Emeritus Prof Christopher May

Retired Professor of Political Economy
(Lancaster University, UK - retired 2021)
(also #ProfDJ across the Lune Valley)
Contributor: North West Bylines #NoBridge

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Last Notes

2026-05-19 12:53:54 UTC

As @nprofile…udtr [puts it (in a discussion we've been having about pensions in my timeline):
'In hindsight it's easy to see that Thatcherism was basically a heist'.....
This observation, tells us a lot about both the roots of our current problems & the parallels with now more obvious right populist grifters.
#politics

2026-05-17 18:26:55 UTC

Whatever you think about the levels of profitability in the UK's economy, one thing is clear voters are vastly over-estimating how much firms make in profits.... but perhaps most telling (in this misunderstanding of what is going on) is the apparent perception that the NHS makes a profit (although there is a chance respondents didn't properly understand the Q.?).
(And of course this was carried out by the right wing Inst. for Economic Affairs, no doubt to prove a point!)
#economics #business
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/591/318/023/277/570/original/8aa16f671765fac5.png

2026-05-16 07:21:31 UTC

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@nprofile…d8x0
We essentially have two choices:
cut our cloth accordingly - accept our global position and organise our political economy accordingly; or,
seek out strategies that can underpin world class sectors (such as universities) while accelerating areas where we can be world class (green energy perhaps).
There is some move on the latter but the current plight of the university sector is indicative of the underlying problem with our political class' views on what matters.

2026-05-16 07:12:11 UTC

The key problem of British politics is how to manage a country where the population expects a higher standard of living than its increasingly second league status can provide.
In one way or another we all suffer from a form of post-imperial, post-industrial entitled hubris.
The world has moved on leaving the UK with pockets of excellence dwarfed by sectors are far from world class.
Few politicians understand this or have a good plan to escape our predicament (if there is one?).
#politics

2026-05-13 20:22:14 UTC

Keir Starmer vs. Wes Streeting is about as politically interesting as two bald men fighting over a comb.... its a classic bit of change but no change, and suggests the Labour Party is clueless about why people are abandoning them.
Then the (more interesting) Q. is how would Andy Burnham vs. Wes Streeting play out, if Streeting gets past an increasingly truculent Starmer?
Or perhaps Burnham wouldn't have the appetite for a second leadership challenge in this Parliament?
#politics #LabourParty

2026-05-12 05:49:51 UTC

One way to be clear about the geographic wealth inequality in the UK is to look at inheritance tax receipts (remembering that only about 5% of estates pay IHT at all).
What we see is that such wealth is skewed towards London & SE England, which is no surprise but what perhaps is, is that across the London region IHT tax receipts were higher than totals for Scotland & Wales, together!
No wonder the rich were quietly backing the Farmers 'farm tax' protests!
#politics #wealth #inequality
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/560/024/450/279/060/original/6fc401a6a48c8032.png

2026-05-10 16:58:00 UTC

At a rally in London today to protest against anti-semitism, the Fascist Frog (who you will recall has been accused of anti-semtiism when he was younger) was invited as ReformUK Ltd's representative & excluded the Green Party of England & Wales (and its leader Zack Polanski).
As the GPEW observed:
'It does feel like the world is upside down when Reform are invited to be part of an initiative to tackle antisemitism but the Green Party — and its Jewish leader — aren’t'!
#politics
h/t FT

2026-05-10 08:26:19 UTC

If, like David Aaronovitch (The Observer), you are wondering about neither the Green Party of England & Wales or ReformUK Ltd mentioning social care in their pitches for local council votes (although candidates may have mentioned it outside the national media coverage), then you might want to ask yourself a simple Q.:
who would you trust more with the welfare of a loved one?
Zack Polanski or the Fascist Frog?
For me its seems pretty obvious but then again I like Polanski's pitch.
#politics

2026-05-10 07:21:37 UTC

Before we take at face value much of the commentary this weekend on the continuing political ascendance of the Facist Frog & ReformUK Ltd, its worth just putting their vote in the local elections in some context.
As many have noted even with their success ReformUK Ltd still on control a very small proportion of *all* local councils, but its also worth noting than less than 10% of eligible voters cast a vote from the Frog & his associates.
#politics #ReformUK
h/t Dan Södergren/LinkenIn
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/549/064/064/045/052/original/1fcefb772ecb3352.jpeg

2026-05-09 07:20:08 UTC

Two obvious trends from Thursday's elections:
The Fascist Frog & ReformUK Ltd have gained most in areas where the Brexit vote was most evident;
The Green Party of England & Wales has done best where voters are younger.
(Given that the Brexit vote itself was quite strongly age-determined a decade ago, we might conclude that the GPEW is in a better demographic position than Reform?)
#politics #Brexit
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/543/382/374/226/447/original/1f2e02ecd5d7195d.png
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/543/385/804/522/544/original/95838f2624d63fe2.png

2026-05-07 10:16:41 UTC

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@nprofile…9cre
Agreed; its shocking yet (now in the UK) some how all too predictable

2026-05-07 09:35:41 UTC

This week I've been mainly reading, no. 302.
qntm's There is no Anti-Memetics Division (2025) is the oddest SciFi book I've read in a long time. Its a compelling tale of the socially destructive impact of memes & the organisation (the Anti-Mimetics Division) that fights their corrosive impact on society. Its a triumph of imagination with the loss & regaining of memory being central to the story. Really weird, but a great read. Highly recommended.
#SciFi #books #memes @nprofile…55t7

2026-05-07 06:06:09 UTC

The Home Office Kafka tribute act continues, stranding the mother of a baby with dual nationality in Austria, as her case does not qualify for emergency documents to allow her to travel home.
You just wonder what sort of people work at the Home Office; are they inculcated once they arrive, or does it attract the vindictive proceduralists who delight in saying 'no' to reasonable attempts to resolve problems cause by byzantine regulation(s)?
#HomeOffice #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/06/scottish-mum-stuck-in-spain-after-baby-falls-foul-of-uk-dual-nationality-rules

2026-05-06 21:26:22 UTC

The Trustees Savings Bank started out helping workers manage their wages & survived as a form of community-based banking even after a range independent (regional) networks merged into a single TSB in the 1980s.
But then the rot set in with a share listing in 1985, merger with Lloyds in 1995 and then being spun off as a 'normal' bank to fulfil an EU requirement; leaving it to be picked up by Santander who are now dumping the brand!
RIP TSB... once a workers' bank!
#banking #workers
h/t FT

2026-05-06 17:50:44 UTC

Here's Aditya Chakrabortty on why the claim that the Govt. are the 'adults in the room' has proved as vacuous & corrosive as many of us always thought it was.... its the sort of political (and technocratic) 'leadership' that condescends to voters & patronises them, while failing to appreciate what is actually happening outside the Westminster Village, assuming that our political class knows the answers & we should leave them to get on with it...
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/06/labour-wipeout-adults-in-the-room-con-job-keir-starmer-elections
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/528/880/177/549/869/original/3b315f3279294b5c.png

2026-05-06 13:41:32 UTC

For those of us who have been arguing that the UK's (pretty clear) economic decline *is* reversible, here is @nprofile…3yrk examining some of the key arguments that are made for recent economic decline.
He concludes that while there may be weak (but still evident) reasons to agree with Andy Burnham's four horsemen of UK decline: deindustrialisation, privatisation, austerity & Brexit, it is the latter where the evidence is most clear cut!
#Brexit #economics #UK #politics
https://mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2026/05/uk-decline-and-stylised-empirical-facts.html

2026-05-06 06:06:53 UTC

More enshitification:
There' s growing use of Cloudfare's verification services (checking whether you are a human & not a bot);
and while i understand the desire to limit bot access to sites, it's just one more aspect of using the world wide web that has been corrupted by big tech & its 'innovations';
its another bit of friction that adds to the frustration of trying to get things done on a system that is slowly becoming slower & more annoying to use.
#enshitification #internet #technology

2026-05-06 05:46:00 UTC

Over half of children's care providers are owned by private equity or sovereign wealth funds;
last year expenditure rose by around 20% partly due to an increase in service use; partly due to price rises;
as utilisation of services is driven by local authorities' legal requirements, the providers have found a stream of income that is not dependent on 'market conditions' but rather is driven by diagnosis & rising recognition of need.
No wonder such investments are popular.
#politics
h/t FT

2026-05-06 05:38:48 UTC

Is Keir Starmer becoming the Joe Biden of British politics?
His blocking of attempts to replace him, despite the likely drubbing Labour will receive in tomorrow's local elections, and his falling personal popularity, might repeat Biden's unwillingness to give way until it was too late to allow a democratic recovery for his party.
One might also argue that Labour still has time to recover the democratic initiative but Starmer's blocking also makes things easier for rival parties!
#politics

2026-05-05 07:12:38 UTC

Q. is the condoning housing crisis, with in quantity & quality dimensions behind the falling (albeit self-reported) healthy years of life data?
Certainly, the UK's housing stock is often doing little for physical health while the ability to secure reasonable housing is having a major impact on many people's mental health.
Sorting out the housing problem(s) would like have massive positive knock on effects on health & social wellbeing.
#housing #politics
https://theconversation.com/how-britains-housing-crisis-contributes-to-its-declining-healthy-life-expectancy-281605

2026-05-05 05:35:02 UTC

Hmmm.... Peter Thiel (well known AI-related Right-winger) is investing $140mn in Panthalassa and its ocean energy technology (which uses the bobbing motion of waves to force water through a turbine to produce electricity) as a new source of energy for data centres.
Given the UK's obvious interest(s) in tidal & water power, this looks like an investment to watch, even if the involvement of Thiel might will make many people gag.....
#RenewableEnergy #Waves #energy
h/t FT

2026-05-04 05:47:29 UTC

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@nprofile…kpdm
Hmmm.... maybe a bit early to reach that conclusion - we're a couple of years out from a general election

2026-05-04 05:38:01 UTC

Commentary on the bond market (traders) claims Gilts' yields (the price of servicing public debt) may rise if Labour's prospective losses in this week's local elections prompt either a shift to the Left (in fiscal terms) or a change of leadership (or both).
'Threats' of adverse market reaction by traders to shifts in fiscal policy are really aimed at the Green Party of England & Wales, suggesting Zack Polanski needs a clear bond market strategy to deal with such pressure.
#BondMarkets #Greens

2026-05-03 16:13:40 UTC

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@nprofile…vt7u
What is the most extraordinary thing is having seen the first term, a large tranche of US voters look on & said 'yup, we need more of that'!

2026-05-03 08:57:59 UTC

Any Iranians (still) hoping that the Tangerine Tyrant might 'save' them, need only look at how the US recent involvement has played out in Venezuela to know that the only people likely to be 'saved' are the ruling elite (who will likely stay in power) whose control is needed to ensure that the oil business can be captures & exploited by allies of the President.
Trump has explicitly said he wants to repeat his Venezuelan 'model'...
#Iran #Venezuela #oil #trump

2026-05-03 08:49:31 UTC

More from James Timpson:
'Eighty per cent of offending is reoffending... We’ve got to get better at helping people not go back into the system. Probation is where the heavy lifting of the justice system is done. There are 90,000 people in prison in England & Wales and a quarter of a million people [on] probation'.
But perhaps probation is too late? Might more investment in 'rehabilitation' (education/training) in prison underpin efforts in probation better?
#prison #politics
h/t Observer

2026-05-03 07:25:48 UTC

The Tangerine Tyrant has decided to punish the Germans for their (lack of) support for the US/Israeli attacks on Iran by (over the next 12 months) removing 5,000 US military personal from Germany and cancelling a Biden-era planned deployment of defensive weapon systems.
While the trop removals may be made up by new arrivals should Trump waver, but the cancelled deployment looks more like one more aspect of the US withdrawal from NATO commitments & involvement.
#Trump #NATO
h/t FT

2026-05-02 17:24:33 UTC

We're often told that the public debt ratio to GDP, and its breaching of 100% of GDP is a major political issue; the sort of signal that suggest fiscal management is not going well for a Govt.
So what if we know that such debt levels are (of course) subject to revisions as better data arrives, and that actually UK public debt has remained in the region of 95% for the last four years even if initial estimates sometimes have it as over 100%.
Perhaps we should be less concerned?
#PublicFinances
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/506/123/892/064/025/original/a7c5c9f068225c2e.png

2026-05-02 09:42:39 UTC

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@nprofile…84ur
OK, we can disagree; but his record in national politics is not that great... but I guess we'll find out one way or the other

2026-05-02 08:58:50 UTC

It seems to me to be a pity that Andy Burnham still feels drawn to national politics after making much of his dedication to the role of Mayor of Manchester.
In a less centralised political economy, we might expect leaders to revel in their regional bases & be committed to making (in this case) Manchester even more of a success.
Sadly, the siren call of Westminster seems to be calling to Burnham; many in Manchester will be disappointed at this shift in his priorities.
#Manchester `#politics

2026-05-02 07:57:29 UTC

After the stabbings in Golders Green Jonathan Freedland asks whether some racial minorities are outside calls for an end to racism.
As always, this comes down to whether one can separate criticism of Israeli state actions from the lives of Jewish diaspora elsewhere.
For other countries this doesn't appear so hard (we've seen few if any Americans attacked over the years due to US actions) so why does it continue to be an issue for Jewish people?
#Israel #antisemitism
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/01/antisemitism-racism-jews-britain

2026-05-02 07:27:54 UTC

Zack Polanski may be learning a lesson on why, as a leader of a popular challenger party, retweeting 'in haste' is not the best approach to buttressing his political profile.
Certainly, the Labour Party (Keir Starmer in particular) are looking for excuses to criticise Polanski, so he needs to not make unforced errors like this (although who cannot also say they've never re-posted in haste?).
For the GPEW the political environment is becoming less forgiving.
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/01/keir-starmer-condemns-zack-polanski-sharing-post-criticising-police-golders-green-stabbings

2026-05-02 07:03:38 UTC

Before I get started, I wanted to mention the best thing I experienced on my respite trip down to my old stomping ground of London.
You'll be unsurprised that I visited the Black Music exhibition at the V&A East. It was an amazing experience; fully immersive with a curated soundtrack that responds to the items you're looking at.
This exhibition will profoundly change the way music exhibits are curated in the future; highly recommended!
#music #museums #BlackBritish
https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/the-music-is-black-a-british-story

2026-04-26 07:49:49 UTC

There are at least two problems with calls for Keir Starmer to make rejoining the EU a priority:
1. its not just us deciding the UK wants to rejoin, we have to negotiate that with an EU that remains sceptical/unconvinced of the UK's commitment to the EU mission;
2. its framed as a way of combating the surge in support for the Green Party of England & Wales; but this repeats the problem of Brexit - seeing EU membership through the lens of domestic political rivalries.
#politics #EU Brexit

2026-04-26 06:42:27 UTC

Many of us here have been recently speculating on the medium-term (and on-going) political economic pivot away from the USA (in part prompted by the actions of the Court of the Tangerine Tyrant).
This, implicitly also included a decline in importance of the US dollar as the world's reserve currency.... but, looking at 'eurodollars' - dollars created off-shore by non-US banks' credit creation operations - what we see is little sign of a decline... (as yet) interesting?
#economics #currencies
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/469/623/255/243/116/original/e6d2ea9309054393.png

2026-04-24 14:51:10 UTC

You'll have read (or heard) today a lot of invective about the House of Lords role in obstructing the Assisted Dying Bill; certainly, many people are concerned that the un-elected element of our governing structure has obstructed a legal measure passed by the democratic lower house.
However, as Prof. Mark Elliott argues its not quite as simple as that (not least due to the character of the original bill).
His balanced view is worth a read.
#AssistedDying #politics
https://publiclawforeveryone.com/2026/04/24/the-fall-of-the-terminally-ill-adults-end-of-life-bill-a-constitutional-outrage/

2026-04-24 05:52:28 UTC

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@nprofile…l5m6
Its a good Q; primary I'd say, workers are being sacrificed on the altar of (claimed) productivity gains.... and this reflects (as indicated by an earlier posts today) that Govt.s misunderstand where the productivity problems lie - not with workers, but with management & the deficiencies of the 'care economy'

2026-04-24 05:24:51 UTC

Both Meta & Microsoft have said they're shedding staff explicitly to free up cash flow to invest in AI;
on one level this is unemployment linked to technology, but its a bit different from *actual* technological unemployment - the latter sees people losing jobs due to the deployment of technology to do their jobs. Microsoft & Meta on the other hand are sacking people to take a (bigger) punt on a business strategy that is yet to prove its transformation of productivity.
#AI #workers
h/t FT

2026-04-23 05:59:09 UTC

Despite concerns across the NHS about using Palantir to deal with confidential records, it now looks like the Police in London (hardly a trusted institution in the first place) are looking to contract with Palantir for AI to 'aid' criminal investigations...
Given the rubbish-in-rubbish-out character of such work, introducing AI of a particularly contentious sort seems likely to compound mistrust of the capital's police force, solidifying police prejudice(s).
#palantir
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/22/met-police-talks-palantir-ai-tech-criminal-investigations-automate-intelligence

2026-04-23 05:44:19 UTC

The complex environment of benefits involves all sorts of perverse incentives, but here's one that is both stark & (up until now seemingly) under-recognised:
for 16-17 year olds living at home, an apprenticeship (which is part of Govt. attempts to get young people into work or training) results in their families losing a chunk of benefits as they become 'independent workers' not children for benefits purposes.... disincentivizing them from training!
#benefits #poverty
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/apr/23/apprenticeship-penalty-poorer-uk-families-benefits-young-people-quit-training

2026-04-23 05:23:23 UTC

Will the current (and ongoing) economic impact of the US/Israeli attacks on Iran, undermine China's export strategy?
There's already some evidence of re-direction of exports as part of the ongoing pivot away from US markets, but if rising energy prices continue to dampen demand China may start to have major problem exporting its 'overproduction'.
If so, deflationary pressure(s) in China may worsen compounding low domestic consumption & shifting China nearer to recession?
#China
h/t FT

2026-04-22 20:28:15 UTC

It increasingly looks like the UK is about to have a PM without moral authority & unable to coral MPs into supporting his (and party's) legislative agenda (such as it is) while remaining in post because no-one seems willing to challenge for the party leadership in the current circumstances...
I'm not sure whether its a good advert for democracy (because he *is* being held to account despite scapegoating others), or a bad one (as the mechanisms of governance are clogged up)?
#politics #UK

2026-04-22 05:18:39 UTC

It now seems that since the start of its blockade, while the US Navy has boarded two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and turned back nearly 30 ships from passing through the strait, at least 19 have exited the Gulf while another 15 have entered the Gulf heading towards Iran since the start of the 'blockade'... suggesting, that the US Navy has insufficient resources to maintain an effective blockade (or that the US' blockade is more performative than real?).
#StraitOfHormuz #Iran
h/t FT

2026-04-22 05:10:56 UTC

Here' some context to the slight drop in UK unemployment reported yesterday. Across the OECD the UK's unemployment rate is just above the overall (aggregated) rate for the whole of the OECD.
So, while the unemployment rate remains too high (from a welfare standpoint) given the international context the UK is hardly an outlier on this indicator, even if in other areas from productivity to investment the UK's is a lot further from commonplace performance.
#workers #unemployment #economics
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/446/607/915/204/065/original/493fc2a89bddadf3.jpeg

2026-04-21 21:02:51 UTC

Will the solution to the Strait of Hormuz be an acceptance of Iran's right to impose a toll *provided* they split it with Oman?
And will the Tangerine Tyrant be willing to let such a settlement be part of peace deal without trying to snag some of the fee for the USA?
And, if that money is used for Iranian reconstruction would that be something that would push a ceasefire into a peace deal?
Or are we just going to see more escalation between two powers unwilling to back down?
#Iran #politics

2026-04-21 06:13:31 UTC

Hmmm.... reading this account of 'poly-employment' I started to wonder whether at least part of the issue of economic inactivity is linked to (lets call it) 'job hoarding' by some younger workers as a strategy to deal with the continuing cost of living crisis (and astronomical rent/accommodation costs).
Its hardly their fault, but suggests why there may be less young people in work than there are jobs.... and why young workers are often stressed!
#economics #workers
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn89n9exl11o

2026-04-21 06:05:40 UTC

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@nprofile…0qnq
Yes, I think the analogy is instructive if not comprehensive - but O'Connor's powerful point I think is on the link between regulatory action & social norms - which has been vey evident in the realm of smoking

2026-04-21 05:36:21 UTC

Sarah O'Connor (FT) suggests the best way of framing the uses, danger & regulation of social media may be to look at the history of smoking; a gradual tightening of regulatory limits on smoking has (especially among the middle-class) led to radical reductions of tobacco use.
We're already seeing the start of such moves with the interest in banning young people from using social media due to the (increasingly recognised) harms it causes; Will be interesting to see if she's right.
#SocialMedia

2026-04-21 05:24:31 UTC

Today Ed Miliband will set out how he's going to shift the way renewable energy enters the wholesale markets as a way fo trying to reduce the impact of the gas price on the UK's energy market.... not least to reduce overall prices.
However, in a fudge that will be unwelcome by many, rather than formally severing the link to gas prices, he's looking to encourage renewable generators to take out 'contracts for difference' in competition with gas suppliers...
Q. is: will it work?
#energy
h/t FT

2026-04-20 08:27:22 UTC

This week I have mainly been reading, no. 297.
Nicola Barker's social satire TonyInterruptor (2025) is a short but sweet tale of the impact (via social media & the social interactions of its various protagonists) of a heckle at a free jazz concert. It's knowing & razor sharp, skewering various contemporary cultural tropes & behaviours. I often find such satires fail to satisfy, but this is completely different; powerfully caustic & hilarious. A joy to read.
#books #culture #jazz @nprofile…55t7

2026-04-20 05:22:35 UTC

And so the Strait of Hormuz is once again 'closed' as the US fires on, boards & seizes an Iranian vessel... marking another step that seems to be aimed at getting the Iranians to accept the 'deal' offered by the Tangerine Tyrant and not really a prompt to any sort of negotiation.
This is (as one might expect) the diplomacy of the bully & hardly like to end with a long-tern & sustained peace in the region.
Its unlikely to be a good week....
#Iran #MiddleEast
h/t FT

2026-04-19 21:26:13 UTC

So another mass shooting in the USA (in Louisiana) and no doubt we'll hear a range of US politicians saying their hearts & prayers go out to the victims, but offering nothing in the way of a resolution for this problem.... because they claim no-one has found a way to limit gun use while not impeding political freedoms.... that is, apart from most other developed countries.
Gun violence in the USA is not a natural phenomenon, its the result of political choice(s)!
#GunViolence #USPol
h/t FT

2026-04-19 08:18:46 UTC

Gaining a lot less coverage than the World Economic Foundation's annual shindig in Davos, next week in Oxford the annual Skoll World Forum focusses on the idea of social entrepreneurship (not least the B-Corp movement) to look at how capitalism might be done differently.
While this will be of little interest to those of you who think capitalism is the problem, for reformists who see a range of capitalist models, this might be something to look at?
#capitalism
https://skoll.org/skoll-world-forum/

2026-04-18 20:08:05 UTC

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@nprofile…faju
Trains however?

2026-04-18 17:12:51 UTC

There are growing suspicion (set out here some weeks ago & now gaining traction in the mainstream media) that people close to the Tangerine Tyrant are using insider knowledge to place bets on political actions/developments....
Are are we surprised?.... of course not; the Court of the Tangerine Tyrant is only out for itself & is seeking to maximise the financial returns of the Tyrant's remaining time in the White House.
#politics #betting #corruption
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/18/iran-war-bets-ethics-concerns

2026-04-18 17:03:17 UTC

Turkey is looking to revive a land route from Baku to the Mediterranean as a way of avoiding trade passing through the Strait of Hormuz... of course the Tangerine Tyrant has also suggested such a thing, but as it would actually pass across Turkey, they seem more likely to deliver such a trade alternative than Trump's geo-fantasy.
It's not a short-term solution but might be regarded as drawing Iran's sting in the medium term over trade routes?
#Trade #Iran #StraitOfHormuz #Turkey
h/t FT

2026-04-18 08:34:30 UTC

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@nprofile…rc8f
Agreed, and this is where he seems to lack the skills (interest?) required

2026-04-18 08:07:08 UTC

As Johnathan Freedland notes, Keir Starmer was once a well-respected human right lawyer; for all the advice he will be getting to change (if he survives the Mandelson vetting crisis), he might be better advised to return to the mind-set & practices that served him well in legal practice.
As Freedland suggests, if he had retained that lawyerly approach, many of his recent troubles might not have overcome him (although he has other faults, of course).
#KeirStarmer
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/17/peter-mandelson-keir-starmer-lawyer-prime-minister

2026-04-18 07:42:23 UTC

Another week, another story of the callousness of the British state; the already failing e-Visa system seems to be corrupting & dismissing people's right to stay in the UK, has this week halted a mother's return to be with her child, while stranding her in Germany with another.
As so often the Home Office is quick to make mistakes but slow to rectify them with (seemingly) no regard to the human costs.
The state's runs rough shod over normal people (again).
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/17/woman-dusseldorf-uk-home-office-return-flight-blocked

2026-04-17 05:28:19 UTC

The Luddites get a bad rap... yes, they broke specific machines & resisted automaton, but they did so because they clearly recognised the key (and enduring) aspect of technological change.
The immediate impact is local & impoverishing - those who leave their jobs seldom regain their standard of living... while the quick gains (surpluses) are hoarded by the owners of the machines.
In the long run employment may improve (or expand) but not in the lifetimes of its 'victims'!
#technology #AI

2026-04-16 21:22:19 UTC

So Rachel Reeves has confirmed the austerity mindset continues in Govt., by announcing that the increase of defence budgets warranted (to be fair) by the current situation in the Middle East & the continuing threat(s) for Russia, will be paid for by cuts elsewhere in the public sector...
Given over a decade of cuts this will be brutal, and prompts the Q. if the country continues to devastated by austerity what exactly are our armed forces protecting?
#defence #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/16/rachel-reeves-warns-other-budgets-may-be-cut-to-lift-defence-spending

2026-04-16 07:39:26 UTC

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@nprofile…7nlh
Interestingly, next week my wife is visiting a minor surges centre that specialises in dermatology (in Kendal).... the first time we've been so directed by the NHS

2026-04-16 06:12:07 UTC

Here' a vital point often missed from the consideration of health care & prevention of illness.... public health is more than the NHS, its all about the social environment in which we live, which has become ever more unhealthy!
#PublicHealth #NHS

2026-04-16 06:05:01 UTC

The row over 'wrongly' paid student loans (and their claw back) which revolves around the designation of sandwich courses (taught at weekends) as 'distance learning' looks like it will end up in court as the universities worst impacted by the clawback of funds from students (often from poorer backgrounds) have decided to sue the Govt. over the issue.
Again, a measure intended to help the less privileged in society, has become a stick to beat them with!
#university
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnv884qveyqo

2026-04-16 05:55:17 UTC

Q. is Barnsley's innovative high street health hub the future?
Its appears to be both easing access to (non-urgent) health care services *and* helping to revive the high street area that surrounds it.
Certainly if this aid preventative measures & allows conditions to me caught earlier then this looks like a positive move forward.... which means, of course, the Govt. will quickly under-fund expansion!
#NHS #health #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/16/nhs-outpatients-centre-barnsley-shopping-centre-health

2026-04-16 05:51:24 UTC

While accidents (almost by definition) are to some extent random... the structural causes (from social context to the lived environment) actually skew people's actual propensity to die in an accident.
New data suggests people in the North East are most likely to die in an accident while the population in London is least likely.
However, the highest level of accidental deaths is in Blackpool, an area of heightened depravation....
Make of this what you will
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/16/people-in-north-of-england-twice-as-likely-to-be-killed-in-accidents-as-londoners-report-finds

2026-04-16 05:30:29 UTC

Ten years after Brexit vote what's been particularly notable is that after an early flurry of other members flirting with their own 'exit' movements, as the disaster of Brexit has become clearer the appetite of politicians in existing EU members to engineer their own exit has quietly disappeared
Brexiters told us we would be first of many, but what has actually happened is Brexit has served as a telling example of political folly - an unexpected political service to the EU?
#Brexit #politics

2026-04-16 05:23:55 UTC

This map of land use (and the origin of food imports) while intended to give a picture of the UK's food system is also of more general interest for debates about land-use (and access) in the UK... most especially what is suggests is that the UK remains a country dominated by farmland, whatever our perceptions are.
How this then refracts into debates about land for housing and access rights for those seeking rural pursuits is another matter.
#LandUse
h/t Paul Behrens (British Academy)/LinkedIn
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/412/704/803/743/507/original/462261d4ef3506f0.jpeg

2026-04-14 21:31:52 UTC

When politicians say that this is a price worth paying, you can be sure its not them paying the price.
So it follows that while US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tells the BBC a 'small bit of economic pain' is worth it for the world to be rid of Iran as a security threat, he's not the one whose standard of living is hit, nor whose job will disappear (well his might, but I doubt it will impact his finances).
Its a hollow rhetoric masking inequality!
#Iran #politics
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g66p2q075o

2026-04-14 07:30:57 UTC

A new report from the IPPR think tank emphasises there is no evidence that moving to an insurance based model (a form of semi-privatisation) would have any actual health benefits, despite it being a key talking point for Blue Labour & Wes Streeting's cabal.
Rather, as so often emphasised; making the NHS work better & (re)emphasising prevention is the way forward; tinkering/changing the funding model is essentially ideologically (paid-for) nonsense.
#health #NHS
https://www.ippr.org/media-office/changing-nhs-funding-model-would-be-a-pointless-distraction-finds-ippr
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/401/882/454/642/744/original/62867e2a5c6c00b7.png

2026-04-14 05:59:21 UTC

European countries have (partly) resisting being drawn into the US/Israeli untied conflict with Iran by the Tangerine Tyrant, so now the Iranians are now seeking to exploit that reticence by seeking to establish the reasonableness of their position with European leaders (so far with the French & Germans).
Its an interesting development & a sensible move by the Iranians, again showing they are playing a limited political hand rather well.
#Iran #MiddleEast #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/14/iran-cosy-up-europe-increase-pressure-us

2026-04-13 06:01:33 UTC

How serious are Govt. efforts to sort out the problems of DWP's callous & inhumane treatment of unpaid carers' 'overpayments'?
well it *is* reviewing historic cases of claw backs, but while that is going on the DWP will continue to initiate new cases & continue to demand repayments under a scheme that is widely recognised as a major problem for carers.
So the answer is not as serious as it might pretend - disgraceful - claw backs must stop immediately!
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/13/unpaid-carers-allowance-dwp-benefit-repayment-demands

2026-04-13 05:40:14 UTC

It seems that state-backed NEST (the UK's largest workplace pension scheme) is already over 18% invested in US private equity (at a time when many other investors are divesting such holdings) and looks to be expanding that exposure to 30% of its portfolio by 2030.
So while Rachel Reeves is claiming we all need to be investing more in UK shares, it turns out the Govt. backed pension provider is doing exactly the opposite.
Time to put your own house in order Rachel!
#investing #NEST
h/t FT

2026-04-12 14:26:02 UTC

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@nprofile…nl0g
Really, I guess he has a lot of experience to share?

2026-04-12 12:51:07 UTC

Happy Birthday Herbie Hancock
There are few jazz musicians who have had such a long career & contributed to so many different aspects of jazz music, from his work with Miles, to his towering achievements in jazz-fusion, from his acoustic playing (just brilliant) to his electric forays (finding ways to push the frontier of what jazz might be).
No jazz collection is complete without a fair few albums by Hancock - a great, great musician!
#HerbieHancock #jazz #music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9bfskX7sM8

2026-04-12 11:34:39 UTC

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@nprofile…z2cj
hmmm... odd, not sure what's happening there (although on reflection I think I may be registered with the website if not paying, so they *are* harvesting minimal personal details?)

2026-04-12 09:45:41 UTC

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@nprofile…z2cj
Hmmm... on my access it had their message about this one being free to view... if you're outside the UK it may be different?

2026-04-12 08:57:37 UTC

Almost the defining mindset of the Right is the desire (or perhaps practice) of being both the oppressor/attacker & wanting to play the victim at the very same time.
Currently: US & Israeli attacks on Iran prompt self-defensive counter attacks that are then treated as an 'escalation'.
Or in the UK, after years of bad-mouthing Europe & finally engineering Brexit, claims the EU is being 'unreasonable' when failing to agree to the UK's desired 'reset' on the UK's terms!
#politics
h/t The Bear

2026-04-12 08:00:53 UTC

Peter Sullivan was locked up for a crime he didn't commit for 38 years. The Observer is providing free access to their long read on how this happened & what it reveals about the slowness of the UK judicial system to deal with increasingly self-evident miscarriages of justice.
If you are interested in the rule of law & how the system can get it so wrong then this is worth a read.
#RuleOfLaw #justice #politics
https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/no-apology-no-justice-how-the-court-of-appeal-failed-peter-sullivan

2026-04-12 07:47:13 UTC

The madness of the UK's energy system is summed up in the £55m paid to wind farm operators in the last couple of months to cease generation (temporarily) because the energy interconnection (distribution) system was unable to handle the electricity transfer from generation to use; at the same time £217m was paid (mainly to gas-based generators) to make up the shortfall in renewable energy the congested network caused.
The network build-out needs to be accelerated!
#energy
h/t Observer

2026-04-12 07:00:41 UTC

You'll likely be unsurprised that yesterday's talks in Pakistan failed to reach any sort of conclusion on a putative peace deal between the US & Iran (not least as the talks were, as the Iranians put it, full of 'mistrust & suspicion').
The Q. is where from here? Pakistan is urging both sides to maintain the ceasefire, but you can bet Netanyahu will be working hard on the Tangerine Tyrant to re-start attacks to 'encourage' Iran to accept the conditions on the table.
#Iran #MiddleEast
h/t FT

2026-04-11 09:09:17 UTC

Its a classic collective action problem... across the UK potholes ion thread are getting worse, at least in part due to the continued rise of ever bigger & heavier SUV's.... but one of the reasons people are buying these SUVs is because of the conditions of the roads.
Of course, its exactly this sort of collective action problem that the state is supposed to resolve... but there seems little hope of that.
#roads #SUV #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/11/suv-britain-potholes-worse-scientists-heavier-cars

2026-04-11 08:43:24 UTC

Ha, ha.
The Guardian reports that JD Vance on his way to Pakistan for 'peace talks' with Iran, wanted the Iranians not to 'try & play' the US.... this from an administration that has pretty clearly been played by the Israeli Govt. over the course of the attacks on Iran.
Given, one might argue that the Iranian's have played a pretty bad hand better than the US has played their's, this warning looks like a demonstration of Vance's political shallowness.
#Iran #politics #USPol

2026-04-11 07:11:28 UTC

If I was to nominate the two things I find most striking about Mastodon they'd be:
1. the ability to edit posts after posting; this (as my followers will know) is a facility that I use a lot (and thinks to my great crew of typo spotters);
2. the norm of civility that we all maintain; of course trolling & slamming is not completely absent, but at least in my timeline & discussions/conversations civility have been the over-riding characteristic of my exchanges.
#Mastodon #civility #SocialMedia

2026-04-10 05:36:59 UTC

RIP Afrika Bambaataa
Afrika Bambaataa was one of the early leaders & innovators of hip hop and is perhaps best known for taking Kraftwerk's electronic pulse & reshaping it into the global (and early) hip hop hit Planet Rock (I still have my original Tommy Boy 12" bought on a trip to the States); just genius.
A classic case of the power of the DJ/producer to push innovation then & subsequently.
He'll be missed.
#HipHop #music #RIPAfrikaBambaataa
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2evppm30p7o

2026-04-10 05:06:31 UTC

Well, as always when a Govt. & top managers have lost trust of a public sector work-force, and fail to settle a long running industrial dispute, the next step is pretty much always the consideration of a ban on striking altogether.
So, you'll be unsurprised that NHS senior managers, after three years of on-off conflict with Resident Doctors, are asking Wes Streeting to consider a legal ban on strikes by doctors. Streeting has so far demurred but how much longer?
#NHS #doctors #politics
h/t FT

2026-04-09 17:20:14 UTC

Is the answer to many projected harms caused by Artificial Intelligence & its associated technologies to shape the technology in line with Isaac Asimov's three laws of robotics?
so:
AI should never harm a human being (or allow harm to happen through inaction).
It shall always obey the orders given by humans unless they conflict with the first prohibition.
And it will always protect its existence unless this conflicts with the first and second provisions
#AI
https://theconversation.com/could-revisiting-asimovs-laws-help-us-avoid-ais-chernobyl-moment-278744

2026-04-08 06:09:49 UTC

Some great music from the 80s, no.50
Madonna. La Isla Bonita
And so 80s classics comes to an end where is started with Madonna. This stone cold latin-disco classic is one of my favourite 80s records. The lilting shuffle rhythm, the latin tinge, the modulation in the vocals & its nicely sparse production all make for a wonderful & atmospheric track, which evokes a steamy summer.
(There will now, as usual, be a post-series pause before I restart with something different)
#music #80sClassics

2026-04-08 05:40:35 UTC

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@nprofile…2acj
Its a distinct possibility....

2026-04-08 05:37:41 UTC

And so the threat of a major war crime brought a (conditional) cease fire to the Middle East conflict (excepting actions in Lebanon by Israel); whether this was already in the works when the Tangerine Tyrant announced his threat is a different matter....
How this plays out will much depend on whether some element of practical trust can be engineered between the US administration & the Iranians (with the latter no doubt having one eye on historical betrayals).
#Iran #MiddleEast

2026-04-08 05:31:46 UTC

Not only is there a general problem in the way graduates' student debt is handled (hardly ameliorated yesterdays bounce interest rate cap at 6%), there is also a clear gendered dimension, perhaps most obviously demonstrated in the continued accrual of debt during maternity leave... once again raising the cost of motherhood.
Its a problem entirely the result of a (wilful) political misunderstanding of the social purpose of university education.
#graduates #politics
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/90000-later-what-student-debt-really-does-women-amy-brooker-hvcze/

2026-04-07 17:18:54 UTC

The Resident Doctors strike is under way & you'll have seen a lot of coverage, perhaps most obviously claiming that public support for the RDs is ebbing away.
Well, leaving the opinion polling issue to one side, here is Charlotte Tomlinson's view from the GP surgery. She is particularly critical of Keir Starmer's tactic of suspending training places for doctors.
(it might be better to read this than a lot of the online media commentary)
#ResidentDoctors #NHS #health
https://thehealthandhealingnarrative.com/2026/04/07/nhs-specialty-training-bottleneck/
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/364/550/320/194/298/original/48a3ed0f6ef2ced9.png

2026-04-07 07:33:30 UTC

As I have pointed out before, the problem is not so much that the UK doesn't have an industrial strategy, its that the one it does have (whatever claims made otherwise) is always focussed on the preferences/needs of financial services.
and if you needed some further evidence; while most of the economy is essentially flatlining or worse, somehow financial services is experiencing a major revival from its transient problems.
as usual Govt.s listen to bankers!
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/07/uk-city-firms-cbi-financial-sector-rachel-reeves

2026-04-07 06:07:02 UTC

Some great music from the 80s, no.49
Michael Jackson. Thriller
There's a reason this Michael Jackson classic remains one of the best selling singles (and albums) of all time & its not just because of the iconic early music video (directed by John Landis). Its a great bit of pop-disco, with a anthem chorus, a brilliant arrangement by Quincy Jones & of course that touch of genius from Jackson at the height of his powers (before he was engulfed by scandal); just brilliant!
#music #80sClassics

2026-04-07 05:57:35 UTC

As Hettie O'Brien observes when capitalism seems stalled (especially in the UK), the rise of Private Equity's business model (of asset stripping & use of debt to extract cash from businesses) is just one more example of a zero-sum economics that now dominates the social relations of inequality & impoverishment.
The Q. is whether this is the end-stage of this form of capitalism or the final contradictions that will cause the entire edifice to collapse?
#capitalism
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/07/capitalism-endgame-private-equity-captured-nurseries-care-homes

2026-04-06 21:21:48 UTC

Will the US AirForce fulfil the Tangerine Tyrant's threat to 'decimate' Iran's civilian infrastructure.... widely regarded as being a potential war crime.
The US is explicitly not under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, but the US has so annoyed some allies that any USAF personal involved might need to be careful where they holiday, as any country claiming 'universal jurisdiction' for war crimes might see them as legitimate subjects for arrest?
#Iran #USAF #WarCrimes

2026-04-06 05:47:24 UTC

Another 'benefit fraud' that is likely to drive more intrusive attention on the lives of disabled people (drivers & driving carers in this case) with little robust data on the extent of fraud & miss-use of blue badges for parking.
As always, something that is extremely helpful (I know, we have one) not least to use parking spots with more space for transfer to a wheelchair, is being presented as a potential fraud, based on suspicion not (much) evidence.
#disability
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/apr/06/blue-badge-permits-record-1-20-people-in-england

2026-04-06 05:38:40 UTC

I'm often critical of the current Labour Govt., but as the TUC point out today's shift in both eligibility & pace of statuary sick pay will help low-income households & specially is particularly beneficial to working women.
Despite considerable push-back from business lobbyists (as ever on anything that helps workers), the Govt. has for the most part held the line on this & that should be recognised.
But its not a political get-out-of-jail free card!
#workers #health
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/apr/06/sick-pay-rule-changes-benefit-uk-workers-tuc

2026-04-06 05:11:12 UTC

Last week Ed Miliband told MPs he was looking at de-coupling the UK energy markets from the price of gas (reflecting, or parallel to the position laid out by Dale Vince among others).
The rise in prices caused by the US/Israeli attacks on Iran is driving this consideration but it reflects a longer-term need, as renewable energy generation grows, to recognise the 'real' price of our energy.
This may involve a shift in energy risk management but it looks ever more needed.
#energy #politics

2026-04-06 05:06:59 UTC

Let's start the week with a simple message from UN Women.
Stop telling women how to live their life!
The continued focus of the media on telling women what to do reflects a wide-spread sexism in global societies.... it won't be stoped abruptly, but behind much prejudice is this assumed male right.
So, my friends, if you find yourself telling a women how to live their life ask yourself: have I the right to be offering unasked-for 'guidance' or 'advice'?
#women #politics #feminism
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/355/996/875/118/790/original/d5ca3044aba04b85.jpeg