@cstross
@christineburns
Tim Allan used to be a Trustee of UK transphobe organisation "Sex Matters" which says a lot.
Good riddance and I wonder what his links are to Mandelson. He resigned in an awful hurry ...
@christineburns Given his track record he should probably have been titled "Director of Sloppy Sharts".
@cstross
@christineburns
Tim Allan used to be a Trustee of UK transphobe organisation "Sex Matters" which says a lot.
Good riddance and I wonder what his links are to Mandelson. He resigned in an awful hurry ...
Many #UK Users Soon Won't Be Able to Access #Pornhub
https://www.404media.co/uk-pornhub-blocked-age-verification-vpn/
#nsfw #porn #privacy #OnlineSafetyAct #AgeVerification #IdentityVerification
RE: https://mastodon.thenewoil.org/@thenewoil/115971195227745876
Next up will be a VPN ban. Many tech-y people will see that and think “lol yeah well that’s not going to stop *me* from using a VPN”
A VPN ban isn’t really meant stop you from using one. It means when they catch you doing so, they’ll use the fact you’re using this harmless technology itself as a *pretense* to lock you up without needing to do any “hard work” (i.e. an investigator’s job) like actually confirming whether you committed a real crime.
Don’t think you won’t be impacted just because you know how to outsmart an ISP filter! This is not a plan to protect children or stop you from consuming adult media. It is a ploy to eventually eliminate ALL freedom of expression and free access to information in the UK.
And the same goes for Chat Control and encrypted messengers, btw
#UKpol #VPNban #PornHub #ChatControl #Privacy #FreeSpeech #SocialMedia
ReformUK are liars and cheats.
Let's hope they don't get anywhere near power. #ReformUK
RE: https://mastodonapp.uk/@kentishfran/116037532236854373
Alt text: a Facebook post by Matt Goodwin with a photo that appears to show him standing in front of a house with Reform posters in the windows, and the text "Hello, you weren't in. I called by to say hello."
This is followed by a comment with a photograph of the same house without the posters and the text "This is my house, this clown Goodwin has photoshopped his posters in my windows. I saw him standing outside taking a photo but he never even knocked on my door!"
ReformUK are liars and cheats.
Let's hope they don't get anywhere near power. #ReformUK
RE: https://mastodonapp.uk/@kentishfran/116037532236854373
Alt text: a Facebook post by Matt Goodwin with a photo that appears to show him standing in front of a house with Reform posters in the windows, and the text "Hello, you weren't in. I called by to say hello."
This is followed by a comment with a photograph of the same house without the posters and the text "This is my house, this clown Goodwin has photoshopped his posters in my windows. I saw him standing outside taking a photo but he never even knocked on my door!"
Will this be the last week of Keir Starmer's Premiership?
Much will depend on the attitude of MPs to change at the top before the Gorton & Denton by-election, as well as the willingness of candidates for the leadership of the Labour Party to put themselves at the helm of a (shall we say) troubled political party.
As Harold Wilson once said: 'A week is a long time in politics'....
@ChrisMayLA6 It won't happen this week, I think. As you yourself point out, under current circumstances no one else wants the role. They'll wait at least until after the Gorton and Denton defeat, probably until after the May election calamity.
And so Morgan McSweeney falls on his sword, but whether that will be enough to 'save' Keir Starmer is debatable.... although it might stave off a leadership challenge for now?
[and here is his resignation statement - make of that what you will - courtesy of BBC News]
@ChrisMayLA6
He must be referring to some other Prime Minister. I don't recognise #Starmer from that description!
Labour is getting desperate in Gorton & Denton (where a by-election takes place in less than month), with Lucy Powell (Labour's Deputy Leader) writing to Zack Polanski to tell him the Green Party of England & Wales is being 'played' by Reform to split the Left vote.
Well, if any party is being played by Reform its more likely Labour who have shifted their policy stance in response to Reform's political declarations.
h/t Observer
@ChrisMayLA6
I'm puzzled. Which other party of the "Left" might she be worried about?
Zac Polanski has written to Wes Streeting:
'I know that you have had a close relationship with Peter Mandelson & I will be seeking through every means at our disposal to establish whether there have been any personal, formal or informal contacts with Peter Mandelson or his lobbying company between yourself, other ministers and Department of Health or NHS England officials on behalf of Palantir'!
The gloves are off...
The relationship between Palantir (Peter Thiel) and Blue Labour must be explored. A new leader chosen from within that ecosystem would leave the status quo untouched.
At some point it becomes impossible to dislodge Palantir because they will be the all-seeing de facto administration.
Superb editorial by Marina Hyde in the Guardian. And #NoamChomsky ... how enraging:
"According to text signed under his first name that #Epstein sent to a lawyer and publicist in February 2019, months after the Miami Herald had run an explosive series of articles laying out the scale of Epstein’s serial underage sexual abuse and the perversion of justice that covered it up, #Chomsky sneered at “the hysteria that has developed about #abuse of women”. Wow. Never mind Manufacturing #Consent – have a read of Not Giving A Shit About Consent. I thought Chomsky cared about power and exploitative elites? Still, nice photo of him laughing it up with #SteveBannon
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/03/jeffrey-epstein-powerful-men-women-girls
#Patriarchy #Exploitation #Elite #EpsteinFiles #Politics #UK #UKPol #US #USPol
after seeing the just wonderful treatment women are getting on the #Fediverse by mentioning toxic masculinity just once (hint: it's not grand in the slightest and really demonstrated toxic masculinity), i don't feel comfortable allowing my daughter on here once she reaches an appropriate age in a few years. the same goes with the fact she's multi-ethnic. i don't think the Fediverse is ready for women or people of color really. do better and for shame!
RE: https://mstdn.social/@senchawizard/116012195422770275
It's really a shame to see people having a bad experience on Mastodon, and not getting the support they deserve. Toxic masculinity is obviously a massive and sadly growing problem.
Superb editorial by Marina Hyde in the Guardian. And #NoamChomsky ... how enraging:
"According to text signed under his first name that #Epstein sent to a lawyer and publicist in February 2019, months after the Miami Herald had run an explosive series of articles laying out the scale of Epstein’s serial underage sexual abuse and the perversion of justice that covered it up, #Chomsky sneered at “the hysteria that has developed about #abuse of women”. Wow. Never mind Manufacturing #Consent – have a read of Not Giving A Shit About Consent. I thought Chomsky cared about power and exploitative elites? Still, nice photo of him laughing it up with #SteveBannon
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/03/jeffrey-epstein-powerful-men-women-girls
#Patriarchy #Exploitation #Elite #EpsteinFiles #Politics #UK #UKPol #US #USPol
As revelations from the Epstein papers continue, it now transpires that Peter Mandelson was a leaking confidential Govt. documents to Epstein.
No wonder he's resigned from the Labour Party, and you'll be unsurprised there are now moves to see him removed from the House of Lords (although that's not that easy).
The only thing he'll really regret (whatever he now says) is being found out... one more corrupt political revealed (which does little for confidence in democracy)
#politics
h/t FT
RE: https://zirk.us/@ChrisMayLA6/116002267538360680
How wrong the #BritishLeft was about Peter Mandelson! 😮
The standard left criticism was that #Mandelson was a master of spin, devoid of even mildly social democratic principles.
But even the #PrinceOfDarkness label radically underestimated Mandy's wickedness. Lord Peter was #insiderTrading at scale, flogging commercially sensitive cabinet-level info to the world's leading nonce. Way worse than imagined.
And it's not just #ukpol. How much did he betray as #EU Trade Commissioner?
![[edited for length]
"When asked, I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice. In public life responsibility must be owned when it matters most, not just when it is most convenient. In the circumstances, the only honourable course is to step aside.
"This has not been an easy decision. Much has been written and said about me over the years but my motivations have always been simple: I have worked every day to elect and support a government that puts the lives of ordinary people first and leads us to a better future for our great country. Only a Labour government will do that. I leave with pride in all we have achieved mixed with regret at the circumstances of my departure. But I have always believed there are moments when you must accept your responsibility and step aside for the bigger cause.
"As I leave I have two further reflections:
"Firstly, and most importantly, we must remember the women and girls whose lives were ruined by Jeffrey Epstein and whose voices went unheard for far too long.
"Secondly, while I did not oversee the due diligence and vetting process, I believe that process must now be fundamentally overhauled. This cannot simply be a gesture but a safeguard for the future.
"I remain fully supportive of the Prime Minister. He is working every day to rebuild trust, restore standards and serve the country. I will continue to back that mission in whatever way I can. It has been the honour of my life to serve."](https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/035/509/250/056/855/original/659a6c1377a24c60.png)
