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Stephen Barlow

@SteB777

Dec 15

It's now clear what lay behind the Liverpool FC parade tragedy. It was nothing but a case of road rage, and over-entitlement, by a narcissistic driver, who thinks everything is about them.

I write this as a lifelong cyclist, who has long experienced this aggressive and threatening behaviour.

1/🧵theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/d…

A minority of drivers, turn into an over-entitled monster, when they get behind the wheel of a car, acting aggressively to other road users. God forbid if you get in their way, or slow their journey by even a second. They use their car as a weapon, with which to intimidate others.

I repeat, this is a small, but significant minority.
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This man stopped the public learning what lay behind this tragedy, by making out he had a defence, was going to plead not guilty, and had panicked because he was threatened, until his late guilty plea.
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Read 11 tweets

Stephen Barlow

@SteB777

Dec 15

Our modern culture, has totally lost the plot. We have lost all perspective in the hierarchy, of serious risks to our societies and civilization. The defining issue, should be the climate and ecological crisis. as this will determine everything in the near future.

I had been meaning to write this thread for some time, but this very confused article about UBI, Universal Basic Income, and AI, prompted me to write it now.

"Maybe we can keep humanity alive via redistribution. Machines that don’t require workers could produce enormous amounts of output, so it might be easy to raise the money for the UBIs of the future."

In this vision of the future, AI will put most people out of work, and we will need some way of providing income to those who no longer have jobs.

It's what I call, a mainstream economist view, where economists imagine the future as being a continuation of the American, and Western economy, as if the climate and ecological crisis, does not exist.

This is because all but a handful of enlightened economists, have got absolutely no grasp of what the climate and ecological crisis means for us, as they are totally lacking in any relevant knowledge about this.
theguardian.com/business/2025/…
1/🧵

“There are now no non-radical futures. The choice is between immediate and profound social change or waiting a little longer for chaotic and violent social change. In 2023 the window for this choice is rapidly closing.” Professor Kevin Anderson, leading climate scientist @KevinClimate

I keep using this quote from Prof Kevin Anderson, because it perfectly sums up this situation, and he is a leading climate scientist.

I have my own framing of this situation, which is much older, and wider, but I am not a highly published leading climate scientist, so I am saying, don't take my word for it, listen to this.

The whole problem, and this is the real crisis, not say anthropogenic climate change ACC itself, is that there is profound denial about what this, and several degrees Centigrade of warming, actually means for us.

Even many climate scientists, cannot get their head around what this means. They cannot grasp that the economic model, industrial capitalism, or whatever you want to call it, and the societies and economies it gave rise to, are over. What we have done, makes the future, radically different, no matter what route we chose.
bellacaledonia.org.uk/2023/04/18/no-…
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The future that no longer exists, is the financial economy, the financial markets, big business, billionaires and oligarchs, big consumer society. It's over. Sure, we can try carrying on with it and big business. Maybe the illusion that this can continue, could carry on for a couple more decades, and I am being very optimist here. But I can absolutely guarantee, that even if we get 15-20 years into the future, in one piece, that by then, no one will think it can last much longer.

As @KevinClimate says, either we radically change our societies now, or we will have this radically change, imposed on us, when Business as Usual BaU, implodes.
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Read 10 tweets

Stephen Barlow

@SteB777

Dec 12

Please, can we get something clear. The recovery of the Otter in the UK, especially England is nothing to do with "intensive conservation work", and "improving water quality". I'm sure lots of conservation bodies are willing to take credit for it, for PR. Water quality in general is much worse in UK rivers, not better.

This is terrible communication strategy, leading to anglers falsely blaming conservationists for re-introducing Otters, as they now prey on stocked Carp.

The recovery of Otters, is almost certainly, purely down to the banning of the organochlorine pesticides, especially dieldrin and aldrin, used as seed coatings.

I am creating this short thread, for public information, because there is so much rubbish repeated about this, causing massive misunderstanding about this issue.

You will have to rely on my synthesis and understanding of this, as you will only find glimpses of insight in the literature. However, I have followed this matter since the 1970s, and I have the ecological knowledge and fishery knowledge to explain this.
theguardian.com/environment/20…
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These organochlorines, accumulate in Otters through a process called biomagnification and bioaccumulation. As fish eaters, eating fish, with moderate levels in them, these were magnified to much greater levels in the Otters, accumulating in their fatty, (adipose) tissues. Meaning they disappeared from most English rivers.

As the levels of these compounds, dropped after they were banned, it allowed Otters to recover, as they were no longer being poisoned by eating fish. The Otters simply came from strongholds in Wales and Scotland, where there were lower levels of these chemicals.

Yes, attempts were made to re-introduce Otters, but these failed for several factors. The dog Otters were killed on roads, and the pesticide levels were still too high. So the vast majority of Otters now found in England, came from remaining populations in Scotland, Wales and the West Country, naturally re-populating English rivers, none of it with assistance from conservationists.
mammal.org.uk/blog/2022/02/o…
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In the post-war period, when Otters went into serious decline due to pesticide poisoning, Carp angling took off (that is fishing for Carp (Cyprinus carpio), a non-native species, but one introduced a long time ago). I am a former Carp angler, albeit from long ago, so I'm well qualified to comment on this.

As Carp angling took off in the 1990s onwards, there was a big increase in commercial Carp fisheries, stocking very large, and very expensive specimen Carp. Predation by Otters was never a problem, when Otters had become more or less extinct in England. Very large specimen Carp, could cost tens of thousands of pounds. This is because they are always returned by anglers, and can live for many decades, perhaps 50 years or more.

Commercial fisheries and syndicates stocked these very expensive specimen sized Carp as it attracted paying anglers.

Once Otters reappeared, they started catching and eating these easily targeted large carp, which could weigh in excess of 40lbs. Meaning the owners of these commercial fisheries suffered financial loss, and with Carp angling now being popular, a lot of angry anglers, who falsely blamed conservationists for re-introducing Otters, which they didn't. But they were happy to take the credit.
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Read 7 tweets

Stephen Barlow

@SteB777

Dec 12

Let me try to sum up, why climate change denial, or minimization, is a lost cause. Those who deny it, or deny what a threat it is to humanity, do so because they don't want the system to be changed, to address the climate and ecological crisis.
1/🧵

This is a lost cause, because the single action, which will cause the most radical change to our system, is trying not to change our system, to address the climate and ecological crisis. Doing this will collapse our civilization. Change can't be more radical than this.
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Ironically, making radical changes to our current system, business as usual BaU, will actually produce, the least radical and adverse change. Those who deny or minimize climate change, can't get their head around this. They naively believe they can prevent radical change.
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Read 9 tweets

Stephen Barlow

@SteB777

Dec 11

https://x.com/SteB777/status/1998720695807648150

I want to give a huge thanks to everyone that has responded.

There is no doubt whatsoever, that Elon Musk's X/Twitter has had major changes to it's algorithm, particularly in the last 4-5 months, which stops mutuals seeing each other's posts. I can only find their posts if I search them out.
1/🧵

https://x.com/SteB777/status/1998720695807648150

This seems to deliberately target progressives, but not just those with overt political views, just anyone who doesn't endorse right wing populism. Many of these people whose posts I rarely see now, are photographers, birders, natural history people, who rarely post politicised views.
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By progressive I simply mean anyone with enlightened views who doesn't endorse the hate mongering and regressive views of the modern populist right, including old style Conservatives. Many of these people would not see themselves as progressive.
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Read 8 tweets

Stephen Barlow

@SteB777

Dec 10

"Human rights official says politicians are playing into the hands of the populist right as they seek to tackle migration"

Remember, you heard it from me first. Not just yesterday, but for the last year. I give you tomorrow's news today.

1/🧵theguardian.com/law/2025/dec/1…

It's so obvious that Starmer is playing right into the hands of Reform, that you have to wonder if Keir Starmer is a secret admirer of Nigel Farage, because if Starmer isn't aware of what he's doing, he's someone's useful idiot.

2/threadreaderapp.com/thread/1998544…

https://x.com/SteB777/status/1207413124946702336

Remember, I accurately predicted the downfall of Boris Johnson, in 2-3 years, at the time of his big win in 2019. I'm not some sort of clairvoyant, and I've repeatedly explained how I make these accurate political predictions.

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https://x.com/SteB777/status/1207413124946702336

Read 5 tweets

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