English folk music and practice is seeing a revival.
Could it be an alternative Englishness to that pushed by the far right?
My piece for @thenewworldmag.bsky.social
#folk #ukpolitics #uk
March 8, 2026 - Tehran at sunrise today. But the sun is hidden behind a sky filled with smoke. After a night of intensive strikes on oil facilities, thick black clouds now hang over the city, turning morning into something that feels like night.
Labour have responded to a by-election in which they haemorrhaged votes to the left and came third in a seat they’ve held for decades by denying there’s a problem and doubling down on the same policies which drove those people away.
They’re truly sticking their heads in the sand.
What a moment!
The atmosphere had been building up all night before erupting when Hannah Spencer was confirmed as the new MP for @greenparty.org.uk
The once-safe Labour seat of Gorton & Denton just turned Green. Hannah Spencer’s pro-Palestine campaign delivered a historic by-election win in Manchester. The New Arab was there as the results came in
Video: @kitrobertsjourno.bsky.social
Additional credits: Issy Maple, Kitty Grant
My coverage for @thenewarab.bsky.social on the results of the Gorton and Denton by-election
#ukpolitics #politics #gortonanddenton
Well this aged like milk 😂
Massive win for the Greens and a rout for Labour in Gorton and Denton. Labour went from a majority of over 13,000 to third place behind Reform, and the Greens have a comfortable majority of 4,402 votes.
#ukpolitics #gortonanddenton
Turnout in Gorton & Denton is 47.62%.
It was 47.8% at the general election in 2024.
Well there we go, polls have closed.
#gortonanddenton #ukpolitics
It’s anyone’s guess who will win Gorton and Denton, but what do we think the margin is going to be?
Less than 500 votes?
Less than 100?
Less than 10?
Share your predictions!
#ukpolitics #gortonanddenton #uk #journalist
Very excited to be covering the by-election in Gorton and Denton for @thenewarab.bsky.social overnight.
#ukpolitics #uk #byelection #manchester
My report from Gorton and Denton for @thenewarab.bsky.social ahead of this week’s by-election
#ukpolitics #news #politics
I’ve been in Gorton and Denton covering the by-election for @thenewarab.bsky.social
#ukpolitics #uk #gortonanddenton
Read here:
I interviewed @greenparty.org.uk candidate Hannah Spencer for @thenewarab.bsky.social ahead of the by-election in Gorton and Denton in Manchester this week.
Check out some extracts from the interview here:
www.instagram.com/reel/DVG8F1H...
@zackpolanski.bsky.social #ukpolitics #manchester
A map of the UK with the line for the north of England including Stoke-on-Trent London is labelled “money pit” Merseyside is labelled “Scouse” Brighton is labelled “fun south” Everything southeast of Somerset is “West Country” Midlands is from Stafford down to Worcester Everything below that is south
How I define north/south as someone from Stoke-on-Trent
#northsouthdivide
#uk
Seen complaints from Americans about Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance because it was in Spanish.
Sounds like a skill issue to me 🤷
“Lee Anderson? Wasn’t he a member of the Labour Party?”
Five jobs I’ve had:
- Shelf stacker
- Bartender
- Drummer
- Tea seller
- Journalist
I drove through Snake Pass for the first time today, a hair-raising experience. It baffles me that this is one of the main road routes between two of the biggest cities in the UK
I’m sure there are plenty of complicated reasons, but talk about “if it’s not in or connected to London who cares” jfc
The high medieval papacy, which incidentally got through a lot of (olive) oil, didn’t fight its own battles to protect its interests, it wanted the Holy Roman Emperor to fight them on its behalf
This post is not about the high medieval papacy
Astonishing rendition of My Way by Jessie J on Hootenanny last night, and coming after her story of coming through breast cancer what a glorious and beautiful way to say defiantly “I’m still here”
#jessiej #hootenanny
Do you like language, culture, and history?
Then give me a follow over on TikTok where I’m posting regularly on language, culture, and a bit of news, history, and general nerdy stuff that I think is cool.
If you’re very lucky I might even do a dance.
#tiktok #bluesky #journalist
Oh nooo 🤣
We really just can’t catch a break can we
So I looked up the Christmas No 1 the year I was born.
“Mr Blobby” by Mr Blobby
Us millennials really just can’t catch a break can we? 🤣
#christmas
Estimates of 60,000 people murdered in el-Fasher in Sudan in three weeks.
I’ll just repeat that - 60,000 people murdered, in three weeks.
That’s nearly 3,000 people butchered every day - for three weeks.
Where is the outrage? Where is the response?
#sudan #worldnews #elfasher
Insightful and informative piece by @jessothomson.co.uk on the decision by the WI and Girl Guides to exclude trans women
#lgbtq #ukpolitics #transrights
If you need me I’ll be in the corner rocking back and forth and crying at the mere thought of taking down the entirety of Hamlet in shorthand.
#shorthand #journalism
If you had a guaranteed comfortable home and good quality of life on two days of work a week, what would you do?
