Chris Almond

Maths educator. Likes include technology, politics and yellow-sticker bargains.

[Chris Almond @notgotnothing]

A thread about Britain's heaviest ever twins. Usual reactions include #yourpoormother and #neverhappened
(Weights at the end, no peeking)

[Glen Mitchell @GlenMitchell1]

Starmer - I’m going to finish off that Naan.
Daily Mail - 13 pages.
Johnson - I’m going to finish off your Nan.
Daily Mail today - 0 pages.

[Chris Almond @notgotnothing]

@Hull_Trains great customer service today responding to the issues at Peterborough. The team onboard both our cancelled and later trains have been superb. Special mention for Jane who went the extra mile.

[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.

[Anton Gerashchenko @Gerashchenko_en]

A few trends I've noticed in the comments of Russian trolls/supporters here on X recently:

◾️Russia has been provoked into war;
◾️Negotiations and compromises, as soon as possible;
◾️Sanctions don't work, so they need to be removed
◾️Ukraine is now the aggressor as it launched the counteroffensive;
◾️give up on Crimea and other occupied parts of Ukraine.
◾️It's all not so clear.

What trends have you noticed?

And a kind reminder: many Ukrainian accounts are experiencing a decrease in the number of people they are able to reach. So each time you like, comment and share Ukrainian and pro-Ukrainian accounts, you are doing an important job in supporting Ukraine. Thank you for standing with us! Thank you for being here and thank you for all the insightful, funny, thoughtful, heartfelt comments you write here. I try to read as many as I can and I greatly appreciate this community. Slava Ukraini!

[Chris Almond @notgotnothing]

Which was worse? #SCOENG

[Dr Dan Goyal @danielgoyal]

For 13 yrs Conservative MPs have redirected money meant for public services to their donors, mates, and even the companies they have a vested interest in.

It has been the biggest looting of public finances in history.

And now the country crumbles!

Shameless crooks!

[Dr Dan Goyal @danielgoyal]

If anyone ever thinks about voting Conservative again, remember this…

They ran the 2019 election promising that the NHS was safe and would not be privatised

Now private healthcare is taking over thanks to govt policies

They cannot be trusted with our health or taxes!

[BladeoftheSun @BladeoftheS]

The Scottish Government is blocking the Hanging of Portraits of King Charles in Public Buildings including schools.

This will save them £8m that they can actually spend on education.

RT if England should do the same.

[BladeoftheSun @BladeoftheS]

King Charles expects you to pay £3m a year to provide 24/7 security for Prince Andrew.

He should be in America receiving Maximum Security from the US Government for free.

RT if you are sick of these parasitic clowns and their perversions.

[NHS Million @NHSMillion]

We couldn’t agree with this more.

Please RT if you do too.

[ALASTAIR CAMPBELL @campbellclaret]

Some of the best journalism these days is done by non journalists. @DanNeidle led the way on the facts that helped bring about Zahawi’s demise, despite the client journalists often looking the other way. Let’s see if they keep looking away from this one too. Good luck Dan.

[NHS Million @NHSMillion]

We’re trying to get as many followers as Nigel Farage so we can show those who want to privatise the NHS just how many people are prepared to fight against it.

Please take a few seconds to help by following us and retweeting this.

[NHS Million @NHSMillion]

We couldn’t agree more 💙

[BladeoftheSun @BladeoftheS]

Rishi Sunak is considering letting Thames Water raise their bills 47% to pay the interest on their debts.

That will force over 2 million households to pay for their fake 'profits' or go without Water.

RT if the Conservatives can shove this idea where the sun doesn't shine

[BladeoftheSun @BladeoftheS]

Lee ‘30p’ Anderson has told Asylum Seekers to f*ck off if they don’t like the barges.

If you want him to F*ck off RT and Like this post.

Let’s see who is actually hated.

[Farrukh @implausibleblog]

2016: John Major warns us about NHS privatisation

2023: @DrAmirKhanGP explains how increased NHS privatisation is costing us more for the same service

[BladeoftheSun @BladeoftheS]

Neither of these MP’s have done anything at all since Johnson resigned over a year ago.

Chris Pincher and Nadine Dorries need to be kicked out of Parliamen, RT if you agree.

[Professor Kishan Devani BEM @Kishan_Devani]

**RT IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE #TORIES GET A KICKING AT THE BALLOT BOX TODAY AND LOSE ALL 3 #BYELECTIONS!**

Spread this message across the #UK! #BeginningOfTheEnd

[Margaret #FBPE 🇪🇺 💙 @MargyMayell]

Remember this

[BladeoftheSun @BladeoftheS]

Rishi Sunak has claimed that voters are fine with him spending £50,000 a day on this ridiculously large private jet.

If you aren’t fine, RT and tell him to spend his own £720,000,000.

Where is his pay restraint?

Also like if you want him to f** off.