Lindsay

jaw dropping tweet from Feargal Sharkey. You'll want to be sitting down for this bit. Water companies are currently £82.7 billion in debt, have paid themselves £85 billion in dividends, leak over a trillion of litres of water per year, dump sewage for almost 4 million hours per year, have been convicted of over 1,200 criminal acts since 1989 and an average of 35% of your bill goes on nothing but paying more interest and yet more dividends. And not a single company has ever lost their operating licence. https://x.com/Feargal_Sharkey/status/2018618397278285891

Feargal Sharkey: "English Water companies are currently £82.7 billion in debt, have paid themselves £85 billion in dividends, leak over a trillion of litres p.a., dump sewage for almost 4 million hours p.a and roughly 35% of your bills goes on more dividends & interest payments".

It's a hopeful moment, but we need to brace ourselves, writes Owen Jones. ✏️

From the 'Project Fear' Scots are so familiar with, to the brutal demonisation of Jeremy Corbyn, modern history shows us the tactics the establishment will use against Zack Polanski and the Greens

Hannah and Zack with cameras taking a selfie

I don't know if I'll ever stop smiling.

We've all done something very special. 💚

‘Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge’: the UK tourist with a valid visa detained by ICE for six weeks Karen Newton was in America on the trip of a lifetime when she was shackled, transported and held for weeks on end. With tourism to the US under increasing strain, she says, ‘If it can happen to me, i...

Karen Newton, 65, retired admin assistant at a primary school

A valid British passport, a tourist visa and no criminal record

Handcuffed, shackled and locked up for 6 weeks, mostly sleeping on the floor

After trying to leave the US after a trip of a lifetime

- @jennykleeman.bsky.social

Private equity firms are ‘cashing in’ on broken Send system, Lib Dems say Lib Dems leader Sir Ed Davey has called for the Send sector to be given legal protections

Private equity firms ‘cashing in’ on broken Send system.

Vulnerable children treated as "cash cows", successive govts obsessed with privatisation.

Public purse bears cost, local councils heading to bankruptcy.

Can't end profiteering without investing in public provision of children's care.

KFC, Nando's, and others ditch chicken welfare pledge as demand soars Wingstop, Burger King, and others have walked away from an industry commitment to avoid using fast-growing chickens

KFC, Nando's, Burger King and others ditch chicken welfare pledge.

It is about profits.

They prefer "franken-chickens" which mature quicker but have higher rates of premature death and muscle disease.

What are people eating?

Customers not told anything about chicken welfare.

Left: Nigel Farage calls for an end to working from home

Right: Nigel Farage's Reform UK advertising a job which is working form home

Reform’s Matthew Goodwin’s big idea would punish millions of women and strip them of their basic dignity to choose.
 
Even more dumfounding is that Nigel Farage appears to agree with it.
 
This is the kind of divisive politics we must stand against.

Image of Anne Frank

"What is done cannot be undone, but one can prevent it happening again." -- Anne Frank

Companies reap $22bn from Trump’s immigration crackdown Palantir and Deloitte among beneficiaries of spending by government agencies

Leading American companies — including Palantir, Deloitte, and private prison giant GEO Group — raked in over $22B from ICE and CBP contracts last year.

Do not forget who is profiting from cruelty and human suffering.

https://www.ft.com/content/c74170d3-237d-459c-8642-bfd71530897d

I was just denied entry to the Dilley detention facility while my constituent, seven-year-old Diana, remains inside.

What kind of sick, horrific conditions are children being forced to endure in there?

I will be back tomorrow. Accountability can’t wait.

If Reform ever wins power in Westminster, it will be because of Labour’s cowardice | George Monbiot Starmer could improve our unfair electoral system to stop the hard right, but he won’t. All the party has left are threats about ‘splitting the vote’, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

In this week's column I seek to explain Keir Starmer's flat refusal to change our electoral system, even though its gross unfairness could put Reform UK in power on <30% of the vote. The reasons, I believe, are deeply cynical and disturbing. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Walz demands DHS stop detaining Minnesota children In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Walz demanded details about how many Minnesota kids are in detention facilities.

They’re taking children from Minnesota and locking them up like criminals in detention camps in Texas.

For the love of God, send our kids home and bring an end to this nightmare.

www.startribune.com/walz-demands...

Public ownership of water is the only way to deliver security, efficiency, investment and value for money 37 years of privatisation has been a disaster

England's water companies have paid £85bn in dividends.

Borrowed £82.7bn. 35% of customer covers interest payments and shareholder payouts.

Sewage in rivers, insecure water supplies. Customer complaints up 50% last year. No exec prosecuted

Govt response - abolished fines on water companies.

Dear voter, sick of the other parties and tempted by Reform UK? Don’t be daft. Don’t do it. They’re not your friends. Unless you are already rich, this report proves that they will only make your life... From the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) yesterday: Reform UK have announced plans for cuts to income tax in Scotland if they were to win the Scottish Parliament elections in May. They say they …

Dear voter, sick of the other parties and tempted by Reform UK? Don’t be daft. Don’t do it. They’re not your friends. Unless you are already rich, this report proves that they will only make your life and your family’s lives worse talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/01/28/d...

Swift bricks to be installed on all new buildings in Scotland as MSPs back law Rest of UK has resisted calls to make builders install bricks that provide nesting for swifts and other endangered birds

Swift bricks will be installed in all new buildings in Scotland after the Scottish parliament voted in favour of a law to help endangered cavity-nesting birds

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A video of Alex Pretti reading out the final salute of an unnamed veteran he cared for until the end of his life in the ICU, posted to Facebook by his son.

Hundreds and hundreds of people have joined the Green Party since this was broadcast.

Together - we are growing this movement.

Join us: join.greenparty.org.uk

Say no to Palantir in the NHS NHS England is rolling out software to run our health records from Palantir - fight back

notopalantir.goodlawproject.org/email-to-tar...

The irony of ICE detaining and disappearing the original Americans should stop everyone cold.

As a Lakota proverb says, when you discover you’re riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. This system isn’t broken. It’s dead.

Remember: The oligarchs who control our economy and democracy seek to divide us so they can become more powerful.

They want us to turn on each other so we don't look up and see where all the wealth and power have gone.

Don't fall for it.

British.

Lovely. 👏👏👏

Zack Polanski on populism, patriotism and poverty YouTube video by The News Agents

Lower bills.

Fund the NHS.

Invest in our communities.

My long form conversation with @lewisgoodall.com 👇🏼

youtu.be/j8hiBI6T_24?...

Not only are we at record numbers of members and growing every day - this is our highest ever poll rating.

We're just getting started.

This is the politics of the 99% Vs the 1% for a country we can all afford to live in - plenty of room to grow.

Join.greenparty.org.uk

“Why is it always hard choices for working-class communities — not for multimillionaires and billionaires?”

Zack Polanski calls for a tax on the super-rich on #BBCQT

Former Head of Comms for the IEA, Annabel Denham, says the super rich will leave if we have a wealth tax.

Yes, the very same IEA that brought us Liz Truss’ disastrous mini budget. 🤦🏽‍♂️

Green Party leader Zack Polanski explains that their taxable assets can’t leave. #bbcqt

Bylines Network has just got a blue tick!

As has Full Fact and Declassified UK.

Please make sure you’re following this full set of for-public-good alternative journalism.

The MSM is failing us badly (esp on Gaza). So make sure you help build up the grassroots alternatives!

👇👇👇

Let them eat cake.

Why renationalising the UK’s critical national infrastructure is vital Nothing good has come of privatising the Uk’s critical national infrastructure, so there is now a strong case for renationalising

Nothing good has come of privatising the Uk’s Critical National Infrastructure (energy, water, transport, health, comms, etc)…

…so there is now a strong case for renationalising.