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Hastings
Joined October 2022
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MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
Major banks have made tens of billions in additional profits as interest rates have risen in recent years.
At the same time, millions of people are facing higher mortgage payments, rising rents and ongoing cost-of-living pressures.
There is a clear opportunity for the Government to tax bank windfall profits and raise up to £15 billion each year for our public services.
That's why I've signed @RichardBurgon's motion, calling on the Government to introduce a tax on bank windfall profits ahead of next week's Budget.
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
The next time Nick Clegg in invited onto BBC to pontificate as an independent tech expert…please note that here he is, named in the $27bn New Mexico judgment as one of execs engaged in a systematic cover-up of Facebook’s deceptive consumer practices.
Those in the know think AI is a bubble but when is the crash going to come?
Back before 2008, a few savvy investors realised the bubble was about to burst, and purchased credit default swaps that would pay out when it did.
Today, there's a surge in CDS trading again - this time, linked to the debt of the big tech companies.
graceblakeley.substack.com/p…
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
Helpful prompt about what to do if the internet goes down due to a global cyberattack/AI swarm.
This seems less insane with every passing day.
I also bought myself the SAS Survival Guide, which is essentially a bush manual for almost every imaginable outcome.
Money
- Keep cash at home, about two to four weeks of essentials, in small bills.
- Write down your bank, credit card and insurance account details and phone numbers on paper.
Information and contacts
- Print a contact list with family, close friends, neighbors, doctors and the kids’ school.
- Agree on a family meeting point and plan in case phones are down, such as “if we can’t reach each other, meet at X by Y time.”
- Export and print or save offline anything business-critical.
- Download offline maps
- Keep paper copies of passports, IDs, insurance cards and prescriptions.
Communication
- Get a battery or hand-crank AM/FM/NOAA radio, which will be your main news source.
- Consider a pair of walkie-talkies or GMRS radios for the family.
- Keep a landline-style backup in mind. Most “landlines” now run over the internet, so don’t count on yours.
Power
- Keep power banks charged, plus a solar charger or a larger portable power station.
- Have flashlights, headlamps and spare batteries.
Water and food (aim for 2 weeks)
- Store about 1 gallon of water per person per day. In a high-rise this matters most, because building water pumps need electricity.
- Stock shelf-stable food the kids will actually eat, plus a manual can opener.
- Keep a camping stove with fuel for outdoor or ventilated use only, or no-cook foods.
Health
- Keep at least a 30-day supply of any prescriptions.
- Have a first aid kit, OTC basics like pain relievers in children’s doses, and hygiene supplies.
Home and offline life
- Learn how to manually open anything electronic, such as smart locks and the building’s garage or entry.
- Keep a paper copy of the building’s emergency procedures and super’s number.
- Download offline entertainment and learning material for the kids: books, games, art supplies.
- Get to know a few neighbors, since local community becomes your network fast.
Digital hygiene (helps before and after)
- Back up photos and documents to an external drive kept offline.
- Use strong, unique passwords with 2FA, and keep printed recovery codes for key accounts.
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
Oh dear, Krishnan Guru-Murthy asks about the receipts from oil and gas going into Labour's Energy Wealth Fund,
Tessa Khan, "The OBR made a forecast before the price spikes caused by the Iran war that by 2030, the tax take from the North Sea oil and gas sector, will be £0.1 billion"
"That's not enough to bring down people's energy bills"
My view:
Labour is talking up an Energy Wealth Fund financed by North Sea revenues, but the OBR’s pre-Iran-war forecast put oil and gas tax receipts at just £100 million in 2030–31.
That’s the projected tax take for the whole year — nowhere near enough to make a meaningful dent in energy bills.
So when ministers suggest North Sea revenues can help bring bills down, where’s the money actually coming from?
Great work @stellacreasy
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
2020: Matt Hancock, "Right from the start we've tried to throw a protective ring around our care homes"
2026: Baroness Hallett, "The claim that a so called protective ring has be thrown around care homes right from the start was unfounded. Quite the opposite is true. The adult social care sector as a whole, appeared to be something of an after thought"
My view:
Matt Hancock said the government had tried to throw a “protective ring” around care homes. He repeated the claim in Parliament. Nadhim Zahawi later publicly backed it, while Boris Johnson defended the government’s handling when challenged. Now Baroness Hallett’s inquiry has rejected the claim as unfounded: care homes were not protected from the start; adult social care was treated as an afterthought.
This was more than a failure of words. Patients were discharged from hospitals into care homes without routine testing, and care homes were not advised to isolate those arrivals. Staff faced shortages of PPE and testing, while residents and families bore the consequences. The inquiry describes a system that failed to plan for the risks and failed to put care homes at the centre of its response.
What we saw was a collective failure—a collaboration of incompetence at the expense of life. The phrase “protective ring” offered reassurance while the protections people needed were missing. Thousands of families were left grieving, and care workers were left trying to cope with the consequences. Those responsible should face the findings honestly, explain how this happened and make sure the lessons lead to change.
But the question remains, why is there almost no accountability for the actions government ministers took during covid?
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
I wrote to the Government with cross-party MPs last night opposing this decision.
Rosebank and Jackdaw won’t cut bills they'll just boost profits of fossil fuel giants.
If every country pursues its own deluded self interest the costs of climate breakdown will be unbearable.
Energy Secretary @Miatsf has agreed that the regulator can grant consent for gas to be produced at the licensed Jackdaw field.
Gas from Jackdaw is expected to start reaching British homes and businesses as early as the end of this month.
ALT Jackdaw gas field gets green light to begin production
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
Poor Valencia.
>Again!
Climate decline is pitiless.
Strategic adaptation, nature-restoration and determined climate mitigation are urgent.
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
Insulating Britain’s homes and investing in heat pumps would do more to cut the cost of living, create jobs and boost the UK’s economy than drilling for new oil @e3g
theguardian.com/environment/…
actionnetwork.org/petitions/…
A good campaign from @parents4futureG Please support & share
Bravo @stellacreasy responding robustly and cheerfully to the trolls!
@CompInPolitics @carolecadwalla
There is a reason am sharing this video post watershed. Please forgive the language but illustrates why I ask residents to come and meet in person rather than trying to use social media for any serious discussion these days.
These are all real comments made on a variety of forums on the video about our next open meeting for Walthamstow residents on Thursday 22nd October at 7pm to discuss politics. If you are local and think being able to talk matters please spread word about this meeting and rsvp to my office for details of the venue.
Sorry mum for the swearing but it really isn’t me.
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
This is Joel. He used be an airline pilot. First he gave up flying for his holidays but kept flying planes. Eventually, he couldn't deny the damage the aviation industry is causing anymore, so he quit his job.
If Joel can give up flying, so can you.
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
Palantir’s influence across Europe. The most revealing report yet into the AI company’s business across the continent, by @FTM_eu, reveals the extent of contracts–but doubts are growing about it as a partner
Sebastiaan Brommersma reports, with an introduction by @carolecadwalla
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
It’s reported today that Sally Rooney, who many believe is one of the best authors of her generation, has been advised that because she has expressed support for Palestine Action she could be arrested if she comes to the UK. Because she is donating some of the money from the sale of her books to Palestine Action her publishers have been advised that they too could be prosecuted if they sell her books in any form and so they have removed them from the bookshelves and other outlets. I do not want anyone in the UK to miss out on her wonderful writing and so I thought I would read the first paragraphs of her terrific book “Normal People.” I hope others will read further sections of the book so that people do not lose out on the joy of reading h her works.
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
“You could almost believe that the real purpose of government was to do the bidding of corporations, foreign states and the ultra-rich.”
Time to kick Palantir out of the NHS 💥
theguardian.com/commentisfre…
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
I recently spoke to @thenerve_news about reports that the Government has spent or agreed to spent at least £992m with Palantir.
It’s becoming increasingly clear the British state is in the early stages of addiction to Palantir and all it represents.
We now have a chance to chart a new and better course away from Palantir. We should take it quickly, with both hands.
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
Reform supporting bot traffic falls off a cliff after a Russian data centre is hit.
Because, patriotism 🇬🇧
MP Watch @mpwatch.bsky.social retweeted
At last! Big congrats to all esp @carolecadwalla As MP I was proud to join a court case to try to force ministers to hold an inquiry into the impact of Russian interference on the Brexit vote & other recent elections - their lack of curiosity was stunning
observer.co.uk/news/national…
