Pawel Swidlicki

Pawel Swidlicki

@pswidlicki.bsky.social

Probably the only Wisła Kraków fan on bluesky.

3.9K followers2.2K following3.8K posts

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

I think it doesn't reflect well on the BBC that one its leading presenters is allowed to write an 'analysis' for a highly partisan newspaper which includes lines like "Racial minorities, worshipped by white Democrats" www.dailymail.com/news/article...

dailymail.comWEBB: Trump may be routed at polls and I think it could be a calamityIt's relentless and each single insinuation, in spite of all of them being entirely false, might have been enough to see poor James Talarico off. So why is he still ahead in the polls?

Pawel Swidlicki reposted

Jake Broe
@realjakebroe.bsky.social

This chart is insane. This shows Russia's casualties over time compared to Russia's territorial gains in Ukraine over the last five years. No sane or rational person would say continuing the war to try and take more of Ukraine's territory is worth the casualties.

Pawel Swidlicki reposted

Zack Beauchamp
@zackbeauchamp.bsky.social

I agree with this in broad strokes, but the underlying connective tissue here is more of a character problem: this administration is simply bad at authoritarianism. Their policy judgment and execution has been ham-handed and incompetent because *they* are ham-handed and incompetent

Nicholas Grossman@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social

Three moments broke Trump 2.0: 1) Kimmel and other attempted censorship after Charlie Kirk. Made public see the attack on speech. 2) Minnesota anti-ICE protests, Goode and Pretti killings. Made public see the attack on rights. 3) Iran war. Made public see bad foreign policy affects them directly.

Pawel Swidlicki reposted

Nicholas Grossman
@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social

The powerful executives who cozied up to Trump didn't oops accidentally forget about pendulum swings. They either: 1) Like the fascism 2) Calculated it was here to stay, so going along was savvy 3) Saw no real downside, no consequences when the pendulum swung Crucial to show them 3 was a mistake

Schooley@schooley.bsky.social

That this is in THE WASHINGTON POST is almost too much irony to bear.

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

It would be good if life my own country was not significantly impacted by the GOP vs Dem margins in small counties named after prominent Confederates but unfortunately it is

Pawel Swidlicki reposted

Rob Ford
@robfordmancs.bsky.social

I was having conversations with journalists just a few months ago about whether democracy was doomed. Look at this year: Orban defeated. Vukic defeated. Bolsonaro Jr defeated. Trump heading to likely defeat in midterms. That’s the beauty of democracy. Voters can respond. Don’t count it out yet.

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

I think a rule of 'you're not allowed to display any overt political imagery' would be preferable to this reality denying approach.

Leicester Gazette@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *
Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

Think the image of a half-empty (or indeed fully empty panel if the other two also refused to appear) would send a very strong message. As it is, the BBC gets to censor politically inconvenient opinions.

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

Urban livibility, London schools, UK teen pregnancy rates, collapse of the Soviet Union, Good Friday Agreement, end of Apartheid, equal marriage, Single European Sky, high-quality football streaming, craft beer, clean energy...

Michael Druker 🇨🇦@mdruker.app

Social media loves talking about how everything is getting worse. But what’s something that you’ve seen get _better_ in your lifetime?

Pawel Swidlicki reposted

Adam Schwarz
@adamjschwarz.bsky.social

Mark Carney on Elon Musk crippling Ukraine’s Starlink: “I search for the right adjective to describe whoever took this decision… against a country that is literally fighting for the lives of its citizens against naked aggression."

Pawel Swidlicki reposted

Eric Lipton NYT
@ericlipton.nytimes.com

JUST POSTED: A Russian energy giant has secretly moved to acquire a position in a massive Alaska gas project. Its part of talks between Witkoff/Kushner & Putin. But CEO of US company resigns after learning of Russian money in the project. A wowzer of a story. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/u...

nytimes.comIn U.S. Gas Talks With Kremlin, Hidden Financing for Alaska Project EmergesInterviews and documents show a Russian energy giant secretly funded a U.S. firm. The deal has been discussed in talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

The Obama/Clinton reset didn't work but it was at least based on some kind of coherent rationale as opposed to whatever this weird debasement is.

Adam Schwarz@adamjschwarz.bsky.social

Steve Witkoff to Putin: "You are a humanitarian also, sir. And I salute that, I commend you, and I thank you again."

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

Been online so long I could do a political compass just with dual loyalty takes. Exists/doesn't exit on one axis and good (good in principle) bad (bad in principle) on the other.

brent 🌹🗽@therealbrent.bsky.social

Got to love when Zionists do unironic dual loyalty and insist Jews and Israel ARE one and the same

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

I did think it was very odd that when TPUK launched to big fanfare with active endorsements from likes of Tom Harwood and others of that ilk only for them to then pull back from active involvement pretty quickly, but there was so much else happening at the time it kind of went under the radar.

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

Someone should have asked him for his analysis of the Battle of Hostomel

NOELREPORTS@noelreports.com

Trump said Russia could have ended the war in a day if 1,000 tanks had stayed on a highway instead of getting stuck in mud, while saying “thousands of soldiers” die each month. Asked about a possible deal to free American teacher Stephen Hubbard from Russia, he replied: “Just trust me.” #Ukraine

Pawel Swidlicki reposted

Joel S.
@joelhs.bsky.social

This is not on the list of top 100 worst things Trump has done, but it is such a shame that so many of the American Jewish organizations that could be fighting against this have burned all their credibility by going soft on Trumpism in the name of fighting anti-Israel college students.

Raw Story@rawstory.com

President Donald Trump kicked off a firestorm by casually dropping an antisemitic slur while defending Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) over his history of suing patients.

bit.lyTrump’s slur at Kansas rally sets off instant firestorm: ‘Oy vay iz mir’President Donald Trump kicked off a firestorm by casually dropping an antisemitic slur while defending Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) over his history of suing patients.At a Kansas rally on Monday, Trump addressed a New York Times report that Marshall sued more than 700 patients over unpaid medical bill...
Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

Hippy/rebel to reactionary is a well traveled path!

fesshole 🧻@fesshole.bsky.social

Uncle recently died. As a kid I thought he was quite a cool hippy type person. Just before his death he was saying that people in boat crossing the channel should be shot, plus other racist shite. The small inheritance I received gone straight to RNLI

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

This is obviously a negative development, but ultimately no deal can be imposed on Ukraine if it wants to continue fighting and if Europe remains willing to support it. And in just over 2 weeks' time, Trump will hopefully be a busted flush politically.

POLITICO Europe@politico.eu

Kyiv and the European Union face being cut out of a potential high-level summit to negotiate a deal on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

politico.comRussia explores Putin, Trump, Xi summit on Ukraine dealThe Wall Street Journal reported that talks could take places in the Chinese city of Shenzhen in November.
Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

Very weird article; starts off OK, notes Europe needs migration, that unrest in France is a complex phenomenon and that the state's actions have also been driver, then within 2 paragraphs goes on weird tangential rant about UK middle classes wanting cheap gardeners? www.thetimes.com/article/6610...

thetimes.comFrench riots show Andy Burnham his top priorityIf the PM wants closer ties with Europe he’ll have to show its right-wing leaders he’s serious about managing migration
Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

This tweet has produced a predictably refined discourse which is simultaneously, at points, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and xenophobic with regards to Poles and other CEE nations, which is quite an impressive achievement

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

Absolutely false to say that all Poles (can't speak on behalf of Russians) saw Jews as inherently alien and un-Polish. One of the reasons (the main reason?) the Nationalists hated Piłsudski was because of his concept of Poland as a pluralist state as opposed to a strictly ethno-religious one.

This post is unavailable.

Pawel Swidlicki reposted

Andy Craig
@andycraig.bsky.social

This is true and true in a way that "well it wasn't actually that broad a decision" misses. Trump v. US was, and has had the effect of, the Roberts Court's political endorsement of total executive lawlessness and corruption far beyond the four corners of any direct application to prosecuting Trump.

Cristian Farias@cristianfarias.com

The only thing I’ll add to this fine statement is that vindictive prosecutions are now a feature, not a bug, of our constitutional system, thanks to Trump v. United States. Unless and until Congress adopts deep, structural measures, presidential harassment through the criminal system won’t go away.

Pawel Swidlicki reposted

Mark Chadbourn
@chadbourn.bsky.social

The US military fired roughly 19 years’ worth of Patriot interceptor purchases in just seven months of Trump’s Iran War, the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates.

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

It is bleakly funny that even in this environment, when the public have clearly lost faith in the Trump version of the GOP, a regime comprised of literal criminals acting in the interests of other criminals, still leads the Democrats on crime.

Gillian Branstetter@gbbranstetter.bsky.social

ABC/Ipsos poll finds Americans trust Democrats on "transgender issues" by nine points

Pawel Swidlicki reposted

Dan Nexon
@dhnexon.net

One of the basic flaws of Trump foreign policy: the inability to understand that durable leverage depends on exercising restraint, maintaining relationships, and speaking quietly.

Dr. SkySkull@drskyskull.bsky.social

It’s rather striking how Trump’s ham fisted efforts to help Putin are really hurting him. When the US cut off most aid to Ukraine, that freed them to strike directly in Russia. Now Trump’s financial gift to Russia and internet throttling just encourages Ukraine to hit without limit.

Pawel Swidlicki reposted

Rick
@flipchartrick.bsky.social

Not enough people know about this. Badenoch put Low onto the Public Accounts Committee.

David Higham@oldtrotter.bsky.social

Jawohl, mein Fuhrer. This is the man given a seat on the PAC by Badenoch.

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

The whole 'does Israel have a right to exist?' is such a red herring. It makes no sense to say 'no state has a right to exist' (even if that is a coherent position in the abstract) if you're then going to pivot to 'but there should be a Palestinian state'.

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

Not for the first time I'm left wondering why others don't just copy/paste Mamdani's answer on this which is a good one 'yes, as a state with equal rights' as it refocuses the debate onto more favourable ground (denial of said rights) while leaving open question of whether that's one state or two.

Pawel Swidlicki
@pswidlicki.bsky.social

I see were doing this stupid discourse again. Why does Russia see NATO expansion as a threat? Because it counters its ability to control its neighbours. In short NATO is only a threat to Russia if you accept the premise that Ukraine is destined to be bound to Russia.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Ron Johnson blames US for Putin invading Ukraine: "The way we treated Russia after we won the Cold War, how we pushed them. I'm not defending Putin, but we said we were not gonna move NATO one inch to the east. We brought it right to their doorstep basically. What did we think Putin was gonna do?"