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rupertcook.bsky.social
Rupert Cook
@rupertcook.bsky.social
390 followers 920 following 100 posts
Husband & father | Oram’s Arbour, Winchester | Lamb’s Conduit Street, London
Partner Miltiadou Cook Mitzman | New build | Retrofit | Craft | Comfort | Certified Passive House Designer | Trustee University Design Forum
Vegan | Self-builder | LGBTQI+ Ally
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rupertcook.bsky.social
Rupert Cook @rupertcook.bsky.social · Sep 10
Democracy rests on a balance of powers between parliament, government, and the judiciary, each checking the other. But this “separation” is incomplete without a third force outside the state itself: civil society.

#Banksy
Reposted by Rupert Cook
pinkagendist.bsky.social
#Fun
January 20, 2026 at 9:07 AM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
cindymichels.bsky.social
#NotADragQueen but always a GOP member or Pastor.
January 15, 2026 at 2:45 PM
rupertcook.bsky.social
In light of the current "moral panic" and the increasingly difficult landscape for trans and non-binary people in the UK, it was time to move our allyship from a private value to a public commitment.

@queerbritain.bsky.social @ianm02.bsky.social @goodlawproject.org

mcma.design/collaboratio...
LGBTQI+ - Miltiadou Cook Mitzman llp
mcma.design
January 19, 2026 at 12:45 PM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
annieleymarie.bsky.social
Mirroring the fossil fuels vs renewables fight in the US is that of cattle ranching versus rewilding/biodiversity-restoration, including with native bison, with alas the powerful ranching industry within the battle described in the post below.
See also: www.thewildlifenews.com/2026/01/08/w...
January 18, 2026 at 12:35 PM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
zackpolanski.bsky.social
When we said NATO wasn't working we were derided.

When we said a nuclear weapons system relying on the US is dangerous we were called stupid.

The truth is the establishment are more interested in kissing US feet than keeping the UK safe.

It's time for a rethink.
January 18, 2026 at 7:36 AM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
spignal.bsky.social
2024: can Europe defend itself ALONGSIDE America?

2025: can Europe defend itself WITHOUT America?

2026: can Europe defend itself AGAINST America?
January 18, 2026 at 10:12 AM
rupertcook.bsky.social
action.goodlawproject.org/force-govern...
Force the government to meet with the Palestine Action hunger strikers NOW
Palestine Action activists are in the middle of their hunger strike, and their situation is desperate. Some of them have not eaten for 46 days. They have been refused medical attention, their communic...
action.goodlawproject.org
December 19, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
markhamillofficial.bsky.social
Just when I thought I couldn't admire the man more...

🎯 🎯 🎯 💯 💯 💯 👍 👍 👍
December 13, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
saulstaniforth.bsky.social
The United States has imposed sanctions on Francesca Albanese, a United Nations official, and here she's asked how those sanctions have affected her.
December 14, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
robinince.bsky.social
Here is a bit of my resignation speech from last night
thegmcconnachie.bsky.social Garry @thegmcconnachie.bsky.social · Dec 13
Robin Ince reveals to last night’s audience at a recording of Infinite Monkey Cage that the BBC has forced him to resign over his support of trans people
December 13, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
angrystaffer.bsky.social
A+ trolling from Zelenskyy
December 13, 2025 at 2:33 AM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
robinince.bsky.social
Heartbreaking night where I told the final audience for Monkey Cage that I will ever play to that I had no choice but to resign
joannafairtrade.bsky.social Joanna Abena Fianu @joannafairtrade.bsky.social · Dec 12
In the audience today at the amazing Niamos theatre in Manchester for the Christmas recording of Infinite Monkey Cage. Devastating news from @robinince.bsky.social - what must have been an incredibly difficult decision but absolutely the correct and humane one. Robin remains the best of us.
December 12, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
robinince.bsky.social
Not easy to get to sleep tonight - have burnt the bridge of whatever career I had left and really don’t feel that my opinions are so extreme that that should have been necessary
robinince.bsky.social Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · Dec 13
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career. I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters. Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B
December 13, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
robinince.bsky.social
Thank you for all the messages and solidarity - I know it could be a strange week ahead so I may be quite quiet - but I am chipper and ready
December 13, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
robinince.bsky.social
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career. I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters. Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B
December 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
transgenderreport.com
Joint Statement from Labour LGBTQ+, SDLP LGBT+ & Labour Women Ireland Condemning UK Labour party ban on trans women from attending its conference

labour.ie/news/2025/...

#transgender #trans #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA
Joint Statement from Labour LGBTQ+, SDLP LGBT+ & Labour Women Ireland Condemning UK Labour party ban on trans women from attending its conference - The Labour Party
Joint Statement from Labour LGBTQ+, SDLP LGBT+ & Labour Women Ireland Condemning UK Labour party ban on trans women from attending its conference - The Labour PartyLabour LGBTQ+, SDLP LGBT+ & Labour Women Ireland condemns, in the strongest terms, the shameful decision by the UK Labour Party NEC to ban trans women from attending the...
labour.ie
December 13, 2025 at 12:35 PM
rupertcook.bsky.social
Friday lunchtime mountain bike ride

#Winchester #SouthDowns
#Specialized #Epic #S-Works
December 12, 2025 at 8:59 PM
rupertcook.bsky.social
Nigel Farage is unveiling legislation to leave the ECHR.

His arguments are wrong – and that move would be a disaster. @goodlawproject.bsky.social have the facts:
goodlaw.social/ngjm
Nigel Farage is wrong about the European Convention on Human Rights | Good Law Project
The Reform leader is unveiling legislation to leave the ECHR. His arguments are wrong – and that move would be a disaster.
goodlaw.social
October 29, 2025 at 6:32 PM
rupertcook.bsky.social
A transphobic pressure group is trying to ban trans women from Hampstead women’s pond – we’re fighting back goodlawproject.org/s/4860b3
Keep Hampstead women’s pond inclusive
A transphobic pressure group is trying to ban trans women from Hampstead women’s pond – we’re fighting back
goodlawproject.org
October 12, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
awjt.bsky.social
In Glasgow, there is a 224-year waiting list for gender clinic appointments.

224 YEARS.

This is institutionalised discrimination. It's unacceptable, it's ruining people's lives and it needs to change.

We have the solution. Time for politicians to act.
Gender Clinic Files: Some people in Scotland will never get a gender clinic appointment on a 224-year waitlist. This system is failing to support people to transition not because it is broken, but by design. The frustrating thing is that this would not be a difficult problem to solve under a different political paradigm. Trans+ people do not need to be assessed by gender clinics or diagnosed by psychiatrists to tell us what we already know: we are trans. The healthcare we need, especially when it comes to hormones, is already available to cis people through making an appointment with their GP. Gender clinics are unnecessary and exist to segregate healthcare for Trans+ people. Abolishing this system and providing Trans+ healthcare in primary care, at the GP through an informed consent model, would solve many of the issues this data reveals. GPs already prescribe hormones to cis adults. Trans+ adults simply need the same access to this healthcare.
October 4, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
69eerrr.bsky.social
Einsteins theory has been proven.
September 25, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
franzanth.bsky.social
"The Netherlands plans to transfer more than 28,000 fossils from the Dubois collection to Indonesia, following a request by Indonesian authorities."

omg
September 26, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Reposted by Rupert Cook
kornetzke.bsky.social
Meta and Zuckerberg can go meta-go-fuck-themselves
July 16, 2025 at 4:48 PM
rupertcook.bsky.social
I've just used Good Law Project's tool to let Virgin Active know they're following transphobes, not the law. You can do it too here: goodlaw.social/638d25
Virgin Active: Stop following transphobes, follow the law
After a legal threat from GB News presenter Michelle Dewberry, Virgin Active turned their back on a long record of inclusion and enforced a changing room and bathroom ban on trans people across all th...
goodlaw.social
September 25, 2025 at 7:44 AM
rupertcook.bsky.social
Trans rights are human rights. The Virgin Active ban for trans people fundamentally undermines rights. How is this NOT discrimination against the trans community? I thought more of Richard Branson and the Virgin brands.

@richardbranson.bsky.social @goodlawproject.bsky.social
@goodlawproject.org
September 25, 2025 at 7:40 AM