Andrew Grand

Clean, affordable water belongs to all of us. I’ve told the new Environment Secretary to act on real evidence for public ownership and put people first. Join me:https://actionnetwork.org/letters/ask-emma-reynolds-to-base-water-policy-on-facts-not-water-industry-fake-maths?source=bluesky&

News that Gatwick can expand from 46.5m passengers (2019) to 75m is terrible for the environment. It just means more well-off people can have more foreign holidays, made cheaper by no tax on airline fuel. And the Government wants to expand Heathrow too. Once growth was about a Green New Deal.

Screen Share UK The leading digital inclusion charity for refugees in the UK.

I came across this brilliant charity while looking for a home for an old working laptop. They provide IT and traininng to refugees. www.screen-share.co.uk

Can't fault the content of the Court of Appeal's decision in the Epping case, but the delivery of the judgment by Lord Justice Bean was shocking. Didn't look up, read in a monotone. No sense of addressing the people in the court room, let alone the TV viewers.

Best Thought for the Day in a long time.

It was the best Thought for the Day in a long time.

I thought it was the best Thought for the Day in a long time.

In the 1975 referendum Lord Vic Feathersuggested that the price of oil (a big issue at the time) was not determined in the British parliament but by people overseas who didn't even know how to spell national sovereignty. The sovereignty argument is such nonsense.

Farage is an absent MP, earning a fortune from side grifts. His ‘party’ is in hock to fossil fuel donors. He’s pro Trump, pro austerity (DOGE) and his ‘policies’ are nothing more than ugly populist hogwash that have done real damage to our country.
Would that be so hard to point out #bbclaurak?

www.crowdcast.io/@the-civic-f...

michaelrosenblog.blogspot.com/2025/07/free...

The vote share needed to win a majority in Parliament is getting lower and lower.

Whether it's Labour, the Tories or Reform: full control of our laws, our public services and foreign policy should never be in the hands of someone most people don't support.

We need #PRnow.

It's Make Votes Matter's Democracy Action Weekend. It's time to replace our ludicrous First Past The Post voting system with one which gives us a parliament which reflects the views of voters and leads to properly representative government. #PRnow

The Civic Forum | Conversations About Our Democracy Explore webinars on democracy, authoritarianism, and activism featuring leading scholars and practitioners. Stay informed and engaged with The Civic Forum.

This looks good.
www.thecivicforum.com?utm_source=s...

UK Home Office tells parents their children should return to Brazil alone While Ana Luiza Cabral Gouveia and Hugo Barbosa can remain, letter says sons, 11 and eight, must go back to Brazil

Abolish the Home Office.

I see Honest Bob Jenrick has a new little video attacking barristers for representing unpopular clients.

Once again for those at the back:

Lawyers are not their clients.

Which is how, when Jenrick broke the law in government, he had lawyers to defend him.

YouTube video by Home Office How to Apply For a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)

Take a look at this government video on applying for an ETA. This will be another blow to UK tourism. It costs €20 for the visa, and the form asks about your job and whether you hold "extreme views". 🤔 Or you could just travel to 30+ other Euroean countries for free with an EU ID card.
#RejoinEU 🇬🇧🇪🇺

Letter to the Speaker The Speaker of the House of Commons should set an example for all MPs by rejecting the freebies that are offered to him. Support our letter.

The Speaker of the House of Commons should set an example for all MPs. We’re calling on him to support a ban on MPs accepting freebies, and to recommend this measure to the Committee on Standards. Add your name 👇
secure.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/page/171418/...

mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/05/star...

Radio 4 World At One interview with Sebastian Gorka (who, unbelievably, serves in the US government). He was constantly rude and confrontational, refusing to answer most questions. Why didn't Sarah Montague simply turn him off?

Wild iris near Bowcombe, Isle of Wight

Thank you Michael Rosen for putting into words what so many of us feel. I have always voted Labour but shame on you @pmkierstarmer.bsky.social xx
#immigration

Migration cuts are a luxury the UK cannot afford Reducing freedom of movement comes at a cost and governments shouldn’t pretend otherwise

www.ft.com/content/1f7e...

The Government Inspector | Chichester Festival Theatre Don’t blame the mirror if your face is askew.The bureaucrats in a remote provincial town are panicking. Word has gone round that a bigwig government inspec

Saw this yesterday. A great show. www.cft.org.uk/events/the-g...

Get elections in proportion.
www.countypress.co.uk/news/2514272...

📢 No More First Past the Post Elections! Thursday’s election results confirm what so many of us already know: the current voting system is broken. With 5 parties polling strongly, First Past the Post is delivering chaos and turning election...

🚨 Thursday’s elections prove it: First Past the Post is broken. 5 parties, chaotic results, millions left unrepresented. We need Proportional Representation — NOW.
✍️ Sign the petition:

actionnetwork.org/petitions/20...

The History Podcast - Invisible Hands - 1. The Chicken Farmer - BBC Sounds The story of the chicken farmer who set the stage for Margaret Thatcher.

Another example is the history podcast on the "story of the free market revolution" which is far too sympathetic and demonstrates no objectivity. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... Although I couldn't bear to carry on after the first couple of episodes.

Poole Harbour

Ten years into Trump dominating politics and there are still people who are surprised that he is who he constantly tells and shows us he is.

The only good thing about The Daily Telegraph has been axed. I hope the Alex cartoon finds a new berth (and that the Telegraph sinks without trace). www.alexcartoon.com