I get yelled at for saying this but for many hundreds of years people went to university not to get diplomas or be employable but because immersion in the humanities was considered foundational to a good life, and school must return to its original purpose: the joy of learning.
Healthy life expectancy in the UK has now dropped to 61, the lowest since records began in 2011. Healthy life expectancy has been falling in the UK since 2020. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
This, right here, is criminal Trump’s invisibility cloak.
Normal people still can’t imagine the kind of man he really is, or the kind of things he’s capable of.
Huntsman of the Pipewell Foot Beagles (Northants) convicted and fined for illegal hunting, judge orders his hunting horn destroyed. www.huntsabs.org.uk/guilty-pipew...
"Progressive" Democrat candidate for Texas State Senate wins "shock" election despite Republican opponent spending ten times as much on their campaign. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
"Progressive" Democrat candidate who is a former political director for Bernie Sanders takes House of Representatives seat in New Jersey despite Republicans and pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC spending ten times as much as her on their election campaign theintercept.com/2026/02/10/a...
"Progressive" Democrat candidate who is a former political director for Bernie Sanders takes House of Representatives seat in New Jersey despite Republicans and pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC spending ten times as much as her on their election campaign theintercept.com/2026/02/10/a...
Asked about an SDS team-building trip to Amsterdam, Boyling said he "had a smoke in a bar”, he and other officers “walked through” the Red Light District. He also went on an SDS trip to Las Vegas.
Boyling doesn't recall any SDS officers or his managers expressing opinions about the McPherson Inquiry into Stephen Lawrence. Barr says other SDS have testified that opinions on this were expressed. #spycops
Boyling doesn't recall any discussion of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry at the regular meetings of SDS undercovers, nor of any opinions expressed at these meetings regarding former activist Jack Straw becoming Home Secretary. #spycops
Counsel for the Inquiry David Barr questions Boyling on what happened at the regular meetings of undercover officers of the Special Demonstration Squad at their safe house. What did he know about other officers' infiltration of anti-racism campaigns? #spycops
Undercover Policing inquiry testimony resumes, restriction order on reporting is now lifted. Testimony from Jim Boyling, who infiltrated Reclaim The Streets and others, resumes. #spycops
At the Undercover Police Inquiry for the 3rd (and possibly final?) day of testimony from undercover police officer Jim Boyling, who infiltrated RTS & other groups. Restriction order prevents reporting of this morning's session, redacted transcript & video will be online eventually. #spycops
700 high school students of Claremont Unified School District, California, walk out of school in protest against ICE raids. claremont-courier.com/schools/the-...
Something compelled me to make this
Boyling says he was later told at a post-J18 debrief that the Met had offered a "detailed briefing" to City Police ahead of the event, which they declined. City Police apparently had "their own intel" - which Boyling described as "nonsense" about "a small group of students". #spycops
According to Boyling, the City Police were trying to deal by themselves with "disorder" at J18 Carnival Against Capitalism 1998 so they wouldn't "lose primacy over events in The City" to the Met. #spycops
At the J18 Carnival Against Capitalism in the City of London, 1998, Boyling saw "dozens" of Met police vans over the river (briefed with his intel) waiting for permission from City Police to enter the City. #spycops
Boyling on groups that undercovers infiltrated: "Having put all that work into getting that sort of access, we would want them to flourish." #spycops
...But the Met's Tactical Support Group tried to stop the RTS South London street party sound system truck, driven by Boyling, from leaving the party. This resulted in a "low speed chase" up Brixton Hill with TSG vans in pursuit, before Boyling made his escape. #spycops
Boyling is shown an intel report ahead of RTS South London street party, 1998. "Serious consideration should be given to allowing the (sound) systems, and therefore the crowd, to depart unhindered." #spycops
Asked whether he reported to "the office" the start of his relationship with an activist Boyling says: "low maintenance people did not bring problems to the office", "high maintenance" officers were constantly asking questions... this was not considered a good thing to do." #spycops
Barr challenges Boyling on his assertion that activists mostly had relationships within their small "closed circle" - 60 to 70 people can turn up to an (open) RTS meeting... hardly a "closed circle".
Questioned on whether he told "Ruth" he was younger than his real age: "There's no reason I would have told her a wrong age," says Boyling, at the time a full-time undercover officer infiltrating activist groups using a false identity. #spycops
Boyling on his report on the revival of London Greenpeace - "the group will eventually house most of the members from last time round, though presumably without private detectives". A "light joke you put in a report without realising 30 years later it will fall very flat." #spycops
Boyling says of managing an undercover officer that half the skill is knowing when not to ask them questions you don't want to know the answer to. #spycops
2nd day of testimony from undercover officer Jim Boyling -who infiltrated Reclaim The Streets and other groups - at the Undercover Policing Inquiry #spycops
