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merridew

@ merridew @feddit.uk

Posts

68
Comments

187
Joined

3 yr. ago

3y ago

Tories and Local Governments Refuse To Approve More Homes
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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago
Look, organisations with unpleasant views aren't universally stupid. Turning Point states upfront that its mission is to "identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote freedom", but dig down and you find fun stuff like this: https://www.tpusa.com/live/pro-choicers-are-sick-and-twisted
I'd also like to note that praising some historically left-wing policies, and criticising some loonies, should not mean that you stop looking critically at the other things a person says.
Authoritarian policies that deny women choice aren't limited to right-wing governments. If you support women's rights to choice, Hungary is not a country you would praise.
‘Baby machines’: eastern Europe’s answer to depopulation The conference in Budapest opened with a sand animation video of migrants rushing towards Europe, and was laced with references to the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, which suggests that shadowy forces want to replace so-called “native” Europeans with outsiders. “There are political forces in Europe who want a replacement of population for ideological or other reasons,” Orbán told the conference. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/04/baby-bonuses-fit-the-nationalist-agenda-but-do-they-work

3y ago

Hand and tea towels

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

Tea towels for everything (drying dishes, drying hands, moving hot things), washed frequently.

3y ago

Tories and Local Governments Refuse To Approve More Homes

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

You know, pretty much all of that website seems to be written by one guy. So I looked up some of his other work.

the myth that women primarily work for reasons other than economics or family needs distorts reality https://medium.com/@daviddemos/women-under-siege-quick-notes-on-the-rights-assault-on-women-s-work-choices-and-family-formation-c3b27c6266e6

It's hard to draw conclusions. Who knows. But what I will say is that this guy clearly spends a lot of time thinking about how certain women can be coaxed into having more babies.

Women in Europe, North America, and some countries in Asia.

3y ago

Tories and Local Governments Refuse To Approve More Homes

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

You can increase social spending and still have contempt for women's right to bodily autonomy. The two don't go automatically hand in hand. In fact if your social spending is geared towards having more babies, it most likely won't be.

3y ago

Tories and Local Governments Refuse To Approve More Homes

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

Not really. If your goal is to undo "retreating state support," you can do that without praising far-right regimes aiming to restrict women's rights to bodily autonomy.

The fact that they gloss over that little aspect is suspicious.

Their website is conspicuously opaque regarding its funding, and "stop population decline" is curiously close to (but notably more palatable than) the 14 Words, while still acting as an effective dog-whistle for people familiar with those words.

3y ago

Scientists call fraud on supposed extraterrestrials presented to Mexican Congress

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

You don't say. But this guy has such an exemplary record of totally not making up bullshit.

In 2015, Maussan [...] revealed a body that he claimed belonged to an alien, but it was later shown to be the remains of a human child.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/alleged-aliens-corpses-displayed-to-mexican-congress-did-not-convince-scientists-180982900/

3y ago

Brexit: Labour will seek re-write of deal, Starmer says

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

The UK joining the Common Market was a Thatcher thing. Old school lefties opposed it at the time because it put limits on state aid, and weakened the positions of the unions.

3y ago

Tories and Local Governments Refuse To Approve More Homes

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

They have a bunch of stuff about "promoting fertility", eg

the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Israel offer lessons. These countries have managed to increase fertility rates by introducing pro-natal policies — a combination of cash incentives, subsidised childcare, and housing assistance

which all sounds lovely and idyllic, but in reality the far-right government in Hungary has been throttling access to abortion with new legislation that is

an extension of the government’s anti-abortion policies, aimed at boosting the birthrate

meaning that

legal abortions [have] become increasingly difficult as the compulsory counselling sessions were becoming more aggressive and difficult to schedule

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/sep/13/hungary-tightens-abortion-access-with-listen-to-foetal-heartbeat-rule

I can't definitely figure out the angle either. But they are a pro-fertility organisation praising a far-right regime that is implementing regressive "pro-life" policies at the expense of women's rights, and they are very careful not to highlight the true nature of these policies on their website.

They're also headquartered in Texas. So... draw your own conclusions.

3y ago

Brexit: Labour will seek re-write of deal, Starmer says

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

Corbyn hated the EU, and demanded Article 50 be invoked the day after the referendum. Let's not forget that.

https://labourlist.org/2016/06/corbyn-article-50-has-to-be-invoked-now/

3y ago

Brexit: Labour will seek re-write of deal, Starmer says

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

Gosh, but Jeremy Corbyn said the EU were the bad guys and we should leave asap to improve things for British workers.

3y ago

Europeans, what is something that Americans have/do that makes no sense to you?

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

Oh, I absolutely believe that people in America can accept it's "not as big a deal as you might think".

This is a thread about things about America that make no sense. So: I don't understand why America, seemingly uniquely, accepts this as "not a big deal".

It's weird. Land of the free, home of the public toilets strangers can see inside. So odd.

3y ago

Europeans, what is something that Americans have/do that makes no sense to you?

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

Thank you for your comment. I can't speak for the entire world, but in the UK a 1 cm" gap in the door of a public toilet would be massive and unacceptable. It's not enough that someone can only see into a stall through a gap in the door if they are "right up to it"; they should not be able to see in at all. Public toilets in other countries have doors with gaps you can't leer through at all.

Re. the "gaps meaning ventilation", surely the "big gap at the bottom" and the fact that the whole top is open will be contributing more to ventilation?

You say you think this might be a regional thing in the US. Okay, could be. I have personally encountered this issue in Washington, California, North Carolina, DC, Massachusetts, Georgia, Texas, Oregon, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

3y ago

Europeans, what is something that Americans have/do that makes no sense to you?

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

From a euphemism for being suspended on full pay pending an investigation. You aren't working, and you can't work for a competitor, so there's not much to do but potter about in the garden.

(The term originated when the paid white-collar workforce was still overwhelmingly comprised of men who weren't responsible for housework or child rearing.)

3y ago

Russell Brand posts video online denying unspecified criminal allegations

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

I guess the shift would have been around the time he began

promoting an energetic blend of conspiracy theories, COVID denial, and the liberal use of capital letters, with videos like “The TRUTH About Pfizer” and “The CDC Are SPYING On You,"

promoting ivermectin for viral infections, and hanging out with Tucker Carlson.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/z34zd9/russell-brand-ivermectin https://deadline.com/2023/07/tucker-carlson-fox-firing-reaction-russell-brand-interview-1235431938/

3y ago

Europeans, what is something that Americans have/do that makes no sense to you?

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

I don't get it either. Ignoring the inherent power imbalance between a single worker and an employer, good luck getting Gardening Leave in an at-will workplace.

https://www.gov.uk/handing-in-your-notice/gardening-leave

3y ago

Europeans, what is something that Americans have/do that makes no sense to you?

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

Yes, maternity leave! The US approach is bonkers.

3y ago

Europeans, what is something that Americans have/do that makes no sense to you?

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

Oh that's true. American pints are a disappointment.

3y ago

Europeans, what is something that Americans have/do that makes no sense to you?

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merridew @feddit.uk 3y ago

This is a thoughtful reply. I will just say that the UK also has public toilets all over the place, and a desire for people to not screw & get high in the cubicles. Ditto many other countries. But I've never been anywhere else with this door gap problem, where no-one gets privacy.

I did once use a UK bathroom in a supermarket where the lighting was all blue, which makes it hard to find a vein to inject. But the doors still closed properly.