Mick Burns

Looking foward to this being the case over here when/if Farage and his fellow Reform grifters get elected 🤔

Seems appropriate to get @benjaminmyers76.bsky.social latest book for Christmas!

I think Ian Byrne would have something to say about that! But, take your point, there must be somebody - close to retirement - who could step aside.

2024 general election: Marginality The number of marginal seats increased significantly at the 2024 general election. 46 seats were won with a margin of less than 2%.

Apologies, 2024 election data below. Safest seats 18k plus commonslibrary.parliament.uk/2024-general...

GE2017: Marginal seats and turnout The 2017 General Election had the highest turnout since 1997, and some very marginal wins made headlines. In this post, we look at the figures on

Here's a link to the safest seats in the UK based on last election. Most are Labour and have a 30k plus majority. Surely there is scope for Burnham to slot in somewhere? Starmer's approval ratings are appallingly bad. He's a liability. commonslibrary.parliament.uk/ge2017-margi...

Tory/Reform electoral pact looking more likely from current trends. Reform minority government propped up by Tory Party most likey outcome. More work needs to be done to prevent this. Replacing Starmer with Burnham would be a good start.

Mannish Boy by Muddy Waters, no particular reason other than it's brilliant. Additional screams by Johnny Winter add to the quality.

Pink newspaper sheet with a headline, photograph of the front cover of a book, print.

Chris Allnutt reviews @benjaminmyers76.bsky.social @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social 'Jesus Christ Kinski', this wkend's ed of the Financial Times 'Sometimes they look like poetry, sometimes they verge on prose. Sometimes the letters go completely astray and come out like chunks of vomit on the page.'

Dear Mr Greenberg, Following advice from the Deputy Speaker, we are writing regarding comments made by the Member of Parliament for Runcorn and Helsby, Sarah Pochin, which we believe constitute a breach of the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament. On Saturday 25 October 2025, during a TalkTV phone-in, Sarah Pochin MP stated: “It drives me mad when I see adverts full of black people, full of Asian people.” Although Ms Pochin later issued a statement describing her comments as “poorly phrased”, she repeated her belief that the advertising industry had gone “DEI mad” and that adverts were “unrepresentative of British society as a whole.” We believe these remarks are racist. They single out Black and Asian people and frame their visibility as a problem. Members of Parliament are required to uphold the highest standards of integrity, accountability, and respect as set out in the Nolan Principles of Public Life. It is our collective view that Ms Pochin’s remarks undermine the Nolan Principles of Objectivity and Honesty, as her claim that the representation of Black and Asian people in advertising suggests that whiteness is the normative identity, while minoritised communities are outsiders or exceptions. However, Black and Asian people have lived, worked and contributed to Britain for centuries and almost 20% of the UK population are Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnicity.

Ms Pochin also fails to demonstrate Leadership, Integrity, and Selflessness by promoting division based on skin colour. This rhetoric risks emboldening those who view diversity as a threat, normalising racial exclusion and hatred. The Nolan Principles require Members to uphold the integrity and reputation of the House, act with respect, and avoid conduct that discriminates against others. Ms Pochin’s comments clearly fall short of these standards. We ask you to formally investigate whether the Member of Parliament for Runcorn and Helsby’s remarks constitute a breach of the Code of Conduct and assess her conduct against the Nolan Principles of Public Life. Public office is a privilege that carries moral responsibility, and the public expects Members of Parliament to lead by example. Statements that single out or diminish entire groups of people based on race have no place in public life. We therefore urge you to take this matter seriously and ensure that the standards of this House reflect an inclusive, respectful, and diverse Britain. Thank you for your consideration of this matter. Due to the public interest in this subject, we will publish this letter. Yours sincerely, Dawn Butler MP Member of Parliament for Brent East

I've written to the Standards Commissioner alongside many MPs, regarding the racist comments made by the MP for Runcorn and Helsby.

We are calling for a formal investigation as to whether the MPs' Code of Conduct was breached.

Our joint cross-party letter.👇🏾

👌😘 This train driver has the perfect response to media elites complaining about wages...

Dear @bbclaurak.bsky.social Penny Mordant has misinformed the public in stating: 'You have to be a member of a particular trade union in order to get the indemnities to be a teacher or an independent social worker. Some of those organisations are openly antisemitic.' Please set the record straight?

The inside of a covered bike rack. There are two rows of Sheffield stands. Every bike stand is occupied by mostly kids bikes

In the distance, kids cycle in a group towards the camera, taking up the whole lane. The street is straight and slightly damp. There are trees overhanging the street, with leaves turning yellow (and the famous Conker tree)

Fab to see the bike racks full and shot of the group passing the “famous” conker tree

Kids out in force for today’s bike-bus!

Reclaiming the streets for the best start! 😍

Thanks also to local PC Lawrence accompanying the crew by bike👮🏻‍♂️🚲

Quite apart from Tice going out to defend Farage's shady house purhcase and making things ten times worse, for the guy who says he will be the next UK Chancellor of the Exchequer to end on: "I'm not a tax expert - you're asking the wrong guy," is objectively hilarious. ~AA

Chris Mason is the worst BBC political editor of my life.

Right wing media has had it in for Angela Rayner from the start - they couldn’t bear a working class woman being so powerful & dynamic. She made a mistake and has paid heavily for it. Very much hope she’ll return at some point in the future - our politics desperately needs more voices like hers

“The First-Past-the-Post voting system is under growing strain as British politics experiences unprecedented fragmentation and volatility. This threatens to produce increasingly chaotic and unrepresentative election results, further undermining trust in politics” @alexsobel.co.uk

If you want to learn to play the guitar… or you want to properly get to grips with it further… this is the go to guy. Jason is an absolute genius and has decided to share his talent! Contact details below! 👇🏼👊💥 🎸 ⭐️ 🩵

Why has Trump been attacking unions and workers’ rights?

He wants working people to feel helpless and divided.

Trump and his billionaire backers realize that the collective power of a unified labor movement outweighs their own power.

Know this: Workers outnumber the oligarchs.

#Booksky #Readersky #Books #Reading

Oil giants like Shell are fuelling climate chaos.

Share this video.

Some @privateeyenews.bsky.social are only so-so. Others are for the ages…

Love moments like this. Public Enemy meets Mavis Staples ❤️

Solidarity from the Y&H picket line!

Day two on the picket outside NEU offices — a 🧵

So many messages of solidarity have poured in from NEU and multiple union districts and branches across the UK. Thank you so much…

NEU staff are on strike today and tomorrow.

We can’t beleive it’s come to this. Striking as a trade union worker requires an absurd amount of things to go wrong — because you spend everyday making the union you love the kind of organisation people want to join - you only ever want to see it win.

Thanks for supporting this amendment, Alex. I'm glad that my Local MP is doing the right thing.

Essential viewing from last night’s @gftuet.bsky.social.

trade union and working class history with Marx Memorial Library and @wcmlibrary.bsky.social 👇