Proud of Faversham today - community saw them off♥️

The noisy flag shaggers that abused our country’s symbols and tried to intimidate our town have been put in their place. Most flags are gone and decency has been restored. I hope that we show ReformUK the door in the same way.

Andrew Lewin has said ‘not a single tax’ would have had to increase if Britain stayed in the EU

Farage, Trump, Musk: your boy Javier Milei just took one hell of a beating. Why so quiet? | Aditya Chakrabortty www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

"I have no regrets at all" Irish comedian Tadhg Hickey sends a message from the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Our Bureau Local editor, Gareth, connects this year’s protests against asylum seekers to those he saw in his hometown 20 years ago Back then a mysterious figure dubbed as ‘Banner-Man’ would pull down racist banners in the night ...

Right-wing media fluffs Farage for years, to the point where he now leads the polls, and then start whining about Starmer being 'obsessed' when he starts telling some long overdue home truths. It's actually hilarious.

Reform’s Russia connections are a danger to our national security. It’s time for a public inquiry.

Public views of Reform,July 2024 Need to do more to keep out candidates with racist views: 64% to 9% (+55) Risk bringing prejudice to immigration debate 51% to 20% (+31) Say things they shouldn't say 45% to 24% (+21) Mainly dangerous + divisive 43% to 28% (+15) Racist 41% to 30% 29% on fence

Always the last to know...

Labour is tone deaf. @stellacreasy.bsky.social @labourlewis.bsky.social @sarahhall-labour.bsky.social www.thelondoneconomic.com/politics/how...

@bylinetimes.bsky.social doing the job other journalists refuse to.……again! bylinetimes.com/2024/06/19/t...

The government clearly think we are all stupid. Chasing Reform is not the way to go. Refugees and immigrants are not the problem, our politically lazy self serving governments are. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Causes for the closure include “the impact on tourism of post-Brexit border controls.” Brexit was, is and will always be a disaster. Visit Kent shuts down: a warning sign for UK tourism kentandsurreybylines.co.uk/business/tra...

About time. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

This is fantastic by @j-amesmarriott.bsky.social Articulates so well our (intentional?) societal regression

“Why is Keir Starmer allowing the right wing to set the political agenda with confected crises, rather than engaging with real issues?”

How is this not front page news? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Nathan Gill is no fringe politician. He was the leader of the Reform Party and before that UKIP in Wales. A Brexit Party MEP. A friend and ally of Nigel Farage, who in 2016 called him: "terrific," and "as honest as the day is long." This is a MASSIVE story www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

“Reform won 70% of the seats on Kent council with an average ward vote of 36.5%,” the sort of result this admirably clear post argues could be a harbinger of things to come More powerful evidence why everyone aside from Reform has a lot to lose from FPTP, starting in England next May

Father and daughter launch book for sickle cell disease awareness www.bbc.com/news/article...

I’ve had a front row seat to the troubles here in Kent from anti refugee/Reform and the extreme right. What frightens me much more than the flags they put up is the sheer ignorance, hatred and how easily these people have been weaponised. To say they don’t understand is a gross understatement.

I think this is called a ‘witch hunt’. Remind me again what 1930’s Germany looked like?

This man will end up doing more harm to our country than anyone else in history.

Farage’s plans to abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain would ruin lives and tear families apart. Rather than dismissing Reform’s xenophobic proposals as 'unrealistic' or 'unaffordable', our government should be clear that they are cruel and unjust. We must stand up for migrants' rights.

He is talking about my friends, neighbours, family and work colleagues. This man is evil and reminiscent of 1930’s Germany. Why isn’t Starmer condemning him in the strongest possible terms? www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

The extreme right led anti refugee groups taking hold here in Kent continue to harass peaceful residents verbally and physically. More aggressive protests are planned outside homes of vulnerable unaccompanied refugee minors in this country perfectly legally and the police and local MPs do nothing.

The Friend Short Film www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/the-friend...

Faversham welcomes this - the town's been terrorised by thugs for weeks and our council and our venal MP has done absolutely nothing.

Starmer on 'vile lies' of Musk et al: “When populist politicians, convicted criminals + foreign billionaires take to the stage to encourage violence, make racist comments, and threaten our democracy, it casts a dark shadow of fear and violence across our society” www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

My reply to our Tory MP‘s smug, self serving response about the racist anti refugee thugs terrorising our town at the moment.

What cost you £10 in 2016 now costs £13.84. We continue to get poorer as prices continue to rise. Never mind, politicians, the architects of Brexit and the super rich are all doing very nicely.

Highway Act 1980 s132 : "...or under an enactment or a reasonable excuse, paints or otherwise inscribes or affixes any picture, letter, sign or other mark upon the surface of a highway or upon any tree, structure or works on or in a highway is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine..."

Measured, sensible, and much welcomed statement from Faversham Town Council on the idiocy of the moronic flag pandemic.

….and yet police in my town refusing to come out to 999 calls from residents fearful of gangs of flag shaggers wandering our streets at night harassing the local population. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crim...

There’s another far right anti refugee protest in our town on Oct. 5th also targeting unaccompanied refugee minors. I’ve again written to my MP, Kent CC, councillors and the police commissioner to raise my safeguarding concerns about this type of protest being allowed outside a kids home.

This is a thoughtful, persuasive piece that needs to be widely read. In the current scenario we need more people speaking out like this, illuminating rather than generating more heat.

HUGE congratulations to @nussaibah.bsky.social, whose novel Fundamentally has been shortlisted for the Comedy Women In Print Prize. You can catch Nussaibah in Ilkley this October discussing her seriously funny book with fellow author Sanam Mahloudji. Tickets available here: tinyurl.com/4uptc6ce 🎟️

The racism, hate that is now out in the open in my town is a very stark reminder that our country is on a very dangerous path. We need clear leadership from our government loudly denouncing the far right extremists, not this subservient acquiescence that’s fearful of Reform.

In London, hate will never win.

Good god I hope so

Something our community is taking up to counter the racist use of our national flags. unityflag.co.uk?fbclid=IwY2x...

More from Starmer, on Channel 4 News. Feels like a real sense of change from where we were Sunday morning.

I live in a village where the St George's flag gets flown on the Church tower flagpole occasionally. We have a Union Jack on the village flagpole because the man who looks after the flag likes flags. I can't imagine having to live like I'm in the middle of the preparation for a Nuremberg rally.

Letters in the Guardian from my friends and neighbours. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

What I’ve heard recently from Starmer is less ‘push back’ and more I’m one of you. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Where's the condemnation from the government? What is Starmer waiting for? How bad do things have to get before Labour say or do something/anything?

A chillingly timely listen One takeaway — while the free speech of Hitler in the 20s wasn’t necessarily a danger, the indulgence of his speech, via a lax courtroom affording him an exceptional platform, was catastrophic

My family legacy is a new canpaign to ask South Asian families in Britain to share their stories of service in the world wars & raise public understanding of the enormous contribution For Royal British Legion from @britishfuture.bsky.social and @easterneye.bsky.social www.myfamilylegacy.org.uk