Martin Elliott

That the UK - one of the architects of this fund, designed to save the world’s forests - is now refusing to put any money into it is frankly shameful. Starmer’s claim that he still continues to back the fund is meaningless without resources - so much for climate leadership

Farage: epic grifter

As Trump abdicates U.S. leadership on climate change, Asia is filling the void OPINION: The U.S. once led the charge in confronting the planet’s most pressing challenges. But today, that leadership is eroding. Nowhere is this loss more visible than in climate science.

😡 Ceding leadership in science cedes leadership in emerging and future industries. The anti-science “Dark Ages” of the Trump administration will have long term economic impacts.
@michaelemann.bsky.social
@katharinehayhoe.com

Where do I need to send my clocks back to on Sunday?

Everything is wrong with this. When I began my employment I understood that I was paid to both teach and do research (and provided resources for both). That was the deal I signed up to. Then the demands to, effectively, pay for my own research were introduced (no consultation). Glad I'm retired!

Police officer, running up to me: "Stop, what's that brown liquid you're pouring into the drain?"

Me: "It's 1,000 gallons of untreated sewage"

PO: "Phew, I thought for a minute it was a few dregs of coffee"

"The false-economies of austerity are everywhere you look – we shut youth clubs and Sure Start centres to “save” money, only to spend twice the amount later on crisis intervention."

Trojan gold: New US “standard” is another veiled attack on science Transparency, reproducibility, and acknowledging uncertainty are meritorious attributes of science that differentiate it from other human endeavors, such as politics. But they can also be subverted. I...

Why Trump's so-called 'gold standard science' is actually another attack on science: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

YouTube video by Al Jazeera English Inside the planet’s most urgent climate warning | Global Warning E1 | Featured Documentary

youtu.be/F8vI5_gN90g
Interesting slow-paced documentary from @AJEnglish .

Good consideration of risks of high-impact scenarios.

"All the small countries that think that their contribution I insignificant add up to a third of global emissions"

Here’s what you need to know about Starmer’s illiberal protest curbs: they would have killed the Labour party at birth | George Monbiot The rights we enjoy in the UK, and the movement the PM purports to lead, were built on protest. Those rights are in dire peril, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

Here’s what you need to know about Starmer’s illiberal protest curbs: they would have killed the Labour party at birth | George Monbiot

Its not monsters from outer space
Its humans scraping the bottom floor and sucking up every life form that exists, leaving nothing
Fish often in vain flee for their lives

Also releases 370 million metric tons of planet-warming c02 every year, roughly same as running 100 coal power plants

Nigel Farage accuses teachers of ‘poisoning our kids’ on race issues Exclusive: Reform UK leader’s remarks at event for private US college criticised as ‘grossly irresponsible’ by NEU leader

Farage/Reform and the Trump playbook.

Mass sackings of unsympathetic civil servants
Promise to reduce workers's rights
Inflict spending cuts - hit the poor, old, sick, disabled

Now claims teachers are “poisoning our kids” - just as Nazis did to control education.

Power grab by dividing society.

If the government wants economic growth it must bring essential industries into public ownership Successive governments clobber households and small businesses by hiking interest rates to manage inflation, but don’t inconvenience corporations.

Thanks

Govts of Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman, China, France, Germany Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, Singapore, Spain, UAE, US would like to thank UK for letting their entities own UK infrastructure.

Vast profits exported, Britons stare at sewage in rivers.

The UK had by my calculations, per capita, twice the number of fatalities as the Republic of Ireland. Ireland wasn’t exactly gold standard. Experts were begging the UK govt & opposition to follow basic science, to no avail. The UK scientific establishment was silent. Only Independent SAGE spoke out

Fears of new PFI-style ‘disaster’ as firms handed £6m to advise on using private funds for NHS clinics Exclusive: Consultants and lawyers hired to advise on using public-private partnerships to build ‘neighbourhood health centres’ in England

The PFI disaster

Wes Streeting readies more of the NHS for privatisation. Hands £6m to advisers.

NHS will be a shell doling out contracts to private equity and corporations. Profits guaranteed.

Money will buy less. Higher taxes, lower value.

Say NO to privatisation of the NHS.

How top hedge funds can pay traders $100mn The era of giant multi-managers has changed how rewards are calculated — and ushered in bumper deals

Upside Down World.

Hedge fund trader gets $100m.

Most people struggle to make ends meet.

Speculators who gamble with other people's money, produce nothing, get mega rewards.

Profits are privatized. Failing banks are bailed out. Govts punish people for failed gambles.
archive.ph/vNVDB

Curbing ‘unfunded’ research ‘could chase away academics’ - Research Professional News Researchers wary of signals from senior figures that universities “can’t afford” research without external funding

Curbing ‘unfunded’ research ‘could chase away academics’.

Researchers wary of signals from senior figures that universities “can’t afford” research without external funding.

www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

UK is ‘worst country in Europe’ for drug prices, says Mounjaro maker Eli Lilly CEO says Britain’s strict regime means it could miss out on new drugs being rolled out unless it pays more

Corporations holding Govts to ransom.

CEO of Eli Lilly, $114m pay packet last year, says the UK is “probably the worst country in Europe” for drug prices.

Big Pharma cartel wants the NHS to pay more for drugs, make bigger profits.

Govt must manufacture generic drugs, end profiteering.

Interesting discussion on political funding at Lib Dem conference.

Transparency International point out that South Australia has now banned private donations to political parties for state elections, while federally Australia introduced a £25,000 annual donation cap for the next fed. election.

They say "We are rethinking people, planet and places." Any other p-related things I wonder?

UK employee median wage £30,816 (net £25,707).

Millions barely survive, bosses collect up to 1,112 times average wage.

37% on Universal Credit claimants are at work. People surviving on food banks, charity.

Can't revive economy without redistribution.

UK public has paid £200bn to shareholders of key industries since privatisation Analysis reveals ‘privatisation premium’ of £250 per household per year paid to owners of water, rail, bus, energy and mail services since 2010

UK public has paid £200bn to shareholders of privatised water, rail, bus, energy and mail services, mostly foreign owned.

Investment neglected. Regulators useless.

Often little/no competition, captive customers fleeced,, more pushed into poverty.

Privatisation is one of the biggest scams.

‘Utter madness’ as Post Office paid law firm double the cost of scandal public inquiry | Computer Weekly The Post Office legal representation at public inquiry into Horizon scandal cost twice as much as the actual inquiry

The Post Office paid law firm £86m for dealing with the public inquiry into the scandal.

30 years later victims await compensation for false prosecutions. Despite evidence no exec charged.

Fujitsu, lawyers, advisers complicit. Made millions in fees. No contribution to compensation fund.

Power begets wealth and wealth begets power. We're seeing how the extreme wealth concentration is distorting politics, rigging markets, and granting unprecedented power to a handful of billionaires.

Kudos to Pope Leo for speaking out. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

Britain is ‘a terrible place’ to sell medicines, says drug firm executive Sanofi’s market access chief urges ministers to come up with a roadmap to raise spending on new treatments

Big pharma threatens the UK govt.

Want higher drugs prices/profits, squeezing the NHS budget, forcing higher taxes.

Trump wants lower drugs prices in the US, uses Europe as reference point. So companies threaten UK govt.

Corporate power used to bully govts.

UK Govt must produce generic drugs.

Excellent piece by @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social, especially in drawing attention to the sickening double standards of those on the right demanding civilities from their opponents that they refuse to grant to their opponents.

First Past the Post cannot handle this level of fragmentation. It will produce completely freak results.

We can grasp this problem now, or wait for the train to crash.

Thousands of tonnes of toxic landfill liquid added to sewage and spread on English farms Exclusive: Leachate is tankered to treatment works where it mixes with sewage and industrial effluent

Thousands of tonnes of toxic landfill liquid added to sewage and spread on English farms.

Chemicals going into food chain, water, waterways with deadly outcomes.

Corporations boost profits.

Regulators failing to protect health and the environment.

Thousands of tonnes of toxic landfill liquid added to sewage and spread on English farms Exclusive: Leachate is tankered to treatment works where it mixes with sewage and industrial effluent

A massive, dangerous and disgusting scandal, of which far too few people are yet aware. At @fightingdirty.bsky.social we'll keep pushing to stop it. Congrats to @rachelsalvidge.bsky.social for continuing to shine the light:
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A New Kind of Satellite Could Damage Your Eyes Reflect Orbital's gigantic satellites could harm our eyes, alter sleep patterns, and block out the starry sky.

A new kind of satellite could damage your eyes. Serious this. Sky & Telescope article. 🔭 🧪 skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-ne...