Joe Painter (@joepainter) — Bluesky Profile

2 days ago

Have you felt it too, Gateshead? Real hope and real change is here. After Green MP Hannah Spencer’s landslide win in Gorton & Denton, the buzz in Gateshead Greens is growing. If communities speak up and work together, change happens. Follow us, meet our candidates, and join the movement.

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6 days ago

Dear Shabana,
I notice today that you referred to me in your speech on immigration at the IPPR think tank.
You said: “A party leader should not be on the beaches of France encouraging people to
make a perilous crossing on small boats.”
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised especially after the hateful Labour campaign in Gorton
and Denton, but this is just the latest in a string of lies peddled by a discredited Government
who intentionally fan the flames of racism and division.
When I went to Calais, I was not there to encourage people to travel to the UK. I was there
to see at first hand the suffering your Government and successive Governments have done
in demonising migrants in a pathetic bid to pander to the base instincts of Reform and the
flawed strategy of Morgan McSweeney.
As you will know, if you even bothered to research my visit instead of taking Reform talking
points, I was there to witness the brutality of families living in tents in freezing temperatures. I
filled water tanks and picked up litter.
What that visit did do is confirm my belief that if we are to smash the boat gangs and stop
the boats, we need to offer safer and managed routes for migrants to come to this country.
Showing compassion as a politician is not a crime. In fact, we need to see much more of it.
It reminded me of a young MP who in October 2015 spent three days in Lesbos helping
migrants fleeing war-torn Syria. She posted videos on X, talked about handing out water and
croissants to refugees and food parcels.
When she returned to the UK, she wrote a very moving piece in the New Statesman. She
said “we have to work with our European partners and create new, safe, and legal routes for
refugees to get to Europe. We cannot abandon them to their fate, left as prey for smugglers
whilst risking death on the seas.”
She said “maybe we can make ourselves feel better by saying no-one is making them get on
the boats. And again, the Home Secretary is not entirely wrong when …

Dear Shabana,

Let's clear some things up around migration and remember we're talking about people's lives.

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4 months ago

Extraordinary packed scenes everywhere we're taking the Green Party message.

Darlington - another stop on the trip of the North East where we're making hope normal again.

Join.greenparty.org.uk

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4 months ago

Why Zack is rattling the commentariat: bellacaledonia.org.uk/2025/10/23/t...

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4 months ago

From bsky.app/profile/will...

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4 months ago

Plaid smash Reform to win in Caerphilly These are the key takeaways from a massive night in Welsh politics

Good to see the far right lose out to a left alternative in Caerphilly - great analysis here: open.substack.com/pub/willhayw...

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4 months ago

Something extraordinary is happening.

+6000 new members in ONE SINGLE day.

@greenparty.org.uk just hit 130,000 members and rising!!!

Join.greenparty.org.uk

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7 months ago

⏳Final week to sign up to the Green Party.

🗳️ Vote for Bold Leadership on August 1st.

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1 year ago

Oops 😬

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1 year ago

Photo featuring Englad's queen Camilla with kids and reindeer. The caption reads: Camilla decorates royal household with sick children.

Ah here, could she not just put up a tree like the rest of us.

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1 year ago

Assistant Professor in Human Geography (GEOG_01 %26 02) Click the link provided to see the complete job description.

Job Alert - @GeogDurham is seeking applications for two permanent Human Geography Assistant Professorships - durham.taleo.net/careersectio... closing date 11:59pm on 12th January 2025

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1 year ago

The Onion should buy Elsevier next

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1 year ago

On such days the immortal words in 2002 of former Whitehall permanent secretary Sir Richard Mottram re-echo down the ages: “We're all fucked. I'm fucked. You're fucked. We're all completely fucked.”

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1 year ago

Beautiful autumn morning looking up the Tyne Valley from Gateshead Fell.

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