Simon Doherty

Stop the freelance rip-off All freelances in the UK should respond to government's consultation on late payments and poor payment practices. It's time for urgent change.

www.nuj.org.uk/resource/sto...

Happy bday!!

I just read a news report saying that the Ibiza Final Boss met Bonnie Blue. Imagine trying to explain that to someone 12 months ago.

The Online Safety Act is a disaster for harm reduction and drug-related education. I know someone who can no longer access r/stopdrinking as they don't want to upload their ID to a Californian fac rec company. They now have no access to the community that once helped them.

Is Talk to FRANK (the UK’s Government drug education campaign which has been running for over two decades) a useful resource? In the interest of journalism, I tried to find out by calling them and asking five basic questions. You can see the results here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbau...

YouTube video by Zoë Garbett A Green Mayor for Hackney - We Need You to Make History

We love Hackney, but it needs to work for all of us.

Rising rents. Mouldy homes. Foodbanks.

Zoë Garbett is running Mayor of Hackney to change that - with Dylan as Deputy.

But we need YOU.

💰Donate: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/hackney-ma...

📲Share with your friends: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f4j...

Porn websites now require age verification in the UK – the privacy and security risks are numerous Online age verification technology is not as mature and safe as government and regulators would like it to be.

A good piece on the problems of Age Verification as has now rolled out in the UK. It's not just about accessing porn - and while I appreciate some of the humour on here re verifying age, I don't think access to DMs is worth using the tech on BSky

theconversation.com/porn-website...

Just witnessed a local homeless guy going to the off licence with three bags brimming with bottles of coke that people had presumably bought him yesterday. He sold them back to the shop. Gotta respect the hustle!

Sadiq Khan is right: Britain must decriminalise cannabis – or remain in the dark ages | Simon Jenkins Criminalising drugs ruins lives and wastes police resources. Many other countries have realised this – so when will UK politicians, asks Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins

Simon Jenkins hit it on the head.

"The reality is that the divide in Britain is not between those “in favour” of cannabis and those against. It is between those who care about the impact of criminalisation and those who don’t"

Cannabis change is needed NOW

This looks great

Primavera Sound Barcelona confiscated water from festival-goers on the way in yesterday. Many then complained that they couldn't access any water on the site. I contacted their press office to offer them a right of reply. They chose not to comment.

Yes! The real crisis is also the War on Drugs

📣♾📣
2 deaths last weekend in London were from pills confirmed as #nitazenes & similar to pills tested by The Loop.
They looked like oxys BUT it is not known what they were bought as.
Take care whatever pills you take.
Carry #naloxone, check in on friends & test if you can.

(2/2) When the popularity of the rapper 6ix9ine (FKA Tekashi69) peaked in 2019, beautifully-crafted ecstasy pills emblazoned with his face hit the market. As quickly as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, so too did a range of mask and Pfizer pills themed around the vaccine.

(1/2) I wrote about the strange and secretive world of ecstasy pill design... READ: www.vice.com/en/article/dutch-candy-pill-designs-cultural-artifacts/

A tribute to Hannah Deacon Supermum, Supercampaigner, Super-Beautiful Person. The whole Drug Science Team is shocked and incredibly saddened by the news of Hannah Deacon’s passing on May 6th, 2025, after ‘a short and brutal illness’

Drug Science mourns the incredible loss of Hannah Deacon, who passed away suddenly on May 6. Her tenacious fight to treat her son's epilepsy was instrumental in transforming medical cannabis legislation in the UK. Dr. Anne Schlag reflects on Hannah’s remarkable legacy:
❤️ drugscience.org.uk/a...

The strange and secretive world of ec𝓈ta𝓈y branding is something that artists Adam Fierman and Peter Andrew Lusztyk are obsessed with. FULL PODCAST: rb.gy/77jqq6

This is especially true with pans

YouTube video by Central Cee Central Cee - Pinging (6 Figures) [Music Video]

Haha yes! It’s gen z slang for sure but it has caught on somewhat. There’s even tunes about it, it’s fully in the zeitgeist… www.youtube.com/watch?v=05uU...

I should really explain the word pinger! Its causing confusion for my US-based TikTok followers too. It’s an ecstasy pill. The verb is to “ping” (i.e. under the influence of MDMA). ✌️

"Did you pack your own bag, sir?"

Remember smash (the food)? What the hell was that?

That’s bonkers

(2/2) In fact, he has 🔫 pointed at him several times in this documentary; the fact that he is subject to many of the confrontations and intimidations that the Palestinians face daily, makes it a sobering but compelling watch indeed.

(1/2) The new Louis Theroux documentary, about the military rule that the Palestinians are living under, is perhaps his finest work. At one point, Theroux, his camera man, and their fixer are doing an interview with a Palestinian man and the building is surrounded by IDF troops with 🔫 drawn.

#NUJDM25: "Journalism is at risk of being criminalised - because we film things people don't like. We say things people don't like - but that's our job." - Pennie Quinton on #mediafreedom. A call for written advice for members on what to do if asked to hand over your video footage or photos.

Nobody loves the sesh more than the Fuengirola police 😂

These are the most popular pill designs in Berlin atm. But never forget: the design/branding bears no relation to quality. Learn more on my YouTube: m.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zey... ✌️

If a crime has no victim, is it really a crime?

Even years on from quitting smoking, seeing someone with a cig and a pint in the sun is like unexpectedly bumping into your ex