David
@lifeofopuscula.bsky.social
Reposted by David
This government's inability to go 'okay, but is that true?' even about rhetorical flourishes is really starting to depress me.
December 1, 2025 at 11:01 PM
This government's inability to go 'okay, but is that true?' even about rhetorical flourishes is really starting to depress me.
Reposted by David
This is a great- and really useful- read that demystifies what actually happens in parliament and government during the passage of legislation
November 17, 2025 at 8:18 AM
This is a great- and really useful- read that demystifies what actually happens in parliament and government during the passage of legislation
Reposted by David
Said this a lot before, but there is no politician conveying any sense of what they think the country should look in 2040 or 2050, so no sense they are taking steps to get there.
Good test of how UK politics at least is failing, there isn't a single frontline politician with a convincing big picture view of the country. Nostalgia, simplism, and warm words will have to do instead.
November 16, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Said this a lot before, but there is no politician conveying any sense of what they think the country should look in 2040 or 2050, so no sense they are taking steps to get there.
Is this kind of polling helpful at all? Right for me, wrong for the country; right for the Labour party; what were they going to do; they never do what they say anyway, etc
Do you think the government was right or wrong to decide not to raise income tax at the Budget?
Right: 58%
Wrong: 21%
yougov.co.uk/topics/polit...
Right: 58%
Wrong: 21%
yougov.co.uk/topics/polit...
November 14, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Is this kind of polling helpful at all? Right for me, wrong for the country; right for the Labour party; what were they going to do; they never do what they say anyway, etc
Won't they just have to raise income tax next year?
November 14, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Won't they just have to raise income tax next year?
I could stop taking the freebies and make policy, but I'm sure the best course of action is to keep taking the freebies and stop making policy
I knew that much of Labour's policy towards culture, media and sport was being made without an interest in any of the above, I just hadn't realised that was a deliberate choice until now: www.ft.com/content/e65c...
November 13, 2025 at 8:32 AM
I could stop taking the freebies and make policy, but I'm sure the best course of action is to keep taking the freebies and stop making policy
Reposted by David
“The researchers aim to show that the ‘inevitability’ of AI is just a marketing frame perpetrated by the industry and that pushback is a lot more possible than we often see.” Yes!
‘Study after study shows that students want to develop these critical thinking skills, are not lazy, and large numbers of them would be in favor of banning ChatGPT and similar tools in universities’, says @olivia.science www.ru.nl/en/research/...
‘Opposing the inevitability of AI at universities is possible and necessary’ | Radboud University
Since the widespread release of ChatGPT in December of 2022, AI has taken over much of the world by storm – including academia. Most of this happened with very little pushback, despite a myriad of iss...
www.ru.nl
November 2, 2025 at 8:07 AM
“The researchers aim to show that the ‘inevitability’ of AI is just a marketing frame perpetrated by the industry and that pushback is a lot more possible than we often see.” Yes!
Reposted by David
'Should they move left blah blah, no they need to worry about Reform blah blah' - this stuff is babytalk, they are the government, they need to worry about persistent inflation, poor public services and our exposed public finances:
Starmer needs to get serious about governing — and quick
The prime minister has to change or his party will seek a change of its own
www.ft.com
October 25, 2025 at 11:32 AM
'Should they move left blah blah, no they need to worry about Reform blah blah' - this stuff is babytalk, they are the government, they need to worry about persistent inflation, poor public services and our exposed public finances:
Reposted by David
🚨 New paper: Who climbs the Ivory Tower? 🏛️ Together with Nicolai Borgen and Astrid Sandsør (@astridsandsor.bsky.social), we find that the chances of becoming a professor differ enormously by family background. Here’s what we find 👇
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
October 2, 2025 at 7:58 PM
🚨 New paper: Who climbs the Ivory Tower? 🏛️ Together with Nicolai Borgen and Astrid Sandsør (@astridsandsor.bsky.social), we find that the chances of becoming a professor differ enormously by family background. Here’s what we find 👇
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
The media reports on Westminster gossip with Labour and the Tories and 'fun stunts' with the Lib Dems. It's not that different
The media - no, we're not going to report on serious Lib Dem policies
The media - yes, we will report on fun stunts
The media, also - the Lib Dems need to show they've got serious policies
The media - yes, we will report on fun stunts
The media, also - the Lib Dems need to show they've got serious policies
September 21, 2025 at 8:14 AM
The media reports on Westminster gossip with Labour and the Tories and 'fun stunts' with the Lib Dems. It's not that different
'Miscalculation'. Because all that matters is political strategy
The most viewed source of news in Britain, btw.
Oh you absolutely useless wankers
August 7, 2025 at 6:29 PM
'Miscalculation'. Because all that matters is political strategy
Reposted by David
Everyone's been joking about Man Utd recruiting on the basis of G-xG but I've discovered another, even more horrifying possibility
August 6, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Everyone's been joking about Man Utd recruiting on the basis of G-xG but I've discovered another, even more horrifying possibility
Reposted by David
Part of a wider issue that the government lacks a theory of “what will the UK in 2029 be like and how will this get us re-elected?” “Assuming we are all deeper in media silos, how will the government communicate with us?” is part of a bigger gap alongside “what will the 2028 and 2029 budgets be”
August 5, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Part of a wider issue that the government lacks a theory of “what will the UK in 2029 be like and how will this get us re-elected?” “Assuming we are all deeper in media silos, how will the government communicate with us?” is part of a bigger gap alongside “what will the 2028 and 2029 budgets be”
'Not everything it says should be taken as fact' is quite funny
Having an AI start-up based in my constituency willing to work with me on this project has been fantastic. I can’t thank Jeremy Smith and Neural Voice enough for all their hard work to create the UK’s first virtual MP!
Try it here:
www.neural-voice.ai/mark-sewards
Try it here:
www.neural-voice.ai/mark-sewards
Speak to Mark Sewards 24/7
Connect with Mark Sewards, your AI assistant, anytime.
www.neural-voice.ai
August 5, 2025 at 8:40 PM
'Not everything it says should be taken as fact' is quite funny
Goodness, AI writes poorly
I encourage any resident of Leeds South West and Morley to give AI Mark a try. This is only a prototype, and everything request will be used to train it to make it better.
August 5, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Goodness, AI writes poorly
Reposted by David
What’s heartening about @jburnmurdoch.ft.com is that most people have the correct impression: they think they are safer than they were but that there are problems with so-called “petty” crime:
The great crime paradox
Disorder is rising in public consciousness. Is it rising in reality?
on.ft.com
August 2, 2025 at 2:19 PM
What’s heartening about @jburnmurdoch.ft.com is that most people have the correct impression: they think they are safer than they were but that there are problems with so-called “petty” crime:
Reposted by David
3. The fact that the letters of Paul, a guy explicitly only two degrees of separation from the historical Jesus, have survived is kind of remarkable, and almost certainly the closest source we'll ever get to Jesus in terms of degrees of separation.
July 31, 2025 at 5:44 PM
3. The fact that the letters of Paul, a guy explicitly only two degrees of separation from the historical Jesus, have survived is kind of remarkable, and almost certainly the closest source we'll ever get to Jesus in terms of degrees of separation.
Reposted by David
The sound bath garden from the latest Alan Partridge in the Oasthouse is real! (Melaniessackinteriors)
July 30, 2025 at 6:24 AM
The sound bath garden from the latest Alan Partridge in the Oasthouse is real! (Melaniessackinteriors)
Provide a transcript of everything a minister says at formal occasions on a website
It’s not all about media. But the collapse of a way for government to get a hearing on what’s becoming the new mainstream media (ie short form algorithm-selected video platforms) is such a part of this. Talk to journalists who “do words” or “timely news” and they can feel the audience moving there.
July 27, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Provide a transcript of everything a minister says at formal occasions on a website
Reposted by David
whenever you can pay through the nose following a player's best G - xG season you've got to do it
Manchester United have reached an agreement with Brentford to sign forward Bryan Mbeumo.
After weeks of negotiations, a deal worth up to £71million ($95.5m) has finally been struck.
More from @david-ornstein.bsky.social ⬇️
🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/649...
After weeks of negotiations, a deal worth up to £71million ($95.5m) has finally been struck.
More from @david-ornstein.bsky.social ⬇️
🔗 www.nytimes.com/athletic/649...
July 18, 2025 at 12:38 PM
whenever you can pay through the nose following a player's best G - xG season you've got to do it
Reposted by David
the appropriate reaction is a "uh-oh! someone didn't wanna be on camera!" chuckle and moving on with your day, not this psychotic doxxing shit.
July 17, 2025 at 7:34 PM
the appropriate reaction is a "uh-oh! someone didn't wanna be on camera!" chuckle and moving on with your day, not this psychotic doxxing shit.
I think the difference with TB is that people knew how (and why) he disagreed with the rebels. There's the danger that people think that Starmer agrees with his backbenchers
There are two unflattering comparisons being made over Starmer:
1. Blair endured serial rebellions but allowed Corbyn, McDonnell et al to keep the whip.
2. Cummings removed whip from Tory MPs but, critics say, had a clearer strategy and purpose. www.newstatesman.com/politics/lab...
1. Blair endured serial rebellions but allowed Corbyn, McDonnell et al to keep the whip.
2. Cummings removed whip from Tory MPs but, critics say, had a clearer strategy and purpose. www.newstatesman.com/politics/lab...
Why Keir Starmer has purged Labour rebels again
By removing the whip from four ringleaders, No 10 has sent a warning over looming future revolts.
www.newstatesman.com
July 16, 2025 at 6:10 PM
I think the difference with TB is that people knew how (and why) he disagreed with the rebels. There's the danger that people think that Starmer agrees with his backbenchers
Britain wants the good things it had, doesn't want the perceived negatives, and politicians and the media are not being upfront with the public when they mention rejoining as opposed to joining
Britain has no idea what it wants from Europe: an occasional series
July 15, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Britain wants the good things it had, doesn't want the perceived negatives, and politicians and the media are not being upfront with the public when they mention rejoining as opposed to joining
Responding to this with the following thread!
July 14, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Responding to this with the following thread!
Why was Sure Start called Sure Start?
July 6, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Why was Sure Start called Sure Start?