@louknightsmccudden
Writer, politics & public policy analysis nerd, reproductive justice advocate, intuitive eater. Sapphic. Wife. She/her. 🌈 UK Head of External Relations, Advocacy & Comms at MSI Reproductive Choices but views my own.
After Trump was reelected, he quickly pardoned anti-abortion activists convicted of harassing and threatening clinic patients and staff.
Federal investigations into bomb threats against clinics suddenly vanished.
Have you read I Heart Politics: How People Power Took Over the World by @thatdocphoenix.com? It's not quite what you're describing, but touches on a lot of it, in the context of how that (online and offline) fandom culture has been applied to politics.
That's so scary!
My photo shows a famous wall painting from Pompeii known as the Sappho fresco. It shows the head and upper body of a young woman framed inside a painted circular border. She faces forward. Her eyes are large and dark, gazing to one side with a calm and thoughtful expression, as if pausing mid-thought. Her skin is pale, and her hair is dark brown and tightly curled, forming small ringlets around her face. A thin golden hairnet holds her curls in place. She wears small gold hoop earrings, and a brown cloak over a green garment. In her right hand she holds a thin dark metal stylus (writing tool) up against her lips, as if thinking about what to write. In her left hand she holds a small rectangular wooden wax writing tablet. The fresco is now on display at the Muso Archeologico Nazionale in Naples
The ‘Sappho’ fresco from Pompeii.
A beautiful Roman portrait of a young woman for #InternationalWomensDay
She holds a writing tablet, and raises a writing stylus to her lips in thoughtful contemplation. 55-70 AD.
Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples 📷 by me
#Archaeology
Diamond tier R.E.M.🔥
Okay, so I am definitely going to have to go freelance, at least for a while. So, if anyone has any advice on actually building up and finding freelance policy and comms works, including providing media and advocacy training, campaign planning and strategy please let me know.
Never apologise for posting R.E.M.! Glorious harmonies all over the shop. Wolves, Lower is another one. And Fall On Me
I would actually love a long read or podcast episode on the extent to which journalists can be actively penalised in this country for doing real journalism.
Putting international law in scare quotes...
People making these decisions do know you can't completely separate "successful policy outcomes" from "electoral and political success" right? Right?
Bad policymaking will lose you votes in the end even if people say they want the bad policy idea in a thousand focus groups.
Plus the fact that the story is headed up by an article titled "how to make your brain three years younger in three months" should also be a clue that whatever you're about to read may not be scientifically or factually sound
Pinnable post
Well if he had socially progressive values I'm sure they'd find another way to delegitimise him but yes it would look different for sure
Why have they chosen a picture of him on his phone. Is he so terminally online they couldn't pry him away from it for three seconds to take a photo
"Totally unregulated sexual economy" is an incredible turn of phrase
A reminder that LGBTQIA+ orgs need you to follow them on Bluesky to free themselves of social media platforms that are getting harder to do meaningful advocacy on.
I made a starter pack for you and them to make it easy.
go.bsky.app/PSBhHbT
Official Opposition is designated in statute.
There is support for other opposition parties, in parliament, who are not the official opposition.
They all appoint party spokespeople; these other opposition teams are not the "Shadow Cabinet"
researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN...
Reform's Home Affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf = accurate.
Shadow Home Secretary Zia Yusuf = inaccurate
Reform's Home Affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf, who Reform seek to project as an alternate "shadow home secretary", though they are not the official opposition party with 8 seats v 116 = accurate
Shadow Home Secretary is Chris Philp MP as part of His Majesty's Opposition.
The LibDems, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru have MPs as spokespeople.
Reform now have a party spokesman who is not one of their eight MPs, making the pretence to hold/share this title even more of a stretch.
Tickets now on sale for our IWD festival at the Soho Theatre in Walthamstow featuring Andi Oliver, Shappi Khorsandi, Helen Pankhurst, Ashley James, Lapsley, Harriet Rose, Martha Deiros Collado, Juno Dawson and many more on Sunday 8th March sohotheatre.com/events/walth...
"Reproductive rights and equality campaigners reacted in horror after Farage hired James Orr, a rightwing theologian who opposes abortion even in cases of rape, incest or serious risk to health, to replace Zia Yusuf as his head of policy."
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Why are bike lanes anti sex worker
This is such a weird thing to say (from the MP, not Sam), and yeah, really indicative of the information environment they are uncritically swimming in.
Wristwatches, pen and paper, printed books, vinyls for the lovely brain buzz soothing feeling. (Or am I just old.)
Oh my God this is precisely how my brain works, you have put this all into words so well
Hearts are for sympathy, not liking your horrible day 💜
Our Royal Family is extremely good at self preservation, hence they are still around
Incredible video
Great article by @jdportes.bsky.social on the realities of immigration policy and why it feels like such a hopeless mess. Doom loop is exactly right.
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/724...