John C Wheeler
@hayseed-dixie.com
Frontman of Hayseed Dixie. Singer of Country-Funk Soul-Punk. Working class elitist. Conservatively liberal. Opining and listening on music, philosophy, and geopolitics in English and/or Deutsch.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
How many times do we need to point this out?
By appeasing the far right, you do not weaken it. You strengthen it.
While weakening your own position.
There's a vast amount of academic research showing this.
But Labour will not listen.
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...
By appeasing the far right, you do not weaken it. You strengthen it.
While weakening your own position.
There's a vast amount of academic research showing this.
But Labour will not listen.
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...
Starmer urges Europe’s leaders to curb ECHR to halt rise of far right
Exclusive: PM calls for members of European convention on human rights to allow tougher action to protect borders
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 10:56 AM
How many times do we need to point this out?
By appeasing the far right, you do not weaken it. You strengthen it.
While weakening your own position.
There's a vast amount of academic research showing this.
But Labour will not listen.
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...
By appeasing the far right, you do not weaken it. You strengthen it.
While weakening your own position.
There's a vast amount of academic research showing this.
But Labour will not listen.
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...
Reposted by John C Wheeler
It's noticeable that the people who are now angriest with Keir Starmer's Labour government are those who voted for it. And they are right to be. This has been his primary achievement.
So where on earth does he think Labour voters will come from, next time round?
So where on earth does he think Labour voters will come from, next time round?
How many times do we need to point this out?
By appeasing the far right, you do not weaken it. You strengthen it.
While weakening your own position.
There's a vast amount of academic research showing this.
But Labour will not listen.
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...
By appeasing the far right, you do not weaken it. You strengthen it.
While weakening your own position.
There's a vast amount of academic research showing this.
But Labour will not listen.
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...
Starmer urges Europe’s leaders to curb ECHR to halt rise of far right
Exclusive: PM calls for members of European convention on human rights to allow tougher action to protect borders
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 11:19 AM
It's noticeable that the people who are now angriest with Keir Starmer's Labour government are those who voted for it. And they are right to be. This has been his primary achievement.
So where on earth does he think Labour voters will come from, next time round?
So where on earth does he think Labour voters will come from, next time round?
Reposted by John C Wheeler
It’s obviously true that the “if only Czar Gallagher knew!” fiction on legal resales is just that, a pure fiction, and that banning legal resales above face value will drive up face value. Ending that fiction is a good in of itself, I think.
One of my unpopular opinions is that this, from Ryan Bourne, is correct
December 10, 2025 at 11:57 AM
It’s obviously true that the “if only Czar Gallagher knew!” fiction on legal resales is just that, a pure fiction, and that banning legal resales above face value will drive up face value. Ending that fiction is a good in of itself, I think.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
Reposted by John C Wheeler
Is there a trade expert out there arguing for a UK-EU customs union? I think it’s fair to say that @davidheniguk.bsky.social @samuelmarclowe.bsky.social and myself are hardly Euroskeptics, and while we emphasise different things in talking about a CU the conclusion is unanimous.
December 8, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Is there a trade expert out there arguing for a UK-EU customs union? I think it’s fair to say that @davidheniguk.bsky.social @samuelmarclowe.bsky.social and myself are hardly Euroskeptics, and while we emphasise different things in talking about a CU the conclusion is unanimous.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
Great piece on the failure of centrist governments in the UK, France, and Germany to give voters anything to actually vote for and their fueling of the far-right by elevating its message, and the contrast that Spain offers.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/o...
December 4, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Great piece on the failure of centrist governments in the UK, France, and Germany to give voters anything to actually vote for and their fueling of the far-right by elevating its message, and the contrast that Spain offers.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/o...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/03/o...
Reposted by John C Wheeler
Balcony, 1945 #surrealism #escher
November 24, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Balcony, 1945 #surrealism #escher
Reposted by John C Wheeler
It’s the universities encouraging students to use AI that really gets me. All this “we need to accept it’s here and teach them to use it” does not help students learn to think. Writing is for thinking and communicating, not just producing words.
I spent a lot of time this semester explaining why it produces bad work but at the end of the day, they're being asked to do a thing they find difficult, and this makes it easy for them, without any meaningful consequence. And the university encourages them to use it.
November 18, 2025 at 3:46 AM
It’s the universities encouraging students to use AI that really gets me. All this “we need to accept it’s here and teach them to use it” does not help students learn to think. Writing is for thinking and communicating, not just producing words.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
Don't do any of this.
November 17, 2025 at 6:54 PM
Don't do any of this.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
This is an excellent BTS image from ALIEN 1979 - it really shows the scale of the jockey and the detail of not only the pilot but the floor and the wall.
This is why physical sets are awesome. As viewers it's tangible and real, and as actors they have something physical to properly react to.
This is why physical sets are awesome. As viewers it's tangible and real, and as actors they have something physical to properly react to.
November 15, 2025 at 7:42 PM
This is an excellent BTS image from ALIEN 1979 - it really shows the scale of the jockey and the detail of not only the pilot but the floor and the wall.
This is why physical sets are awesome. As viewers it's tangible and real, and as actors they have something physical to properly react to.
This is why physical sets are awesome. As viewers it's tangible and real, and as actors they have something physical to properly react to.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
Taking Back Control of Remembrance - why war memorial selfies, Nigel Farage's moody wreath vignettes and giant plastic poppies risk obfuscating what we were told to never forget.
My Letter from London for @noosphere.app
www.noosphere.app/taking-back-...
My Letter from London for @noosphere.app
www.noosphere.app/taking-back-...
Taking back control of Remembrance
Get news direct from reporters you trust.
www.noosphere.app
November 14, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Taking Back Control of Remembrance - why war memorial selfies, Nigel Farage's moody wreath vignettes and giant plastic poppies risk obfuscating what we were told to never forget.
My Letter from London for @noosphere.app
www.noosphere.app/taking-back-...
My Letter from London for @noosphere.app
www.noosphere.app/taking-back-...
Reposted by John C Wheeler
ICE/BP’s next targets are reportedly Charlotte and New Orleans.
Two things:
1) If they had the capacity to hit many cities at once, rather than pick on one or two at a time, they would.
2) Moving south seems to confirm speculation that they’re leaving Chicago because it got cold.
Two things:
1) If they had the capacity to hit many cities at once, rather than pick on one or two at a time, they would.
2) Moving south seems to confirm speculation that they’re leaving Chicago because it got cold.
Trump Administration Plans to Send Border Patrol to Charlotte and New Orleans
www.nytimes.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:57 AM
ICE/BP’s next targets are reportedly Charlotte and New Orleans.
Two things:
1) If they had the capacity to hit many cities at once, rather than pick on one or two at a time, they would.
2) Moving south seems to confirm speculation that they’re leaving Chicago because it got cold.
Two things:
1) If they had the capacity to hit many cities at once, rather than pick on one or two at a time, they would.
2) Moving south seems to confirm speculation that they’re leaving Chicago because it got cold.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
She doesn’t even say his name.
November 9, 2025 at 4:33 PM
She doesn’t even say his name.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
SPOILER ALERT: Social Democracy is not Communism. Franklin D. Roosevelt was to all intents and purposes a Social Democrat. His "New Deal" was a Social Democratic policy that turned out to be the most popular policy in American history.
November 5, 2025 at 11:54 PM
SPOILER ALERT: Social Democracy is not Communism. Franklin D. Roosevelt was to all intents and purposes a Social Democrat. His "New Deal" was a Social Democratic policy that turned out to be the most popular policy in American history.
Took my daughter for a tour of the International Criminal Court in the Hague today. I hate that this court needs to exist, but I'm beyond glad that it does. There are a couple of folks with outstanding arrest warrants who I deeply hope are soon sitting inside being referred to as "defendant."
October 29, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Took my daughter for a tour of the International Criminal Court in the Hague today. I hate that this court needs to exist, but I'm beyond glad that it does. There are a couple of folks with outstanding arrest warrants who I deeply hope are soon sitting inside being referred to as "defendant."
Reposted by John C Wheeler
I'm thinking this through further and there is no difference between deporting people to form a "culturally coherent group of people" and Hitler saying jews could not be aryan.
Caution around Godwin's Law should be dropped. Katie Lam has openly supported nazi ideology.
Caution around Godwin's Law should be dropped. Katie Lam has openly supported nazi ideology.
She said both that integration matters but was very pessimistic about how possible it is after *many* generations
Language of "a mostly but not entirely culturally coherent group of people" conveys a sense that *some* people may remain too visibly different, somehow, to be "culturally coherent"
Language of "a mostly but not entirely culturally coherent group of people" conveys a sense that *some* people may remain too visibly different, somehow, to be "culturally coherent"
October 19, 2025 at 1:16 PM
I'm thinking this through further and there is no difference between deporting people to form a "culturally coherent group of people" and Hitler saying jews could not be aryan.
Caution around Godwin's Law should be dropped. Katie Lam has openly supported nazi ideology.
Caution around Godwin's Law should be dropped. Katie Lam has openly supported nazi ideology.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
🇵🇱⚖️🇩🇪🇺🇦 Quite incredible passages in the opinion of ("old") judge Dariusz Łubowski in the case: "The destruction of critical infrastructure of any country (...) in a just, defensive war (...) are not sabotage, but military actions of a diversionary nature, which can in no way be considered crimes."
A Polish court has refused to extradite the Ukrainian man wanted by Germany for his alleged involvement in the sabotage of Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines.
The judge's decision was praised by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The judge's decision was praised by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Polish court refuses to extradite Ukrainian Nord Stream sabotage suspect to Germany
notesfrompoland.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:30 PM
🇵🇱⚖️🇩🇪🇺🇦 Quite incredible passages in the opinion of ("old") judge Dariusz Łubowski in the case: "The destruction of critical infrastructure of any country (...) in a just, defensive war (...) are not sabotage, but military actions of a diversionary nature, which can in no way be considered crimes."
Reposted by John C Wheeler
TIL that there isn’t a library in every primary school in England 😳
September 29, 2025 at 5:12 AM
TIL that there isn’t a library in every primary school in England 😳
Reposted by John C Wheeler
Wanted to post some 🔥 from John Quincy Adams on the Declaration of Independence:
"It was the first solemn declaration by a nation of the only legitimate foundation of civil government. It was the corner stone of a new fabric, destined to cover the surface of the globe. It demolished at a stroke/
"It was the first solemn declaration by a nation of the only legitimate foundation of civil government. It was the corner stone of a new fabric, destined to cover the surface of the globe. It demolished at a stroke/
September 28, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Wanted to post some 🔥 from John Quincy Adams on the Declaration of Independence:
"It was the first solemn declaration by a nation of the only legitimate foundation of civil government. It was the corner stone of a new fabric, destined to cover the surface of the globe. It demolished at a stroke/
"It was the first solemn declaration by a nation of the only legitimate foundation of civil government. It was the corner stone of a new fabric, destined to cover the surface of the globe. It demolished at a stroke/
Reposted by John C Wheeler
If AfD did get power they'd need a 2/3rd majority to change the constitution. They are such a long way off getting near there, even in places like Thuringia where they are the strongest. Under FPTP you can get such a majority on minority vote shares.
September 24, 2025 at 12:27 PM
If AfD did get power they'd need a 2/3rd majority to change the constitution. They are such a long way off getting near there, even in places like Thuringia where they are the strongest. Under FPTP you can get such a majority on minority vote shares.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
I was sent this map by a follower. When was the capital city of South American nations founded?
September 17, 2025 at 1:05 PM
I was sent this map by a follower. When was the capital city of South American nations founded?
Reposted by John C Wheeler
He's right, and not only that, American civil wars were largely unique in that they were fought "formally" (like OP means). That's unusual even accounting for wider history.
It's because when you get right down to it, both were nation vs nation.
It's because when you get right down to it, both were nation vs nation.
i've said before that the US Civil War being primarily formal armies fighting each other in setpiece battles really clouds a lot of americans understanding of what an actual civil war looks like
People don't understand that civil conflict looks like your neighbors dragging you out of bed in the middle of the night and executing you in your living room simply because they're suspicious you might be a political enemy, and it really shows sometimes.
September 11, 2025 at 5:34 PM
He's right, and not only that, American civil wars were largely unique in that they were fought "formally" (like OP means). That's unusual even accounting for wider history.
It's because when you get right down to it, both were nation vs nation.
It's because when you get right down to it, both were nation vs nation.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
No one has done more damage to public health and trust in science and medicine than Andrew Wakefield.
26 years after his wrong and fraudulent paper people are still spouting his nonsense about an alleged link between vaccines and autism.
The study was debunked countless times.
There is no link.
26 years after his wrong and fraudulent paper people are still spouting his nonsense about an alleged link between vaccines and autism.
The study was debunked countless times.
There is no link.
MARKWAYNE MULLIN: Why wouldn't we look at vaccines and autism?
HUNT: We have looked at it and the studies show there is no connection
MULLIN: So we shouldn't look at it again?
HUNT: We have looked at it and the studies show there is no connection
MULLIN: So we shouldn't look at it again?
September 4, 2025 at 10:43 PM
No one has done more damage to public health and trust in science and medicine than Andrew Wakefield.
26 years after his wrong and fraudulent paper people are still spouting his nonsense about an alleged link between vaccines and autism.
The study was debunked countless times.
There is no link.
26 years after his wrong and fraudulent paper people are still spouting his nonsense about an alleged link between vaccines and autism.
The study was debunked countless times.
There is no link.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
Who really owns the £5 note in your pocket? youtu.be/8CTy_ia4j5k?... Politicians love to talk about “taxpayers’ money.” But here’s the truth: every pound in circulation is created by the government or banks licensed by it. This video explains why.
Who really owns the £5 note in your pocket?
YouTube video by Richard J Murphy
youtu.be
September 5, 2025 at 6:06 AM
Who really owns the £5 note in your pocket? youtu.be/8CTy_ia4j5k?... Politicians love to talk about “taxpayers’ money.” But here’s the truth: every pound in circulation is created by the government or banks licensed by it. This video explains why.
Reposted by John C Wheeler
The true purpose of Bluesky has been revealed and it's Michael Stipe telling us the lyrics to It's The End Of The World As We Know It
Ok its ‘feed it off an aux, speak, grunt no strength, the ladder start to clatter with fear fight down height, wire in a fire representing seven games, a government for hire and a combat site’.
September 5, 2025 at 4:15 AM
The true purpose of Bluesky has been revealed and it's Michael Stipe telling us the lyrics to It's The End Of The World As We Know It