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Chris Gravell

@chrisg43

Retired, reads a lot, doesn't dust, vague lefty. Bikes, e-bikes, cargo bikes, disability rights, trans rights, Palestine, etc.

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Philippe Chancel's photos of the Nazi hunting Rockabilly street gangs of 80s Paris.

08.03.2026 23:01 ๐Ÿ‘ 1058 ๐Ÿ” 338 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 15 ๐Ÿ“Œ 55
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What is it with Nigel Farage and the people he associates with?

22.02.2026 09:38 ๐Ÿ‘ 399 ๐Ÿ” 224 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 39 ๐Ÿ“Œ 20
Me walking a bike and a bike lane with two kids sitting on it

Me walking a bike and a bike lane with two kids sitting on it

Donโ€™t consider myself an advocate, urbanist, activist or part of some fringe group. Just a dad that was tired of their kids losing their childhood independence at the hands of a toxic and normalized car culture

Quite sad that wanting kids to walk/bike/roll safely to school is considered radical.

14.03.2026 13:17 ๐Ÿ‘ 211 ๐Ÿ” 41 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 10 ๐Ÿ“Œ 2
Preview
Phillipson accuses lawyers of exploiting parents of children with special needs Education secretary claims lawyersโ€™ criticisms of her departmentโ€™s policy changes are motivated by profit

What is supremely daft about this line of attack from Phillipson is that any lawyer motivated by profit would not be acting in special needs cases.

There are far more lucrative areas for any lawyer motivated by profit.

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

14.03.2026 07:55 ๐Ÿ‘ 385 ๐Ÿ” 105 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 21 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Phillipson said: โ€œItโ€™s been little surprise to me that thereโ€™s been such vociferous criticism from lawyers about the changes that weโ€™re bringing. You know, theyโ€™ve got a vested interest in maintaining the failed status quo. Thereโ€™s profit to be made.

โ€œThey want the system to remain as it is, because they make a profit often out of exploiting parents. And I donโ€™t, for one second, blame parents [who] are pushing really hard for what their children need. Who wouldnโ€™t? But itโ€™s a fundamentally unfair system if parents whoโ€™ve got the money to hire lawyers end up getting a better deal than those who donโ€™t.

Phillipson said: โ€œItโ€™s been little surprise to me that thereโ€™s been such vociferous criticism from lawyers about the changes that weโ€™re bringing. You know, theyโ€™ve got a vested interest in maintaining the failed status quo. Thereโ€™s profit to be made. โ€œThey want the system to remain as it is, because they make a profit often out of exploiting parents. And I donโ€™t, for one second, blame parents [who] are pushing really hard for what their children need. Who wouldnโ€™t? But itโ€™s a fundamentally unfair system if parents whoโ€™ve got the money to hire lawyers end up getting a better deal than those who donโ€™t.

Incoherent, populist ('let's kill all the lawyers') garbage, from Bridget Phillipson.

If you "don't blame parents" for "pushing really hard for what their children need," and "hiring lawyers" means you "get a better deal" aren't parents right to hire lawyers, and what is it lawyers are doing wrong?

14.03.2026 07:31 ๐Ÿ‘ 260 ๐Ÿ” 72 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 32 ๐Ÿ“Œ 10
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When your brand is so mistrusted that rebranding yourselves as Estate Agents counts as an upgrade

13.03.2026 18:54 ๐Ÿ‘ 571 ๐Ÿ” 119 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 49 ๐Ÿ“Œ 7

There are other reasons for the UK government not to award or continue Palantir contracts but this statement of intent by its CEO must surely be decisive?

13.03.2026 06:41 ๐Ÿ‘ 1031 ๐Ÿ” 322 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 17 ๐Ÿ“Œ 10

โ€œIn essence: Palantir commercially colonised the Ministry of Defence because the Ministry of Defence let them.โ€

13.03.2026 09:56 ๐Ÿ‘ 37 ๐Ÿ” 18 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Rob Mullins: โ€œBiological Sexโ€, Social Segregation, and the Freedom to Reassign Sex Following the Supreme Courtโ€™s decision inย For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministersย [2025] UKSC 16 (โ€œFWSโ€), there has been much public debate about the lawfulness of policies adopteโ€ฆ

1/ A short thread on my post. I've been travelling and wanted to make some additional points. ukconstitutionallaw.org/2026/03/09/r...

13.03.2026 10:15 ๐Ÿ‘ 22 ๐Ÿ” 8 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

A company being awarded UK Government contracts๐Ÿ‘‡๐Ÿป

13.03.2026 06:15 ๐Ÿ‘ 644 ๐Ÿ” 357 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 18 ๐Ÿ“Œ 17
Four weeks ago today I was in college, A plumber learning how to plaster. 


And today I'm in parliament, as an MP. 


And being here is the honour of my life. But I don't want this to be unusual or exceptional. I truly believe that anyone doing a job like mine should get a seat on these benches.  
 
And where I'm from, we're taught to look after each other. To look out for each other. To stick up for each other and to stick together. To see each other as human.


And I am so proud of that humanity, and that people in Gorton and Denton, and Burnage, and Levenshulme and Longsight and Abbey Hey feel that way too. It's in our blood and in our bones. 


We see each other as human 
 
Where I'm from, we give a nod to the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst, we remember the farm worker and seamstress Hannah Mitchell, the Trade Unionist Mary Quaile and the mill worker Annie Kenney. And of course Elsie Plant, whoโ€™s from just down the road from me, and who I named one of my beautiful greyhounds after.


I think of these brilliant women a lot and especially today as we debate International Womenโ€™s Day.
 
And I think of many others too, from pits, slums and factories. The women who changed the system so that I could be here. The women of colour, whose names we will never know because history didn't bother to recognise or remember them. But we do today, because without their struggle and their fight and their determination to stick together, none of this could be possible. 
 
And it's bittersweet, to recognise these brilliant people but to be reminded that we still need to try and be them. 


The constituency that elected me is the 15th most deprived constituency in the country. 


It has suffered decades of neglect and broken promises. 


And we see this every day, right in front of us - the litter, the flytipping, the state of housing, the struggle for a job that you can build a life on, the filthy polluted air and the reduced life chances. The sheer unfairness of it all.

Four weeks ago today I was in college, A plumber learning how to plaster. And today I'm in parliament, as an MP. And being here is the honour of my life. But I don't want this to be unusual or exceptional. I truly believe that anyone doing a job like mine should get a seat on these benches. And where I'm from, we're taught to look after each other. To look out for each other. To stick up for each other and to stick together. To see each other as human. And I am so proud of that humanity, and that people in Gorton and Denton, and Burnage, and Levenshulme and Longsight and Abbey Hey feel that way too. It's in our blood and in our bones. We see each other as human Where I'm from, we give a nod to the statue of Emmeline Pankhurst, we remember the farm worker and seamstress Hannah Mitchell, the Trade Unionist Mary Quaile and the mill worker Annie Kenney. And of course Elsie Plant, whoโ€™s from just down the road from me, and who I named one of my beautiful greyhounds after. I think of these brilliant women a lot and especially today as we debate International Womenโ€™s Day. And I think of many others too, from pits, slums and factories. The women who changed the system so that I could be here. The women of colour, whose names we will never know because history didn't bother to recognise or remember them. But we do today, because without their struggle and their fight and their determination to stick together, none of this could be possible. And it's bittersweet, to recognise these brilliant people but to be reminded that we still need to try and be them. The constituency that elected me is the 15th most deprived constituency in the country. It has suffered decades of neglect and broken promises. And we see this every day, right in front of us - the litter, the flytipping, the state of housing, the struggle for a job that you can build a life on, the filthy polluted air and the reduced life chances. The sheer unfairness of it all.

And my constituency has been hit hard by the ongoing cost of living crisis.
 
And now none of this is fair, none of this is right, and none if it happens by accident. 
 
So I very much share my predecessorโ€™s strong commitment to tackling health inequalities and putting local people and all our communities at the heart of decision making. Thatโ€™s how we begin to turn things around, to give people agency, and a genuine chance of a better today and a better tomorrow.
 
And to the girls who I saw photos of [sorry], who went to school on International Women's Day dressed as โ€˜Hannah the plumberโ€™ in their overalls, spanners, and trademark hair. To the 10 year old boy at Hideout who rockclimbed an incredibly high wall with me and who saw me suddenly become very terrified of how far up I was, and who said to me โ€˜donโ€™t ever give up, and if it's scary looking down then just look at what's in front of youโ€™.


To the women in my life whoโ€™ve had my back, who've fought for equality alongside me. 


And to the men that I work with (especially the lads on my plastering course who dealt with my new found spotlight in the middle of our training very well), but those men who will suffer the effects of this unequal society through their mental health. 


To the veterans I know who were willing to risk everything and come home and find that society was turning its back on them. 


To the white working classes, who are always lumped into one group and never appreciated. 


To everyone who will have nowhere to sleep tonight, or will barely exist in a cold, damp and insecure home.


To my Trans siblings who get blamed for everything.

And my constituency has been hit hard by the ongoing cost of living crisis. And now none of this is fair, none of this is right, and none if it happens by accident. So I very much share my predecessorโ€™s strong commitment to tackling health inequalities and putting local people and all our communities at the heart of decision making. Thatโ€™s how we begin to turn things around, to give people agency, and a genuine chance of a better today and a better tomorrow. And to the girls who I saw photos of [sorry], who went to school on International Women's Day dressed as โ€˜Hannah the plumberโ€™ in their overalls, spanners, and trademark hair. To the 10 year old boy at Hideout who rockclimbed an incredibly high wall with me and who saw me suddenly become very terrified of how far up I was, and who said to me โ€˜donโ€™t ever give up, and if it's scary looking down then just look at what's in front of youโ€™. To the women in my life whoโ€™ve had my back, who've fought for equality alongside me. And to the men that I work with (especially the lads on my plastering course who dealt with my new found spotlight in the middle of our training very well), but those men who will suffer the effects of this unequal society through their mental health. To the veterans I know who were willing to risk everything and come home and find that society was turning its back on them. To the white working classes, who are always lumped into one group and never appreciated. To everyone who will have nowhere to sleep tonight, or will barely exist in a cold, damp and insecure home. To my Trans siblings who get blamed for everything.

To the Muslims everywhere who are constantly and often violently scapegoated. 


To the disabled people who can't access the world because of structural inequality that is completely fixable. 


To the people of colour, who have to work harder at everything.


I don't always get it, I won't say I always understand it. But what I do know is what it feels like to be looked down on. To be let down and left behind. To be less worthy because of something about me. 


And our struggles may be different, but our humanity is the same. We always stick together- we always fight for each other. And that is what I want us to take forward from International Womenโ€™s Day - and to do that every single day.


The cleaners, the bus drivers, the nursery workers, the foster carers, the home carers, the unpaid carers, the teaching assistants, the bin collectors, the warehouse workers, the delivery drivers, the school dinner staff, the lollipop wardens, the supermarket workers, the posties, the library staff, the kitchen porters, the farm workers, the mechanics, the groundworkers, the scaffolders, the electricians, the plasterers, and the plumbers. 


We deserve to be here. Every single one of us. And I will make space for you to come and join me, to get to have your say.
 
And from the bustle of Longsight market, to the many Irish pubs in Levy, Sue's Chippy and Tony at California wines in Gorton, the amazing young people at Hideout, the best hash brown butty at Cafe Plus in Denton, and the women-led social enterprise at Dahlia Cafรฉ on Burnage Lane. You are the best of our brilliant communities.

To the Muslims everywhere who are constantly and often violently scapegoated. To the disabled people who can't access the world because of structural inequality that is completely fixable. To the people of colour, who have to work harder at everything. I don't always get it, I won't say I always understand it. But what I do know is what it feels like to be looked down on. To be let down and left behind. To be less worthy because of something about me. And our struggles may be different, but our humanity is the same. We always stick together- we always fight for each other. And that is what I want us to take forward from International Womenโ€™s Day - and to do that every single day. The cleaners, the bus drivers, the nursery workers, the foster carers, the home carers, the unpaid carers, the teaching assistants, the bin collectors, the warehouse workers, the delivery drivers, the school dinner staff, the lollipop wardens, the supermarket workers, the posties, the library staff, the kitchen porters, the farm workers, the mechanics, the groundworkers, the scaffolders, the electricians, the plasterers, and the plumbers. We deserve to be here. Every single one of us. And I will make space for you to come and join me, to get to have your say. And from the bustle of Longsight market, to the many Irish pubs in Levy, Sue's Chippy and Tony at California wines in Gorton, the amazing young people at Hideout, the best hash brown butty at Cafe Plus in Denton, and the women-led social enterprise at Dahlia Cafรฉ on Burnage Lane. You are the best of our brilliant communities.

I want to put Gorton and Denton on the map by championing the positives about our community - the spirit, the warmth, the grit, and the way that we help each other out, every single day. 


Whether thatโ€™s our neighbours where we live or our siblings in places like Afghanistan, Gaza, Sudan, Iran. Wherever we are, we deserve to live freely as the human beings that we all are.
 
We do things differently in Manchester and it makes me proud every single day. And now I want to make Abbey Hey, Levenshulme, Burnage, Longsight, Gorton and Denton proud of me -  thank you so much for putting your faith in this plumber and newly qualified plasterer.  


Together, we can make hope normal again. And we will look after each other, whoever we are.
 
Because where I'm from, that is just what we do. 


Thank you.

I want to put Gorton and Denton on the map by championing the positives about our community - the spirit, the warmth, the grit, and the way that we help each other out, every single day. Whether thatโ€™s our neighbours where we live or our siblings in places like Afghanistan, Gaza, Sudan, Iran. Wherever we are, we deserve to live freely as the human beings that we all are. We do things differently in Manchester and it makes me proud every single day. And now I want to make Abbey Hey, Levenshulme, Burnage, Longsight, Gorton and Denton proud of me - thank you so much for putting your faith in this plumber and newly qualified plasterer. Together, we can make hope normal again. And we will look after each other, whoever we are. Because where I'm from, that is just what we do. Thank you.

"Together, we can make hope normal again. And we will look after each other, whoever we are. Because where I'm from, that is just what we do."

New Green MP Hannah Spencer has made he first speech to the Commons today, and the transcript is well worth a read.

12.03.2026 16:12 ๐Ÿ‘ 78 ๐Ÿ” 29 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 5
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University staff demand fair pay & an end to sector wide cuts UCU alongside its sister unions, Unison, Unite, EIS & GMB has today (Tuesday) demanded university bosses protect pay, protect jobs and improve working conditions across the sector.

30% real-terms pay cut since 2011.

Vice-chancellors attempting 15,000+ job cuts since last September.

UCU & sister unions are fighting back - submitting our 2026/27 pay claim to UCEA demanding fair pay, protected jobs & an end to casualised contracts.

www.ucu.org.uk/article/1443...

11.03.2026 10:18 ๐Ÿ‘ 30 ๐Ÿ” 19 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

It's pretty disgusting that women are forced to publicly disclose being sexually assaulted or raped in order to be taken seriously by their peers.

10.03.2026 17:38 ๐Ÿ‘ 186 ๐Ÿ” 48 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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YOIs still failing on out-of-cell time and education, analysis finds - CYP Now Boys locked in prisons in England are spending around 20 hours a day in their cells and receiving far less than the legal minimum of education, according to analysis.

"The government has announced that it is embarking on the most significant overhaul of youth justice in a generation but it has failed to commit to closing prisons holding children."

https://www.cypnow.co.uk/content/news/yois-still-failing-on-out-of-cell-time-and-education-analysis-finds

09.03.2026 20:00 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 2 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

ah, for years we've been ringing the alarm bell that all the 'cost saving' measures which these VCs are pushing through are actually wildly elitist drives to destroy all the work of widening participation of the past few decades, and now he's just straight up declaring it himself.

Hate to be right.

06.03.2026 11:44 ๐Ÿ‘ 36 ๐Ÿ” 6 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Theodor Meronโ€™s mother and brother and most of his family were murdered by the Nazis during his childhood.

โ€œSurely, I thought, Jews, who were the principal victims of the Holocaust, would not dream of establishing colonies in occupied territories, even on Arab-owned land.โ€

07.03.2026 10:25 ๐Ÿ‘ 18 ๐Ÿ” 14 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
White text: strange how nobody cares about pedestrian safety until the villainous cyclist shows up

White text: strange how nobody cares about pedestrian safety until the villainous cyclist shows up

06.03.2026 17:20 ๐Ÿ‘ 211 ๐Ÿ” 43 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 3

Our public services arenโ€™t for a secretive profit-hungry US tech firm. Sign the petition to tell the Government to scrap all contracts with secretive US tech firm Palantir. you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/st...

06.03.2026 12:19 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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STATEMENT 1/

Last night, the Metropolitan Police raided the Westminster Quaker Meeting house โ€“ again. This time, they targeted Take Back Power's direct action training. There were 15 arrests.

06.03.2026 12:16 ๐Ÿ‘ 66 ๐Ÿ” 64 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 8
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How democratic is the UK? The UK has a crisis of democracy

UK democracy in action

The state unable/unwilling to provide people with clean water, timely healthcare, social care, decent housing, pension, affordable education, energy, decent roads.

Corporate profits guaranteed through PFI, privatisations, outsourcing, subsidies, regulatory inaction.

06.03.2026 09:04 ๐Ÿ‘ 325 ๐Ÿ” 163 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 11 ๐Ÿ“Œ 8
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Winter Paralympics 2026: No UK government ministers or officials to attend opening or closing ceremonies No UK government ministers or officials will attend the Winter Paralympics opening and closing ceremonies after Russian and Belarusian athletes were invited to compete under their national flags.

Winter Paralympics 2026: No UK government ministers or officials to attend opening or closing ceremonies

06.03.2026 00:38 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Quietly, calmly and forensically, BBC just dismantled the Trump communications shitshow on Iran.

No hyperbole, just laying out an unprecedented military, diplomatic and reputational shambles.

Worth a watch.

(๐ŸŽฅ BBC News/BBC Verify)

05.03.2026 08:46 ๐Ÿ‘ 3960 ๐Ÿ” 2152 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 104 ๐Ÿ“Œ 193

Your regular reminder than a large majority of voters - and overwhelming majority of Labour voters - favour giving settled migrants access to the welfare state after five years or less. The Home Secretary is not reforming rules in line with public opinion. She is doing the opposite.

05.03.2026 08:22 ๐Ÿ‘ 617 ๐Ÿ” 247 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 23 ๐Ÿ“Œ 10
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More journalists and media workers were killed in 2025 than in any other year since CPJ began collecting data more than three decades ago. At least 129 journalists and media workers were killed, two-thirds of them by Israel.

Read CPJโ€™s #2025KilledReport: cpj.org?p=553549

04.03.2026 20:00 ๐Ÿ‘ 22 ๐Ÿ” 30 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
Labour echoing Spencer

Labour echoing Spencer

Hannah Spencer MP last week: "Things which used to be possible, thing that were normal not that long ago โ€“ free higher education, reliable and affordable buses, beaches you can safely swim at, being able to get a dentist appointment when you need one โ€“ are now too much to ask."

Labour this week

04.03.2026 12:11 ๐Ÿ‘ 4 ๐Ÿ” 1 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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'Active travel' in Liverpool City Region 'saves NHS millions' People walking, wheeling and cycling in the Liverpool City Region saves the NHS an estimated ยฃ53.8m a year.

Active travel saves the NHS at least ยฃ54 million a year just in Liverpool alone.
Other regions especially the north east need to sit up, take note and ramp up their efforts.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

03.03.2026 16:16 ๐Ÿ‘ 92 ๐Ÿ” 35 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 5 ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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Senedd election 2026 sees 20mph as hot topic of discussion In a valleys cafe, many believe 20mph works outside schools and hospitals but question its use elsewhere.

I'm quoted in this BBC article on Wales's 20 mph default speed limit www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... I'm even given slightly more coverage than the guy who somehow reckons not driving above 20 all the time will break your car ๐Ÿ˜•

03.03.2026 12:13 ๐Ÿ‘ 81 ๐Ÿ” 14 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 11 ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

Asked if MPs should get a vote on UK military action, Badenoch says that given the number of left wing MPs with "silly views" she thinks it's best if not.

02.03.2026 14:08 ๐Ÿ‘ 99 ๐Ÿ” 35 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 25 ๐Ÿ“Œ 63

Asked about whether, in backing the US over Iran, the Conservatives had given up on international law, Badenoch says "common sense" should be more important. She says international law is "not the same as domestic" law and is instead "agreements made between countries".

02.03.2026 14:03 ๐Ÿ‘ 46 ๐Ÿ” 15 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2 ๐Ÿ“Œ 15
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Itโ€™s hard to believe that this is actually the outcome that Kingston council wanted for their new multi-million pound bike lane works.

Is it? Theyโ€™ve put up a sign permitting pavement parking here so drivers are apparently fine to do this and force conflict between pedestrians and cyclists.

02.03.2026 11:14 ๐Ÿ‘ 27 ๐Ÿ” 3 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0