John Henderson
@jphendo.bsky.social
Retired after more than 45 years in journalism on local and regional papers and national magazines. Motoring writer for 25 years. Last paper Bury Free Press. Dog lover, interested in wildlife, intolerant of intolerance. UK.
Reposted by John Henderson
Pretty striking to see these two pieces, side-by-side, in the Telegraph and Times last week. ~AA #BrexitDisaster
December 1, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Pretty striking to see these two pieces, side-by-side, in the Telegraph and Times last week. ~AA #BrexitDisaster
Reposted by John Henderson
Shabana Mahmood said this month that her migration policies are a "moral mission".
Where is the morality in blocking an eight-year-old girl made destitute by a Hurricane from coming to the UK to join her parents?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Where is the morality in blocking an eight-year-old girl made destitute by a Hurricane from coming to the UK to join her parents?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
UK rejects visa for girl left destitute in Jamaica by Hurricane Melissa
Lati-Yana Brown’s parents had asked for application to be expedited so she could join them in UK after house ruined
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Shabana Mahmood said this month that her migration policies are a "moral mission".
Where is the morality in blocking an eight-year-old girl made destitute by a Hurricane from coming to the UK to join her parents?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Where is the morality in blocking an eight-year-old girl made destitute by a Hurricane from coming to the UK to join her parents?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by John Henderson
Here is a list of reasons why some of my hearings and trials this year have been delayed and kicked off into the long grass, stuck in our record court backlog. Serious allegations which will now be tried *years* after the event. 🧵👇
November 27, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Here is a list of reasons why some of my hearings and trials this year have been delayed and kicked off into the long grass, stuck in our record court backlog. Serious allegations which will now be tried *years* after the event. 🧵👇
Reposted by John Henderson
The Conservative Party's leader in London, Susan Hall, just shared this Islamophobic disinformation about Sadiq Khan, after it was posted on X by a racist troll
November 28, 2025 at 9:49 AM
The Conservative Party's leader in London, Susan Hall, just shared this Islamophobic disinformation about Sadiq Khan, after it was posted on X by a racist troll
@mthrjo.bsky.social Did you know there's a new Murderbot book coming? Suffolk Libraries ebook system says publication day is May 5.
November 25, 2025 at 3:48 PM
@mthrjo.bsky.social Did you know there's a new Murderbot book coming? Suffolk Libraries ebook system says publication day is May 5.
Reposted by John Henderson
If you have been sharing that Malwarebytes article on the Gmail thing, you should note the giant correction up top.
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
November 22, 2025 at 9:44 PM
If you have been sharing that Malwarebytes article on the Gmail thing, you should note the giant correction up top.
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/20...
Reposted by John Henderson
since the "google is now training gemini on your email contents" thing keeps bumping around here: it's _not happening_. I say this not to defend google but because I know a lot of people that have broken their filtering and made their lives much more annoying from sheer misinformation.
The malwarebytes Google opting-your-emails-into-ai-training thing is not true. The post is based on one bad tweet.
I know anti-tech lamenting is a Bluesky core principle, but please use the same judgement you would for any other clickbait.
www.theverge.com/news/826902/...
I know anti-tech lamenting is a Bluesky core principle, but please use the same judgement you would for any other clickbait.
www.theverge.com/news/826902/...
Google denies ‘misleading’ reports of Gmail using your emails to train AI
Google says “we do not use your Gmail content for training our Gemini AI model.”
www.theverge.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:30 PM
since the "google is now training gemini on your email contents" thing keeps bumping around here: it's _not happening_. I say this not to defend google but because I know a lot of people that have broken their filtering and made their lives much more annoying from sheer misinformation.
Reposted by John Henderson
If you're trying to convince your friends to spend time on Bluesky rather than X, maybe show them this. X is not "the public town square" or about "free speech." It's "just what Elon Musk wants you to see." If you see stuff he doesn't like he'll step in to make sure you don't see it for long.
If you scroll on X, you are only being shown what Elon wants you to see. If you create content on X, no one will see it unless Elon wants them to.
November 21, 2025 at 1:31 AM
If you're trying to convince your friends to spend time on Bluesky rather than X, maybe show them this. X is not "the public town square" or about "free speech." It's "just what Elon Musk wants you to see." If you see stuff he doesn't like he'll step in to make sure you don't see it for long.
Reposted by John Henderson
🍺 JD Wetherspoon – whose founder campaigned for the UK to leave the EU – is using Ireland as a springboard for its expansion into mainland Europe to avoid Brexit-induced red tape.
https://m.independent.ie/business/wetherspoon-uses-ireland-to-skirt-brexit-red-tape-for-eu-expansion/a1911675912.html
https://m.independent.ie/business/wetherspoon-uses-ireland-to-skirt-brexit-red-tape-for-eu-expansion/a1911675912.html
Wetherspoon uses Ireland to skirt Brexit red tape for EU expansion
UK pub and hotel group JD Wetherspoon – whose founder campaigned for the UK to leave the EU – is using Ireland as a springboard for its expansion into mainland Europe to avoid Brexit-induced red tape...
m.independent.ie
November 21, 2025 at 11:40 AM
🍺 JD Wetherspoon – whose founder campaigned for the UK to leave the EU – is using Ireland as a springboard for its expansion into mainland Europe to avoid Brexit-induced red tape.
https://m.independent.ie/business/wetherspoon-uses-ireland-to-skirt-brexit-red-tape-for-eu-expansion/a1911675912.html
https://m.independent.ie/business/wetherspoon-uses-ireland-to-skirt-brexit-red-tape-for-eu-expansion/a1911675912.html
Just been age checked in Waitrose for a pack of mince pies containing Cognac. Are they trying to convince me they have enough Cognac in them to be alcoholic?
November 20, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Just been age checked in Waitrose for a pack of mince pies containing Cognac. Are they trying to convince me they have enough Cognac in them to be alcoholic?
Reposted by John Henderson
Eat out to Help Out was killing people, but they “kept it out of the news”.
November 20, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Eat out to Help Out was killing people, but they “kept it out of the news”.
Reposted by John Henderson
The people who make Shein's clothes labor for ten to twelve hours per day (in violation of China's labor laws), some up to seven days a week, and earn as little as 15 to 30 cents per t-shirt.
![Excerpt from a BBC article: ""We usually work, 10, 11 or 12 hours a day," says a 49-year-old woman from Jiangxi unwilling to give her name. "On Sundays we work around three hours less."
She is in an alleyway, where a dozen people are huddled around a row of bulletin boards.
They are reading the job ads on the board, while examining the stitching on a pair of chinos draped over it.
This is Shein's supply chain. The factories are contracted to make clothes on order - some small, some big. If the chinos are a hit, orders will ramp up and so must production. Factories then hire temporary workers to meet the demand their permanent staff cannot fulfil.
The migrant worker from Jiangxi is looking for a short-term contract - and the chinos are an option.
"We earn so little. The cost of living is now so high," she says, adding that she hopes to make enough to send back to her two children who are living with their grandparents.
"We get paid per piece," she explains. "It depends how difficult the item is. Something simple like a t-shirt is one-two yuan [less than a dollar] per piece and I can make around a dozen in an hour.""](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ks3gpa6ftoyaq7hmf6c4qx4c/bafkreiber7g4o5pujmzmjjzsp5dkz7blfexburuwjispfpv6dki7akjb7a@jpeg)
November 20, 2025 at 12:07 AM
The people who make Shein's clothes labor for ten to twelve hours per day (in violation of China's labor laws), some up to seven days a week, and earn as little as 15 to 30 cents per t-shirt.
Reposted by John Henderson
Thing I found out today: if you're on Universal Credit (or other means-tested benefits) you can get into Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, or the Tower of London for £1 (and 50% off at one cafe per site too). Because poor people deserve days out too www.hrp.org.uk/one-pound-ti...
One Pound Tickets
£1 tickets for a day visit to the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace will be available to anyone in receipt of named benefits.
www.hrp.org.uk
November 19, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Thing I found out today: if you're on Universal Credit (or other means-tested benefits) you can get into Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, or the Tower of London for £1 (and 50% off at one cafe per site too). Because poor people deserve days out too www.hrp.org.uk/one-pound-ti...
Reposted by John Henderson
The Home Secretary says "we have become the destination of choice in Europe, clearly visible to every people smuggler and would-be illegal migrant across the world"
That is a factually untrue claim: the Home Office shows that the UK is fifth, getting 1/10 claims, while Germany gets 1/5 claims
That is a factually untrue claim: the Home Office shows that the UK is fifth, getting 1/10 claims, while Germany gets 1/5 claims
November 17, 2025 at 3:51 PM
The Home Secretary says "we have become the destination of choice in Europe, clearly visible to every people smuggler and would-be illegal migrant across the world"
That is a factually untrue claim: the Home Office shows that the UK is fifth, getting 1/10 claims, while Germany gets 1/5 claims
That is a factually untrue claim: the Home Office shows that the UK is fifth, getting 1/10 claims, while Germany gets 1/5 claims
These maps are so detailed it's well worth looking at where you live, especially in rural areas. Thanks NLS for making even those not of Scotland available online.
This #MapMonday let us take you back in time ⌛
We've just added first edition 6-inch to the mile Ordnance Survey maps of England and Wales to our website, published from the 1840s to 1880s. These maps are all from bound volumes.
Explore the maps > maps.nls.uk/additions/#188
We've just added first edition 6-inch to the mile Ordnance Survey maps of England and Wales to our website, published from the 1840s to 1880s. These maps are all from bound volumes.
Explore the maps > maps.nls.uk/additions/#188
November 17, 2025 at 10:10 AM
These maps are so detailed it's well worth looking at where you live, especially in rural areas. Thanks NLS for making even those not of Scotland available online.
Reposted by John Henderson
Nature is not a blocker to housing growth, MPs find
Nature is not a blocker to housing growth, MPs find
The Environmental Audit Committee found the government's measures are not enough to meet targets.
www.bbc.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Nature is not a blocker to housing growth, MPs find
Reposted by John Henderson
This is what many of us have been saying. Part 3 of the Planning & Infrastructure Bill is based on a myth: that we don't have enough homes because wildlife and green spaces are protected. It will solve nothing, and inflict terrible harm on our remaining ecosystems
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Nature not a blocker to housing growth, inquiry finds
Commons committee report challenges ‘lazy narrative’ used by ministers that scapegoats wildlife and the environment
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 12:12 PM
This is what many of us have been saying. Part 3 of the Planning & Infrastructure Bill is based on a myth: that we don't have enough homes because wildlife and green spaces are protected. It will solve nothing, and inflict terrible harm on our remaining ecosystems
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Reposted by John Henderson
Liz Truss on Fox News supporting Trump suing the BBC
"There are lots of people in Britain who are cheering President Trump on and want him to sue the BBC"
"And I believe the organisation needs to be defunded"
"There are lots of people in Britain who are cheering President Trump on and want him to sue the BBC"
"And I believe the organisation needs to be defunded"
November 15, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Reposted by John Henderson
Your occasional reminder, if you’re in the UK, that it is shaping up to be a hideous bird flu season, with many wildlife casualties (including resident birds, not just winter migrants), and, however soft your heart, it is a Really Bad Idea to handle sick or ‘injured’ birds or bring them inside.
November 14, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Your occasional reminder, if you’re in the UK, that it is shaping up to be a hideous bird flu season, with many wildlife casualties (including resident birds, not just winter migrants), and, however soft your heart, it is a Really Bad Idea to handle sick or ‘injured’ birds or bring them inside.
Reposted by John Henderson
Kidlington fly-tipping: Criminals dump mountain of waste in field
Kidlington fly-tipping: Criminals dump mountain of waste in field
The enormous pile of rubbish is called an "environmental catastrophe unfolding in plain sight".
www.bbc.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Kidlington fly-tipping: Criminals dump mountain of waste in field
Reposted by John Henderson
⚠️ Yellow weather warning UPDATED ⚠️
Extended into central & western Scotland
Now valid until 1900 today
Latest info 👉 bit.ly/WxWarning
Stay #WeatherAware⚠️
Extended into central & western Scotland
Now valid until 1900 today
Latest info 👉 bit.ly/WxWarning
Stay #WeatherAware⚠️
November 13, 2025 at 9:37 AM
⚠️ Yellow weather warning UPDATED ⚠️
Extended into central & western Scotland
Now valid until 1900 today
Latest info 👉 bit.ly/WxWarning
Stay #WeatherAware⚠️
Extended into central & western Scotland
Now valid until 1900 today
Latest info 👉 bit.ly/WxWarning
Stay #WeatherAware⚠️
Reposted by John Henderson
Love being reminded to do this every year. It's a win/win all round
November 11, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Love being reminded to do this every year. It's a win/win all round
Reposted by John Henderson
[email protected] - please do share if you can. Thanks #blendedfamilies
November 11, 2025 at 2:49 PM
[email protected] - please do share if you can. Thanks #blendedfamilies
Should you venture to X yoday, don't bother looking at the responses to any BBC News post. They are full of the "defund the BBC" mob and Maga/Muskbots ranting about nothing to do with the story. Many are claiming to be Americans with remarkably few posts or followers.
November 11, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Should you venture to X yoday, don't bother looking at the responses to any BBC News post. They are full of the "defund the BBC" mob and Maga/Muskbots ranting about nothing to do with the story. Many are claiming to be Americans with remarkably few posts or followers.
Reposted by John Henderson
Nowhere in the hysterical pile-on against the BBC in the British press has anyone mentioned that BBC News now has 77 million viewers & listeners in the US and has established itself as the second most trusted news source there.
November 11, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Nowhere in the hysterical pile-on against the BBC in the British press has anyone mentioned that BBC News now has 77 million viewers & listeners in the US and has established itself as the second most trusted news source there.