Jacob S

The rise and fall of Bristol Patriots - The Bristol Cable As a hate-filled demo exposed their true colours, with Nazis, a child sex offender and bank robber in their ranks – is this the end for the group?

Fantastic write-up from @thebristolcable.bsky.social on the rise and fall of "Bristol Patriots", covering the assorted nazis, child abusers and violent criminals that have made up their ranks, and how, between local activists, researchers and independent journalists this group has been opposed.

This is the company the UK government has embedded in the nation’s services. Seriously, fuck everyone who is excusing this.

Valid statement tho, just not how he means it.

And he is.

Lots of rich details here. The city paying for infrastructure works with gold from an anonymous donor, strongly suggesting that even the city's gangsters are sick of shit infrastructure.

It's finally out!

🚨Radical Municipalism: The Politics of the Common and the Democratization of Public Services🚨
bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/radical-muni...

Two open access chapters, links below!

14 case study chapters from across Barcelona, Europe and the Americas.

Zohran Mamdani and the Rise of the Renter Politicians From city councils to Congress, homeowners have always dominated elected office. But after Mamdani’s victory, a slew of candidates want to follow in his footsteps.

"From city councils to Congress, homeowners have always dominated elected office. But after Mamdani’s victory, a slew of renter candidates want to follow in his footsteps." Excellent @monicapotts.bsky.social piece. newrepublic.com/article/2076...

Massive fires on two oil tankers after attack in Iraqi waters Two foreign tankers were seen ablaze in Iraqi territorial waters after a strike near the al-Faw port.

As a species, we need to be done with oil as a source of fuel.

We need to just walk away from it.

This would undermine one of the best aspects of the Renters Rights Act. So this government, which is obsessed with making everything a compromise that pleases no-one, will probably do it.

I also see endless attempts to interpret the 'strategic' reasons for the war, or how it is a really a clever bid for more power in some way. And I'm sorry, that's how you analyse other administrations. These people are fools. Assume they are doing it for the stupidest, most self-serving reasons.

Spending more than £39bn over ten years on building new social homes? UK can't afford that.

Spending £500bn over ten years on temp housing and housing benefit in large part down to a lack of housing - and in particular social housing? No problem.

Crazy idea, but hear me out. What if we just make a plan to stop relying on oil, and phase out most our usage over the next 15-20 years, and then never start another war in the middle east ever again?

UK Gave £90k to Sexual Violence Report Central to Israel’s Genocide Propaganda Exclusive: The Foreign Office funded a sexual violence report subsequently used in a £33m Israeli campaign to whitewash its genocide in Gaza. Rivkah Brown reports.

Mindblowing story. The UK met most of the costs of a key propaganda tool used by the Israeli Government to launder its genocide in Gaza - then tried to cover up the fact it had done so.

As a matter of rhetoric, Polanski must drop the phrase ‘managed migration’, since it explicitly adopts the framing and language of anti-migrant parties like Labour, Conservatives, Reform, etc. Take the stronger position: ‘fair migration’ is sufficient. Everyone (except the racists) wants what’s fair

One of the main reasons I joined the Green Party is because they are the only party ready to take on the criminal racket of landlords and developers that have parts of this country in a chokehold. Vote Green.

I hate it when journos just repeat govt press releases on stuff like this. It is literally just a cheap way of getting a positive press story! That level of funding is meaningless! It's okay to say that in your article, or get an expert to say it for you.

It’s time to normalise tenant unions In the Global North, we live in difficult times for the left. The right and far right have taken control of many governments, often by first taking control of the media. The resources arrayed again…

Tenant unions have just not scaled up enough yet preorg.org/its-time-to-...

Tenant unions are a key part of the puzzle for left-wing organising in the coming years, alongside labour organising, climate organising and community self-defence and mutual aid. But tenant unions will only become powerful enough to transform housing systems if we build them big and build them everywhere. If we are to really take on the power of landed interests, everyone we know and all of our neighbours need to be in tenant unions. It’s time to think big in tenant organising, and that means normalising tenant unions amongst both ourselves and the wider pool of renters.

Here's the conclusion of my new tenant organising article. Have a read to see how I think we can get there.

A rather spicy irony that a part of the Labour Party that claims to channel the true will of the working class would write...like this. I'm a fairly well-read person with a PhD and had to look up 'cache-misere'. NO, WE'RE THE TRUE VOICE OF THE WORKING CLASS, they shout as the voters all bugger off.

The rebrand was necessary as they don't have permission to use the old name, but it's baffling that there's been no attempt to overhaul stores and lines or do a big splash relaunch.

Not long ago the two main parties looked almost unassailable. And the funny thing is, they fucked themselves. Yes, you can say neoliberalism is dying so old parties struggle, but these particular two parties in this particular country indulged in years and years of entirely unnecessary self-harm.

I know the Matt Goodwin smears are nasty, but objectively it's quite funny that he's trying to depict a blonde-haired plumber with a Manc accent who rescues greyhounds as a threat to Western Civilisation. I can't imagine it's convincing anyone who wasn't already convinced by him.

It’s time to normalise tenant unions In the Global North, we live in difficult times for the left. The right and far right have taken control of many governments, often by first taking control of the media. The resources arrayed again…

It's time to normalise tenant unions! Some thoughts on growing the tenant union movement in Britain (and beyond) preorg.org/its-time-to-...

What a fucking idiot.

I have a hard time watching old movies and tv shows but the Twilight Zone absolutely zips by and is fun as hell because they essentially do what a show on Apple TV takes two seasons to accomplish in a half hour

I know they won't talk about it because they simply refused to accept it all through the Corbyn years, and took Corbyn's defeat as evidence left wing voters were gone, even though the numbers said otherwise.

One of the facts of this result the media mostly won't pick up on is that, despite the right wing radicalisation of our political and media class, the UK simply has a lot of left wing voters.

Me seeing that a job that requires a degree and several years' experience pays £30k, the same as in 2005: Woah, no wonder we are in shit!

Highly paid political commentator with podcast: why does everyone distrust politicians so much? Why can't we see they are doing their best? It is a mystery!

Woke 2: The Deep Awokening will demand not only that people and organisations and states take concrete steps to address historical injustices, but that they believe deep within their hearts that it is right and necessary to do so, or risk being cancelled.

Here come the landlord dodges.