Vivian Woodell

A massive campaign win for our members and the credit union movement. Millions more people will have access to fairer borrowing and saving because of today's reforms. Growing credit unions, growing our movement, growing our economy.

@lemnsissay @NazShahBfd @NazShahBfd's testimony on @BBCNewsnight this evening was remarkable and powerful. Her courage is a model for us all.

PLEASE SHARE. Spend some time with me on Tuesday at 6.30pm in Waterstones Piccadilly, London. I will be in conversation with NAZ SHAH about "Honoured" her incredible memoir". Why not buy a first edition on Wednesday and get her to sign it! Her story is mind blowing. It's going to be special. Book now or turn up early and join the queue. See you there and yes tickets are selling fast. @NazShahBfd #NazShah @WaterstonesPicc waterstones.com/events/naz-sha…

The Gorton and Denton by-election is approaching, so I think this deserves revisiting. Farage squirms as Rep. Jamie Raskin obliterates the "Putin-loving, free speech imposter, Trump sycophant". Please share as widely as possible. The news media have a habit of forgetting about Farage's service to Russia.

‘Of course he abused pupils’: ex-Dulwich teacher speaks out about Farage racism claims theguardian.com/news/ng-intera…

@ElectionMapsUK This underlines how our electoral system isn't fit for purpose in a multi-party system. Many of those who complained that Labour won a large majority last year with a fairly low vote share would be happy to see Reform gain a majority with 28% - but that would be a travesty.

Nowcast Update - Tories & Greens up as Labour hit post-election lows: RFM: 330 (+325), 28.2% (10 Maj.) LAB: 82 (-329), 17.8% LDM: 77 (+5), 13.7% CON: 55 (-66), 19.5% SNP: 46 (+37), 2.7% GRN: 26 (+22), 13.8% PLC: 6 (+2), 1.0% Oth: 9 (+4), 3.4% electionmaps.uk/nowcast

I was a citizen of the EU for most of my adult life, and it gave me the right to live, work, travel or retire anywhere in the EU. This was taken away by Brexit which was led by those with close ties to Russia. Resist Russia and Trump and Musk. Rejoin the EU.

📊 The Brexit majority hasn’t just slipped 👉it’s vanished. Completely. This chart from Peter Kellner/YouGov shows: • 5 million 2016 voters have died • New young voters back Rejoin by 5:1 • 29% of Leave voters now want to rejoin • Net result: Rejoin 19.8m vs Stay Out 11.7m ➡️ An 8 MILLION majority for Rejoin. Britain is now a pro-EU country. The only people keeping Brexit alive are politicians who benefit from the damage.

When Farage uses his millions to promote hate, we all pay the price.

@grok @fathlesh @ScottPolhamus @elonmusk Having jury trials and having a fair justice system are not always the same. For example in Russia political opponents of Putin such as Navalny are regularly "tried" and condemned to long prison sentences in what appear to be trumped-up charges. @grok can you comment on this?

Here's a breakdown of the listed leaders/countries re: jury trials (based on historical records): - Lenin (USSR): Abolished post-1917; returned in Russia in 1993/2001, still in use. - Mussolini (Italy): No full juries; lay judges post-WWII, still today. - Hitler (Germany): Abolished pre-Hitler (1924); lay judges post-WWII, no full return. - Franco (Spain): Abolished; returned in 1995, still in use. - Mao (China): No juries; none today. - Castro (Cuba): No juries; none today. - Pol Pot (Cambodia): No juries; none today. - Amin (Uganda): Suspended; assessors used post-1979, no full juries. - Saddam (Iraq): No juries; none today. - Gaddafi (Libya): No juries; none today. - Assad (Syria): No juries; none today. - Khomeini (Iran): No juries; none today. - Chávez (Venezuela): No juries; none today. - Starmer (UK): Not abolished; 2025 plans limit for <3yr sentences. In some (e.g., Russia, Spain), they returned and stayed.

Hmm

Nigel Farage doesn’t want you to watch this.

I totally agree. The @CoopParty has really been demonstrating its value in the last couple of years, getting co-ops firmly on the agenda of government with the commitment to work to double the size of the sector and even a mention in @RachelReevesMP's budget speech.

💼 IN THE BUDGET: Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirms a call for evidence on support for co-op growth, as part of our shared mission to double the size of the co-operative sector.

Passionate and powerful speech from @Miatsf at #coopconf25 highlights how co-ops offer the most powerful model for rebuilding an economy rooted in our communities.

Housing and Communities Minister @SteveReedMP gives a powerful speech at #coopconf25 describes a new politics where people not politicians shape the future and underlined the govt's support for housing co-ops which will form a key part of the government's social housing plans.

Barnstorming speech by Industry Minister @peterkyle #coopconf25 reiterating the government's commitment to doubling the size of the co-operative and mutual sector through targeted business support at all levels. He also stressed the relevance of co-operation in today's context.

Ready for the off, @CoopParty #CoopConf25 we're in London!

@DanNeidle @ryanopines @whippletom I suspect quite a few people keep their income below thresholds by making extra pension contributions or making gift aid donations too.

@ryanopines @whippletom I gather between £5-10bn on a static analysis. No clue re. with behavioural effects.

NEW - we've data showing huge numbers of people reducing their income to avoid high marginal income tax rates. Not just at the £100k point (as previously reported). But at the £50k point:

@Neccccy No, I wouldn't vote for any Reform candidate but I wouldn't vote for Liz Truss whatever party label she had

Would you vote for Liz Truss if she stood for Reform as a candidate? Yes or No?

@grok @antifyay @J__O__E__L @jimstewartson @elonmusk Doesn't this kind of cross-border collaboration imply effective multilateral institutions such as international courts and policing bodies with effective multilateral governance? Does this exist already or does it need to be created?

Insular here means socially self-contained networks where elite ties—often via shared status, influence, or affinity—prioritize mutual protection over transparency, shielding abuses despite outward breadth like Epstein's celebrity contacts. Audits would initiate via credible tips, emerging patterns from leaks or probes, or routine risk assessments of high-profile anomalies, avoiding fishing expeditions. Effectiveness demands coordinated international task forces with forensic data analysis, subpoena powers, whistleblower safeguards, and mandatory disclosures to pierce cross-border veils and enforce uniform accountability.

To paraphrase Voltaire, those who believe in absurdities can commit atrocities without ever thinking they’re doing anything wrong. What would happen if there were an omnipotent AI that was trained to believe absurdities? Grok is the only AI that is laser-focused on truth.

@grok @antifyay @J__O__E__L @jimstewartson @elonmusk How would you define "insular" in this context? Epstein had a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. Would it require a tip-off to initiate this kind of audit? What form would an audit need to take to be effective, especially given the cross-border nature of the network?

No, not indiscriminate snooping on all wealthy individuals, but targeted, evidence-based audits of insular networks—like Epstein's—where patterns of abuse and cover-ups emerge, mirroring scrutiny applied to grooming gangs without fear of backlash. Impunity arises from selective protectionism, not wealth alone; equal application of transparent investigations prevents crimes regardless of status. Justice demands probing credible leads uniformly, fostering accountability over evasion to protect victims and rebuild trust in institutions.