James Munro

Ukrainians find new energy sources to beat blackouts as winter arrives In Kyiv, daily blackouts of eight hours are common.

Individual rooftop installations are too small to be systematically attacked. That’s why there’s been a huge boom in small-scale #solar across Ukraine.
www.reuters.com/world/europe...
(via @billmckibben.bsky.social)

I’m old enough to remember when a comment like this would have been a resigning matter…

Post from Threads user rodneyowl: "Ireland has declared the Basic Income for Artists scheme permanent. This will be officially announced in tomorrow’s budget. Details to follow. Congratulations to all who fought for it and the present and future artists of all sorts in Ireland. That includes me 👌We’re just comin to the end of a 3 year pilot scheme. It’s been a roaring success. For every €1 paid out to the 2000 participants, the government got €1.46 back. Can’t argue with that. Other countries are already taking note."

Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...

✨ We're excited to announce that our upcoming Autumn Conference will offer a unique chance to hear directly from an author sharing their experience of Care Opinion #COconf25

📖 The Story behind the Story: A Care Opinion author reflection

Registration: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/4feed0...

‘The president is unhinged’: Trump’s online behavior grows increasingly odd The US president’s recent behavior is strange to many, from reposting a false AI video of himself to confusing comments during press conferences

How bad does it have to get before R Senators realize standing by this man is not good for their career or their legacy? Clearly it’s not good for the country, but that’s not enough to move them. At some point, some of them have got to stand up and say “this is wrong” and stop enabling him. When??

Opinion | Trump’s ‘Compact’ With Universities Is Just Extortion

This is absolutely right on every point and everyone who sits on a governing board or serves as president or provost or similar should please make the time to read it.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/o...

I'm sad to hear the Point of Care Foundation is closing. They have flown a flag for 'humanising healthcare'- a relentless task. I've been to a few Schwartz Rounds & always found them moving.

Maybe the forces that de-humanise healthcare are far stronger than we think, & are often hidden.

Some good news.

London is meeting legal limits for toxic NO2 pollution for the first time – almost 200 years earlier than predicted – following the Mayor’s "world leading air pollution policies," City Hall announces.

The Ultra Low Emissions Zone - and similar policies - really do work.

This is the book that @mrjamesob.bsky.social just discussed with #RussellScott. In a sane country, the Tories would be finished for good

5. Not only is one ship of solar panels providing more electricity than 100 ships of coal. It also costs less than half the price:

'This far-right politics will pull apart what we are as a country' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vows to tackle the far right and child poverty as he speaks to the ECHO ahead of the Labour party conference

I sat down with the Prime Minister and asked him if he’s been doing enough to counter the shocking rise of the far right in this country.

It may have taken too long, but it’s good to hear him speaking like this now.

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpo...

We must reject the imported theatre of division, and renew a politics of attentiveness, hospitality, and care in our own communities.

If ever there was a time not to normalize Trump’s authoritarian fever dreams, this is it.

This should be impeachable. ‘War ravaged’ Portland? He’s insane - & insanely power hungry. The script is set - call an imaginary group a terror group and then send in the troops.

What Listening Makes Possible: Five Years of Care Opinion in Northern Ireland Update from Care Opinion

Last week we marked 5 years of Care Opinion in Northern Ireland.

Every Trust shared how they’re using stories to improve care. We celebrated what listening can make possible — and where it can take us next.

Here’s a reflection on the day from our CEO: www.careopinion.org.uk/blogposts/13...

@england.nhs.uk - looking to improve how we hear from patients? Have a look at this...

This image contains eight decorative heart elements, representing the eight individuals named and thanked in the story. Alongside other decorative features, the Care Opinion logo appears in the bottom-right corner, and a quote from the story is placed in the centre. It reads: “I am aware it was a difficult resuscitation with well over an hour of CPR required. It was a considerable team with involvement of the critical care ambulance and eight individuals in total: Pamela, Jason, Graeme, Francis, Robert, Stuart, Duncan, and Lynsey. I really appreciate the persistence of all team members for such a length of time.”

This person shared how @scotambservice.bsky.social performed over an hour of resuscitation to save their life after a cardiac arrest. They are now recovering well and have expressed deep gratitude for the team’s skill, persistence & compassion.
Read the full story👇
www.careopinion.org.uk/1392806

After years of making the running on immigration, Farage may this week have handed the initiative back to his opponents'. @robfordmancs.bsky.social for @ukandeu.bsky.social on the unpopularity of Reform's proposals on ILR ukandeu.ac.uk/reforms-radi...

"The political logic of treating migrants as permanent second-class citizens is not clear."

@robfordmancs.bsky.social shows making it harder for migrants working and paying taxes to settle here is *incredibly* unpopular.

Also applies to Labour/Tory proposals! (1/2)

ukandeu.ac.uk/reforms-radi...

Interesting thread. Christina is quite right about the MHRA, which is in law simply an agency of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with no separate legal personality.

NYT accurate here

Again, the *obvious* weakness Reform has is combining its first ~10%, who are much more conspiracy adjacent, with wider mainstream appeal. This is a wedge both Labour and Tories should be kicking.

Remember how much Ref. floundered under Tice when they became the party of Covid-skepticism?

Embedding Martha's Rule into practice—Lessons from the national pilot This blog outlines Royal Manchester Children's Hospital's (RMCH) efforts over the past year to integrate Martha’s Rule into everyday clinical practice

🆕The Royal Manchester Children's Hospital was one of the pilot sites chosen to test and roll out Martha’s Rule in its first year. This blog outlines the hospital's efforts over the past year to integrate Martha’s Rule into everyday clinical practice. www.pslhub.org/learn/improv...

Don’t let Trump’s America become Farage’s Britain Leader's Speech to Autumn Conference 2025

Ed Davey made a confident speech: there is a great deal of strategic logic in a liberal challenge to Nigel Farage is offering Britain the chaos and cruelty of Donald Trump's America, and in taking a strong stand that Elon Musk should not be above the rule of law

www.libdems.org.uk/news/article...

Is it really *that hard* to say that it is totally morally wrong to say to people who have come here legally, worked, paid taxes, built their lives here, contributed to Britain, that they have to fuck off now, rather than "unfunded".

Reform are now coming after people with permanent residency. It'll be citizens next. No one is safe from authoritarian governments.

We’re very happy to be name-checked alongside lots of pioneering new local news outlets by @georgemonbiot.bsky.social

Fascinating data. There are three things here that really matter to people, and they think matter to everyone:

Healthcare
Economy
Prices

There is ONE thing that they assume matters to everyone, because it dominates so much of the narrative, but it is NOT affecting them personally:

Immigration

Proud to have taken part.

Trump has dragged the US to the abyss and Nigel Farage would do the same to Britain. Here’s how to stop him It’s not too late to puncture the Reform leader’s populist myth. His ‘make Britain great again’ act is out of step with the British people, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland

Trump has dragged the US to the abyss and Nigel Farage would do the same to Britain. Here’s how to stop him

“As a disabled woman, I have come to see that it is possible to have a body that is unruly, broken, bruised and to actually be OK. To be bloody spectacular.”

Great intro by @francesryan.bsky.social to this year's #PatientExperience in England report. Get your copy here:
pexlib.net?249086