Follow us on Bluesky
  1. Bluesky Feeds /
  2. Newsmast Foundation /
  3. UK Newsmakers
UK Newsmakers

UK Newsmakers

by Newsmast Foundation Newsmast Foundation

⚠️ Beta ⚠️ Follow the UK on Bluesky, curated by The Newsmast Foundation. Follow us @newsmastfoundation.org for the UK's leading Fediverse project 🕸️

Feed on Bluesky

Feeds Stats

  • 💙 Liked by 0 users
  • 📅 Updated about 1 year ago
  • ⚙️ Provider skyfeed.me

UK Newsmakers Likes over time

Like count prediction
The feed UK Newsmakers has not gained any likes in the last month.

Feed Preview for UK Newsmakers

Alex Andreou
@sturdyalex.bsky.social
about 1 hour ago
So satisfying to be reminded by a friend of a piece I wrote twelve years ago and find that, pretty much, every word holds true and every sentence is a prophecy. "The extreme left is more prone to mitosis, while the extreme right to mutation."
Opinion The far right This article is more than 11 years old Don't be fooled by Tommy Robinson's political sleight-of-hand This article is more than 11 years oldAlex Andreou The former EDL leader may have left his party, but this is just an old far-right trick to attract the media and shift the debate Sun 13 Oct 2013 11.00 BST Share 403 In interview after interview, the newly reformed Tommy Robinson was challenged last week about inconsistencies in his account about leaving the English Defence League (EDL). About the fact, for instance, that the assertion he hates extremism, not Muslims, did not tally with his past rhetoric; that his claim he decided to leave the EDL back in February did not sit comfortably with his recent activities. Each time he waved away these charges simply by saying that this was in the past and he was looking to the future. This was also the way he dismissed his past association with the British National party, when questioned by Andrew Neil only four months ago, at a time when he was still "EDL till I die". There is a grave danger that by obsessively analysing Robinson's reasoning, we risk missing the wood for the trees.
This is exactly the modus operandi of such factions. From the British Union of Fascists to the British People's party, the Action party, the National Front, the Flag Group, the New National Front, the BNP and the EDL, the far-right throbs and expands, blooms, then folds into itself and subdivides like an amorphous but sentient blob from a 1950s B movie. It reinvents itself constantly until it finds the marketable packaging, charismatic personnel, economic conditions and public mood within which it can thrive. In the process it creates new and unusual vacant spaces in our political consciousness that existing or newly formed parties scramble to fill. The entire manoeuvre is designed to inexorably drag the Overton window to the right, making the intolerable, accepted and the intolerant, acceptable. There is some evidence to suggest that such strategies may work for the extreme left, too, but are employed to a much lesser extent. Perhaps this is partly to do with Professor Farruh Yilmaz's observation that the far right gained a sort of "first mover advantage" by claiming ownership of the immigration debate in Europe. Far left movements are traditionally more internationalist, finding it difficult to gain traction. Charting the development of the far left in Greece in parallel to the rise of Golden Dawn, one observes that they tend to be more anarchic as organisations and, as such, tend to meet their demise by fracturing into small pieces. In contrast, far-right movements in Greece were much more military in nature, usually coalescing around an autocratic, charismatic figure. This makes it easier for them to be "rolled over" into a new incarnation. The extreme left is more prone to mitosis, while the extreme right to mutation.
5
15
47
James O’Brien
@mrjamesob.bsky.social
about 4 hours ago
This is why I'm never on the radio at weekends.

The multi-talented @mrjamesob.bsky.social moonlighting as a footballer.

28
10
344
Alex Andreou
@sturdyalex.bsky.social
about 1 hour ago
Should I start a substack? Reaction to the piece I wrote for BfB this week was really lovely.

So satisfying to be reminded by a friend of a piece I wrote twelve years ago and find that, pretty much, every word holds true and every sentence is a prophecy. "The extreme left is more prone to mitosis, while the extreme right to mutation."

Opinion The far right This article is more than 11 years old Don't be fooled by Tommy Robinson's political sleight-of-hand This article is more than 11 years oldAlex Andreou The former EDL leader may have left his party, but this is just an old far-right trick to attract the media and shift the debate Sun 13 Oct 2013 11.00 BST Share 403 In interview after interview, the newly reformed Tommy Robinson was challenged last week about inconsistencies in his account about leaving the English Defence League (EDL). About the fact, for instance, that the assertion he hates extremism, not Muslims, did not tally with his past rhetoric; that his claim he decided to leave the EDL back in February did not sit comfortably with his recent activities. Each time he waved away these charges simply by saying that this was in the past and he was looking to the future. This was also the way he dismissed his past association with the British National party, when questioned by Andrew Neil only four months ago, at a time when he was still "EDL till I die". There is a grave danger that by obsessively analysing Robinson's reasoning, we risk missing the wood for the trees.
This is exactly the modus operandi of such factions. From the British Union of Fascists to the British People's party, the Action party, the National Front, the Flag Group, the New National Front, the BNP and the EDL, the far-right throbs and expands, blooms, then folds into itself and subdivides like an amorphous but sentient blob from a 1950s B movie. It reinvents itself constantly until it finds the marketable packaging, charismatic personnel, economic conditions and public mood within which it can thrive. In the process it creates new and unusual vacant spaces in our political consciousness that existing or newly formed parties scramble to fill. The entire manoeuvre is designed to inexorably drag the Overton window to the right, making the intolerable, accepted and the intolerant, acceptable. There is some evidence to suggest that such strategies may work for the extreme left, too, but are employed to a much lesser extent. Perhaps this is partly to do with Professor Farruh Yilmaz's observation that the far right gained a sort of "first mover advantage" by claiming ownership of the immigration debate in Europe. Far left movements are traditionally more internationalist, finding it difficult to gain traction. Charting the development of the far left in Greece in parallel to the rise of Golden Dawn, one observes that they tend to be more anarchic as organisations and, as such, tend to meet their demise by fracturing into small pieces. In contrast, far-right movements in Greece were much more military in nature, usually coalescing around an autocratic, charismatic figure. This makes it easier for them to be "rolled over" into a new incarnation. The extreme left is more prone to mitosis, while the extreme right to mutation.
5
0
19
Stephen Bush
@stephenkb.bsky.social
about 2 hours ago
Me, watching WB get hit after hit with films they visibly did not believe in:
a man with a beard is crying and saying `` he can 't keep getting away with it ! ''

media.tenor.com

a man with a beard is crying and saying `` he can 't keep getting away with it ! ''

Alt: He can’t keep getting away with it!

The reviews for One Battle After Another, after Sinners and Weapons, mean Zaslav’s WB is on an exceptional streak of acclaimed original movies from interesting directors, a very funny and baffling fact meaning we’re one step closer to @stephenkb.bsky.social confronting an actually good HP series

7
7
101
Politico
@politico.com
about 5 hours ago
Newsom to sign five bills aimed at protecting Calif.'s large immigrant population from Trump’s mass deportation agenda — including a ban on face coverings for federal agents.
Gavin Newsom rebukes Trump’s immigration crackdown with suite of new laws

www.politico.com

Gavin Newsom rebukes Trump’s immigration crackdown with suite of new laws

The California governor traveled to Los Angeles to sign five bills that Democrats say will shield the state’s large immigrant population from federal law enforcement overreach.
21
168
602
Paul Brand
@paulbrand.bsky.social
about 3 hours ago
BREAKING: Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce that the U.K. is recognising the state of Palestine tomorrow afternoon
15
21
134
Alex Andreou
@sturdyalex.bsky.social
about 2 hours ago
An excellent swap!

Cancelled my #Disney subscription and used the money to support @alexpodyssey.bsky.social instead! 👍

1
6
101
Byline Times
@bylinetimes.bsky.social
about 3 hours ago
Exposing the Real UK Race Riot Instigators: The Key Players and Transatlantic Network Around Tommy Robinson Nafeez Ahmed uncovers a worrying nexus of tech platforms and far-right conspiracy – with links to Europe, Russia and the January 6 insurrection bylinetimes.com/2024/08/0….
Exposing the Real UK Race Riot Instigators: The Key Players and Transatlantic Network Around Tommy Robinson

bylinetimes.com

Exposing the Real UK Race Riot Instigators: The Key Players and Transatlantic Network Around Tommy Robinson

Robinson has been blamed for stoking the unrest, but the tentacles of disinformation are global. Nafeez Ahmed uncovers a worrying nexus of tech platforms and far-right conspiracy – with links to Europ...
3
93
141
Climate News
@climatenews.bsky.social
about 3 hours ago
Can someone tell Friedrich Merz and Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer?
IF YOU DON'T WANNA BE CALLED FASCIST, DON'T DO FASCIST SHIT
3
20
85
James O’Brien
@mrjamesob.bsky.social
about 6 hours ago
Happy Birthday to broadcasting legend Pete Murray, who turned 100 yesterday. His last proper gig was on LBC, wrapping up just before I arrived. Not many of our presenters ever overtake the station's FM frequency, 97.3. In fact, he may well be the only one ever to do so.
32
54
755
James Ball
@jamesrball.com
about 1 hour ago
This has subsequently been deleted (prompting people to feel more sure it was a DM) but then reposted in very similar form. Thing is, the only thing weirder and possibly worse than government by DM is surely government by open posting on a Twitter knockoff.

Trump criticizes Pam Bondi for not charging his adversaries quickly enough, in a Truth Social post that looks a lot like a DM. truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...

1
5
11
James Ball
@jamesrball.com
about 3 hours ago
I suppose reinvading Afghanistan wouldn’t least give Trump a rationale for why he didn’t win the Nobel Peace Prize. Even if it does suggest he’s forgotten whose idea it was to withdraw from Afghanistan in the first place.

President Trump threatens the Taliban, demanding that Bagram in Afghanistan be returned to U.S. control.

Donald J. Trump & + @realDonaldTrump • 2m If Afghanistan doesn't give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!! President DJT
5
4
42
Politico
@politico.com
about 5 hours ago
The "Red Scare" echoes in Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension.

www.politico.com
14
60
233
Will Jennings 🗳️
@drjennings.bsky.social
about 5 hours ago
Wrong wrong wrong. X's algorithm and pay-for-play was already shrinking audiences and collapsed click-through to links. It hasn't been a level playing field for a long time. If you want to play poker when the deck is stacked against you, it's your right, but don't lecture others for choosing not to.

One of the biggest mistakes left-of-center pundits and influencers made was decamping to Bluesky. They made themselves irrelevant, shrunk their audiences, and dramatically lessened the positive impact they could have on our public debate at the precise time we needed it most.

6
21
193
James Ball
@jamesrball.com
about 3 hours ago
Have just said in my sternest tone “Look, I don’t negotiate with cats” and 1. I’m not fooling anyone 2. I really hope no-one heard it.
A very heartfelt looking tuxedo cat pads at the camera for attention
12
2
63
Politico
@politico.com
about 5 hours ago
On Friday, Trump re-upped his claim that critical television coverage of him is “illegal” and pushed back on criticisms that his administration was taking actions that limit free speech. Click below to read the full story 👇 ow.ly/c9go50WZO8b
64
81
175
Helen Barnard
@helenbarnard.bsky.social
about 3 hours ago
What’s the value of interviews with delayed passengers? Presenter: “Many people have been delayed. Now we can speak to John who was caught up in the chaos. John, tell us about your experience.” John: “I was delayed.” Presenter: “Thank you. Now for the weather…”
0
1
38
Sam Freedman
@samfr.bsky.social
about 7 hours ago
Running around with a chainsaw isn't a viable political strategy? Who knew?

(Bloomberg) - Javier Milei has lost the confidence of investors and he knows it. 🤡 🇦🇷 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

17
58
277
Alex Andreou
@sturdyalex.bsky.social
about 5 hours ago
“We have tried to mediate between Jeremy and Zarah for some weeks now. We have raised concerns about the breakdown of trust, poor communication, inadequate governance... In blunt terms, we demanded a meeting to get it sorted. One side agreed, the other has not responded despite multiple attempts.” 😱
We are incredibly disappointed to see the leadership fallout in Your Party. But we want to assure you that your donations are safe. MOU Operations Ltd was set up before the launch of Your Party’s website went live on the 24th of July. It was approved by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana to be the custodian of the donations. All the donations encouraged by both Zarah and Jeremy, or anyone else, went into this bank account, with their approval. The recent email launching a membership system uses exactly the same payment system, and goes into the same bank account. We will not comment on the dispute between Jeremy and Zarah about who should or should not send emails. That email system is not owned or controlled by MOU Operations Ltd. We will speak to Jeremy and Zarah and make sure the mechanism for any refunds is shared with you. As the directors of MOU Operations Ltd, our duty and loyalty is to the members and supporters who have signed up and donated. We will not take sides between Jeremy and Zarah. We will act only in your interests, to deliver the project you signed up for. We want to see this project succeed; it is bigger than anyone involved. This is a fast moving situation, and we hope a resolution can be found.
We take our legal, moral and fiduciary duties extremely seriously. We want to assure you that we have taken no payment of any kind. We have not been involved in running the project since its launch in July. We are simply custodians of the money. Neither Zarah nor Jeremy have received any money from MOU Operations Ltd, nor have they ever asked to. In the spirit of openness, we have to disclose that we have tried to mediate between Jeremy and Zarah for some weeks now. We have raised concerns about the breakdown of trust, poor communication, inadequate governance and a lack of transparency. In blunt terms, we demanded a meeting to get it sorted. One side agreed, the other has not responded despite multiple attempts. We are as exasperated as you are. We have been inundated with messages asking us to help find a solution, which we continue to do. Hundreds of thousands of people see the need for a new kind of politics. They want a party that will build from the grassroots up. One that is truly democratic in practice as well as in principle, and gives the hope for a better Britain and a better world. We share that hope. Jamie Driscoll Beth Winter Andrew Feinstein Directors of MOU Operations Ltd
19
15
83
Politico
@politico.com
about 5 hours ago
Berkeley is in upheaval after Trump turned his attention from East Coast universities to the West.
‘It’s a capitulation’: Berkeley grieves as its university bends to Trump

www.politico.com

‘It’s a capitulation’: Berkeley grieves as its university bends to Trump

Berkeley is in upheaval after Trump turned his attention from East Coast universities to the West.
10
50
118
Marie Le Conte
@youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com
about 6 hours ago
thinking of getting into NFTs in 2026, as a bit
4
4
146
Best for Britain
@bestforbritain.org
about 9 hours ago
🟢 New leader of the Green Party @zackpolanski.bsky.social on how to grow the economy. "We need to destroy this really bad metaphor that the household budget is anything like a national economy."
Video thumbnail
Play button
25
134
425
Alex Andreou
@sturdyalex.bsky.social
about 4 hours ago
I will send a nice, hand-written art card with a message to the FIRST person to guess, precisely, the title of tomorrow's @quietriotpod.bsky.social Sunday School. Obviously, before it comes out. GO.
50
7
40
Vikki Slade MP
@vikkislademp.bsky.social
about 3 hours ago
A busy first day of conference! I have: 🎤 Opened Conference for 2025 with Cllr Millie Earl 🥁 Led the marching band with Sir Ed Davey through Central Gardens ☕ Hosted a Hospitality focussed round table with Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper 🐕 Opened the Lib Dem Rally and been part of Todd's stage debut!
0
2
14
Best for Britain
@bestforbritain.org
about 7 hours ago
"It’s not too late to puncture the Reform leader’s populist myth. His ‘make Britain great again’ act is out of step with the British people" 🎯 www.theguardian.com/comme…
Trump has dragged the US to the abyss and Nigel Farage would do the same to Britain. Here’s how to stop him | Jonathan Freedland

www.theguardian.com

Trump has dragged the US to the abyss and Nigel Farage would do the same to Britain. Here’s how to stop him | Jonathan Freedland

It’s not too late to puncture the Reform leader’s populist myth. His ‘make Britain great again’ act is out of step with the British people, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
4
53
150