Happy Friday!

The weather is miserable, the budget was bad, COP26 is going to be a disaster, Cumbria is flooding…it’s nearly November and the country is being run by clowns. Here are this week’s links

Boris Johnson is no green superhero. This article is wise, the comments are mostly a disgrace.

An effluent tide awaits Cop26 guests. They should see the state of our rivers, too

By banning six Palestinian NGOs, Israel has entered a new era of impunity

Covid measures give us choice. They are not restrictions on British life

The Supreme Court’s very unusual new abortion orders, explained

Why I’ll Keep Saying ‘Pregnant Women’. This pretty much sums up my view on it.

Perhaps you think that’s unfair, that pregnant people is just a small tweak to language and tweaking language is the least we can do to help marginalized communities. Okay, but we don’t talk about “ejaculators” or “testicle havers” dominating the Texas legislature. We don’t note that only sperm-shooters have ever been president of the United States. Prostate Cancer UK can use the hashtag #MenWeAreWithYou, whereas the medical journal The Lancet talks about “bodies with vaginas” lacking access to hygiene products during their periods. (Sensibly, rather than overhauling its entire vocabulary, Prostate Cancer UK offers some dedicated resources for trans women.) The new rules of language are patchily applied, and deciding when to be maximally inclusive is itself a political choice.