Author | Lightnews

Reposted by Severian

Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 10h

I've been working with Demos to turn the Verification, Deliberation, and Accountability (VDA) Framework into a report that lays out how it can be used to diagnose the state of democracy and build solutions around building the capacity for those functions in institutional and public spaces.

Demos @demos-uk.bsky.social · 15h

🧵 Across the world, democracy isn’t just under pressure, it’s facing epistemic collapse: a breakdown in the shared ability to know what’s true, to reason together and to hold power to account.

A new guest paper by @eliothiggins.bsky.social and @drnataliemartin.bsky.social explores how to fix it.

Verification, Deliberation, Accountability: A new framework for tackling epistemic collapse and renewing democracy

Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.

demos.co.uk

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 4h

Asshole. But it doesn’t matter. He does whatever he wants, will keep shitting on is all, because Dems aren’t a threat. We have to be winners, people.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 5h

That’s fair. But the evidence cited in that article is damn convincing. Moderation > holding fast to unpopular ideologies.

But it’s not the only thing. Candidate performance matters. And *persuasion* can work too.

What clearly don’t work: GOTV / turn out the base strategies. Proven loser, that.

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 5h

I don’t care if MAGA or hard core leftists are happy. I care about defeating MAGA.

Win normies: be centrist, but also aggresive, angry, authentic: that’s the battle plan.

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 6h

Seems like a not great signal. We need to be ruthless about candidate selection.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 6h

Also, do what it takes to win. Elect popular candidates, not people whose attitudes and ideologies are alienating to gettable voters. Win.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 6h

Doesn’t matter if Dems aren’t a threat. Stop being impotent and win elections people.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 8h

What do you mean? They have already devastated us, you. Stop F’ing around and win elections.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 8h

Then stop F’ing around and win elections.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 8h

Then stop F’ing around and win elections.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Severian

Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 9h

I have been traveling and today I present to you...the thing I saw in the Frankfurt airport.

Is it efficient? Undeniably. Does it probably work better than the normal way? Oh certainly. Produce less of a mess? Probably?

But the existence of Condiment Udders gives me a deep, aghast disquiet.

A hotdog and pretzel stand with large hanging bottles of mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise. The bottoms contain squeeze tubes to dispense the condiments.

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 10h

Dude. We’re on the same team.

I think Dems are better off with candidates that try to win the center than moving further left. I would like to win, you see.

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 12h

Did you read the article?

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Reposted by Severian

Demos @demos-uk.bsky.social · 15h

🧵 Across the world, democracy isn’t just under pressure, it’s facing epistemic collapse: a breakdown in the shared ability to know what’s true, to reason together and to hold power to account.

A new guest paper by @eliothiggins.bsky.social and @drnataliemartin.bsky.social explores how to fix it.

Verification, Deliberation, Accountability: A new framework for tackling epistemic collapse and renewing democracy

Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.

demos.co.uk

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Reposted by Severian

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 1d

> @newyorker.com

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

People, Mamdani is fine for NCY, but a liability for national Dems and Dems in swing districts. Y’all are out of touch and out of your minds if you think socialism is winning platforms in the states Ds need to pick up.

Again: Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

1

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 1d

Embezzlement. But it doesn’t matter how wrong it is if Dems aren’t a threat. You have to win elections.

Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

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Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 1d

Stunning 2,000 year-old #Roman emerald-green glass boat. From Pompeii.

#Archaeology

📷 British Museum www.britishmuseum.org/collection/o...

A British Museum image of a translucent emerald-green glass vessel in the shape of a shallow boat, displayed on a black surface with light brown background. The boat has curved ends, rising slightly upward. The museum lighting emphasises the translucent dark green colour of the glass. It was ground from a mould-pressed blank, with wheel-cut bands on each side and four triangular feet. Height: 7.6 cm, Length: 22.5 cm. Dated AD 25-50.

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Maria Farrell @mariafarrell.bsky.social · 1d

Today is publication day for The Best American Science and Nature Writing!

@robin.berjon.com and my internet rewilding is there, 1st published by @noemamag.com

Guess who's also in it? @davidnaimon.bsky.social's heart-opening, genre-busting piece Eleven Stills, about organic and geological time.

Cover of 2025 edition of Best American Science and Nature Writing, edited by Susan Orlean. The cover illustration is an organic looking pattern of pine green and aquamarine with pink dots - it could be a maze or a William Morris wallpaper design.

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𝔻𝕖𝕖𝕡 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕥 @thatsgoodweb.bsky.social · 1d

Syd Brak, 1988

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Somebody wake up Hicks @jonmarkhicks.bsky.social · 2d

Another glorious shot of the underside of the refinery from ALIEN (1979). I like to imagine that the towers are doing the refining and the finished product is stored in these domes, which can be detached and moved to where they're needed, or attached to other ships.

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Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 2d

Doesn’t matter if Dems can’t win elections. Winning is the only thing. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Severian @fuliginously.bsky.social · 2d

I love the states you have listed! Compete EVERYWHERE.

And let’s be smart, not ideological:

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/20/o...

Opinion | America Still Has a Political Center, and It’s the Key to Winning

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Severian

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 2d

The device helped 81% of trial participants suffering from advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) to achieve clinically meaningful improvements in their vision. on.ft.com/47i7TIK

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Kevin M. Levin @civilwarmemory.bsky.social · 3d

At the age of 80, Helen Dortch Longstreet--wife of former Confederate general and postwar Republican James Longstreet--worked in a Georgia factory helping to make B-29 bombers during WWII.

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