THREAD
There's a lot of hate-farming fuss about flags and what some see as the perversion of the original Union Jack.

Much of the fake rage has emanated from the Tory party, which is ironic given how many times they've bastardised it for their own use.

It's been a tree...

1/

https://twitter.com/EstherMcVey1/status/1775123001672900800

It's been brutally chopped in half, and used as part of a Jenga-inspired sculpture...

2/

The Tories have published their new definition of extremism. It includes 3 components.

It is well worth reading the full definition of each of the components (reproduced later in this thread) because they're extremely sweeping.
gov.uk/government/pub…
Wonder how advocating to leave the ECHR (and indeed agitating to hold a referendum on doing so) squares with this?

After all, doing so would unquestionably strip us of numerous legal protections.

WARNING: LONG THREAD.

With 30p Lee off to Reform, it's time to keep the receipts.

In reverse chronological order...

https://twitter.com/kitmalthouse/status/1767147452191150444

https://x.com/NickFletcherMP/status/1759264521229582669?s=20

The Tories have just released a glossy 24-page brochure celebrating the 4th anniversary of Brexit.

As you would expect, it's not only false, it's so false that its mere existence wiped the word "true" from every dictionary in Britain.

So. Many. Lies.
gov.uk/government/pub…
"And we have secured the most comprehensive deal that the EU has ever agreed to in its history."

Er, no. That would be their EU membership offering.

Our own trade deal with them is a mouse fart in a hurricane by comparison.

In case you missed it, today we've had the Daily Mail, Telegraph and Express all soiling themselves with glee at a report showing that trade since Brexit has been going well.

Only snag is, the report (by murky Tufton Street outfit the IEA) was quite literally a pack of lies...



How did they pull their stupid stunt off? Quite simply.

1) They compared two different types of data (inflation-adjusted for the pre-Brexit period, unadjusted for the post-Brexit period) to draw false conclusions.

2) They got Kemi Badenoch to swallow the lot and talk about it.

THREAD: Two big takeaways from the most recent @YouGov survey.

1) The Tories are dead to anyone under 65. They might as well not exist for the under-50s. As for the under-25s...

So, unless there's a seismic political change, it's only a matter of time until they're toast.

1/3 2) We're rejoining the EU, period. The only question is when.

Can't clock up "wrong to vote to leave the EU" numbers like this and expect to stay out. (For anyone under 50, Rejoining's a no-brainer.)

That's like trying to hold back the Atlantic Ocean with your hands.

2/3

Over the course of their reign of error, the Tories have grown the national debt from £1 trillion to £2.5 trillion.

In the same 13-year period, we have witnessed crumbling schools and hospitals, increasingly leaky water pipes and sewers, and other widespread structural failures.

There have been no big infrastructure projects to point to and say "ah, that's where the money went..."

So from the beginning of time until 2010, the nation debt grew to £1 trillion.

From 2010 until 2023, it grew by an additional £1.5 trillion to £2.5 trillion.

And yet if you look around, you can't really see where most of the money has gone.

Tory cronies must be sleeping on beds made of gold.

Have so few ever stolen so much in so short a time before? The only thing I can think of that might compare was the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. Not exactly a great bedfellow. In a way, it's a bit like the thefts at the British Museum. Nobody noticed anything much, then once they started looking properly they saw that thousands of priceless items had been looted over an extended period.

The same goes for the Tories. The focus is always on individual scandals which blow up then quickly fade away. But when you take a big step back and look at their actions as a whole over their entire 13-year term, you'll find our own museum is standing empty.

Reminder: thanks to Brexit, you can no longer watch Now TV, iPlayer etc. in the EU. We no longer benefit from the EU roaming law applicable to streaming services.

https://twitter.com/the_chrisshaw/status/1693362108576972916

Apologies. Several people have reminded me that iPlayer is different.

You used to be able to watch PAID streaming services across the EU before
Brexit. You can't any more.

The 99 Laws of Brexit

1. Brexit means Brexit. But what does Brexit mean? Or Brexit?

2. Put 3 Brexiters in a room, and they will emerge with 4 versions of Brexit.

3. The BBC news team will find a way to interview both sides of a Möbius strip. 4. "Will of the People" is like QED at the end of a scientific proof.

5. The taunt "Coming over here, picking all our fruit" doesn't have quite the ring you thought it would.

6. 17.4 million people equal a majority of an electorate of 46,500,001, and a population of 67 million.

THREAD: Let's walk step-by-step through "Bibby Stockholm Horror Week".

See how many red flags you spot along the way.

Sunday 6 August

Internal documents warn of danger that "large numbers" could be affected by disease outbreaks on the Bibby Stockholm.
theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/a… Monday 7 August

Testing reveals low levels of legionella on the Bibby Stockholm. (A fact not revealed to the public until Friday 11 August.)


First 15 asylum seekers arrive on Bibby Stockholm.
https://t.co/oN86E5ZLsEbbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan…
theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/a…

The Tory approach to asylum seekers involves layer after layer of lies, like a rotting onion.

1) It is not inherently illegal to come to the UK to claim asylum. That's why most claims are eventually granted.

2) They're not being put up in 4* hotels in 4* hotel conditions. 3) Most hotels are not 4* or anything like it from the start. Even the few that are aren't supplying any of the services to asylum seekers that give them a 4* rating for normal guests. A.S. are being crammed in with strangers, something that never happens with paying guests.

1,282 days since we left the EU, many British firms are still struggling with the effects of Brexit on their ability to function as normal.

Here are just a few representative examples...

1. Gardiners Scottish handmade confectionery.
https://t.co/FD9zY0SuDGgardiners-scotland.co.uk/brexit-deliver…
2. YoMove pet supplements.
https://t.co/Z4DYzIefcJyumove.co.uk/pages/brexit-d…

Looks like the Express has another poll in dire need of help. Twitter, do what you're best at!

(I've linked straight to the 3rd party-hosted poll itself so you don't get bothered by all the Express website ads. Ignore the request for an email address.)
https://t.co/Z0dLymAz6fxd.wayin.com/display/contai…
A propos of nothing...

🧵Here's the shocking truth about the "Bibby Stockholm" barge the Tories will cram 500 migrants into. Pure evil, through and through.

The company that owns it states it's designed for up to 222 people accommodated in 222 single rooms.

Bunks, then...
https://t.co/neBxkqEjc7web.archive.org/web/2023040500…
Here's what the layout looks like in the official brochure.

There's very little in the way of communal space, especially when you consider 500 will be occupying facilities built for 222. And staff, too.

That small laundry space, for example, will be hell on Earth.

"Renault and Aston Martin backer Geely to launch UK firm injecting £6bn and creating 19,000 jobs"

Gosh, doesn't that sound great? Tory MPs and the RW press have been feasting on the story.

Pity it's not true.

Let's take this step by step...

1/12
cityam.com/renault-and-as… Here's the Express putting their usual "take that, Remoaners" slant on things.

Again it would be fantastic if there was a £6 billion deal going spare.

And there is... just not for us.

You see, this new joint venture isn't being built from scratch.

2/12
https://t.co/LpFTok18Pgexpress.co.uk/news/uk/179009…

URGENT: We need to talk about the Online Safety Bill.

To prevent online harm to children, it's like saving them from drowning by boiling all the water in the UK off into space.

It will ruin your experience of the Internet. Guaranteed.

(Long - please expand the tweet.)

Very… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… BTW, if your first thought is "I'll fire up a VPN, and I'll be fine", Labour are on the case...

"Labour urges government to consider crackdown on VPNs

Online Safety Bill amendment would require Ofcom to investigate use of VPNs to circumvent web rules"
independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…

I believe the Online Safety Bill could damage Britain more than Brexit.

Really, I do. No hype or hyperbole.

We may lose access to apps and websites we use daily, like Whatsapp.

Why? Simple: global firms won't change to suit the super-draconian rules of one small country. We've already seen with Threads how a massive global firm may forego a market of 450 million people (the EU) rather that adapt to laws that it sees as having a chilling effect on its worldwide business.

The Online Safety Bill is 100x worse than anything the EU cooked up.

THREAD: Time for an honest conversation about the real Brexit elephant...

The pursuit of closer ties with the EU outside of the SM/CU (what Labour advocate) is in direct opposition to joining the SM/CU, or rejoining the EU.

Why? Let's work through the logic step by step.

1/8 Political power comes in 5 year quanta, the gap between one GE and the next. That's how long the winner of a GE has to effect change.

(In practice, they have even less than that, because they are in "finding their feet" mode or "fighting the next GE" mode much of the time.)

2/8

"Reducing asylum application backlog would make it harder for Rwanda policy to be cost effective, official analysis suggests"

This is a statistic so perverse it should be banned for indecency.

Deep breath, and let's dive in...

Basically the longer an asylum seeker is trapped… https://t.co/nK0iPX2cXEtwitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Here's a (contrived) metaphor for what the Tories are doing.

Imagine you're running a shop, and you're trying to reduce shoplifting.

A Tory comes to you and says "I have the answer. Solid gold robots that run on printer ink at every exit."

"Won't that cost a lot?"

"Well, it… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Labour: We're not the Tories.

Yes, but what are you offering?

L: Sorry, don't understand the premise.

What is it that distinguishes you from the Tories.

L: Ah I see. We're not them.

Yes... and?

L: And... and... and... Make Brexit Work!

Phew, was worried for a second there. Later:

I've been thinking.

Labour: Yes...?

Is that it?

L: What do you mean?

You're not the Tories.

L: Uh-huh.

And you'll Make Brexit Work.

L: You betcha. Like a Swiss watch.

Swiss? Hmm. So you might consider a Swiss model of relationship?

L: Oh, no. No no no no no.

Strap in. It's time to learn how the Tories treat asylum seekers. Warning: This isn't going to be pretty.

Let's take as an example a hotel belonging to Britannia Hotels.

(Note that they were voted the worst hotel chain in the UK for 10 years in a row.)
trafford.gov.uk/planning/devel… Let's go through this step by step.

The hotel isn't being contracted by the government, but by Serco. So they will put a (likely hefty) markup on the transaction.

The hotel in question has 67 rooms, but 112 "bedspaces". It expects to receive "predominantly single adult males".