Simon Kendler

Also, we don’t improve the asylum system and the issues it causes by making it worse.

How about we set up an actual system for people and let people work whilst their application is processed? 🤷

The generalised reasons DK has a tough immigration system (apart from institutional racism) is geographical (closer to the rest of 🇪🇺) & because they have something to protect… their high wage, high tax funded welfare system.

I know what aspects I’d try to copy…

When seeing “Danish-style”, we should be emulating their welfare system, paid parental leave, excellent bike lanes & well funded health+social care systems.

We should NOT be copying their awful worsening immigration system. I would know. I was an immigrant living there…

That’s a Class 81 or 82

US revokes six foreigners’ visas over social media comments criticizing Charlie Kirk State department says it has ‘no obligation’ to host foreign nationals who ‘celebrate heinous’ death of far-right activist

Unrelatedly, I’m currently reading Last Call at Hotel Imperial, and I’ve just reached the point where Dorothy Thompson is kicked out of Nazi Germany for having written unflattering things about Hitler www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

We have that here. The 750V DC OLE on the Sheffield Tram Train route to Rotherham over the national network is able to be converted to 25kV AC. The point is converting 3rd rail to OLE is a very different prospect.

Yes but the French are starting to struggle for funding. And GB rail is also being starved of funding. In that landscape the idea of these mass infrastructure works is just not likely. I highly doubt there’ll be any conversions on the Southern in my lifetime.

Absolutely no chance. Converting 3rd rail to OLE is a completely different prospect to converting 1 OLE system to another. Also the French are now struggling with how to fund what to do with the remaining outdated 1.5kV DC system. Some smaller lines are being converted to hydrogen (or diesel)

There’d be an issue anyway as EU gauge stock has different platform heights. But that’s a future future problem, just like the Crossrail platform height problem when they need to replace the Class 345s.

This will never happen. If we’re lucky we’ll get W12 clearance via Maidstone East although more likely is W9a. There is no chance of DC-AC conversion.

Nope.

It has its uses but in terms of relief, it only relieves capacity on the GWML & WCMLs.

Let’s be real, if we really wanted a proper height for HS2 platforms it would be as close to the GB 915mm standard as possible so that we could have level boarding on & off HS2 infrastructure. Given the basic impossibility of an HS1 connection, that would be the better option.

to London Gateway, we can’t use the cross country route from there (only from Felixstowe). With more freight traffic now using the NLL the idea of such a closure is even more fanciful.

Finally, whilst the freight sector would balk at losing the NLL for a considerable period of time, I’m sure TfL would also balk at the prospect of shutting the Mildmay Line for extended periods whilst making their platforms worse. Also, we also can’t lose the NLL because since the switch of volume ⬇️

raise bridges &/or lower track through bridges/tunnels & likely have to rebuild Camden Road & Kilburn High Road bridges as well. The idea of using the NLL is a flight a fancy. The cost & disruption of doing this would be very high where you might as well build a new set of tunnels under Camden.

IIRC HS2 platform heights will provide level boarding. HS2 stock will have 1115mm high floors so completely non-standard. The NLL is a W10 railway so is 500mm too narrow & ~1500mm too low to accommodate a GC gauge train. You’d have to rebuild every platform against the 915mm standard, ⬇️

Paris before and after street transformation

New urban forest planted in front of Paris City Hall

A Paris “School Street” where cars are removed and people space/tree planting are added

According to the City of Paris, in the last 10 years 150K trees have been planted & 45ha of parks created in the already hot city, all intended to not only improve quality-of-life today, but also help the city adapt to & manage summer heatwaves of 50℃ (122F) by 2050.

Just the start.

Common sense.

From Christian Concern and Sex Matters to the LGB Alliance, UK anti-Trans+ groups share ideological and strategic links with US organisations like ADF and the Heritage Foundation

What’s unfolding is a coordinated global effort to erode individual freedom, crush liberation, and control our bodies

For every €1 provided through a Basic Income For Artists pilot program in Ireland, the government got €1.46 back. So it’s being made permanent.

Over and over we see it. It saves public money to provide public housing. And it makes public money to provide basic income.

We can’t afford to NOT do it.

An apt metaphor for the #Flotilla

Israel have used piracy to defend their #GazaGenocide

It’s unacceptable, it must be called out & they must release those they’ve kidnapped. Their treatment of them is abhorrent and an affront to international law

#Gaza #Palestine 🇵🇸

British woman on Gaza flotilla captured by Israel calls on UK government to intervene Ewa Jasiewicz, a British-Polish activist and journalist, was on board the 2010 Gaza aid flotilla in which nine activists were killed. After being captured while sailing to Gaza for a second time, she ...

My friend, the activist Ewa Jasiewicz was onboard the Gaza Peace Flotilla and is now in Israeli detention, we're asking the UK government to use its influence to guarantee her safe return.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/m...

A constituent's son, part of the flotilla, has been detained by the Israeli navy.

I have written to the Foreign Secretary to ask how the Govt is supporting those detained, who bravely risked everything to oppose the collective punishment of Gazans and this illegal blockade.