🧵 Six months into Israel's war on Gaza, the UK Government continues to ignore our calls for a Gaza Family Scheme to enable Palestinians to bring their loved ones to safety until it is safe to return

Our members Ahmed, Roba, and Rami spoke to Big Issue
bigissue.com/news/social-ju…

This is what Birmingham Liberal Democrats motion to Birmingham City Council in November called for, as well as a permanent #ceasefire It was sadly needed then and even more so now, whatever happens in weeks and months to come.

Big Issue Julia This piece is published alongside a series of really powerful reports by Isabella McRae exploring the need for a Ukraine-style family visa scheme for people trapped in Gaza

Well worth a read here 👇

x.com/IsabellaMcrae/…

Civil War is in cinemas today. I got to interview director Alex Garland. We spoke about the 'lack of politics' in the film (spoiler: he disagrees), Anatomy of a Fall, Zone of Interest, 28 Years Later, and whether big films need to hold the audience's hand

bigissue.com/culture/film/a…

I’ve been laid off by openDemocracy, along with a load of my amazing colleagues in the UK. Another bad day for good journalism in this country

If anyone needs an editor, reporter, barman, ageing centre forward or hype man hit me up

on 5 April 2012, changes to the Overseas Domestic Worker visa left migrant domestic workers in the UK without their rights and in limbo. today, The Voice of Domestic Workers member Marigold writes in Big Issue on how this has impacted her
bigissue.com/opinion/migran…

It was good to speak to Sir Stephen Timms about what he thinks the future of the welfare system and employment could look like under a Labour government.

'Jobcentres should be places you can go to get helped, not hit'

bigissue.com/news/social-ju…

Next, we have the Sports Feature Writer of the Year. On the stage for the second time tonight, the winner is Donald McRae. Congratulations Don! #SJA2023

Useful concept of 'fairwashing' in this Martin O'Neill piece

This government has managed to make the 'unfairness' of larger families receiving commensurate benefits more salient than the unfairness of allowing millions of children to grow up in poverty bigissue.com/opinion/two-ch…

'Unemployment is a product of the economy far more than it is of individual choice or moral worth. It rises when the economy struggles. It falls when the economy improves.'

Me, wearily, on the revival of bullshit tropes about benefits, for Big Issue bigissue.com/opinion/auster…

Jeremy Hunt would tighten and increase sanctions yet again, meaning 400,000 fewer disabled people getting the higher level of benefit.
Armando Iannucci's excellent response is what we really need to hear from the opposition, not someone in the entertainment industry. #CarrotAndStick

Here's a good write up of the Committee's report by Isabella McRae in the Big Issue, including NEF's call for the next government to go even further & look to institute a firm guarantee that no household can fall below an adequate minimum level of income bigissue.com/news/social-ju…

Women in south-west Scotland face 70+ mile journeys to give birth; some give birth in laybys.

Scottish Human Rights Commission said our findings were a ‘concern’ after we presented evidence.

Full investigation ⬇️⬇️

itv.com/news/border/20…