Penny Stuart
@lostindisco.bsky.social
Centre left politics junkie, polite but quietly furious. RTs are not endorsements.
Same handles on 🐘 and X.
Same handles on 🐘 and X.
Reposted by Penny Stuart
👀 Russia will spend at least $166 billion on the war against Ukraine in 2026: Putin signed the budget law.
This is a third of Russia's entire annual budget and, probably, the largest military spending since the USSR. Russia has cut social spending.
This is a third of Russia's entire annual budget and, probably, the largest military spending since the USSR. Russia has cut social spending.
November 29, 2025 at 4:42 PM
👀 Russia will spend at least $166 billion on the war against Ukraine in 2026: Putin signed the budget law.
This is a third of Russia's entire annual budget and, probably, the largest military spending since the USSR. Russia has cut social spending.
This is a third of Russia's entire annual budget and, probably, the largest military spending since the USSR. Russia has cut social spending.
Reposted by Penny Stuart
How is this a shock to anyone who's been paying even the most minimal attention to what Trump has been saying and his admin have been doing all year? I posted this in February, for example. Officials who simply chose not to believe it because it's all too difficult might want to rethink their career
November 29, 2025 at 4:29 PM
How is this a shock to anyone who's been paying even the most minimal attention to what Trump has been saying and his admin have been doing all year? I posted this in February, for example. Officials who simply chose not to believe it because it's all too difficult might want to rethink their career
Reposted by Penny Stuart
Abolish the Home Office
Foreign doctors trained by the NHS face deportation under visa rules
Foreign doctors trained by the NHS face deportation under visa rules
www.thetimes.com
November 29, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Abolish the Home Office
Reposted by Penny Stuart
A reminder of my new blog post on Brexit reminders
Brexit reminders. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Brexit may not be in the headlines, but many current news stories carry reminders of it, including the Hallett Inquiry report, the Gill scandal, the Budget & the latest net migration figures: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/11/brex...
November 29, 2025 at 10:20 AM
A reminder of my new blog post on Brexit reminders
Reposted by Penny Stuart
Zack Polanski has doubled the Green Party membership since taking over, with the new leader's comms strategy seen as a key reason for his early success
@sophiealichurch.bsky.social goes inside to look at his acting coaching, talks with Zohran Mamdani, and the "critical" importance of social media
@sophiealichurch.bsky.social goes inside to look at his acting coaching, talks with Zohran Mamdani, and the "critical" importance of social media
Inside Zack Polanski's Comms Strategy
The Green Party has doubled its membership since Zack Polanski became leader. Sophie Church explores how his training in the ‘Gonsalves method’ of ...
www.politicshome.com
November 29, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Zack Polanski has doubled the Green Party membership since taking over, with the new leader's comms strategy seen as a key reason for his early success
@sophiealichurch.bsky.social goes inside to look at his acting coaching, talks with Zohran Mamdani, and the "critical" importance of social media
@sophiealichurch.bsky.social goes inside to look at his acting coaching, talks with Zohran Mamdani, and the "critical" importance of social media
Reposted by Penny Stuart
"For the Kremlin, the Miami talks were the culmination of a strategy, hatched before Trump’s inauguration ... By dangling multibillion-dollar rare-earth and energy deals, Moscow could reshape the economic map of Europe—while driving a wedge between America and its traditional allies".
November 29, 2025 at 10:37 AM
"For the Kremlin, the Miami talks were the culmination of a strategy, hatched before Trump’s inauguration ... By dangling multibillion-dollar rare-earth and energy deals, Moscow could reshape the economic map of Europe—while driving a wedge between America and its traditional allies".
Reposted by Penny Stuart
Confirmed by Ukraine’s General Staff: strikes hit the Afipsky oil refinery and the Beriev aircraft repair plant in Taganrog, Russia. The Taganrog facility upgrades Tu-95 bombers and A-50 AWACS aircraft, both key to Russia’s war effort. The Afipsky refinery again targeted for fueling Russian forces.
November 29, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Confirmed by Ukraine’s General Staff: strikes hit the Afipsky oil refinery and the Beriev aircraft repair plant in Taganrog, Russia. The Taganrog facility upgrades Tu-95 bombers and A-50 AWACS aircraft, both key to Russia’s war effort. The Afipsky refinery again targeted for fueling Russian forces.
Reposted by Penny Stuart
Caspian Pipeline Consortium confirmed naval drones struck its Novorossiysk terminal at 04h06 Moscow time, halting operations at the facility that transports oil for Chevron, Shell and other Western shareholders, calling it the third attack on what it termed a civilian site.
November 29, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Caspian Pipeline Consortium confirmed naval drones struck its Novorossiysk terminal at 04h06 Moscow time, halting operations at the facility that transports oil for Chevron, Shell and other Western shareholders, calling it the third attack on what it termed a civilian site.
Reposted by Penny Stuart
“Russia’s drones and agents are unleashing attacks across NATO countries and Europe is now doing what would have seemed outlandish just a few years ago: planning how to hit back.”
www.politico.eu/article/euro...
www.politico.eu/article/euro...
Europe thinks the unthinkable: Retaliating against Russia
Countries are looking at joint offensive cyber operations and surprise military drills as Moscow steps up its campaign to destabilize NATO allies.
www.politico.eu
November 29, 2025 at 9:18 AM
“Russia’s drones and agents are unleashing attacks across NATO countries and Europe is now doing what would have seemed outlandish just a few years ago: planning how to hit back.”
www.politico.eu/article/euro...
www.politico.eu/article/euro...
Reposted by Penny Stuart
🔴"FOI is the democratic canary in the coal mine. When official information flows freely, it signals that power is shared. When it’s withheld or delayed, it signals the opposite: power concentrated in the few."
Vital by Heather Brooke on Democracy 4 Sale democracyforsale.substack.com/p/why-the-br...
Vital by Heather Brooke on Democracy 4 Sale democracyforsale.substack.com/p/why-the-br...
The British state is addicted to secrecy - we need to fight back
Our politicians and officials are using public money to keep citizens in the dark, says Heather Brooke
democracyforsale.substack.com
November 29, 2025 at 9:15 AM
🔴"FOI is the democratic canary in the coal mine. When official information flows freely, it signals that power is shared. When it’s withheld or delayed, it signals the opposite: power concentrated in the few."
Vital by Heather Brooke on Democracy 4 Sale democracyforsale.substack.com/p/why-the-br...
Vital by Heather Brooke on Democracy 4 Sale democracyforsale.substack.com/p/why-the-br...
Reposted by Penny Stuart
Zelensky: the regime launched more than 600 drones and 36 missiles at Ukraine last night, hitting energy facilities, civilian infrastructure, and residential areas. Several districts of Kyiv suffered damage to housing, with fatalities and many injured. The footage shows the Dniprovs'kyi district.
November 29, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Zelensky: the regime launched more than 600 drones and 36 missiles at Ukraine last night, hitting energy facilities, civilian infrastructure, and residential areas. Several districts of Kyiv suffered damage to housing, with fatalities and many injured. The footage shows the Dniprovs'kyi district.
Reposted by Penny Stuart
The negotiating process has taken some further turns since the publication of the bizarre 28-points plan. Can it be turned into something useful? Some ideas offered without optimism. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/c...?
Can Ukraine find a deal that works?
In my last post on the curious peace plan drafted by Steve Witkoff and Kirill Dmitriev I urged that in its response Ukraine should not be panicked into arbitrary deadlines (Trump had suggested Thanksg...
open.substack.com
November 29, 2025 at 9:33 AM
The negotiating process has taken some further turns since the publication of the bizarre 28-points plan. Can it be turned into something useful? Some ideas offered without optimism. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/c...?
Reposted by Penny Stuart
Australia just recorded zero cervical cancer cases in women under 25 for the first time since records began in 1982. The amazing result of HPV vaccination.
November 28, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Australia just recorded zero cervical cancer cases in women under 25 for the first time since records began in 1982. The amazing result of HPV vaccination.
Reposted by Penny Stuart
There's something mesmerising about Badenoch's combination of supreme intellectual confidence and "Jesus? Didn't he play for Real Madrid?" command of detail.
It's like somebody spliced the certainty of Margaret Thatcher with the work ethic of Boris Johnson.
It's like somebody spliced the certainty of Margaret Thatcher with the work ethic of Boris Johnson.
November 28, 2025 at 8:53 PM
There's something mesmerising about Badenoch's combination of supreme intellectual confidence and "Jesus? Didn't he play for Real Madrid?" command of detail.
It's like somebody spliced the certainty of Margaret Thatcher with the work ethic of Boris Johnson.
It's like somebody spliced the certainty of Margaret Thatcher with the work ethic of Boris Johnson.
Reposted by Penny Stuart
France hosted a large musical flash mob featuring 100 musicians who came together to perform a new orchestral version of Carol of the Bells to mark the ceremonial switching-on of the Christmas lights in the streets of Paris.
November 28, 2025 at 8:52 PM
France hosted a large musical flash mob featuring 100 musicians who came together to perform a new orchestral version of Carol of the Bells to mark the ceremonial switching-on of the Christmas lights in the streets of Paris.
Reposted by Penny Stuart
A second oil tanker has gone up in flames in the Black Sea. Both ships have been identified as the M/T Kairos and M/T Virat. The destination of both oilers is the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
November 28, 2025 at 9:12 PM
A second oil tanker has gone up in flames in the Black Sea. Both ships have been identified as the M/T Kairos and M/T Virat. The destination of both oilers is the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
Reposted by Penny Stuart
A top Republican in Indiana, whose daughter has Down Syndrome, just announced he will be voting to block Trump’s gerrymandering after Trump used the R-word to insult people yesterday.
November 28, 2025 at 9:26 PM
A top Republican in Indiana, whose daughter has Down Syndrome, just announced he will be voting to block Trump’s gerrymandering after Trump used the R-word to insult people yesterday.
Reposted by Penny Stuart
The term you use for this kind of pattern of behaviour is "death squads"
Exclusive: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” in the first strike on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. After two men survived, the mission commander ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions, according to two sources.
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 9:38 PM
The term you use for this kind of pattern of behaviour is "death squads"
Reposted by Penny Stuart
Negotiators on both sides need to grow up. Their job is to protect us all across the continent. They’re doing Putin’s work here.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Talks over UK joining EU defence fund break down over entry fee
The two sides had been at odds over a fee to allow UK defence firms to access a greater share of loans.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Negotiators on both sides need to grow up. Their job is to protect us all across the continent. They’re doing Putin’s work here.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Penny Stuart
“Once the claws are in you through social media—it starts dragging down the whole democracy with it.”
The journalist Eliot Higgins speaks with Charlie Warzel about how algorithmic incentives can affect how people make political decisions. Listen to the episode: theatln.tc/y9MnNOkb
The journalist Eliot Higgins speaks with Charlie Warzel about how algorithmic incentives can affect how people make political decisions. Listen to the episode: theatln.tc/y9MnNOkb
November 28, 2025 at 10:00 PM
“Once the claws are in you through social media—it starts dragging down the whole democracy with it.”
The journalist Eliot Higgins speaks with Charlie Warzel about how algorithmic incentives can affect how people make political decisions. Listen to the episode: theatln.tc/y9MnNOkb
The journalist Eliot Higgins speaks with Charlie Warzel about how algorithmic incentives can affect how people make political decisions. Listen to the episode: theatln.tc/y9MnNOkb
Interesting post on the bust up between Reeves and the OBR( sadly only on X as Swinford fails to use his Bluesky account) @stevenswinford.bsky.social
November 28, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Interesting post on the bust up between Reeves and the OBR( sadly only on X as Swinford fails to use his Bluesky account) @stevenswinford.bsky.social
Reposted by Penny Stuart
For nearly a decade, sceptics have dismissed allegations that Bannon’s Cambridge Analytica and Prigozhin’s troll farms successfully intervened in the Brexit referendum and Trump’s election in 2016 - now the argument is over
pdjukes.substack.com/p/how-online...
pdjukes.substack.com/p/how-online...
How Online Radicalisation Works: What the New X Study Reveals About Cambridge Analytica, the IRA, and the Dark Triad Machine
The debate is over. A major new experiment show how effective Cambridge Analytica and Russian troll farms were in shifting political emotions with hostile, anti-democratic content online
pdjukes.substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 12:04 PM
For nearly a decade, sceptics have dismissed allegations that Bannon’s Cambridge Analytica and Prigozhin’s troll farms successfully intervened in the Brexit referendum and Trump’s election in 2016 - now the argument is over
pdjukes.substack.com/p/how-online...
pdjukes.substack.com/p/how-online...
Won’t vote for them, but this is such effective communication
Hope is here.
Help us beat Reform in May. Donate today ⤵️
Help us beat Reform in May. Donate today ⤵️
November 28, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Won’t vote for them, but this is such effective communication