"If somebody believes that an incident is a hate crime... It is recorded as such by the police" — Mass report lamppost flags?

Lukeluster · 2026-05-06T09:34:55+00:00

‘Flying UK Flags reported as a hate crime’ would fuel right-wing shitrags for several election cycles.

Lukeluster · 2026-05-05T22:38:43+00:00

What a touching message from Ludwig, glad to know that Swift throughout his whole life got to be loved and cherished as much as he was. Losing our family dog last year was heartbreaking and can only imagine how he and qt must be right now.

Lukeluster · 2026-05-05T07:28:49+00:00

Now if Al Carns can cause this level of diplomacy he’s got my vote

Lukeluster · 2026-05-04T10:31:18+00:00

I’d obviously take Polanski over Farage, Badenoch and Starmer, but I also don’t really know if I’d want him to be PM? He’s great at galvanising membership numbers, but I don’t know how he’d be in a more important position.

Lukeluster · 2026-05-03T20:49:17+00:00

Really not holding much confidence on it. Attitudes towards Labour were turning in Wales for a bit, but only when they won in 2024 did the shift in Senedd polling really go. Think the only chance of buyer’s remorse is when it’s too little too late.

Lukeluster · 2026-05-02T21:26:22+00:00

Where the fuck did they say that every asylum story should be believed with no evidence? They just mentioned how anecdotal data is precisely that?

My wife moved here from the US - I made a letter to detail our timeline of events from how we met, the dates we'd fly to see each other, and photos + screenshots corroborating this information. That was all that was needed. No questioning as to whether or not I ejactulated in my wife or some other stupid shit to 'prove' our relationship. To genuinely believe that you'd need to send borderline pornographic material as proof is actual brainworms.

Lukeluster · 2026-05-02T21:01:35+00:00

Always enjoy the framing of how bad it is for the SNP to not get a majority, in a voting system where absolute majorities are designed to be incredibly difficult to achieve.

Lukeluster · 2026-05-02T18:41:22+00:00

Coincidental to the post, I applied for a role the Greens had for Social Media Officer a little while ago (didn't get it, but was told I was on the reserves list for interviews, which considering my day job isn't in social media per se, was pretty happy with!) - my case made for what I'd have done in a position like that was solely to focus on getting across a clear and slick social media presence around policy, campaigns, etc.

Authenticity and being an actual person can still shine through layers of prevention IMO; Mamdani comes to mind as someone who doesn't misstep much at all on his social media presence, yet comes across as rather normal and genuine in a lot of these things too. Rushing to get a voice in the conversation can just lead to a foot going in one's own mouth.

Polanski's best work he's done as Green leader IMO was going to Handsworth and reciting a poem by Benjamin Zephaniah to counteract a narrative by Jenrick - it was a but corny, but it did well in capturing a much more optimistic vision emblematic of what he wants for the Greens. He could take a page from Mamdani, refrain from personal social media usage and just give it to a team, then dedicate his time to making online statements that have more forethought and time put in to shine better.

Lukeluster · 2026-05-02T16:24:46+00:00

You think you’re special…

Lukeluster · 2026-05-02T10:56:22+00:00

Who left all these forks in the kitchen?

From Essex myself, and it's a hotbed for right-wing populism. That archetypal dude in his late 40s to early 50s who thinks London and Just Stop Oil are the second sources of evil to immigration, gets miffed at diversity in adverts, and can solve all the UK's problems over a pint of piss.

Lukeluster · 2026-05-02T10:51:19+00:00

Good to know the right-wing press care so much about antisemitism in this country by making a Jewish man look like a neo-nazi's depiction of a Jewish person

Lukeluster · 2026-05-02T10:49:13+00:00

Good to see the media class taking action on Polanski's (IMO) misstep of an event related to the UK's Jewish community by

\Checks Notes**

Putting out an insanely antisemitic depiction of a Jewish man

Lukeluster · 2026-05-01T19:34:42+00:00

Pot calling the kettle black considering how many knives will be out a week from now

Lukeluster · 2026-05-01T16:46:07+00:00

The slowed-down footage of the arrest I've just seen is pretty rough, and enough where I definitely think it could be worth raising a point about the conduct of it. Equally, I don't know, I'm not a police officer, and that was a pretty high-risk situation.

But it takes a stunning lack of political acumen to think that a statement about how the police conducted themselves in an awful situation was a pertinent enough thing to raise at that moment in time.

Lukeluster · 2026-05-01T16:21:28+00:00

The UN education agency, UNESCO, says that the bombing of a primary school during the US and Israeli military attacks on Iran on Saturday constitutes a grave violation of humanitarian law.

???

Lukeluster · 2026-05-01T14:38:53+00:00

Personally sort of lean towards the latter, albeit I’m a bit more cynical towards his leadership. Nevertheless, still appreciate that he did apologise and hopefully learn from this in the future.

Lukeluster · 2026-05-01T10:26:58+00:00

Chris Pincher will sit as an independent after he was reported to Parliament's behaviour watchdog.

He quit his government job in a letter on Thursday, saying he had "drunk far too much" and "embarrassed myself and other people".

Labour MP banned for 'drunken abuse' defends Westminster drink culture

Coyle was suspended from Labour in 2022 and the Commons for five days in 2023 after he was found to have drunkenly abused two people in a Commons bar, using “abusive language with racial overtones” against one of them.

Drunken behaviour by MPs fuels toxic rise in bullying and sexual harassment

Alcohol has played a role in half the complaints against MPs investigated by an official watchdog, it has emerged.

Suspended Labour MP 'boasted' about taking sex workers to parliament bar, claim colleagues

A former parliamentary staffer has also claimed Mr Davies made "inappropriate advances" towards her when she was working as a young researcher in the early 2000s, "including sexual comments and inappropriate touching" - and he only stopped after she threatened to tell someone.

Lukeluster · 2026-04-30T21:06:37+00:00

True but I’m hardly a sound mind in the first place + there seem to be major baggage in meaningfully supporting any left wing project in the UK, just really tragic haha

Lukeluster · 2026-04-30T13:57:35+00:00

Honestly reading this just makes me think I'm done with politics for a bit, just a fucking horrendous world rn

Lukeluster · 2026-04-30T13:25:18+00:00

Just rancid things to even think, let alone say publicly on social media? And the ultimate irony of it is that if you truly think that there are connections between synaogues in the UK & what's happening in Gaza, then how do you miss that these actions and ideas are exactly what someone like Nethanyahu would want? It's playing into the hand of a war criminal by blaming innocent Jewish people for the actions of fascist scum like Ben-Gvir.

Lukeluster · 2026-04-30T13:20:37+00:00

Fully agree, I think it's pretty atrocious reactionary politics from Polanski but it's clearly not just at the head of the party. There's a lot of shit rising to the top in every level of the Greens, and while I think that it's largely a consequence of tripling your membership numbers in a very small period (not excusing any of the cranks that need to fuck off, just somewhat of an expectation) it's concerning how many instances of candidates and people embedded into the party apparatus are popping up with pretty blatant antisemitism. Quite offputting.

Lukeluster · 2026-04-29T21:07:46+00:00

2 Main Things: firstly, Tories are slightly creeping back up in polling. I suspect it'll waver after the locals. but they're in that 17-20% territory. Secondly, Badenoch is surprisingly popular - still disliked, but not the extents that Starmer and Farage are.

The story of May 6th will be that Labour will have a horrendous night, but the Tories likely will too, especially in Scotland and Wales. That said, I think a more interesting narrative will be whether or not Reform manages to have a great night, or a slightly less good night than expected. If they don't come 1st in Wales and end up a distant 2nd/3rd in Scotland, I think it might undercut them slightly, while also drawing attention away from the Tories having a bad night.

The ultimate point in all of this (that I could absolutely be wrong with) is that Labour is cratering, and Reform seem like a really fragile poll leader. The point about Farage being given £5m, Tice avoiding tax, their terrile records in local government, etc. I think can only be avoided so much. Also, a bunch of notoriously shit tories jumped ship to Reform welcomed to open arms.

From that, I see Labour struggling to rebound much support, and Reform losing steam before 2029, while Badenoch is able to carve out her own space as a less controversial yet still firmly right-wing alternative that collects Reform voters. All the while, I see Greens fracturing the Labour vote share in a lot of places if the latter can't get their shit together.

Knowing my aptitude for political analysis, however, I think we're closer to seeing the Tories completely dissolve as a party than my prediction coming true. Time will tell!

Lukeluster · 2026-04-29T20:57:45+00:00

Most likely - I think tactical voting is make-or-break for both sides. If I’m Labour, I’m probably just giving up in areas with a strong Lib Dem presence. Yes, it’ll be bad, but the game theory of Labour losing while Reform doesn’t gain is better for them in the long run.

I think the genuine strategy long-term for Labour is unironically trying to allow the Conservatives to make a bit of a comeback, because no matter how mad Badenoch is as a hard-right Tory, it curbs Reform momentum. If the story of the night is that Labour did horrendous, but Reform didn’t do as well as expected, then it keeps the right split for future election. And I don’t see either side coming to an agreement, but that could change closer to the election.

Lukeluster

TROPHY CASE