John Blackwillow

@blackwillow1

Politics(over on the left). Poetry(I write). Science, nature and other stuff. ADHD(so I don't sleep much at night). Socialist not communist, veggie not vegan. From Stoke-on-Trent, England. Joined with @1tinyanarchist.bsky.social

2042 Siguiendo2232 Seguidores3364 Publicaciones

Bluesky

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John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jun 22

Given the nature of politics as it now is, yer man's in need of his very own Begbie.

Robert Carlyle as 'Begbie' in 'Trainspotting.'

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Apr 9

My lyrical observation of the current tenant of the oval office.

The US president is totally batshit, a coward who talks about military tactics. Owned by oligarchs and white supremacists. A kleptomaniac, paedophile fascist. Rotten to the core and riddled with syphilis. Possibly the stupidest person ever to exist. The United States president is totally batshit.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Feb 24

FASCISM - EDUCATION

Italy prepares its blacklists of "left-wing, woke or antifascist" teachers and schools.

Three councillors from Meloni's party register a motion in Florence for institutes to carry labels: "communists", "antifascists" or "favourable to LGBTQ+ theories."

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jan 19

A poem which, I think, is probably quite accurate as a representation of the thought processes of the average ICE thug:

They gave me a job with ICE.
And yeah, the money is nice.

But it's power that appeals to me,
To act with impunity.

To impose my will, maybe even kill,
In the name of white supremacy.

Black or Brown is first on the list.
Then people who choose to resist.

Resistance met with the iron fist.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Dec 30

Did you know that despite the impacts of coving and Westminster's austerity, NHS Scotland still outperforms NHS England on A&E waiting times, cancer mortality, number of GPs per person, and overall patient satisfaction?

Did you know that UK government figures show that NHS Scotland's cancer waiting times significantly better than NHS England's, and much better than NHS Wales and Northern Ireland's?

Already, England has privatised much of the NHS. Indeed, my colleagues down south consider that NHS England is too far gone to bring it back into public ownership.

Did you know that patient satisfaction surveys have rated NHS Scotland ass improving, and far more highly than NHS England?

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Dec 19

When a tyrant knows he is feared, not loved, when obedience is demanded not offered, and when the absence of respect is equal to the absence of integrity, he shouts loudly, proclaiming his brilliance. This is neither power, nor statesmanship. This is fear. This is terror. This is imminent downfall.

Donald Trump, ranting at a podium about how brilliant he is, how brilliant his policies are, a clearly senile, unwell old man.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Dec 9

Quite bizarre, but intriguing.

The Gabriadze Clock Tower in Tbilisi, Georgia. Located right next to the Puppet Theatre in the Old Town, this clock tower was built in the early 21st century to a design by puppeteer Rezo Gabriadze. The clock tower has a humorous, semi-leaning appearance and is decorated throughout with traditional Georgian ornaments. The clock tower puts on a mechanical puppet show every hour on the hour.
#art

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Nov 26

Seen in my city yesterday. I suspect this particular image is the work of some far-right outfit, though I can't argue with the sentiment. He is a traitor, but not to fascists. He's very much an asset to those people. His betrayal is of the founding principles of Labour, of the left, and the future.

A black and white cut-out image of Starmer, with the words 'TRAITOR' in red beneath it.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Nov 18

We have submitted two requests for inquiry! One, a cross-party inquiry into femicides, which only needs two more signatories to reach the common platform! The other, into violence against women and girls committed by police and gendarmerie officers in the course of their duties.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Sep 16

Image of Karl Marx, with the quote: "There must be something rotten in the very core of a social system which increases its wealth without diminishing its misery."

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jul 12

Just some thoughts.

Numbers.

Work 20 years in a physically demanding job. Your knees give out, or you develop chronic back pain, requiring surgery. The NHS will fix the problem, but there's a backlog of up to five years. You can't afford the cost of private treatment, so you end up on Universal Credit - Basic rate, £400pm. That's £4,800 over a year, £24,000 over five years. Add to that the money you're not earning, therefore not able to spend into the economy, plus the tax you're not paying because you have no earnings and it adds up to a significant amount. Investing in public healthcare - not bureaucracy or middle management, not funding private sector contracts which drain money for shareholders and leave patients out of the equation until there's no money left - but in actual healthcare, is a wise investment for any government. Healthy people spend less time out of work, have money to spend in local economies, and contribute taxes. This, coupled with the provision of sustainable, well-paid, useful jobs, is how you grow in a sustained and long-term way.

Obsession.

The obsession with AI and digital this and digital that - which will only sustain a limited number of jobs - appears to be either ignorant of the fact that most jobs still require a person to do the work, or complete indifference to the predictable outcome of focusing solely on tech and automation, which is that millions of people would be competing for fewer and fewer low paid jobs, because employers would be able to claim confidently that "There are hundreds of others waiting to take your place" when someone complains about poor working conditions, abuse of power or low pay, etc. Obsessing over one particular branch of work, in this case tech, will inevitably lead to a paradise for exploitative, criminal employers and a nightmare existence for millions.

Solutions.

So, what are the solutions to this problem in the making? Well, you have the Luddite option, which is basically to abandon technology and embrace a fully manual existence, which would certainly be a bonus for the environment, plus there's a powerful and undeniable appeal about a agearian utopia based on growing the food we need, making our own clothes and everyone who is able to, working together for our mutual benefit, and caring for those unable to work, of course, but the fact is that few people would be willing to embrace such a system, other than as a theme of a holiday experience.

Another option is, for some, to do nothing, carry on as we are and just ignore the fact that the current system is what got us into the mess we now find ourselves in. So it really isn't a viable option.

To my mind, the only viable solution is a system that is socialist in its architecture, with a primary focus on environmental aspects, because a burned crisp of a planet is no use to any but the most biTo my mind, the only viable solution is a szarre extremophile group of life forms. A mutually beneficial system, in which those who need care and assistance are included in society, where technology is prioritised as a tool for making life easier and less stressful, cleaning up the planet, and preventing the causes of war and conflict, not for the purpose of creating useless gadgets or stealing the work and earnings of creatives. Ecosocialism is not only the most beneficial for the overwhelming majority of the global population, but also, it's the only system that ensures our survival as a species without the need to revert to a pre-industrial state, which, as I said earlier, few would be willing to embrace.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jul 2

Translated headline and a link in the alt-text.

Translated text: War in Gaza: Complaint filed against two Franco-Israeli snipers for war crimes. www.leparisien.fr/international

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jun 30

A quick piece inspired by the Bezos nuptials. I'll leave each of you to choose an appropriate title.

Children hunger, and they die ever younger.
"GREAT!" Say the vacuous, "They'll never get old!"
Countless voices, countless songs, and countless stories never to be told.
The old and abandoned die lost and stranded.
"COOL!" Cry the vacuous, "Their misery ends. Now I'm off to party with friends!"

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jun 30

Cracked Glass.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jun 30

You Only Have To Open Your Mind.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jun 30

Crud Vibrations.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jun 30

The Big Lie.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jun 20

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jun 18

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jun 10

@1tinyanarchist.bsky.social

A white cat looking indignant, with the caption: 'Touching grass isn't enough. I need bad things to happen to evil men in power.'

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Jun 9

To those in the replies, or anyone else, saying that protesters shouldn't wear masks if ICE are wrong to do so. This is the energy you're giving off: ⬇️

A dictionary definition of 'Quisling' referring to Major Vidkun Quisling, who ruled Norway on behalf of the nazis in WWII.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· May 23

We can, and must, do both. 😉

Fascists in power like having nukes, but the power they fear is in the form of books, They thrive on division, fear, and hatred, But fear the threat of the educated. So read, my friends, and encourage the masses, But don't be afraid to punch a fascist. Take a book in one hand, make a fist of the other, Read up, then rise up, my sisters and brothers!

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· May 18

Palestinian Jewish children from the Haredi community remove Israeli flags on their 'independence' day.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· May 16

Well, listen, Slovenia has just passed the signature threshold: the required 7 countries have been reached, all that's missing is a million votes in the EU! So, really, take a few minutes to sign and get Europe moving for the right of LGBTQ+ people to EXIST.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· May 16

On this day in 1925, Nancy Grace Roman was born. This astronomer astronomer was the 'mother' of the Hubble Telescope, NASA's first chief astronomer, and one of the agency's first executives. There's an asteroid named after her. #WomenInSTEM

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· May 3

"FUCK YOU! I won't do what you tell me. FUCK YOU! I won't do what you tell me. FUCK YOU! I won't do what you tell me......MOTHER-FUCKERRRRRRS!!!"

Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music singing "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me! Motherfuckers!"

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Apr 22

This kind of thing is becoming more and more common in almost all so-called 'developed economies' because monetary wealth has been declared the only indicator of a person's value. People are not valued, only their bank accounts. Sickening. (translation by a machine).

A 75 year old woman who learned that she was being evicted by her landlord in Adana could not hold back her tears: "I received a pension at the age of 65. I have no other income. I want a single room and a roof over my head."

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Apr 13

Socialists: We want everyone to have the same basic essentials, opportunities and dignity, regardless of status. That's equality.
Liberals: Sounds...reasonable.
Soc: We also want fairness, so specific needs aid needs to be tailored to specific needs, enabling diverse minorities to be fully engaged in society.
Lib: Ah, that's different. We can't go pandering to niche groups, that would just encourage people to do nothing for themselves, so I'm afraid we can't have equality AND fairness. We'll stick with the current system, it's better that way.

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Mar 12

From Rwanda to Rahkine, Guernica to Guatemala, Chile to Chechnya, I've read descriptions of genocide and wholesale destruction in the name of 'Greatness' imposed by fascist dictatorships or religious extremists. This is the future if you don't resist. If you're not one of their's, you're the enemy.

The fires burned for twenty days, quelled only by the rain. Great edifices were tumbled to the ground, infrastructure was smashed and bent beyond use. The institutions were pillaged, stripped of anything useful, the rest burned in a great bonfire. On every street, in every town, there was destruction and devastation. The smell was the worst of it, permeating through everything and everyone. Bodies, parts of bodies and slick, rancid stains that were once living beings littered the roads, corpses riddled with bullet holes and stab wounds, piled high in the local parks. This isn't what they promised. This was never part of the plan to make our nation great again. We have to leave now. They've decreed that anyone who opposes the reform programme is an enemy, to be executed on sight. How did we not see them for what they are? Blood, fire and death are all they know. How could we be so stupid?

John Blackwillow@blackwillow1· Feb 16

@1tinyanarchist.bsky.social