gary kent

This is such vital humanitarian work that 3 days really is too short. Cuba needs him.

A word about Phil Woolas. In 1985, antisemites persuaded a uniquely spineless Student Union in Sunderland to ban its Jewish society. For Zionism. In a foretaste of today, the racists paraded their virtue & enjoyed making 20 Jewish kids miserable. Quite a few “eminent” members 1/

Such sad news. You were a great comrade Phil to so many of us. Our hearts go out to Tracey and all the family.

On the 38th anniversary of the Halabja Genocide, we honor the martyrs of this atrocity: a chemical attack against the people of Kurdistan. We must always remember that today’s achievements are the fruits of immense sacrifices, and we must protect them in every way.

Dr. Abdul Rahman Qassemlou, the esteemed Kurdish leader and Secretary General of KDPI, was tragically assassinated by the terrorist regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His visionary outlook far surpassed his time. Yet, even today, there are individuals who lack fundamental comprehension of concepts such as human rights, democracy, and national rights. His legacy continues to resonate in our hearts and minds for eternity. #Kurds #Kurdistan #Iran #Democracy

Four years on, Ukraine stands defiant. And the UK stands with you. #StandWithUkraine

South Wales NUM / Senedd 4 Ukraine delegation currently in Ukraine. We have another delegation leaving today! Please donate to help fund the aid it is taking: crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-ukra…

I've been working on this for ages in various countries: the story of the intelligence buildup to Putin's 2022 invasion. How did the US and Britain find out so much, and why were Europe and Ukraine sceptical. It's a long one: theguardian.com/world/ng-inter…

A MP who cared and thought deeply about peace and opposing sectarianism in Northern Ireland, and supporting democracy internationally. When he left parliament, his blog was fascinating on labour history and politics. Condolences to Harry's friends and family.

The power of the presidency is nothing compared to the power of the people.

The far left can't be allowed to re-write history. We remember their failed attempts to de-select decent MPs, events in Ilford South, and the anti-semitism crisis that happened during the brief aberration that was their time running our Party. Never again. theguardian.com/politics/2026/…

The greatest threat Russia presents right now is that it gains more at the negotiation table than it has achieved on the battlefield. Russia’s maximalist demands cannot be met with a minimalist response. Extract of my speech at @MunSecConf ↓

Kallas being savage. 1/2

Interesting map of Kurdistan.

On this day in 1971 the United Kingdom and Ireland adopted the decimal system.

On Valentine’s Day 36 years ago, at the request of Carl Sagan, NASA turned Voyager 1's camera back toward home for one last look. From 3.7 billion miles away, it captured this: a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. Here is how Carl Sagan beautifully described it: “Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it, everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor, and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every 'superstar,' every 'supreme leader,' every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there — on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”

At Munich, Volodymyr Zelensky tore away the illusions and said out loud what everyone dealing in reality already knows: this isn’t a normal ruler, and this isn’t a normal war. ‘Putin doesn’t live like ordinary people. He can’t imagine life without power, or after it. The everyday concerns of real societies don’t interest him. His reference points aren’t living advisers or the world as it is today, but dead emperors and faded maps. He consults Tsar Peter and Empress Catherine more than he consults anyone who understands modern life. He may see himself as a tsar, but in truth he’s a slave to war, trapped by it, defined by it, unable to exist without it.’ And here’s the real danger: what if he’s still there in ten years? It’s entirely possible. Time is all he needs to regroup, rebuild, and try again. So as I say, when America talks about “peace,” let’s be honest about what that means in practice: pressure on the victim, not the aggressor. Because Putin hasn’t changed. His worldview hasn’t changed, and his ambitions haven’t changed. Only the cost paid by Ukraine, keeps going up. 🇺🇦

“NATO itself needs to renew and reimagine its own role. The Ukraine war has shown how warfare has changed.” NATO’s principles of co-operation and coexistence must be defended against increasingly hostile foreign actors, argue @paulforPCC and @garykent ⬇️ fabians.org.uk/all-that-is-so…

Stereotypical melodies in Kurdistan