Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Dan Davies

ghose.bsky.social @ghose.bsky.social · 7h

Are we yet at the point that Jason Calacanis starts writing in large caps “YOU SHOULD BE ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED RIGHT NOW”…Silicon Valley needs a tariff exemption

2 11

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 10h

The aging population is the reason; restoring the state pension is just one of the mechanisms.

David Smith @dsmitheconomics.bsky.social · 10h

My Sunday Times piece: Sacred cows like the pension triple lock and the long freeze on fuel duty help explain why other taxes are having to go up:

Taxes are going up, and the pension triple lock is one of the reasons

www.thetimes.com/article/7f77...

Taxes are going up, and the pension triple lock is one of the reasons

As Rachel Reeves struggles to fix the public finances, sacred cows such as fuel duty and the state pension are cramping the chancellor’s room for manoeuvre

www.thetimes.com

1 3 19

Reposted by Dan Davies

Chris Brooke @chrisbrooke.bsky.social · 12h

"My father's no different than any other powerful man. Any man who's responsible for other people. Like a Senator or a President."

"You know how naïve you sound?"

"Why?"

"Senators and Presidents don't have men killed."

"Oh. Who's being naïve, Kay?"

#DianeKeatonRIP

🚩 DIANE KEATON - THE GODFATHER (1972) Dir. Francis Ford Coppola

YouTube video by Darwin Pictures

www.youtube.com

9 40

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 12h

5 years after first getting rabbits, my family still exclaim "ooh, he's washing his face!" because it is quite the cutest thing

daily bunnies 🐇✨ @dailybunnies.bsky.social · 13h

1 1 52

Reposted by Dan Davies

Henry Farrell @himself.bsky.social · 13h

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/10/o... I'm unreasonably pleased that the end of this fantastic piece provides a NYT shortlist of opinion pieces on "reclaiming the constitution" that includes my own. There's something in the air that both pick up on.

Opinion | The Constitution Doesn’t Belong to Trump or the Supreme Court

www.nytimes.com

16 50

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 14h

There was someone in double Burberry at the hotel protest in Exeter who was apparently doing "audits" for a YouTube channel, filming people in an annoyingly aggro way. Apparently crowdfunding for afaict unrelated police troubles.

2 14

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 14h

Well they did have electric hackney carriages in London so I don't think it could have been completely impossible

1 2

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 14h

... but in fact as far as I can tell this is actually what happened!

3 4

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 14h

Rory Sutherland has this bit where he imagines what might happen if the ICE engine had been invented after the EV - "so you're saying that it has a more complicated drivetrain, worse torque, requires you to carry 50kg of explosives around and pollutes the air, but it's a bit quicker to recharge?)...

1 7

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 14h

very very surprised to see you come down on the anti side for this to be honest

2

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 14h

as Sonny Boy Williamson said, don't start me talking. If you google his name with words like "migrant housing", "fire", "tyres", "Ghana" and combinations thereof you will turn up some of the lore; there is also some proper dark stuff in that family which I probably shouldn't talk about.

2 6

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 15h

it is kind of difficult because the prisons are full of CSA victims

2 13

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 15h

Surprised, tbh, given the extent to which my former schoolfriend has been in the headlines, that people are just talking about the Kremlin bribes as if it was the only interesting thing about him. There's actually enough material in the back pages to give Jed Mercurio two or three seasons' worth.

Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 1d

Ever since I finished Question Time, Reform have massively been on the attack.

Including a rant from Richard Tice entirely designed to distract from Reform and Russia.

Everyone should know about Nathan Gill, the bribes from Russia and the link to Reform.

2 3 25

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 15h

Seems like it wasn't for want of trying

1

Reposted by Dan Davies

jeff com-BOO-ters @helldude.bsky.social · 15h

the inverse of this is how much of politics is now just accepting that you have to vote for people who hate you, so your best option is to vote for people who hate other people more than they hate you

dr. hazel 🐝 @hazelmonforton.com · 15h

I think the main refreshing thing about Mamdani, for me, is that he actually likes New York City and wants to see it thrive for everyone.

10 180 1.2K

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 15h

Some more than others

1 1

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 16h

You should have a word with Will Butler-Adams at Brompton, it's right up his street

1 4

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 17h

I think everyone reading this thread can see what you did and didn't say or imply and make up their own mind, so I have no enthusiasm for a repeat performance of the merry dance we went through when you were pretending Welsh language requirements stopped a nuclear power station.

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 19h

Hehehe, "that" speech. I always used to have this comedy bit about Labour centrists, saying that if they went on Desert Island Discs, seven of their choices would be Tony Blair speeches but the one they saved from the hurricane would be Kinnock bashing the left.

John O’Shea @politicalhackuk.bsky.social · 20h

A very moving interview with the great Neil Kinnock from @lewisgoodall.com on @newsagents.bsky.social - really worth a listen on the 40th anniversary of that speech.

They say never meet your heroes, but that doesn’t apply with Lord Kinnock.

2 5 35

Reposted by Dan Davies

FOHF @fohf.bsky.social · 19h

For fans of factoring fraud and other off balance sheet financing shenanigans, here’s a history lesson on Petters.

www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/...

A Plague on All Their Houses

Some hedge funds were taken for a $3 billion ride. Could they possibly be as witless as they claim to be?

www.forbes.com

1 2 8

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 21h

Me too but I find that I can't drink a whole one as easily as I used to

15

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 1d

vibes of the thing are absolutely gone, there's just no point standing handing out flyers in 41 degree heat when nearly all of the punters only care about the big names. you've got more chance of finding something new and interesting in bloody Melbourne

17

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 1d

Riyadh Comedy Festival is an absolute joke, all the hotels booked up, silly money for airbnbs, venue owners absolutely taking the piss and too many shows with not a hope of getting the attention they want. I swear I'm not going back next year, is this something send bloot

2 2 33

Reposted by Dan Davies

Hemry, Local Bartender @bartenderhemry.bsky.social · 1d

Tricia Mclaughlin again with these absurd little-kid lies!!! "The local news producer was throwing things at border patrol" how is it not a scandal that the mouthpiece of dhs is this much of a lunatic

CJ Ciaramella @cjciaramella.bsky.social · 1d

UPDATE: In emailed statement to me / @reason.com, DHS alleges that WGN-TV producer Debbie Brockman "threw objects at Border Patrol’s car and she was placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer."

Screencap of email from DHS public affairs: Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin:

“U.S. Border Patrol was conducting immigration enforcement operations and when several violent agitators used their vehicles to block in agents in an effort to impede and assault federal officers. In fear of public safety and of law enforcement, officers used their service vehicle to strike a suspect’s vehicle and create an opening. As agents were driving, Deborah Brockman, a U.S. citizen, threw objects at Border Patrol’s car and she was placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer.

“This incident is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of illegal aliens violently resisting arrest and agitators and criminals ramming cars into our law enforcement officers. These attacks highlight the dangers our law enforcement officers face daily—all while receiving no pay thanks to the Democrats’ government shutdown.”

1 40 300

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 1d

There's only one real solution to social care if you don't want to raise taxes or continue with high levels of immigration, admittedly they had a private members bill for it but if it's not government policy it's not going to cut through.

2 1 8