Richard Haviland
@rfhaviland.bsky.social
Former civil servant, enjoying the freedom to speak my mind. Published in Times, Byline Times, Bylines Scotland, West Country Voices. Member of European Movement in Scotland.
Pinned
Richard Haviland
@rfhaviland.bsky.social
· Sep 15
Starmer’s moral cowardice on refugees
The Labour leadership is tacitly accepting, and reflecting, Farage’s perverted notion of patriotism
bylines.scot
‘If slavery were invented today, would (Labour ministers) call it ‘impractical’?
If torture were invented today, would they call it ‘ineffective’?
If child labour were invented today, would they call it ‘poor value for money’?’
My piece for @bylines.scot
bylines.scot/politics/sta...
If torture were invented today, would they call it ‘ineffective’?
If child labour were invented today, would they call it ‘poor value for money’?’
My piece for @bylines.scot
bylines.scot/politics/sta...
Reposted by Richard Haviland
“Never trust our promises again” CIA chief promises potential future foreign assets.
CIA statement about the Afghan man identified as the gunman who shot two National Guardsmen in Washington
November 27, 2025 at 5:20 PM
“Never trust our promises again” CIA chief promises potential future foreign assets.
Reposted by Richard Haviland
Headline on The World at One just now:
"Sir Keir Starmer has denied putting the Labour Party before the country by ending the two-child benefit cap".
Can we please go back to reporting the actual news, not someone's partisan take on it?
"Sir Keir Starmer has denied putting the Labour Party before the country by ending the two-child benefit cap".
Can we please go back to reporting the actual news, not someone's partisan take on it?
November 27, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Headline on The World at One just now:
"Sir Keir Starmer has denied putting the Labour Party before the country by ending the two-child benefit cap".
Can we please go back to reporting the actual news, not someone's partisan take on it?
"Sir Keir Starmer has denied putting the Labour Party before the country by ending the two-child benefit cap".
Can we please go back to reporting the actual news, not someone's partisan take on it?
Reposted by Richard Haviland
I find it horrifying how many people support the two-child benefit cap, knowing that it forces children to live in poverty. Sometimes the voters are morally dreadful and you need to ignore them
November 27, 2025 at 1:30 PM
I find it horrifying how many people support the two-child benefit cap, knowing that it forces children to live in poverty. Sometimes the voters are morally dreadful and you need to ignore them
Reposted by Richard Haviland
Abysmal, mindless, utterly zombified. You can't even call it policymaking because that implies a degree of thought which simply isn't present. Pretty soon they might actually hit Cameron's 'tens of thousands' target and then they'll shit themselves with horror at the consequences.
PM describes net migration of 205k as "a step in the right direction". His govt has no public position on a sustainable level of immigration is, nor any known process to decide what, why & how. Starmer is now implying he wants it significantly lower
www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...
www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...
Net migration drop ‘step in the right direction’ – Starmer
Net migration peaked at a record 944,000 in the year to March 2023 but has fallen sharply since then.
www.standard.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Abysmal, mindless, utterly zombified. You can't even call it policymaking because that implies a degree of thought which simply isn't present. Pretty soon they might actually hit Cameron's 'tens of thousands' target and then they'll shit themselves with horror at the consequences.
Reposted by Richard Haviland
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
November 27, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
Reposted by Richard Haviland
- A 100,000 drop in net migration costs us £7bn
- Scrapping the two-child benefit cap costs us £3bn
What gets more attention?
James O’Brien says 'we have become a ludicrous country'.
- Scrapping the two-child benefit cap costs us £3bn
What gets more attention?
James O’Brien says 'we have become a ludicrous country'.
November 27, 2025 at 11:11 AM
- A 100,000 drop in net migration costs us £7bn
- Scrapping the two-child benefit cap costs us £3bn
What gets more attention?
James O’Brien says 'we have become a ludicrous country'.
- Scrapping the two-child benefit cap costs us £3bn
What gets more attention?
James O’Brien says 'we have become a ludicrous country'.
Reposted by Richard Haviland
If you want some good news this morning, I showed my three boys the PM doing the six/seven thing and now they have all stopped doing it.
November 27, 2025 at 7:03 AM
If you want some good news this morning, I showed my three boys the PM doing the six/seven thing and now they have all stopped doing it.
All the ‘once in a generation’ line reveals, all the more so when you have no answer to the obvious follow-up, is that you can’t be arsed to work out a valid set of arguments.
The subtext is ‘this isn’t important enough for me to devote thought to’.
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2565409...
The subtext is ‘this isn’t important enough for me to devote thought to’.
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2565409...
Reeves rules out second independence referendum even with SNP majority
Rachel Reeves says a Labour UK Government will not permit another Scottish independence referendum, even if the SNP wins a majority at Holyrood in…
www.heraldscotland.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:36 AM
All the ‘once in a generation’ line reveals, all the more so when you have no answer to the obvious follow-up, is that you can’t be arsed to work out a valid set of arguments.
The subtext is ‘this isn’t important enough for me to devote thought to’.
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2565409...
The subtext is ‘this isn’t important enough for me to devote thought to’.
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2565409...
Reposted by Richard Haviland
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... - my new article, if of interest please share.
I endured an English public school. But that’s not the only reason I’m unsurprised about the Farage allegations |
Let’s put aside the schooldays accusations and look, instead, at the Reform leader’s path since then. I think a pretty clear picture of the man emerges, says author and podcaster Musa Okwonga
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:03 AM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... - my new article, if of interest please share.
Reposted by Richard Haviland
Britain:
American taxes and Scandinavian public services for the old.
Scandinavian taxes and American public services for the young.
American taxes and Scandinavian public services for the old.
Scandinavian taxes and American public services for the young.
having gone to university as the last cohort of the 3k/year system never fails to give me a brief taste of that "last chopper out of Saigon" feeling boomers and, to an extent, Gen Xers have been getting for most of the past fifteen years or so
Student loan repayment thresholds frozen for a further three years.
More debt burden falling on graduates.
And even more reason to cut university places by 20-30%.
More debt burden falling on graduates.
And even more reason to cut university places by 20-30%.
November 26, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Britain:
American taxes and Scandinavian public services for the old.
Scandinavian taxes and American public services for the young.
American taxes and Scandinavian public services for the old.
Scandinavian taxes and American public services for the young.
This is beautiful.
Trump next.
Trump next.
Good morning to Brazilian reporter Manuela Borges, who’s been waiting eleven years for this petty moment. ❤️ 🇧🇷
November 26, 2025 at 3:14 PM
This is beautiful.
Trump next.
Trump next.
Reposted by Richard Haviland
~ Compass Statement on Labour's Asylum Policy ~
https://www.compassonline.org.uk/compass-statement-on-labours-asylum-policy/
https://www.compassonline.org.uk/compass-statement-on-labours-asylum-policy/
Compass Statement on Labour's Asylum Policy
Compass provides its view on a Labour policy that feels fundamentally un-Labour.
www.compassonline.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 2:26 PM
~ Compass Statement on Labour's Asylum Policy ~
https://www.compassonline.org.uk/compass-statement-on-labours-asylum-policy/
https://www.compassonline.org.uk/compass-statement-on-labours-asylum-policy/
Reposted by Richard Haviland
The fight to end child poverty goes on. But today we must celebrate. It will make a real, lasting difference to families the breadth of the UK and I’m so grateful to everyone in @changingrealities.bsky.social & @cpaguk.bsky.social who have advocated tirelessly for its full abolition
www.changingrealities.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:37 PM
The fight to end child poverty goes on. But today we must celebrate. It will make a real, lasting difference to families the breadth of the UK and I’m so grateful to everyone in @changingrealities.bsky.social & @cpaguk.bsky.social who have advocated tirelessly for its full abolition
As the man himself might say:
“i’m not saying Nigel Farage is a vicious, racist bully, I’m just asking questions’.
“i’m not saying Nigel Farage is a vicious, racist bully, I’m just asking questions’.
I haven't seen any yet but you could probably find a few contemporaries who didn't personally witness Farage being Farage at school. But there doesn't seem to be a single former pupil or teacher who find the descriptions of racism, anti-semitism & cruelty unfeasible. Shocked, I tell you...
November 26, 2025 at 10:10 AM
As the man himself might say:
“i’m not saying Nigel Farage is a vicious, racist bully, I’m just asking questions’.
“i’m not saying Nigel Farage is a vicious, racist bully, I’m just asking questions’.
Reposted by Richard Haviland
‘The very idea of living in a country ruled by the person who said the things that he said to me is deeply disturbing’
To ape Farage’s own style, ‘I’m not saying Farage is still a vicious racist and bully, I’m just asking questions’.
Essential listening.
open.spotify.com/episode/26ZU...
To ape Farage’s own style, ‘I’m not saying Farage is still a vicious racist and bully, I’m just asking questions’.
Essential listening.
open.spotify.com/episode/26ZU...
Nazi salutes and racism: the allegations about Nigel Farage’s school days
open.spotify.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:45 PM
‘The very idea of living in a country ruled by the person who said the things that he said to me is deeply disturbing’
To ape Farage’s own style, ‘I’m not saying Farage is still a vicious racist and bully, I’m just asking questions’.
Essential listening.
open.spotify.com/episode/26ZU...
To ape Farage’s own style, ‘I’m not saying Farage is still a vicious racist and bully, I’m just asking questions’.
Essential listening.
open.spotify.com/episode/26ZU...
‘The very idea of living in a country ruled by the person who said the things that he said to me is deeply disturbing’
To ape Farage’s own style, ‘I’m not saying Farage is still a vicious racist and bully, I’m just asking questions’.
Essential listening.
open.spotify.com/episode/26ZU...
To ape Farage’s own style, ‘I’m not saying Farage is still a vicious racist and bully, I’m just asking questions’.
Essential listening.
open.spotify.com/episode/26ZU...
Nazi salutes and racism: the allegations about Nigel Farage’s school days
open.spotify.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:45 PM
‘The very idea of living in a country ruled by the person who said the things that he said to me is deeply disturbing’
To ape Farage’s own style, ‘I’m not saying Farage is still a vicious racist and bully, I’m just asking questions’.
Essential listening.
open.spotify.com/episode/26ZU...
To ape Farage’s own style, ‘I’m not saying Farage is still a vicious racist and bully, I’m just asking questions’.
Essential listening.
open.spotify.com/episode/26ZU...
Reposted by Richard Haviland
I’m beyond proud of Peter Ettedgui speaking out about Farage and the vile antisemitic abuse he endured. I first heard Peter’s story nearly 20 years ago when Farage was a virtual nobody. It’s not a hit job. Just the truth
November 25, 2025 at 7:12 PM
I’m beyond proud of Peter Ettedgui speaking out about Farage and the vile antisemitic abuse he endured. I first heard Peter’s story nearly 20 years ago when Farage was a virtual nobody. It’s not a hit job. Just the truth
Reposted by Richard Haviland
“It seems free speech only exists for people who agree with them.” Reform UK's legal threats against Welsh news service @nation.cymru hints at the party taking a more aggressive approach to the #UK media. Read Daniel Boffey's analysis:
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reform’s ‘Trumpian’ legal threats hint at more aggressive approach to media
Ultimatums sent to publications appear to intensify as Nigel Farage’s party rises in polls
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:38 PM
“It seems free speech only exists for people who agree with them.” Reform UK's legal threats against Welsh news service @nation.cymru hints at the party taking a more aggressive approach to the #UK media. Read Daniel Boffey's analysis:
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Richard Haviland
BREAKING: This is huge news, the EU's equivalent of the 🇺🇸Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling.
🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.
This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.
This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
www.reuters.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:10 AM
BREAKING: This is huge news, the EU's equivalent of the 🇺🇸Supreme Court's 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling.
🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.
This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
🇪🇺Court of Justice just ruled all 🇪🇺countries must recognise same-sex marriages granted in other member states.
This effectively legalises gay marriage across 🇪🇺
Reposted by Richard Haviland
Someone really needs to explain the Striesand Effect to the BBC. And also tell them to stop being so pathetic.
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Someone really needs to explain the Striesand Effect to the BBC. And also tell them to stop being so pathetic.
Reposted by Richard Haviland
Just a jaw-dropping paragraph in Trevor Phillips's column for The Times.
This is a policy that, by his own account, has left parents of a particular race too frightened to walk their children to school.
And that's the example he chooses of the "vigour" we "need".
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
This is a policy that, by his own account, has left parents of a particular race too frightened to walk their children to school.
And that's the example he chooses of the "vigour" we "need".
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
November 24, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Just a jaw-dropping paragraph in Trevor Phillips's column for The Times.
This is a policy that, by his own account, has left parents of a particular race too frightened to walk their children to school.
And that's the example he chooses of the "vigour" we "need".
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
This is a policy that, by his own account, has left parents of a particular race too frightened to walk their children to school.
And that's the example he chooses of the "vigour" we "need".
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Reposted by Richard Haviland
This is how epidemiologists say fuck around and found out. It is horrifying to think about how many people RFK will kill
2/ so many gutting moment but this was among the first, from one of the world’s leading scientists on vaccines and immunology:
November 24, 2025 at 2:48 PM
This is how epidemiologists say fuck around and found out. It is horrifying to think about how many people RFK will kill
Reposted by Richard Haviland
Turns out the media & most of Parliament is as out of touch with reality as Twitter. Dear England.
Why do people think England flags have been raised on lampposts?
White adults
National pride: 26%
Anti-migrant/minority sentiment: 49%
Both: 19%
Ethnic minority adults
National pride: 15%
Anti-migrant/minority sentiment: 55%
Both: 20%
yougov.co.uk/society/arti...
White adults
National pride: 26%
Anti-migrant/minority sentiment: 49%
Both: 19%
Ethnic minority adults
National pride: 15%
Anti-migrant/minority sentiment: 55%
Both: 20%
yougov.co.uk/society/arti...
November 22, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Turns out the media & most of Parliament is as out of touch with reality as Twitter. Dear England.
Reposted by Richard Haviland
Home Office: How dare people say we are acting like the far-right?
Also the Home Office: These far-right graphics look great, let's copy them.
Also the Home Office: These far-right graphics look great, let's copy them.
November 21, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Home Office: How dare people say we are acting like the far-right?
Also the Home Office: These far-right graphics look great, let's copy them.
Also the Home Office: These far-right graphics look great, let's copy them.
Reposted by Richard Haviland
At Labour’s conference, Keir Starmer promised his government would “fight with everything we have” against those pushing racism and the idea of two-tier Britishness.
Now it is the clear and stated policy rationale of his government that the racists were correct and must be appeased.
Now it is the clear and stated policy rationale of his government that the racists were correct and must be appeased.
It’s just nuts. Even if you accept Labour’s policy diagnosis, we “lost control” of our borders, and concern about immigration was rising long before the alarming rise of racism. The big change on racism has been we traded an anti-racist government for one that is at best Trappist on it.
I find insane that shabana mahmood is going out there and saying "white british people cannot be asked to accept too many of us outsiders, it is not in their nature, and their pushback against all of us is to be placated". What???
November 21, 2025 at 3:04 PM
At Labour’s conference, Keir Starmer promised his government would “fight with everything we have” against those pushing racism and the idea of two-tier Britishness.
Now it is the clear and stated policy rationale of his government that the racists were correct and must be appeased.
Now it is the clear and stated policy rationale of his government that the racists were correct and must be appeased.