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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 4h

I think you have to make a distinction between “doesn’t think you win votes because of your economic positions” and “doesn’t have a working theory of how economic choices affect society”

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 5h

In part, but all my experiences of Tory members since 2016 highlighted a really strong belief that “too many are going to university”

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 6h

Lots of people trying to be optimistic here, hoping for ungovernable chaos, but so far the likely distribution of votes (plus the likely media slant in any campaign) seem to point to Farage in power, either alone or with Jenrick (or whoever) in support.

John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 6h

Think an underpriced 2029 scenario is "ungovernable mess".

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 1d

Four parties within a 5 point swing of first place and five parties on 12% plus.

This would be pure chaos under first past the post.

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 6h

As Prof Portes implies - I am old enough to remember when offshoring jobs was seen as a bad thing.

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 6h

As for this - in other words the government would rather we offshore our operations instead of generating jobs and exports in a high productivity sector in the UK. I despair...

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Reposted by Indy

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 7h

A reminder that this week the Conservatives announced they want a “British ICE”

John Pfaff @johnpfaff.bsky.social · 10h

Um, ICE just coldly shot an unarmed PRIEST in the head w a pepper ball when he (and everyone around him) clearly posed no threat.

For the crime of … complaining about government policy.

Core 1A speech.

With cameras rolling, they’re sniping priests for sport.

Kurt @flglchicago.bsky.social · 12h

Here’s video of the incident

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 7h

Feels like a real tipping point for the info ecosystem - esp. when you consider how many people have moved their general consumption to Reels/TikTok.

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 7h

I think the conference has confirmed that the Tories are in a downward spiral under Badenoch. Going to be more and more switchers.

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 8h

I know you said you needed to rethink your job options, but is lager really the answer, Mordant?

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 8h

Once again I feel @nytpitchbot.bsky.social just cannot keep up with the reality of the NYT

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 8h

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com

“Despite a raw vocabulary and some rude provocations,” Pete Hegseth “outlined a nuanced vision of the military’s purpose and its relationship to civilian society,” writes Christopher Caldwell.

Opinion | That Hegseth Speech on D.E.I. in the Military Was Actually Pretty Good

Despite some rude provocations, he outlined a nuanced vision of the military.

nyti.ms

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 8h

I feel like this is an indicator of the deeply flawed relationship this government wants to have (and too many financial commenters seem to agree) with the City and particularly current owners of the water firms.
(As you say, some environmental damage is going to be a real well of regret later.)

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 17h

Sunak particularly disappointing as he has nothing to lose politically by speaking out.

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Reposted by Indy

David Wearing @davidwearing.bsky.social · 1d

Irony being that the entire Farage-isation of British politics is built on the phenomenon of white right-wingers who don't want to "integrate" with the reality of multi-ethnic Britain, don't want to accept migrants as their fellow citizens, and don't want people of colour moving into their street.

Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 1d

Wow. Robert Jenrick doubles down by branding a black journalist's questions "ridiculous" and saying that the problem is not his comments, but "journalists like you who pop up and try to knock me down", adding that "this is the reason why terrorist attacks happen". ~AA

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Reposted by Indy

Omar Khan @omaromalleykhan.bsky.social · 18h

I know statistics are poorly understood and are misused. But facts matter

Between the 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021 Census *every* ethnic group in the UK has become *less* geographically segregated and *all* groups, majority and minorities, are more likely to interact with people not like them

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 19h

Brain the size of a planet?

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 19h

oh yes, I remember having to do one of those in the past for things. It's really just insult after insult on top of the injury 😞

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Reposted by Indy

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 19h

Agree. It’s an underrated negative of privatising the water companies, in that “water rates” really did make a huge difference. (It’s funny that this is forgotten, given it was such a big reason why MT did it to begin with!)

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 19h

A US tax notice? 😞

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 22h

Unless you move in those circles, or study the tourist patterns, it's quite surprising how many people go there for holidays - and how much the demographics match some particular slices of the Thatcher coalition.

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 22h

Surely the catchphrase is MOAR matrices?

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 1d

It's actually amazing to me how strongly this is the case.

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 1d

I just find it amazing that we've entered an era of public discourse where someone can say "being concerned that the people on the bus are not white enough is not racist" - like what else would it be?

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 1d

A good start might be them realising that immigration is a losing topic for the Tory party.

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 1d

Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, how was the theatre?

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 1d

What's odd is that we knew the answer to this in 1945 (spoiler - answer is yes) but somehow in the 80s we let centre-right think-tanks convince us that healthcare was all costs and no benefits.

The King's Fund @thekingsfund.bsky.social · 1d

Is a healthier nation a wealthier nation?

For the first time, the ONS and NHS England, have linked millions of pseudonymised patient-level data on hospital waiting lists with individual-level data from HMRC.

Siva Anandaciva explores the findings. https://bit.ly/4gYwkze

Can Tackling Waiting Lists Get Britain's Economy Moving Again? | The King's Fund

New analysis from the Office for National Statistics and NHS England explores whether reducing waiting lists could help more people return to work and boost productivity.

bit.ly

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Indy @indy.bsky.social · 1d

I see a lot of parallels between the UK now and various "global south" countries in the 80s. You can mess around with the interest levers all you like, while the internal market is in flatline and there are no useful export agreements, companies will just keep investing elsewhere.

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