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Duncan Weldon

@duncanweldon.bsky.social

20K followers 1.5K following 3.5K posts

Economics writer. Author. Expect history, economics, finance and other stuff. Wrote Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through. Blood and Treasure, on the economics of war, out now.

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Pinned

Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · Aug 25

Time for a new pinned post. Out now in the UK, coming January 6th in the US.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 1h

A deep history of British schools’ “apparatus” and the extent of its past and present usage has all the hallmarks of a great @joelbudd.bsky.social piece.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 1h

You people all pretend you’re here for economics, current affairs, history & finance.
But what you really all want is 1980s primary school nostalgia.
Numbers don’t lie.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 4h

Alright. The replies suggest I need to read a deep dive on apparatus use by time over different parts of the country.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 4h

And now I want to know when schools stopped using it.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 4h

Love it.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 4h

Ours was never used.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 4h

Been to the youngest’s harvest assembly.
Theory: every primary school built pre about 1980 in Britain has some version of this equipment. It is referred to as something like ‘the apparatus’.
No one has any memory of it ever being used.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 1d

“Ruthlessly ensure that around 40-45% of the population are seeing decent income & living standards growth. Ensure that the majority of them vote for you”.

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Reposted by Duncan Weldon

Dov Waxman @dovwaxman.bsky.social · 1d

On the second anniversary of the outbreak of the Gaza war that Hamas initiated with its horrific surprise attack in southern Israel, it’s worth taking stock of the war’s devastating toll. Here's a long thread, which is not exhaustive, of the toll:

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 1d

The amazing thing, in hindsight, is that there was loads of coverage at the time about how ‘brave’ she was to wear such skimpy outfits given how ‘old’ she was.
She was 32.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 1d

I’m not even 45 Katie.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 1d

(I actually quite like this system).

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 1d

Single stochastic vote.
Every one votes for a local candidate. One random vote selected for each constituency. That candidate wins. Across 650 seats it should be proportional to national vote share, retains constituency link, no wasted votes.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 1d

ilcuk.org.uk/wp-content/u... good chart.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 1d

I’ve been pondering this.
I’ve long thought that the UK has a lot of low productivity, labour intensive work because of supply side factors - low wages (until recently) & easy hiring & firing.
But I’m increasingly wondering how much if it is due to demand from older people for that sort of service.

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Reposted by Duncan Weldon

Noble Francis @noblefrancis.bsky.social · 1d

UK brick deliveries are a useful proxy for house building starts in the absence of monthly house building starts data & the latest data from the Department for Business & Trade cover August 2025. (1/n)
#ukhousing #ukconstruction

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 1d

RIP Jilly Cooper.
Re-reading an excellent Economist piece from 2023.

www.economist.com/britain/2023...

The genius of Jilly Cooper, queen of British bonkbusters

The magic and the meaning of an 86-year-old social pornographer

www.economist.com

Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 2d

I’ve done various bits and pieces for UK universities and found the procedures for payment and expenses vary from from the very easy to the ridiculous.
Going through all the fuss of adding me to the regular payroll (with right to work checks, etc) for £200 was a highlight.

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Reposted by Duncan Weldon

Alan Owlport 🦉 🎃 @alanallport.bsky.social · 2d

Excerpt from #AdvanceBritannia which is released in the UK on 6 November, preorders appreciated! uk.bookshop.org/p/books/brit...

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 2d

A free tip, as a ex TV journalist, for French camera crews: if you’re doing an interview outside, don’t position the guest staring directly into the sun.

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 2d

I’ve got this.
I’ve even appeared on French television looking like a member of a Wilson cabinet.

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Reposted by Duncan Weldon

Chris Whittall @chriswhittall.bsky.social · 2d

Nikkei 225 up 5%, yen off 2%, 30yr JGB yields 15bp higher is quite a set of moves

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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 2d

Mel Stride over the weekend: fiscal discipline is key to how we rebuild the party.
Mel Stride today: would anyone like five grand?

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Reposted by Duncan Weldon

Lottie @sellottie.bsky.social · 2d

It’s happened again

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Reposted by Duncan Weldon

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 2d

‘The hundreds of billions of dollars companies are investing in AI now account for an astonishing 40 per cent share of US GDP growth this year… Outside of the AI plays, even European stock markets have been outperforming the US this decade’
on.ft.com/4pTQ3US

America is now one big bet on AI

It’s seen as the magic fix for every threat to the US economy

on.ft.com

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