@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world cover
@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar

ApostateEnglishman

@[email protected]

Purveyor of the Apparently Impossible. CO₂ 333.73 ppm.

Card mechanic and conjurer posting regular demos and tutorials. I also discuss anything related to the deceptive arts, whether sleight-of-hand or stage illusions, scams or psychological trickery.

On the more whimsical evenings, expect me to share whatever is bizarre, grotesque, strange, uncanny, surreal, esoteric or arcane.

Lifelong environmentalist, anti-racist and antifascist. No pasarán! ✊🏼

This profile is from a federated server and may be incomplete. View on remote instance

@Alice@beige.party avatar Alice , to random

The IRS already has our tax info so I don’t know why they make each of us fill out the equivalent of a numerical MadLib every year.

ApostateEnglishman ,
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@Alice They don't need to. If you work for someone else, most countries just tax your income automatically, no paperwork involved. 🤷🏻‍♂️

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

More hints that Epstein's inner circle murdered some of the girls they abused.

""I wish someone there had the courage to ask you [Don Huffines, a pro-Trump millionaire] about your NM ranch," [prominent conservative Trisha Hope] in a social media post on X. "You need to be forthcoming about why you purchased it, what you plan to do with it and if you will allow it to be properly searched as the Epstein files indicate there are possible bodies of children buried there.""

https://www.rawstory.com/don-huffines-2675272838/

@MichaelEMann@fediscience.org avatar MichaelEMann , to random

Emails Show Epstein Scheming That Environmental Destruction Could Solve “Overpopulation” | Article by Joe Wilkins for @Futurism :

https://futurism.com/science-energy/epstein-climate-change-population

ApostateEnglishman ,
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@MichaelEMann @Futurism Not only Epstein. It's a nauseating fact that many billionaires think radical depopulation will be necessary to support their own over-consumption - that most of the global population dying from famine or other climate-related disasters is a price worth paying to preserve the system on which they depend.

They generally also believe that technology will somehow save their own class, because they have an almost religious faith in technological "solutions" to every problem.

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

The Big Tech broligarchy are trying to take over the planet, while supporting fascist movements everywhere because they won't stop them doing it.

"...Discord has managed to make the rollout of its global age assurance policy seem even grimier. The company has informed some users in the UK they may be part of "an experiment" with Persona, an age verification vendor whose investors include Peter Thiel, co-founder of ICE's premier surveillance provider, Palantir."

https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/oh-good-discords-age-verification-rollout-has-ties-to-palantir-co-founder-and-panopticon-architect-peter-thiel/

ApostateEnglishman OP ,
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@aral @MostlyTato I see you're using the word "people" in the loosest possible sense of "technically members of the only extant species of Homo, at least from a purely biological/taxonomic perspective". 🤷🏻‍♂️

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

Billboard outside the Old Trafford soccer stadium in Stretford, Manchester, England.

Billboard reading "IMMIGRANTS HAVE DONE MORE FOR THE CITY THAN BILLIONAIRE TAX DODGERS EVER WILL".
ALT
@JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange avatar JessTheUnstill , to random

When you have like 2 bars of a song stuck in your head, but not enough details to Google and you're really bad at humming

ApostateEnglishman ,
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@JessTheUnstill Something like this can frustrate me for days! Solidarity with you in your struggle. ✊🏼

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar ChrisMayLA6 , to random

If a Labour PM (unlikely to be Starmer) after the next election heads the largest, but a minority party in the Commons, will they draw from the Macron playbook & refuse to work to the Left & rather seek some sort of coalition with the Right?

Might the Greens be large enough after the next election, to cause some real headaches to a Labour Party refusing to work with those to the left of them?

It is of course way too early to answer these Q.s; but in three years time we may need to?

ApostateEnglishman ,
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@ChrisMayLA6 Based on how the Labour right have behaved so far, I'd say it's highly unlikely they'd work with the left on anything, let alone form a coalition to keep Reform out of power. They've done nothing but try to divide, sideline and purge socialists and other progressives for over a decade.

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

Big abusive stalker ex vibes. Some of us prefer to dream, asshole.

"NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has told Europe it should “keep on dreaming” if it thinks it can defend itself without the support of the United States.

“If anyone thinks here again that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming. You can’t. We can’t. We need each other,” Rutte said during an address to the European Parliament in Brussels on Monday."

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/26/europe/nato-chief-rutte-european-defense-us-intl

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

I wish folks would stop calling this authoritarian. The Republicans are trying to control what is taught in classrooms and universities; what books are on library shelves; what it is permissible to say out loud without being subjected to vicious smear campaigns; even how folks can self-identify. They're trying to micromanage every aspect of public life.

The term for that is totalitarianism. "Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state", as Mussolini put it.

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

Finally gearing back up for another year of protest. A long break was needed to rest these old bones and recharge this weary soul.

So now we go again. How much can someone with chronic fatigue achieve? I'm animated by the ghosts of the dead.

We move.

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

Starmer will continue to pander to the right.

"We studied more than 70 different elections that took place in 12 western European countries over several decades, and found that when mainstream parties take more anti-immigration positions, it leads to more support for the radical right, not less. We’ve also found that when social democratic parties propose strongly reducing immigration numbers, this leads to less support for social democratic parties at the ballot box."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/26/labour-reform-uk-nigel-farage-immigration-voters

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

I swear when some "liberals" are being carted off to concentration camps with an ICE agent clutching each of their limbs and their noses gushing blood, they'll still be shouting the same mantra: "This nation is slowly sliding into some form of potential autocratic rule! We're on the precipice!"

Siblings, you ain't on the precipice. You landed with a thud on the dusty floor of the ravine when Trump pardoned 1,500 insurrectionists and turned them into a Gestapo to brutalise his political enemies.

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

So, remember when we said that if anyone's rights are imperiled, everyone else's rights also become conditional on the whims of power? Which part of that did you not understand? Did you just think it was about trans people or brown people or whatever? Fools.

So now a white woman gets summarily executed on camera with no consequences.

Congratulations, America. Enjoy the 1930s.

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

The "magic" vids on YouTube are mostly awful. It's just all the stuff in kid's books, recycled for fresh generations to monetise even though the poster didn't come up with it themselves and doesn't provide any credit (admittedly, a lot of it is copyright-expired). So it's kinda like "AI". Contrary to popular belief, most sleight-of-hand performance artists are fairly generous with their time if you reach out and truly wish to be a student.

You do not need to wade through 1,000 YT vids. 🤷🏻‍♂️

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

Mamdani's inaugural speech was one for the ages. Proving that if you're unapologetically progressive and politically left-of-centre, and say so loudly and proudly, the people will listen. Constantly pandering to the most reactionary forces is a losing strategy. Showing backbone and strong leadership, even challenging your own base to rise to the moment? That's how good people win. 👏🏼

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

This will be a short thread of home truths about capitalism. Contrary to popular belief, Western economic dominance wasn't built on "free markets". It was built on pipeline and tanker routes, energy consortiums and contracts, enforced by brutal colonialist wars and the might of armies. It was built on the backs of the enslaved and the subjugated, and depends to this day on an endless supply of cheap hydrocarbons. And eventually, these fuels are going to run out.

1/6

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

Together Against the Far Right is a new alliance of over 50 organisations - including trade unions, the TUC, the Muslim Council of Britain, refugee groups, anti-war and pro-Palestinian groups, Women Against the Far Right, and NGOs - that formed a united front after the "Tommy Robinson" demo in September which was the largest far right demo in British history. It made many want to do something to fight this.

So that's what we'll be doing. We cannot ever allow our country fall to the fascists. ✊🏼

@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

SCIENCE FACT.

A dog gets more factual information from sniffing another dog's arsehole than a human gets from reading the Reform UK manifesto.

@Gustodon@mas.to avatar Gustodon , to random

I'm surprised anyone wants a machine to think for them.

Thinking kicks ass.

ApostateEnglishman ,
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@Gustodon Yep. Back in the days when Google search actually worked, I would never use Safesearch - not because I wanted to explore adult content, but because I didn't want one company deciding what was appropriate for me to see! I wanted to discover, learn and think for myself.

Whenever we use an LLM, we're allowing our entire worldview to be filtered by the Silicon Valley broligarchy, and our ability to think independently to atrophy. Why would anyone voluntarily do that to themselves?

@mikegalsworthy@mas.to avatar mikegalsworthy , to random

Rachel Reeves says there’s a “hole” in the public finances.

A new decade-long Brexit study explains it: a 6–8% hit to GDP – that's £180bn-£240bn a year

– means less tax, less investment and less money for everything else.

Brexit made Britain poorer. Much poorer.

https://eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/brexit/new-boris-johnsons-brexit-titanic-success-was-half-right/

ApostateEnglishman ,
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@junesim63 @mikegalsworthy It's so frustrating that even the left accepts a Thatcherite framing of how public finance works. It means we can never get the big stuff done because we think someone has to pay for it - which was precisely the point of Thatcher saying "there's no public money, only taxpayer's money". It was her big lie to justify her state-shrinking agenda.

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar ChrisMayLA6 , to random

Out of the media spotlight the arrests of protestors under the terrorism act, prompted by the proscription of Palestine Action continued this weekend.

The Govt. may have banked on the news cycle moving on, but thanks to @2legged (today) and others during previous protests, we can see that the injustice continues even as the judicial review slowly proceeds

ApostateEnglishman ,
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@ChrisMayLA6 @2legged Some of my friends were arrested last week. Had I not had to look after the cat because the housemate was on a split shift, I'd have been at the protest as well and also been arrested.

@TheBreadmonkey@beige.party avatar TheBreadmonkey , to random

Sorry for what I said about risotto

ApostateEnglishman ,
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@TheBreadmonkey @Tattooed_Mummy Full disclosure: I am a firm advocate of the one ladle at a time method.

However, I am also sometimes both hungry and exhausted simultaneously. On those days, I don't mind if my risotto doesn't have exactly the preferred texture so long as the flavour is there. Furthermore I am critical of the privilege and snootiness of those who do care.

Like biatch, did you even hear me invite you to dinner? 👂 🤷🏻‍♂️

@TheBreadmonkey@beige.party avatar TheBreadmonkey , to random

Not all heroes wear pants

ApostateEnglishman ,
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@TheBreadmonkey Some heroes wear no clothes at all (although of course this approach to heroing is heavily context-dependent and not always appropriate).

@FediTips@social.growyourown.services avatar FediTips , to random

Mastodon gGmbH has just issued a new blogpost:

➡️ https://blog.joinmastodon.org/2025/11/the-future-is-ours-to-build-together

Some highlights:

  • Eugen has stepped down as head, his replacement is @mellifluousbox (Eugen will continue as an advisor)

  • Mastodon gGmbH and its US-based 501(c)(3) intend to transition to a Belgian non-profit and transfer their assets there

  • Eugen has sold his Mastodon-related assets (including the trademark) to the 501(c)(3) for €1 million, these will eventually be transferred to the Belgian non-profit

ApostateEnglishman ,
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@FediTips @Gargron I remain baffled that easier account migration still isn't on their roadmap. Other fedi services, such as *key servers, implement the functionality to import content archives as well as take followers with you if you change instances. There's no technical barrier to Eugen doing the same.

Having one big onboarding server wouldn't be such a problem if users could hop around the fedi without having to painstaking rebuild all their previous posting history and interactions. 🤷🏻‍♂️

ApostateEnglishman ,
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@FediTips Great explanations, thanks. 🙏🏼

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar ChrisMayLA6 , (edited ) to random

Today its three years since I joined Mastodon.

I just love it here; great conversations & civility of interactions (the occasional flaming & bad temperedness are nothing like as frequent as elsewhere).

I now have over 7.1K followers putting my at 1,045th most followed account on Mastodon:

I want to thank you all for reading & engaging with my posts, indulging my frequent typos (and pointing them out so I can correct them) & all the great conversations I have had & will have.

Screen shot from Mastodon Most Followed showing me at 1,045 with 7,118 followers
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ApostateEnglishman ,
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@ChrisMayLA6 It makes a difference that you put careful thought into every post. Even on the rare occasions when I fundamentally disagree with you, the fact the position I disagree with has been so well-articulated still makes it valuable for clarifying my own thinking.

Just...keep doing you! 🙏🏼

@ScienceDesk@flipboard.social avatar ScienceDesk , (edited ) to random

Only 10 to 15 percent of people are left-handed. @popsci explains the science behind it. Does the fediverse mirror the world? Vote in our poll!

https://flip.it/TdSpII

ApostateEnglishman ,
@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar

@ScienceDesk Mixed-handed, here. Dad is the same.

@TheBreadmonkey@beige.party avatar TheBreadmonkey , to random

New potential career path just dropped

Headline Europe | Mobsters online How Italy’s mafia uses social media to recruit new blood
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ApostateEnglishman ,
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@mykl @TheBreadmonkey I'm sure there's a long list of things at which Ben would be perfectly wonderful, so I mean no disrespect to him when I say I'm not convinced "mafia don" would be on it.

Although, not gonna lie, I would definitely pay to see that movie.

@TheBreadmonkey@beige.party avatar TheBreadmonkey , to random

150 years ago I'd be dead by now. Really makes you think.

ApostateEnglishman ,
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@TheBreadmonkey I know right?! I too am at an age that throughout Europe would have been considered elderly in Medieval times, but is "spring chicken" territory today.

Yes I ignored your joke and took it literally. So sue me. 😉

@Binder@petrous.vislae.town avatar Binder , to random

[Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

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    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @Binder Recent data indicates that those with no religion are now slightly more numerous than Christians in the UK - and that includes Ireland, which has a higher religiosity than Scotland, England and Wales.

    Only one person I know - and as a lifelong political activist, I know a lot of people! - is a strictly observant Christian who regularly attends a church. Even some of my Muslim friends are not particularly devout.

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @Binder This Nadia person has weirdly managed to take offence to what I said and you boosted, calling me a "weirdo".

    Out of respect to you I simply apologised - 'cos fuck that Twitter shit - but yikes.

    Some people just wake up in the morning and choose violence. 😆

    @briankrebs@infosec.exchange avatar briankrebs , to random

    It's my fediversary! Three years ago today I said goodbye to several hundred thousand followers at the nazi bar and joined this community. No regrets! Thanks for making me want to stick around :)

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @briankrebs Thanks for making the change. It's influential figures like you setting an example that inspire others to follow! 👊🏼

    @gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green avatar gerrymcgovern , to random

    Google and Bitcoin combine to create pure evil

    Google Secures $3 Billion AI Hosting Contract with Bitcoin Miner Cipher Mining

    "The collaboration highlights a broader trend among major tech companies seeking to bolster their AI capabilities amid rising demand. These companies are increasingly utilizing the existing infrastructure of cryptocurrency mining facilities, allowing them to optimize both time and capital investments."

    https://news.ssbcrack.com/google-secures-3-billion-ai-hosting-contract-with-bitcoin-miner-cipher-mining/

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @gerrymcgovern Don't you just love how they mistake millions of users having been given no choice but to use their crappy chatbots for "rising demand".

    These tech bros are all scamming each other at this point. 🙄

    @FediTips@social.growyourown.services avatar FediTips , to random

    Mastodon users, you might want to check out the "timed mute" option, it's really useful! It lets you set a period (6 hours to 30 days) when an account is muted. It's handy for taking a break from someone.

    To make a timed mute, you'll need to be using the website, web app or some third party apps. Mute as usual but before confirming the mute click "show options" and select a time period.

    If you want to still get notifications from them, untick the "hide notifications" box.

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @FediTips This is really useful to temporarily mute those who like to write long threads, so their posts don't flood your feed. Bookmark that first "1/264" post, then mute them for however long you think it'll take them to write their epic!

    That way you can still read it, but in your own time. 🤷🏻‍♂️

    vkc , to random

    [Thread, post or comment was deleted by the author]

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    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @vkc You may well have rediscovered the ancient Socratic method of using questions to force people to think for themselves!

    @FediTips@social.growyourown.services avatar FediTips , (edited ) to random

    You can edit your posts on Mastodon, just click ⋯ and then "Edit". There is no time limit or editing limit.

    If someone has already boosted your post, they will get a notification. This is to prevent any "bait and switch" abuse of editing.

    Also to prevent abuse, people can see the edit history of your post. If you need to hide sensitive information posted accidentally, delete the post instead of editing.

    More info and questions answered at:

    ➡️ https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-edit-posts-in-mastodon

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @FediTips Don't forget the "delete and repost" option, which is useful if you think of a better way of expressing your thought that requires substantial changes!

    @muan@mastodon.social avatar muan , to random

    How do people search for anything on Mastodon? Say if I want to know if people I follow has said anything about “cool topic” what is the way? This is maybe lazy of me.

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @muan

    Go to the search bar and type "from:@person topic" and you'll see everything that user has said about the topic. To search your own posts, type "from:me topic".

    @ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

    A significant chunk of The Guardian's political commentary these days is just Oxbridge liberals urging politicians to do stuff they absolutely won't do. Thus we have Polly Toynbee today saying that Kier Starmer already being the most unpopular PM ever is an "opportunity": now (says Polly) he can and must act with "clarity of purpose" and disregard the opinion polls. Which assumes against all evidence that Starmer has principles.

    No. What he should do is resign, but he won't do that either.

    @TheBreadmonkey@beige.party avatar TheBreadmonkey , to random

    ShartGPT

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @TheBreadmonkey But... that's just the same, isn't it? 🤔

    @AnarchoNinaWrites@jorts.horse avatar AnarchoNinaWrites , to random

    Look, if Christian rappers don't want me, a woman trying to attack and dethrone God, to mom jeans boogie to their songs they need to stop laying them over sick hooks...

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @AnarchoNinaWrites @angiebaby 60 seconds? Nina, your tolerance threshold for long-ass intros is way higher than mine! 😆

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @AnarchoNinaWrites @angiebaby Yeah but The Cure are built different. They're absolutely world-class musicians and songwriters. Their intros are so engrossing they could probably just...not even bother with the actual song, and we'd still be cool with listening to them jam for four minutes. 🤷‍♂️

    @benroyce@mastodon.social avatar benroyce , to random

    is going to kill us, but not in the typical scifi way: robots with laserguns or control over nuclear bombs

    That's too flashy. It will be far more mundane

    It's going to kill us via the firehose of falsehood

    The tricky part:

    The problem is not making people believe lies

    The problem is making us so cynical, we disbelieve truth

    In a world where nothing is trusted as true, and only bias remains, this will lead us down familiar societal paths of mob "truth" over real trusted evidence

    1/x

    The actor Omar Sy in the role of Assane Diop, a man inspired by fictional master of deception Arsène Lupin, in the TV show "Lupin"

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @benroyce @ShadSterling @NatureMC @run_atalanta I remember the days when simply by viewing the EXIF metadata on a social media post, you could sometimes precisely geolocate where a pic was taken. Potentially very dangerous if the pic was, for example, a family barbecue in the subject's own back garden.

    Stalkers were exploiting this to track victims.

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @NatureMC @benroyce @ShadSterling @run_atalanta Exactly. This is why objections to security and privacy typically come from a place of extreme privilege - from folks who, being so comfortable in life, simply can't imagine living in a world where the powers-that-be work against them.

    Even within the Western nations, governments being able to track our every move is a lot scarier if you're not in the dominant social group, or are an activist working against the prevailing political climate.

    @RememberUsAlways@newsie.social avatar RememberUsAlways , to random

    No one believes news like no one believes Russian State Media.

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @RememberUsAlways @Wyatt_H_Knott The last time they lost a national election, they instigated a violent insurrection to overturn US democracy.

    They don't care about national elections anymore; they're not leaving the White House unless dragged out screaming.

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @RememberUsAlways @Wyatt_H_Knott I do understand midterms.

    I also understand fascism.

    ApostateEnglishman ,
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    @RememberUsAlways @Wyatt_H_Knott Absolutely do vote!! But also, do not underestimate the Republicans' willingness to subvert democracy to cling to power no matter what. Do you think they're building a giant gilded ballroom for the Democrats? 🤔

    They're already plotting to rig the midterms, which will likely involve physically intimidating voters with Trump's Gestapo. Plus Steve Bannon has been in The Economist this week saying there's a "plan" to get Trump an unconstitutional third term.

    @ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world avatar ApostateEnglishman , to random

    The London Metropolitan Police have allowed the actual, Nazi-saluting fascist Nick Tenconi and his band of thugs to assemble at Hyde Park tomorrow, but barred anti-racist counter-protesters from opposing them except at a separate event in another part of the city.
    There is indeed "two-tier" policing in Britain and this is an example of it.

    Needless to say, the counter-demo will go ahead regardless.