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simoncope.bsky.social
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In the UK, physical inactivity among adults causes 1 in 6 deaths and costs the NHS over £1 billion annually. Building more cycle lanes, enabling safe walking options, and encouraging reduced car dependency can benefit everyone.

NEW: Reform UK’s pledge to remove every low-traffic neighbourhood from the council areas it controls looks to be achieved in record time - as the 10 local authorities all told the Guardian they do not actually have any. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I cannot state this strongly enough: If you are upset about the way this government is treating trans people and immigrants, and you have a Labour MP, for God sake write to them.

I did consider making a speech about tackling poverty, taxing the rich, nationalising utilities and properly funding the NHS and social care, but then I thought... nah, just go full Enoch Powell.

Starmer's Britain. Not even subtle.

Reform setting out their priorities in local government - never mind social care, housing or education - just make sure the flag shaggers are happy. Totally unserious.

Another day; yet more performative non-serious politics.

Utterly deranged. These are not serious people in charge of the US right now. 🤡 🤡 🤡

thank you Private Eye for taking apart this flakey headline-grabbing research

Just a little update for the busy, from the world of science: 1) There's no life on K2-18b 2) Vaccines cause adults 3) They are not Dire Wolves Carry on.

The crisis for UK steel is exposing another – perhaps even bigger – crisis for the UK Our news media seems incapable of even the most basic factchecking YES energy for UK steelmakers is costly NO it's not due to net-zero YES it is due to GAS Here's what UK media isn't telling you🧵

1. Today the Tories unveil their new policy: ripping up the commitment to net zero by 2050. Kemi Badenoch, with no evidence, claims "it can’t be achieved without a serious drop in our living standards or by bankrupting us." What the evidence shows is the opposite. We can't prosper without it. 🧵

Trump Brings a Day of Historic Shame for the United States newrepublic.com/article/1921...

NEW: Official advisers CCC say UK shld cut emissions 87% by 2040 ⚖️Net cost of net-zero 73% less than thought 💷Total cost to 2050 = £108bn (~£4bn/yr, 0.2% GDP) 🏡🚗H’hold energy/fuel bills to fall £1,400 🔌Electrification is key THREAD + charts www.carbonbrief.org/... 1/10

✅ “If decarbonisation targets are to be met, people will need to use public transport far more in future” Electrification is vital AND we also need a proper plan to reduce the need for motorised travel and shift more journeys to public transport & active travel

In case you’re not sure how it’s going down here, America.

Trump proving beyond a doubt he is working for Russia, is now openly attacking Zelenskyy and Ukraine after failing to blackmail them for trillions of dollars. Everyday Trump is president is a 100 years of shame and embarrassment for the United States.

Put aside the nastiness of this post, & the way in he attacks Zelenskyy as a dictator but says not a word about his pal Putin, & just focus on the way it is written: would you hire this weird person to work for you? Would you trust this odd person to teach your kid in school?

Denying refugees citizenship simply on the grounds that they arrived here “illegally” on small boats *when there are no legal routes* for most to use takes cynicism to new heights. If Govt thinks such performative cruelty will see off Reform, they’re wrong - it’s more likely to strengthen it

1. Here are just a few of the ways in which Starmer’s Labour Party seems determined to alienate its voters and lose the next election. As they pile up, you have to keep pinching yourself and asking, “what the hell is it playing at?” 🧵

Kamala Harris wanted a two state solution. Uncle Woo Woo the Fanta Fuhrer wants to invade it, make all Palestinians homeless and turn it into a beachside resort. Got it.

Your regular reminder 👇 🏥 81% want publicly owned NHS 🏫 78% want publicly owned schools 💧 73% want publicly owned water 🚂 70% want publicly owned rail ✉️ 70% want publicly owned mail 🚍 67% want publicly owned buses 💡 65% want publicly owned energy

In my column today I argue that, unbelievably, Labour are worse on environmental issues than the Conservatives. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The myth of Sustainable Aviation Fuel. Don't fall for this bullshit. Labour people, call your MP's and ministers out on it. Please. And if they're not going to listen, feel free to join @greenparty.org.uk

Yikes. Utterly frightening listening to Reeves on Today this morning. Fuck wildlife, fuck the bats, fuck climate change. Labour are chasing economic growth at the expense of anything else. And yes, they have utterly swallowed the twin magic beans of sustainable aviation fuel and carbon capture. 😔

The math is the same in every city. Bikes and smart bike infrastructure SAVE a huge amount of space. And a huge amount of public money (infrastructure money, public health care money, & much more), a huge amount of ghg emissions, pollution and noise, & much more. And then there’s what they GAIN us.

“It’s a huge greenwashing exercise by the aviation industry. It’s magical thinking that they will be able to do this.” Good piece on the myth of 'sustainable aviation fuel', which Keir Starmer's Government is insisting will somehow make expanding Heathrow a climate friendly option

I do not accept that a govt can be serious about its climate change goals *and* be baking in additional aviation demand for decades to come, with no realistic prospect of low-carbon aviation technologies being ready for adoption any time soon. This is a big blow to Labour's credibility on climate.

Airport expansion is just *not* compatible with an ambition of reaching net zero. An utterly catastrophic decision.

The vile, sadistic crimes of this rape gang will not make national headlines, or trend on twitter for days. Govt will not have to account for failures to protect its victims. And all of us are less safe, because there is a concerted campaign for us to focus only on perpetrators with brown skin.

Labour's simplemindedness will be its downfall - and ours. You can't build and bulldoze your way out of the housing crisis. Unless you also change the system, you'll still leave millions without decent homes. My column today explains why. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...