Simon Rae-Scott

You and Yours - EU Entry-Exit System, Winter Fuel Payment Scam, English Wine - BBC Sounds From Sunday, British Travellers to the EU will be subject to new biometric checks.

Have a bank account and receive text messages on a smart phone and could be due a payment from say the government? BBC R4 'You and Yours' has a cautionary tale of just exactly how you will be scammed. Here it's the Winter Fuel Payment. Listen to the last five minutes… www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Seems racists can’t help but “Out” themselves. The problem with Jenrick is that he is hoping to find a seam of political gold here. Mere pyrites in the context of the former political Overton Window, but is that now lost to us. Starmer has realised that Faragism is beyond the pale. Will the Tories?

Wrong end of the telescope, but symptomatic of corporate failure on top of central and local government in retreat on recycling – Gillette is no longer talking about its razor blade postal return scheme.

Let the last sentence be “De Rigeuer”. Seems we’re now on our way to this open admission of our self harm and the reason for our idiocy. Crucial though is see this ‘Tail' pinned beyond removing to the ‘Donkey’ Farage where it rightly belongs.

Let’s hope someone at Pixar is paying attention…

Thread of the day for me as I reel from Badenoch's profound ignorance and piss poor political calculation in relation to Faragism/Trumpism. And "Thank goodness for experts – Michael 'We've had too much of experts' Gove!" Bluesky as ever has experts in spades across all disciplines. Love and learn.

ICE? A President’s private army. A constitution? Clearly not bothered by and the January 6th insurrection just so much ‘Fake News’. And in the UK we now have both once main stream, right of centre Tories and the far right Reform party proposing to torch our rights by leaving the ECHR that we built.

Labelling 'small print' on cotton sheets from BetterCotton.org

Redefining "Small Print". Packaging for Better Cotton sheets, in tiny green font, "By choosing our cotton products, you're supporting our investment in Better Cotton's mission." and smaller still, "This product is sourced via a system of mass balance and therefore may not contain Better Cotton."

Petition: Do not introduce Digital ID cards We demand that the UK Government immediately commits to not introducing a digital ID cards. There are reports that this is being looked at.

If you'd like to join the petition – currently at 2,786, 202 – this may be a way of airing discussion of our privacy and the conflict between the Home Office and other departments about fundamental privacy rights enshrined in membership of the ECHR, GDPR etc. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

Government targets UK Apple users in new demand for data It is the latest development in a privacy row which has pitted the UK against the tech giant and the Trump administration.

Responding to the Digital ID petition DSIT says, "Privacy and security will also be central to the digital ID programme. We will follow data protection law and best practice in creating a system which people can rightly put their trust in." And the HO?https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c740r0m4mzjo

A Free Press, Not a Free Pass – It's Time for Fair Regulation For too long, the UK press have bullied people, harassed grieving families, and destroyed lives, all to sell papers. We’ve all seen the heartbreaking consequences. They’ve hacked phones, listened to ...

Still to watch The Hack, but I've been making the point that we need Leveson 2 in order to hold Murdoch to account while we still can. I've signed the petition, set up by Hugh Grant and other phone hacking victims, to demand fair, independent regulation. Join me: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/a-...

Agreed – expensive yes, but demonstrable and permanent health benefit directly related to the level of dose employed. These could not have been better results in terms of the criteria NICE employs in making its NHS value decisions. Fingers crossed NICE can approve this treatment quickly.

The story only becomes more extraordinary. Listening to the interview with Professor Sarah Tabrizi on BBC #WATO, this is neurosurgery, gene modification and delivery to the deep brain via a co-opted virus. It delivers a permanent beneficial change to the patient’s brain. I hope NICE will approve it.

Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that can slow its progression and transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC.

Understandably this is a really good news day on the Huntingdon's Disease front. Life affirming both for humanity and the potential of science. All the more reason to protect both from Trump and Faragism. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

If only Labour Ministers also understood the power of humour when it comes to making these essential points about the damage the Tories caused in their time in office and the mess they left for others to clear up. But they also need to match Davey's condemnation of the immorality of Tory policies.

Sign the petition: tell the BBC to boycott Eurovision unless Israel is banned This is big: Spain's state broadcasters have said they'll boycott Eurovision unless Israel is banned. We need the BBC to do the same to up the pressure on the competition's bosses. Sign the petition n...

I have just signed this 38º petition requesting the UK to withdraw from Eurovision unless Israel is banned for its genocidal treatment of Palestinians in Gaza. One could add Isreal's behaviour in the West Bank to the complaint about actions taken against Palestinians and their land. 38d.gs/nd3w

So the loathsome Fascist Farage shows his colours – again. If you’re not calling him out and giving any space for his followers, you are complicit. Faragism is beyond any Overton Window of acceptability in a democratic state. BBC and the Labour Party take note. Tories: you’re teetering on the brink.

Janey Godley – remembered here and always a conscience for all of us who live and fret and love in this fragile United Kingdom.

What a time and opportunity to offer to convene Leveson 2. 'What do we want?' and 'When do we want it?' 'Leveson 2 – Now!' Murdoch in the stocks of public scrutiny, surfacing evidence while it is still not too late to hold him to account personally! Sorry to be shouty. Clearly not enough on 17/9/25!

Daring Fireball, by John Gruber Commentary on Apple, technology, design, politics, and more.

Hang in there John. Many of us are paused – in temporary suspension – waiting to hear your thoughts… "I have been dealing with — and working through — a very personal situation for the past week. It’s OK. I’m going to be OK. But it has kept me offline for some time." daringfireball.net

Thread of the day summary of the political, trade and social value of Starmer’s careful stewardship of the second Trump State Visit. Key that Starmer managed to contain the differences while highlighting the common ground. What a contrast with even the idea of Trump’s mate Farage in the same role.

Updated macOS from Sequoia 15.6.1 to Tahoe 26.0. All seemed fine until I opened Contacts. What an "In yer face" ridiculously bloated, oversized monstrosity. Contacts had been an understated marvel – no wasted space or self importance and an ability to pop individuals' cards. A desktop shitstorm now.

UK Government: Keep your promise to protect workers Zero hours contracts, unfair ‘fire and rehire’, waiting months or even years to be able to access benefits – the world of work in our country is weighted against actual workers. It’s billionaire bosse...

The Employment Rights Bill that Angela Rayner was shepherding will give millions of us better rights at work, but corporate lobbyists & politicians are trying to gut it. Tell the Government: protect and invest in workers for profit in depth and breadth in the UK. you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/uk...

If you had ever doubted it, here is more proof that Kruger is just another salivating fascist.

Łodź (pronounced Wooch) is in central Poland and West of Warsaw. One of Putin's drones reached that far demonstrating starkly his capacity to reach most of Poland even with these shorter range weapons. It's as if Putin had launched a drone from a ship in the North Sea and landed it on Bristol.

No sense then of the irony of his words.

Mike Galsworthy and Tom Brake have been talking about practical political steps we can take to protect our democracy very much under attack from the climate that gave us Austerity, Brexit and the abuse of power in a grotesque mishandling of COVID-19. Much to hold Labour to account on its promises.

Excellent additions by Christina's colleague, Sandy Laping who is mapping what has now become a flood of transgressions against US democracy and terrifying insights from Richard Corbett about Trump's hatred of the EU already on public record and the implications for us regardless of Brexit.

Half an hour in Christina is understandably detailing the dismantling of the US science agencies – now all without public funding. In the UK there worrying parallels. We need to be looking at watering down of Labour's social and environmental agenda and failure to reverse Brexit democratic damage.

And you can find Professor Pagel's Trump Action Tracker here:
www.trumpactiontracker.info?