Kerry Ferguson

Moderate in most matters. Mad about music, moggies & marmite.

Mainly using Bluesky (same handle).

[Kerry Ferguson @kickingk74]

I've been less & less active on here. Too much vile content & poor moderation. Trying out the blue butterfly place. Find me under @kickingk74 etc if you'd like to follow me there.

[Kathleen Stock @Docstockk]

The reason the assisted dying bill will unfortunately pass: on one side there are emotive personal stories, mainlining straight into the #bekind brain; and on the other there are cold hypotheticals about possible victims, very likely to come true but with no clout at the moment

[Kerry Ferguson @kickingk74]

This is not good for the economic growth the govt wants to see.

[Faisal Islam @faisalislam]

NEW

Sharp fall in consumer confidence - down 7 points to -20 and down in every sub category (confidence about personal finances, economy and making major purchases)… even post August rate cut. GFK NOP say consumers “nervously” awaiting Budget “pain”
https://t.co/M1p5q89Ew1

[Mike @Doranimated]

A few thoughts on Operation Grim Beeper.

1) This is one of the most astonishing intelligence operations in history. It is a reworking of the story of the Trojan Horse for the digital age, and it deserves to become nearly as legendary as its iconic predecessor. If we are not utterly astounded, it is because we have seen too many James Bond and Black Mirror movies for our own good.

In real life, operations like this just don’t happen. It is at least four operations in one.

First, the Israelis thoroughly mapped Hezbollah’s supply chain.

Second, they invented a special explosive charge small enough to be inserted inside a handheld device, sophisticated enough to be remotely activated, big enough to do real harm, and yet not so prominent physically or electronically to call attention to itself.

Third, the Israelis turned themselves into a big enough link in Hezbollah’s procurement network to take physical control of the devices and rig them.

Fourth, they activated the charges simultaneously and across a very wide geographic area.

If any one of these sub-operations had been botched, the operation as a whole would have fizzled. Who else in the world could pull off such an imaginative, technically sophisticated and audacious plot?

[Jamie Gillies @jmgillies]

Economist Philip Pilkington on the prospect of 'assisted dying' in the UK. The 'right to die' may end up being seen as a responsibility.

[Paul Lewis @paullewismoney]

The government knew 83% (2.6m) over-80s, 780,000 poorest pensioners and 1.6m disabled pensioners would not be protected when it scrapped Winter Fuel Payment, FOI reveals https://t.co/o2cdyikY5C

[Kerry Ferguson @kickingk74]

I agree - this podcast is a devastating but essential listen. Also the Daily T podcast is v good & gives voice to the survivors & families.

[Rachel Lampard @racheljl]

“The system isn’t broken. It was built this way.” Karim Mussilhy, nephew of Hesham Rahman who was killed in the Grenfell Tower fire. If you listen to anything this week, take 2.5 hours to listen to Grenfell:Building a Disaster with @katelamble 🧵https://t.co/UWU7wqAaxt

[Alan Wylie @wylie_alan]

Councils propose to close libraries.
They do Equality Impact Assessments which show that the poorest & most vulnerable residents will be severely impacted by the closures.
They then close the libraries.
What’s the point of EIA’s I hear you say?
#savelibraries

[Music Venue Trust @musicvenuetrust]

The sobering reality that only 11 of the 34 grassroots music venues that @Oasis played on their first tour still exist today.

Gone are 23 spaces that took a punt on a new band from #Manchester who would become one of the most iconic in British music history.

#Oasis #LiveMusic

[Stan Collymore @StanCollymore]

Don't get the spite around Oasis. Youngsters will want to see them because their Mum and Dad told them they were their generation's Beatles and those my age will want to see them again because of that impact.

For some context, it wasn't just really good rock music, for many ( I'll play them now and again, saw them but wouldn't say I was a super fan by any means) they defined a time and a place.

The time was the 90's, the place was Britain. The Premier League, Oasis, Blur, Loaded magazine, irreverent music shows like the Word, Euro 96 and reclamation of the St George's Cross , a Labour government carried in with "things can only get better", designers like McCartney and McQueen made Britain's clobber cool for the first time since Carnaby Street 60's days. It all exploded and Oasis were in the middle of it.

That's why so many people have wanged on about reunions as if it's a second coming and why their kids now think it is. Because it was a very cool few years when Britain was centre stage, seemed genuinely open ( lots of Europeans started working around the country which for me was very cool and made the country look and feel welcoming), and Britain was at the centre of global sport, music and fashion at the SAME time.

Music is about taste so you like them, not or indifferent, but anyone would be a fool to not acknowledge ( especially those who lived through it) their cultural significance.

They were a part of what reinvented British cool after years of industry decline, unemployment, sporting decline and a nation ill at ease with itself.

It was really fucking cool to watch football, watch live music, dress in trendy British designers and feel a part of the centre of the universe.

That's what people are tapping into, a time when to be British was to be cool again.

Not sure why anyone, whether you like Oasis or not are pissing on that.

[Lisa Mckenzie @redrumlisa]

People are going to be remanded in police station cells. Where"s the human rights lawyers, Where's the Mps, Where's the left - deafening silence.

[Andrew Levi @AndrewPRLevi]

Join.

It’s better.

Some problems.

Not like here.

Hopefully it’ll stay that way.

Whether you leave here is up to you, obviously.

But Chairman Musk isn’t your friend.

Or, if he is, you need to get out more.

The other place could be just the thing.

https://t.co/Zu93bfA7uc

[Paul Lewis @paullewismoney]

Every three days a man kills a woman in the UK. The Guardian gives these women names and in many cases pictures https://t.co/1pxGR7IS82 like Courtney, stabbed to death this month.

[England's Barmy Army 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🎺 @TheBarmyArmy]

📞 Samaritans – Call 116 123

📞 Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) - Call 0800 58 58 58

📞 Papyrus – prevention of young suicide HOPELINE247 - Call 0800 068 41 41, Text 07860 039967

📞 SOS Silence of Suicide – Call 0808 115 1505

📞 Shout – Text "SHOUT" to 85258

[Adam Bienkov @AdamBienkov]

The same people who spent 14 years cheerleading an administration that imposed huge restrictions on protest rights and blacklisted anyone criticising the government from official events, now suddenly acting like we're in an Orwellian nightmare, six weeks into a Labour government

[Caroline Criado Perez @CCriadoPerez]

fun fact! female feet are not small male feet; they have a different shape. But the vast majority of shoes are designed using a male last and simply scaled down for so-called "women's shoes". This is why they rub your toes & your ankles lift up.

[Edwin Hayward @edwinhayward]

THREAD: How to make Twitter tolerable in 2024

SUMMARY
1. Decide why you're on Twitter.
2. Block problematic high profile accounts.
3. Curate private Lists reflecting your interests.
4. Block trolls and racists. Never mute them.

This is a long tweet. Strap in.

== 1. Why are you on Twitter? ==

Twitter has a lot of problems. Given the hot mess Elon Musk is making, it must be sorely tempting to quit the platform entirely.

But it also does some things extremely well. And when things look grim, it's always good to remind yourself of that.

For example:

- It's a great source of breaking news, fresher than mainstream media sites, so long as you follow accounts you trust. Why? Because many journalists and citizen reporters turn to Twitter first to report what's going on, long before they type up an article or film a piece to camera.

- It provides a means of keeping track of ongoing news topics, in depth, long after the media have grown tired of them. (For example, I follow about 50 accounts reporting on developments in Russia's war on Ukraine, meaning I know exactly what's happening there day by day to a degree I would never be able to if I relied on the press).

- It offers unparalleled access to expertise, assuming you can distinguish experts from quacks. The quality of information in many threads is genuinely astonishing. All that knowledge, for free. Amazing.

- It is a great way to interact with like-minded people who share your interests and passions. (If you use Twitter Lists, which we'll cover later, it's even better.)

- It's a nice way to exchange banter or serious discussions with people who very broadly share your worldview.

- It's a venue to combat disinformation, up to a point. (It's also an amplifier of disinformation, one of the main reasons being here can feel so toxic.)

- It connects you with actors and singers and artists and poets and chefs and brain surgeons and people in so many, many walks of life who have interesting, amusing or humorous insights to share. Or maybe you're just curious about what they had for breakfast, or what they're doing today. That's fine too.

- Above all, it keeps you connected with people you have never met, and may never meet, but have nevertheless become your friends.

The above only scratches the surface of what's available on Twitter, so long as you are prepared to put in the effort to look for it.

What you're probably not here for, though, is the racism and hate. (Unless you're one of the heroic, brave souls determined to win a virtual staring contest with every troll and troublemaker. We thank you for your courage and your effort. But we don't envy you that Sisyphean task. And most of us, if we're honest, aren't up for it. Not every day. Not for the long term.)

That leads us neatly to point 2...

== 2. Why you should proactively block problematic high-profile accounts ==

Before giving up on Twitter, why not see what it's like without obvious troublemakers polluting your timeline?

Twitter's algorithm is tailored to put provocative tweets in front of you. Outrage means more clicks.

Net result? Your mental health suffers. Your blood pressure skyrockets. And Elon gets more ad impressions.

You can fight back by going on a blocking spree. It will only take a couple of minutes or so to block the accounts below.

(The list is just a suggestion. You may wish to block some but not others.)

REFORM MP
@Nigel_Farage
@ticerichard
@LeeAndersonMP_
@RupertLowe10
@JamesReform
@reformparty_uk

EX TORY MPs
@andreajenkyns
@Jacob_Rees_Mogg
@Bren4Bassetlaw
@GullisJonathan
@GregHands
@markjenk
@miriam_cates

MEDIA (INDIVIDUALS)
@IsabelOakeshott
@CamillaTominey
@AllisonPearson
@JuliaHB1
@darrengrimes
@danwootton
@GoodwinMJ
@THEJamesWhale
@toryboypierce
@thecoastguy
@ThatAlexWoman
@thecarolemalone
@beverleyturner
@tomhfh
@alexarmstrong
@MelanieLatest
@PatrickChristys
@DouglasKMurray

OTHER
@TRobinsonNewEra
@LozzaFox
@Cobratate
@Miss_Snuffy
@elonmusk
@CatharineHoey
@Fox_Claire
@georgegalloway
@benhabib6
@calvinrobinson
@KTHopkins
@EssexPR
@Councillorsuzie
@Arron_banks
@toadmeister
@BelindadeLucy
@NileGardiner
@RafHM
@ABridgen

IMPORTANT: You may find that you get "Temporarily Unavailable" errors if you try to block a large number of accounts at once. If so, pace yourself and do half a dozen or so at a time, leaving gaps in between.

Blocking done? You will definitely start to feel better soon, if you haven't already.

And don't worry, you won't miss anything important.

If any of the above say something so outrageous that it breaks out of their narrow silo and gets more widely circulated, someone you follow is certain to retweet it.

You will be able to choose to reveal that specific tweet if you want to. But you'll always be in control, not Elon.

Besides, here's the real question: how is reading what any of them have to say going to enhance your life? If you're brutally honest, you already know that it won't.

They will never ever ever change their minds based on any argument you can put to them. So it's a folorn hope to expect that to happen either.

== 3. Curate private Twitter Lists that match your interests ==

You can set up a Twitter List that will track just the accounts you're interested in. (It's an alternative to following them.)

Let's say your interest is knitting, and there are 100 interesting knitting accounts you come across from time to time. If you progressively add them to a dedicated Twitter List about knitting, you'll be able to see just the tweets from those accounts every time you load the List.

You can make multiple lists for different purposes - you're not just limited to having one. I've got over 20, covering all sorts of topics.

NOTE: Make the List private. If you make it public, people may object to being on it, or may piggy-back on it to cause trouble for the members of the List.

How to add a Twitter account to a list:

1. Visit the profile page of the Twitter account you want to add to the List.
2. Click the 3 dots ("...") to the left of the envelope symbol.
3. Choose the "Add/remove from Lists" option.
4. Either pick an existing list to add the account to, or create a new list. If you're making a new list, don't forget to set it to private.

Have fun curating!

== 4. Block trolls and racists. Never mute them. ==

When dealing with trolls and racists, always use "block" not "mute".

Why? Because they might have you on private Twitter Lists without you being aware of it. And that could help them orchestrate pile-ons you're unaware of, because your tweets keep coming up on their radar.

Blocking removes you from all their Lists.

It also means that they can't see what you tweet any more. If you mute them, they can still quote-tweet your tweets to their followers. Cue more pile-ons. Blocking puts a stop to that.

== Conclusion ==

Phew! That was long, wasn't it? Sorry about that. Still, hopefully you'll have had a chance to focus on the good stuff Twitter still has to offer, even in its binfire state. And you have some idea of how to get the best out of Twitter, while blocking the worst of it.

Hope you will make the decision to stay. It will be boring here with nothing but tumbleweed for company.

[Stephen Barlow @SteB777]

I want to make some observations on the explosion of right wing thuggery at the moment, and the apparent inability of the police to prevent it.

To compare it to the police's attempts, to stop peaceful climate protests, with pre-emptive arrests.
https://t.co/me7l2NL7gN
1/

[Paul Mason @paulmasonnews]

There were racist mob incidents last night in Hartlepool, Manchester, Aldershot and Whitehall, in each case stoked by online disinformation. History tells us this could escalate so we need: 1/ Swift arrest and sentencing of those inciting and committing violence...