Stirling Smith
@stirlingsmith.bsky.social
Trade unionist, co-operator, socialist. Husband, father, grandfather. Fascinated by South Asia. Support adult education. Member Labour Party, Co-operative Party, Community trade union. Trustee of THIRST, which works for human rights in tea. All views mine.
It’s putting faction before party. Burnham was best placed to beat a Reform candidate. I imagine l won’t be alone as a Labour Party member, in refusing to help in the campaign. So it offers an open goal to Reform. Should have let local party members decide.
January 25, 2026 at 5:04 PM
It’s putting faction before party. Burnham was best placed to beat a Reform candidate. I imagine l won’t be alone as a Labour Party member, in refusing to help in the campaign. So it offers an open goal to Reform. Should have let local party members decide.
Great article for those unfamiliar with the story of Niyogi scroll.in/article/1090...
Ramachandra Guha: How the murder of trade union leader Shankar Guha Niyogi hurt India
He was killed in 1991 by thugs hired by businessmen angered that he had given workers self-respect and infused them with the spirit of equality.
scroll.in
January 25, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Great article for those unfamiliar with the story of Niyogi scroll.in/article/1090...
I just signed a @mainstreamlabour.bsky.social petition - Guarantee a Fair and Open Selection for the Gorton and Denton By-election. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/gu...
Guarantee a Fair and Open Selection for the Gorton and Denton By-election
Labour can win in the Gorton and Denton by-election if we lead with our values and allow a fair, democratic and open selection for our candidate.
Sign the petition below calling on the Chair of Lab...
actionnetwork.org
January 24, 2026 at 6:46 PM
I just signed a @mainstreamlabour.bsky.social petition - Guarantee a Fair and Open Selection for the Gorton and Denton By-election. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/gu...
Reposted by Stirling Smith
Disgraceful comments by the President of the USA belittling the sacrifice of British forces in Afghanistan.
Many gave the ultimate sacrifice, and many of those who did come home live with the legacy of both physical and mental struggle.
He should reflect on his comments but sadly I doubt he will.
Many gave the ultimate sacrifice, and many of those who did come home live with the legacy of both physical and mental struggle.
He should reflect on his comments but sadly I doubt he will.
January 23, 2026 at 2:05 PM
Disgraceful comments by the President of the USA belittling the sacrifice of British forces in Afghanistan.
Many gave the ultimate sacrifice, and many of those who did come home live with the legacy of both physical and mental struggle.
He should reflect on his comments but sadly I doubt he will.
Many gave the ultimate sacrifice, and many of those who did come home live with the legacy of both physical and mental struggle.
He should reflect on his comments but sadly I doubt he will.
It’s good stuff. Not too long. Stories you may not see in the papers.
It’s our new, free substack for history lovers:
A newsletter with all the breaking news history and archaeology in one place. Please do subscribe.
‘A Whole Lot of History’
open.substack.com/pub/historyh...
A newsletter with all the breaking news history and archaeology in one place. Please do subscribe.
‘A Whole Lot of History’
open.substack.com/pub/historyh...
Friday, 23rd January
Iron Age Wooden Ladder | Five Millennia on the Marne | Vitruvius’ Roman Basilica | Prehistoric Elephant-Bone Hammer
open.substack.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:27 PM
It’s good stuff. Not too long. Stories you may not see in the papers.
I just signed a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social petition: Stop the water stitch-up!. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/st...
Stop the water stitch-up!
Stop the stitch-up! The Government wants to push through water legislation, locking in a failed privatised system for decades without giving the public a say.
I’ve signed the petition to stop this wa...
actionnetwork.org
January 23, 2026 at 5:26 PM
I just signed a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social petition: Stop the water stitch-up!. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/st...
Astonishingly, the White Paper doesn’t mention the failure of private companies. There will be improvements but it is tinkering at the edges. Renationalising water is the right way. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
What happens when the taps run dry? England is about to find out | Aditya Chakrabortty
It’s not just Tunbridge Wells – a country famous around the world for its rain is in danger of self-imposed drought, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty
www.theguardian.com
January 22, 2026 at 11:07 AM
Astonishingly, the White Paper doesn’t mention the failure of private companies. There will be improvements but it is tinkering at the edges. Renationalising water is the right way. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Mr Carney says he is quoting Thucydides, but it’s actually what the Athenians say in the Delian debate. After killing all the males and selling the women and children into slavery, the Athenians embarked on the Sicilian expedition- a total disaster. It’s why SoS Marshall recommended Thucydides!
In an era of great power rivalry, Canada is choosing to be principled and pragmatic. To name reality, to act together, and to build what we claim to believe in.
January 21, 2026 at 4:39 PM
Mr Carney says he is quoting Thucydides, but it’s actually what the Athenians say in the Delian debate. After killing all the males and selling the women and children into slavery, the Athenians embarked on the Sicilian expedition- a total disaster. It’s why SoS Marshall recommended Thucydides!
17 breaches 17! Is he fit to be PM? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Nigel Farage apologises for 17 breaches of MPs’ code of conduct
Reform UK leader, who failed to declare £380,000 on time, says he is computer-illiterate ‘oddball’
www.theguardian.com
January 21, 2026 at 4:04 PM
17 breaches 17! Is he fit to be PM? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Enjoying this very much. When I was learning Hindi in Delhi in 1992, my tutor use the phrase. “Jhansi ki Rani” to illustrate how the possessive works, it just came naturally to him. My grandchildren love those comics, I stock up whenever I go to India and bring back a load. 
New from @EmpirePodUK
Our 1857 Indian Mutiny/Great Uprising series reaches its climax with the story of India's Joan of Arc:
THE RANI OF JHANSI
linktr.ee/empirepoduk
Our 1857 Indian Mutiny/Great Uprising series reaches its climax with the story of India's Joan of Arc:
THE RANI OF JHANSI
linktr.ee/empirepoduk
January 20, 2026 at 9:59 PM
Enjoying this very much. When I was learning Hindi in Delhi in 1992, my tutor use the phrase. “Jhansi ki Rani” to illustrate how the possessive works, it just came naturally to him. My grandchildren love those comics, I stock up whenever I go to India and bring back a load. 
Reposted by Stirling Smith
New from @EmpirePodUK
Our 1857 Indian Mutiny/Great Uprising series reaches its climax with the story of India's Joan of Arc:
THE RANI OF JHANSI
linktr.ee/empirepoduk
Our 1857 Indian Mutiny/Great Uprising series reaches its climax with the story of India's Joan of Arc:
THE RANI OF JHANSI
linktr.ee/empirepoduk
January 20, 2026 at 12:24 PM
New from @EmpirePodUK
Our 1857 Indian Mutiny/Great Uprising series reaches its climax with the story of India's Joan of Arc:
THE RANI OF JHANSI
linktr.ee/empirepoduk
Our 1857 Indian Mutiny/Great Uprising series reaches its climax with the story of India's Joan of Arc:
THE RANI OF JHANSI
linktr.ee/empirepoduk
Dan Snow should know - he has studied enough history. These people running down the UK claim to be patriots. They are not.
Britain is one of the best places in recorded history to be born, live, work and grow old. Lots of room for improvement obviously but combat the pessimism, it’s the forerunner of fascism.
every provocateur who wangs on all the time about Britain being “broken” should be sent to an actual failed state or autocracy for a month as a learning experience, there’s no shortage of them
January 17, 2026 at 9:50 PM
Dan Snow should know - he has studied enough history. These people running down the UK claim to be patriots. They are not.
Reposted by Stirling Smith
67% of Reform MPs have previously been elected as representatives of the Conservative Party. They broke the country last time; do you trust them to fix it?
January 15, 2026 at 6:07 PM
67% of Reform MPs have previously been elected as representatives of the Conservative Party. They broke the country last time; do you trust them to fix it?
Reposted by Stirling Smith
In the UK, as in Australia, and most countries, 'there are many spaces at risk of poor air quality due to lack of regulation, such as classrooms, offices, medical centres and public buildings like libraries and museums'.
One has to ask, why? @saferairproject.bsky.social
🌀 Poor IAQ affects us all.
One has to ask, why? @saferairproject.bsky.social
🌀 Poor IAQ affects us all.
At our conference late last year, Dr Amanda Cohn joined us to speak about the future of indoor air - and the opportunity we have right now to reshape how we think about public health, inclusion and the air we share.
January 15, 2026 at 3:32 PM
In the UK, as in Australia, and most countries, 'there are many spaces at risk of poor air quality due to lack of regulation, such as classrooms, offices, medical centres and public buildings like libraries and museums'.
One has to ask, why? @saferairproject.bsky.social
🌀 Poor IAQ affects us all.
One has to ask, why? @saferairproject.bsky.social
🌀 Poor IAQ affects us all.
Reposted by Stirling Smith
Brexit failed, and Farage was one of its key architects.
"In a sane world, Farage would not be able to show his face in parliament or in a TV studio without being reminded of two things. His adult life was devoted to a cause that his compatriots now regard as a mistake."
https://on.ft.com/4pEaXpC
"In a sane world, Farage would not be able to show his face in parliament or in a TV studio without being reminded of two things. His adult life was devoted to a cause that his compatriots now regard as a mistake."
https://on.ft.com/4pEaXpC
How Nigel Farage gets away with it
His two great liabilities, Brexit and Donald Trump, are unmentionable in British politics
www.ft.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Brexit failed, and Farage was one of its key architects.
"In a sane world, Farage would not be able to show his face in parliament or in a TV studio without being reminded of two things. His adult life was devoted to a cause that his compatriots now regard as a mistake."
https://on.ft.com/4pEaXpC
"In a sane world, Farage would not be able to show his face in parliament or in a TV studio without being reminded of two things. His adult life was devoted to a cause that his compatriots now regard as a mistake."
https://on.ft.com/4pEaXpC
Yes we need to do this; never used to be in favour of more defence soending, but this is where we are. labourlist.org/2026/01/star...
'Starmer and Reeves must break with Treasury orthodoxy to fund Britain’s security' - LabourList
Europe faces its gravest threat since the Cold War. Britain needs £36bn more for defence — and only smart borrowing can deliver it.
labourlist.org
January 15, 2026 at 1:13 PM
Yes we need to do this; never used to be in favour of more defence soending, but this is where we are. labourlist.org/2026/01/star...
Spot on, we are in a very dangerous place. We need to demonstrate some backbone www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
End of western alliance means UK must be bolder, says Chatham House director
Bronwen Maddox says Trump’s rejection of international law leaves UK and Europe facing huge dilemma
www.theguardian.com
January 14, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Spot on, we are in a very dangerous place. We need to demonstrate some backbone www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Watching the opera now at the cinema. She is very powerful and moving indeed. When Germont pere sang “Piangi”, l already was!
Ermonela Jaho is a Highly Sensitive Violetta in 𝐿𝑎 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑎 at the Royal Ballet and Opera: “on opening night, she proved to be a deeply sensitive and affecting Violetta; she draws us into Violetta’s mindset completely”.
👉 Review: www.opera-online.com/en/columns/s...
👉 Review: www.opera-online.com/en/columns/s...
January 14, 2026 at 9:28 PM
Watching the opera now at the cinema. She is very powerful and moving indeed. When Germont pere sang “Piangi”, l already was!
Demonstrates the power of strike action. An important step towards better work.
INDIA: Gig worker safety row: Blinkit drops ‘10-minute’ delivery claim after huge strike timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/ind...
Gig worker safety row: Blinkit drops ‘10-minute’ delivery claim after labour ministry flags concerns; Zepto, Swiggy may follow - The Times of India
India Business News: Eternal-owned quick commerce platform Blinkit has removed its long-promoted “10-minute delivery” claim from all platforms, amid growing concerns over .
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:40 PM
Demonstrates the power of strike action. An important step towards better work.
The Greeks had a term for this: “medeising” - it looks better in Greek. This term referred to those cities that sided with the Persians in the wars described by Herodotus.
January 7, 2026 at 6:32 PM
The Greeks had a term for this: “medeising” - it looks better in Greek. This term referred to those cities that sided with the Persians in the wars described by Herodotus.
Reposted by Stirling Smith
NEW Prime Minister Starmer: "The future of Greenland is for the Kingdom of Denmark, and for Greenland themselves to decide, and only for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark." ~AA
January 5, 2026 at 12:43 PM
NEW Prime Minister Starmer: "The future of Greenland is for the Kingdom of Denmark, and for Greenland themselves to decide, and only for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark." ~AA
While all eyes are on Venezuela where frankly, we can’t do anything, we must not lose track of Ukraine, where we can. And supporting Ukraine means defending ourselves labourlist.org/2026/01/labo...
'Labour must act now to protect the UK and deter Russian aggression' - LabourList
Labour has strengthened the armed forces, but the growing threat from Russia demands greater urgency, investment and a national conversation on defence and security.
labourlist.org
January 5, 2026 at 11:14 AM
While all eyes are on Venezuela where frankly, we can’t do anything, we must not lose track of Ukraine, where we can. And supporting Ukraine means defending ourselves labourlist.org/2026/01/labo...
Terrible need, economy so bad under Labour. Oh wait, investors think things are great. Can’t wait to read about this in the Mail, or watch coverage on the Reform Broadcasting Corporation. www.theguardian.com/business/liv...
FTSE 100 passes 10,000 point milestone for first time, after best year of gains since 2009 – business live
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
www.theguardian.com
January 2, 2026 at 9:04 AM
Terrible need, economy so bad under Labour. Oh wait, investors think things are great. Can’t wait to read about this in the Mail, or watch coverage on the Reform Broadcasting Corporation. www.theguardian.com/business/liv...
Brilliant.
INDIA: Over 200,000 gig workers log off nationwide in New Year’s Eve strike www.thenewsminute.com/news/over-tw...
Over two lakh gig workers log off nationwide in New Year’s Eve strike
Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.In a thumping success, a nationwide strike by gig workers on New Year’s Eve saw between
www.thenewsminute.com
January 1, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Brilliant.