Rachel Haynes

I’m not a political journalist, so was gladly surprised at the community I found here last night. To Americans anxious about the upcoming elections, a key thing we learned in Brazil that might help you: DO NOT engage with the far-right online. Don’t share rage bait. Amplify your people. Ignore them.

“He’s got the White House looking like Saddam opened up a Cheesecake Factory" Obama just spoke to an ELECTRIC audience in Ohio, skewering Trump & Hegseth and making the case that while we may be stuck with the same POTUS until 2029, we are not stuck with a spineless do-nothing Congress Highlights:

Overall, we are seeing some very odd deal talks that are supposedly a part of ending the war in Ukraine. But in fact evidence shows these deals are structured (in the most recent case secretly until now) to financially benefit Russia or business partners of the Trump and Witkoff families.

The immigration doom loop, summed up here by @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Awestruck by Lemn Sissay’s analysis of the depiction of care experience on screen. Wonderful, enlightening, aggravating. #R4Screenshot

you have to watch every second. i…wow.

So they're at it again 🙄 Torturing valid HMRC data to create wildly misleading headlines, designed to invoke fear and anger about immigrants. Same old, same old... (and you'll see just how old shortly!) 🧵1/28

Did the Any Questions preview just fail to mention the conviction of a former DUP leader for child sex offences as a topic for discussion? Grooming gangs yes, for weeks at a time, hugely influential political leader, a brief mention for one day on the news agenda.

Jenrick demonstrating his huge respect for women in his interview with Anna Foster #r4today

I have never seen coverage of a live trial, one involving allegations of multiple sex attacks on multiple women, framed in a more distasteful way. It's not 'Fame under fire' it's a rape trial. And it involves actual women. And this from the *checks notes* BBC

OK, there is something very, very weird going on in the press right now. It certainly appears, from the outside, as if certain people are being very much protected in a way that was not afforded to certain other people! Let's start with the facts around Lola Salem... 🧵1/

There is 73% support in Britain for the principle of refugee protection - including in the UK - while 20% are opposed to this. The peak of support was 2022 at 80% (largely because the images from Ukraine had more impact than images from the Channel that year, though boats + migration were high)

To recap: Drag Shows ❌ Miss Rachel ❌ Books ❌ Public executions ✅

Fact.

I Kan't deal with Kemi's Kuddly Kemistry

Lovely story. My mom also used to make us silver dollar pancakes - always felt extra special for some reason.

A man builds an IED. He sets it off in a busy public street. Shrapnel flies about hitting cars, homes and a child's bedroom. It's a miracle nobody is injured. And Reform MP Sarah Pochin calls his imprisonment "disproportionate" and "two tier justice."

NEW: How does Burnham’s conference speech land with voters when they see it it? In short, very well it seems. A thread on some new video testing of the PM’s speech among voters by @persuasionuk.bsky.social Top line findings and some caveats below! 🧵👇

The rush to speculate that asylum seekers are responsible for every crime in the news is a sort of opportunistic informational terrorism. Until it’s disproved it stokes fear and hatred. When it is disproved there are no adverse consequences and they know that they only have to be lucky once.

This artwork was created over the past year by a local Birmingham artist collective who wanted to bring unty from discord by repurposing the divisive Nationalist flags into a massive Brummie Reunion Jack. Suffice it to say, the inspiration for Goldship's magnificent work has not taken it well.

Being arrested for suspicion of assault and controlling or coercive behaviours, is apparently just a “bump in the road” and “personal difficulties” according to Farage. Reform have zero credibility on support for victims’ and tackling VAWG.

All day Piddington's womminfolk have been telling news how they will be terrified of "hundreds of young men nearby, free to come and go as they please." NOT ONE JOURNALIST has asked: "How did you cope when it was an army base? Who came and went then? Nuns?" Soon as you ask that, all becomes clear.

The public are now more likely to think boat crossings are falling this year than rising. [Numbers were down 40% with lowest 3rd quarter for 6 years] Down 40% About same 16% Up 29% Dont know 16% Labour down 61-12 LibDem down 61-18 Green down 47-13 Cons down 41-34 Reform up (28-46 down v up

‘are we just trying to get our mums a house?’

I am bloody proud to be an #RNLI supporter and member! These brilliant men and women have quite enough to cope with without being harassed by the scum of the earth. Their only concern is to help people in danger at sea - not check passports first! Which is how it should be. Please RT if you agree🙏

If they’re not making claims about what they’re supposedly protesting about it’s not a protest. It’s disruption, blockade, etc. No attention should be given to speculating about their motives. If they don’t tell anyone, it’s their problem. Just arrest them for interfering with essential transport.

A very clear exanple of a national media outlet always looking for an UP/spike/high headline (with immigration down, asylum down, boats down, hotels down). Settlement at +5 years is up after 2021-24 migration peak www.thetimes.com/article/7f2a...

One of the first "outrageous" claims I saw as Jason Arday's media hounding unfolded was that he ran 30 marathons in 35 days! Wow! What a thing to claim! And the newspapers all suggested there was no evidence he actually did it. Well, they clearly didn't look very hard 🙄 🧵 1/26

Absolutely delightfully clever nonsense.

Ulez has delivered remarkable public health gains in a short period. Sadiq deserves more credit than he’s had for defying Labour pressure to U-turn after Uxbridge. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

“There cannot be any doubt that racism lay at the heart of this story,” says Lord Simon Woolley, principal of Homerton College Cambridge. Woolley is one of 32,369 signatories of an open letter calling for a public inquiry into the “vicious witch hunt” which preceded Jason Arday’s death.

Look, put simply, people should not be comfortable saying that in public and the way to fix society runs directly through making them afraid to say it again.

There is a difference between scrutiny and entertainment. Jason Arday’s career posed questions, but they shouldn’t have become obsessional. Journalism should seek truth, but not public humiliation.

The problem with Farage’s lie about being advised by the police to stay away from the count on security grounds is that he’d already given the real reason.

I see that Toby Young had written about an elite university messing up by elevating someone who may not have been actually qualified to be there. Interesting stuff

"doesn't understand the appeal of patina" feels like neat summation of American aesthetics

Happy birthday, Headington Shark: 40 years old today www.headington.org.uk/shark/

WorldPride would bring visitors, celebration and opportunity to London. But that's not why I'm backing our bid. For me, it's about the message it sends: that everyone deserves the freedom to be themselves, and that our diversity remains one of London's greatest strengths.

New Scandinavian wings at Wandsworth and Pentonville jails have seen a 45% fall in assaults, 57% drop in self harm and halving of staff absence rates - fascinating results from trial into a more rehabilitative approach to prisons observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

My tribe - the yarn pedantry venn tribe. I want a niddy noddy now.

Solar eclipse coming up so here’s one of my favourite maps

Reform UKs plan to use the Royal Navy to intercept migrant boats in the Channel brilliantly taken apart by ... er ... Nigel Farage

What’s your favourite description of a famous person? I like Alan Partridge on Gary Barlow who described him as a “Wide hipped wealth enthusiast”

A joy of fair competition for a worse album cover.

Never count this city out. London’s been ranked #1 once again - this time as the most intelligent city in the world.

It was always unlawful, under the Highways Act 1980. But I don't suppose Suella would know that, being a lawyer, MP and former Attorney General.

airbnb I’m staying at unintentionally created the toughest punk album cover of 2027