Alan Beattie

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Last Notes

2025-12-18 17:54:34 UTC

Competent experienced career FCDO diplomat. Good. Just the person for the job.
(NB quite apart from Epstein, Mandelson's clever-clever trade and tech deal with the US is falling apart. [www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/15/us-pauses-tech-prosperity-deal-britain-donald-trump-keir-starmer ))
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:5u54z2qgkq43dh2nzwzdbbhb/post/3mabqfhopsx2w

2025-12-18 15:55:57 UTC

My Trade Secrets column today. The EU has been talking about "economic security" (insulating itself against esp geopolitical shocks) for years. As the electric vehicle saga shows, it hasn't got far. First 300 reads free.
See also 2 other great pieces coincidentally published today... 1/2
[The EU’s economic security bla...](https://as.ft.com/r/998472eb-250b-40ec-9997-94fd5de51f9f )

2025-12-17 09:08:55 UTC

#SE24 #Godsownpostcode #HerneHillTillIDie
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreiefeqogr7rugveyauwo3qwu6pcv6lsfy6owqlspdboiqy3roxdpem

2025-12-16 20:52:22 UTC

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:jdjydv7otinanode3scua6p4/post/3ma4yfubvks2a
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreifnwhspu7xebhcjpihj4qra45taznb6vuqivprr6vs5scqivibzli

2025-12-15 21:14:13 UTC

1957: Sputnik flies overhead.
US: Dammit, the Ruskies are doing space. We’ll do big cars with fins.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:i3fhjvvkbmirhyu4aeihhrnv/post/3ma2jq56w6n2s

2025-12-15 10:01:34 UTC

Paging Nikolai Gogol: we've got a commission for you.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:jxfqu53b6jtrqqntce6pseqh/post/3m7zeakrk2k2h

2025-12-14 14:29:09 UTC

A notoriously prickly and defensive colleague.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreicoaompnd352wzbcsuxvubonofqc3is2motoaaq4r6hcb7f6i6v5a

2025-12-06 15:51:25 UTC

As a lifetime member of the (association football) Goalkeepers' Union, I regard the idea of nomenclatural apartheid between two sports in both of which both hands and feet are used as goalie erasure and I strongly oppose it.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3m7b2ldluzn2x

2025-12-06 14:40:16 UTC

Once again the Guardian plays with fire by recklessly putting together two people separated by such a vast ideological gulf that it's a wonder a fight doesn't break out.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreiajsqjbsdw6coyqrt5iz4aowpe6qdjievonhwhrlpclsbuz2ftube

2025-12-05 17:44:23 UTC

Platform signs at Euston. Please note the Polar Express is 1. not run by Avanti, so it might actually get there and 2. just next to the Chester train, thus proving Chester is in the north.
cc [@jenwilliamsft.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy](https://bsky.app/profile/jenwilliamsft.bsky.social )
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreidzugwbw6lkjuo2g735c2igcfi4zeqmebt2v5yxplkuivfbt6v2ym

2025-12-03 10:03:30 UTC

@npub1y83…e7e4 [@dsquareddigest.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy](https://bsky.app/profile/dsquareddigest.bsky.social ) @npub1msp…9ywd
So this is really sneaky.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ud6twkkuyfpfasmaliyizqsy/post/3m735ztrmss2h

2025-12-02 09:35:30 UTC

In tribute to Stoppard, someone should put on a memorial run of Every Good Boy Deserves Favour. Rarely performed as it has only six characters but an entire symphony orchestra on stage. Incredible play.
[www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cdB...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cdBjPUOERs )
[Every Good Boy Deserves Favour...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cdBjPUOERs )

2025-12-01 12:39:05 UTC

Today's Trade Secrets newsletter. One of Donald Trump's (multiple, contradictory) aims in imposing tariffs was to close the trade deficit. Is it happening? No. But is it likely to happen? Also no.
[Donald Trump’s tariffs are not...](https://on.ft.com/4pMqogh )

2025-12-01 11:15:39 UTC

Just been reminded of this corker from Paul Valéry: "The folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truths, and oneself for an oracle, is inborn in us."
Not me, obviously, but quite a lot of you have this problem.

2025-11-30 12:05:52 UTC

Unaccountably, as always with these pieces, the sub-editors seem to have cut off the conclusion, which was surely “and my judgment has thus been proven so bad no one should ever listen to me on anything again”.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:agxhun7wf2fm3fdfj6zrm33y/post/3m6thr7ytk32w
#note1u0f…4mc8

2025-11-28 11:05:54 UTC

The version of the Gospels where the Samaritan crossed the road to kick the robbery victim in the head and go through his pockets for loose change was suppressed by the woke fathers of the early church.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:klknudxgybzgrr4nkyjm2owg/post/3m6oq5eypx62w

2025-11-27 16:30:47 UTC

My Trade Secrets today. Funny* thing about Trump's tariffs: they're really unpopular and he's retreating from them even before most of the bad effects have come through. God knows what will happen when they do.
*By funny I mean both unexpected but also very amusing.
[on.ft.com/4p5NUVy](https://on.ft.com/4p5NUVy )
[The hot air of Trump’s tariffs...](https://on.ft.com/4p5NUVy )

2025-11-27 10:32:18 UTC

👍⬇️
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:jxfqu53b6jtrqqntce6pseqh/post/3m6m64nlvv22h

2025-11-26 08:24:41 UTC

Can’t wait till he gets to read about King David in the Bible, especially given the obsession among early Christians about pretending Christ was born in Bethlehem to establish a link with him.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ank6pz6hhgvrtmwg7rmmw4fo/post/3m6iwrc3de522

2025-11-25 15:17:51 UTC

On train and have now had to ask two out of three fellow passengers sitting near me not to listen to music without earphones. TBF they did immediately comply.
(NB for those who haven't met me, I am not physically imposing.)
cc @npub1cfd…uu4y

2025-11-25 11:53:18 UTC

The smorgasbord of tax increases has just acquired its smallest and feeblest contribution, as a bottle of Yakult is quietly added to the buffet.
(Am reliably told they excepted milk-based drinks because it looked silly taxing yogurt that advertised itself as healthy, silly though that is.)
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:43fdk46qa5gsokzygzildsaq/post/3m6hbb2rqrh2i

2025-11-13 21:56:27 UTC

“Look like you mean it. Look down at the ground and say sorry.”
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:5u54z2qgkq43dh2nzwzdbbhb/post/3m5k4auvq6p26
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreif4e4j4nskt3fmwmxdbxit7gkm4bbrsf7p7gv53xsaa7z6qmz6cwe

2025-11-13 20:20:57 UTC

My Trade Secrets column today. How’s the EU’s big push for geoeconomic clout going? Not well. It’s used to dictating terms through its global role in consumer demand, but these are days when the control of supply (chips, rare earths) often matters more. 1/2
[Europe is falling short in its...](https://on.ft.com/3JNdM9e )

2025-11-12 21:02:49 UTC

Now do Goebbels #noballsatall
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreifgm7uq426qy3mf6urqqvpnl6xetywxvcxxbjwyhh57ll2zeq5fju

2025-11-11 15:56:24 UTC

🎶🎶 Five Eyes, how did you close and fail?/How can the light that burned so brightly/Suddenly burn so pale?🎶🎶
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:on5oeywiqx32fh2zau473wz6/post/3m5egunfz6c2a

2025-11-10 20:38:12 UTC

“Unlikely”. Tremendous understatement, epic work.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreigkjnrv46gplseme2k7xay6ihm7ywr37w4ed355ykesov356uur3e

2025-11-10 19:28:18 UTC

If I were an American I would save money by simply buying lottery tickets with winning numbers and not those with losing numbers.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:6m7rbdgaz5vyg4bnbefi7kh6/post/3m5bvczcpd22b

2025-11-10 12:47:28 UTC

My Trade Secrets today. If the Supreme Court rules against Trump's emergency tariffs he can replace them. The real impact is political. Tariffs are already unpopular & blamed for high prices; being ruled illegal won't help.
But Trump needs them to raise revenue, so he's put himself in a corner.🍿🍿🍿
[The political risk to Donald T...](https://on.ft.com/4oZYk8x )

2025-11-09 15:02:52 UTC

BRB, just going to source a deerstalker and a briar pipe and hang around in the background of Met police cordons.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:fwwbu5at3wtvmordkh23ygx4/post/3m573m3r5e22e

2025-11-09 12:24:04 UTC

1. Clampdown on benefit cheats!
2. Clampdown on benefit cheats doesn’t work.
3. Blitz on red tape!
4. Blitz on red tape doesn’t work.
5. Go to 1.
Currently we’re between 3 and 4. I’m confident we’ll be back at 1 by Christmas.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreiaz3gnchopil2j7qolybt4ajmhy3jj7a3qqqqdtivjinltj44o4aq
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreicux5nyrzhg2zb4ku5fw7jays5igf43huntvqfozx76afyyugf2q4

2025-11-09 06:11:28 UTC

Are we still doing these?
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreigyheygrhmyczi7trrsyjjvti5r26yildij3wwsu4eemb5uzklwhi

2025-11-08 21:03:49 UTC

Along with the meatpacking rant, further evidence Trump has clocked the cost-of-living issue but has no idea what to do about it. I guess cutting tariffs is out of the question.
(NB I reckon that despite tariffs, inflationary risks from services are probably bigger than those from goods.)
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreidxdkzvqtu67s7oel2yhw227xbthjxxszjs7xxf5wvji4zvetb4ma

2025-11-08 15:48:54 UTC

Denmark is the new Australia.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4i5hsjmti7dm5ps6gt7hfmrf/post/3m54ws62yvc27

2025-11-07 21:01:55 UTC

Trump reinventing himself as a mash-up of Teddy Roosevelt and Upton Sinclair was not what I had on my bingo card for 2025, and yet here we are.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreihdfumulxap5yas5bg32x7hro6t432igm3st5djfoc5rxvk4hznty

2025-11-07 11:47:46 UTC

Once again the magisterial position of "don't know/don't care" on a pointless question commands a clear majority of the British public. cc @npub1wse…z676
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:refbwihhzcqqfulwhcou44sr/post/3m4zwpqrdrc2e
[a man in a suit and tie is sit...](https://media.tenor.com/7Ego7wlGiAcAAAAC/stephen-fry-proud-to-be-british.gif?hh=463&ww=498 )

2025-11-06 19:44:12 UTC

The main point here is this is very funny. But can any US criminal law types explain why you would find someone not guilty of assault when they’re clearly on camera throwing something at an officer? Is it because a sandwich is too small and soft to be classed as an assault weapon?
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:bkmfse64kqf3yjoqdcs65qto/post/3m4ycat73fc22

2025-11-06 15:37:15 UTC

I had this magisterial meme in my head all the time I was writing this piece. I'd say "put it in the Louvre" except it might get nicked. ⬇️
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:onynpo6tbr74ozqtvv63h5d5/post/3m4xvbozl7c2c

2025-11-06 14:42:21 UTC

Hubristic Argentine president with uncertain US and IMF backing decides to maintain half-arsed crawling band exchange rate regime to hold up peso rather than letting it float despite market pressure.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
[www.ft.com/content/b22f...](https://www.ft.com/content/b22f4076-3cb9-400c-98b3-071058219b9a )
[Milei defies calls to float Ar...](https://www.ft.com/content/b22f4076-3cb9-400c-98b3-071058219b9a )

2025-11-06 11:13:16 UTC

My Trade Secrets today. Trump is signing geopolitical trade deals in Asia which let the US dictate countries' trade policy and turn them against China.
But I reckon governments can steer a middle course if they're smart and nimble. (I speak to Malaysia's trade minister, who unsurprisingly agrees.)
[The US can’t force Asian count...](https://on.ft.com/4qJTkGV )

2025-11-05 16:37:04 UTC

For those who know the double-dactyl verse form, here's my quick stab at one for AS. h/t to @npub1xe5…0kwz for inspiration.
Higgledy piggledy
Abigail Spanberger
Stormed the Virginian
Mansion with ease.
Stunning success with votes
Gubernatorial
Cutting Republicans
Off at the knees.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my/post/3m4vgabyi2s2s
#note1zmm…8m7g

2025-11-05 16:00:35 UTC

Apart from anything else, "Abigail Spanberger" is a great name. If you're lucky enough to have a surname that's a dactyl and you don't give your children a first name that's also a dactyl you're wasting everybody's time.
Hats off in particular to Mr & Mrs Roosevelt for coming up with "Franklin D".

2025-11-05 15:09:25 UTC

The invaluable [scotusblog.com](https://scotusblog.com ) is liveblogging here: [www.scotusblog.com/2025/10/oral...](https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/10/oral-argument-live-blog-for-wednesday-november-5/ )
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my/post/3m4vda7oiec2s
[Oral argument live blog for We...](https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/10/oral-argument-live-blog-for-wednesday-november-5/ )
#note1e25…5c9y

2025-11-05 15:06:51 UTC

If you're as tragic as I am you can listen to the hearing here: [www.supremecourt.gov/oral_argumen...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/live.aspx )
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:43fdk46qa5gsokzygzildsaq/post/3m4vd6wsgmb2o
[Live Oral Argument Audio
Live...](https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/live.aspx )

2025-11-05 12:41:25 UTC

I realise these stories aren't actually funny and yet they are. They so are.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:43fdk46qa5gsokzygzildsaq/post/3m4v2vcc5ab2c
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreidiqxiaerb2pxjzlypdtg6tqkp75dyqmjta53k33vwpr6ebv773he

2025-11-02 20:28:13 UTC

Anything that causes Hershey’s to put less cocoa in their chocolate is fine by me. It won’t taste so much of vomit that way.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nyxviptfyic2lvuorkr5yy3y/post/3m4od2pv7bs2s
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2025-10-30 09:29:52 UTC

Oh yes, and this Trump-Xi deal. What can I say? I told you so.
[as.ft.com/r/c613cb3b-6...](https://as.ft.com/r/c613cb3b-6dda-4714-bfdb-9785793253c2 )
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreieqlsnuylnuqmr7enm3bplng3y2xzwi4fg4yp374sjvnskg33rlsa

2025-10-30 09:18:58 UTC

My Trade Secrets today. The Supreme Court must decide if it will back Congress’s right to set tariffs over Trump’s.
If only the actual Congress had the guts to do it. For now Chinese retaliation and the equity markets are the only real checks on the presidency here. 1/2
[as.ft.com/r/a02c1173-e...](https://as.ft.com/r/a02c1173-e908-4f2e-a8aa-f3e009262c9a )
[On tariffs, the Supreme Court ...](https://as.ft.com/r/a02c1173-e908-4f2e-a8aa-f3e009262c9a )

2025-10-29 19:56:06 UTC

Well, move then.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:h7qtoo7nxqxarrsijohjhbw4/post/3m4dpdtjbc227

2025-10-29 16:26:49 UTC

Typical sneaky continental robbers, skulking off-camera. Proper gentlemen thieves in the old-school English tradition would have the decency to introduce themselves and leave a calling card.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:43fdk46qa5gsokzygzildsaq/post/3m4ducmzafl2b

2025-10-29 14:46:15 UTC

"We tried to be Idi Amin but we hadn't prepped well enough" doesn't scream government-in-waiting to me for multiple reasons.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:32s6yoal2hvwt776o3qgkog2/post/3m4doff3yj226

2025-10-28 22:47:08 UTC

Quote post with your favourite reaction gif of all time.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:xu5no263fx42hap5nmuqufls/post/3m4byoj2a622c
[a man with glasses and a musta...](https://media.tenor.com/SvD8EUDhzTkAAAAC/chinny-reckon-chinny.gif?hh=390&ww=498 )

2025-10-24 12:13:28 UTC

A friend of Prometheus said the imperative of technology transfer overrode what he called the "pettifogging procedural technicalities" of the Olympian intellectual property rights regime, and that the penalty Prometheus incurred was "grossly out of proportion to the commercial harm actually done".
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nxb36xbu3fmz476orupk4p6q/post/3m3wtlcqaqs2c

2025-10-24 11:35:54 UTC

Does any helpful person know what time the Argentine election results (or reliable exit polls) on Sunday are likely to come out?

2025-10-23 08:32:11 UTC

My Trade Secrets today. Imagine the AWS data outage, but weaponised by Donald Trump to hold countries hostage.
Like internet satellites, the cloud is a global economic chokepoint whose impact other governments need to protect against. China’s doing a pretty good job. The EU not so much.
[Amazon outage shows EU heads a...](https://on.ft.com/47mwZWU )

2025-10-22 21:22:59 UTC

Nonetheless they will continue to vote for him. They always do.
[on.ft.com/3WRqZAE](https://on.ft.com/3WRqZAE )
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:wbsyxxtht2fli5uvix6l55d4/post/3m3srnnllb22x

2025-10-22 18:05:49 UTC

The scriptwriters need to wind this one in a bit, I’ve heard of French farces but
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreibjx3siecdwkcuhatcmg2cpzcahjryhkjpwk2jvzzmqrpf6ayh5yu

2025-10-22 16:51:47 UTC

It certainly saved them having to do any work ranching cattle.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:43fdk46qa5gsokzygzildsaq/post/3m3scfarx6q2h

2025-10-21 16:16:21 UTC

"So, using my powers of deduction, I conclude: not an insurance job. Nothing escapes me."
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vnpzk7bvjpv3l4kxqw2z4thg/post/3m3ppssrkrj23
[a man in a hat and trench coat...](https://media.tenor.com/MN_nR3KB8QoAAAAC/jacques-clouseau-pink-panther.gif?hh=401&ww=498 )

2025-10-21 14:55:40 UTC

All the traders are wearing them
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:43fdk46qa5gsokzygzildsaq/post/3m3pljx2xis2h
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreid7sdbell2f5ac3qzbw6fwlequ7xxqfgyg3kyz62etrgx76rmro7y

2025-10-21 09:48:53 UTC

y tho?
cc [@konstanho.bsky.social](https://bsky.app/profile/konstanho.bsky.social ) [@jenwilliamsft.bsky.social](https://bsky.app/profile/jenwilliamsft.bsky.social )
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreifh6y5movityocky7scyfchgzqp2eonervw7wphfgedlwd24o7i5q

2025-10-21 09:24:07 UTC

Guy can't catch a break.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:psl3vtmvduvmmy336lqcuhfy/post/3m3nujp2egc2x

2025-10-20 12:42:52 UTC

My Trade Secrets today. The Trump-Xi trade conflict is heading towards an uneasy cold war-type truce between the US and China, not an escalation.
Also: what do you do if you're a smallish economy like the UK being bounced around between the trade behemoths? Damned if I know. First 300 clicks free.
[The approaching cold war trade...](https://on.ft.com/4o2WQKK )

2025-10-17 15:35:50 UTC

Although baked beans taste vile it's permissible to eat them as there aren't close alternatives (ie something similar you can put on eg toast or baked potato). But the far superior mustard can substitute for all functions of tomato ketchup and it is therefore morally wrong to eat tomato ketchup.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:o72ypk5c474zqklkukaphuy3/post/3m3dkrbfghc2p
#note1dt9…p7jx

2025-10-17 14:18:05 UTC

TBF if I had Tucker Carlson captive for a couple of hours I'd entertain myself by wanging on about my half-arsed pet historical theories as well.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:t6ubj2wlhc34awzcymh3qpur/post/3m3fhhqrbrc2o

2025-10-17 10:39:08 UTC

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:kr2r2blslacrd7gyxkwn53hj/post/3m3ezbhfvss2w
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreiadiwnvhayfesq6tm6tac2bmbvrolvsrdzoe3lbmva2ffllckddhu

2025-10-16 14:03:14 UTC

My Trade Secrets column today. Trump's been thrashing round with his tariffs for nearly nine months now but the global economy's doing....not too badly?
I look at why, and also note there's a much bigger threat from the AI bubble and the US's renewed addiction to fossil fuels.
[The AI bubble is a bigger glob...](https://on.ft.com/4qlkyDF )

2025-10-14 21:11:35 UTC

BTW let's appreciate the sheer bathetic comedy of Trump's threats sliding from WE'RE GOING TO BAN ALL CRITICAL SOFTWARE WE WILL BRING YOUR ECONOMY TO A HALT down to WE'LL MAKE OUR OWN COOKING OIL SEE IF WE DON'T.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:zf64hzilq4a7yj6lcj34uxvc/post/3m36ipg4pmk26

2025-10-13 21:02:16 UTC

With few exceptions (eg the plot of Macbeth and the character of Jeeves), all Shakespeare and Wodehouse plots and characters are forgettable or contrived, which only underlines how astonishingly brilliant their language has to be to make them the greatest playwright and comic novelist in English.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:pp27kyso67rmgvwb26fpyjo6/post/3m337oivt522j

2025-10-13 13:13:37 UTC

My Trade Secrets newsletter today. Declare trade war on Friday, in full retreat by Sunday. Donald Trump's brought a knife (tariffs) to a gunfight (rare earths) with China. He's in a weak position and he's playing it badly.
ALSO: global steel trade and Argentina are in a mess. Aren't they always?
[Donald Trump’s weekend retreat...](https://on.ft.com/42FXhC1 )

2025-10-13 08:18:46 UTC

Tag yourself. I'm "Fifty-two years an imbecile".
BTW I do not wish to know if this is a hoax.
(h/t [@fohf.bsky.social](https://bsky.app/profile/fohf.bsky.social ))
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:oygl6udi4mt3an4psfxygkky/post/3m2y4vjxmpy2h

2025-10-12 06:16:19 UTC

Relatable tbf
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nhotufhdm6w3vxpk3s4m2g6n/post/3m2wpuhttck2g

2025-10-11 17:21:41 UTC

[@secondmentions.bsky.social](https://bsky.app/profile/secondmentions.bsky.social ) Can I get recognition for "the oleaginous legume" as second mention for soyabeans?
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreihvgfxl7rqvsyw65xipkimiv5d4joh7k245tidlldak55nhfczepq

2025-10-09 16:04:35 UTC

And this, class, is why aiming at agricultural self-sufficiency rather than spreading risk across different countries through international trade is a *really stupid idea*.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreieoupjech7dfbecy2g5k5gb3r7gwwdasptiacsfndwcxhad5qwb7q
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreifsf4afxcfkvhr6bfkxlxp3olhdcj5mbugp6v2xlolatdpkd6fusa

2025-10-07 12:28:37 UTC

Robert Jenrick wowing Tory Party conference there with his legendary yet completely baffling wig ventriloquist act.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreidc6ea35q2zepu3jx3e4v2iekgtiifvmrabataq6457qvotaemzra

2025-10-07 05:40:24 UTC

Henceforth the red robes will only be worn as an away kit when the Canadian Supreme Court is playing the US one.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ovyajbnegrir2ddtwfhijiob/post/3m2kzqcz5yk2x

2025-10-06 19:29:30 UTC

OMG an amazing thought occurred about dogs, cats and their relationship with humans. Hear me out, hear me out:
Dogs were domesticated over 20,000 years ago to help with hunter-gathering, cats only 10,000 years ago as rodent control for grain stores after the invention of sedentary agriculture. 1/2

2025-10-06 14:18:49 UTC

My Trade Secrets today. Trump has annoyed farmers by provoking China to block their exports while bailing out Argentina, home of their rivals.
Are the farmers right to feel betrayed? Is a pitchfork rebellion against his tariffs coming? Will farm country turn against Trump?
Answers: no, no and no.
[Don’t expect a farmers’ revolt...](https://on.ft.com/4oaM44W )

2025-10-05 08:28:08 UTC

See also, though perhaps somewhat less high-profile, those Labour types gushing over DOGE and Musk and disruptive change even as he dismantled US aid programmes and left Africans to die of HIV-AIDS.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:q5gcp6cimv6hc4tpigkcghtn/post/3m2glcsozmk2z

2025-10-03 11:12:40 UTC

Maurice Glasman has made me agree wholeheartedly with George Monbiot. I'm still adjusting to this state of affairs.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:codfx2epdduamfycuyi5fjpb/post/3m2bv4xpar22t
#note1yfv…r90g

2025-10-03 09:30:13 UTC

Oh Billy, mate, no. Please, no. Please don't do this.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreignrelx3vt44z3ws74mskgwauoujpundqahtwrfyv5y5gho77omeu

2025-10-03 06:53:41 UTC

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:v3tkvzqfdgqyyrdjgcutzuw2/post/3m2bhaxzshk2s
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreihmvr3fyug3ofztcuqg4g5mxvflwprxdzaylz5xp65xk4n43tf2n4

2025-10-02 18:20:15 UTC

I don't know why she swallowed a fly.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3m27igvzrwr2t

2025-10-02 09:15:13 UTC

My Trade Secrets today. Javier Milei's chainsaw deregulation (right direction but execution unclear) is his signature policy but not the big question right now.
Qu is if he's got the cojones & the political capital to break the endless Argentine macro crisis cycle & float the currency.
Thread 1/n
[Trump’s lifeline won’t stop Ar...](https://on.ft.com/4pLrIR7 )

2025-10-02 06:55:20 UTC

It’s almost as if - HEAR ME OUT PEOPLE - British politics continues to prioritise eloquence over reality.
One of my favourite observations is that a lot of Lobby journalists - the FT’s being honourable exceptions - are like dogs. They respond to tone but not to content.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my/post/3m26xm7okns23
#note1mz4…0rae

2025-10-02 06:49:51 UTC

But I was told that Keir Starmer’s conference speech marked a pivot away from imitating Reform and towards a bold new liberal something! I WAS PROMISED!
[on.ft.com/4mGqFPF](https://on.ft.com/4mGqFPF )
[UK to scrap right of refugees ...](https://on.ft.com/4mGqFPF )

2025-10-01 14:51:43 UTC

I'm reliably informed they're actually Belted Galloways.
IN WHICH CASE THEY'RE SCOTTISH COWS, NOT ENGLISH.
Did all those men die in vain on the fields of Bannockburn? Were the redcoats who slaughtered the Jacobites at Culloden simply wasting their time?
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my/post/3m25bjqrnc22x
#note1kcd…hyk5

2025-10-01 14:42:07 UTC

Those are Holstein Friesians. Foreign cows. EU cows even. NOT ENGLISH.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:233nx4nktup5zfopgnbhj2wk/post/3m25bdm6c2c23

2025-10-01 13:31:35 UTC

In further "Britain is not America" news, imagine looking across at the US and thinking "yep we'll deffo have some of that sweet, sweet ethnonationalism here, looks great".
(h/t [@sundersays.bsky.social](https://bsky.app/profile/sundersays.bsky.social ), whose patience in dealing with this kind of thing is one of the wonders of the modern age.)
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreiacj76wl456qmmxuahshqqtnsbmel6d2n57t5pqjdzprkqevjpffi

2025-10-01 13:27:57 UTC

You can't frack in the UK (unlike the US), so this from Ed Miliband is basically a free hit to go after the environmentalist vote which Labour correctly fears is defecting to the Greens/LibDems. Reading across from the Dems to Labour is, as usual, mistaken.
[www.theguardian.com/environment/...](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/21/fracking-wont-work-uk-founder-chris-cornelius-cuadrilla )
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:5prledmu36imun2zjc26v5nl/post/3m24wplqlhc2g

2025-09-29 13:39:41 UTC

If you can't beat the French then join 'em.
(Fun fact: Jean Monnet's first job in government was negotiating the accession of Hollywood movies to the French market in return for Marshall Aid, more or less.)
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:43fdk46qa5gsokzygzildsaq/post/3lzy3unsmyq2o

2025-09-28 18:36:32 UTC

Innovative solution to the small boats problem: use bigger boats. Initiative.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:uewxgchsjy4kmtu7dcxa77us/post/3lzw4wdsobo23

2025-09-27 10:43:40 UTC

GenX: simply can’t be arsed even knowing what our generation we’re in. #pride #slackergeneration.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreiey5l42ql2kwflkxzaiicffhw7bdyh3cis5gjebvul7beaophphkq

2025-09-26 12:49:13 UTC

Maybe...try making some EVs people want to buy?
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:43fdk46qa5gsokzygzildsaq/post/3lzqirok2n22t

2025-09-25 12:51:30 UTC

Another great Bluesky "how did we get from the first post to the last post" puzzle, vintage stuff.
https://amanita.us-east.host.bsky.network/xrpc/com.atproto.sync.getBlob?did=did:plc:mymiyz3x72kdfeb5nfmrk5my&cid=bafkreibsamppmz2xdrcmmndjxznqd25yq3gingpqre2fx7nsmgd35msrdy

2025-09-25 11:01:38 UTC

My Trade Secrets today. We're waiting for Trump's tariffs to push up consumer goods inflation, but there are much bigger price shocks that may also get pinned on him: electricity, healthcare, education.
As Joe Biden found with egg prices, you don't need to be definitively at fault to get the blame.
[Trump’s biggest inflation worr...](https://on.ft.com/4gGIcFX )

2025-09-24 09:06:53 UTC

The Beach Boys or JS Bach. Nothing in between.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:2aj6cj44u5hqhbyo7j4xyayz/post/3lz5evgfmfs2b

2025-09-24 08:30:33 UTC

💯 ⬇️
Pregnant women, famously unconcerned about their and their child's health and particularly welcoming of advice from non-experts and *particularly* non-expert men about what to do.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:uyqz2nkbli6otogvabjw46rn/post/3lzkyw5nzgs2q

2025-09-23 19:50:08 UTC

If James Taylor thinks you need to go to Carolina (either North or South in fact) to find flying geese and biting dogs, he's an idiot. They're all over the place.
Also, Jim-lad, if your friends regularly hit you from behind, it's time to find some new friends. A word to the wise.

2025-09-23 10:00:40 UTC

My Trade Secrets newsletter this week. The UK (& EU) have long braced for the US to force chemical-washed chicken on their consumers & make health services pay more for meds.
But Trump's neglected the once all-powerful US ag & pharma lobbies. So far he's also been oddly passive on tech in the UK.
[Traditional US trade lobbies a...](https://on.ft.com/4pGPLRq )

2025-09-23 08:58:08 UTC

The first morning of an Ashes Test. The RNLI (though it lost Tory-coding by rescuing asylum-seekers). "I Vow To Thee My Country". The King James Version. "Jerusalem". The Red Arrows. Punting. Carols from King's.
RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:s5y3aimo5hxqiqz2o6zslcyn/post/3lzijuvpclk25