Did anyone see the ITV News piece about of water bills on customers?

I'm curious, how do TV companies pick the people who will appear in these reports?

I just wonder about the gaslighting of Mika's children here. They might be little and unquestioning but come on, bringing your children up to say you are their mother, not their father?

It's just magical unicorn land. Another social experiment on kids with zero common sense and utter narcissism.

O.k! But he's certainly not the child's mother. Just blatant cos-play.

I wonder whether their children are told to call him mum?

Definitely has a young child

I doubt very much he has children.

He's typical of social justice activists, moving from one cause to the next ( from that article):

"African-American author and activist bell hooks describes rage as “a necessary aspect of resistance struggle,” but what to direct it at? These feelings don’t translate into writing a letter to my MP, or taking part in a demonstration. The continuity in daily life fuels the fury, demanding a rupture, a break in our privilege and comfort of pubs, movies, shops — life and business as usual.
Honestly, I don’t know how to live with my grief and rage. The only answer I have is: if our political struggles are effective and fulfilling, to throw ourselves into them wholeheartedly. Together with our friends who are still alive and feeling, to hold each other up and carry on fighting.
The world is faced with oppression and occupation from countries like the UK, US, and Israel. Death and murder have been, and will be felt by many of our movements for liberation and justice. Mostly, when these struggles take place in England, we have the privilege of our friends not being gunned down beside us. Not so in Palestine, Derry and Belfast, Bolivia, Nigeria, or Iraq. We will lose more friends. There will be grief, fury, and rage with no outlet, but that’s part of struggling for a better world, I guess"

Mika Minio-Paluello is a community activist who lived and worked in Balata refugee camp between 2003 and 2005, supporting balatacamp.net and the Balata Film Collective. He currently lives in London and can be contacted at mika AT balatacamp DOT net.

I'm very concerned for Rosie Duffield following that tweet. The TRAs have missed the point entirely - not to mention so many deluded people up in arms because 'how does she even know Mika is trans'.

They assume it is a personal attack but it really is not. She has thrown a light on something really important and they are coming for her harder than ever.

Omg, that's horrific. It's a pretty unique name. I hope Mossad don't watch ITV. There seem to be a fair number of ex-army types who transition.

Crikey. Is the writer of this piece in 2008 the same person?

https://electronicintifada.net/content/continuing-struggle/7344

Running through the dark streets of Palestine throwing stones and dodging bullets is not something any mothers I know have done much of. I wonder why?

If Mika really is struggling with Mika's bills I hope Mika put in a claim to the TUC for overtime for filming this piece of propaganda.

Very good point. Its not news, it's a propaganda piece. I wonder if it was scripted?

A breast pump is a very specific piece of equipment. And it's not exactly photogenic. It certainly hasn't been included for artistic reasons. The person with the camera must have known or been told by someone what it was and the 'reason' to include it. The mind boggles at how that conversation went.

Presumably the actual mother is breastfeeding, and this person is washing up.

The whole thing is a bit weird. As someone pointed out to the TUC on Twitter, if this person illustrates "a struggling mum", that's not a great reflection on the TUC's salaries!
He's definitely not a mum and I very much doubt he's "struggling". Well, he might be - cost of living crisis is tough on everyone - but I don't think his struggle is as newsworthy as an actual mum on a low income or benefits.

I'm completely blown away with the close up camera angle of the breast pump!

I mean WTF???

Does this person have a baby? If not why are they washing a breast pump? And why on Earth was there such a huge close up of it?

So so so many questions!!

Its interesting that the TUC thinks everyone should be safe 'at work'. When he was cos-playing being a mum, the TUC considered this work, because he was doing this as a union employee to make a political point.

At least once a week I'll see a news item and think I wonder which union they're representing and within c.20 seconds I can find out, usually via their Twitter profile. If I can do that, the journalists definitely know that they are misrepresenting well paid union reps for whatever, usually poor, character they're supposed to be. They're usually a little bit too posh and 'on message".

So was Mika “at work” when they did that piece even though it was made to seem that they weren’t?

I presume the persons sperm created the child so that makes them the father, def not a mother.

The TUC has posted on Twitter.

Today a member of TUC staff, Mika Minio-Paluello, is being subjected to anti-trans abuse online, because she is a mother.

This is unacceptable.

Everyone should be safe and respected at work.

I haven't seen any abuse but lots of people are pissed off because Mika isn't a mother.

Great to see they think doing the washing up and shoving a couple of things in the washing machine is work and we should be safe and respected while doing that. Remind me how much support the TUC gives to SAHMs?

Incidentally, who IS the mother? I’m assuming there’s a child in that household rather than just Mrs Housewife pretending there is one because that’s how they identify these days.

I swear my brain is being frazzled by all this gaslighting…

A great excuse, thank you.

Ah come on. This awful bullshit nonsense. They’re taking us all for fools. How can this bloke be a mother? Ridiculous. It’s a bloke in a hideous skirt and questionable shoes.