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Simon318ppm

@[email protected]

“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.” (Gramsci) 🇵🇸 🇺🇦

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@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar ChrisMayLA6 , to random

This story of the chaos in Post Office sorting offices & its impact on the delivery of mail (especially letters) completely lines up with my local experience in NW Lancashire; lost letters have increased, delayed deliveries are common & its clear that tracked packages are being prioritised.

The mail service is collapsing; the only Q. is whether this is the result of the move on-line, or a contributory factor to that move for all sorts of communications?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c39wlryn20vo

Simon318ppm ,
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@ChrisMayLA6 as with all public services, it strikes me the collapse is principally down to neoliberal ideology that everything is a business that must be liberated from the scourge of taxpayer subsidy and make a profit or die

The shift online may be the final blow but if we still entertained the concept of using progressive taxation to invest in services that ensure we maintain a functional society and curb obscene & damaging excess, the PO, and everything else, would be so much better

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar ChrisMayLA6 , to random

How can we reform capitalism?

Well Jason Hickel & Yanis Varoufakis suggest three key steps:

  1. re-engineer finance; penalising investment for destructive private investment & prioritise public investment for public goods;

  2. democratise public & private budgeting decisions;

  3. democratise corporations; wrest control from the elites & put it in the hands of workers.

Its as simple as that.... well, OK not simple, but you can see what they're getting at!


https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2026/feb/12/capitalist-model-climate-growth-capitalism-species-humanity

Simon318ppm ,
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@ChrisMayLA6 I’m just reading Jason Hickel’s More Is Less, published in 2020 to outline the crucial concept of degrowth - an excellent read and extremely compelling analysis

Simon318ppm ,
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@GeofCox @ChrisMayLA6 @TerryBTwo one factor I’ve become increasingly conscious of is the extent to which, as people have been forced to be increasingly reliant on private pensions for retirement income, so we are increasingly implicated in the whole rotten quest for maximum returns

I switched my pension 2 years ago from a standard SIPP to one that avoids all unethical investments & only invests in UN Social Development Goal aligned funds.

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Simon318ppm ,
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@GeofCox @ChrisMayLA6 @TerryBTwo
I don’t get the same growth but it washes its face

But in recent months, I’ve become increasingly concerned that the fund has performed particularly strongly because of investments in energy transition, whose value has been hugely inflated by the rollout of data centres to power AI

It’s not direct fund manager decisions, just the backwash from trying to invest ethically in an extractivist economic system

@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green avatar gerrymcgovern , to random

"A sharp increase in e-waste has accompanied the surge in electronic equipment. In 2022, 62 million tons of e-waste was produced globally. Canada’s e-waste tripled between 2000 and 2019 and is expected to reach 1.2 billion kilograms by 2030. These statistics demonstrate an urgent environmental crisis that demands new ways of thinking and educating future generations."

https://theconversation.com/to-tackle-e-waste-teach-kids-to-be-responsible-consumers-265712

Simon318ppm ,
@Simon318ppm@mastodon.sdf.org avatar

@gerrymcgovern @peachfront every “wicked problem” I’ve ever come across has had an expert claiming the answer is better education

Whether it’s teaching about credit in school, teaching kids to be “better consumers” or my favourite, send staff on a “Dealing with Difficult Clients” course because your service is so fucking awful, it makes people angry

Anything to avoid recognising & tackling the fundamental systemic failure that enshittifies everything - capitalism

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

To no-one's real surprise Labour has lost the Caerphilly by-election to Plaid Cymru... Plaid took the seat with a 47% share of the vote, but Reform managed to gain (pretty much from a standing start) 36%, while Labour saw a majority drop to 11% (all, on a slight larger turnout of 50%).

Its not good news for Labour, but most disappointingly the Greens vote share dropped from a previous constituency high of around 15% in 2021 to almost (but not quite) zero.


h/t FT

Simon318ppm ,
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@ChrisMayLA6 given it was evidently a two horse race between Plaid & Reform Ltd, progressives of all hues would have backed Plaid - why split the vote and let the far right in?

As a GP member, I’d have preferred a Green victory, of course, but that was never going to happen this time. I don’t think we can read any more into it than that

@aral@mastodon.ar.al avatar aral , to random

Just heard about the ceasefire agreement from folks in Gaza (was heads-down coding).

I want to be optimistic although I fear what Israel and Netanyahu’s government will do to sabotage it.

Also, is it too soon to talk about holding Israel and the IDF responsible for genocide?

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/10/9/live-israel-hamas-agree-on-first-phase-of-gaza-ceasefire-deal

Simon318ppm ,
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@aral it’s fantastic and a huge relief if the slaughter has stopped

However, the prospects for the Palestinian people seem questionable when they rely on a private-investment-led process conceived by the likes of Blair, Kushner, Trump & Netanyahu

@Gwendolyn@eldritch.cafe avatar Gwendolyn , to random
Simon318ppm ,
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@Gwendolyn
“These campaigns often begin by isolating and dehumanizing specific targets to justify murder or other violent action against them…..These campaigns then escalate to organized doxing, where the private or identifying information of their targets….is exposed to the public with the explicit intent of encouraging others to harass, intimidate, or violently assault them…”

Sounds a lot like projection to me 🤔

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar ChrisMayLA6 , to random

The Govt. is doubling down on its commitment to nuclear power, with a series of deals with US firms, including a streamlining of safety checks (potentially halving the lead time on new projects);

Q. will this be value for money for UK consumers?

Given we already have expensive energy costs (due to the pricing structure) & the nuclear power industry's claims for lower prices always seem to be over the horizon, for most of us the answer will be no!


https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/15/uk-and-us-line-up-string-of-deals-to-build-modular-nuclear-reactors-in-britain

Simon318ppm ,
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@ChrisMayLA6 compared to renewables, nuclear is hugely more expensive &, while other countries invest in meaningful, proven & safe storage solutions, we partner with the govt of an unstable lunatic to fast-track an unproven tech & “streamline” safety regulations

But that’s not the main issue. We have already breached 7 of the 9 planetary boundaries, beyond which life as we know it becomes unsustainable. This dash for power for ever more growth has a far, far greater cost

@ChrisMayLA6@zirk.us avatar ChrisMayLA6 , to random

Anecdotally among people I know & through rumblings on social media, I'm starting think that Citizens Advice Bureaus are having a real capacity problems, as people are waiting to speak to advisors for weeks (in some cases months) & seem to be getting a poor (partial) response when the contact CABs are about specific support.

My guess is that the CABs are being hit be rising demand & more complexity in the support required?

If so, a worrying development for the vulnerable.

Simon318ppm ,
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@ChrisMayLA6 as Gordon Brown puts it in today’s Grauniad:

“It’s not only the shortage of basic essentials as food prices rise far faster than wages and child benefits. It’s the totality of the conditions in which so many of the generation I call austerity’s children – young people born into poverty in the Tory years – are living: homes without heating, bedrooms without beds, kitchens without kitchen utensils, floors without coverings and even toilets without toilet rolls.”

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@EUCommission@ec.social-network.europa.eu avatar EUCommission , to random

🇪🇺🤝🇺🇸

Today, the EU and US moved forward in restoring stability and predictability in transatlantic trade.

This agreement brings:

✅ Predictability and stability for businesses and consumers
✅ Protection for millions of EU jobs and long-term economic growth
✅ Opportunities for industries on both sides of the Atlantic, including the car sector

Fair, balanced, and mutually beneficial, this deal avoids harmful escalation and strengthens the transatlantic partnership.

→ https://europa.eu/!X8yxvh

left: EU flag. right: US flag
ALT
Simon318ppm ,
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@EUCommission sellouts - pathetic defeatism in the face of a deranged bully 🤬🤬🤬

@randahl@mastodon.social avatar randahl , to random

Picture 1: The Republican party is trying to promote Trump with a collage of Trump in front of a car and the text, "Make automobiles great again".

Picture 2: The car used in the collage, is a VAZ-2101 produced by the Russian car manufacturer Lada from 1970 onwards.

image/jpeg

Simon318ppm ,
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@randahl 🤣🤣🤣

@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green avatar gerrymcgovern , to random

"A 2023 study found that a single Chat GPT-3 request processed at an Arizona data center uses about 30 milliliters of water, compared to 12 ml per request in Wyoming. That doesn’t seem like much (it’s less than a shot-glass) until you consider that there are at least 1 billion ChatGPT queries worldwide per day and growing, using a total of some 8 million gallons of water daily, worldwide."

https://coyotegulch.blog/2025/07/31/no-there-is-not-plenty-of-water-for-data-centers-and-yes-we-should-worry-about-it-along-with-the-facilities-power-use-jonathan-p-thompson-landdesk-org-coloradoriver-coriver-riogrande/

Simon318ppm ,
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@junesim63@mstdn.social avatar junesim63 , to random

"People have been told that Gaza protests are hate marches; they can see it’s not true....They have been told that Palestine Action is a terrorist organisation because it spray painted military aircraft; they can see it’s not true. They have been repeatedly told, by Benjamin Netanyahu, that opposition to Israel’s war is antisemitic; they can see it’s not true"
Good from Archie Bland. The tide is turning..

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jul/05/gaza-israel-bob-vylan-glastonbury

Simon318ppm ,
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@junesim63 thanks for sharing

I agree, this is a superbly powerful shouting of the truth we all see while our “leaders” stick their fingers in their ears, sing la-la-la and ban truth-tellers as terrorists

@junesim63@mstdn.social avatar junesim63 , to random

This is the correct move by Zack Polanski. There is space for a radical, leftwing party in Britain that shouts about its policies and takes on Reform head-on. Polanski is popular, carries none of Ramsay's baggage and is a superb communicator.

Green deputy launches leadership bid with UK ‘eco-populism’ vision | Green party | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/05/green-deputy-zack-polanski-launches-leadership-bid-with-uk-eco-populism-vision?CMP=firstedition_email

Simon318ppm ,
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@junesim63 I’m interested to see the detail of what Zack is proposing but, on the face of it, I agree

I’ve been thinking for a while now that the only way we defeat Reform is being embedded in our communities, helping develop practical, solidarity-based solutions to people’s problems while shouting as loud as possible that another world is possible and taking steps to build it

@WeirdWriter@caneandable.social avatar WeirdWriter , to bookstodon group

Honestly wish I'd discovered Clive Barker sooner, especially after this direct quote.

Noting Rowling’s vast financial success, Barker felt that Rowling’s newfound position of fame ought to exclude her from discussing trans rights. He added, “It really just seems redundant for a woman as successful, as validated in the world, as Ms Rowling, to be negative, to be disruptive if you will, to a very beaten up subculture. These are human beings. She has no right to opine, I think, upon the lives of human beings that she does not know.”

“I feel very protective of people who are on the edge of our culture as gay people still are,” Barker continued. “And certainly transgender people are on the edge of our culture. And here you have one of the most successful people in the frigging world – Ms Rowling. Going after a very emotionally vulnerable portion of our culture. It just seems unnecessary and unfair.”

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/hellraiser-clive-barker-publishing-homophobia/

bookstodon@a.gup.pe icon bookstodon group

Simon318ppm ,
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@WeirdWriter bookstodon@a.gup.pe icon bookstodon group superb - thanks for sharing 🙏🏾

@aral@mastodon.ar.al avatar aral , (edited ) to random

Tech bros are living, breathing embodiments of the false authority fallacy; claiming that their professed understanding of basic logic qualifies them to reason expertly upon every conceivable topic while conveniently ignoring a fundamental maxim of their purported core area of expertise: garbage in, garbage out.

Simon318ppm ,
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@aral absolutely, though it’s only the extreme extension of the ideology of the last 40-odd years that, by definition, the private sector should run everything because, of course, successfully exploiting your workers and customers to maximise shareholder returns uniquely qualifies you to know how to run a hospital / government department / benefits system / adult & child social care, etc, etc 🤷🏽‍♂️

@tante@tldr.nettime.org avatar tante , (edited ) to random

"my gut feeling is that we need 0 innovation to tackle at least 90% of the problems that challenge our societies, us as individuals and humanity as a whole. We just need to grow up and start doing the actual work."

(Original title: Innovation is a distraction)

https://tante.cc/2025/02/03/innovation-is-a-distraction/

Simon318ppm ,
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@tante oh yes - a thousand times this…

@gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green avatar gerrymcgovern , to random

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    Simon318ppm ,
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    @gerrymcgovern

    “Michael J. Hicks is the director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and the George and Frances Ball distinguished professor of economics in the Miller College of Business at Ball State University.”

    Heaven only knows how 🤔 I’ve never read such a gross misrepresentation of degrowth and the views of those who argue for it. The man is either a lying charlatan, an idiot or possibly both

    @gerrymcgovern@mastodon.green avatar gerrymcgovern , to random

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    Simon318ppm ,
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    @gerrymcgovern @Qybat that’s what’s so infuriating - the equation of “a healthy economy” with economic growth, the madness that only if we’re doing more, consuming more, wasting more and destroying more do we have any measure of value

    At every possible level, it’s the definition of insanity - as you say, a death cult

    @FantasticalEconomics@geekdom.social avatar FantasticalEconomics , to random

    Every time you see an advertisement, I want you to think about .

    Advertising and marketing act to "stimulate demand" - aka convince us to buy things we don't need. It contributes to GDP without providing real value to people and, in fact, make us worse off. Wouldn't everyone rather watch videos and read articles without being bombarded by ads?

    Finding ways to reduce squandering our scarce resources, energy, and time is the heart of the degrowth movement. Let's create an ad-free world.

    Simon318ppm ,
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    @FantasticalEconomics quite agree. And it’s even more pernicious as it aims to stimulate demand by playing on our insecurities and anxieties

    As I saw someone say a few years ago, the advertising industry is the only one whose purpose is explicitly to make us feel unhappy

    As well as its contribution to environmental collapse through its economic impact, it contributes massively to ongoing alienation and atomisation, undermining our hopes of building a better future

    @TCatInReality@mastodon.social avatar TCatInReality , to random

    After Truss and , frankly I'm disappointed only one MP has left the party over what it's done to the and the country.

    BBC News - Conservative MP and ex-minister Daniel Poulter defects to Labour
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68913287

    Simon318ppm ,
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    @junesim63 @TCatInReality he’s standing down anyway

    But reading his comments that everything was great under Cameron and Osborne, as the NHS and other public services were being decimated by cuts, he was clearly ideologically committed to NHS destruction when it was being done by nicer people

    What’s truly awful is that he’s lined himself up a job with Labour as a health adviser