Reform is basically a suburban petrol station's DVD bin of Tory politicians.
26.01.2026 13:04
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Reform is basically a suburban petrol station's DVD bin of Tory politicians.
Commenting on the cataclysms of the 20th century, philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote: “The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exist.”
1. This short thread is about the issue that dominates almost every aspect of politics, and causes or exacerbates most of our problems: the extreme wealth of a small number of people. Here’s the amazing thing: almost the entire political class aligns with the ultra-rich against the rest. 🧵1/10
Cover page of UK Government document titled "Global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security: A national security assessment." Features the HM Government crest and an abstract design of overlapping coloured circles in pink, orange, green, blue and muted tones. Marked "UK OFFICIAL".
The UK Government just released its national security assessment on #biodiversity loss: an actual intelligence assessment using the same frameworks as military threat analysis. The conclusion? #Nature is a foundation of national security and every critical #ecosystem is on a pathway to collapse. 🧵
It is the source of so many of our evils: the astonishing concentration of wealth in the hands of a very few, and the immense political power that gives them. We cannot solve our problems until we tackle it.
This week's column.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Yvette Cooper, foreign secretary, last week (on the protests in Iran): “These are fundamental rights - free speech, peaceful assembly. The exercise of these rights should never come with the threat of violence or reprisals.”
Unless you are in the UK.
www.theguardian.com/law/2026/jan...
Looking south-west from Bardon Hill, the highest point in Leicestershire (also a SSSI partly for a very rare spider Mastigusa macropthalma)
Halting the decline in farmland bird species is going to require a lot more effort than just some nature-friendly farming schemes. It will require a wholesale reconsideration of where and how we build, which is the opposite of what’s currently happening.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Deregulation is massive self harm for negligible gain. Have the government learnt nothing from recent expensive examples of regulatory failure, such as the collapse of Carillion, the Grenfell tower fire & cladding scandal, or our water pollution situation? 🤦♀️
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
From Great Yarmouth to the world: Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty broke new ground in 1877 and inspired change in animal welfare. 150 years on, the fight against cruelty continues, with rescue centres still needed across the region | Kate Moore
@eastangliabylines.co.uk @oscarwoofs.bsky.social
Seeing climate change like this, it changes you’: dance duo Bicep on making an album in Greenland
Collaborating with Indigenous artists and sampling melting glaciers, the Northern Irish artists are championing Arctic culture – and documenting a collapsing world www.theguardian.com/music/2025/j...
"The Govt has no plans to ban driven grouse shooting..."
A disappointing (but not unexpected) conclusion to the @wildjustice.bsky.social petition debate just now from Labour Minister Daniel Zeichner.
No hint of licensing either: @rspb.bsky.social policy must shift
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVP_...
Two orchids from two local parks today. Pyramidal (a new record for the park) and (I think as still out and not checked) common spotted x southern marsh hybrid (one of many).
#wildflowerhour
This grows on the hill behind my house, which isn’t a floodplain but does get pretty wet in the winter.
Not speeded up, just a very hungry bat! (Common pipistrelle)
Found trapped in a house this week, and released after a couple of nights captivity in order to put some weight back on.
#bats #batcare #pipistrelle
The flammability of historic buildings that are the subject of longstanding contentious planning disputes is really worryingly high. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Biting stonecrop flowers
Biting stonecrop on rocks with fields behind
Biting stonecrop, Peak District
Saw many small tortoiseshells along the Derbyshire lanes today
Great burnet in a meadow
Greater knapweed flowers
A couple of the great plants I’ve seen this week :)
#wildflowerhour
Large skipper butterfly
Marbled white butterfly
Six-spot burnet moth
Ringlet butterfly
My favourites from this week - large skipper, marbled white, six-spot burnet & ringlet.
Cliffe Hill quarry
Southern marsh orchid
Croft quarry
Croft quarry
Two of Leicestershires hard rock quarries - Cliffe Hill and Croft. Surprised to see lots of southern marsh orchids in very dry places at Cliffe Hill.
Marbled white, South Notts.
Some of the meadow buttercups in a field near me have interesting white & yellow colour combos
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will be a disaster for nature.
Britain's wildlife is a source of pride for millions - voters will not take kindly to its destruction.
There will be electoral consequences.
The Government must accept my proposals before it's too late.
Deserts are spreading across Britain, yet scarcely anyone in public life even seems to have noticed. This week's column seeks to open our eyes to something that has been too big to see. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
