Aferdita Pacrami

Labour’s border bill to 'block migrants from claiming slavery protections’ Sir Keir Starmer accused the previous Conservative government of ‘driving a coach and horses’ through protections for victims of trafficking

Today, the Government will present its new Border Security Bill. It said it would be led by evidence and experts - but it seems it has ignored both.
We know these cruel anti-migrant policies fail on their own terms - they'll only cause more deaths, more suffering and more violence.

This is a compelling, thoughtful and sometimes heartbreaking debate in the Commons on assisted dying.

Refreshingly stripped of party politics, Parliament is rising to the occasion.

Tim Stanley, in what now appears to be a weekly slot on one or other BBC flagship politics programme, reels off a huge amount of absolute, provable nonsense about immigration.

And he does so completely unchallenged. Enough now. ~AA

A MEGA-THREAD 🧵1/

Processing claims is a huge first step in the right direction to finally endidn the limbo that too many people are forced in for months. Not able to start your life, find a job, build a home. The next step needs ot be giving people more than just 28 days to find a home after being granted asylum

Support resources for our trans friends and allies - Good Law Project At a time when anti-trans discrimination is rife and hate crime has reached record levels, it’s important to know what support is out there for trans, non-binary or gender-questioning individuals and ...

The appeal in the Supreme Court on how the Equality Act 2010 works with the Gender Recognition Act 2004 has prompted anti-trans voices to shout loudly.

If you're affected by what you’re reading, please consider accessing our list of support resources 🩵🩷
goodlawproject.org/support-reso...

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales is now on Bluesky! You can follow us here @lbfew.bsky.social

Jeremy Clarkson, James Dyson, the Earl of Derby – they’re up in arms about paying tax on the vast areas of land they own.

Small farmers are worried that changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) will affect them. But who are the big landowners complaining the loudest? Thread: 1/

Excellent thread on one of those "poor farmers" affected by the inheritance tax thing....

.... who also used to moonlight as the head of the stock exchange

Excerpt from the Guardian article: A stubborn myth persists that charity admin costs deprive frontline causes of money; that charities should be staffed by volunteers, not “greedy” paid professionals, and overheads should be minuscule, maximising funds to the people who need them. But it’s these very staff members and their attendant costs that allow charities to perform their roles with due diligence and professionalism, ensuring that donations are spent well in the field.

YES to this 🙌

I'm so tired of the narrative that charities need to be lean and have small overheads. This directly impacts their ability to do due diligence, safeguarding, provide strong financial oversight & stay compliant with regulations.

amp.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Homeless people to be given cash in first major UK trial to reduce poverty Led by King’s College London, study will recruit 360 people in England and Wales to explore benefits of scheme

"Last year researchers in Canada found that giving CA$7,500 (£4,285) to 50 homeless people in Vancouver was more effective than spending money housing them in shelters, and saved around CA$777 (£443) per person" www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

Racial abuse, physical assaults and no beds: asylum seekers tell of brutal conditions at Manston migrant centre Asylum seekers who fled to UK to escape persecution said they endured abuse and squalor at centre in Kent

It's not new that people, including children, face abuse at Manston. If this was in any other context there would have been outrage, across the aisle, years ago. It is, however, an inevitable outcome of the continued dehumanisation of people seeking asylum.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...

Mothers are working more than in the past - but are still most impacted by childcare requirements.

On current progress, it would take until the 2220s to reach gender parity and close the gender parenting gap.

The website vs app split for Bluesky vs Threads captures the difference in user base and usage patterns beautifully.

Bluesky = knowledge sector workers who have it open all day in a tab next to their emails. “Wait what was I doing again?”

Threads = normies watching recipe videos on the commute.

Arguing against the bill because palliative care is not good enough is ridiculous. It's not either or. Invest in good palliative care and give people the choice and dignity. As someone with a chronic health condition that could get worse as I age I sincerely hope this bill passes.

How Helsinki and Oslo cut pedestrian deaths to zero After years of committed action, neither city recorded a single pedestrian fatality in 2019

“They cut speed limits, changed street design, removed space for cars… Now it appears that work is paying off. #Oslo & #Helsinki are reaping the rewards of committed action on making their roads safer, reducing pedestrian fatalities to zero last year.” #VisionZero www.theguardian.com/world/2020/m...

amazing, thank you!

On Monday we learnt that 1 in 3 children are living in poverty…

And that deprivation has hit a record high

Given their new found compassion for struggling Brits

Where’s Jeremy Clarkson, Nigel Farage and Andrew Lloyd Webber to fight their corner?

…anywhere?

Domestic violence ‘normalised’ in some sections of society, says women’s centre CEO We spoke to Benaifer Bhandari, the CEO of Hopscotch Women's Centre, a charity offering support services for women impacted by racial and gender inequality as well as domestic abuse.

"There's a sense of shame, and that option just isn't there to go back."

Women's centre CEO Benaifer Bhandari tells Ciaran Jenkins it's crucial women who've recently entered the UK can find the right support if a partner is being abusive.

Read and watch:
www.channel4.com/news/domesti...

How much does a banana cost Michael, $6.2m?
I don't like to complain about the cost of contemporary art, but the arrogance of spending $6.2m on a single banana as an 'artistic experience' is exactly what's wrong with the ultra-wealthy and the significantly unequal distribution of wealth & resources

Thanks for pulling these two lists together, Gemma. They're great! If you do make a third one, can I join?

🚨 Over 1.4 MILLION emergency food parcels were provided by food banks in our community in just 6 months. This is 69% higher than the same period 5 years ago.

This can't go on and we refuse to stand by while so many of us are pushed to the brink, without enough money to live on.

World’s conflict zones increased by two-thirds in past three years, report reveals Wars have spread and intensified, with far-reaching impacts on global economic growth and food security, according to latest Conflict Intensity Index

Nobody wants to leave everything behind, flee their home, and risk a life threatening journey. This is why they're pushed into doing that www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

It's been a long week with a board meeting on Tuesday where I'm excited (terrified?) to have been appointed interim chair for a year, a full house residents meeting that our local councillor came to and plenty of actions taken away by first time joiners. OOO comes on in two days!

Thanks for pulling this together Awil, can I be added?

I've been lurking here too long because of the dreaded first post anxiety of needing to fill a blank page with something useful. But filling a blank page with anything at all is better than nothing. So here it is, the first post to break the blue sky writer's block. Hello.