Alex Bullett
@catch23.bsky.social
Social democracy with liberal characteristics. Interested in elections, housing policy & local govt. All views strictly my own. He/him. 🌹
Reposted by Alex Bullett
I really hope people advocating to ban kids from SM read this. Some kids are isolated by disabilities or circumstances. Furthermore, some kids grow up in abusive households. “Ideally, a child’s exposure to online worlds should be moderated by their parents” isn’t a reassuring sentiment for everyone
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
‘I’ve lost my friends’: advocacy groups warn Australia’s social media ban risks isolating kids with disabilities
Despite the ban’s aim to protect young people, experts are concerned that those in marginalised communities or living with disabilities could lose vital support networks
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:06 AM
I really hope people advocating to ban kids from SM read this. Some kids are isolated by disabilities or circumstances. Furthermore, some kids grow up in abusive households. “Ideally, a child’s exposure to online worlds should be moderated by their parents” isn’t a reassuring sentiment for everyone
Reposted by Alex Bullett
This is a great paper based on that rarest of things: an actual (fleeting) English planning success story. Zero excuse for any council claiming a housing crisis to not have a knock-off version on the books by September.
My only criticism is the cowardly dodge of ‘Croydon Facelift’ for its title.
My only criticism is the cowardly dodge of ‘Croydon Facelift’ for its title.
🆕What happens when planning rules are clearer and more predictable?
Our latest briefing examines Croydon’s Suburban Design Guide and its impact on small-site housing delivery. 👇
buff.ly/vLNo0r9
Our latest briefing examines Croydon’s Suburban Design Guide and its impact on small-site housing delivery. 👇
buff.ly/vLNo0r9
February 4, 2026 at 7:31 PM
This is a great paper based on that rarest of things: an actual (fleeting) English planning success story. Zero excuse for any council claiming a housing crisis to not have a knock-off version on the books by September.
My only criticism is the cowardly dodge of ‘Croydon Facelift’ for its title.
My only criticism is the cowardly dodge of ‘Croydon Facelift’ for its title.
Reposted by Alex Bullett
Green Party think you should be allowed to attack women with sledgehammers.
Pleased to see the jury make this decision.
We need to have eyes wide open this is exactly why the Government wants to abolish juries.
People protesting against a genocide are not the criminals here - it's the politicians who continue to provide cover.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
We need to have eyes wide open this is exactly why the Government wants to abolish juries.
People protesting against a genocide are not the criminals here - it's the politicians who continue to provide cover.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Palestine Action protesters not guilty of defence firm burglary
The group are cleared of aggravated burglary over the alleged raid at an Elbit Systems warehouse.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Green Party think you should be allowed to attack women with sledgehammers.
Reposted by Alex Bullett
"The price just doesn't matter if you can't get a home".
Good write up here of the problems of trying to use rent controls to force down private rents.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Good write up here of the problems of trying to use rent controls to force down private rents.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Rent controls are coming to the UK - but they're not a guaranteed win for tenants
Rent controls are coming to the UK - but they're not a guaranteed win for tenants
www.bbc.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 7:20 AM
"The price just doesn't matter if you can't get a home".
Good write up here of the problems of trying to use rent controls to force down private rents.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Good write up here of the problems of trying to use rent controls to force down private rents.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Alex Bullett
New Swingometer! With nominations now closed, and a few surprises in candidate selection, here's my first update on the Gorton & Denton by election. Also featuring a polling spat, dodgy bar charts, and Jason Momoa swingometer.substack.com/p/gorton-and...
Gorton and Denton Update 1
There's somethin' happenin' here, what it is ain't exactly clear
swingometer.substack.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:34 PM
New Swingometer! With nominations now closed, and a few surprises in candidate selection, here's my first update on the Gorton & Denton by election. Also featuring a polling spat, dodgy bar charts, and Jason Momoa swingometer.substack.com/p/gorton-and...
Reposted by Alex Bullett
Hear me out: can we have Gordon back
Gordon Brown writes to Met to back case for investigation into Mandelson's 'inexcusable and unpatriotic' leaking - www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
February 3, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Hear me out: can we have Gordon back
Reposted by Alex Bullett
'Bring back the two-child benefit cap to cut the price of a pint by 5p' is actually a perfect Reform policy, though. Immiserate thousands of people for a meaningless stunt.
February 3, 2026 at 10:51 AM
'Bring back the two-child benefit cap to cut the price of a pint by 5p' is actually a perfect Reform policy, though. Immiserate thousands of people for a meaningless stunt.
Reposted by Alex Bullett
🇺🇦🇬🇧 Thousands of Ukrainian children are growing up in the UK – but are faced with uncertainty about their future
• No long-term plan for settlement
• Fears of children losing their language and identity
• Ukrainian GCSE yet to be introduced
• No long-term plan for settlement
• Fears of children losing their language and identity
• Ukrainian GCSE yet to be introduced
How Thousands Of Ukrainian Children In The UK Are Growing Up In Limbo
More than 60,000 Ukrainian children have grown up in the UK since fleeing Russia’s full-scale invasion. Zoe Crowther explores how the absence of a ...
www.politicshome.com
February 1, 2026 at 11:39 AM
🇺🇦🇬🇧 Thousands of Ukrainian children are growing up in the UK – but are faced with uncertainty about their future
• No long-term plan for settlement
• Fears of children losing their language and identity
• Ukrainian GCSE yet to be introduced
• No long-term plan for settlement
• Fears of children losing their language and identity
• Ukrainian GCSE yet to be introduced
Reposted by Alex Bullett
R.I.P. Catherine O'Hara, you taught me it was okay to never say baby correctly again.
www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...
www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...
Catherine O’Hara death: Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone star dead at 71
Canada-native comedy legend was also known for 'SCTV,' 'Best in Show' and 'The Studio'
www.independent.co.uk
January 30, 2026 at 6:28 PM
R.I.P. Catherine O'Hara, you taught me it was okay to never say baby correctly again.
www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...
www.independent.co.uk/arts-enterta...
Reposted by Alex Bullett
New Swingometer! The Gorton and Denton By-election: A tale of Two Manchesters
open.substack.com/pub/swingome...
open.substack.com/pub/swingome...
The Gorton and Denton by-election: a tale of two Manchesters?
Unpopular incumbent + fragmented opposition + unusual seat = unpredictable contest
open.substack.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:21 PM
New Swingometer! The Gorton and Denton By-election: A tale of Two Manchesters
open.substack.com/pub/swingome...
open.substack.com/pub/swingome...
Reposted by Alex Bullett
Worth remembering when looking at the horrific scenes in the US right now that both Reform and the Tories have pledged to bring in ICE-style organisations to the UK if they win power
January 24, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Worth remembering when looking at the horrific scenes in the US right now that both Reform and the Tories have pledged to bring in ICE-style organisations to the UK if they win power
Reposted by Alex Bullett
It’s -9 degrees. Downtown Minneapolis is packed for the anti-ICE rally and the crowd keeps growing
January 23, 2026 at 8:16 PM
It’s -9 degrees. Downtown Minneapolis is packed for the anti-ICE rally and the crowd keeps growing
Reposted by Alex Bullett
imagine being the father or mother or son or daughter or sibling of one of those brave British troops who died in Afghanistan, and having to listen to this crass ignorance
January 23, 2026 at 11:47 AM
imagine being the father or mother or son or daughter or sibling of one of those brave British troops who died in Afghanistan, and having to listen to this crass ignorance
Reposted by Alex Bullett
“It’s a good thing that China thinks in terms of centuries, because they are about to meet the British planning system.”
Academic Daniel Susskind on the proposed Chinese embassy in London
Academic Daniel Susskind on the proposed Chinese embassy in London
January 23, 2026 at 9:49 AM
“It’s a good thing that China thinks in terms of centuries, because they are about to meet the British planning system.”
Academic Daniel Susskind on the proposed Chinese embassy in London
Academic Daniel Susskind on the proposed Chinese embassy in London
Reposted by Alex Bullett
To hopefully reassure Alison, certainly in Parliament there are people like me and @chionwurah.bsky.social who are calling for the evidence to be reviewed properly (including understanding gaps) and to not move to a knee jerk response. Young people's evidence must be part of this.
It strikes me as astonishing that there is so little debate about a possible social media ban for under 16s. Almost all of the commentary assumes that those pushing for a ban have all the facts, and the moral high ground. The idea that there’s a counter perspective seems to be barely acknowledged.
January 21, 2026 at 7:14 PM
To hopefully reassure Alison, certainly in Parliament there are people like me and @chionwurah.bsky.social who are calling for the evidence to be reviewed properly (including understanding gaps) and to not move to a knee jerk response. Young people's evidence must be part of this.
Reposted by Alex Bullett
Mark Carney's speech really is terrific: full text is here and very much worth your time.
The Carney doctrine
Open comment thread on the PM's Davos speech
paulwells.substack.com
January 20, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Mark Carney's speech really is terrific: full text is here and very much worth your time.
Reposted by Alex Bullett
True liberals have spent centuries fighting and dying on the barricades so their brothers and sisters can have a world where they are free to live as they please in a society governed by reason and law, not arbitrary force
January 18, 2026 at 3:59 PM
True liberals have spent centuries fighting and dying on the barricades so their brothers and sisters can have a world where they are free to live as they please in a society governed by reason and law, not arbitrary force
Reposted by Alex Bullett
Liberalism is a radical idea of universal liberation, even if most of its modern-day adherents are squishy opportunists who are simply echoing what they perceive as the prevailing ideology of their friends
I have come to understand that Will Stancil was always radical, he just wasn’t (likely, still isn’t) radical about the precise thing(s) a lot of us on here wanted him to be radical about.
I’m hearing people freak about a military deployment to Minneapolis but it doesn’t change much. It’s scarier but the same. We still outnumber them 100 to 1. They have more guns than us either way. They can shoot us either way. They’ll probably be easier to find and follow if they’re in a tank.
January 18, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Liberalism is a radical idea of universal liberation, even if most of its modern-day adherents are squishy opportunists who are simply echoing what they perceive as the prevailing ideology of their friends
Reposted by Alex Bullett
"there is a lot of insanity on the political left too, not just the right" is a really funny sentiment because if it comes from an ordinary person i am immediately alarmed and if it comes from someone who has actually spent time on the left i just sigh deeply and go "tell me about it"
January 14, 2026 at 9:05 AM
"there is a lot of insanity on the political left too, not just the right" is a really funny sentiment because if it comes from an ordinary person i am immediately alarmed and if it comes from someone who has actually spent time on the left i just sigh deeply and go "tell me about it"
Reposted by Alex Bullett
If we can’t even talk in general terms about MPs’ workload- which MPs of all parties agree is v casework- heavy and getting heavier- without a lot of responses being to assume that MPs are not telling the truth/just whinging/ working on the wrong things etc- then I think we’re in a bad place
October 10, 2025 at 5:05 PM
If we can’t even talk in general terms about MPs’ workload- which MPs of all parties agree is v casework- heavy and getting heavier- without a lot of responses being to assume that MPs are not telling the truth/just whinging/ working on the wrong things etc- then I think we’re in a bad place
Reposted by Alex Bullett
Reposted by Alex Bullett
On the morning of Keir Starmer's conference speech here's a new post on an odd psychopathology in British politics - our main parties don't like the people who vote for them - the dreaded Professional Managerial Class. And so they are acting out like a divorced dad seeking cooler voters. 1/n
British Politics' Midlife Crisis
Why British Parties Can't Make Peace with Their Actual Voters
benansell.substack.com
September 30, 2025 at 6:40 AM
On the morning of Keir Starmer's conference speech here's a new post on an odd psychopathology in British politics - our main parties don't like the people who vote for them - the dreaded Professional Managerial Class. And so they are acting out like a divorced dad seeking cooler voters. 1/n
Reposted by Alex Bullett
I mean the challenge here is that we have voters who want great public goods and also want to pay no taxes
It is actually peak absurdity that we still have people arguing that voters should bend to the positions of their political representatives instead of the other way around.
September 29, 2025 at 4:38 PM
I mean the challenge here is that we have voters who want great public goods and also want to pay no taxes
Reposted by Alex Bullett
honestly one of my firmer beliefs is a lowkey hostility to hyperlocalism, because it almost always end up with governing institutions dominated by a fixed, renting and transgressive majority that is extremely difficult to break up
there's a tendency in parts of the left to believe that 'community' is the answer to everything but communities are often horrendous!
did not realize that prisonculture's "abolitionism" consists of believing that lynchings would be better if they were conducted at lilith fair
September 28, 2025 at 10:13 PM
honestly one of my firmer beliefs is a lowkey hostility to hyperlocalism, because it almost always end up with governing institutions dominated by a fixed, renting and transgressive majority that is extremely difficult to break up
Reposted by Alex Bullett
The fundamental ethos of liberalism is not to act without judgement. The fundamental ethos of liberalism is that our judgements shouldn't constrain the life and freedom of others.
September 2, 2025 at 8:43 PM
The fundamental ethos of liberalism is not to act without judgement. The fundamental ethos of liberalism is that our judgements shouldn't constrain the life and freedom of others.