honour and celebrate migrant Londoners and the remarkable contribution they make. They are an essential thread in the vibrant tapestry of our capital.

Pollution exposure 'linked to an increased risk of hospital admission for mental illness' www.theguardian.com/environment/...

It's #GriefAwarenessWeek - sharing here some myth busting info from the Mental Health Foundation What should we know about grief?...

For every £1 invested in prevention, we could see £3.17 of savings.... 'Properly funded preventative services would mean...[we] can maximise the impact resources and address community needs.' www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/loca...

Excellent thread on the problem of supply and demand or why 'more supply will not solve the problem of too much demand' across a range of current societal challenges inc traffic, housing, care... We need whole system thinking and systemic change!

Yet further evidence the gambling industry fails to act responsibly and puts young people at risk of harm. BBC News - Top-selling mobile games breaking rules on loot boxes - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Since I've been here for a while… here are some useful features on Bluesky that you might not have discovered yet! 🧵

Why do we need this investment in immigration legal aid? Our report ‘An Ocean of Unmet Need’ found that across England & Wales, charities supporting migrants, refugees & asylum seekers make on average 16 attempts before securing a legal aid lawyer. publiclawproject.org.uk/resource/lor...

New figures from @cancerresearchuk.org reveal smoking could cause nearly 300,000 cancer cases by 2029. Tomorrow’s second reading of the Tobacco & Vapes Bill is a key moment for MPs to consider measures to protect future generations. www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

It’s time to stand with survivors. It’s time to break the silence. It’s time to end violence against forcibly displaced women and girls. Join us this 25 November for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and #16Days of Activism.

John Prescott: a life in pictures

Consumer choice is influenced by industry lobbying, marketing & other tactics. To build a healthier society, we need to ⬇️levels of harmful consumption. To do this, we need to rethink how businesses are engaged in policy making where there are clear conflicts of interest.

Today is equal pay day, from today until the end of the year, women work for free. The gap has risen to over 11%. Try the gender gap pay calculator: fawcett.shinyapps.io/equalpayday2... More from Fawcett Society: www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/equal-pay-da... #EqualPayDay

It's welcome that the Government is taking action against employers profiteering from children's placements - which now cost England's authorities over £5 billion annually:

Something for the weekend...or anyday even! The sounds of nature around us.

Useful summary of what's changed about low & middle income people in recent decades. TLDR, they're much more likely to be: - Carers (for ill/disabled adults) - Ill/disabled themselves - Private renters - Workers www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

Rates of disability have significantly increased among low-to-middle income adults: 3-in-10 reported a disability in 2022-23, up from less than 2-in-10 in the mid-1990s. @lalithatry.bsky.social explains ⤵️

New week and another big influx of folk here over the weekend. Here's my starter pack of UK charities who are here. It's growing all the time as more join. Do follow them.

Public health starter bsky.app/starter-pack...

Gambling harm is a serious public health epidemic - with a doubling of number of young people directly experiencing harm and 1 in 10 living in a household where gambling harm is having an impact on their lives.

The wonderful Susie Dent sums things up beautifully with one word - Recrudescence - in that other place. Bewildering. And a warning.