Political appointments to the BBC Board must end.
Even the perception of interference that goes with those appointments can damage credibility and trust.
07.03.2026 09:51
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Political appointments to the BBC Board must end.
Even the perception of interference that goes with those appointments can damage credibility and trust.
💥 Professor Vernon Bogdanor writes for @financialtimes.com:
"An electoral system should do two things: ensure that the majority rules and that significant minorities are adequately represented.
First Past the Post achieves neither."
An extraordinary speech by an extraordinary man.
@mark-carney.bsky.social leading the Free World after the United States voted itself down.
Watch this speech. It's more than worth your time.
youtu.be/dTvFnC-oFGw?...
NEW: Carney nails it. We have to stop pretending.
Read this to understand the deep & dark hinterland behind the speech & why Vaclav Havel’s concept of ‘living in truth’ is the guide we need right now
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Proper electoral reform link on bsky: @electoralreform.bsky.social
Billionaires shouldn't be able to buy a bigger voice in politics. Add your name to @electoralreform.bsky.social's call to put a cap on how much they can donate in the #ElectionsBill
action.electoral-reform.org.uk/page/179420/...
Wow - those are quite phenomenal headlines given the details of the story.
Ahh look, he’s just a ‘nerdy’ guy. No harm done.
You need to scroll down to paragraph 13 of the Sky piece to find the full story!
🧵
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There are 4.24m people with Indefinite Leave to Remain (or equivalent).
82% are in work, compared with 74% of Britons
3.8m are in relationships with Britons
They have about 2.4m British-born children.
This bullshit is never going to happen. Again.
But...
www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
Sadiq Khan condemns Nigel Farage's threat to deport hundreds of thousands of Londoners with settled status.
“They have legal rights and are our friends, neighbours and colleagues, contributing hugely to our city.
“Threatening to deport people living and working here legally is unacceptable.”
📜 We're pleased to publish a Terms of Reference for a National Commission on Electoral Reform
⚖️ This is a ready to go plan to independently review how Parliament is elected, promote a national conversation, and build consensus on a way forward
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I genuinely think one thing that trips up folks on the left is that they can't imagine not sharing certain core values. Lemme explain. Here's an intuition pump:
Say you're in negotiations with counterparty X. And there are two possible deals on the table ...
This is my flag.
Why can't Starmer grasp that radical media reform is needed? The lies of the right-wing press have massively perverted our democracy. There is no democracy where voters are grossly misinformed.
Is it time for gunboats to help stop the people smugglers? With the PM's and Labour's poll numbers tanking as the latest official figures confirm the numbers of migrants and small boat crossings are increasing at a shocking rate, is it now time for a different approach?
Short answer: no.
Longer answer: of course fucking not.
More detailed answer: this has previously been suggested and was found to violate international law, including maritime law, risked increased loss of life and, minor point, a possible declaration of war on France.
news.sky.com/story/is-it-...
These are the kind of stories I want to see about asylum seekers. Not the boats.
🔗 www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...
left:
Labour minister James Murray tells Sky News that it's "absolutely right for people to protest about this"
right:
the protest about this
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A post on X by Kyle Langford, with a composite photo showing him standing outside the gates of Auschwitz, and the caption: "My zero unemployment plan", with an emoji of factory chimneys.
I know there's a risk of amplifying the fascist horror show, but I think we need to be aware of just how far things are going, especially as this man is a Republican candidate for governor of California. All the old safeguards are being deliberately torn down, and the unspeakable normalised.
Are we experiencing “collective outrage”?
Not the sort that’s farmed by media barons and algo-savvy modern day shock jocks
The kind that feels like system failure. The moral compass spinning.
With more race riots looming
& extreme weather, slop summer cooking our brains…
A few thoughts.
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President Macron, "What is at stake in Europe is the different democratic models amid foreign interference"
"Information manipulation"
"Domination of minds by negative emotions and addictions to social media"
"Being vulnerable to algorithms designed in the US and China"
Change the UK voting system. Eradicate disillusionment and encourage voter participation.
People could start to believe that their VOTES ACTUALLY MATTER
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/72...
ICE arrested 36 Chinese & Taiwanese immigrants after raiding an LA nightclub. That's them, ziptied on the sidewalk.
Yo Asians—if you weren't already outraged and mobilizing on behalf of others, guess what? That "First they came for the..." poem has gotten up to us.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
MAGA Republicans are keen on the use of military force against citizens & the deployment of big tech for mass surveillance.
This is a violent, authoritarian movement legitimised by anti-migrant rhetoric.
If you don't want that here, we have to stand up before it's too late.
Imagine if the Tabloid Right returned to reality…
📊 "We are in a five - actually six in Wales & Scotland - party system now. Our electoral system is utterly, utterly unfit for purpose in that context"
💬 APPG Vice Chair @elliechowns.bsky.social
🚀 "The first step is setting up that National Commission for Electoral Reform"
🚨 Nigel Farage says First Past the Post is becoming his "friend"
❌ No party should be able get a majority in Parliament with 30% of the vote
💣 Why risk it with First Past the Post?
"We have a 19th century, early 20th century system, but a 21st century electorate - and there's only so long that will hold. We are on the right side of history here."
💬 Our chair @alexsobel.co.uk announcing that we're now the biggest APPG in Parliament
🚨🚨🚨 Action Alert 🚨🚨🚨
Parliament is reportedly questioning OFCOM *tomorrow* over its responsibilities: www.advanced-television.com/2025/05/02/m...
You can help by contacting the committee & highlighting Ofcom's repeated failures with GB News: committees.parliament.uk/committee/37...
weapons-grade morons
Here is a radical suggestion.Perhaps party strategists all over the UK should step back from their focus groups for two minutes and think less about how to campaign, and more why they want to win. What is your plan for the country? Make up your mind, then try to sell it.
Old-fashioned, I know.
The new Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough won 28% of the vote, on 33% turnout.
There was no option to pick a second preference.
Like in the West of England, the winning candidate was elected by less than 10% of the electorate.
This is not sustainable. FPTP must go.
