Erwin van der Stap's Avatar

Erwin van der Stap

@vanderstap.co.uk

Dutch migrant, living in England, firmly in favour of PR, LGBT+ and particularly trans inclusive. Not affiliated to any party. Ex business owner #FBPE

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Latest posts by Erwin van der Stap @vanderstap.co.uk

“No stupid rules of engagement, no nation building quagmire, no democracy building exercise, no politically correct wars,” Hegseth said. “We fight to win, and we don’t waste time or lives, as the president warned, an effort of this scope will include casualties.”

12.03.2026 09:33 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

That famous British game: Where’s Wally

12.03.2026 09:27 👍 5 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

One way door I assume

12.03.2026 09:25 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Yes, instead of using bunker busters to blow up Iran they can just use them to dig a canal. Couple of days, job done. Don’t even have to evacuate people, they’re collateral damage

12.03.2026 09:24 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Nigel Farage breaks with his Welsh leader over insurance system for the NHS Reform UK’s Welsh leader Dan Thomas told POLITICO he would rule out moving to an insurance-based system after Nigel Farage said it would be a “national decision ahead of a general election”

EXCLUSIVE: Reform UK’s Welsh leader has ruled out moving to an insurance-based healthcare system.

That puts him at odds with the party’s Britain-wide boss Nigel Farage.

12.03.2026 09:18 👍 29 🔁 9 💬 4 📌 1
Zack on stage at wembley.

Zack on stage at wembley.

Trans rights are human rights.

Thank you, Wembley.

🏳️‍⚧️

12.03.2026 00:00 👍 1672 🔁 302 💬 37 📌 19

It is extremely difficult to construct a practical case against this position. Net Zero is now as much about patriotism as it is about climate change.

11.03.2026 23:16 👍 1406 🔁 373 💬 47 📌 16
Black and white portrait of a man outdoors, wearing a coat.

Black and white portrait of a man outdoors, wearing a coat.

12 March 1886 | French Jew of Polish origin, Paul Solinski, was born.

He was deported to #Auschwitz from #Compiegne on 27 March 1942 in the first transport of Jews from occupied France to Auschwitz.
No. 28397
He perished in the camp on 12 April 1942.

12.03.2026 00:00 👍 320 🔁 81 💬 10 📌 4
Preview
Proposed law change will protect abusive men who push women to suicide, campaigners warn Charity criticises new measures that would make it harder for inquests to pass verdict of unlawful killing

"Ministers want to make it harder for inquests to pass verdicts of unlawful killing, which have been crucial in getting justice for women who committed suicide after suffering abuse."

I don't think anyone expected Labour would change course after its electoral drubbing but this is 🤯

12.03.2026 07:02 👍 523 🔁 234 💬 34 📌 35
Preview
Oil tankers burn near Iraq as Iranian strikes defy Trump's claim to have won the war Two tankers were ablaze in Iraqi waters after what appeared to be Iranian strikes, as ​Iran warned the world should be ready for oil to hit $200 a barrel.

Oil tankers burn near Iraq as Iranian strikes defy Trump's claim to have won the war
www.reuters.com/world/middle...

12.03.2026 07:16 👍 165 🔁 63 💬 7 📌 3

Did she not go to the toilet all night?

12.03.2026 07:50 👍 27 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Maya Forstater @MForstater 8h

The Lies They Tell @sarahstua... 13h

Join me tonight as I cover live the thrills and spills of the Trans Mission Live concert. Turns include Zack Polanski, Beth Ditto and a bunch of people you've never heard of. Literally hundreds of pe...

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Rosie Duffield MP

@RosieDuffield1

Replying to @MForstater

Excellent work agent Forstater!

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Maya Forstater @MForstater 8h The Lies They Tell @sarahstua... 13h Join me tonight as I cover live the thrills and spills of the Trans Mission Live concert. Turns include Zack Polanski, Beth Ditto and a bunch of people you've never heard of. Literally hundreds of pe... 70 547 27.4K A Rosie Duffield MP @RosieDuffield1 Replying to @MForstater Excellent work agent Forstater! Descriptive alt text Alt text Save 2000 Follow

Even for them this is beyond embarrassing. I'm sorry you've never heard of Sugababes, Sophie Ellis-Bextor or Wolf Alice, you fucking weirdos

12.03.2026 07:18 👍 855 🔁 134 💬 93 📌 103

We can all agree that I'd look fantastic on a £5 note

11.03.2026 19:45 👍 3707 🔁 401 💬 106 📌 27
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11.03.2026 21:24 👍 5397 🔁 1255 💬 286 📌 65

Son of a NSDAP and Wehrmacht member in Hitler’s Germany elected President of a country with a deeply traumatic history under a far right dictator. What gets into these people

11.03.2026 22:23 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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Denmark strikes back.

11.03.2026 20:55 👍 289 🔁 72 💬 6 📌 1

The eternal debate. Capitalism = nasty, vs socialism = nobody runs anything. We can also have regulated capitalism and many countries have this (e.g. Nordic countries). More people means more regulation needed, but socialism is not the answer

11.03.2026 21:12 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0

Not your finest moment

11.03.2026 20:44 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Principles of Boogie Management
 
 
Don't blame it on the sunshine
Don't blame it on the moonlight
Don't blame it on the good times 
 
Establish a collaborative working environment
coupled with individual accountability
to prevent a blame culture
from developing in the first place




Brian Bilston

Principles of Boogie Management     Don't blame it on the sunshine Don't blame it on the moonlight Don't blame it on the good times   Establish a collaborative working environment coupled with individual accountability to prevent a blame culture from developing in the first place Brian Bilston

Principles of Boogie Management.

11.03.2026 15:04 👍 376 🔁 110 💬 6 📌 5
Farmers writing romance novels:

a book page says: Her body tensed and quivered as she felt wave after wave surge through it. I probably should have told her about the new electric fence.

Farmers writing romance novels: a book page says: Her body tensed and quivered as she felt wave after wave surge through it. I probably should have told her about the new electric fence.

This is some great OSHA violation fanfiction

11.03.2026 19:42 👍 48 🔁 6 💬 4 📌 0

Then you definitely don’t want to spit it out, if it’s your only one

11.03.2026 19:48 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0

We are a country of light and (very) dark animal stories: Black Beauty (a harder read than many will recall); Wind in the Willows and Beatrix Potter; Watership Down and Plague Dogs (gulp); Tarka (by a fascist) and Animal Farm (by an anti-Fascist); Kes.

I think we can cope with animals on banknotes.

11.03.2026 19:43 👍 339 🔁 53 💬 24 📌 0
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VP of the European Commission Kaja Kallas is clear:

"There is a fundamental reorientation across the Atlantic. These trends point to a new world order, characterized by competition and coercive power politics."

She warned against powers that want to divide the world into spheres of influence.

11.03.2026 19:21 👍 80 🔁 44 💬 1 📌 1
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Spain has kicked Israel's ambassador out.

Another win for the brilliant Spain.

Keep on winning.

11.03.2026 13:00 👍 620 🔁 147 💬 19 📌 13

DPP loses appeal of the decision to throw out case against Kneecap’s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh.

The DPP threw a lot at this appeal.

11.03.2026 14:26 👍 284 🔁 79 💬 10 📌 1
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A tax barrister sued me personally for £8m for libel after we linked him to a tax avoidance scheme.

Today the High Court struck out the claim, granted summary judgment, and ruled it was a SLAPP. The judgment is highly critical.

11.03.2026 12:58 👍 1668 🔁 321 💬 72 📌 26
Preview
Only US Votes Against Women’s Rights Document At UN Commission - Health Policy Watch President of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock told the opening of CSW that the backlash against women's rights "feels as though we are forced to

Only the USA

11.03.2026 14:03 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
Preview
Vereinte Nationen: USA stimmen gegen UN-Erklärung zu Frauenrechten Ein Vertreter der USA wollte in der UN-Frauenrechtskommission eine Erklärung zu Frauenrechten verhindern. Diese wurde jedoch trotz Gegenstimme angenommen.

Die USA. Und zwar nur die USA. „In der Erklärung geht es um die Sicherung von Frauenrechten durch die Justiz und den Abbau diskriminierender Gesetze.“ Die wollen natürlich rechte Frauen statt Frauenrechte.

11.03.2026 08:30 👍 8 🔁 6 💬 0 📌 0

I don’t believe it is. There is no evidence that bench trials lead to worse outcomes and while juries are not the main cause of backlogs, moving to more bench trials will certainly help

11.03.2026 05:33 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Home Office

Home Office refuses to exempt exceptional students from tough immigration rules

Exclusive: Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper concerned about student visa ban on female Chevening scholars from volatile countries such as Afghanistan

Pippa Crerar Political editor

Tue 10 Mar 2026

The Home Office rejected an appeal from the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, that would have protected outstanding students in some of the world's most dangerous countries from changes to the UK's immigration system, the Guardian understands.

Home Office Home Office refuses to exempt exceptional students from tough immigration rules Exclusive: Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper concerned about student visa ban on female Chevening scholars from volatile countries such as Afghanistan Pippa Crerar Political editor Tue 10 Mar 2026 The Home Office rejected an appeal from the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, that would have protected outstanding students in some of the world's most dangerous countries from changes to the UK's immigration system, the Guardian understands.

That Starmer keeps Mahmood in post shows this is not just the actions of an inhumane Home Secretary, but a deeper rooted ideology of hostility and xenophobia within this government. No-one benefits from blocking Chevening scholars. This is cruelty for sake of it.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

10.03.2026 21:29 👍 278 🔁 95 💬 10 📌 5