@diamondashiagbor
professor of law, University of Birmingham | labour, EU, equality, race & colonialism | editor, European Law Open | FAcSS | fixed-term member, Matrix Chambers | trustee, Black Cultural Archives https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7533-8853
Exc: As many as 80 Labour MPs are braced to oppose the home secretary's immigration policies
Dozens of backbenchers and ministers are understood to be hostile to Shabana Mahmood's reforms. After the Gorton by-election they're pushing for a "recalibration"
observer.co.uk/news/politic...
Just naked racism from Farage and the Mail.
Only British and commonwealth citizens are allowed to vote. It's not 'stealing' to legally take part in your own country's elections
Several canvassers say the *settlement* reforms (make over a million voters wait 10-15 years for settlement, not 5, is a top of mind concern for those affected & friends, family
A basic fallacy in Home Office citing more in common polling on asylum reform - a different issue - and net migration
In the end, it wasn’t even close. Hope triumphs over hate
Gorton and Denton by-election result:
GRN: 40.7% (+27.5)
REF: 28.7% (+14.7)
LAB: 25.4% (-25.3)
CON: 1.9% (-6.0)
LDEM: 1.8% (-2.1)
Green GAIN from Labour.
Well that's some good news to wake up to. Relieved to see @greenparty.org.uk win Gorton and Denton. Hopefully this will now also prompt Labour to stop pushing such hostile right wing policies against marginalised groups and recognise that people want progressive politics.
Great selfie! But oh no - best of luck getting the briefcase and bag back!
This is entirely correct.
It is *also* true of Labour's earned settlement proposals -which while not as extreme/overtly racist as Reform's, would still have precisely this effect for hundreds of thousands of people
Not too late for government to change course
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
We need to go back to a situation where racism is shameful rather than electorally advantageous.
The demographics of the Gorton & Denton ward make by-election predictions almost impossible - but this is an insightful yet succinct analysis from Prof Rob Ford
The University of Essex plans to close their Southend campus and cut up to 400 jobs — around one in five staff! But the staff and students are fighting back. Sign their petition to stop the cuts, save Southend, and protect education www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/sa...
It appears that the Government is finally waking up to the harm from misinformation and disinformation, at least for public health and measles vaccination.
Across our city, important celebrations are starting for many communities.
To Muslims beginning Ramadan, and Christians starting Lent, may this period be one of reflection and renewal.
And to all celebrating the Lunar New Year, may the Year of the Fire Horse bring with it prosperity and happiness.
The Reform proposal to repeal the Equality Act + anti-discrimination laws (a proposal which Farage made and u-turned on in 2015, but which is back in 2026) has gone almost completely under the radar
#OnThisDay in 1932, Stuart Hall was born. A founding figure of cultural studies, he championed a Marxism “without guarantees” and was among the first to critically examine the links between neoliberal capitalism and racism. His work remains essential today.
I feel so miserable about this. Nearly broke myself working 16, 18 hour days during the pandemic. We did everything we possibly could, then doubled it, tripled it. HE is still struggling to get back off the floor, years later. Now another financial punch in the face.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Take a walk on the dark side of European society: @silviasteininger.bsky.social and @jennyos.bsky.social on who is (and who is not) recognised.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
If all the fired journalists from the Washington Post get together and start a new paper I’ll send them my subscription money. Bet a lot of others would too.
Jeffrey Bezos is destroying the Washington Post for the same reason Musk destroyed Twitter and Ellison is destroying CBS—oligarchs oppose the free press when if it threatens their wealth and power.
They don’t want normal people to see what is happening in America.
Absolutely this. And where is the outrage from Labour MPs? Oh yes, their concern is only reserved to save one steel mill, and not a dozen universities...
Good news!
Devastatingly sad.
Every Labour MP should be forced to read this. In fact, every MP, who rushed back to Parliament to vote to save one steel mill, whilst hastening the collapse of dozens of universities - and harming the students, staff, communities and economies universities sustain and support
Really looking forward to reading this - on African decolonial thinking
“We can think about the restructuring of the global economy to remove ... dependence, not just from foreign tourist industries but offshore financial centres & tax havens” — Kojo Koram
Explore our visual project on the Caribbean: https://visualising-extractive-capitalism.common-wealth.org
It's not just that these professional politics observers somehow failed to spot the obvious rise of American nativist thuggery.
It's how much energy they devoted to arguing the real problem was the volume, tone, and vocabulary of those raising the alarm about it.
This is so painfully true. And BBC News comes to mind...
YouGov is out with a new poll after ICE killed another person in Minnesota today. Abolishing ICE is now +5 among all adults, and **+12 among independents**
substack.com/@gelliottmor...
Blocking Andy Burnham from fighting the Gorton by-election is another gift to Reform from a Labour leadership whose entire strategy has so far played directly into their hands
www.adambienkov.co.uk/p/morgan-mcs...
The BBC coverage is absolutely terrible.
It leads on "sharply contested narratives"
It has a dramatic skew to the US government
It has posted the video but has failed to report on what it shows: it shows the US govt account is untrue
It was obvious that Trump’s political career was going to lead to this. A lot of people need to be apologising. There was never any doubt that sowing the seeds of hate was going to get people killed, it always does. The rest of us need to learn from this and use it to defeat our own fascists
