Alison Phipps አሊሰን

Trump or Hegseth exude bloodlust.

It’s not that they have no regard for human life.

It’s that they rejoice in human death.

They’re not our allies.

They’re our enemies.

And may the many millions of decent Americans who share the world’s revulsion at them ensure that they one day face justice.

Israeli map showing all of southern Lebanon in red with yellow arrows pointing to north of the Litani river

The IDF just ordered the *entirety of south Lebanon* to be forcibly displaced.

They are emptying the land of its population, creating a massive crisis, and will now proceed to further annihilate large parts of Lebanon.

The very nation state of Lebanon is being destroyed.

Tomorrow's front page 📰

UK strikes on Iran not ruled out

I’ve spent years, decades, obsessing over the Bush Administration’s Iraq WMD lies, writing about them, debunking them.

I can think of no lie about Iraq WMDs told by Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld et al that comes even close to the enormity and absurdity of this lie from Donald Trump.

Get round the table in and despite the presence of your foes

What are Shabana Mahmood’s changes to the asylum system?

🚨Inhumane, definitely
🚨Illegal, quite possibly
🚨Ignorant, absolutely
🚨Counterproductive, unarguably
🚨Inconsistent with Labour's claims to be "progress, most certainly
🚨Costly, without a doubt
🚨Risking lives, one hundred percent

That should answer it.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

“The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned.” W.B.Yeats

There is no limit

Impunity on steroids

Israel has just issued a demand that all of Beirut’s southern suburbs, an area roughly the size of central Berlin or lower Manhattan, run for their lives. Tens of thousands are forced to flee- again. Real fears that they will level much of southern Beirut- an area where more than 500,000 live.

Dear Shabana, I notice today that you referred to me in your speech on immigration at the IPPR think tank. You said: “A party leader should not be on the beaches of France encouraging people to make a perilous crossing on small boats.” I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised especially after the hateful Labour campaign in Gorton and Denton, but this is just the latest in a string of lies peddled by a discredited Government who intentionally fan the flames of racism and division. When I went to Calais, I was not there to encourage people to travel to the UK. I was there to see at first hand the suffering your Government and successive Governments have done in demonising migrants in a pathetic bid to pander to the base instincts of Reform and the flawed strategy of Morgan McSweeney. As you will know, if you even bothered to research my visit instead of taking Reform talking points, I was there to witness the brutality of families living in tents in freezing temperatures. I filled water tanks and picked up litter. What that visit did do is confirm my belief that if we are to smash the boat gangs and stop the boats, we need to offer safer and managed routes for migrants to come to this country. Showing compassion as a politician is not a crime. In fact, we need to see much more of it. It reminded me of a young MP who in October 2015 spent three days in Lesbos helping migrants fleeing war-torn Syria. She posted videos on X, talked about handing out water and croissants to refugees and food parcels. When she returned to the UK, she wrote a very moving piece in the New Statesman. She said “we have to work with our European partners and create new, safe, and legal routes for refugees to get to Europe. We cannot abandon them to their fate, left as prey for smugglers whilst risking death on the seas.” She said “maybe we can make ourselves feel better by saying no-one is making them get on the boats. And again, the Home Secretary is not entirely wrong when …

Dear Shabana,

Let's clear some things up around migration and remember we're talking about people's lives.

Thank you @stellacreasy.bsky.social for already tabling the motion opposing today’s immigration rules changes. The government should allow scrutiny of their plans and schedule a debate on this motion.

edm.parliament.uk/early-day-mo...

In pushing Labour's extreme and hostile anti-asylum and anti-immigration policies the Home Secretary has lied. She has, deliberately or through ignorance, misled the public on fundamental aspects of both. That alone should surely be a resigning matter

How permanent war shapes the Israeli psyche From October 7 to Iran, the Israeli government has used successive states of emergency to render individual thinking redundant, explains Dr. Dana Amir.

‘Compulsive repetition’: How permanent war shapes the Israeli psyche

From October 7 to Iran, the Israeli government has used successive states of emergency to render individual thinking redundant, Dr. Dana Amir tells Dana Mills

www.972mag.com/permanent-wa...

@mekomit.bsky.social

MSF is alarmed by the dramatic escalation in conflict across the #MiddleEast.

We urge for the protection of civilians and healthcare facilities, as our teams adapt and scale up activities in #Iran and #Lebanon.

www.doctorswithoutborders.ca/middle-east-...

Iran school and nearby military base struck multiple times, satellite image reveals Iranian authorities say the attack, which took place on Saturday, killed 168 people.

BBC Verify has pieced together verified videos, satellite imagery and expert views after a deadly attack near a primary school in Minab, souther Iran, which suggest the area was hit more than once "by multiple simultaneous or near-simultaneous strikes".

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Fifty years after New Zealand stopped whaling, humpback population showing signs of recovery Breeding is getting more competitive, suggesting the population is growing, a new study shows.

This is a marvelous change not only for the Humpback whale 🐋 population but for all of us. We need to keep our gentle giants from going extinct.
Fifty years after New Zealand stopped whaling, humpback population showing signs of recovery | RNZ News share.google/X1HB3JFgaePK...

🚨 Donald Trump is offering a new justification for the war today, claiming the U.S. had to strike Iran because “if we waited any longer – if we didn’t hit within two weeks – they would have had a nuclear weapon.” ▪️U.S. intelligence assessments in recent years have consistently said Iran is not currently building a nuclear weapon, though it has expanded enrichment capacity. ▪️ The U.S. intelligence community’s annual threat assessments have repeatedly stated that Iran’s leadership has not made the decision to build a nuclear bomb. ▪️ The IAEA has confirmed Iran enriched uranium to high levels (up to about 60% purity), which is not yet weapons-grade, and does not mean a bomb is imminent. Turning that material into a deliverable nuclear weapon would take additional steps and time. ▪️ Weapons experts agree the timeline from enriched uranium to an actual deployable nuclear weapon is far longer than two weeks — about 6-9 months.

See new posts Conversation Acyn @Acyn Leavitt: The president had a feeling, again, based on fact, that Iran was going to strike the US.

🚨 Trump offered a new justification for the war yesterday, claiming the U.S. had to strike Iran b/c “if we waited any longer – if we didn’t hit within two weeks – they would have had a nuclear weapon.”

▪️US intel. assessments in recent years have consistently said Iran is not currently building a...

Report: "If Labour won back 100% of the voters they’d lost to Reform and the Conservatives without winning back progressive voters, it would still only win 238 English and Welsh seats, according to new detailed polling by Persuasion UK and 38 Degrees." 9,000 voters polled through Jan & Feb 2026

New research out from 38 Degrees: "Despite much public discussion on the threat of Reform UK, for every 10 voters Labour is losing to Reform or the Conservatives nationally, they are losing 16 to the Greens, Liberal Democrats, Plaid or SNP; a group of voters labelled ‘progressive defectors’"

We paid an ex-Tory MP to lobby for our fake Chinese firm - and authorities did nothing Investigation finds no rules were broken. It just goes to show how few rules there are.

Last week, UK lobbying regulator closed investigation into ex Tory MP Ben Howlett

We offered Howlett money to work for a fake Chinese investor. He introduced us to a dozen Labour MPs

Regulator didn't even speak to us. Our system is broken

New, by me: democracyforsale.substack.com/p/we-paid-an...

At least the rules changes confirm that for anyone who applied for asylum before last Monday, they will be granted 5 years leave and will be able to apply for settlement at the end of that period.

Doesn't seem to be an impact assessment of the switch to granting leave for 2.5 years.

There's an impact assessment of the visa break published alongside the rules. It's estimated to reduce the number of asylum claims over the next 18 months by 1,400. Given over 100,000 claimed asylum last year, barely changes the system challenges, while having a high impact on individuals

The rules changes do make a change to the right to work for asylum applicants. Instead of using the shortage occupation list, people who are granted permission to work having been waiting for a decision for 12 months will only be able to work on the skilled occupation list

There is also a consultation (but not a full, public one) on the removal of families, which includes the use of the powers in the Immigration Act 2016 to remove asylum support from families with children if they've been refused asylum.

The written statement says there will be amends made to the asylum support regulations on conditions of support, alongside the regulation to change the duty to provide support to a discretionary power. Both come into force on 2 June.

Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules: HC 1695, 5 March 2026 Statement of changes to the Immigration Rules published on 5 March 2026.

The statement of changes to the immigration rules www.gov.uk/government/p... and the written statement (which goes wider than the rules changes) are now out questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

One thing that's missing from the rules changes is the new refugee family reunion provisions. They were paused last September and were supposed to be "unpaused" in the Spring. Doesn't look like that's happening

If Trump really can’t control Netanyahu, it seems at least feasible that Iran becomes Gaza 2.0, up to & including the hideous pretence that they bomb a land to smithereens to somehow help the people living there.

Spring is a time full of new beginnings.

For those seeking safety in Scotland, however, new beginnings can be filled with uncertainty and fear.

🌻This spring, you can help plant seeds of hope by becoming a regular donor today.

Set up a regular gift
here https://ow.ly/2v1L50YoHiH 🧡

The guidance sets out what the SI does, which is to revoke regulation passed in 2005 to make proving asylum support a duty rather than a power. Not quite sure what the practical impact will be