Richard Bates
@discript.com
Publisher – fiction and non-fiction. Friend to writers. Dementia carer. Cyclist. Activist. Cat parent.
Liberal Democrat 🔶 elected to Chichester District Council (UK) in 2023, also on West Sussex County Council Health & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee.
Liberal Democrat 🔶 elected to Chichester District Council (UK) in 2023, also on West Sussex County Council Health & Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee.
Pinned
Richard Bates
@discript.com
· Jan 23
The reason we annually mark #HolocaustMemorialDay is so we never forget.
Prolonged #Grief Disorder is a real phenomenon. My dad suffered PGD when his feline companion suddenly died. He was a lonely widower and it started a spiral of despair that triggered his dementia.
First I found him a new cat, then I became his full-time carer. 💜
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
First I found him a new cat, then I became his full-time carer. 💜
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Grief over pet death can be as strong as that for family member, survey shows
Researcher calls for guidelines for diagnosing prolonged grief disorder to be expanded to cover people mourning pets
www.theguardian.com
January 15, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Prolonged #Grief Disorder is a real phenomenon. My dad suffered PGD when his feline companion suddenly died. He was a lonely widower and it started a spiral of despair that triggered his dementia.
First I found him a new cat, then I became his full-time carer. 💜
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
First I found him a new cat, then I became his full-time carer. 💜
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
🎯
We need to sanction the awful regime in Iran and freeze Iranian assets in London.
But the world would take Donald Trump's concerns over the brutal murder of protesters in Iran more seriously if his government stopped murdering protesters in Minnesota.
But the world would take Donald Trump's concerns over the brutal murder of protesters in Iran more seriously if his government stopped murdering protesters in Minnesota.
January 15, 2026 at 1:09 PM
🎯
“Necrotic” is such an appropriate word
Every couple of weeks we get a different description of the apparently awful stench coming off our necrotic president and I think it's high time the media nail down exactly what kind of rotten meat covered in women's perfume he actually smells like.
January 14, 2026 at 11:04 PM
“Necrotic” is such an appropriate word
Reposted by Richard Bates
This is Thatcher’s Tory sewage party legacy: privatised pipes, collapsing grids, 25k+ people left dry while shareholders slurp profits. Kent and Sussex get Thatcherism straight from the gutter. Absolute Tory vandalism.
Source: BBC
#ukpolitics
Source: BBC
#ukpolitics
January 13, 2026 at 11:33 AM
This is Thatcher’s Tory sewage party legacy: privatised pipes, collapsing grids, 25k+ people left dry while shareholders slurp profits. Kent and Sussex get Thatcherism straight from the gutter. Absolute Tory vandalism.
Source: BBC
#ukpolitics
Source: BBC
#ukpolitics
Courage, integrity, consistency are virtues in any democracy.
Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell
YouTube video by Federal Reserve
www.youtube.com
January 12, 2026 at 1:53 PM
Courage, integrity, consistency are virtues in any democracy.
Outside County Hall, Chichester this morning where protesters led by MP @jessbrownfullermp.bsky.social rejected West Sussex County Council’s request to cancel elections for the second consecutive year.
January 12, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Outside County Hall, Chichester this morning where protesters led by MP @jessbrownfullermp.bsky.social rejected West Sussex County Council’s request to cancel elections for the second consecutive year.
Some good news, right here in Britain, from London’s mayor @sadiqkhanlondon.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Sorry, Trump and Farage – London is no lawless ‘warzone’. Violent crime is lower than ever | Sadiq Khan
Reform’s new candidate for mayor claims people pity Londoners for living in an unsafe capital. But the evidence is clear: we’re making our streets safer, says mayor of London Sadiq Khan
www.theguardian.com
January 12, 2026 at 9:14 AM
Some good news, right here in Britain, from London’s mayor @sadiqkhanlondon.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Richard Bates
What can history teach us about what happens when a populist strongman with an idiosyncratic taste for low interest rates undermines central bank independence?
January 12, 2026 at 1:44 AM
What can history teach us about what happens when a populist strongman with an idiosyncratic taste for low interest rates undermines central bank independence?
Reposted by Richard Bates
NEW: The Palantirisation of the UK military is a national security disaster.
Peter Thiel is now the third wheel in the US-UK ‘special relationship’.
1/
open.substack.com/pub/broligar...
Peter Thiel is now the third wheel in the US-UK ‘special relationship’.
1/
open.substack.com/pub/broligar...
January 11, 2026 at 11:29 PM
NEW: The Palantirisation of the UK military is a national security disaster.
Peter Thiel is now the third wheel in the US-UK ‘special relationship’.
1/
open.substack.com/pub/broligar...
Peter Thiel is now the third wheel in the US-UK ‘special relationship’.
1/
open.substack.com/pub/broligar...
The Attorney-General of Philadelphia is 💯% correct. #ReleaseTheEpsteinFiles
This is a national scandal and there needs to be consequences.
January 11, 2026 at 8:41 PM
The Attorney-General of Philadelphia is 💯% correct. #ReleaseTheEpsteinFiles
Reposted by Richard Bates
The parasites sucking up most of the planet's wealth and spewing out colossal amounts of carbon
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
World’s richest 1% have already used fair share of emissions for 2026, says Oxfam
Richest 1% took 10 days while wealthiest 0.1% needed just three days to exhaust annual carbon budget, study shows
www.theguardian.com
January 10, 2026 at 9:30 PM
The parasites sucking up most of the planet's wealth and spewing out colossal amounts of carbon
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Richard Bates
Stand up for local democracy in West Sussex! Join our protest on Monday:
Let us vote - let us choose!
Stop the West Sussex Tories from cancelling the May Elections.
We must tell them hands off our elections!
Stop the West Sussex Tories from cancelling the May Elections.
We must tell them hands off our elections!
January 10, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Stand up for local democracy in West Sussex! Join our protest on Monday:
Here in Chichester, when we canvas voters in our area, @chichesterlibdems.bsky.social do encourage residents to vote, especially on polling day. That’s how we overturned a 100-year Conservative safe seat and elected @jessbrownfullermp.bsky.social to parliament!
One third of eligible voters don't vote. As you march, also encourage people to get registered and to show up on Election Day.
January 11, 2026 at 2:41 PM
Here in Chichester, when we canvas voters in our area, @chichesterlibdems.bsky.social do encourage residents to vote, especially on polling day. That’s how we overturned a 100-year Conservative safe seat and elected @jessbrownfullermp.bsky.social to parliament!
Reposted by Richard Bates
January 10, 2026 at 7:33 PM
What could possibly go wrong?
Ask @margaretatwood.bsky.social, Philip K. Dick, J.G. Ballard, Aldous Huxley, Jorge Luis Borges, George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Peter Lantos, and Joanna Kavenna
#BookSky
www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...
Ask @margaretatwood.bsky.social, Philip K. Dick, J.G. Ballard, Aldous Huxley, Jorge Luis Borges, George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Peter Lantos, and Joanna Kavenna
#BookSky
www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...
Mass surveillance, the metaverse, making America ‘great again’: the novelists who predicted our present
From Jorge Luis Borges to George Orwell and Margaret Atwood, novelists have foreseen some of the major developments of our age. What can we learn from their prophecies?
www.theguardian.com
January 10, 2026 at 11:42 AM
What could possibly go wrong?
Ask @margaretatwood.bsky.social, Philip K. Dick, J.G. Ballard, Aldous Huxley, Jorge Luis Borges, George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Peter Lantos, and Joanna Kavenna
#BookSky
www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...
Ask @margaretatwood.bsky.social, Philip K. Dick, J.G. Ballard, Aldous Huxley, Jorge Luis Borges, George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Peter Lantos, and Joanna Kavenna
#BookSky
www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...
“Wessex Water has gotten away with environmental vandalism.. for far too long. From carelessly polluting beaches and rivers throughout the south-west with filthy #sewage to losing millions of litres of water through leaky pipes,” says @sarahdykeld.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Wessex Water bosses handed £50,000 in extra pay despite Labour government’s bonus ban
Utility admits parent company paid CEO Ruth Jefferson and CFO Andy Pymer but denies bonus payments
www.theguardian.com
January 10, 2026 at 11:32 AM
“Wessex Water has gotten away with environmental vandalism.. for far too long. From carelessly polluting beaches and rivers throughout the south-west with filthy #sewage to losing millions of litres of water through leaky pipes,” says @sarahdykeld.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Reposted by Richard Bates
Stand up for local democracy in West Sussex! Join our protest on Monday:
Let us vote - let us choose!
Stop the West Sussex Tories from cancelling the May Elections.
We must tell them hands off our elections!
Stop the West Sussex Tories from cancelling the May Elections.
We must tell them hands off our elections!
January 10, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Stand up for local democracy in West Sussex! Join our protest on Monday:
“In many ways this is a more unsettling and unsettled picture, but it is also one that can be more robustly resisted – if European leaders actually want to try.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Don’t dignify Trump with talk of a ‘new world order’ – there’s nothing new or ordered about this chaos | Aditya Chakrabortty
The US president’s grotesque theatrics on the world stage are an opportunistic distraction from his falling domestic ratings, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026 at 9:18 AM
“In many ways this is a more unsettling and unsettled picture, but it is also one that can be more robustly resisted – if European leaders actually want to try.”
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
“Sajet’s mission had been, she told me, to ensure that Americans would be able to see portraits of people like themselves. Gradually, she made sure more women, more minorities, more Black people were represented on its walls.”
#Resist
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
#Resist
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Trump’s assault on the Smithsonian: ‘The goal is to reframe the entire culture of the US’
The long read: The president has vowed to kill off ‘woke’ in his second term in office, and the venerable cultural institution a few blocks from the White House is in his sights
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026 at 8:24 AM
“Sajet’s mission had been, she told me, to ensure that Americans would be able to see portraits of people like themselves. Gradually, she made sure more women, more minorities, more Black people were represented on its walls.”
#Resist
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
#Resist
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Having only just survived influenza some years ago, it would have been good if we’d all been masking up even before COVID. 😷
As we experience a huge surge of flu cases, a reminder that the widespread usage of masks at the start of the COVID pandemic wiped out a strain of the flu.
If you haven’t been masking up lately, now would be a great time to restart.
If you haven’t been masking up lately, now would be a great time to restart.
The Covid-19 pandemic killed off one strain of the flu, and that will change the next vaccines | CNN
For 10 years, Americans have had access to flu shots that protect against four strains of the virus: two A strains and two B strains. Starting this fall, however, all the flu shots distributed in the ...
edition.cnn.com
January 7, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Having only just survived influenza some years ago, it would have been good if we’d all been masking up even before COVID. 😷
This is a sad day for broadcasting, not only in the USA but throughout the world. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting gave us Sesame Street and Mr Rogers. It brought BBC-TV series to US viewers including Upstairs Downstairs and The Forsyte Saga. It is a cross-cultural beacon, defunded by bigots.
The non-profit Corporation for Public Broadcasting was formed 58 years ago.
5/1/69 Fred Rogers testified before Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications to defend $20 million in federal funding proposed for the newly formed Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKy7...
5/1/69 Fred Rogers testified before Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications to defend $20 million in federal funding proposed for the newly formed Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKy7...
May 1, 1969: Fred Rogers testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications
YouTube video by Road Less Marveled
www.youtube.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:36 PM
This is a sad day for broadcasting, not only in the USA but throughout the world. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting gave us Sesame Street and Mr Rogers. It brought BBC-TV series to US viewers including Upstairs Downstairs and The Forsyte Saga. It is a cross-cultural beacon, defunded by bigots.
Reposted by Richard Bates
The American people must remain vigilant that those who seek to forget, minimize, or excuse January 6th invite its repetition.
On this fifth anniversary, remembrance alone is not enough.
On this fifth anniversary, remembrance alone is not enough.
January 6, 2026 at 2:38 PM
The American people must remain vigilant that those who seek to forget, minimize, or excuse January 6th invite its repetition.
On this fifth anniversary, remembrance alone is not enough.
On this fifth anniversary, remembrance alone is not enough.