From the full story linked in comments: "The beavers have also allowed the city to scrap expensive plans to dig a reservoir and levee. 'We said the beavers can do it for a fraction of the cost, certainly more sustainably,' McCormack says."

Congratulations!! Now's a great time: join.greenparty.org.uk

Why don’t the greens stand down in Makerfield

"At first contact with re-entry into national politics, the great hope of the soft left has capitulated across the board"

I'm actually furious that Andy Burnham is being promoted as anti establishment when he's already saying no to public OWNERSHIP of Thames Water 16 million so-called "customers" instantly let down Take it back Andy, commit to public ownership weownit.org.uk/act-now/sign...

The Mayor of Hackney @zoegarbett.bsky.social showing up 💕🏳️‍⚧️

Another spineless politician ready to sell out on everything just to get into power. He is not Pedro Sánchez, just in case anyone was hoping. “Net migration needs to fall further” is not political courage: it is Labour continuing to chase Reform and the tabloids. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Hello Andy this is your campaign manager speaking. I am advising you today to please keep saying this shit

This is genuinely a hilarious response to a voter

@labouruk.bsky.social now throw them out of our NHS

Change?

🔴 NEW: Morgan McSweeney - Keir Starmer's chief of staff until three months ago, and reportedly back advising him - was briefed on Labour Together's controversial investigation into journalists more than two years ago Scoop on Democracy for Sale: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/breaking-m...

Given that the 31 Labour councillors and the 31 Tory councillors on Barnet council teamed up against the 1 Green councillor while awarding themselves top jobs last night I think it's clear where Labour stands on "progressive alliances": against progressives.

No notes.

Today, the DfT announced its marvellous, magical changes to HS2 to save costs. These changes are: ⭕ Reduce the maximum speed from 360 to 320 km/h 🤖 Remove Automatic Train Operation (ATO) 🚦 Reduce the signalling system (ETCS) specification This will save 2% off HS2's capex. Good idea?

He resigned in disgtace over his part in LTogether’s smear campaign against Paul Holden and fined for breaking electoral law He's done a dirty deal with Burnhan THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! Greens must stand! @zackpolanski.bsky.social @greensorganise.bsky.social @greenelects.world @greenparty.org.uk

Andy Burnham is tipped to reward the former boss of a dodgy think tank who called for people smugglers to be sent to Scotland with a Government job after helping to pave his route to No 10

Would a Burnham led government tax wealth not work? Reverse NHS privatisation? Make Meta, Twitter and TikTok responsible for their content? End child poverty once and for all? Or are lobbysits and Labour Together embedded too deep? My analysis, as someone who knows Andy and the Labour Party well.

I follow politics quite closely and his constituency is next to mine and I’d forgotten.

Am a broken record on this, but the "Brexit was bad because it led to higher immigration" argument is so frustrating It's not true for a start, frames immigration as inherently bad, and is a totally unconvincing argument for people who are either voting or considering voting for Farage...

Burnham looking much more continuity than clean break with Starmer so far - sticking with Reeves fiscal rules - warmth towards EU tempered by leave-inclined target seats - interventionist on utilities falling short of nationalisation - aspirations of "reindustrialisation" www.ft.com/content/6338...

Is Burnham’s temperament suitable for leading the fight against British and English fascism when his instinct, evidently, is to concede so far in advance that the enemy takes the whole board before he’s become a sitting MP again?

The Welsh 20mph default is arguably the most successful road safety initiative this century. Winning international road safety awards, reducing casualties by 26% and insurance premiums. Yes, more should have been spent on engagement, but its a winning policy. www.20splenty.org/wales-pma-20mph

Cathy Newman: "... meanwhile the bond markets will go into a hissy fit" @hackneyabbott.bsky.social : "British politics & British parliament can't be run at the behest of the bond markets.. if the British govt is going to be completely dominated by the bond market MP's might as well go home"

“When humanitarian missions are stopped and people trying to help are treated like this, something has gone very wrong.” The Green Party's Zak Khan after returning from the Global Sumud Flotilla, the rest of which has been forcibly stopped by Israeli navy this morning.

So much about this has me screaming into my motonormativity cushion. Why further subsidise all the wealthy people who drive? Why NOT subsidise the poorer people who don't drive?

Their ain't no rest for the wicked, with 4⃣ council by-elections taking place this week: 🔶 Bridport (Dorset) 🙋 Kirkham (Fylde) 🌍 Castle (Lancaster) 🏘️ Alfrick, Leigh & Rushwick (Malvern Hills) electionmaps.uk/council-by-e...

I am absolutely furious about this. How f'ing dare Labour pour fuel on the climate crisis and hand out more money to wealthier people? Keeping petrol prices artificially low is climate injustice writ large. Additional scorn for @libdems.org.uk who campaigned for this.

This whole thread is great on what the Labour right are up to in Makerfield but especially this👇

Blimey

When Burnham says more “public control” of utilities he does not mean nationalisation, but he is being vague to get the left on board. 82% of the public support the public ownership of water.

Good thread. Answers from @edpoole1975.bsky.social. Worth following if you don’t already.

🚨BREAKING | Andy Burnham confirms he will NOT scrap first-past-the-post before #GE2029 Burnham said electoral reform must be "in a manifesto", and revealed he does NOT back proportional representation, instead praising the non-proportional Supplementary Vote (SV). Via @itvnews

For once I found myself nodding along to a Guardian headline, then I realised I perhaps wasn’t reading it in the way they intended.

I will never understand how Keir reconciles his self-conception as a good man doing a good job as prime minister with “my premiership had to be brought to the brink of death for me to say this”.

By every measure, 1 hour cities, built for cars, suck when compared to 15 minute cities built for people. @urbantruth.bsky.social #Urbanism #UrbanTruth

Are lots of people who got suckered in by Starmer also going to get suckered in by Burnham? Certainly looks that way. Perhaps they should remember the old adage: "Fool me once, shame on you; Fool me twice, I'm a centrist dingbat"

The Greens standing aside for a Labour candidate wouldn't be a 'progressive alliance', or whatever other bullshit they want to call it. It would be a left-wing party attempting to gift a seat to a right-wing party for no benefit. Absolutely fuck that.

Christopher Harborne is a new entry on the Sunday Times rich list top ten - worth £18 billion. He bought Reform for 0.1% of his fortune...

Green Party source responds: "The problem is we just don't know which Andy Burnham is going to turn up? The Blairite politician who went along with years of privatisation and welfare cuts, or the one who publicly supported PR and changes to the failed economic model? We just don't know."

It’s going to antagonise some people who might otherwise be sympathetic, but “help a broadly hostile party perform 1 weird trick to *maybe somewhat* dig out of a hole it’s made for itself” is not a good reason to stand aside or do anything. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Welcome to Rip-Off Britain. One in five children is growing up in poverty, public services are crumbling - and the 10 richest families and individuals have grown £11bn richer in just one year. Enough is enough. Tax wealth, not work.

It looks like we're going for it! Let's go! www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

After foreign secretary Patrick Gordon Walker’s 1965 by-election defeat, Willie Hamilton criticises his party “We must not take the electorate for granted… “This by-election was little more than a crude attempt at ballot rigging and I do not defend that” www.politics.co.uk/news-feature...

I have ruined this very good piece of data visualisation with ms paint but I think the point it makes is clear

This could be 6 cars instead.

"we've got something better than a legally enforceable ruling, we've got Elon Musk's word as a gentleman"

So the gift is inherently political, so would need to be declared.

Apparently parties standing in elections is ‘cynical’ now? Why let people vote at all? Better leave it to the bookies or the bond markets or our permanently pissed parliamentarians to cobble together whatever this is.