Helen B

We're just getting started.

Time to lower bills. And tax billionaires.

If you want to see the Green Party take on Reform - this is the moment.

Join.greenparty.org.uk

Palantir: As Revenues Rise, Controversy Grows Palantir is on a roll, experiencing record growth through government contracting. But its activities have raised ethical concerns from former employees and the larger public.

Anyone making a deal with Palantir is an awful human.

www.forbes.com/sites/willia...

Digital ID cards: a versatile and useful tool or a worrying cybersecurity risk? As Keir Starmer aims to revive ID card system first proposed by Tony Blair, we look at the arguments for and against

In case you need to catch up on this topic -

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Petition: Do not introduce Digital ID cards We demand that the UK Government immediately commits to not introducing a digital ID cards. There are reports that this is being looked at.

There are a ton of reasons why mandatory ID cards are a terrible idea, especially if it's run by an awful American data mining org like Palantir.

Petitions themselves don't do much, but media pressure can help if the signatures get high enough.

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

The real threat to labour isn't bumbling Corbyn - it's the greens.

Green Party - Nationalise the water companies, tax the super rich, invest in our public services, stop the genocide, lower bills.

The Telegraph - Greens are "hard left."

YouTube video by The Daily Show Jon Stewart's Post-Kimmel Primer on Free Speech in the Glorious Trump Era | The Daily Show

Jon Stewart's Post-Kimmel Primer on Free Speech in the Glorious Trump Era

youtu.be/_GXNJ3V9lzg

Text about EHRC not directly contacting Transgender, Intersex, LGBTQ+ groups before November 2024 hearing. Describes regular engagement with such groups.

We asked the EHRC whether they consulted any trans, intersex or LGBTQ+ groups before intervening in the 2024 Supreme Court case For Women Scotland v Scottish Ministers.

Their answer? They didn’t. 1/

Apropos of nothing, here's a thread of some Charlie Kirk highlights

Nigel Farage is the biggest charlatan in British political history.

And here's what his constitutents in Clacton really think:

Well, there we have it. Keir Starmer comes to the aid of a man who was arrested for inciting violence against trans women.

Great Yarmouth to Host Britain’s Biggest White Power Concert in Years – HOPE not hate Great Yarmouth is set to host the largest white power music gig held in the UK for at least 10 years, HOPE not hate can...

Absolutely horrified at the news that a neo-nazi music festival being held this weekend in Great Yarmouth. The mask has fully slipped - how is it just okay now to say you're a nazi? Apparently they've scheduled this on Pride weekend too.

Sent an email via HNH -

hopenothate.org.uk/2025/08/28/g...

They had stands for the first time which was def worth it, proper seats and private toilets = priceless.

We did venture into the streets for a bit to get the full carnival vibes, but it really does get rammed, and we were very glad we had a space to come back to.

First time at the Notting Hill Carnival yesterday. Excellent experience - great to see different cultures, wonderful music on the parade and excellent costumes.

Long day though, out of the door in full make up at 6.30am, drinking and dancing most of the day, home at 11pm. Today is for rest.

I watched KPop Demon Hunters last night and it was excellent - awesome to see fun girl culture, gorgeous animation, and surprisingly good songs.

I immediately searched for sequel news and was not disappointed!

What are you reading at the moment?

I'm currently in David Eddings' Belgariad series, which I adored as a teen, and hadn't gone back to since hearing the allegations about him. Rediscovering all the things I loved about it, it's such a comfort read.

Eric Cartman, Welcome (for Now) to the Resistance

For decades, “South Park” has been crude, cynical and childish.
That may be what makes it perfect for this moment:

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/16/a...

Ep 3 is about AI (and Trump, of course), and it's less wild than the first two, but still so relevant.

That ending was horrifying though...

Who else is watching South Park?

I was never a fan, just saw it as crude and pointless.

Season 27 is crude and topical. I watched the first ep as there were memes everywhere, and... I'm kinda into it. It's still gross, but with excellent satire. Finding myself looking forward to what they do next.

AI tools used by English councils downplay women’s health issues, study finds Exclusive: LSE research finds risk of gender bias in care decisions made based on AI summaries of case notes

What a fucking surprise.

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

MAGA is drumming up support to sic the military on Americans, and it's giving Jon Iraq War vibes

Love how they're banning both trans women that won in women's categories AND trans men that previously won prior to transitioning, just in case anyone thought it was about anything other than pure discriminatory hatred

If you want a weird but true fact to talk about:

Dexter Holland, lead singer of The Offspring, was instrumental in this. His doctorial thesis in molecular biology was sequencing mRNA in HIV. The paper was also heavily cited in creating the COVID-19 vaccine.

I'm horrified that anyone would make these proposals, and that they would get any support at all.

Fortunately the Not In My Name petition (which I've signed) has gained more traction.

If you're a woman who supports trans people, please do sign - there's a link in the thread.

My verdict on the new Fantastic Four film:

As a F4 film, it was excellent. Much better than the previous ones.

As an MCU film, it has promise, and I think future films with them will be interesting.

As a film generally though, it was pretty middle of the road - a generic CGI action adventure.

One of the things this article refers to is the Forer Effect, which is brilliant. Explains why so many people fall for astrology.

The LLMentalist Effect: how chat-based Large Language Models rep… The new era of tech seems to be built on superstitious behaviour

This is a fascinating read.

I'm pretty aware of this stuff and even I've fallen into the trap of trying to reason with an AI, or get it to follow logic. It's just a language prediction, it can't do that!

softwarecrisis.dev/letters/llme...

More than 100 arrested across UK at protests related to Palestine Action Police in London detain scores of people and confiscate placards under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000

It's utterly mad.
These people are the opposite of terrorists.
THEY WANT PEACE.
The police know they're not terrorists.
The government knows they're not terrorists.
Yet, on the Home Secretary's orders, they're being arrested under the Terrorism Act.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

I'm not a Labour campaigner.
I'm not a Corbyn campaigner.
I'm not a Starmer campaigner.
I'm a human rights campaigner.
I'm an anti-poverty campaigner.
I'm an anti-Brexit campaigner.
Don't get it twisted.
I only care about party politics to the precise extent that it achieves those goals.

Excellent news! The first season has been an excellent adaptation, and apparently they will be listening to feedback and making the S2 eps longer.