Call everything by its name

Super Nana to a new angel. 🇺🇦#Leavealighton #FBPE #3.5% Remain activist😻#FBNHS #MotherofInnovation #designthinking #Toastmasters🕷

[Sky News @SkyNews]

Thousands of protesters have taken to UK streets demanding a ceasefire.

Police expect 100,000 people to join a demonstration which is currently taking place in London

Watch live ⬇️

[The Left Wing Society @LeftWingSociety]

Liverpool fans today with a banner reading ‘For God’s Sake Save Gaza’ 🇵🇸

[Caroline Lucas @CarolineLucas]

Violence is never the answer. I condemn Hamas for targeting civilians, the brutal Israeli military response, the illegal occupation of Palestine & siege of Gaza.The international community must hold all to account for human rights abuses & renew push for just political settlement

[Call everything by its name @Guapolo06]

Many congratulations to Emma for this thorough and well-reasoned thread. How come the non-existant money tree shakes for the better off? #GTTONow

[Emma 💛💙🇩🇰🇬🇧🇪🇺 @MonkEmma]

Seeing lots of rather dubious takes flying round twitter about the effects of adding VAT to private school fees or removing their charitable status.

Lots of “but think of the poor struggling parents” and “there’ll be a mass exodus FLOODING state schools” etc

Reality check🧵
1/

[Call everything by its name @Guapolo06]

Michael Bloomberg says let them work - I agree! It’s not the fault of the asylum seekers that there is such a backlog in reviewing cases: https://t.co/q7RbL9yWz0

[Mark Kieran - Democracy Activist @MarkKieranUK]

WARNING: THREAD CONTAINS GRAPHIC LANGUAGE

🧵 What a morally vacuous, embarrassingly incompetent monster Suella Braverman is.

Having worked at the Home Office deciding asylum applications, I know the 1951 Refugee Convention's terms are far clearer than her pernicious propaganda would suggest.

She says many asylum seekers base their claims on “feeling” discriminated against in their home countries. But the scope of the Convention is limited to people who believe they have a “well-founded fear of persecution” for some specific reasons. Those reasons are race, nationality, religion, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. Mere feelings of discrimination would not meet that rigorous test, and any application made on those grounds would (rightly) be fast-tracked for refusal.

She suggests that persecution, by definition, must involve a threat to life. Not true. Persecution often DOES involve a threat to life, but other things can qualify as persecution (arbitrary detention, unjustified confiscation of assets, withdrawal of state protection from crime). Braverman knows this, but the boneheads whose votes she is soliciting do not, so hey, why not spin the line?

In my time at the Home Office, I refused many asylum applications which, on the evidence presented, clearly did not meet the test of a well-founded fear of persecution on Convention grounds. The majority of those applications were made by people (mostly young men) who appeared to be seeking better economic futures for themselves and their families. That's completely understandable, and I never blamed them for trying, but it's not grounds for asylum, so neither did I feel any guilt in refusing them…that's not the purpose of the asylum system.

But I did grant asylum to a number of people who had clearly faced unimaginable horror in their own countries before escaping to the UK, where they felt safe and where they believed they would be able to live the rest of their lives in peace.

There was the Sikh activist who had a kettle of boiling water poured over him during a police interrogation. There was the woman from a minority Muslim sect who, when her husband died, and her neighbours started throwing stones through her windows at night, sought the protection of the local police only to be publicly ridiculed and then gang-raped by six officers in front of her three young children. There were the young Tamil men forced to inhale the fumes of burnt chilli powder by Sri Lankan police. Others hung upside-down and beaten for days until they confessed to crimes they played no part in. And many, many more with genuine, provable experiences just as gruesome.

Nearly thirty years on, I can still recall the faces of those people as they recounted their experiences to me during interviews and the tears in the eyes of the interpreters as they translated words no one should ever have to hear.

Since my days in the Home Office, I can’t recall a single Home Secretary who hasn’t had to wrestle one way or another with the asylum system. But neither can I recall one who has approached the task with as little humanity in their heart as Braverman. Truly, she is in a league of her own.

I simply don’t believe the majority of people in this country support the cruel policies that Braverman embraces so enthusiastically. As I listen to her today, my sincerest hope is that when Open Britain and our partners finally deliver a functional democracy in this country, monsters like her will never again be able to game their way into high office and abuse the power they find there.

This is our fight.

If you've read this far, please consider giving this a retweet and following me, @OpenBritainHQ and @StopTheRot_UK so you can be part of this positive change. Thank you.

[Call everything by its name @Guapolo06]

@annpwood @SimplyRedHQ Saw him in Equus - ling time ago.

[Caroline Lucas @CarolineLucas]

Big 4 bank profits were up 700% in first half of this year compared to 2020, so I’ve just asked the Chancellor to introduce a windfall tax on banks’ excess profits, to fund support for households struggling with energy & housing costs
If you agree he should please RT! 🙏

[Call everything by its name @Guapolo06]

À l’approche des élections majeures qui auront lieu l’année prochaine, le DSA est un bouclier crucial contre la désinformation galopante - demain, vous pouvez voter pour le protéger
@sabineverheyen @IJoveva @DianaRibaGiner @GrisetCatherine @AndreySlabakov @SteliosKoul

[Peter Stefanovic @PeterStefanovi2]

The Government has quietly admitted post-Brexit checks will increase inflation but says it will be “minor” at 0.2%

Meanwhile the same Government is telling us CPTPP membership - worth just 0.08% to UK GDP “is the biggest trade deal since Brexit”

HEAVEN HELP US!

[Farrukh @implausibleblog]

Left: Lady on Newsnight says the Conservative government is not processing asylum seeker applications fast enough, causing the large hotel bills at taxpayer expense

Right: Robert Jenrick admits not processing applications faster

Instead of processing applications, 75% of which are approved, allowing refugees to become contributors to our society. The backlog has been created by the Conservative government, it's costing us £ billions in a cost of living crisis, and its their culture war to divide the British people.

The sooner more people understand this is intentional, the sooner we can vote out these cruel politicians who exploit the weakest in society - asylum seekers - as a means of keeping their party in office.

[Call everything by its name @Guapolo06]

The Tories don’t want to “stop the boats” - the migrant crisis helps their ratings. #GTTO

[RS Archer @archer_rs]

Don't let people forget. The French government has repeatedly offered to build a refugee processing centre for the UK in France, they have offered to help fund it and to allow British immigration staff to work there.
It would instantly solve the "boats" problem

The UK refused.

[Call everything by its name @Guapolo06]

That’s it. The super-greed of the super-rich. #GTTO

[Dr Dan Goyal @danielgoyal]

To be clear, the reason that the country is in free fall and the planet burns is so that a few rich, powerful people can get even richer and more powerful. That’s it. Everything else is just noise.

[Call everything by its name @Guapolo06]

#GTTO #ToryCostOfGreedCrisis

[BladeoftheSun @BladeoftheS]

There are 43 companies that manufacture car batteries.

Rishi Sunak managed to pick the only one he is connected to and gave them £500m.

[Call everything by its name @Guapolo06]

Ironically, after 1979, the headscarf spread to places like Tunisia where it wasn’t traditional and is now pretty entrenched. #IranProtests

[Historic Vids @historyinmemes]

In Tehran, Iran, in the year 1979, a significant event unfolded that marked a crucial moment in the struggle for women's rights in the country. Approximately 100,000 Iranian women gathered and marched against the newly implemented hijab law, which required all women to wear the Islamic headscarf, known as the hijab, in public spaces. This historic demonstration showcased the determination and unity of Iranian women who were striving for greater freedom and equality in their society.

The march took place shortly after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which brought about significant changes in the country's political and social landscape. The revolution resulted in the establishment of an Islamic republic led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who implemented a series of conservative policies aimed at enforcing Islamic principles in all aspects of life.

One of the most notable changes introduced by the new regime was the compulsory hijab law, which required women to cover their heads and dress modestly in public. This law was seen by many Iranian women as a symbol of oppression and a violation of their personal freedoms. It was also seen as a stark departure from the progress made by women in Iran prior to the revolution, where many had enjoyed relatively greater freedom and independence.

Fueled by a desire for change and a refusal to be silenced, Iranian women from various backgrounds and age groups united to challenge the hijab law. On the day of the march, tens of thousands of women filled the streets of Tehran, defiantly removing their headscarves and raising their voices against the imposition of the law. They carried banners and signs advocating for women's rights, personal choice, and gender equality.

The march drew international attention, with media outlets around the world covering the unprecedented scale of the protest. Images of Iranian women marching courageously, expressing their discontent, and demanding change became iconic symbols of the struggle for women's rights in Iran.

The government responded to the protest with a mixture of repression and attempts at appeasement. While some women were arrested and faced harsh consequences, the sheer size and determination of the protest forced the government to take notice. Over time, the movement against the compulsory hijab law gained momentum, and Iranian women continued to challenge the oppressive regulations through various means, including civil disobedience and social activism.

The 1979 march against the hijab law in Tehran remains a crucial moment in the history of women's rights in Iran. It highlighted the strength and resilience of Iranian women who refused to be silenced and fought for their rights and freedoms. The legacy of this march continues to inspire and motivate women around the world who strive for gender equality and the right to self-determination.

[Call everything by its name @Guapolo06]

@Berkorichard @RichardJMurphy @JazzySid It’s a status thing. The only thing he has to offer his wife and her family given their vast wealth is (even) vaster than his. #GTTONow

[Call everything by its name @Guapolo06]

Richie-than-the-king listen up! #GTTONow

[Matthias Mueller💙 🇩🇪🇬🇧🇪🇺 @MatthiasMuell15]

Dear @RishiSunak

I passed a restaurant the other day while I was working in one of my three side jobs (which I had to take on in addition to my main work as an NHS Nurse because of your refusal to lift the salaries above inflation) and I saw people sitting in there eating and I thought:

“Oh, that’s where we went before the mini budget and energy price hikes and interest rate hikes and food price hikes . But now I am working.”

Today - while I was working - I could hear the music of a nearby music festival in London and I thought:

“Oh, that’s where we went before the mini budget and energy price hikes and interest rate hikes. But now I am working.”

Yesterday, while some of my family were at home I had to leave for work and leave them behind, like so many weekends and evenings now instead of spending time with them, precious time and I thought:

“Oh, that’s what I did before the mini budget and energy price hikes and interest rate hikes and food price hikes . But now I am working.”

And guess what I’ll do tomorrow after this weekend of work and the evenings of work?

Correct, @RishiSunak , I’m going to my full time work.

We will never forgive you and your reckless government for destroying families, health, millions of family finances, causing people having to sell their houses, causing people to work until they are completely chronically ill - just for the sake of your awful Party-politics, shameful and disgusting plans to sell off the NHS to your American mates for your mates’ and your own financial gain.

In my world you call this treason, traitor, destroyer.
You’re acting in the worst possible way towards us NHS staff and the population of this country. Can’t you see this?

I think you can.

And you’re doing it anyway.

And that’s shameful and the opposite of statesmanship and patriotism.

Please never talk about integrity or accountability again.

All that you seem to be serving is:
Your party,
Your wallet,
Your destruction of the NHS in order to burn us out and down so you can privatise and profit.

This is the the most shameful point in the history of the 75years of the NHS .
And YOU are at the centre of it, Mr Sunak.

I’m going home soon after working all Sunday in my third side job as a Nurse. That means four jobs. To pay the bills.

Maybe I’ll see other family members still before they go to bed or go out.
Maybe not.

I will never forgive what you and your government have done to all of us.
You’re not worthy of that office you’re holding. Not like that.
Think about that for a minute.

Regards,
an NHS Nurse

PS:
Your NHS workforce plan … a joke.
300000 new staff. Wow.

Funny how I can’t believe you.

How about this:
Make studying Nursing and Medicine free again like it was 25 years ago. Or still is now in other countries.
But no, you won’t because Non-Tory-voters would then be able to study.

You know the money is there for this . Billions - that you want to give to your private health company mates.
So you won’t.
You’re happy to sacrifice all our Health for the sake of your ideology.
Shame on you.

@RishiSunak
@EveryDoctorUK
@JujuliaGrace
@supertanskiii
@PeterStefanovi2
@mrjamesob
@mattgreencomedy
#GetTheToriesOut

[Feargal Sharkey @Feargal_Sharkey]

Your live sewage dumping map on the morning of Tue 20th June 2023.

Welcome to modern Britian.

[gav @Gav374]

@RhonddaBryant He’s got his next job lined up already

[Erdmute Wendlinger D @ErdmuteD]

Dom.Cummings has revealed that in April 2020 the newspapers negotiated direct bungs to themselves £200 million taxpayer's money, to promote the Tory Gov & smear the https://t.co/Ykl9IMaUtA can the media claim they hold power to account?