Ben P🦉
@__BP__
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Passionate about housing. Account Director for Hough Bellis. Board Member for a housing association. Former Labour staffer. Everton.
Cheshire, England
Joined February 2009
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For reasons I will never understand, when I was a first year at uni, a middle-aged Doctor from Gaza moved temporarily into the room opposite mine in halls.
We weren't sure what to make of our new neighbour. But after a day, I decided to knock on his door and say hello... 1/🧵
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Somehow it's now official Government policy to stop my Council making sure I have a GP, dentist and shop too close to my home.
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It's 9 years since the ASDA in my hometown of Ellesmere Port noticed DVD stocks depleting. Given that the DVDs had security tags on, they couldn't understand it.
Eventually, it came to light that thieves had found a way to steal DVDs without taking them out of the shop...🧵
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I've found his writing from just a few days ago.
"I am profoundly saddened and extend my deepest condolences to both Palestinians and Israelis who have lost loved ones. Because I know the meaning of loss..."
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This interview from 2011 will tell you much more about this incredible man, the awful things that he experienced and his response.
I hope that one day he'll find a way to bring both sides together over thick stovetop coffee and Turkish Delight 12/end.
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So was he on the radio to call for revenge, as many would? Was he now radicalised?
No. He was calling for peace and reconciliation.
He later founded a charity - the "Daughters for Life Foundation."
In 2010, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
He is incredible. 9/
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I also share this story because I wonder how many people like Izzeldin have been blown apart, will be buried under rubble during this latest tragedy.
If only his kind of leadership was being amplified at a time like this. That's the only way that this ends. 11/
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When we look with horror at the news each day and ask ourselves how any of this ends, the only answer is through people like Izzeldin.
Intergenerational pain and trauma permeate everything in the region, blinding people to the pain of the other just a few miles away 10/
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During the 2008-09 Gaza War, an Israeli tank fired two shells at his home, killing three of his precious daughters - the ones he'd told me all about
He wasn't the enemy. He'd cared for both Palestinians and Israelis daily. The bombs didn't distinguish when they hit his home 8/
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The ASDA in question also had an in-store post office. They discovered that people were simply picking up DVDs from one shelf, padded envelopes from another and posting them home.
The mail was then taken out of the shop through a barrier with no alarm.
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He was born in the Jabalia Camp in Gaza.
I thought I'd had a rough upbringing in Ellesmere Port, but he'd lived an unimaginably traumatic life because of an occupation and a history that had nothing to do with him.
But there wasn't a single bit of hate or resentment in him 6/
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He was incredibly proud of being the first Palestinian Doctor to work in Israeli hospitals, and dedicated himself to peace and reconciliation.
After a few chats, he flicked through an incredible photo album - him with Yasser Arafat, Kofi Annan. I realised he was a big deal 4/
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While some of the photos were of him and these major political figures, most were of his family, who he clearly missed and adored.
The pride poured out of him when he spoke of his children.
I felt for him, being stuck in Keele with me munching all his Turkish Delight 5/
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Nobody knows how many DVDs were lost through this ingenious method, and it only came to light when people asked why envelopes had been moved to the other side of the shop.
Despite using their own addresses, somehow nobody was ever caught.
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I got a warm greeting from my new friend and we had a long chat about our very different lives in his room.
Halfway through the conversation, we headed to the kitchen and he made thick coffee on the stove, the likes of which I'd never known. I felt the caffeine buzz for hours 2/
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Eventually he returned, and I would remember him from time to time. This was in 2005.
One day in early 2009, I got a call from a uni mate.
"He was on Radio 4 - Izzeldin Abuelaish"
"Oh wow - why?
"I think you need to hear it"
I found it on iPlayer.
I shook as I listened 7/
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I called round several more times and each time, he would answer with a smile and would always keep a box of sweets by the door, which he would offer should anyone call.
He would be staying with us for four weeks while taking a health management course as part of a PhD 3/
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Here's the original Facebook post from January 2015.
The story was confirmed by Asda and was covered nationally:
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Nowadays theft is much more common, but it's all digital.
Back then, if you wanted to settle down for the night and watch Fast & Furious 6 for free, you had to put the work in and devise an elaborate scheme. Kids today don't even know they're born.
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@NeilLaurenson
Such a mountain of a man. It's completely surreal looking back that he was briefly a uni mate.
What he saw is unimaginable, I can't shake the description either.
I'm just catching up on everything he's done since having finally got this out of my head.
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No more 73 bins
No more Tesco Express
No more speed limits
We are the actual government
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Stop new rail projects
Increase fares above inflation
Scrap bus routes
Complain about traffic
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A few replies to things:
1. It really did happen, there's a link in the thread. Google it too.
2. I know you could torrent stuff at the time - I was also alive during that period - but lots of people still didn't.
3. Just a funny story about ingenuity, it's not that deep.
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@SoniaBassey1
Thanks for reading - I've been thinking about him every day and it's pretty much the only thing that gives me hope.
Hope all is well with you and yours
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Here's an interview a couple of days ago, where tragically Dr Abuelaish reveals that he's lost many more family members in the bombardment.
An extraordinary quote by him:
"a small room cannot hold two fighters, but it could hold a hundred friends"
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You're at Borders, reading a book you won't buy, drinking a chai latte, eating a panini and listening to your ipod.
You had no knowledge that the world was reaching a peak from which there would only be decline.
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I feel the need to urge
@campbellclaret
@RoryStewartUK
@RestIsPolitics
@TherealNihal
@maitlis
@jonsopel
@lewis_goodall
@TheNewsAgents
to arrange their own interviews.
If they want to DM me, I can get details across of his media contact
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Thanks to the replies I now understand that globalist forces (who make money selling oil and cars) have a conspiracy to restrict our movement and prevent us buying oil and cars.
The reasons at this stage are unclear, but I'm convinced.
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Proud to have convincingly won a Council election in Labour's most marginal constituency. Note to Tories: This General Election isn't over!
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@kealycopy
@MsFrugalone
He is but he's now working as a professor in Canada as far as I know
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@ProfMRigby
Thanks so much for this comment and for a bit more context. He's obviously the sort of person that you don't forget easily. I hope he remembers the little corner of Staffordshire fondly.
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@gillianfewings
I didn't realise at the time, I've learned a lot about his recent life in the last 24 hours.
I'm making contact separately, but didn't want to tag him in now, as there are an awful lot of mentions. I'll leave it up to him if he wants to engage directly and highlight that if so
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@gaskell_mike
Thanks Mike. I'd been meaning to write something about him for years - I wish it wouldn't have taken such awful circumstances to finally get me there.
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A scary proportion of right-to-buy properties end up being privately rented.
In much worse condition, fewer rights for tenants and loads more expensive.
Why do we allow people to profit from homes built for a social purpose?
If any future government is serious about fixing the Social Housing crisis. Which is a huge cause of the overall ‘Housing Crisis’
They’ll pause or completely get rid of the right to buy scheme, whilst building more social homes to meet demand.
It’s not rocket science.
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@seakittenone
No, sadly. I know that he's now in Canada.
We only spoke a handful of times over a few weeks and with a life like his, would he even remember?
I'd love to if the opportunity ever arose
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@richardrcubitt
@JonnyR_Labour
If driving is so great why does he have to travel a tiny country in a helicopter?
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@gracepetrie
Transport workers don't deserve their pay, but also look how the country collapses without them
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@pressgazette
Lucky he can keep making money by growing concrete to pay off everyone he defames
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Allow me to *once again* say that anyone changing party should be required to call a by-election and let their constituents decide whether they agree.
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Hiding behind a flag is pretty much all he stands for, so this is refreshingly honest
Lee Anderson's unveiling as Reform MP being somewhat hampered by a basic presentational issue: he's giving a speech behind a flag, not a great angle for the live TV cameras.
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Can't wait to spend £47 to have some lukewarm wine and a hotdog in a shed
The Manchester Christmas Markets are officially open from today 🎄
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@duncan_lister
I mean that level of ingenuity put to good use could do so much good for the world
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@JustanSNA
Thanks so much - I'm really enjoying catching up with everything he's been up to recently. Still as inspirational as ever!
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Not a fan of how commercial New Prime Minister Day has become.
Feel like people have really lost sight of its true meaning. Hope that next month's will be better.
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Keep my city off your feed
The average Brit doesn’t care what’s happening in Gaza.
We care about mass immigration.
We care about the cost of living.
We care about exposing grooming gangs.
We care about free speech.
We care about stopping the boats.
Forget Gaza.
Let’s put Britain first for a change!
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This election, you are allowed to vote for the country that you want, rather than the one that you're told you need to accept.
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Chester has some of the best and worst architecture in the country. Mostly the best though.
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"At least we got a small National Insurance cut" I say as the wait for an ambulance reaches its 18th hour
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If our National Insurance is cut but our Council Tax goes up by more as government continues to underfund councils - it's a con isn't it?
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Chester Tories who attacked me for living a couple of miles from my ward have selected a parliamentary candidate who lives 200 miles away...
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@Jenny_Nice
@Declan_M_Wilson
Haha it's home and Iove it. I was just trying to add a bit of lightness to the story
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I'm 36 years old. Today, for the first time ever I kept my coat on for the whole time in the cafe, walked back outside into the cold and guess what? I STILL FELT THE BENEFIT.
What else was I lied to about?
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I've given evidence to an NHS pay review body for a trade union, in writing and in person.
It was made up of good people, stuck working to a remit so prescriptive that the whole process was basically a foregone conclusion.
Despite this, government still ignored them many times.
Every time a minister talks about their Govts "respecting" "independent pay review bodies", remember these facts.
Plus 2022 bodies were given remit based on outdated assumptions of inflation rates.
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If I had a pound for every Prime Minister we've had since the summer, I'd have almost a dollar
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Not sure what I can say about the new market - it's a remarkable achievement and it's a special place.
But it's also part of a bigger story.
We've lost lots in Chester. But new openings, especially those that were in the old market have made it a bolder, cooler city.
Onwards!
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We can't even fill potholes at the moment lads, it's not us
🚨 NEW: Russia is now claiming Britain is responsible for the terrorist attack in Moscow
[
@Telegraph
]
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So much of the coverage about Corfu and Rhodes is about how hard it is for British holidaymakers who face a few days of inconvenience. Less about the people who actually live there, or more importantly the future of our planet.
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Delighted to announce that I was selected as Labour’s prospective candidate for the by-election in Blacon on 20th April.
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My money making plan for 2024 is to set up a company like
@AvantiWestCoast
and charge billions of pounds for not running trains
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@ColegateTeresa
It closed because the chain went bust, not because of Ellesmere Port specific factors. To me it just represents part of an era that I never appreciated until it was gone
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Ellesmere Port & Neston Labour candidate
@justinmadders
casually changing someone's tyre on polling day
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This is a lie, he knows it's a lie, the host knows it's a lie, the production crew know it's a lie, the person who edited this clip knows it's a lie, the person who posted it to X knows it's a lie and there will be no consequences.
This is what it means to be in a post-truth era
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This one is great news for everyone who has been associated with campaigns on leasehold and cladding!
Katie will be an amazing councillor!
@HarryScoffin
@NLC_2019
@EOCS_Official
@LKPleasehold
Election result: Netherpool - Katie Kendrick (Lab) - elected
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Council Leader, Police and Crime Commissioner, Member of Parliament and whatever it is that I am these days.
Congratulations to
@danpricelab
on securing such an important role for our area
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Avanti West Coast is a never ending national joke.
It's like a thought experiment to test how much cataclysmic incompetence will be tolerated.
It's levelling down in action. Daylight robbery. The pits. An epic binfire. Excrement on rails. Did I mention not liking it?
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We built a theatre in Chester and then Steve Coogan came to see. This city is the best!
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Vince Cable was in charge of the department which trebled Tuition Fees. He was literally the Secretary of State for lying to students.
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Thank you to everyone who voted for me in Blacon today and to so many who came and helped!
I gave it everything and I hope it was enough!
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The most depressing thing about this endless rain is that we don't have enough reservoir space to store it, meaning we'll still probably end up with a drought this summer.
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Tonight in Liverpool me and my brothers invited an Irish couple to join us after chatting at the bar. We hung and exchanged stories. They bought a round for us as they left, only asking that we pass it on.
We have. Always pass kindness on.
Don't be afraid to be its source.
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It's a sorry state of affairs when the Prime Minister repeatedly says that a learning disability and a mental health problem are the same
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''Every vote for the Conservatives will make me stronger''
In one sentence May reveals that this isn't about the country, it's about her.
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What about this, but with proper homes?
We could call it something like social housing. Councils and housing associations could run it.
Sounds far fetched I know.
Two things govt should immediately do for young people:
1. Build student halls-type housing for subsidised rent for yp in their early 20s in areas where lots of jobs - modern version of 1970s London hostels.
2. Big expansion of degree apprenticeships.
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Today was the funeral of my grandad, Franco Furlani.
He lived his life to entertain others, owning places like the Riverhill Hotel in Oxton, Casa Bella in Liverpool and a number of others.
What an amazing amazing man. He lived life on his own terms, and what a life he lived.
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I've got so many sweets and chocolates ready for tonight.
Now to close the curtains, turn off all the lights and wait it out.
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When I was at school, on the Friday before Mother's Day I was taken away from my class and where I'd have to do some activities on my own. Everyone else made cards.
I felt like I was being punished for the fact that we lost my mum.
It took years to get over. Small things matter
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@toni_g1986
I didn't really appreciate at the time how amazing it was that he was there. It was a total mix up with his accommodation, but I feel very privileged.
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@KwajoHousing
I used to advise people on welfare, and it was always interesting when people with his kind of view found themselves needing help from the system.
Suddenly the benefits system was unfair, kafkaesque and dehuminising, and it was an outrage!
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The whole body panic shudder on checking both pockets and realising you've lost your phone.
Plot twist: the phone is in your hand and you are speaking on it.
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I've started growing this on 1 November and it's going as badly as I expected
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@JosieLong
I dug this out when I was annoyed.
Just masses of people dying of the cold in the good old days
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I got asked to put something together for social media to announce my new role working with
@HoughBellis
, but think I might have taken it a bit far...
#AnnouncePowell
⚽️
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It was awful watching Kate's video after everything we've seen over the past weeks.
There's been really unedifying stuff, but it's also clear that they've been massively let down by their PR team. Almost all of the speculation came from the PR team's botched attempts to stop it.
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A good way to stop judges from ruling your policies unlawful is to act lawfully
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Incredible wins in City of Chester, Ellesmere Port & Neston and Weaver Vale. Cheshire West & Chester is red!
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