Sam Smith 🕷

Dr Sam Smith is the founder and CEO of C-Change Scotland. Interested in equality, social justice and human rights law.

[Sam Smith 🕷 @samcchange]

I have written a book, Human Rights and Social Care: Putting Rights into Practice. Find out more about this via my blog https://t.co/hxcIcfK1Ri or the C-Change Scotland https://t.co/CaCILUQeem #RightsIntoPractice #HumanRights #SocialCare

[Gianl1974 @Gianl1974]

*BRITISH WRITER PENS THE BEST DESCRIPTION OF TRUMP*
Someone asked "Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?" Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England wrote the following response:

A few things spring to mind. Trump lacks certain qualities which the British traditionally esteem. For instance, he has no class, no charm, no coolness, no credibility, no compassion, no wit, no warmth, no wisdom, no subtlety, no sensitivity, no self-awareness, no humility, no honour and no grace – all qualities, funnily enough, with which his predecessor Mr. Obama was generously blessed.
So for us, the stark contrast does rather throw Trump's limitations into embarrassingly sharp relief.
Plus, we like a laugh. And while Trump may be laughable, he has never once said anything wry, witty or even faintly amusing – not once, ever.
I don't say that rhetorically, I mean it quite literally: not once, not ever. And that fact is particularly disturbing to the British sensibility – for us, to lack humour is almost inhuman.
But with Trump, it's a fact. He doesn't even seem to understand what a joke is – his idea of a joke is a crass comment, an illiterate insult, a casual act of cruelty. Trump is a troll. And like all trolls, he is never funny and he never laughs; he only crows or jeers.
And scarily, he doesn't just talk in crude, witless insults – he actually thinks in them. His mind is a simple bot-like algorithm of petty prejudices and knee-jerk nastiness. There is never any under-layer of irony, complexity, nuance or depth. It's all surface.
Some Americans might see this as refreshingly upfront. Well, we don't. We see it as having no inner world, no soul. And in Britain we traditionally side with David, not Goliath. All our heroes are plucky underdogs: Robin Hood, Dick Whittington, Oliver Twist. Trump is neither plucky, nor an underdog. He is the exact opposite of that. He's not even a spoiled rich-boy, or a greedy fat-cat. He's more a fat white slug. A Jabba the Hutt of privilege.
And worse, he is that most unforgivable of all things to the British: a bully. That is, except when he is among bullies; then he suddenly transforms into a snivelling sidekick instead.
There are unspoken rules to this stuff – the Queensberry rules of basic decency – and he breaks them all. He punches downwards – which a gentleman should, would, could never do – and every blow he aims is below the belt. He particularly likes to kick the vulnerable or voiceless or female – and he kicks them when they are down. So the fact that a significant minority – perhaps a third – of Americans look at what he does, listen to what he says, and then think 'Yeah, he seems like my kind of guy' is a matter of some confusion and no little distress to British people, given that:
• Americans are supposed to be nicer than us, and most are.
• You don't need a particularly keen eye for detail to spot a few flaws in the man.
This last point is what especially confuses and dismays British people, and many other people too; his faults seem pretty bloody hard to miss.
After all, it's impossible to read a single tweet, or hear him speak a sentence or two, without staring deep into the abyss. He turns being artless into an art form; he is a Picasso of pettiness; a Shakespeare of shit. His faults are fractal: even his flaws have flaws, and so on ad infinitum. God knows there have always been stupid people in the world, and plenty of nasty people too. But rarely has stupidity been so nasty, or nastiness so stupid. He makes Nixon look trustworthy and George W look smart. In fact, if Frankenstein decided to make a monster assembled entirely from human flaws – he would make a Trump.

[Department for Education @educationgovuk]

We’ve hit a big milestone… 1️⃣0️⃣

 Since launching our free breakfast club programme, we’ve been giving children across our country the best start to their day.

Find out more: https://t.co/VaVYitnjdH

[Democracy Docket @DemocracyDocket]

CBS News fired Scott Pelley for speaking out against the network's new leadership for pushing bias into 60 Minutes coverage.

Legacy media is broken. Our only bias is being pro-democracy — and we only answer to our readers.

Support our work by subscribing now: https://t.co/a0iV8tKNe9

[Richard Murphy @RichardJMurphy]

Why did the BBC describe rioters in Southampton last night as ‘protestors’. They weren’t protestors, they were rioters. Where has the BBC's objectivity gone? Why can't they tell the truth?

[Sen. Bernie Sanders @SenSanders]

In America today, we rank 34th out of 35 countries in childhood poverty and millions of children are food insecure.

Maybe, just maybe, my Republican colleagues would consider holding a single hearing about how we improve the lives of American kids.

[Alex Raufoglu @ralexdc]

NEW!!! Six Republicans just joined Democrats on to push through a vote on military aid for Ukraine.

House moves forward on Ukraine Support Act!!!

[Farrukh @implausibleblog]

It's been 23 days since Ben Habib said a foreign based crypto billionaire gave Boris Johnson £1m

Why haven't any of our journalists asked him about getting money from a foreign based billionaire while complaining about foreign interference in our democracy?

[UAVoyager🇺🇦 @NAFOvoyager]

This is not World War II footage.

This is Toretsk, Ukraine — and it’s not as far away as you think.

A city that once had over 30,000 residents. Now almost completely erased.

There is no excuse for this. None.

[Manu Raju @mkraju]

Tillis calls Pulte “the worst form of sycophant and adviser to the president.”

Warner warns Pulte could scuttle FISA deal. And noting GOP pushback over Pulte, Warner says: “Is anybody going to tell, the emperor In the White House that he has no clothes on?”

[The New York Times @nytimes]

Breaking News: The House voted to end the war in Iran, as four Republicans sided with Democrats in a striking rebuke to President Trump. https://t.co/Oeeox0iq9q

[Have I Got News For You @haveigotnews]

Nigel Farage's work over the last 11 weeks broken down:

- Parliamentary votes registered (including on immigration): 0

- Violent racial divisions stoked: 1

[Liberal Democrats @LibDems]

Nigel Farage is so determined to exploit this tragedy and divide our country that he couldn’t even bring himself to condemn thugs attacking police officers.

[Rachel Reeves @RachelReevesMP]

This is the difference this Labour government is making.

Kids starting the day full and ready to learn, no matter their background.

An achievement all Labour MPs can be proud of- and opposed by the Conservatives and Reform.

[Peter Stefanovic @PeterStefanovi2]

“No matter the pain we feel there is no justification for more violence and disorder. The attacks directed towards police officers in Southampton last night were disgraceful and completely unacceptable. This is a time for serious work not rage”
Keir Starmer
#PMQs

[Channel 4 News @Channel4News]

A committee of MPs has warned against the involvement of US tech company Palantir in public services.

The Commons Science Committee said Palantir's role in the NHS and other departments is an "unacceptable point of weakness".

[Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський @ZelenskyyUa]

I spoke with @Keir_Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. We are preparing for negotiations and meetings, and this includes both weapons for our defense and our diplomacy – our joint diplomacy with Europe – to bring the war closer to an end. Europe definitely needs its own voice, its own position, and its own contribution to all diplomatic efforts that can help end the war. We coordinated on how to get there.

I also thanked Keir for the recent package of sanctions that will limit Russian cryptocurrency schemes. It is absolutely essential that all forms of pressure on the aggressor be further strengthened. I am grateful to the United Kingdom for its support!

[Professor Christopher Painter @PrfChrisPainter]

In his response to Farage, Starmer displayed intelligence, judgement, humanity and gravitas. Irreplaceable!

[C-Change Scotland @cchangescotland]

Great to welcome colleagues from Slovenia to C-Change this week 🇸🇮
Parents, carers, and representatives from the Social Protection Institute of the Republic of Slovenia & Zavod Jutro joined us to learn from Scotland’s deinstitutionalisation journey, alongside partners. @SCLDNews

[Gavin Newsom @GavinNewsom]

Pay attention.

Late last night the Trump-packed Supreme Court issued an UNSIGNED order to help Republicans erase Black voters and keep a congressional seat.

The Court's legitimacy is earned and they are burning it to the ground.

MAGA is rigging our democracy in real time!