Author | Lightnews

Matthew Bates

@thatmattbates.bsky.social

120 followers 200 following 230 posts

Actor/voiceover/audiobook narrator/ adoptive dad and doodle wrangler. Scotland, London, Dudley. Brought up on LFC and narrow boats. All views are personal. https://on.soundcloud.com/zBEbgKRLwvyKEnwEA https://app.spotlight.com/5650-9056-8846

on.soundcloud.com

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Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · Nov 18

In case you wanted random non-contextual photos of me doing some acting and voiceover, fill your boots…!

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Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 8h

Farage has only attended 95/250 Parliament sittings, so drags his arse into the chamber 38% of the time.

That’s not even enough for the staff at the strangers bar to remember who he is.

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 8d

An ex-fireplace salesman, deprived of his authority and prop spider, explaining the omnishambles that was the Education Dept on his watch during Covid.

So far, we’ve had the illuminating admission that he didn’t realise how big the implications would be of a pandemic.

🤦🏼‍♂️

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 11d

This is the kind of Good News follow up we so rarely get. 👏📢♥️

Reposted by Matthew Bates

Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 14d

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

430 10K 27K

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 15d

Astonishing to realise that the US is being kicked into a civil war by the Trump administration, and he is using a Supreme Court packed with his appointees to help him grab executive control and raze constitutional freedoms to the ground.

New Supreme Court term will reshape Trump's powers

Legal challenges have slowed Trump's attempts to expand presidential power. Now the highest US court is going to weigh in.

www.bbc.com

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 15d

I know it’s little consolation right now, but that probably says more about Winchester than about your work.

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Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 17d

To be clear, this is not condoning anti-semitic views, merely the absurd hypocrisy of shutting down public debate for political expediency.

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 17d

The most important thing, when protesting starvation and genocide in another country, is not to upset or inconvenience anyone:

Police to get broader powers to restrict repeated protests www.bbc.com/news/article...

Police to get broader powers to crack down on repeated protests

The move is not a ban on protests but "about restrictions and conditions", Shabana Mahmood tells the BBC.

www.bbc.com

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Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 18d

… for you, says star-spattered, novelty sock loafer dude & tattoo parlour regular, Pete Hegseth.

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 21d

"no more superficial individual expression"

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 19d

As acts of national self-sabotage go, it would be quicker to plant mines off the coast of Dover.

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Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 27d

My money’s on Mads Mikkelsen.

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 29d

I’m not a doctor, but… misleading health advice should result in people being taken off the TV, right?

Trump makes unproven claims linking autism to Tylenol use by pregnant women

Some studies have suggested an association between the two, but experts say there is no causal relationship.

www.bbc.com

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 29d

And the fact is that numerous prominent Republicans specifically pinned it on Democrats before he was even caught, when no motive or affiliation could be known.

Notable that Republicans or media weren’t censured for misleading the public with these wild accusations.

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 29d

As an English graduate, I don’t understand how the statement “the MAGA gang are trying to characterize the killer as anything other than one of them and score political points” is misleading.

It doesn’t say who the killer is affiliated with, but who MAGA are blaming pre-emptively.

Text says: A controversy arose when Carr, the FCC chairman, called for action against Jimmy Kimmel after the late-night host joked about Trump's mourning of Charlie Kirk and appeared to falsely suggest the right-wing influencer's killer was a Trump supporter.

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Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · 29d

The House of Mouse $queaked? Looks like Nexstar can’t foresee more than 7 days ahead. 🫢

Disney reinstates Jimmy Kimmel after suspension over Charlie Kirk remarks

The late-night comic's show will return to air after Disney said it had "thoughtful coversations" with him.

www.bbc.com

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · Sep 22

Insert literally any violent slander or demonstrable lie before this, and Leavitt would reach for the same answer.

Like his tangerine foundation, the lawlessness is baked in.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Sep 22

Q: How does Trump saying "I hate my opponent and I don't want the best for them" square with bringing down the temperature of political violence?

LEAVITT: Look, the president is authentically himself. I think that's why millions of Americans across the country love him.

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · Sep 18

They don’t care about facts or free speech.
Why should you? 🤔
#cancelsubscriptions #freespeech

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · Sep 17

“Thoughts & Prayers”
When leaders fan the flames and demagogues become dictators for more than one day, we all hold our breath.

I apologise for not paying a
Human to make this image, but then they are rounding the humans up. Oh America, the bright day is done, and you are for the dark…

AI generated image depicting a rocky desert with the US flag flying half mast on a semi automatic weapon, with piles of money at its base and torn paper titled “Free Speech” about to blow away.

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · Sep 17

AI is trained to do exactly what my kids do when they have no idea about something. Does this mean they’re going to take everyone’s jobs?

The Register @theregister.com · Sep 17

OpenAI says models are programmed to make stuff up instead of admitting ignorance

Even a wrong answer is right some of the time AI models often produce false outputs, or "hallucinations." Now OpenAI has admitted they may result from fundamental mistakes it makes when training its models.…

dlvr.it

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · Sep 14

And to think I assumed it was just a new morbid kink ASMR side hustle..

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · Sep 12

People talking shit about you while you’re obviously STILL IN THE ROOM is next level sociopathic. They’d probably gaslight you about that, too.

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · Sep 12

Whichever way we cut it, preserving the 2nd amendment “at all costs” is a death cult devoted to enabling a civil war. That’s not healthy.

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · Sep 12

I don’t believe silencing people with a bullet is acceptable.

But I do think it’s ironic that US flags are flying half mast, not for schoolchildren killed in Colorado, but a man who believed that women are vessels for babies, and child gun deaths were acceptable to protect 2nd amendment.
🔫>👦🏽>👩🏼‍💼

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · Sep 3

I mean- aww, bless! The world’s most powerful dictators are trying to kid themselves, along with Diaper Donnie, that they can cling on past their 100th birthday.
They confidently stare down foreign armies and democratic protests, but the Grim Reaper is the final level Boss. And they’re 💩 it.

Hot mic catches Xi and Putin discussing organ transplants and immortality

The Chinese and Russian leaders have been in power for 13 and 25 years respectively, with neither expressing any intention of stepping down.

www.bbc.com

Matthew Bates @thatmattbates.bsky.social · Aug 15

Probably the annoying man on the bus with Helena Bonham-Carter in Nolly (bottom left), although there have been some lovely stage roles back in the day.