@ishmael96.bsky.social
My theory has always been affinity fraud and that journalists understandably think it would be irresponsible to draw attention to it. IIRC, Madoff was similar
February 2, 2026 at 5:43 PM
My theory has always been affinity fraud and that journalists understandably think it would be irresponsible to draw attention to it. IIRC, Madoff was similar
(This article takes it for granted that tough new immigration controls had come into force - net migration was already running at ~500k a year when this was written)
January 29, 2026 at 8:57 AM
(This article takes it for granted that tough new immigration controls had come into force - net migration was already running at ~500k a year when this was written)
Everyone has memory-holed Boris' original response which was to claim that this was good because it showed we were transitioning to a high wage economy
www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconom...
www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconom...
January 29, 2026 at 8:54 AM
Everyone has memory-holed Boris' original response which was to claim that this was good because it showed we were transitioning to a high wage economy
www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconom...
www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconom...
I think also the prevalence of the idea that service charges are all a scam means that people think a low service charge just means they're not being scammed
January 27, 2026 at 1:20 PM
I think also the prevalence of the idea that service charges are all a scam means that people think a low service charge just means they're not being scammed
I see quite a lot of flats in London where the service charge is really low (especially houses). I assume with those, the dynamic is that it's great unless you happen to be living there when the roof goes (which will happen eventually), in which case you are screwed?
January 27, 2026 at 12:14 PM
I see quite a lot of flats in London where the service charge is really low (especially houses). I assume with those, the dynamic is that it's great unless you happen to be living there when the roof goes (which will happen eventually), in which case you are screwed?
One thing I see mentioned a lot re service charges, but never really explained, is that a lot of the recent huge increases in service charges seems to be driven by increases in cost of insurance. Have never heard anything explanation of why this is
January 27, 2026 at 12:12 PM
One thing I see mentioned a lot re service charges, but never really explained, is that a lot of the recent huge increases in service charges seems to be driven by increases in cost of insurance. Have never heard anything explanation of why this is
Very different political context though, that was a terrible election for everyone other than the two main parties and Corbyn had strong appeal to a lot of Galloway's base
January 26, 2026 at 8:54 PM
Very different political context though, that was a terrible election for everyone other than the two main parties and Corbyn had strong appeal to a lot of Galloway's base
For people saying this is because he has an album coming out: Kanye always has an album coming out. He had one coming out when he released HH too
January 26, 2026 at 5:20 PM
For people saying this is because he has an album coming out: Kanye always has an album coming out. He had one coming out when he released HH too
In the Werner Herzog documentary "Encounters at the End of the World", a lone penguin leaves the colony to walk off and die for no apparent reason. This has somehow become inspiring to online RWers.
January 25, 2026 at 12:33 PM
In the Werner Herzog documentary "Encounters at the End of the World", a lone penguin leaves the colony to walk off and die for no apparent reason. This has somehow become inspiring to online RWers.
This would be good for Europe since it implies they will not be able to reconstitutd their pre-2022 materiel quickly, if at all.
January 21, 2026 at 8:22 AM
This would be good for Europe since it implies they will not be able to reconstitutd their pre-2022 materiel quickly, if at all.
Also, doesn't the Russian military use a lot of shells/tanks/vehicles produced during the Soviet era? So there's a bit of a stock vs flow problem here and the "stock" of Russian military power is bigger than you'd expect because of enormous Soviet military buildup in the past.
January 21, 2026 at 8:21 AM
Also, doesn't the Russian military use a lot of shells/tanks/vehicles produced during the Soviet era? So there's a bit of a stock vs flow problem here and the "stock" of Russian military power is bigger than you'd expect because of enormous Soviet military buildup in the past.
For the first point, I think the non-DG islands are very small so a right of return wouldn't be favourable. For the second, it would be hard to organise a referendum given that the population is dispersed and many live in Mauritius, who would presumably oppose this
January 20, 2026 at 9:55 AM
For the first point, I think the non-DG islands are very small so a right of return wouldn't be favourable. For the second, it would be hard to organise a referendum given that the population is dispersed and many live in Mauritius, who would presumably oppose this
How is the whole civil service flat if every grade which makes up the civil service is negative?
January 13, 2026 at 2:02 PM
How is the whole civil service flat if every grade which makes up the civil service is negative?
As the James Stewart review points out, HS2 started construction quickly with immature designs because they wanted to generate momentum for the project, with detailed designs left up to contractors
January 13, 2026 at 11:22 AM
As the James Stewart review points out, HS2 started construction quickly with immature designs because they wanted to generate momentum for the project, with detailed designs left up to contractors
HS2 initially did not have cost-plus contracts but switched to them after Carillion, and it was actually an attempt to keep costs down. IIRC the NAO recommended the change. See below from 2020:
dwfgroup.com/en/news-and-...
dwfgroup.com/en/news-and-...
HS2 A change in contractor risk allocation
DWF is a leading global provider of integrated legal and business services.
dwfgroup.com
January 13, 2026 at 10:54 AM
HS2 initially did not have cost-plus contracts but switched to them after Carillion, and it was actually an attempt to keep costs down. IIRC the NAO recommended the change. See below from 2020:
dwfgroup.com/en/news-and-...
dwfgroup.com/en/news-and-...
I guess some voters will just not turn out if Reform lose their image as being anti-establishment? But ofc they should gain some voters who are currently worried about competence.
January 12, 2026 at 12:39 PM
I guess some voters will just not turn out if Reform lose their image as being anti-establishment? But ofc they should gain some voters who are currently worried about competence.
I know a few people who live in Stamford - all are senior civil service on 100k+
January 11, 2026 at 6:44 PM
I know a few people who live in Stamford - all are senior civil service on 100k+
Yeah I moved near an M&S last year. Initially I planned to only get special stuff there but given the alternative is a Tesco express that's 10 minutes further away, I usually just go to M&S if I need basics
January 8, 2026 at 9:11 AM
Yeah I moved near an M&S last year. Initially I planned to only get special stuff there but given the alternative is a Tesco express that's 10 minutes further away, I usually just go to M&S if I need basics
Is it a tripwire force if it's far away from the front line?
January 7, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Is it a tripwire force if it's far away from the front line?
Yes because they won't put troops in Ukraine unless there's a peace deal i.e. unless Putin agrees to it.
January 6, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Yes because they won't put troops in Ukraine unless there's a peace deal i.e. unless Putin agrees to it.
True but all the characters of Jurassic World are different. Like original Star Wars/the prequels/the sequels have a shared universe but I would say they all have their own distinct cultural impacts
December 26, 2025 at 7:24 PM
True but all the characters of Jurassic World are different. Like original Star Wars/the prequels/the sequels have a shared universe but I would say they all have their own distinct cultural impacts
The Jurassic World series made incredible amounts of money with no real crossover to wider culture.
December 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
The Jurassic World series made incredible amounts of money with no real crossover to wider culture.
If it was an attempt to injure Trump why would he send it to an incarcerated man? It ended up buried in FBI files for over 6 years
December 23, 2025 at 6:13 PM
If it was an attempt to injure Trump why would he send it to an incarcerated man? It ended up buried in FBI files for over 6 years
Given it was sent to Tucson, shouldn't the postmark be for somewhere in that region rather than NOVA?
December 23, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Given it was sent to Tucson, shouldn't the postmark be for somewhere in that region rather than NOVA?
Hardly anyone has read Chaucer or Dante but they remain well-known.
December 22, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Hardly anyone has read Chaucer or Dante but they remain well-known.