Louise Knights-McCudden

Diamond tier R.E.M.🔥

Okay, so I am definitely going to have to go freelance, at least for a while. So, if anyone has any advice on actually building up and finding freelance policy and comms works, including providing media and advocacy training, campaign planning and strategy please let me know.

Never apologise for posting R.E.M.! Glorious harmonies all over the shop. Wolves, Lower is another one. And Fall On Me

I would actually love a long read or podcast episode on the extent to which journalists can be actively penalised in this country for doing real journalism.

Putting international law in scare quotes...

People making these decisions do know you can't completely separate "successful policy outcomes" from "electoral and political success" right? Right?

Bad policymaking will lose you votes in the end even if people say they want the bad policy idea in a thousand focus groups.

Plus the fact that the story is headed up by an article titled "how to make your brain three years younger in three months" should also be a clue that whatever you're about to read may not be scientifically or factually sound

Pinnable post

Well if he had socially progressive values I'm sure they'd find another way to delegitimise him but yes it would look different for sure

Why have they chosen a picture of him on his phone. Is he so terminally online they couldn't pry him away from it for three seconds to take a photo

"Totally unregulated sexual economy" is an incredible turn of phrase

A reminder that LGBTQIA+ orgs need you to follow them on Bluesky to free themselves of social media platforms that are getting harder to do meaningful advocacy on.

I made a starter pack for you and them to make it easy.

go.bsky.app/PSBhHbT

Official Opposition is designated in statute.

There is support for other opposition parties, in parliament, who are not the official opposition.

They all appoint party spokespeople; these other opposition teams are not the "Shadow Cabinet"

researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN...

Reform's Home Affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf = accurate.

Shadow Home Secretary Zia Yusuf = inaccurate

Reform's Home Affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf, who Reform seek to project as an alternate "shadow home secretary", though they are not the official opposition party with 8 seats v 116 = accurate

Shadow Home Secretary is Chris Philp MP as part of His Majesty's Opposition.

The LibDems, SNP, Greens, Plaid Cymru have MPs as spokespeople.

Reform now have a party spokesman who is not one of their eight MPs, making the pretence to hold/share this title even more of a stretch.

Tickets now on sale for our IWD festival at the Soho Theatre in Walthamstow featuring Andi Oliver, Shappi Khorsandi, Helen Pankhurst, Ashley James, Lapsley, Harriet Rose, Martha Deiros Collado, Juno Dawson and many more on Sunday 8th March sohotheatre.com/events/walth...

Does Nigel Farage have a problem with women? Critics link Farage’s ‘Trump-lite’ condescension to female journalists to Reform’s moves against women’s rights

"Reproductive rights and equality campaigners reacted in horror after Farage hired James Orr, a rightwing theologian who opposes abortion even in cases of rape, incest or serious risk to health, to replace Zia Yusuf as his head of policy."

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Why are bike lanes anti sex worker

This is such a weird thing to say (from the MP, not Sam), and yeah, really indicative of the information environment they are uncritically swimming in.

Wristwatches, pen and paper, printed books, vinyls for the lovely brain buzz soothing feeling. (Or am I just old.)

Oh my God this is precisely how my brain works, you have put this all into words so well

Hearts are for sympathy, not liking your horrible day 💜

Our Royal Family is extremely good at self preservation, hence they are still around

Incredible video

Labour’s migration doom loop The Starmer government risks trapping the United Kingdom in a spiral of discontent and decline

Great article by @jdportes.bsky.social on the realities of immigration policy and why it feels like such a hopeless mess. Doom loop is exactly right.

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/724...

Writing is thinking.

It's not some marginal boring task you can skip. It's the heart of it.

Haven't heard "limp wristed" in quite some time, showing their age there

The Guardian view on the BBC World Service: this is London calling | Editorial Editorial: With just seven weeks before its funding runs out, the UK’s greatest cultural asset and most trusted international news organisation must be supported

"Meanwhile, Russia and China are pouring billions into state-run media. And American news organisations are crumbling under the Trump administration."

The BBC World Service is far from perfect but given the wider context, I find this to be deeply sad.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Who is the young child (?) second from the bottom left?

I almost admire the confidence of not naming these people like we are supposed to recognise all of them on sight, but I suspect for their fame may be slightly over estimated for some of them