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Stephen Drennan

@stephen1958.bsky.social

580 followers 960 following 4K posts

From Norn Irn. Happy with complex national identity, unhappy with Brexit. #Breturn Engineering degree, Development, Sales, Product Management & 12 yrs as MD Also BA & MA History, just because: decolonisation in Africa, nationalism, Ireland/UK

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Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 2h

I had thought that growing up in 1970s Belfast would inoculate *anyone* from the generalisation to society of the natural sense of personal nostalgia.
But then I read some of the comments under photos of 1970s Belfast on Facebook and realised that there’s no limit to the power of this delusion.

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Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 2h

Ah, but this is just numbers from ONS & ft.
Fraser’s targets have their own data:
percentage of Facebook posts under a photo of 1970s Britain saying how everything has gone to shit now and how much better it was ‘back in the day’.

Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 4h

The internet itself may not be but ‘platforms’ surely become very monopolistic after an initial scramble for critical mass. Very hard to regulate tho’ due to global basis of their monopoly power.

Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 12h

Many of your ‘different model’ sectors are natural monopolies.
There can be no classical ‘market’ for them.
The Tory error (or con) was that making them private meant the ‘invisible hand’ of the market applied. It didn’t and can’t.
(Even the bits that *can* be markets need anti-trust regulation)

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Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 14h

Hmm.
“Young Republicans“ seem a lot like “middle-aged racist Republicans”

Blue Georgia @bluegeorgia.bsky.social · 17h

These are some of the leaked messages Young Republicans were sending in group chats.
www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Reposted by Stephen Drennan

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 17h

Wilfred refers back to the prewar refugees to UK and kindertransport and says, "Back then, it was different."

It wasn't. It was the very definition of a hostile environment for refugees.

The reason it was "kinder" transport was because hate was whipped up against adults fleeing Nazi Germany. 1/2

Pascal 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 🇫🇷 @pascalr57.bsky.social · 18h

Who is that vile individual?

youtube.com/shorts/2-4Fr...

‘Being in a war zone doesn’t entitle you to earn asylum’ | LBC

YouTube video by LBC

youtube.com

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Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 15h

Proof that being a miserable bastard is a constant in British culture.

Reposted by Stephen Drennan

Chris Giles @chrisgiles.ft.com · 21h

There is no need for a moral panic about the UK's welfare system.

Far from perfect but recent discourse is nuts

Spending is controlled, not spiralling

Worklessness is near record lows

My column www.ft.com/content/ee67...

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Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 18h

Hooray. “I’ll go to site/use my password for Korean Air.”
So ‘K’. ✅
Unlike :
myphonak (for Phonak)
myringgo (for Ringgo)
etc etc etc

Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 20h

Yeah. I did this until I got near lifetime limit & so jacked it all in to retire at 61. Now ‘economically inactive’.

Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 20h

What do you mean, Roy?

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Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

Did someone punch him in the face because they were pissed, late, and they couldn’t give him a steak ?

Reposted by Stephen Drennan

Emma Monk @monkemma.bsky.social · 1d

🚨Christian children were told they'd "be Muslim by year 6"!🚨

😱Sounds outrageous?

You know the drill…

If it sounds outrageous and designed to trigger you into being angry with “other” people, then you need to do some 🪏

1/25
🧵

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Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

NB ’Price Caps’ are typically used as ‘price signals’ (by companies with significant market power and high barriers to entry) and lead to most prices clustering at the cap.
See Universities.

(or Scherer ‘Market Structure & Economic Performance’)

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Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

Only for as long as the bubble delusion & taxpayer money lasts.

Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

1 They need the message to be truthful.
2 Time Brits had a bit more awareness of languages (they can explain levels in a wee box)
3 The phrase is *Clapham* Omnibus - hope you won’t be deported !😉

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Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

Yes, I put media/Govt in the post. Govt Idiots & lazy click-baiters in the media.

Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

More examples of the Master Race.

The Aryan type. A man blond as Hitler, slim as Göring, tall as Goebbels.
(“Un homme blond comme Hitler, mince comme Göring, grand comme Goebbels”)

Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

Who is describing it as ‘A-Level English’?
There is a Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for languages & a B2 level of French, say, would be ~a UK A Level - in French.
But a B2 level in English is *not* the same as an UK A level in English.
Media/Govt - just use the CEFR levels ffs!

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Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

“The USA kills more random people in their snuff-movie political drama”
Stephen “Goebbels” Miller and Donald “dementia“ Trump thought to be behind the latest murders.

Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

Interesting juxtaposition on my timeline…

Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

Donald Trump - sponsor of genocide.

First winner of the 1st Kabuga Prix des Génocidaires.

The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 1d

It’s amazing how all the reporting is just memory-holing this part

Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

Yes.
The ‘global Britain’, ‘5th biggest economy’ cheerleaders for Brexit were so, so deluded (and innumerate, I guess).
Or maybe corrupted by Russian money, Nigel?

Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 1d

⚠️ Lord Turner: "We are in an environment where we are more exposed than most other countries"

"To be in a world of protectionist activity, when you've not got a continental scale economy in yourself or not part of a continental scale economy is a disadvantage."

Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

I’ll ‘counter-‘ your last one, tho’.

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Stephen Drennan @stephen1958.bsky.social · 1d

Ah, yes. The point of equilibrium was about 1999 a few years after privatisation, before Offer was subsumed into Ofgem and they moved the regulator from Edgbaston to that London.

(Copious more details available on request, but regulation & market structure are famously coma-inducing topics)