Louise O’Riordan - We Are Dunstable & Leighton Buzzard

19/10/2026

Common sense prevails in France 👏

❤ 🇫🇷

14/10/2026

3 out of 3 so far 💪

*****

Today is the 3rd of 4 hearings. Hoping that 5th November will be the 4th and final hearing.

Being a litigant in person is exhausting 🥱

Justice and truth shouldn’t be this difficult ⚖️

08/10/2026

Pray for them, especially when all 3 reasons apply 🖤

05/10/2026

I’ve been thinking a lot about how toxic and dysfunctional so many of our systems seem to have become.

Systems we all rely on.

I think, to some extent, I’ve been in denial about it — desperately hoping that what I’m sensing, seeing, feeling and experiencing isn’t true. Can’t be true.

But I’m no longer quite so convinced.

The systems designed to support us, improve our lives and protect us simply aren’t working as they should.

Nearly two decades of Conservative government, austerity and the hollowing out of public services have taken their toll — and the effects continue to be felt.

Our NHS finally seems to be starting to recover, thank goodness.

But my experience of local government and policing has left me deeply concerned. Too often, instead of acknowledging failure, the response seems to be defensiveness, gaslighting, blame and an unwillingness to put accountability where it belongs — with the service that has failed.

And misogyny is still rife.

I recently watched Mr Bates vs The Post Office. It made me incredibly sad — not only because of what happened to hundreds of innocent people, but because I found myself wondering how much has really changed.

I also watched Blame, a drama about policing and the abuse of women. My husband said he couldn’t imagine the police behaving like that.

I said: “I can.”

Then came the revelation that some of the appalling messages depicted between male officers weren’t simply the invention of a scriptwriter. They were based on real police messages.

That stopped me in my tracks.

Because when institutions that exist to protect people instead close ranks, discredit complainants, blame victims or use their power against the very people seeking their help, we have a serious problem.

When victims themselves begin to feel bullied or targeted by the police, we should all be concerned.

These are not the public services any of us pay for.

We need positive change. Urgently.

And perhaps the thing I find most uncomfortable to admit is this:

I used to dismiss talk of “two-tier policing” as a right-wing scare tactic.

I still dislike the phrase and much of the rhetoric surrounding it. But my own experiences have forced me to ask a question I never expected to be asking:

Is everyone actually treated equally by the systems that are supposed to protect us?

Because increasingly, I’m not convinced they are.

Bedfordshire Police
Metropolitan Police Service
Herts Police

*note the image is AI, not the post. I wrote it myself. Based on my experience.

04/10/2026

Need to feel superior? Get a therapist. Seriously.

01/10/2026

RIP Dame Esther. You gave a voice to so many.

Without you, we’d have so many more victims and so many more suffering in silence. Thank you for being brave and breaking barriers around subjects that were considered taboo - especially for television. Your legacy will live on 💙

Spirited and trailblazing host of the hugely popular That’s Life! as well as the founder of the charities Childline and the Silver Line

23/09/2026

Many of us walk past this everyday without much notice.

Photography Passion JT shows us the beauty on our doorstep and we’re all staring.

So much talent. Thank you Justyna xx

17/09/2026

Lentils are good for cholesterol. I love lentil crisps at the moment too. Delish!

You should be more worried about this country arming and financing wars that kill little defenceless children.

Jacob Rees-Mogg 🤷‍♀️🙄🫣