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Alicia@agbutteriss.bsky.social |
132 followers 340 following 453 posts
British liberal. Apparently technically a "Bluesky Elder", according to that one labeller. She/Her
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Oh, uh, further on "the Dems should simply Replace Biden [with a 'Blitz Primary']": The set of people willing to actually go ahead and run against even an unpopular incumbent does not have much overlap with the set of people with The Juice.
Link somewhat related.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owen_Sm...
0 replies 1 reposts 1 likes
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Also, like. I know the UK system is radically different, but, a couple years ago, the Conservative Party had a big multi-stage televised spectacle to decide the new leader/PM. The end result was Liz Truss. The Dems can probably do better than _that_, but "better than Biden" is not a sure bet.
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Update - 9, and 1 Sen (Nancy Pelosi?). Still very mad at these clowns for doing this _now_.
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Oof, get well soon!
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Wait, but have you considered that a 'Blitz Primary' would be a television spectacular[ for political hobbyists]! That's electorally beneficial, right? </s>
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Micah
@rincewind.run
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the Dem caucus is ridiculous this one by one stuff is just dragging this out for weeks and doing more damage to the entire party just figure it the fuck out, guys sit down, do a secret ballot vote, decide if you're going to call for Biden to step down with a united front or not stop this
37 replies 92 reposts 550 likes
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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It really is striking (and disturbing) how the IDF an Israeli govt treat Palestinian civillians as mere inconveniences to be shuffled around as they see fit. At this point, I'm genuinely wondering if they're doing it this way for 'fun'. www.theguardian.com/world/articl...
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Update - 9, and 1 Sen (Nancy Pelosi?). Still very mad at these clowns for doing this _now_.
0 replies 1 reposts 1 likes
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Also, like. I know the UK system is radically different, but, a couple years ago, the Conservative Party had a big multi-stage televised spectacle to decide the new leader/PM. The end result was Liz Truss. The Dems can probably do better than _that_, but "better than Biden" is not a sure bet.
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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I just looked into the "Blitz Primary" plan, and ngl I don't think "this will be great entertainment for political hobbyists" is the slam-dunk argument its advocates think it is.
Otherwise: the election is in under 4 months.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/arti...
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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... I can't believe that _this_ was my "oh yeah, he's actually Prime Minister now" moment.
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Update: it's now 8 Representatives, And Also George Clooney. Frankly both Rep number 8 and Clooney deserve to be slammed for making that move _now_ during the NATO summit (from a "gee, well done on undermining _inter_national security" standpoint).
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Oh, wow, I've not seen _that_ one. (he really is a master of the dogwhistle, jfc)
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Also, like, I am impressed by how he was in a lot of the "right-wing MPs pushing Sunak further right" meetings (and visible in the pictures), but... just not mentioned? (again, even when he was clearly there!)
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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(his YIMBY reputation is rather irksome as someone who lives right next to (indeed, in the same, faintly absurd, District as) his actual back yard)
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Oh it does - he does very moderate _style_, founded a think tank, he got a lot of leeway for being "YIMBY" by supporting building in London (and, uh, not in his actual constituency, which is _not_ in London)...
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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(speaking of Neil O'Brien, I do find his "YIMBY" reputation interesting, given stuff like this: www.facebook.com/ads/library/... (maybe of interest to @jonnelledge.bsky.social, too...))
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Tbh I do wonder whether that's helped the Tories in Leicestershire (Kearns, Evans, and Costa were all threatened with deselection for being too moderate, iirc. Neil O'Brien is firmly on the right of the party, but seemingly has managed to avoid getting a profile for it)
2 replies 0 reposts 6 likes
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Update, it's here: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The current count is in the screenshot. Unironically, I think this is genuinely helpful journalism on the NYT's part (even if the precise _nature_ of the usefulness is ironic).
0 replies 6 reposts 18 likes
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Honestly, I think they've already mostly pivoted? (not necessarily to purely hating on Reform, though that will form part of what they do, but being more general news-based stuff). Like, 2019 also would have been a big moment of collapse.
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Does anyone have a link to the big NYT electeds calling for Biden to resign tracker? (I think it is, ironically, _incredibly_ useful journalism, in showing how small the numbers actually are)
1 replies 0 reposts 2 likes
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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(I mean I know he's actually shadowing the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, but it's the combo of "Shadow" and "opposition" which seems positively oxymoronic. And it's not a simple typo either - I saw it in the Graun first, then ConHome)
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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There is something very funny to me about Oliver Dowden's title apparently being "Shadow Deputy Leader of the Opposition". Like. Which "Deputy Leader of the Opposition" is he shadowing there? Daisy Cooper?
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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I think also that the two-child limit will (thankfully) become politically untenable - though we saw that start in the campaign, and it definitely feels like something the media has had a big shift on.
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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PSA: Labour have openly all-but outsourced their opinion on the (godawful) RSHE draft guidance the old govt issued to the consultation.
Namely, this one, which closes on Thursday: consult.education.gov.uk/rshe-team/re...
It is probably worth completing, if you care about this stuff.
0 replies 3 reposts 2 likes
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Andrew Hickey
@andrewhickey.bsky.social
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In the meantime, if you do have a new Lib Dem MP, worth writing to them and saying how much you support the party standing up for trans rights (even if you didn't vote for them and never will) so they get that feedback before hearing from the bigots (who *will* be out in force).0
0 replies 7 reposts 19 likes
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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It was enough of a thing for David Cameron to be making comments in 2009 - though I agree it didn't peak until later www.theguardian.com/politics/200...
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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I get why there are a bunch of "Best Tory gaffes and/or Lib Dem stunts" round-ups of the election campaign, but I don't get why "Rishi Sunak delivers entire speech with his back to the camera" isn't in any I've seen (h/t @cooraysmith.bsky.social from when it happened, but screenshot is mine)
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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I'll happily admit to being skeptical of Ed's leadership to begin with, but he has done amazingly well (like, in the zone where he only could have done better with the benefit of precognition to know just _how_ bad the Tory campaign would go)
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phyphor
@phyphor.one-dash.org
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If your area got a new Labour MP then it is your duty to email them and say that you are happy the Tories are out but that transphobia should have no place in the party. Make Starmer gently walk back his support for Rowling's position!
10 replies 386 reposts 724 likes
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Tom Ewing
@tomewing.bsky.social
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The BBC’s “Seats Changed” map is wild. You can now walk from the coast of North Devon up to Bicester and then down to Eastbourne without ever leaving newly Lib Dem seats. Tired: The Blue Wall Wired: The YELLOW SNAKE
16 replies 109 reposts 410 likes
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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1. Literally no, I used them in the same point. 2. That point was about 2019, and my overarching point was "lol, no, being Serious doesn't help".
I mean, like, _this_ time the Lib Dems did well: www.theguardian.com/politics/art...
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Well, obviously. It would show that the Tories are not Serious, and everyone wants Serious politicians. It's why Boris Johnson was so soundly defeated by the Liberal Democrats back in 2019!
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Since there's somehow discourse: the current "15% of MPs writing letters of no confidence" rule is probably fine to stick around for this term, because the would-be letter writers didn't all magically keep their seats. (E.g. the, uh, 'loss' of Miriam Cates alone abates a lot of it)
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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It's honestly testament to both the moral and the political failure of the Tory establishment that this rando fascist who was transparently going to lose in this GE still was granted massive political power because... she had an internal faction that provably couldn't beat the govt?
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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(he lost one of his Shadow Cabinet to the Greens (it was an incredibly telegraphed target seat), and another to an independent (the campaign kept the local campaigners but, like, I tested postcodes next door to it on the Labour volunteering site, and they were sent further afield))
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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In this case, tbh, Starmer didn't actually do that great in terms of vote share (the lowest in UK history for a majority govt aiui), or absolute number of votes, or actually acting like he won a landslide rather than offering empty promises because he's upset at losing some key players.
1 replies 0 reposts 4 likes
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Wait... People who witnessed the Truss ministry think it's a shock that Truss wasn't capable of giving a speec?! Did we all forget the "the Prime Minister is not hiding under a desk" incident?
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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"Very good", comes from arcade game rankings and the like, that go A-D or whatever with an S rank above A for doing really well.
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Does Denyer count as non-crank?
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Also: my heart rate is pushing 100, which sounds only slightly high but I'm normally slightly bradycardiac so...
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Mum has Sky news on and, uh, I do somewhat appreciate the "Exit Poll Imminent" like the boss warning in a schmup, but not that it's hidden The Countdown.
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Costa Samaras
@costasamaras.bsky.social
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COUNTERPOINT: Voting is Good, actually
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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I feel like there is potential there, though I guess "the Tories lose massively" is a bit more baked in than "YouGov tried this thing t'other day and it showed a Hung Parliament?!", which leavens it a bit.
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Andrew Hickey
@andrewhickey.bsky.social
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www.attitude.co.uk/news/keir-st...
Good editorial from Attitude ahead of Starmer's mealy-mouthed nonsense
0 replies 63 reposts 71 likes
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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I don't know whether he met with her in the last couple weeks, but he has been debasing himself for the last couple weeks in order to obtain JKR's agreement to a meeting (which is even worse)
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↙️↙️↙️
@2damntrans.bsky.social
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Keir Starmer, the future prime minister, explicitly saying that trans women don’t have the right to use women’s toilets, which we have always been using, is giving the green light for people to harass us and do violence to us, as well as to cis women deemed not feminine enough. Don’t vote Labour.
6 replies 103 reposts 367 likes
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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Okay, uh, I know nostalgia has a powerful draw but, uh. Why, exactly, are notional _Dems_ calling for Biden to stand down by going "you know, like LBJ did!"? Like. That did very much end in Nixon becoming president? (and also was completely different in most other respects)
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Gordo!
@gordbrush.bsky.social
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According to Sky, the Lib Dem’s have ‘one last stunt’ ready for the end of the campaign
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Alicia
@agbutteriss.bsky.social
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(I say like I have any idea how much a non-peak ad slot like that costs - actually I guess still four digits, but once you hook someone in you can get them for a lot at a guess?)
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