Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Rich @hoxtonrich.bsky.social · 2d

About 5 years #carfree for us. Well north of £10k saved. I’m used to it now but ‘free’ is the right term. It honestly felt like having a weight lifted. No stressing about insurance, huge unexpected bills & money wasted at petrol pumps. Journeys are now fun. 🚆 🚊 🚃 🚌 🚲 🚶‍♀️

Kirsten de Vos 🚶🏻‍♀️💚🚲🍃 @kirstendevos.bsky.social · 2d

3+ years #carfree for me too 🚶🏻‍♀️🚲🚌🚖

Walk, ride, public transport, and the occasional car share (Co-Wheels) or taxi when needed. Honestly? It’s nowhere near as hard as we thought it would be

Still saving money, still getting places, still feeling good.
#CarFree #NoRegrets #ActiveTravel #BrumbyBike

A woman (me!) wearing a red jacket is standing next to her bike beside a street sign which reads ‘Carless Avenue’

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Shivaji Shiva @shivajishivalaw.bsky.social · 2d

manchestermill.co.uk/jews-and-mus...

Jews and Muslims in North Manchester: A personal story

‘We thought we were the luckiest people in the world to be born in Manchester’

manchestermill.co.uk

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Merseyside Cycling Campaign @merseycyclists.bsky.social · 5d

Remembering John Lennon on what would have been his 85th birthday 🕊️

“As a kid, I had a dream – I wanted to own my own bicycle. When I got the bike I must have been the happiest boy in Liverpool, maybe the world. I lived for that bike.”

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Oh God, What Now? – the politics podcast @ohgodwhatnow.bsky.social · 16d

@petergeoghegan.bsky.social talks about the financial powers behind the UK's right wing politics.

#ukpolitics #farage #podcast

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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 14d

Today in life under competitive authoritarianism

Andrew Kydd @andrewkydd.bsky.social · 14d

Trump/Hegseth to the military: you work for me now, I’m going to use you to control US cities, you can kill anyone you want, and anyone who disagrees is fired.

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Cool Bike Art @coolbikeart1.bsky.social · 18d

In 2013, when faced with Miami-area gridlock, tennis champion Serena Williams made headlines by riding a bicycle to her match. "It was probably one of my best memories I think ever, riding a bike to a match" she said.

#BicycleBirthday Serena Williams
September 26, 1981

Photo of a woman making a peace sign while resting astride an orange cruiser bicycle.

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Rebecca Sharkey @rebshark.bsky.social · 18d

In other news, I’ve discovered that I don’t mind sitting facing backwards on trains after all.

Rebecca Sharkey @rebshark.bsky.social · 23d

I’m already enjoying my new thermal winter gloves!

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Emily Johnston @enjohnston.bsky.social · 23d

Between this & zero traffic deaths in Helsinki last year....

The simple truth that's somehow utterly unintelligible to capitalism & those in its thrall is that doing the right thing by the vulnerable (be they houseless, pedestrians, or anything else) makes the world BETTER FOR EVERYONE.

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 24d

“In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Those affected receive a small apartment & counselling with no preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected make their way back into a stable life. And all this is CHEAPER than accepting homelessness.”

It costs a lot less to house people.

Finland ends homelessness and provides shelter for all in need - scoop.me

In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Why? The country applies the "Housing First" concept agains homelessness.

thebetter.news

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Haringey Cycling Campaign @haringeycyclists.bsky.social · 25d

🚨🚨 Sound up loud for our brand new video! 📽️📽️

People riding to the song of the moment - turn it up and enjoy! 🎶

Last Saturday, Haringey Cycling organised a marshalled family ride around local animal murals.

We got an amazing turnout, because People Love Cycling. … /1

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Merseyside Cycling Campaign @merseycyclists.bsky.social · Sep 14

Get your headphones on and go for walk with @walkridegm.org.uk's excellent podcast Moving Up North, to learn more about what effective #ActiveTravel campaigning looks like🚲🚶🏾‍♀️🧑‍🦽 🛴 www.walkridegm.org.uk/2024/11/01/m...

Moving Up North - Walk Ride GM

The northern perspective on walking, wheeling and cycling. Harry and Will digest each month’s policy and delivery news into a friendly, easily accessible round-up. Walk Ride GM campaigns to make walk...

www.walkridegm.org.uk

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Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · Sep 14

After the rivers of blood speech, precisely no one in the major parties patted themselves on the back and declared free speech to be alive and well. They declared Powell a pariah, and he was only able to re-emerge in public life as the incongruous unionist MP for South Down.

The Guardian @theguardian.com · Sep 14

Scale of ‘Unite the Kingdom’ march shows free speech ‘alive and well’ in UK, says minister – UK politics live

Peter Kyle said he was not ‘disturbed’ by huge Tommy Robinson-organised far-right protest but condemns violence against the police

www.theguardian.com

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Stella Creasy MP @stellacreasy.bsky.social · Sep 13

You can spend your time arguing with their bot accounts. You can dismiss them as an extreme minority we should ignore.

It won’t shift the dial.

To reclaim our future use your voice to build and strengthen the communities they attack and show firsthand how hope beats hate.

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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · Sep 12

Things are incredibly grim, but there are small, tentative signs of improvement. Maybe. iandunt.substack.com/p/three-reas...

Three reasons to feel hope

Things are incredibly grim, but there are small, tentative signs of improvement. Maybe.

iandunt.substack.com

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Rebecca Sharkey @rebshark.bsky.social · Sep 12

There’s a HUGE Elon Musk shaped hole in the Government’s new plans to improve our elections: shady billionaires like Musk can still donate massive amounts of money with no cap: effectively buying our democracy. Add your name to call for a cap on donations today: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ta...

Take Big Money Out of Our Politics

British politics is awash with money from super rich donors. In 2023, two-thirds of all private donations came from just 19 people. These so-called ‘mega donors’ enjoy privileged access to political p...

you.38degrees.org.uk

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Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · Sep 11

Breaking: Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years in prison after being found guilty of plotting a military coup.

This is the appropriate consequence and punishment for attempting to overthrow your own nation's democracy.

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Anne Hidalgo @annehidalgo.bsky.social · Sep 11

Notre ville change ! Nos rues sont peu à peu rendues aux habitants, de nouveaux arbres sont plantés et les promenades facilitées et sécurisées.

C'est le cas de la rue Chaptal dans le 9e ou celle du Docteur-Lecène dans le 13e !

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Prof. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · Sep 1

Where would I start? Discouraging short car trips for those who can walk, obvs, and taking steps like banning pavement parking and fixing pelican crossings to make walking easier and quicker. Getting house builders to stop building car-dependent transport deserts could also be a lasting impact

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Prof. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · Sep 1

It's disappointing that the government's plan to get people moving is focused around "Go for a jog" rather than, as the evidence suggests, building environments that encourage everyday incidental exercise: the ability to walk to amenities
liveapp.inews.co.uk/category/388...

Streeting’s bid to get Britain off the couch and save NHS £10bn

Health Secretary’s Get Britain Moving campaign could be undermined by difficulty to walk in some areas

liveapp.inews.co.uk

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Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · Aug 29

Labour's cowardice in the face of extremism iandunt.substack.com/p/labours-co...

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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · Aug 28

People on bikes fear that without protected bike lanes, people in cars will “completely kill” them.

WBZ News @wbztv.bsky.social · Aug 27

Somerville shop owner fears bike lanes will "completely kill" businesses

A donut shop in Somerville, Massachusetts said they're forced to look for a new home after the construction of bike lanes will remove street parking.

www.cbsnews.com

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Stephen Frost @sfrost.bsky.social · Aug 27

Latest report from me below, and here's the Guardian's coverage (thanks to the environment team for covering it).

Current policy won't deliver the emissions reductions from transport needed by 2030 and risks widening inequality. Prioritising fairness is the key to unlocking faster climate action.

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Kenan Malik @kenanmalik.bsky.social · Aug 18

So, (very) belatedly, my @theobserveruk.bsky.social column on immigration, culture, the Judeo-Christian tradition and echoes across a century: observer.co.uk/news/opinion...

Britain’s shameful past holds a vital message about immig...

Deplorable attitudes to refugees failed to stop solidarity across the divides

observer.co.uk

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Jon Bloomfield @jonbloomfield.bsky.social · Aug 19

"All this is not overtly “blood and soil,” but the underlying logic – that your ethnicity and ancestry is your primary and most important identity is essentially the same" @jdportes.bsky.social getting to the root of populist racism - from Goodhart to Goodwin. bylinetimes.com/2025/08/19/r...

Robert Jenrick and the Conservative Party's Embrace of 'Blood and Soil' Nationalism

The British right is adopting an increasingly extreme form of ethnic identity politics, while failing to explain what the rest of us are supposed to be so worried about, argues Jonathan Portes

bylinetimes.com

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