Reposted by Chris B
I’m not sure “there’s nothing we can do about the sexual abuse image factory ask OfCom” is going to hold much water as a line taken by a government which (a) has a huge majority (b) just passed legislation to regulate what people can access online
Keir Starmer's spokesman tells me that X and Grok's creation of sexual deepfakes of children is "completely unacceptable" but again won't commit to taking direct action against them, or to stop posting there.
Says "all options are on the table" but suggests it's a matter for Ofcom, not Government
Says "all options are on the table" but suggests it's a matter for Ofcom, not Government
January 7, 2026 at 1:29 PM
I’m not sure “there’s nothing we can do about the sexual abuse image factory ask OfCom” is going to hold much water as a line taken by a government which (a) has a huge majority (b) just passed legislation to regulate what people can access online
Reposted by Chris B
How likely is ‘likely’? Does ‘likely’ have a higher probability than ‘probable’? I put together a quick quiz so you can see how you interpret probability phrases, then see how you compare with others: probability.kucharski.io
January 3, 2026 at 4:15 PM
How likely is ‘likely’? Does ‘likely’ have a higher probability than ‘probable’? I put together a quick quiz so you can see how you interpret probability phrases, then see how you compare with others: probability.kucharski.io
Reposted by Chris B
NEW: Labour just announced the biggest change in planning policy in 80 years.
My breakdown of the key measures and whether they will succeed.
www.samdumitriu.com/p/labour-are...
My breakdown of the key measures and whether they will succeed.
www.samdumitriu.com/p/labour-are...
Labour are finally taking the housing shortage seriously
Is the new National Planning Policy Framework Labour’s biggest pro-growth move?
www.samdumitriu.com
December 17, 2025 at 11:49 AM
NEW: Labour just announced the biggest change in planning policy in 80 years.
My breakdown of the key measures and whether they will succeed.
www.samdumitriu.com/p/labour-are...
My breakdown of the key measures and whether they will succeed.
www.samdumitriu.com/p/labour-are...
Reposted by Chris B
Anti-racism norms matter. Really shouldn’t be too much to ask of a Labour government that they shun those giving platform to overt racism of a kind that has been unacceptable in the political mainstream of this country for generations.
There were 2 Labour Cabinet Ministers last week on TalkTV Harry Cole slot which plans to invite back an overt racist who'd ban the Home Secretary, Lord Chancellor, Leader of the Opposition & Deputy Speaker from parliament & all blacks, Asians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims & Sikhs from the civil service!
December 15, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Anti-racism norms matter. Really shouldn’t be too much to ask of a Labour government that they shun those giving platform to overt racism of a kind that has been unacceptable in the political mainstream of this country for generations.
Reposted by Chris B
My latest: in which I visit Oxfordshire's 'Rubbish Mountain', buy a Twirl in the country's most violent Sainsbury's, and explore the absolutely dismal response of the Environment Agency.
Rubbish Mountain
A gigantic pile of rubbish was dumped in a field in Oxfordshire. The response sums up everything wrong with British bureaucracy.
martinrobbins.substack.com
December 2, 2025 at 10:31 AM
My latest: in which I visit Oxfordshire's 'Rubbish Mountain', buy a Twirl in the country's most violent Sainsbury's, and explore the absolutely dismal response of the Environment Agency.
Reposted by Chris B
There was no state. Who does she think crucified him, an anarchist collective?
November 28, 2025 at 11:22 AM
There was no state. Who does she think crucified him, an anarchist collective?
Reposted by Chris B
Almost as if those people you keep trying to satisfy on immigration will never be satisfied, while the parties you are competing with won't react to the outcomes you deliver in good faith, and the unsatisfied voters listen to and trust them more than they trust you. Who could have predicted this?
YOU WANTED NET IMMIGRATION TO COME DOWN! THIS IS WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE!
November 27, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Almost as if those people you keep trying to satisfy on immigration will never be satisfied, while the parties you are competing with won't react to the outcomes you deliver in good faith, and the unsatisfied voters listen to and trust them more than they trust you. Who could have predicted this?
Reposted by Chris B
Sometimes wonder if what the UK needs is a thinktank that doesn't do any new research, it just repeats obviously true statements that people try to ignore because they're inconvenient.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
November 25, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Sometimes wonder if what the UK needs is a thinktank that doesn't do any new research, it just repeats obviously true statements that people try to ignore because they're inconvenient.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
Reposted by Chris B
From @philipjcowley.bsky.social - thanks to a happy coincidence we have a much more rigorous than usual understanding of the impact of Keir Starmer's "Island of Strangers" speech. As Cowley puts it "It is not obvious this was the intended outcome"
November 20, 2025 at 1:27 PM
From @philipjcowley.bsky.social - thanks to a happy coincidence we have a much more rigorous than usual understanding of the impact of Keir Starmer's "Island of Strangers" speech. As Cowley puts it "It is not obvious this was the intended outcome"
Reposted by Chris B
Yeah, I think Ulez is a useful analogy for so many things, which is that ultimately 'is that true?' does really matter - people who could vote in the London mayoral election who sincerely believed their 2019 era car was gonna get hit by Ulez did not still believe that after Ulez had been introduced.
A perpetual quirk of voter psychology (and one I'm not really sure you can 'solve') is people automatically assuming that all punitive measures will apply to them. See ULEZ in London for another example
It does make pushing through policies harder than it probably should be
It does make pushing through policies harder than it probably should be
A thing that I remember vividly from GE2015 is when you'd knock on the door of a never-gonna-be-hit-by-the-mansion-tax house that was never going to be hit by a mansion tax who really thought their house's inflated price meant it might be close to it. Turns out that has spread to officials!
November 20, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Yeah, I think Ulez is a useful analogy for so many things, which is that ultimately 'is that true?' does really matter - people who could vote in the London mayoral election who sincerely believed their 2019 era car was gonna get hit by Ulez did not still believe that after Ulez had been introduced.
Reposted by Chris B
This week has been an antidote to power club football. Make do and mend teams, full of faulty parts giving their people a night or two of glorious delirium.
November 18, 2025 at 10:30 PM
This week has been an antidote to power club football. Make do and mend teams, full of faulty parts giving their people a night or two of glorious delirium.
Reposted by Chris B
This is a good point - even if you are to grant Labour benefit of the doubt on strategy (generous move right now) - last week's strategy was "we are too weak to do thing which annoys some MPs" (break manifesto pledge), this week's is "we must do even more difficult thing which annoys more MPs more"
I simply do not understand how the govt can simultaneously believe (1) they don’t have enough political capital to breach the manifesto on tax and (2) they have enough to political capital to pick an unwinnable fight with their own MPs on immigration.
November 17, 2025 at 2:38 PM
This is a good point - even if you are to grant Labour benefit of the doubt on strategy (generous move right now) - last week's strategy was "we are too weak to do thing which annoys some MPs" (break manifesto pledge), this week's is "we must do even more difficult thing which annoys more MPs more"
Reposted by Chris B
Very interesting, importance, nuanced research on public attitudes.
Overall, we find that immigration looks important in polls because it’s highly salient, not because it outranks daily concerns.
Polling captures the salience, but requires a bit of digging to see the whole picture of public priority.
You can read more here!: www.labourtogether.uk/all-reports/...
Polling captures the salience, but requires a bit of digging to see the whole picture of public priority.
You can read more here!: www.labourtogether.uk/all-reports/...
Measuring What Matters — Labour Together
Knowing what issues are most important to the public is the bedrock of understanding voters. Ironically, its own importance can’t go understated. This report applies some overdue methodological experi...
www.labourtogether.uk
November 17, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Very interesting, importance, nuanced research on public attitudes.
Reposted by Chris B
If the UK is on the brink of civil war, as Musk claims, it follows that in 300 years time there will be be a new generation of civil war re-enactment societies.
"Geoff,you defend Laurence Fox. Can you guys shout outside a hostel. Brian, i need you to relentlessly slag off Nish Kumar on Facebook."
"Geoff,you defend Laurence Fox. Can you guys shout outside a hostel. Brian, i need you to relentlessly slag off Nish Kumar on Facebook."
November 15, 2025 at 9:12 AM
If the UK is on the brink of civil war, as Musk claims, it follows that in 300 years time there will be be a new generation of civil war re-enactment societies.
"Geoff,you defend Laurence Fox. Can you guys shout outside a hostel. Brian, i need you to relentlessly slag off Nish Kumar on Facebook."
"Geoff,you defend Laurence Fox. Can you guys shout outside a hostel. Brian, i need you to relentlessly slag off Nish Kumar on Facebook."
Reposted by Chris B
A good example of someone using "economically inactive" to mean "available for work but choosing not to" and forgetting it covers students, early retirees, carers, severely disabled people, parents with very young children etc...
What on earth is this nonsense from a Blue Labour MP?
What, you want a policy targeting zero illness, no full time caring responsibilities, no skills mismatches or career breaks and you think we should heavily crack down on migration until we get there?
Just not serious policy/politics.
What, you want a policy targeting zero illness, no full time caring responsibilities, no skills mismatches or career breaks and you think we should heavily crack down on migration until we get there?
Just not serious policy/politics.
November 12, 2025 at 2:47 PM
A good example of someone using "economically inactive" to mean "available for work but choosing not to" and forgetting it covers students, early retirees, carers, severely disabled people, parents with very young children etc...
Reposted by Chris B
My latest: Move over bat tunnel, here’s the wild story of how HS2 were forced to build a multi-million pound bridge for a road that… doesn’t actually exist.
How HS2 built a bridge to nowhere
A state-of-the-art road bridge has been built deep in the heart of rural Buckinghamshire. Designed to carry traffic over the HS2 railway, there's just one tiny problem - there's no actual road.
martinrobbins.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:16 AM
My latest: Move over bat tunnel, here’s the wild story of how HS2 were forced to build a multi-million pound bridge for a road that… doesn’t actually exist.
Reposted by Chris B
The sheer greasy desperation from these bastards that any violent crime is committed by an immigrant so they can continue their grift. Even when they know it isn't true. Foul.
Matt Goodwin attributes a crime that he now knows appears to have been committed by people born in Britain in the early 1990s to "mass uncontrolled immigration"
November 2, 2025 at 12:06 PM
The sheer greasy desperation from these bastards that any violent crime is committed by an immigrant so they can continue their grift. Even when they know it isn't true. Foul.
Reposted by Chris B
One area where AI has a lot of potential is in weather forecasting and climate modelling.
Fairly accurate weather forecasting, in particular, is something that many of us now take for granted.
From my latest Substack: www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/artificial...
Fairly accurate weather forecasting, in particular, is something that many of us now take for granted.
From my latest Substack: www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/artificial...
Artificial intelligence could dramatically improve weather forecasting
An AI-based model outperformed every other in forecasting the Indian monsoon this year. This helped millions of farmers.
www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com
October 28, 2025 at 10:34 AM
One area where AI has a lot of potential is in weather forecasting and climate modelling.
Fairly accurate weather forecasting, in particular, is something that many of us now take for granted.
From my latest Substack: www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/artificial...
Fairly accurate weather forecasting, in particular, is something that many of us now take for granted.
From my latest Substack: www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/artificial...
Reposted by Chris B
'London may be safer than at any time in the past half century, comfortably beating other major cities'
✍️ Read John Simpson and Becky Pinnington's analysis of "lawless London"
https://bit.ly/4oF2Zge
✍️ Read John Simpson and Becky Pinnington's analysis of "lawless London"
https://bit.ly/4oF2Zge
‘Lawless London' is safer than it's been in decades
Official data suggests the capital may be safer than at any time in the past half century, comfortably beating other major cities
bit.ly
October 24, 2025 at 12:30 PM
'London may be safer than at any time in the past half century, comfortably beating other major cities'
✍️ Read John Simpson and Becky Pinnington's analysis of "lawless London"
https://bit.ly/4oF2Zge
✍️ Read John Simpson and Becky Pinnington's analysis of "lawless London"
https://bit.ly/4oF2Zge
Reposted by Chris B
Very sensible, basically inarguable. I'm sure Westminster Council will destroy it.
www.standard.co.uk/homesandprop...
www.standard.co.uk/homesandprop...
First look: new proposals to pedestrianise Soho unveiled
Architects John Lacey and Russell Potter have put forward proposals to close key Soho streets off to cars in a move to prioritise people
www.standard.co.uk
October 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Very sensible, basically inarguable. I'm sure Westminster Council will destroy it.
www.standard.co.uk/homesandprop...
www.standard.co.uk/homesandprop...
Reposted by Chris B
As yes British football in the 1980s. Well known for its good-natured fun. He's a ridiculous person.
Jenrick casting 1980s British football hooliganism as something that was easily dealt with by police and not an era defining issue which we're still living with the consequences of today... He's genuinely the most unserious person in British politics rn
October 17, 2025 at 5:35 PM
As yes British football in the 1980s. Well known for its good-natured fun. He's a ridiculous person.
Reposted by Chris B
Great blog dissecting a badly conducted, badly presented and badly reported poll. Stuff like this damages the credibility of polling (and of poll reporting).
My latest Substack examines how flawed polling and flawed journalism are distorting the debate over assisted dying
kellnerp.substack.com/p/peers-beware
kellnerp.substack.com/p/peers-beware
Peers beware
Flawed polling and flawed journalism are distorting the debate over assisted dying
kellnerp.substack.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:38 AM
Great blog dissecting a badly conducted, badly presented and badly reported poll. Stuff like this damages the credibility of polling (and of poll reporting).
Reposted by Chris B
Terrific piece this. Continue to find it bizarre how little “food inflation is off the chain” and “core inflation is above target” featured as topics at Labour conference or more broadly as “theories to why the government is unpopular”.
“I think politicians are ignoring prices and bills and hoping we’ll forget about them and find something else to complain about…”
My report on how the flighty Westminster bubble forgot about the cost-of-living crisis, which certainly isn't over:
My report on how the flighty Westminster bubble forgot about the cost-of-living crisis, which certainly isn't over:
Energy bills rise while Westminster talks immigration
Why have our politicians forgotten about the cost-of-living crisis?
www.newstatesman.com
October 14, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Terrific piece this. Continue to find it bizarre how little “food inflation is off the chain” and “core inflation is above target” featured as topics at Labour conference or more broadly as “theories to why the government is unpopular”.
Reposted by Chris B
‘The town is simply disguised countryside’ - www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/the-...
‘The town is simply disguised countryside’
Dan Carrier revisits historian Gillian Tindall’s engrossing history of Kentish Town, following her death last week
www.camdennewjournal.co.uk
October 14, 2025 at 8:40 AM
‘The town is simply disguised countryside’ - www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/the-...
Reposted by Chris B
All these people really want is to pay no taxes and be treated with floor scraping deference. Everything else is just bullshit in pursuit of that goal.
Party donor Nick Candy says "I cherish the values we grew up with here in the West. But today you are more likely to find the values we grew up with in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.’
Via Sam Leith in the Spectator
www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-...
Via Sam Leith in the Spectator
www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-...
October 7, 2025 at 8:50 PM
All these people really want is to pay no taxes and be treated with floor scraping deference. Everything else is just bullshit in pursuit of that goal.