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

2024-09-08 07:01:21

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@npub13jd…ewlt
aha, haven't heard those - will need to check them out

2024-08-12 17:17:07

How do we think about inequality?
In America you might focus on GDP per capita that has doubled since 1980, while median income has only risen by 30%; the rest of the increase captured by the rich.
In China or India, you'll have seen your countries (40% of the global population) go from 5% of global income in 1980 to 25% today.
Across the world in-country inequality has risen but between states has fallen; how this plays out is the Q. of C21st!
#politics #inequality
h/t Shekhar Aiyar/FT

2024-08-09 17:02:51

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@npub1s8n…susg
Thanks; much better put than I did, but what I was getting at (boosted!)

2024-08-09 17:01:35

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@npub1r73…9ysd
I'm less bothered about the latter; its a US-led quirk that social media firms are not seen as 'publishers', but your first point is exactly what I'm concerned about too

2024-08-08 06:06:25

Its heartening to see the massive counter-demonstrations across the country responding to reports of far-right actions....
But as is already clear, not only did these counter-demonstrators out-number the far right, in some/many cases threatened far right gatherings failed to materialise.
Like all bullies the far right thugs will only appear when they think the other side is weak.
These are not demonstrations of 'legitimate concerns' they are bullies on a rampage!
#farright #riots #politics

2024-08-06 16:34:15

Angela Rayner (Deputy PM):
'Attempting to clamp down on the fundamental freedom of working people has got us nowhere... [repealing recent the Tory anti-strike law is] the first part of our plan to reset industrial relations so they are fit for a modern economy'!
Getting rid of minimum service requirements had already been telegraphed before the weekend, so now it will be interesting to see what areas of Tory anti-union legislation are prioritised for reform/repeal.
#workers #unions
h/t FT

2024-08-06 05:54:49

The FT is reporting that Rachel Reeves seems to be hinting that she will (after all) follow her predecessors as Chancellor & reconfigure the fiscal rules (specifically their accounting for pubic debt);
as this will likely be the 9th revision of the fiscal rules since 2010, no-one should really be surprised that she is looking for a way to square the circle of fiscal probity *and* increased public spending;
Of course the Tories will criticise, but forget they changed them 8 times!
#economics

2024-08-03 07:11:47

Q. are the people who complain about the impact of pylons & other infrastructure on tourism, the same people who visit & use canals, rock up to walk round the Ribblehead Viaduct & help maintain old steam railways?
Its yet another case of the British cult of nostalgia... we're fine with new technologies when they're finished & dilapidated, but new technological additions to the landscape (like wind power or pylons)... Oh no, it'll ruin us & our locale!
#hypocrisy #technology

2024-07-28 09:07:41

On Thursday it seems unlikely the BoE/MPC will start to reduce interest rates, likely citing continuing 'threats' to the 2% inflation rate now 'achieved'.
And these threats are: workers seeking above inflation wage rises, to try & rebuild living standards that have suffered over ten years of attrition & reduction.
So just to be clear: interest rates will stay high until workers accept that they do not deserve even the living standards of the past let alone any betterment!
#classwar #workers

2024-07-27 09:33:32

I don't know about you but I'm sick to death of commentators on wages looking at the last two or three quarters & claiming that because wages are now often growing above inflation that all is much better for workers....
NO NO NO - look at the longer term to see how real wages remain in many cases BELOW those enjoyed in 2007/8.
Just because pay rises are above inflation now does not undo over a decade of falling real wages....
[grinding of teeth]
#workers #inflation #economics

2024-07-25 05:35:24

it now seems clear that GB Energy, to be set up in the next few months by the Labour Govt. will focus on expanding the provision of off-shore wind power generation, by working closely with the Crown Estates (already doing well from the sector) and seeking to de-risk investment in the sector.
Of course, off-shore wind in many ways is more expensive than its onshore version, but does side-step the planning friction(s) often encountered... but interconnection issues remain!
#energy #wind
h/t FT

2024-07-24 16:45:31

As Moody's downgrade Thames Water's rating to junk status, raising more money will be (at least) more expensive, and investors are unlikely to be flocking to help the water company.
Chaos beckons, which is likely to force OFWAT & the Govt.'s hand to initiate 'special measures' or forthright nationalisation to ensure water & sewage services can continue (and hopefully under new management, improve).
The interesting Q. is whether this will be the first domino in the sector?
#water
h/t FT

2024-07-22 05:21:39

We know universities are in crisis, driven by the increasingly problems in their current mode of funding. However, its not always clear how this is playing out across the sector.
So here's a UCU, university by university, list of actions managers have been taking to balance the books & its not a pretty sight.
Whether we will see failure, merge & restructuring is not yet completely clear, but its become a lot more likely in the last five years.
#universities #austerity
https://qmucu.org/qmul-transformation/uk-he-shrinking/

2024-07-13 10:11:07

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@npub1qya…g964
Yes, but pressure may(!) continue to build.... and given he's going to be want to 'perform' technocracy & fairness, the arguments may start to have some sway?

2024-07-11 05:41:51

The UK has announced a shift in the rules governing listed corporations, of which two look particularly important:
a. a reduction of the need for management to consult shareholders;
an odd way to 'encourage' greater investment one might think?
b. an allowance for non-natural persons (that is investment firms of various sorts) to hold shares with enhanced voting rights.
Both moves (in consultations) have been criticised by investor groups... but are going ahead anyway!
#investment
h/t FT

2024-07-10 21:26:43

You may recall last year Jack Monroe suggested that own brand/cheap label goods were going up in price faster than more expensive goods....
The ONS claimed she was wrong (on limited data) & Monroe was attacked by mansplaining economists....
Now Alberto Cavallo & Oleksiy Kryvtsov (in a NBER paper discussed in the FT) have looked at a much wider set of data & have confirmed/vindicated Monroe's conclusion: cheapflation is running higher than 'normal' inflation; in the UK by around 6%!
#inflation

2024-07-08 05:59:37

Larry Elliott (Guardian) offers a cut-out & keep 'sliding doors' choice of two election in 2029 - one where Labor has produced a positive & improving economic situation.... and one where they haven't.
In his telling its finally balanced.... so in five years time we might look back & wonder if he was right, or some third (or fourth) scenario has actually played out.
#politics #election2029
https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/jul/07/uk-economy-two-possible-endings

2024-07-07 08:35:07

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@npub10p5…24v2
But Grant Shapps did get to see a lot of different offices.... which was nice for him

2024-07-05 05:43:11

My two (far from original) initial take-aways from last night:
While Starmer & Labour now have a chance to show that there is an alternative to Tory chaos, their honeymoon might be pretty short & if fears of them being 'continuity Tory' are fulfilled then they may have no game-changing answers in any case....
and, given the election has been a story of a split on the Right, if Starmer fails to (quickly) convince, then a resurgent & merging Right looks like a real danger in 2029....
#politics

2024-07-05 05:30:14

Other good news:
Jacob Rees Mogg has lost his seat... hurrah
Not so good news:
Jeremy Hunt has retained his... so we can expect more self-righteous commentary on the NHS crisis from one of the people who caused it in the first place....
#Election2024

2024-06-26 05:59:39

To some extent, given the history of trying to 'solve' the problem of social car provision, the letter below is the triumph of hope over experience... but equally, the new Govt. needs a plan for starting to resolve the crisis in social care & fast!
#ShowUsYouCare
#socialcare #health #politics
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/112/681/366/059/894/801/original/9988863b10aca75f.jpeg

2024-06-25 21:17:25

And now there's another one.... the Gambling Commission is also investigating Welsh Tory, Russel George for betting on the date of the election.... so that's five Tories & a policeman, and a Labour candidate betting against himself.
Surely someone must have coined 'betgate' by now?
#politics

2024-06-25 18:01:25

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@npub153t…2jkv
Sure, that maybe so... but its going to read differently in this election....

2024-06-25 17:01:52

So now the election betting scandal includes the Labour Party, but in crossing between the parties, it has developed a certain farcical element:
Kevin Craig, Labour's candidate for Central Suffolk & North Ipswich (who they have immediately suspended on word from the Gambling Commission) had bet that he would be unsuccessful in his bid to become MP.
So, obviously there's a moral hazard element to his bet, but perhaps also he think's disaffected Tories all vote LibDem...
#Election2024 #betting

2024-06-25 06:32:35

Taxpayer's money going up in smoke?
Nearly £1.5bn worth of PPE from one supplier has been destroyed or written off.
Full Support Healthcare, strangely now are registered in Jersey for 'privacy' had previously been a small healthcare provider... well they did well didn't they? The taxpayer, not so much.
Yet one more piece in the procurement scandal(s) surrounding the Tories' management of the pandemic.
#tories
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cll476qzm85o

2024-06-25 06:05:30

One big Q.s in the election is: will a Labour Party that wins a massive landslide partly through the actions of tactical voting recognise that this suggests a mandate not to be the Tories?
Those wanting to get Tories out by 'lending' their votes to different parties with the best prospect for unseating a Tory in their constituency do not want to then see policies that are continuation-Tory.
What tactical voters want to see is a significant change of tack; Starmer is on notice!
#Election2024

2024-06-23 08:40:18

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@npub1y4s…vgt8
Yes, the lack of associated social infrastructure is a major problem - the issue of capacity at local GPs surgeries is a country wide issue with now developments - and then there is lack of nearby schools etc.

2024-06-22 09:07:24

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@npub1w2q…2ptm
we can but hope... generally the FT would be very pro such a move

2024-06-22 07:50:24

If, as may suspect, Nigel Farage is playing the long game; hoping for a Tory meltdown, so his brand of fascistic populism can capture more right-oriented voters, then anti-fascists' eyes should be on the likely 2029 election when Farage may be planning (hoping) to be helming the opposition forces against a Labour Govt. that having (of course) been unable (or unwilling) to fix the Tory-engineered chaos, may be looking tired & unpopular.... [sorry for the long sentence!]
#election2024 #politics

2024-06-21 17:17:42

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@npub1tkt…6g6q
I hear you....

2024-06-21 05:36:49

Inequality is a problem in the UK; but how much does it actually cost us in lost economic activity?
The Equality Trust has tryied to figure that out & suggests that relative to other members of the OECD, the costs to the UK of its higher level of inequity could be over £100bn a year.
Have a look at how they've calculated that figure (which they think is likely an under-estimate) & then wonder why the UK's political class is relaxed about such costs?
#inequality
https://media.equality-trust.out.re/uploads/2023/11/ReportCostofInequality-1.pdf

2024-06-19 05:44:02

The FT sums up one key problem of UK politics:
'Britain’s hope of enjoying European-level social welfare for American-level taxes is reaching its limit'!
Well, really it reached that limit some time ago, but the point about the disconnect between the two is right on the button.
It's 'having you cake & eating it' (a central element of UK politics for years) refracted through austerity's impact on the public sector.
Until our political class admits this is the problem we are lost!
#politics

2024-06-12 05:53:13

So here's some good news on the green transition - although we could always argue that it could be quicker, the UK has been experiencing a real pivot towards renewable energy.
Given the dire experience of the last decade & a half, from health crisis to local government, from housing to schools, we can take a moment to celebrate this (albeit qualified) achievement!
#climate #energy
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/112/602/083/438/109/544/original/0c67f5773cb46f1a.png

2024-06-06 16:38:09

Things I would like the next government to do:
expand social housing;
expand funding for the NHS & social care;
repurpose the Bank of England to focus on the economy as a whole not just inflation;
fund universities, further education & schools properly;
reorganise rail to serve the public good not private profits;
ditto, water, energy & telecommunications (broadband);
engage with unions (& other groups) to reform work & employment rights;
push a green transition...
my expectations: low!

2024-06-05 08:09:54

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@npub19lw…et0d
So, the next Q. would be: have you managed to expand your non-EU exports?

2024-06-03 06:10:54

Parents are increasingly taking their children out of school & home schooling them, with the most reported reason being the mental health of their children.
To some extent, the pandemic normalised the idea of children learning from home, so we might wonder whether the threshold for concern prompting a turn to home schooling has lowered.
But, it also suggests the impact on children of the myriad crisis that have engulfed school in recent years.
#education #mentalhealth
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg3382380vko

2024-05-30 08:19:45

Reading a book on women in dada, I came across this extraordinary puppet by Sophie Taeuber-Arp.... its a sort of early C20th precursor to the robots Hollywood would later incorporate into Robocp or Terminator; really prescient & a wonderful puppet (I would have loved to see her operate it).
#art #dada #puppet #feminism
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/112/529/050/232/424/378/original/15230b3924a1d933.webp

2024-05-26 08:19:26

Before Brexit you'll recall the easy journeys to Europe & how this has become more difficult since... well sadly, you ain't seen nothing yet.
The EU's new border regime (which of course we are now outside; more outside than we were from Schengen), will require prior registration (like the US system) and biometric uploads on entry to the EU.
From 6th October the cost in time & inconvenience we have visited on ourselves (or was visited on us by Leave voters) is going to get a while lot worse!

2024-05-24 10:42:54

If you're in Lancaster (UK) tonight & fancy a bit more Motown (either because you enjoyed ProfDJ's Motown night last week, or missed it), its happening again, this time at Runner Duck Wine Room (King St.) - as before Motown all night - Marvin, Diana, Stevie, The Four Tops, The Temptations and more....
see you there from 8.30.
#Lancaster #ProfDJ #motown #soul #vinyl #music

2024-05-21 12:55:44

From Liberty UK:
Last summer Suella Braverman changed the definition of “serious disruption” to mean “more than minor” – giving police huge powers to shut down protests.
Liberty said this move was undemocratic, unconstitutional and unacceptable.
The term ‘serious disruption’ comes from another Public Order Act from 1986. The Home Secretary has the power to *clarify* what is meant by ‘serious’ – not completely change its meaning.
The Court agreed.
The police should stop using these powers.

2024-05-18 13:42:32

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@npub1y7l…y5k0
Well you'd like to think so... but sadly in the last decade the post has been formally & informally politicised to an extent that (yes) it is starting to look American in political character

2024-05-18 09:22:01

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@npub1qdc…35dz
I imagine its going to be a mis-reading of the law of contempt?... but its clearly driven by pique!

2024-05-18 08:56:33

ICYMI:
Despite Trudi Warner's case for contempt of court (for holding a placard reminding a jury of its ability to acquit on moral grounds in a climate protest case) being thrown out by the UK High Court because it was 'fanciful', the Tory Solicitor General Robert Courts has decided to appeal the decision.
in the words of @goodlawproject:
'this case exposes the warped priorities of a government with no answers to big problems such as the climate crisis'
#ruleoflaw #climate #politics

2024-05-16 06:46:07

Are we taking ourselves into further decline? Is John Bryson right & 'British political discourse is broken, rather than Britain itself'?
This is an interesting issue, nt least for how the idea of 'broken Britain' lay behind the 'logic' of austerity (and therefore much of the social damage wrought over the last decade).
The difficulty is we (the British) also are highly suspicious of anyone 'talking up' the country... a political dilemma for our times?
#politics
https://theconversation.com/britain-is-not-as-broken-as-everyone-seems-to-think-229826

2024-05-16 05:50:51

Both Labour & the Tories are focussing on the Financial Conduct Authority & its regulatory remit/practice as being a key impediment to economic growth in the UK.
This requires one to believe a less regulated financial services sector would deliver investment & revive areas of economic activity across the country.
But, this reflects the City of London's propaganda that they are key to the UK economic well-being... very little about the history of financialisation suggests that's true!
#banking

2024-05-15 21:20:40

The business sector has woken up to the fact that the Tories various policies to wreck the university sector is actually bad for business;
a group of international firms have written to Rise Sunak warning that further curtailing student visas & the resulting (deepening) funding crisis for universities will reduce inwards investment.
The problem is the economic madness of wrecking higher education has been clear for ages; the Tories just don't care about the economics
#universities #investment

2024-05-15 09:07:27

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@npub1vh9…8qsf
Yes, the key point is balance not replacing men with women.... so indeed, male under-performance in training will become a key issue

2024-05-15 07:54:42

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@npub1t22…yhlj
Yes, sadly I may have been too optimistic in thinking there was any room for hope that the madness might stop

2024-05-15 05:29:38

The HoC Public Accounts Comm. has concluded the civil service lack both skills & capacity to property oversee infrastructure projects contributing both to the evident delays & budgeting problems.
Civil servants have become too reliant on outsourced expertise (consultants & the contractors) for evaluation, with the state no longer able to act as an 'intelligent client'.
The Tory attrition and politicisation of the civil service has (and is having) sigficant detrimental impact.
#infrastructure

2024-05-14 10:41:48

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@npub1wyu…t407
Indeed, although UC's marginal rate 'cliff' has been covered in some media recently

2024-05-14 05:31:36

The move back to the office is certainly underway, with working from home being de-normalised & back to an exception (if now more frequent).
But what is the impact on those who for health or mobility reasons are only able to work from home.
In many ways WFH was (accidentally?) a boon for 'disabled' employment, allowing many to access jobs that would have been difficult if attendance at office was required.
How will their opportunities fare in the move away from WFH?
#workers #WFH #disability

2024-05-13 07:40:21

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@npub1wyu…t407
They're only 'loans' if he expects them to be paid back... my guess is that he doesn't

2024-05-13 07:05:35

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@npub1kl5…ptfd
Indeed, which then makes her move more intriguing.... what does she expect to get from it?

2024-05-12 21:25:05

Hmmm... so the Q. is how long will Keir Starmer continue to hold Natalie Elphicke close?
She's been accused of excusing her husband who was found guilty of rape, of joining three others is attempting to influence his trial & now also (more recently) of trying to blame deaths on striking firemen.... and that's before we get on to her voting record...
Many are wondering how she could have a home in the Labour Party.... so we have to ask: what does Labour get our of her continued proximity?

2024-05-09 07:32:02

As Nadhim Zahawi decides to step down from being an MP at the next election, we might want to think about paraphrasing an old tabloid headline.
Will the last person leaving the Tory party please switch off the lights!
#Tories

2024-05-08 16:45:28

Another Tory MP - Natalie Elphicke - has 'crossed the house' to join the Labour Party briefly.... she is not standing at the next election.
So, one has to ask; what are her motives.
Given the criticisms she make of Sunak could have largely been made of his predecessors & of the party policy for much of the time she's been an MP, we must conclude something else is in play...
Perhaps, she's hoping that there will be rewards after an election.... but I wonder what she wants?
#tories #politics

2024-05-06 06:08:36

The IPPR has found 'a link between economic participation & rates of obesity; areas with high rates of obesity also have high rates of economic inactivity' - they suggest public health policy needs to move from a personal responsibility to a structural approach to deal with obesity's impact on workers & productivity.
There's a known link between obesity & poverty but to start suggesting obesity is a contributory cause of low productivity looks a bit like institutional fat-shaming?
#health

2024-05-04 08:21:39

Hey, Soul fans; if you're in Kirkby Lonsdale this Sunday afternoon, why not join ProfDJ for four hours of soul - yes, its Soul Sunday at the Royal Barn (New Rd.) again.
They'll be classics, northern soul, some Motown, a bit of southern soul, but everyone's a treat (and all played on vinyl).
See you there! Kicks off around 2.00 & runs through to 6.00(ish).
#music #vinyl #cumbria

2024-05-02 21:35:55

Ha ha ha... Boris Johnson was among many who were turned away from polling stations today for having no compliant photo ID with him... and who's Govt. introduced that rule?
Of course, Johnson has form for not understanding or complying with rules his own govt. has introduced....
(he came back with complaint ID & voted)
The lack of acceptance of various ID continues to be a major problem across the country, including retired armed forces personal whose military veteran cards are not valid ID

2024-04-21 09:09:51

Just in case you thought lower inflation has eased the cost of living crisis, spare a thought for the 1.6m households that during then next nine months will see their cheap fixed rate mortgage deals end & be shifted to new mortgages with (often) up to three times the interest rate (and associated payments).
The BoE shows little sign of recurring rates so their sado-moneterist aim of causing workers pain to disciple them will continue; 'if its not hurting, its not working'
#inflation #economics

2024-04-21 07:56:23

Here's a good overview of long-term health in the UK, showing the BBC can do good journalism
With research from the Health Foundation & others, its clear that the country's long term crisis is centred on three health issues:
chronic pain;
type 2 diabetes; and
mental health problems
As the HF summarise:
'Access to health care has become more difficult, while those fundamental building blocks of health - such as good housing and adequate incomes - are under strain'!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-68849843

2024-04-13 08:40:48

Hmmmm.... so in 2028 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, the world's biggest computing chip manufacturer will start producing it next generation chips in Arizona....
This is being presented as a triumph of Biden's economic policies (a pull factor), but one cannot help but wonder whether there is also a significant issue of China's increasing belligerence towards Taiwan (a push factor) in the relocation?
#Taiwan #China #semiconductors
h/t FT

2024-04-02 14:50:05

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@npub177h…a2d8
a dialectic of do-nothing-ness

2024-03-29 07:04:49

More evidence of the malice of the Post Office in the Horizon IT case(s) it brought.
What is interesting is how this whole situation is unravelling like an onion to reveal at its heart a vindictive & callous PO management who were prepared to collude with Fujitsu in covering up the problems with the software.
Its almost unbelievable that people could act this way... but then we only have to look to our political class to see where they got the idea from!
#Horizon
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68663750

2024-03-27 21:22:36

RIP Daniel Kahneman, who in one of the few nobel prizes awarded for non-orthodox economics, demonstrated that the standard assumption of rational market behaviour so misunderstood people's real motivations and actions as to render much economics too distant from real economic relations to be truly useful.
As he once said, his work relieved economics of 'an unrealistic conception of reality'...
#economics #markets

2024-03-12 22:27:08

Spot a pattern:
COP28 President Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber used to work for the host state's oil company, but said ahead of the meeting they were turning in a green direction... then delivered a lame & indecisive COP:
COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev used to work for the host state's oil company, but said ahead of the meeting they were turning in a green direction...
Now I wonder how COP29 will turn out?
#COP29 #fossilfuels #ClimateCrisis
h/t FT

2024-03-12 22:22:08

Commentators on US politics who are swinging round to blame POTUS Biden for a prospective Trump victory, are letting the US media & the country's toxic politics off the hook.
From over this side of the Atlantic it looks like Trump is not gaining ground because Biden is doing a bad job (whatever one thinks of his foreign policy), but because the media & Republicans have captured & reproduced a negative narrative about Biden's first term....
#politics #Biden #America

2024-03-12 22:17:36

Another day, another Brexiter waking up & smelling the coffee....
Now, Jeffrey Sprecher (of finance house Intercontinental Exchange) has shifted his position:
2017: Hurrah the UK should 'have a bit of swagger' & celebrate being a low-tax, lightly regulated independent country...
2024: Uk not so attractive to international investors as there is no gateway to Europe & the UK is now a 'foreign country'.
Hmmm... it not like these issues are a surprise is in now Jeff?
#Brexit #finance
h/t FT

2024-03-12 22:11:21

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@npub1js8…jk8q
Similar here.... becoming primary carer for my wife was the main reason I took 9albeit on a good deal) early retirement

2024-03-12 22:08:33

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@npub1kpp…9nk0
Indeed, the data on 'unemployment' is partly a figment on ho one defines unemployment (of course)

2024-03-12 18:22:56

Over 20% of people between 16-64 are not actively looking for work; this includes students & the (early) retired; there has also been considerable coverage of the long-term sick in recent months.
The group who are not working due to care responsibilities are also important.
I posted recently on grandparents & childcare, and its now clear that the crisis in #socialcare is keeping some #workers at home!
This is why better social & #publicservices make economic sense!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68534537

2024-03-12 18:01:58

One of the ways (metaphorically) of thinking about the likely impact of privatising healthcare in the UK is to look at how the market for veterinary services has worked.
Confirming the view of most pet owners I know (including myself) the Competition & Markets Authority has launched an investigation into overcharging for pet healthcare, including medicines.
As the sector is essentially a quasi oligopoly, it will be interning to see if the CMA demands a break up?
#pets #healthcare #oligopoly

2024-03-12 17:56:26

As wage growth continues to slow in the UK, it will be interesting to see how the BoE will explain any residual inflation, given they are keen to avoid looking too closely at the 'maintenance' of profits....
Likely it will be the return of 'external factors' if they cannot keep blaming workers for seeking to repair their loving standards.
#inflation #workers #corporations

2024-03-12 11:22:30

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@npub1a0x…4j48
Yes, the term 'hard working' as a social divider, is really quite pernicious...

2024-03-12 10:56:19

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@npub17dv…n4j7
There's a lot of people hoping you're right....

2024-03-12 06:54:59

Frances Ryan on the reorientation of the Labour Party:
'There is much discussion about how Reeves wants to make Britain attractive for the rich, but perhaps it is time to focus on making it appealing for the poor. In a parallel universe, there is a Labour party that is putting as much effort into courting the votes of benefits claimants as bankers. In the end, some people matter & others don’t'!
#politics #democracy #LabourParty #media #inequality
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/mar/12/keir-starmer-labour-poor-sick-disabled-tory

2024-03-11 22:24:53

Hmmm.... its like a scene from a conspiracy thriller:
Whisteblower takes his own life during a lawsuit against large corporation.
In the film, the initially presumed suicide would be revealed to have been staged & carried out the day before he was to give explosive new evidence about his erstwhile employer.
But this isn't a film its really life & no-one can imagine a large US firm employing people to rid them of a 'turbulent' witness, can they?
#boeing #conspiracy
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68534703

2024-03-04 21:50:22

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@npub16xf…zxfv
This is where the #ruleoflaw should be the guard.... 'notwithstanding' has no legal standing (as I understand it)....

2024-03-04 21:28:46

The Lords have 'defeated' the #RishiSunak #Rwanda bill, by making it confirm to #internationallaw and ensuring there is proper oversight of its provisions... should it ever actually become practical policy.
So presumably when it comes back to the House of Commons we'l see the unedifying attempt by (some) MPs to remove the requirement that the bill conforms to international law, thereby further contributing to the decline of the UK international reputation?

2024-03-02 22:20:11

The #enforcedpoverty crisis in photos (and commentary) - sometimes #photojournalism reveals more than just reporting...
When you get down to the #deliveroo driver's shelter in Victoria Park #Bristol, you'll appreciate what the #gigeconomy's exploration of #workers looks like....
Once you've read this I'm sure you will not begrudge me using the term #classwar!
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/mar/01/uk-cost-of-living-crisis-tipton-south-shields-bristol-photo-essay

2024-02-17 09:05:46

For this of you who have despaired at the plight of #BBC news coverage, let me recommend BBC Verify, which seems like a quiet bastion of proper news analysis which may revive your hope that there may be something to salvage from the wreckage of the BBC news coverage; I sometimes wonder how this has escaped the notice of the #Tories.
[You'll note from the web address that this used to be called 'reality check'; the shift in term/title may reveal some internal #politics?]
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/reality_check

2024-02-05 12:32:32

How deep are the #Tories into the pockets of the #fossilfuel lobby?
This FOI request reveals, pretty deeply.
When you ask BP what would be the best incentive to get you to maximise your production, this is not in the pubic interest, this is serving the needs of BP to maximise their subsidy from the state.
More #ToryCorruption & more reason that any remaining shred of a claim they are interested in #environmental issues or averting the #climatecrisis is just nonsense!
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/05/minister-consulted-bp-over-right-incentives-to-maximise-oil-production-foi-reveals

2024-02-03 10:13:12

Tom Gauld on the problem of the 'bad workman [sic] blaming their tools'.... too often we blame #technology for our own failings... from #artificialintelligence to #socialmedia....
#writers
@npub1kt3…5004
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/111/867/010/020/992/918/original/1bc6ea771309069a.png

2023-12-16 22:35:21

Earlier tonight we had an interesting case of Stalinism at the BBC.
You'll recall that Amanda Abbington left #Strictly a few weeks ago in (what is rumoured to be) unusual circumstances.
Whatever her reasons for leaving, watching the recap of Strictly 2023 there was not sign she'd ever been a contestant at all; she had been completely airbrushed out.
Well as the programme is built on a lie (there is no Sunday show, its shot on Saturday after the main show), perhaps we shouldn't be surprised!

2023-11-23 06:16:00

The ONS continues to analyse the data from #census2021 & publish interesting stuff
Here's a link to attitudes of young people about the future & their prospects.
You'll not be surprised to see that rates of optimism track household income levels, but perhaps more heartening is despite everything pessimism remains a relatively minority issue.
This may be the joyous optimism of the young before it has met the brick wall of reality, but lets hope they retain some if it
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/educationandchildcare/articles/youngpeoplefromdisadvantagedbackgroundsfeellessincontroloftheirfutures/2023-11-06

2023-11-21 17:38:11

The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has lost its case at the #SupremeCourt (the last of 5yrs of appeals) meaning that #Deliveroo can continue to regard its #workers as self-employed, robbing them of employment protections & rights.
Just to be clear, if your #gigeconomy business model requires workers to have few rights & protections, you are not a tech innovator, you are an old-style labour exploiter!
This is not the 'new economy' it the Victorian economy!

2023-11-21 06:45:58

The #Tories malign attention to #education continues to wreck the system... so having slagged off #teachers, made their workload heavier, disrupted their work-life balance & generally making the sector difficult to work in, not only has recruitment into teaching dropped, and retention levels fallen, now in one year rates of early #retirement have gone up by 40%.
This is not the way to educate our coutnry, but perhaps that's the #Tories' aim?
for them educated #voters are dangerous!

2023-11-14 11:52:29

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@npub1v5x…fmhy
Yes, interestingly a while back I played around with combining GDP/capita with Gini & it actually did little to change our ranking - we were still around the mid-20s.
But you are right on averages, GDP per capita is better but still misses much of the effects of #inequality

2023-11-14 11:40:43

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@npub1v5x…fmhy
which is why I prefer GDP per-capita (rather than the raw figure), which ranks in the mid-20s, a better reflection of the difficulties we are facing...

2023-11-14 06:48:28

The #housingcrisis in #Blackpool; its not just about the rent, in Blackpool all (ALL!) 18,000 private #rental properties have some sort of #mold problem!
This problem may be particularly bad in the seaside town for local reasons, but this is a common problem, compounded by #tenants fear fo complaining due to very real threat of eviction.
If the #Tories wanted a return to Victorian values, then they've certainly achieved it in #housing!
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/nov/13/blackpool-tenants-damp-mould-crisis

2023-11-14 06:43:40

The impoverishment of Britain continues with the #costoflivingcrisis causing families to take drastic measures to try to balance their budget;
if you're thinking this is an unfortunate accident, you may be missing the key underlying strategy of the #Tories: to maintain a low-pay #workforce, #workers need to be forced into desperate straights to take any work on offer.
This isn't what a lot of #business wants but the #Tories are viscous ideologues not economic planners!
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/14/millions-of-uk-households-forced-to-unplug-fridge-to-cope-with-rising-bills

2023-11-12 08:00:55

I don't wear a #poppy because my father, who fought in WW2 as a pilot (latterly Squadron Leader) in Bomber Command never wore one (not least of all because of how BC veterans were sidelined after the war), but I *do* wonder if I was on TV (or in public life) such family history would allow me to resist the social pressure to wear one.
People should wear poppies if they so desire, but equally we should be free not to wear them.... in a small way that's exactly the freedom my father fought for!

2023-11-10 08:32:06

This week I've been mainly reading, no. 108.
Ave Barrera's The Forgery (2013/2022) is a Mexican #art caper story about an #artist forced to complete a forgery as part of an inheritance fraud. But by the end its unclear (perhaps purposefully) whether the narrator has experienced imprisonment & exploitation by a violent & rich mastermind, or whether its all a fever dream brought on by a hand injury (turning to sepsis). While quite enjoyable its also finally unsatisfying as a novel.
@npub1kt3…5004

2023-11-07 18:02:47

Qualified good news on #groceries #inflation... although to be fair the drop is only down to a level that two years ago would have looked astronomical...
Still this may be a sign that inflationary pressures in the #food #supplychain are easing?
If so (and its a big if) we may seem some easing of the #costoflivingcrisis (for those who have managed to secure near-inflation wage rises, at least)
[also looks like the falls have been mainly in staples - milk etc. - not across all foods!]
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/111/370/566/062/143/700/original/5a7275d0d06617aa.png

2023-10-21 07:29:18

If you think the #housingcrisis is manly about supply (as I've suggested @npub1yep…rqsz its more than just that), you will be interested to note that the key constraint on the building of dwellings was actually the end of council house building.
So if you really want to see a rise in the numbers of homes built you'll be wanting to support the (re)expansion of housebuilding in the public sector...
Chart from a detailed article on #wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_housing_in_the_United_Kingdom
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/111/271/813/878/649/264/original/90db736997078496.png

2023-10-05 06:46:59

The #ClimateCrisis is here, we're doing too little about it & the extreme heat being experienced around the world may have become normal in a decade....
We can only do two thins & we need to do them both:
we need to accelerate moves to #netzero!
we need to develop strategies for helping those most effected (either to adapt their homes/locations) or move to areas/locations where they can thrive.
Everything else is just sound & light!
#GreenTransition now!
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/111/181/057/585/954/143/original/6fd5c8a0d8fa3292.png

2023-10-04 05:48:51

Q. are we about to see a repeat of the swift expansion of market share by #Japanese motor manufacturers from the 1970s, repeated in the realm of #electricvehicles by #Chinese manufactuers in the next decade?
Nearly half of all #electriccars exported from China are sold in #Europe, but then again, nearly half of those were #Tesla cars.
As with Japan before the key may be over-capacity in China... which is driving exports (and pricing).
Soon enough the evidence will be on the roads

2023-10-03 21:03:34

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@npub1t3r…6knd
You've already put more thought into the consequences than they have... its a classic but of declaratory politics... the practicalities will sink it almost immediately

2023-10-03 20:56:11

A new development in #outsourcing: the #Tories have announced a plan to rent cells ro accommodate #prisoners from overcrowded UK jails... a new twist on the Costa del Crime?
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/oct/03/uk-could-rent-space-in-foreign-jails-to-ease-shortage-of-cells

2023-10-03 05:38:18

Another day, another large chunk of #infrastructure is bought up by foreign #investors;
UK #renewableenergy firm Banks Renewables (a major operator of #windfarms) is being bought by Brookfield from #Canada.
Again one has to wonder why foreign investors often seem keener to invest in UK #GreenTransition than UK investors?
(a couple of decades down the track will this be the #water sector all over again, I wonder, with accusations of lack of continued investment & rent seeking? Time will tell)