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Richard Haviland

@rfhaviland.bsky.social

3.3K followers 2.1K following 700 posts

Former civil servant, enjoying the freedom to speak my mind. Published in Times, Byline Times, Bylines Scotland, West Country Voices. Member of European Movement in Scotland.

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Richard Haviland @rfhaviland.bsky.social · 29d

‘If slavery were invented today, would (Labour ministers) call it ‘impractical’?

If torture were invented today, would they call it ‘ineffective’?

If child labour were invented today, would they call it ‘poor value for money’?’

My piece for @bylines.scot

bylines.scot/politics/sta...

Starmer’s moral cowardice on refugees

The Labour leadership is tacitly accepting, and reflecting, Farage’s perverted notion of patriotism

bylines.scot

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Alexander Clarkson @aphclarkson.bsky.social · 56m

You can see a through-line from routinisation of Centcom GWOT counter-terror strikes under a loosely interpreted legal framework to clumsy attempts by Southcom to morally legitimise supposed counter-cartel strikes in the Carribean to potential normalisation of death squads in US domestic operations

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Richard Haviland @rfhaviland.bsky.social · 5h

If I were a historian planning one day to write a book about the descent into authoritarianism, I’d be running a daily Google search along the lines of ‘what did Shabana Mahmood or sources purporting to speak for her say today’?

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

European human rights watchdog triggers row with Government over warnings

Michael O’Flaherty published letters raising concerns over the treatment of transgender people and policing protests in the UK.

www.independent.co.uk

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Richard Haviland @rfhaviland.bsky.social · 4h

I have an uneasy sense that in the rush to praise Trump on this side of the Atlantic for his undoubted role in securing a ceasefire in the Middle East, we gloss over mass murder in the Caribbean and mass kidnapping on the streets of American cities because those places are not on our patch.

George Conway 🇺🇸🚫👑🐸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 6h

That's twenty-seven flat-out murders. That's twenty-seven lives taken without even a semblance of a legal justification under domestic or international law.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/u...

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[email protected] @francescrook.bsky.social · 7h

New law to give police powers to stop repeat demonstrations will allow police to stop trades union pickets. Labour serreptitiously cutting union and workers’ rights

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Civil liberty groups express concern over plan for more anti-protest powers

Home secretary says police can consider ‘cumulative impact’ of rallies as Palestine Action ban opponents vow ‘escalation’

www.theguardian.com

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Richard Haviland @rfhaviland.bsky.social · 5h

European human rights watchdog triggers row with Government over warnings

Michael O’Flaherty published letters raising concerns over the treatment of transgender people and policing protests in the UK.

www.independent.co.uk

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Richard Haviland @rfhaviland.bsky.social · 9h

The power of words. The court did indeed hear this but only, if you read the article, because Robinson’s lawyer claimed it. And yet anyone reading the headline would think Robinson had been vindicated.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tommy Robinson police stop at Channel Tunnel unlawful, court hears

The far-right activist was charged under the Terrorism Act over an incident at the Channel Tunnel in July 2024.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 10h

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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Richard Haviland @rfhaviland.bsky.social · 9h

And the only people likely to read it aren’t the people she’s dog-whistling to but the potential immigrants she’s talking down to.

Reposted by Richard Haviland

Elinor Elliot @elinorelliot.bsky.social · 13h

A woman with good sense and a moral compass providing an instructive contrast with a mediocre man whose arse has been bought 50 times over.

It's just a pity people like Caroline Lucas are in a minority in public life. Most people with her kind of integrity (and there are plenty) avoid politics.

AnEasierAffair @aneasieraffair.bsky.social · 15h

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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 13h

It's so common. Unfortunately, one of them is the leader of the opposition.

Zoomer Antimillenarian ♨️ @surcomplicated.bsky.social · 13h

There are many people like this, who act like human PowerPoints because they never actually do the reading on *anything* the moment they’re out of college and no one can enforce it anymore.

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 13h

one of my takeaways from this great piece is that weiss just doesn’t…sound like an intelligent person? or at least, not someone who has thought even a little bit about how and why they think the things that they do. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gieT...

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Richard Haviland @rfhaviland.bsky.social · 11h

This whole statement from Mahmood is dripping in hostility and superiority. It’s a wonder she didn’t add ‘and remember to say thank you’.

If I were a potential immigrant to the UK reading it, I’d think ‘f*** you’. But maybe that’s the idea.

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 11h

An example of the government not having a project: only yesterday the government was trumpeting new measures to make it easier to build things. We'll work out who actually builds stuff later on.

András Forgács W @andraswf.bsky.social · 12h

Well this will certainly do it www.gov.uk/government/n...

Migrants will be required to pass A Level standard of English

Migrants will be required to pass tough new English language requirements under a law introduced in Parliament today.

www.gov.uk

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Zoë Grünewald @zoegrunewald.bsky.social · 1d

"Until now, public knowledge about the relationship between Reform U.K. and the A.D.F. was limited to a single quote Mr. Farage gave to the group, which they pushed out in a press statement. But the A.D.F. has quietly been courting the party since at least 2024."

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/13/w...

They Helped Topple Roe v. Wade. Now Their Sights Are Set on Britain.

www.nytimes.com

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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 1d

I bang on about this a lot: I think the combination of a global pandemic, underregulated internet/SM, collapse/corruption of trustworthy media, plus now unregulated genAI, is a wildly toxic environment for radicalisation & mental health. We see the results of that in our politics & lives every day

James Austin @jamesdaustin.bsky.social · 2d

Everyone knows at least one person (normally, but not exclusively, a guy) whose gone properly mental due to net rabbit holes.

We see public figures regularly go mad and destroy themselves.

And we have, at a policy level, just decided to put our fingers in our ears and go nahnahnah

Alastair Meeks @alastairmeeks.bsky.social · 2d

Last night I heard of another friend of a friend who has been lost to a rabbit hole of online propaganda. We need to start treating this as a serious public health concern.

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Richard Haviland @rfhaviland.bsky.social · 2d

This ten-minute clip makes for deeply moving viewing, whether or not you have faith of your own. It’s about the power of love for our neighbours in the face of unspeakable evil. It should be required viewing for anyone in denial over what MAGA represent, including their apologists here in the UK.

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Richard Haviland @rfhaviland.bsky.social · 2d

Time for a sundowner

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Jonathan Atkinson @lowwintersun.bsky.social · 3d

And whilst people might criticise this as playing to the already converted, research shows Reform are actually vulnerable to messaging like this.

Rather than, you know, saying they have a point and you actually like flags too. 🙄

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Richard Haviland @rfhaviland.bsky.social · 4d

It’s hard to beat!

Richard Haviland @rfhaviland.bsky.social · 4d

Loch Ainort, the Red Cuillin and a touch of evening light

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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 5d

Interesting and troubling report/thread here on vulnerability of scientific bodies to politicisation, something the public do not want and is not in there interest but could happen nonetheless if politicians with selective or hostile views on science and evidence were in charge

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 5d

🧵🚨

The UK’s independent scientific bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation - over the past 5 months I've been working with @martinmckee.bsky.social to map out their vulnerabilities and it's not good news.

Today our report is published!
www.ucl.ac.uk/policy-lab/n...

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UK’s arm’s length public bodies are highly vulnerable to politicisation

Seven in ten Britons say it is important for top scientific institutions to be independent in exclusive new polling.

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Anand Menon @anandmenon.bsky.social · 6d

Wander round Mumbai these days and you’ll hardly see a brown face.

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Richard Haviland @rfhaviland.bsky.social · 5d

It’s worth watching this from the US. Then thinking about Jenrick’s words about skin colour. Then thinking about UK politicians and commentators who fantasize about creating ICE-like bodies. Then thinking about the demonisation of judges. They are all linked.

TheBossRoss @thebossross.bsky.social · 5d

Listen, everyone. And hear this!

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Rachel Cunliffe @rmcunliffe.bsky.social · 5d

Hollow laughter

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Neil Mackay @neilmackay.bsky.social · 6d

These images are separated by one day

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Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 6d

Badenoch: "While Britain was redefining what a woman is, China built five nuclear reactors."

A perfect summary of conservative idiocy. Glorifying authoritarian post-communism for its efficiency while vilifying democracy for seeking nuance and respect.

It is the Right who hate their own countries.

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