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Joe Farnworth

@joemfm

Public Affairs @jrf-uk.bsky.social, campaigning for a fairer social security system. Previously at @trusselluk.bsky.social. Season ticket holder at #bhafc

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19.11.2023
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Latest posts by Joe Farnworth @joemfm

Finally convinced me to get a London Centric subscription - amazing value for a fiver a month!

27.02.2026 17:59 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Think on balance, the attention economy might be bad…

24.01.2026 12:44 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Whatever else this government do (and there's plenty of issues with this budget) ministers will always be able to point to this as an incredible important contribution to the country's future. Almost half a million kids taken out of poverty.

26.11.2025 13:03 πŸ‘ 1294 πŸ” 269 πŸ’¬ 36 πŸ“Œ 18
A chart showing child poverty in the UK increasing sharply if the two child limit remains in place, and falling if it is scrapped.

A chart showing child poverty in the UK increasing sharply if the two child limit remains in place, and falling if it is scrapped.

Why the two-child limit has to go, in a chart.

25.11.2025 16:28 πŸ‘ 408 πŸ” 146 πŸ’¬ 20 πŸ“Œ 10
Preview
Standing with Maccabi’s football hooligans against local police – is that what patriotism looks like now? | Jonathan Liew Tommy Robinson is said to be going to Villa Park as a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan. Do the politicians jumping on this bandwagon care what they are doing, asks Guardian columnist Jonathan Liew

column on robbie keane www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

21.10.2025 09:25 πŸ‘ 214 πŸ” 52 πŸ’¬ 18 πŸ“Œ 16

Think we’ve crossed a pretty major threshold – and a very bad one – if a journalist working in the lobby for a major newspaper group can tweet like this without professional consequences.

18.10.2025 08:56 πŸ‘ 1083 πŸ” 355 πŸ’¬ 40 πŸ“Œ 11

No, it's not. It's all a lie. The blunt truth is across the 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021 Census *every* ethnic group in the UK has become *less* geographically segregated and *all* groups, majority and minorities, are more likely to interact with people not like them.

08.10.2025 11:15 πŸ‘ 923 πŸ” 253 πŸ’¬ 26 πŸ“Œ 16

New from DWP:

πŸ“£Over 1.6m children impacted by the 2 child limit in Apr 2025

This policy that leaves families with 3+ children struggling when they hit hard times.

It is driving up child poverty, leaving families going without essentials and hindering children's prospects

10.07.2025 10:14 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1
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Labour MP @marietidball.bsky.social delivers a powerful speech:

β€œIt is with a heavy broken heart that I will be voting against this bill today.

β€œAs a matter of conscience, I need my constituents to know I cannot support the proposed changes to PIP as currently drafted...”

01.07.2025 15:32 πŸ‘ 396 πŸ” 132 πŸ’¬ 12 πŸ“Œ 13
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Today MPs will vote on the amended welfare bill.

MPs who choose to walk through the lobby and support this bill are paving the way for at least 150,000 people to be pulled into poverty.

Here are just 3 reasons why they should oppose this bill from @katieschmuecker.bsky.social πŸ”½

01.07.2025 11:31 πŸ‘ 56 πŸ” 50 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 5

Great to see broad swathe of MPs expressing opposition to a Bill that will increase poverty and destitution amongst disabled people. This new joint briefing for MPs from 10 organisations sets out the broad & deep concern about the Bill from civil society: ucpipbill.co.uk

24.06.2025 08:19 πŸ‘ 28 πŸ” 13 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
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The welfare rebellion in full - here are the 108 names on the reasoned amendment

24.06.2025 00:02 πŸ‘ 201 πŸ” 61 πŸ’¬ 28 πŸ“Œ 79

I have signed this reasoned amendment. The majority of reforms are both necessary and welcome but I can't support changes to PIP eligibility. We need to reduce numbers by actually preventing ill health.

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

24.06.2025 05:34 πŸ‘ 70 πŸ” 16 πŸ’¬ 11 πŸ“Œ 2

BREAKING - I understand a large number of MPs - potentially 80+ and including select committee chair are signing a reasoned amendment to the welfare bill which declines to give it a second reading

23.06.2025 18:15 πŸ‘ 472 πŸ” 146 πŸ’¬ 20 πŸ“Œ 44
Preview
Labour’s devastating disability benefits cuts are a time bomb Many of its own MPs won't support measures that could see some people lose Β£10,000 overnight

No-one lost more than Β£300 a year due to Labour’s changes to Winter Fuel Allowance.

Labour’s changes to disability benefit could cost some households *more than Β£10,000 a year* – and the plans tabled this week do nothing to fix that.

It’s no wonder campaigners are raising alarms with MPs.

20.06.2025 10:14 πŸ‘ 198 πŸ” 104 πŸ’¬ 8 πŸ“Œ 6

Obviously hard because of fiscal issues; but a core challenge facing this govt is people don’t to see a sense of purpose just the β€œtough” stuff they don’t like. As our polling shows tackling poverty and looking after the working class are what people see as Labour at its best

23.05.2025 17:21 πŸ‘ 37 πŸ” 10 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 3

Many of us have been calling for the scrapping of the two-child benefit limit for a long time. It would take hundreds of thousands of kids out of poverty literally overnight. Reports now suggest the PM wants to do this. Time for a bit of moral backbone from him on this.

23.05.2025 17:31 πŸ‘ 171 πŸ” 27 πŸ’¬ 13 πŸ“Œ 4
Image of chart showing percentage of PIP recipients at risk of losing under the Government's proposed disability benefit cuts, broken down by Parliamentary constituency and primary health condition. 'At risk' means they scored less than 4 points in every daily living activity at their last assessment. Figures are for working-age recipients of PIP daily living component.

Image of chart showing percentage of PIP recipients at risk of losing under the Government's proposed disability benefit cuts, broken down by Parliamentary constituency and primary health condition. 'At risk' means they scored less than 4 points in every daily living activity at their last assessment. Figures are for working-age recipients of PIP daily living component.

New @jrf-uk.bsky.social analysis of disability benefit cuts by Parliamentary constituency and health condition.

Select your constituency from drop-down menu on the chart at the following link, to see how many PIP recipients are at risk of losing out: jrf.org.uk/social-secur...

19.05.2025 14:01 πŸ‘ 11 πŸ” 14 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Come work with me!

15.05.2025 12:45 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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EXC - 42 MPs have signed a letter to Keir Starmer saying the disability cuts are β€œimpossible to support”

PM is facing biggest rebellion of the parliament over welfare vote

MPs call for pause and rethink until fuller impact assessments can be done in autumn and warn disabled people are frightened

08.05.2025 12:47 πŸ‘ 640 πŸ” 183 πŸ’¬ 58 πŸ“Œ 58

Labour's biggest issue is neither being too socially conserative or not socially conservative enough. It's cuts. People have had enough.

02.05.2025 06:44 πŸ‘ 826 πŸ” 231 πŸ’¬ 34 πŸ“Œ 34

β€’ Al Overview
The idiom "you can't lick a badger twice" means you can't trick or deceive someone a second time after they've been tricked once. It's a warning that if someone has already been deceived, they are unlikely to fall for the same trick again.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
β€’ Licking: "Licking" in this context means to trick or deceive someone.
β€’ Badger: The badger is a wild animal, and the phrase likely originates from the historical sport of badger baiting where dogs were used to harass

β€’ Al Overview The idiom "you can't lick a badger twice" means you can't trick or deceive someone a second time after they've been tricked once. It's a warning that if someone has already been deceived, they are unlikely to fall for the same trick again. Here's a more detailed explanation: β€’ Licking: "Licking" in this context means to trick or deceive someone. β€’ Badger: The badger is a wild animal, and the phrase likely originates from the historical sport of badger baiting where dogs were used to harass

Someone on Threads noticed you can type any random sentence into Google, then add β€œmeaning” afterwards, and you’ll get an AI explanation of a famous idiom or phrase you just made up. Here is mine

23.04.2025 10:15 πŸ‘ 5076 πŸ” 1647 πŸ’¬ 642 πŸ“Œ 1083
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"The balance here is off the scale" πŸ“’

The government's proposed cuts to disability benefits will deepen poverty and hardship, and push many further from work.

Watch @iainkporter.bsky.social give evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee on the cuts.

23.04.2025 08:36 πŸ‘ 58 πŸ” 44 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 3

Trans women are women,
trans men are men,
and that’s that.

16.04.2025 16:32 πŸ‘ 408 πŸ” 91 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 2

Keynesianism is like Ozempic in that it's something that works but makes people mad because they want moral hazard to be involved

04.04.2025 03:36 πŸ‘ 3632 πŸ” 698 πŸ’¬ 47 πŸ“Œ 34
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On the pitch, you need that hunger…

03.04.2025 06:01 πŸ‘ 672 πŸ” 222 πŸ’¬ 41 πŸ“Œ 24
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New @moreincommonuk.bsky.social polling for @jrf-uk.bsky.social finds benefit cuts risk putting the Government on the wrong side of public opinion. 60% of the public now think the Government is going in the wrong direction, including 41% of those who backed Labour in July.

02.04.2025 11:37 πŸ‘ 42 πŸ” 20 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 6
Map showing proportion of working age population in receipt of health related social security, coloured by quintile of constituency. In some coastal areas, south Wales, the North West and Yorkshire and North East, rates are between 15-20%

Map showing proportion of working age population in receipt of health related social security, coloured by quintile of constituency. In some coastal areas, south Wales, the North West and Yorkshire and North East, rates are between 15-20%

Where will the cuts to sickness & disability benefits hit hardest?

New @jrf-uk.bsky.social constituency analysis shows the % of working age people receiving these benefits in England & Wales.

Some MP inboxes are likely to be brimming, as concern about these plans is widespread

02.04.2025 13:06 πŸ‘ 29 πŸ” 33 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 7

This was raised in the Commons today. Heartening to see MPs across the House - many drawing on their lived experience - highlight deep concern over changes to PIP eligibility leading to loss of Carer's Allowance. parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

27.03.2025 13:58 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

🚨 CONFIRMED: Social security for disabled people has been slashed in the Spring Statement.

This is cruel, irresponsible and shameful.

People at food banks are already telling us that they’re terrified about how they will survive.

26.03.2025 13:29 πŸ‘ 521 πŸ” 245 πŸ’¬ 17 πŸ“Œ 26