TommyL retweeted
The company responsible for building the drain, that led to the crash and fatalities, was Carillion.
Its Chairman was Philip Green, the Jersey based businessman who illegally donated money to Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign in 2007, that ultimately led - with some assistance from me - to her subsequent resignation.
Green was described by a House of Commons Select committee as "delusional" and having "a woeful lack of leadership or no grip on reality".
Under his leadership Carillion were forced into liquidation after accruing £7bn in debt.
Former UK Prime Minister, David Cameron, had previously appointed Green as an "efficiency advisor" and in 2014 he was given a CBE for his "services to business".
What legal and financial recourse the families of the dead have going forward, seem limited.
But the Cozy Big Club, of dodgy businessmen and dodgy politicians, just keeps rolling on.
Stonehaven train derailment 'avoidable' if drain had been built correctly, sheriff finds i.stv.tv/4ioeJDw
TommyL retweeted
🔴NEW: Anders Povlsen owns around one per cent of Scotland and has a 200-year vision for restoring the Highlands. But a new report raises concerns about the fast fashion company in which he is the biggest shareholder.
Our latest: theferret.scot/anders-povlse…
ALT Graphic featuring a close-up of a smartphone displaying the ASOS logo. Text reads: “New: Anders Povlsen is Scotland’s green billionaire. He’s also the biggest shareholder in a fast fashion brand ‘harming’ the environment.”
TommyL retweeted
Hi David @DavidTaylor85
You really should be careful about using your position to come after me, because once you do that, people are entitled to look at your own record.
You've gone after the BBC over my appearance and questioned why I was given a platform.
Let's look at your record.
•You backed the proscription of Palestine Action.
•You went after Francesca Albanese and opposed the renewal of her UN mandate.
•You've defended Labour Friends of Israel and pushed back against scrutiny of pro-Israel influence in Parliament.
•You've attacked the Green Party and Zack Polanski over their position on Palestine and Zionism.
•You even opposed parliamentary wording referring to "accusations of genocide" in relation to Israel.
And you've described Israel as a "lone beacon of democracy, freedom of speech and rule of law" in the region, while it disregards international law, refuses to work with Palestinian Arabs and kills journalists.
So forgive me if I'm not going to take lectures from you about who should or shouldn't be given a platform.
You have a very clear political position on Israel and Palestine. That's your right.
But when you then use your position as an MP to put pressure on the BBC because I was given a platform, people are entitled to ask whether this is really about "standards" or whether it's about the fact that you don't like what people like me say.
And if you want to abuse your political power to scrutinise me, I'm going to scrutinise you right back.
Hemel Hempstead should know who you REALLY are. Is the kind of MP they want representing them.
unavailable
TommyL retweeted
It now transpires that a massive ammunitions factory & explosive storage complex is being proposed next to the Auchtertool Hyperscale Data Centre, which is proposed for the rural, picturesque, 1,000 year old Scottish village.
The military-industrial complex has landed and is expanding across Scotland.
Scotland does not need or want this.
Labour Fife Council & SNP ScotGov are in cahoots with the developers. The SNP ScotGov gave the nod to the 'green' data centre location two years ago (Kate Forbes signed it).
A review of data centres is currently under review by ScotGov. The SNP Scottish Government is consulting with big tech, property developers and councils as part of this Data Centre review.
However, It is not consulting with communities, and refuses to do so despite numerous requests. Communities are not given the access to government that the money-men are getting.
The dice are loaded, the game is fixed, our government & institutions are broken. The people have no voice in this grinding system of government.
The SNP & Labour parties are no longer parties of the people. They are full of inept & corrupt 'professional' politicians who have lost touch with the people they are supposed to serve.
An ammunitions factory, explosive storage complex, a 600MW data centre, all sitting on top of one of the biggest gas pipes in the UK... what could possibly go wrong? 🤷♂️
The children of Auchtertool made this video to tell us how they feel about the hyper scale data center planned for our village. Please take a few minutes to watch it.
But this isn't an Auchtertool problem - it's a Scottish one.
The proposed data centre would need roughly half the power currently used by every home in Scotland combined. Who is paying to build all that extra capacity?
It would also swallow huge amounts of water, and take much-needed farming land out of the food chain, which we all rely on.
And to be clear - this isn't about being "anti-Al". A data centre like this powers the everyday: your photo storage, your online shopping, and yes, Al too. The question isn't whether we need infrastructure. It's how we build it safely, and sustainably. And how the people of Scotland benefit from it.
At this scale, the only obvious winner is the developer. It's not obvious what the tangible benefits are for the people of Scotland.
If you think a project this big deserves to be properly thought through, visit our village website to find out more and object.
auchtertoolvillage.com
TommyL retweeted
🔴 REVEALED: Palantir led closed-door review of how MoD buys software
Review was presented to defence minister Luke Pollard by Palantir UK boss Louis Mosley in Feb and has mostly been implemented
None of this was made public
New investigation🧵
democracyforsale.substack.co…
TommyL retweeted
As Burnham decides whether to end Palantir’s £330m NHS contract, the questions about its access have never been more vital
Read the full investigation, and the documents:
democracyforsale.substack.co…
Democracy for Sale is reader-funded. If you value this work, please subscribe 😊
TommyL retweeted
"Escapes should not be a ‘greenwashing opportunity’ for salmon farm firms"
theferret.scot/p/9f6a4ddf-47…
TommyL retweeted
🔴 NEW: A new scheme to penalise salmon farmers when farmed fish escape is wholly controlled by the industry, The Ferret can reveal, prompting claims it is “a major step backwards for wild salmon conservation in Scotland”.
Our latest: theferret.scot/p/9f6a4ddf-47…
ALT Black-and-white close-up of a salmon underwater, with The Ferret logo. Text reads: “Revealed: New salmon farmer’s scheme condemned as ‘greenwashing opportunity’.” Subtext says a new scheme to penalise salmon farmers when fish escape has been launched, but The Ferret found it is controlled by the industry, prompting criticism.
TommyL retweeted
From 1980, UK public wealth went from the highest to the lowest in the G7.
Our research on the decline of public assets in the @FT.
ft.com/content/ba8011d3-37ba…
TommyL retweeted
BBC News spent Sunday referring to Jim Ratcliffe as one of Britain's richest men, except, he's an immigrant in Monaco, having moved there to avoid paying £4 billion in tax.
They screen him complaining about those on benefits, even though he grew up in a council house, went to state school, had free university education, and has taken hundreds of millions in public state support from the UK, French and German governments.
They screen him talking about broken Britain which is poor, but don't mention that he is a Brexiter, and Brexit has made the country poorer.
Our national broadcaster should have spent the day providing context to his criticisms, instead they wrapped it in a bow, pushed it out, to stoke further division in society.
I remember when the BBC was so much better than this, and I hope one day it will return to having better standards, than to simply churn out divisive nonsense masquerading as news and analysis.
TommyL retweeted
Don't let them divide and rule over the Triple Lock...
Workers and pensioners are struggling, while the rich are laughing all the way to the bank.
- Average annual earnings (full time) - £39,039
- (So-called) Living Wage (35hrs) - £23,132
- State Pension - £9,614 to £12,547.
V disappointing to hear @AyoCaesar @michaeljswalker backing a Tory's proposal for ending the Triple Lock to pay for cancelling student debt interest on @novaramedia.
No mention of arms spending. No mention of a Wealth Tax. No mention of our state pension being relatively low. 👇
TommyL retweeted
Labour, Tories, Lib Dems and Greens: I demand you stand down in Clacton. I will be a unity candidate and pledge to build at least one affordable house.
Nigel Farage says he wants The People versus the Establishment. So be it.
Leave him to me.
TommyL retweeted
I remember when the Blairites and media peddled lies and smeared Jeremy Corbyn, then this happened
TommyL retweeted
Defence barristers walk out after judicial ruling in Filton 6 trial - while police make arrests outside court
For a third time over the last week the Met police have made arrests outside Woolwich Crown Court of people holding signs communicating the principle of jury equity. The group of 6 people arrested were sitting peacefully displaying the signs: "Jurors have an absolute right to acquit according to their conscience" and, “Even without legal defence jurors can still acquit on conscience”.
Meanwhile inside Woolwich Crown Court, there has been a shocking development in the Filton case, five of the six defence barristers have left the trial following judicial rulings which cannot be reported until the end of the trial.
A spokesperson for Defend Our Juries said today:
“In recent years we have seen judicial rulings that banned climate campaigners from saying the words ‘fuel poverty’ and ‘climate change’ in their trials. Today we understand a judicial ruling has been given that goes even further, and as a response the legal professionals representing five of the six defendants on trial in the Filton case have no choice but to leave the trial because they have been left with literally nothing they can say in closing arguments.”
The trial of the first six defendants from the group known as the ‘Filton24’ has reached the stage of closing arguments. Five of the six defendants will now be giving their own closing speeches as they have no legal representation.
TommyL retweeted
Your monthly reminder that Labour Together has deleted this image of Mandelson speaking at a 2023 Labour Together event alongside Johnny Reynolds hosted by Josh Simons and it would be a shame if it were shared
Isn't this strange... Labour Together deleted this post from X showing an LT event at 2023 Labour conference, addressed by Peter Mandelson, @jreynoldsMP and hosted by Josh Simons. This screengrab was taken two weeks ago, so only deleted since then. Would be a shame if it was shared, widely, so it never disappears.
