PhD student @UofGlasgow. #BCAFC, curry, class, disability, hip-hop, hardcore punk, social security and trains. Usually writing/taking photos. Views my own.
Glasgow/Bradford
Joined March 2019
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My letter in yesterday's @yorkshirepost, on the failure of our politicians to support children and families in poverty, with a particular focus on #Bradford.
With analysis from @EndChildPoverty @CPAGUK @ruthpatrick0 @KateAndersen_ @reader_mary @aaronsreeves @kittyjstewart
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We are working on proposals for a 100% affordable scheme in Leeds. The schemes architecture references the sites industrial heritage and will provide 199 new multi-generational homes @leedslivenews @LeedsNews @HomesEngland @mtpennycook
Connor retweeted
This is an extremely important point. There’s talk about the ‘Manchester miracle’ but towns like Oldham, Bolton and Bury have actually seen deprivation worsen. Britain needs a hinterlands strategy for post-industrial towns.
theguardian.com/commentisfre…
Connor retweeted
Completely overwhelmed by all the messages I have received since my statement.
As I continue my treatment and my recovery now know that I simply have to raise more awareness around mental health in the future
Best part of 6 weeks before the UK Championships starts and all being well I’ll be in a better place by then but for now it’s just one day at a time
Thanks again for all your support. It’s meant so so much to myself and my family
Very frustrated by the not-announcement-announcement yesterday re: 'new' stn in Bradford.
Isolated from lots of the rest of the country via woeful public transport links for a city of its size (~560k), its residents are shut off from opportunities to easily see new places, 1/3
... fully realise their potential within learning and work (whether in Bradford or elsewhere).
Bradford is Britain's worst connected major city. It's a city that is consistently passed over for investment and sneered upon by the chattering classes. 2/3
Pity poor Bradford, perennially problematised yet seldom supported. 3/3
#Bradford #Transport #Railnatter
Connor retweeted
A statement on yesterday…..
Everything I said in that interview was true. However, rest assured I’m doing my best to turn things round.
I have been in a mental health clinic for the last 10 weeks, finally discharging so I could attempt to play in Belfast
I owed that to my family, in particular my daughter to see me play for what could be the last time….. I also owed it to the fans who have supported me throughout my 21 years on tour
I also owed that to World Snooker who have been amazing from day on in all this, in particular Simon Brownell and Neil Tomkins who have remained in touch regularly, even Simon paying me a visit in the clinic itself
I’m not ok, but I’m ok in that itself. I’ve been much worse in the last few months than you saw yesterday. I literally didn’t see a future in anything…..
My daughter kept me going, the therapists, staff and all the other patients were amazing and helped me through some really dark days
I see the light now that I couldn’t see before but I do now. I also know it won’t happen overnight. I’m a work in progress!!! My fight and determination on the table has always been there for ones to see. I need to show those same fighting qualities off it now for a while
Please don’t detract anything from Jordan yesterday, he’s been aware of my struggles and that can’t have been easy to play in but he handled it with grace and skill as I knew he would. Im proud to call him a friend
I hope the rest of the event is a success and I will continue my treatments going forward and then see what’s ahead
Thank you to every single message I have received on here, instagram, Facebook, text messages and WhatsApp’s, I’ve seen them all but a bit overwhelmed to reply right now. Just know that they have helped me a lot but I’m not going anywhere just yet!!!! I have so much to live for and this is only the beginning of my new journey
Also, I was not made to do any interviews, I was simply given a choice and felt I owed it to everyone to speak. The media team at WST have been incredible through all this too
Thank you all x
Connor retweeted
So now we've got some clarity via the local newspaper, this announcement is actually cancellation of the through station and a public admission that the design of the station is now being delayed by years.
We're in a worse position now than we were in 2022. Appalling.
Today I am announcing a new railway station at Bradford Interchange.
We are delivering Northern Powerhouse Rail, working in lock-step with local leaders like @MayorOfWY.
We will create a turn-up-and-go train service for the great cities of the north.🚉
theguardian.com/business/202…
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It’s so rare to see a bloke talk about their struggles while in the midst of them.
So brave, I hope he turns a corner soon.
And fair play to the interviewer for not letting protocol get in the way of empathy.
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A reminder to @Helen_Whately and other politicians hell bent on cutting critical services and support, that treating welfare reform as nothing more than a cost-saving exercise has very real human consequences.
In 2010, Scottish poet Paul Reekie took his own life, aged 48.
He left no suicide note.
Instead, on his desk were two letters. One informing him that his incapacity benefit had been stopped. The other informing him that his housing benefit had been stopped.
His GP subsequently raised his death as a warning about the consequences of welfare reforms.
This is what gets lost when politicians reduce disability, illness and poverty to numbers on a spreadsheet.
We're talking about people who depend on this support to survive. People already facing enormous challenges, who are then pushed further into poverty, insecurity and desperation by decisions made in Westminster.
Of course we should all want a welfare system that works better. But reform should be about improving people's lives, providing meaningful support and addressing the reasons people need help in the first place.
That means creating genuine opportunities for those who can work, removing the barriers that prevent them from doing so, and ensuring that those who can't work have the security, dignity and support they need to live fulfilling lives.
The measure of success can't simply be how much money the Treasury saves. It must be how many lives we improve, how many opportunities we create, and what happens to the people whose support is taken away.
The human cost of getting that wrong is irreversible.
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There’s a lot of talk of getting people in work.
But
From the 100k+ jobs on the DWPs jobs site…
Just 480 are remote
Only 29 are remote & Disability Confident
That’s what’s facing disabled people.
We must tackle the barriers employers put up. Not just demand more of people.
Connor retweeted
So predictable. Whatever the idea or crisis - Thatcherism, neoliberalism, the Third Way, globalisation, debt, pandemic etc - the prescription is always go after the incomes of the poorest. Instead of radical change we get tinkering within a broken system
theguardian.com/society/2026…
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All of this. Removing benefits for young people is going to leave them in an unconscionable position. Show me an example, where cutting young people's benefits has provided them with better outcomes.
So predictable. Whatever the idea or crisis - Thatcherism, neoliberalism, the Third Way, globalisation, debt, pandemic etc - the prescription is always go after the incomes of the poorest. Instead of radical change we get tinkering within a broken system
theguardian.com/society/2026…
Connor retweeted
For years, people have been asking me about "Bradford Crossrail" and my response has always been "I need to think about that strategically, not just because it might look nice on a map".
Well, now I've looked at it. You do need a tunnel under Bradford, but not like *that*:
ALT A map showing a pair of new bored tunnels under the centre of Bradford, with an eastern portal on the Leeds side of a new underground station at St James - adjacent to the proposed high speed station - and a northern portal adjacent to the current position of Forster Square station. There's a new underground station right in the middle of Bradford at Centenary Square, and a spur linking southwards towards Halifax. Both old stations at Forster Square and Interchange are abandoned as part of these plans, with land value capture from the sale of the sites being used to contribute to project costs.
Connor retweeted
Disabled people can now report media coverage that scapegoats and stigmatises them and contributes to the hostile environment many of them face in their daily lives, thanks to a new campaign.
#InclusionLondon #DisabilityMediaAction
disabilitynewsservice.com/ne…
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After the crippling 2008 public bank bailouts - you’d think the banking lobby would choose its arguments more carefully.
If banks warn that taxing their profits means less lending, that strengthens the case for a more diverse banking sector.
Build on our mutuals. Create local savings banks modelled on Germany’s Sparkassen, alongside publicly owned national and regional investment banks. Give businesses more places to turn.
We grant commercial banks the extraordinary power to create money through lending. That should come with responsibilities.
So, perhaps sit this one out and take the hit - because you still owe us many times over.
Connor retweeted
Sounds very impressive until you remember HS2 would have added approximately 880,000 weekly seats between just the NE and E Midlands…
Over 2,000,000 weekly seats across the HS2 network….
More trains, more seats, better connections.
CrossCountry’s fleet expansion will contribute to almost 60,000 additional seats per week across its network, helping tackle overcrowding and improve reliability on vital intercity routes.
alstom.com/press-releases-ne…
Connor retweeted
A majority of PIP recipients undertake economically valuable or wellbeing-enhancing activities that they could not do without support.
Close to half (47 per cent) report that the benefit enables them to do at least one "economically valuable" activity, such as caring, working, training or volunteering.
ALT chart showing Proportion of PIP recipients aged 16-64 who report that PIP enables them to undertake various activities: England and Wales, May-June 2026
Connor retweeted
The Times ignores efforts to draw its attention to years of DWP deaths as it launches its own ‘welfare inquiry’
@TheTimes
disabilitynewsservice.com/th…
