Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 10h

Indeed.

The government has chosen to prioritise reducing (skilled, legal, for work) migration over growth and hence over improving public services.

No economic rationale - but even worse, no political rationale either.

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 16h

One mistake Labour made in their first year is loading quite a few new costs onto business all at once. They are risking doing something similar on immigration, I think.

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Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 22h

Really great @stephenkb.bsky.social column today.

on.ft.com/3KOUh07

Key para.

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Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 3d

also - one last datapoint before I take HS for his morning walk. I posted the column on X, too. it has sunk without trace because it has a link in it. even ignoring the owner and the politics, that was a good reason to stop feeding the beast.

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Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 3d

The platform formerly known as Twitter may be horrible, but it is still shaping policy. So were we all wrong to leave?

Was the left wrong to leave X for BlueSky?

The platform formerly known as Twitter may be horrible, but it's still shaping policy

www.newstatesman.com

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Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Stephen J.Reid @stereid.bsky.social · 14h

BREAKING: Shabana Mahmood announces that immigrants will be expected to fully explain The Duckworth Lewis Method before being allowed entry to the UK.

Sylvia @sylvia-suffragette.bsky.social · 14h

BREAKING: Shabana Mahmood announces that immigrants will have to join the PG Woodhouse Society before being allowed entry to the UK

Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 17h

BREAKING: Shabana Mahmood announces that immigrants will have to recite Beowulf in its entirety in Old English, without notes, before being allowed entry to the U.K.

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Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Naomi Smith @pimlicat.bsky.social · Jul 17

Parents of 12 year olds!

Your children will be able to vote at the next General Election.

Please make sure they’re getting a rounded education about politics from today.

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Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Gizmodo @gizmodo.com · 16h

The beloved artist, who illustrated iconic posters for 'Star Wars', 'Indiana Jones', 'Back to the Future', and more, was 78.

Drew Struzan, the King of the Movie Poster, Has Died

The beloved artist, who illustrated iconic posters for 'Star Wars', 'Indiana Jones', 'Back to the Future', and more, was 78.

gizmodo.com

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Amyn Merchant @amynmerchant.bsky.social · 23h

Get well soon

Amyn Merchant @amynmerchant.bsky.social · 1d

Jfc

PEIPolitical 🇨🇦 @peipolitical.bsky.social · 1d

Trump on Orban: "Where's Viktor? Viktor, Viktor, we love Viktor. You are fantastic, alright? I know a lot of people don't agree with me, but I'm the only one that matters” #cdnpoli

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Amyn Merchant @amynmerchant.bsky.social · 1d

@sturdyalex.bsky.social @pimlicat.bsky.social @quietriotpod.bsky.social

This is very good indeed from @stephenkb.bsky.social

Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 1d

"One reason the successive Tory administrations from 2016 to 2024 achieved so little beyond damage control is that they traded middle-aged voters who needed little from the state for older voters who require rather more"
on.ft.com/4oi1TXq column full of brilliant insights by @stephenkb.bsky.social

How Brexit drained the Tories’ talent pool

The party can’t keep expecting successful people to pretend that leaving the EU was a good idea

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 1d

"One reason the successive Tory administrations from 2016 to 2024 achieved so little beyond damage control is that they traded middle-aged voters who needed little from the state for older voters who require rather more"
on.ft.com/4oi1TXq column full of brilliant insights by @stephenkb.bsky.social

How Brexit drained the Tories’ talent pool

The party can’t keep expecting successful people to pretend that leaving the EU was a good idea

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Lynn Becker @cmgiulini.bsky.social · 3d

After spending 43 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, evidence hidden by the prosecution reversed his conviction. Rather than finally enjoying freedom, ICE abducted him for deportation

Depraved.

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

He was wrongfully imprisoned for 43 years. Moments after being released, ICE took him

Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam now faces deportation.

www.miamiherald.com

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Amyn Merchant @amynmerchant.bsky.social · 1d

@nndroid.bsky.social

You’re probably the only person who’s heard of her before?

Amytiville Hoyrror @amyhoy.bsky.social · 7d

just found out about elsa marie pade, an electronic music pioneer from denmark. this 1958 piece is WILD. imagine hearing this in 1958

Else Marie Pade - "Syv Cirkler" (1958)

YouTube video by One Eyed King

www.youtube.com

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Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Obama: "When you see an administration suggest that ordinary street crime is an insurrection or a terrorist act, that is a genuine effort to weaken how we have understood democracy."

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Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 2d

Pope Leo quotes Hannah Arendt:

“The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exist."

www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news...

Pope Leo calls for news agencies to stand as bulwark against "post-truths," lies and manipulation

Pope Leo XIV has encouraged international news agencies to stand firm as a bulwark against the "ancient art of lying" and manipulation.

www.cbsnews.com

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Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 1d

The right-wing campaign group that helped topple Roe v Wade in the US is now working to roll back abortion laws in the UK, with the help of Nigel Farage.

Its first step? Trying to create a debate around "free speech"
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/w...

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Amyn Merchant @amynmerchant.bsky.social · 1d

And then they vote.

Amyn Merchant @amynmerchant.bsky.social · 1d

Agreed, my avatar brother.

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Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Michael Edison Hayden @michaelehayden.bsky.social · 2d

“They are highly organized … [they] have purchased their own animal costumes”

Andy ngo mad about muppets again — this time in Chicago

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Pritzker: "You just heard a tidal wave of lies from the VP. It's a bit shocking. And you heard over & over him just making things up. There's a reason why the judge here in federal court said that they admin lacks credibility and why even the Nobel committee chair said the admin lacks integrity."

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Joshua Reed Eakle 🗽 @joshuaeakle.com · 3d

In Chicago, four vehicles descended and eight ICE agents moved in to kidnap a child.

She screams, “I’m 15,” as ICE yanks her from the car and kneels on her neck.

This is not about immigration enforcement.

It's about terrorizing Americans.

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Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 2d

The New York Times knows crime is not “out of control” in major U.S. cities — in fact, crime is way down from past years and decades — but NYT amplifies JD Vance’s lie without a fact check.
It’s journalism malpractice that helps the fascists.

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Amyn Merchant @amynmerchant.bsky.social · 2d

I get it now - Trump wants the Nobel Peace Prize, not to compete with Obama, but to be able to show it to St. Peter, for entry.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Trump: "I don't think there's anything that's gonna get me in heaven. I think I'm not maybe heaven bound. I may be in heaven right now as we fly on Air Force One. I'm not sure I'm gonna be able to make heaven."

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Reposted by Amyn Merchant

Billy Bragg @billybragg.bsky.social · 9d

Free stickers suitable for flag-bearing lampposts. Send a large A4 envelope with a 1st class large stamp to me at Bragg Office, PO Box 6830 Bridport DT6 9BH and I’ll send you a sheet. #ReclaimtheFlag 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🇬🇧

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Amyn Merchant @amynmerchant.bsky.social · 2d

@timothysnyder.bsky.social

In case you haven’t been following the issue of Nathan Gill, and his connections to Putin and Farage.

Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 2d

NEW: The British politician, his Russian intelligence handler & a Kremlin plot against the US & Ukraine.

My new piece about Nathan Gill and Nigel Farage for @thenerve_news in which we ask:

Why, even now, is no-one asking questions?

t.co/BUTtpK9C4S

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