Paul Brownjohn @Paulos_the_fog@qoto.org
Retired software engineer & woodworker.
Anglo-francophone.
Detest tories. Subscribe to green, leftish radical politics but not to any particular political party!.
Love the EU and all it stands for, moreover, I spent the last 10 years of my career working at an EU agency.
Enthusiastic photographer, especially wildlife and most especially butterflies.
Slightly knowledgeable gardener.
Atheist; loathe almost all religions and pity the people deluded enough to follow them. I make exceptions for Buddhism as it isn't really a religion in the strictest sense of the word as it doesn't postulate the existence of any god, and Jainism which is the epitome of peace.
For anyone who is interested, my header photo is of the most stupendous sunset I have ever seen. On the right is the waterfront of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the left is Thailand and in the middle, acting as the border between the two countries is the mighty Mekong river.
Joined Nov 2022
Personally, I have absolutely no time whatsoever for that odious creep Galloway, however, I admit to being much amused at his crushing election victory over the Labour party. This is really not surprising as the Labour party rejected their own, Muslim, candidate for attacking Israel, in a constituency that has a huge number of Muslims!
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
“Israel has not yet provided evidence to back Hamas 7 October attack claims against UNRWA. 112 dead in chaotic scenes as Israeli troops open fire near aid trucks.” Why are politicians especially in the USA and UK supporting this obvious genocide? #Gaza
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
Gaza Massacre
Just going to say what everyone else is saying, because it’s important:
- Hamas’s action was wrong.
- Israel’s genocide is wrong.
- The people of Gaza are innocent, and could be any of us.
#GazaGenocide #CeasefireNow
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
BREAKING: Lauren Boebert's son robbed a woman who is suffering with a brain tumor.
In unrelated news, Tyler Boebert is proof that the rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
Happy Leap Day!
Y'all—we need 185 leaders to donate to hit our end of month goal. We have 14 hours to go!❤️
My campaign for US Congress in IL-11 is 100% people funded. My opponent is funded by Exxon, Amazon, & Big Banks.😳
$1 or $1000 — can you join us?
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/newleadershipforil11
I wonder why they do that - it's difficult to see what the purpose could be
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
@ChrisMayLA6 did you see this in the Guardian? "Amid a financial crisis hitting town halls across England, councillors in Southwark have resorted to a crowdfunding scheme to raise £6m over the next six years to help fund climate-friendly projects."
A complete abdication of responsibility by central government!
Indeed - FUCK OFF to everything the tory filth stand for!
Absolutely sweet FUCK ALL!!!
Not sure what you are trying to say here - the fact remains that almost all French mortgages are fixed rate for the whole term whereas UK ones are not. My colleague had to pay a modest early termination penalty but it was still more than worthwhile for him to re-mortgage.
Germany is a bit of an outlier as so many people there choose to rent rather than buying, whereas in France and in the UK the exact opposite is true.
No, no, not at all!
Being anti-abortion is pro-life and it means making sure plenty of babies are born to mothers who are not in a position to bring them up in a healthy environment which means they will have a massively enhanced risk of growing up to be criminals who may well commit capital offences for which the state can then put them to death - it all seems fine to me!
I tried to get some sort of photo of them but my mastery of the camera I was using was not up to that standard at that time - dammit!
Vientiane is an interesting place but has an oppressively hot and humid climate, pretty awful food and an unsmiling population (unlike neighbouring Thailand).
Whilst I was there I used to eat mainly Belgian, Indian or French food rather than the local stuff. Thai food, I love, Vietnamese food likewise, but Lao food not so much!
I think it would be fair to describe Trump as a good candidate for the post of "Antichrist"
If governments aren't prepared to act then we the general public will have to. I have already stopped buying anything marked made in Israel and I suggest everyone else does the same!
Jaffa is one of their better know marques but there are others - look before you buy!
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
For those who missed that livestream, my much cruder and off-the-cuff explanation was that I find Zionist apologists disgusting and embarrassing for denying what everyone can see is very clearly happening. It's not just that history will judge them. The present is judging them
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
@TimWardCam @HereToChewGum @riggbeck
Yes, It could have been a managed decline over time though, as new jobs came in to replace those old jobs. It didn't have to destroy livelihoods and communities in the deliberately brutal way that Thatcher chose, in a vile exhibition of performative cruelty. Too many people had their lives destroyed, to satisfy her twisted ideology. It is what Tories do.
Someone; the government, I suspect, even planted a mini-forest of Plumeria on the banks of the Mekong in Vientianne, the capital city.
Under several of these Plumeria trees, I saw 'flocks' of dozens of dragonflies circling - something I have never seen before!
@HereToChewGum @riggbeck @kennethb
I have mentioned this before - why are variable rate mortgages after a short fixed term, the norm in the UK whereas in most other European countries fixed rate throughout the life of the loan is the norm?
A colleague from France, was able to remortgage his house at 1.44% fixed for the life of the loan (20 years) back in about 2012!
Paul Brownjohn
boosted
Legitimate concerns about the safety of MPs are leading to a mistaken focus on demonstrations & the 'mob'.... as Stephen Reicher concludes:
If MPs 'make collective protest more difficult, it will increase rather than decrease the dangers they face & undermine rather than safeguard our democracy'.
As so often the #Tories are using a real issue to push forward a different agenda... #democracy cannot faction without a right to protest, but the Tories don't want democracy!
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/feb/25/protests-crowds-police-mps-violence
The national flower of Laos and a symbol of the country that you see everywhere in that country; but EVERYWHERE!
Oddly though, Plumeria (to give it its proper name) is a native of South America not of the east at all!
Very popular likewise throughout SE Asia and on the Indian subcontinent.
Retired software engineer & woodworker.
Anglo-francophone.
Detest tories. Subscribe to green, leftish radical politics but not to any particular political party!.
Love the EU and all it stands for, moreover, I spent the last 10 years of my career working at an EU agency.
Enthusiastic photographer, especially wildlife and most especially butterflies.
Slightly knowledgeable gardener.
Atheist; loathe almost all religions and pity the people deluded enough to follow them. I make exceptions for Buddhism as it isn't really a religion in the strictest sense of the word as it doesn't postulate the existence of any god, and Jainism which is the epitome of peace.
For anyone who is interested, my header photo is of the most stupendous sunset I have ever seen. On the right is the waterfront of Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on the left is Thailand and in the middle, acting as the border between the two countries is the mighty Mekong river.
Joined Nov 2022
