Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
@mwr26.bsky.social
Local government Policy Officer from Nottingham living in Merseyside who likes art, gardening and Madonna.
It's distracting me from the horrible decor a bit 🎄
December 2, 2025 at 5:27 PM
It's distracting me from the horrible decor a bit 🎄
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
🇺🇦President Zelenskyy: Russia started this war and Russia is the only country that can stop this war.
December 1, 2025 at 5:38 PM
🇺🇦President Zelenskyy: Russia started this war and Russia is the only country that can stop this war.
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
It's not easy to single-handedly save an entire council.
Reform UK went into Durham Council promising to find huge savings. They have managed to GROW the authority's deficit by over £11m *in the last two months*.
Grimes recommends “serious consideration” to increasing council tax “by the maximum 5%.” ~AA
northeastbylines.co.uk/news/politic...
Grimes recommends “serious consideration” to increasing council tax “by the maximum 5%.” ~AA
northeastbylines.co.uk/news/politic...
Reform cabinet backs £10mn cuts to start filling Durham’s growing black hole
Reform is now learning that running a big council is not as easy as it probably thought
northeastbylines.co.uk
December 1, 2025 at 3:07 PM
It's not easy to single-handedly save an entire council.
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
If you wanted an example of why the UK needs to build HS2, look to the news that a rush-hour train will travel from Manchester to London but can’t carry passengers.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/emp...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/emp...
Empty trains to Euston highlight why scrapping HS2 to Manchester makes no sense
If you wanted an example of why the UK needs to build HS2, look to the news that a rush-hour train will travel from Manchester to London but can’t carry passengers.
www.ianvisits.co.uk
December 1, 2025 at 11:19 AM
If you wanted an example of why the UK needs to build HS2, look to the news that a rush-hour train will travel from Manchester to London but can’t carry passengers.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/emp...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/emp...
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Feel like I'm going mad. The Budget's 'headroom' is based on frankly irresponsible and wildly optimistic claims about what Labour will do in the final year of the forecast, and on ignoring a bunch of upward pressures on spending, and the claim is that she was being exaggeratedly *pessimistic*?
Suggestion Rachel Reeves exaggerated fiscal pressures is absurd
Chancellor was instead far too optimistic about public finances and government’s ability to secure cuts
www.ft.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Feel like I'm going mad. The Budget's 'headroom' is based on frankly irresponsible and wildly optimistic claims about what Labour will do in the final year of the forecast, and on ignoring a bunch of upward pressures on spending, and the claim is that she was being exaggeratedly *pessimistic*?
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
The Chancellor's interviews today are the definition of the performance of scrutiny - it looks dogged and aggressive, but there was absolutely no chance that it was going to reveal anything important or in any way actually probe the decisions in a budget built on sand!
It is *flabbergasting* that we’ve had a budget delivered that increases borrowing in the short term, when costs are very high, and depends on spending cuts and tax rises in election year to hit its overall targets, and the broadcast media are more interested in inane process stories.
It’s an indictment of our media that more time is being spent on whether Reeves lied about the need to raise taxes than on the actual substance of the policies announced on Wednesday.
November 30, 2025 at 11:27 AM
The Chancellor's interviews today are the definition of the performance of scrutiny - it looks dogged and aggressive, but there was absolutely no chance that it was going to reveal anything important or in any way actually probe the decisions in a budget built on sand!
Think this will make things even more of a mess
🚨 BREAKING: Your Party members have voted for a collective leadership model over a single leader
Collective: 51.6%
Single: 48.4%
Collective: 51.6%
Single: 48.4%
November 30, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Think this will make things even more of a mess
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
The tide is turning. Even the Telegraph is now admitting the damage the Brexit deal has done to the economy.
November 29, 2025 at 6:15 PM
The tide is turning. Even the Telegraph is now admitting the damage the Brexit deal has done to the economy.
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
The government must stop blaming Brexit and step up to fix our broken relationship with Europe.
November 29, 2025 at 12:01 PM
The government must stop blaming Brexit and step up to fix our broken relationship with Europe.
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Tucker Carlson is a rightwing conspiracy theorist and Putin apologist who was sacked by FOX.... yes FOX
BUT The Spectator is happy to pay him to talk down our capital city... despite it thriving and crime falling.
Whose side are you on Mr Gove?
BUT The Spectator is happy to pay him to talk down our capital city... despite it thriving and crime falling.
Whose side are you on Mr Gove?
November 28, 2025 at 8:04 PM
Tucker Carlson is a rightwing conspiracy theorist and Putin apologist who was sacked by FOX.... yes FOX
BUT The Spectator is happy to pay him to talk down our capital city... despite it thriving and crime falling.
Whose side are you on Mr Gove?
BUT The Spectator is happy to pay him to talk down our capital city... despite it thriving and crime falling.
Whose side are you on Mr Gove?
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
“Speaking outside his chateau in France, former Brexit Party and UKIP MEP Coburn…”
Former Brexit Party MEP denies taking payment from pro-Russian campaign
A prominent former MEP for Nigel Farage's old party denies taking bribes in a pro-Russian campaign.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 8:56 AM
“Speaking outside his chateau in France, former Brexit Party and UKIP MEP Coburn…”
People are so self interested. No do not freeze the income tax bands, but absolutely freeze the student loan repayment threshold.
% who say each 2025 Budget policy was the 'right thing to do' (2/3)
Sugar tax on milk drinks: 50%
Freeze student loan repayment thresholds: 50%
Fuel duty frozen to Sep, before 5p increase: 46%
Road tax for EVs: 38%
2% tax rise on income from property/dividends/savings: 33%
Sugar tax on milk drinks: 50%
Freeze student loan repayment thresholds: 50%
Fuel duty frozen to Sep, before 5p increase: 46%
Road tax for EVs: 38%
2% tax rise on income from property/dividends/savings: 33%
November 28, 2025 at 7:44 AM
People are so self interested. No do not freeze the income tax bands, but absolutely freeze the student loan repayment threshold.
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
A quick reminder of who Nigel Farage was most concerned about when Putin's tanks first rolled into Ukraine
November 27, 2025 at 8:22 PM
A quick reminder of who Nigel Farage was most concerned about when Putin's tanks first rolled into Ukraine
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
"We cannot negotiate with people who say 'what's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable'."
John F. Kennedy
25 July 1961
re: The Berlin Crisis
John F. Kennedy
25 July 1961
re: The Berlin Crisis
Putin: “When Ukrainians troops withdraw from the territories they hold, then we will cease hostilities; If they don’t leave, we will achieve this by military means “
November 27, 2025 at 8:38 PM
"We cannot negotiate with people who say 'what's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable'."
John F. Kennedy
25 July 1961
re: The Berlin Crisis
John F. Kennedy
25 July 1961
re: The Berlin Crisis
Well. I was willing to defend this season of drag race until now. Bonkers.
November 27, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Well. I was willing to defend this season of drag race until now. Bonkers.
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
I'm so pleased that the two-child benefit cap has been scrapped, something the Lib Dems have long campaigned for.
However, the Chancellor missed a huge opportunity to reverse the £90bn a year cost of the Tories botched Brexit deal and announce a new UK-EU Customs Union.
However, the Chancellor missed a huge opportunity to reverse the £90bn a year cost of the Tories botched Brexit deal and announce a new UK-EU Customs Union.
November 27, 2025 at 11:16 AM
I'm so pleased that the two-child benefit cap has been scrapped, something the Lib Dems have long campaigned for.
However, the Chancellor missed a huge opportunity to reverse the £90bn a year cost of the Tories botched Brexit deal and announce a new UK-EU Customs Union.
However, the Chancellor missed a huge opportunity to reverse the £90bn a year cost of the Tories botched Brexit deal and announce a new UK-EU Customs Union.
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Spot on. The terms of the plan 2 loan are utterly usurious. Notably the budget has not frozen just the threshold for repayments at a marginal rate of 9%, dragging more and more graduates into it, but it also freezes the interest of those loans which is as much as 6.2%! Which is ridiculous!!
I'm constantly shocked (but not surprised) by how little we discuss the additional financial burden placed on young people by the Clegg-Cameron student loan regime.
@rmcunliffe.bsky.social is one of the few journalists who brings it up continuously - once again in the wake of the budget 👇
@rmcunliffe.bsky.social is one of the few journalists who brings it up continuously - once again in the wake of the budget 👇
Rachel Reeves hits young graduates with a double stealth tax
The Chancellor plans to raise as much money from freezing loan repayment thresholds as from the mansion tax
www.newstatesman.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Spot on. The terms of the plan 2 loan are utterly usurious. Notably the budget has not frozen just the threshold for repayments at a marginal rate of 9%, dragging more and more graduates into it, but it also freezes the interest of those loans which is as much as 6.2%! Which is ridiculous!!
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
I'm constantly shocked (but not surprised) by how little we discuss the additional financial burden placed on young people by the Clegg-Cameron student loan regime.
@rmcunliffe.bsky.social is one of the few journalists who brings it up continuously - once again in the wake of the budget 👇
@rmcunliffe.bsky.social is one of the few journalists who brings it up continuously - once again in the wake of the budget 👇
Rachel Reeves hits young graduates with a double stealth tax
The Chancellor plans to raise as much money from freezing loan repayment thresholds as from the mansion tax
www.newstatesman.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:04 PM
I'm constantly shocked (but not surprised) by how little we discuss the additional financial burden placed on young people by the Clegg-Cameron student loan regime.
@rmcunliffe.bsky.social is one of the few journalists who brings it up continuously - once again in the wake of the budget 👇
@rmcunliffe.bsky.social is one of the few journalists who brings it up continuously - once again in the wake of the budget 👇
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Nigel Farage has spent £1m taking out adverts in the papers to distract from the Nathan Gill Russian bribe scandal.
We can't let him buy himself out of this. We need an investigation into Russian influence in our politics.
We can't let him buy himself out of this. We need an investigation into Russian influence in our politics.
November 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Nigel Farage has spent £1m taking out adverts in the papers to distract from the Nathan Gill Russian bribe scandal.
We can't let him buy himself out of this. We need an investigation into Russian influence in our politics.
We can't let him buy himself out of this. We need an investigation into Russian influence in our politics.
My most unpopular opinion is that young people should be getting tax breaks not extra taxes
This is incredibly grim
Threshold for repaying student loans to converge with minimum wage on.ft.com/3M2AYkD
November 27, 2025 at 10:38 AM
My most unpopular opinion is that young people should be getting tax breaks not extra taxes
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Budget quite literally taxes the rich and even contains a actual wealth tax (with a lower threshold than Zack's fantasy one) but, you know, facts arent that important to him
November 26, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Budget quite literally taxes the rich and even contains a actual wealth tax (with a lower threshold than Zack's fantasy one) but, you know, facts arent that important to him
Reposted by Matthew Robinson 🇺🇦🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
I also think that part of this is the weird disappearance of economics from our national debate.
It just... doesnt seem to matter that much to many people
It just... doesnt seem to matter that much to many people
Starmer and Reeves run probably the most economically left-wing government of past five decades and yet bleeding support to its left thanks to dumb strategy www.economist.com/britain/2025...
November 27, 2025 at 9:02 AM
I also think that part of this is the weird disappearance of economics from our national debate.
It just... doesnt seem to matter that much to many people
It just... doesnt seem to matter that much to many people
Didn't matter in the end. Three unmoving trains on the platform. Thankfully I can work from home.
I don't think I should have to pay full price for a Merseyrail train when the one I actually wanted was cancelled.
November 27, 2025 at 8:16 AM
Didn't matter in the end. Three unmoving trains on the platform. Thankfully I can work from home.