GP,Na h-Eileanan An Iar, Crofter, tree grower, all opinions expressed are personal
Stornoway, Scotland
Joined March 2010
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Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
You are a @UKLabour MP - it's your government. Your leader was installed unopposed. Stop grandstanding to the public and do something to change the policy. If @andyburnham won't move then change the leader - something only labour MPs can do. Otherwise STFU.
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
Sadly, that party you belong to are hell bent on privatisation & the sale of our data to Israel.
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
And yet you're still an MP for the Labour Party who are increasing the role of the private sector and increasing Palantir's role in the NHS. At what point do you say the party no longer represents your values?
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
In 2014, a Palestinian child was kidnapped by three Israelis, including Yosef Haim Ben-David.
They beat him, forced him to swallow gasoline, doused him in fuel and burned him alive.
Forensic evidence confirmed he was still breathing when they set him on fire.
The child was just 16 years old.
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
Israel has brainwashed you into believing that Palestine with zero fighter jets, zero helicopters, zero tanks, and zero soldiers are oppressing a nuclear superpower with 75-400 nuclear warheads, over 340 fighter jets, 130 helicopters, 1,500 tanks, and 650,000 soldiers.
Stop calling it a war. Israel is not fighting an army; it is fighting defenseless civilians—women, children, and elderly. Call it what it is: GENOCIDE
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
Rural Norfolk will be devastated with a mega 4,700 acres proposed Data Centre
At a time of food insecurity land that could grow crops and help Bees will be concreted over and for what
To take our jobs - use vast resources of water
Please sign Petition to stop Longmarsh
Please sign our petition to Stop Longmarsh, a massive data centre & solar proposal which would destroy enormous areas of the best agricultural land & the most beautiful wildlife #StopLongmarsh
✍️ change.org/Stopthedatacentre
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
Zack Polanski speaking at the London Assembly on November 5th 2026,
"The chutzpah, the audacity for you to lecture a Jewish man in the chamber on anti-semitism, will be seen as utterly absurd, as it should be"
"Being Jewish and being a zionist are two different things"
"We can look at zionism throughout history, whether you want to talk about it philosophically or it's practical applications"
"Theodor Herzl, the modern founder of zionism said: it was a colonialist project. He saw it as that"
"1948, the Nakba, 750,000 Palestinians displaced and ethnically cleansed"
"2026, we have just witnessed 75,000 Palestinians murdered and more child amputees in modern history"
"To the Labour group, your own Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, I had to push him several times but he eventually conceded that what is happening in Gaza is a genocide"
"Is it not the Labour position that a genocide is not racist?"
"That a genocide is ok?"
"That your government can continue to arm a genocide, and those of us who call it out are apparently the racists"
"I'm reading a book at the moment by the excellent Benjamin Moser called Anti-Zionism: A Jewish History"
"It looks at the last 150 years and at Jewish people who stood on the right side of history, who said we're incredibly proud to be Jewish"
"Being brought up Jewish is a huge part of my identity"
"And, because I'm Jewish, I grew up with the story of teh Holocaust"
"This motion was co-proposed by Stephen Kapos, a Holocaust survivor"
"And we say never again, not just for one group of people, but for all groups of people"
My view:
The London Assembly motion had three parts: condemning the Greens’ position on Zionism; reaffirming opposition to antisemitism and Jewish Londoners’ right to live without fear; and expressing solidarity with London’s Jewish community.
Polanski opposed the first and supported the other two. That distinction matters when discussing what he voted against.
There is extraordinary audacity in lecturing Britain’s only Jewish leader of a major political party about antisemitism while giving so little weight to his explanation of his own Jewish identity and convictions.
His Jewishness does not place him beyond criticism.
But an accusation this serious requires evidence of prejudice against Jewish people.
Opposition to Zionism or condemnation of the Israeli government cannot, by themselves, establish that.
Jewish people hold different views about Zionism, Israel and Palestinian rights.
Those who oppose Zionism deserve to have their arguments heard without their Jewish identity being dismissed or their concern for Jewish safety treated as insincere.
Equally, Jewish people who consider Zionism central to their identity deserve respect and protection from prejudice.
What stood out in Polanski’s speech was his explanation that his commitment to Palestinian rights comes from his Jewish upbringing and the lessons he draws from the Holocaust.
You can challenge his conclusions, or the Green motion’s wording, while recognising the moral conviction he is expressing.
His final principle deserves a serious response: “never again” must mean protecting every people from persecution and mass killing.
Jewish safety and freedom, and Palestinian safety and freedom are causes we should be capable of defending together.
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
Some extra details to this story about how Ben Kentish invited Marine Le Pen to speak at Cambridge Union in 2013.
Kentish invited Le Pen two years after she had taken over the National Front from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. Jean-Marie was the Honorary President of the National Front until 2015, when he was eventually suspended for refusing to turn up to a disciplinary hearing about him saying the Nazi gas chambers were merely a "detail" of the second world war.
Two months before her invite from Kentish, French authorities made a formal application to have Marine Le Pen stripped of Parliamentary immunity so she could be privately prosecuted for inciting racial hatred for implying Muslims praying in the street in French cities was akin to the Nazi occupation of France.
Although she was eventually acquitted, her father WAS convicted in 2012 for his comments underplaying the Holocaust and the Nazi occupation of France - despite which, he remained a Honorary President of the National Front until 2015.
That's right - Kentish invited the leader of a Party whose Honorary President had already been found guilty for offences of downplaying the Holocaust.
The Cambridge event was opposed by Hope Not Hate. 200 activists from Unite Against Fascism turned up on the day to protest her appearance. Look at the lovely photo here of the protestors clashing with police.
The visit was also opposed by the president of the Cambridge University Student's Union, who said it was particularly insensitive because the EDL were planning to march in Cambridge the following week. She said:
"Given the imminent demonstration planned by EDL in Cambridge on 23 February, the invitation by the Union Society to Marine Le Pen is more than just insensitive, it will have a direct effect on the safety of many of our students.
"It disregards the realities of fascism and the current context of Cambridge, failing to recognise that her speaking on Tuesday will only give the EDL more confidence in their march."
Before the "debate could expose her" crowd pipes up, Marine Le Pen didn't actually do a debate at Cambridge. Instead she was invited to deliver a lengthy speech with questions from the crowd, letting her set out National Front's vision (and where she could repeatedly recommend people go read the NF website, helpfully giving the URL). During that, she attacked people coming to France with their own "laws," "food" and "clothes" who were failing to "assimilate" into French culture.
Ben Kentish called the Greens an extremist party just a few weeks ago for its Zionism is Racism motion, and attacks Zeteo for an article where a Jewish journalist interviews a Jewish expert on antisemitism - but is Ben really the best judge of issues of antisemitism and prejudice considering he previously invited and platformed a wretched Islamophobe from a Party with a Holocaust-minimiser serving as its Honorary Life President?
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
Of course he did. Palantir hired Tom Watson to schmooze his old pals. And he did.
There is no world in which Palantir helps boost "the UK's tech sovereignty". We need to know exactly how @YvetteCooperMP made this decision, based on what evidence & what data?
Palantir’s Tom Watson, ex-Labour MP, wrote to Yvette Cooper last month saying the controversial US company could help boost the UK’s tech sovereignty, letters show. Weeks later, sources say the UK is extending its NHS contract for two more years
bit.ly/4zrbMYF
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
Dear @ABlinken I too am a former politician having served under Nelson Mandela. U r a disingenuous, lying hypocrite: your ‘consultancy’ WestExec was a perfect example of self dealing & war profiteering. Your complicity in the Gaza genocide & the diversion of their money to Israel & other warmongers, is what ordinary people are sick of. U r exactly what people hate about politicians. I hope you face justice for your crimes. In the meantime, at least develop an iota of self awareness, you corrupt, murderous fraud
The midterm results send a clear message: How we show up in the world affects our lives at home, and Americans understand that. When we alienate allies, appease autocrats, impose arbitrary tariffs, and drive needless conflict, American families pay the price. The Administration’s actions over the last two years have had real consequences for our security, our economy, and our everyday lives. Americans have spoken loud and clear. We should act on the message they're sending. A good place to start: a diplomatic resolution to President Trump's war of choice with Iran.
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
We do not need Andy Burnham’s permission to investigate Britain’s role in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
He refused an inquiry. 80,000 people answered him in thirteen days.
Truth does not need the Prime Minister’s signature. It needs 100,000 of ours.
Sign:
petition.parliament.uk/petit…
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
The nation has been left stunned after a man who got a tax payer-funded BBC chauffeur to pick up his 16-year-old girlfriend from school when he was 29 years old has turned out to be a rapist. I mean where were the signs?
The man in question is attempted comedian Russell Brand—someone who mysteriously carved out a TV and movie career despite not being remotely funny or likeable. If you don’t know who I’m talking about, Brand is the one who always looks like he’s pissing on railway lines. Yes, he’s the ex-husband of the first woman to take a joy ride in space!
Brand ended his marriage to Katy Perry when the allegations against him first emerged. He then became a Youtuber so he could convince people that the eventual court case was an establishment stitch up. This argument would’ve been more convincing if he’d found a single person to defend his character in court.
Brand conveniently discovered that he loved Jesus and started carrying a Bible everywhere he went. This was definitely not for the cameras. He was interviewed by Piers Morgan who asked him which Bible passages were most meaningful to him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t answer. At least he’ll have plenty of time to spend with his booky wook in prison.
Brand actually thought he was gonna be redemeed, saying he could “feel God’s presence” while walking into court. He told his social media followers the prayers seemed to be working. Unfortunately for him, God doesn’t like rapists any more than the jury did.
After falling silent while the prosecution cross-examined him on why he kept groping women without their consent, and forcing himself on them, he was convicted of rape and three counts of sexual assault. This came as a huge surprise to everyone who’d looked the other way for the past 25 years.
Brand will no doubt be delighted to find that many prison inmates share his disregard for consent. I’m sure he won’t object if his big strong cellmate decides he just can’t help himself.
Brand’s sex crimes were so well-known that his fellow comedians called him out on stage for years before the law caught up with him. It’s not like he kept any of this a secret. He bragged about his rapes and sexual assaults in a book that reached number 1 in the Sunday Times best sellers list and was widely praised by critics. He was declared Shagger of the Year three times by the Sun newspaper.
His management enrolled him in a sex addiction clinic where he was asked to draw up a list of all the women he’d wronged. He compared the process to Saddam Hussein being asked about individual kurds he’d killed. In a follow-up memoir, he wrote of his time in the “nicky wick”, “If this is what I’m telling you, can you imagine what’s being left out?”
Brand was so confident of his crimes that he laughed on the radio about how he indecently exposed himself to women. He even offered to send his naked assistant to one man during an interview—the man in question was Sir Jimmy Saville.
Brand caused a public outcry in 2008 when he called 78-year-old Andrew Sachs for his BBC Radio 2 show with Jonathan Woss. The incident was pre-recorded and producers decided it was fine to air. During the call, Brand said, “I shagged your granddaughter”, made a mock apology to Sachs, and then suggested he commit suicide.
Since humiliating old people counts as entertainment in the UK, both men continued to have successful TV careers and Brand even starred in a couple of terrible Hollywood movies. It’s funny how rapists fail upwards, isn’t it?
Brand is just the latest in a long line of people to follow the proud BBC tradition of sexual offences. They include Sir Jimmy Saville, Rolf Harris CBE, Stuart Hall OBE, Huw Edwards MBE, Chris Denning, and Tim Westwood. You’ll be pleased to know the BBC did their utmost to shelter these men for years until the law caught up with them. Aren’t you glad you’re forced to pay your licence fee?
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
This is a really important interview by Rivkah Brown in Zeteo with Kenneth Stern, who helped draft the predecessor to the IHRA Working Definition.
He's adamant that the IHRA should be dumped, even as an academic and monitoring tool. He's very clear it is so "poisoned" it should never be used in schools, as the government is now planning to do based on the Bell review.
This is what Stern says:
“I think it’s become so poisoned now that I wouldn’t use it primarily for [data collection] or any other purpose...The track record of IHRA in the U.S., Germany, Australia and, yes, the UK has been to use [the IHRA definition] to label pro-Palestinian speech” – including that of pro-Palestinian Jews – “as officially antisemitic."
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
This is an outstanding summary of exactly where we are with H5N1, how the US has fumbled dealing with it, and the ongoing and increasing risk of reassortment leading to a new human influenza pandemic.
As I always say, we are giving this beast of a virus too much room.
Free to read: telegraph.co.uk/global-healt…
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
big news that no one will even notice.
Infection Inflation continues.
More pathogens.
More infections.
More sickness.
More burden on healthcare.
More damage to economy.
More lives ruined.
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
When a government prioritises diplomatic politeness over calling out genocide, it becomes complicit
When a government calculates economic loss but ignores the devastating loss of life, it shows exactly what it values most
This Labour government has chosen complicity over justice.
From rushing to embrace the Trump administration to aiding the destruction in Palestine and illegal actions against Iran
Much like the American public, British voters are losing patience
When the electorate finally says "enough is enough," Labour will have to face the consequences of its choices
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
🟣 SUBSTACK
The Funder of Parliament’s Pro-Israel Group Was Reimbursed With Cash Sent From Israel Via Gibraltar
By @josiahmortimer
Exclusive: A Byline Times investigation raises serious questions about who is ultimately funding Parliament’s main pro-Israel group and whether it breaks rules on foreign political interference
bylinesupplement.com/p/the-f…
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
The CEO of Shell is among oil bosses who have raked in millions of pounds as the value of their shareholdings soared amid the illegal US war on Iran.
Wael Sawan saw his shares in Shell gain £4.7m since the US and Israel first attacked the country in late February, research by Greenpeace shows.
He cashed out £1.3m worth of shares on 22 May, the day before Donald Trump said a deal to cease hostilities had almost been reached.
Bosses from TotalEnergies, Harbour Energy and Equinor also raked in millions as oil prices surged due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major global transport route for oil and natural gas.
North Sea oil CEOs have added a total of £19m to their personal fortunes via share price increases since the war began, Greenpeace said.
The windfalls come as oil giants report a bumper set of financial results whilst households in the UK and across the world struggle with rising energy bills.
Equinor CEO Anders Opedal has seen his shares rise by £1.03m amid the war, while TotalEnergies’s Patrick Pouyanné enjoyed an £8.4m boost to his shareholdings, selling £3.1m in shares and savings one month after the war began.
“Cashing out millions in personal shares while the market drives millions of people into energy poverty – all while their companies’ operations supercharge climate breakdown – is crisis profiteering at its most cynical,” said Rudy Schulkind, political campaigner at Greenpeace UK.
Equinor and Shell were recently granted permission by Andy Burnham’s government to start new drilling in the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea. Both are also set to benefit in the event that Rosebank oil field is approved.
Oil companies in the US have earned more than $130bn in profits during the war, according to an analysis last week from the New York Times.
Trump’s decision to capitulate to Israel and attack Iran appears to have lost him a lot of support – and is believed to have played a key role in the Republicans’ resounding defeat in the midterms on Tuesday.
The US president campaigned on an anti-war platform while promising to lower people's bills.
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
The bombs that the United States used against Iran were loaded onto planes at RAF bases in the UK, if you were wondering why the Iranians see us as the enemy.
It's because we are.
Starmer and Burnham have put a target on all our backs.
Dr Lise Hertel retweeted
You have to be joking. There is absolutely no way Abdul El-Sayed would have been allowed to stand as a Labour MP - and most likely would have been kicked out of the Party years ago.
The Labour Party blocked Faiza Shaheen standing as a candidate for sharing a skit by Jon Stewart and talking about her own experience of Islamophobia.
When you vilify, smear and demonise good people who refuse to let your hate define them, other good people don't stand by.
They stand up and vote for hope over fear.
Congratulations @AbdulElSayed 🎉