LonWon
@lonwon.bsky.social
Curious about politics. Hoping for more than slogans.
Even the mild questions I have about Murphy's arguments seem to enrage him, so I've not gone into the realm of critique.
But for a solid response from the left, here's a good article by @graceblakeley.substack.com
graceblakeley.substack.com/p/on-mmt
But for a solid response from the left, here's a good article by @graceblakeley.substack.com
graceblakeley.substack.com/p/on-mmt
December 2, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Even the mild questions I have about Murphy's arguments seem to enrage him, so I've not gone into the realm of critique.
But for a solid response from the left, here's a good article by @graceblakeley.substack.com
graceblakeley.substack.com/p/on-mmt
But for a solid response from the left, here's a good article by @graceblakeley.substack.com
graceblakeley.substack.com/p/on-mmt
I'm banned from Prof @richardjmurphy.bsky.social's blog, so here follows my comment on his attack on the left
www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/12...
www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/12...
Why won’t so much of the left believe in the sovereign power to make money?
There are days when I genuinely wonder what parts of the left think the state is for.
The capacity to create money is the most fundamental power any modern government possesses. It is the basis of its...
www.taxresearch.org.uk
December 2, 2025 at 1:01 PM
I'm banned from Prof @richardjmurphy.bsky.social's blog, so here follows my comment on his attack on the left
www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/12...
www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/12...
Reposted by LonWon
For all the focus on its supposed “left wing bias”, the BBC’s heavy coverage of Rachel Reeves Budget "lies" shows how its political coverage is still largely led by the right-wing press
bylinetimes.com/2025/12/01/r...
bylinetimes.com/2025/12/01/r...
Rachel Reeves and the Daily Mailification of the BBC
For all the focus on its supposed "left wing bias", the BBC's heavy coverage of Conservative allegations of dishonesty against Rachel Reeves shows how its political coverage is still largely led by th...
bylinetimes.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:20 AM
For all the focus on its supposed “left wing bias”, the BBC’s heavy coverage of Rachel Reeves Budget "lies" shows how its political coverage is still largely led by the right-wing press
bylinetimes.com/2025/12/01/r...
bylinetimes.com/2025/12/01/r...
Right-wing politicians want to abolish human rights that protect us, but are silent on trade agreements that enable fossil fuel companies to extract billions of our money when governments try to stop them destroying our climate
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Hello, foreign oligarchs and corporations! Please come and sue the UK for billions | George Monbiot
The case of a planned Cumbrian coalmine shows how governments around the world are being threatened by litigation in shadowy offshore courts, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
December 1, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Right-wing politicians want to abolish human rights that protect us, but are silent on trade agreements that enable fossil fuel companies to extract billions of our money when governments try to stop them destroying our climate
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Nice summary of the various approaches the left are proposing as an alternative to the Chancellor's tinkering and to broad-based tax increases
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
Wealth tax and looser fiscal rules won’t save the Budget | British Politics and Policy at LSE
The narrative on the left that a wealth tax and looser fiscal rules would solve the Chancellor's 2025 Budget headaches has got out of hand.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
November 29, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Nice summary of the various approaches the left are proposing as an alternative to the Chancellor's tinkering and to broad-based tax increases
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
Interesting article arguing that, contrary to conventional wisdom, getting more parents into paid work makes little difference to child poverty rates, unless accompanied by investment in social security benefits for families both in and out of work
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
How to solve child poverty | British Politics and Policy at LSE
Contrary to conventional wisdom, increasing parental employment would make little difference to child poverty rates overall.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
November 28, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Interesting article arguing that, contrary to conventional wisdom, getting more parents into paid work makes little difference to child poverty rates, unless accompanied by investment in social security benefits for families both in and out of work
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...
Reposted by LonWon
One big risk to the OBR forecasts has already materialised -migration is falling more quickly than their projections and that will hit growth and tax revenue.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
UK net migration drops sharply to 204,000 in year to June - live updates
Net migration fell by around two-thirds - from 649,000 in the year to June 2024 to 204,000 in the year to June 2025.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 9:55 AM
One big risk to the OBR forecasts has already materialised -migration is falling more quickly than their projections and that will hit growth and tax revenue.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn...
Reposted by LonWon
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
November 27, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
Reposted by LonWon
Headline on The World at One just now:
"Sir Keir Starmer has denied putting the Labour Party before the country by ending the two-child benefit cap".
Can we please go back to reporting the actual news, not someone's partisan take on it?
"Sir Keir Starmer has denied putting the Labour Party before the country by ending the two-child benefit cap".
Can we please go back to reporting the actual news, not someone's partisan take on it?
November 27, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Headline on The World at One just now:
"Sir Keir Starmer has denied putting the Labour Party before the country by ending the two-child benefit cap".
Can we please go back to reporting the actual news, not someone's partisan take on it?
"Sir Keir Starmer has denied putting the Labour Party before the country by ending the two-child benefit cap".
Can we please go back to reporting the actual news, not someone's partisan take on it?
Brexit continues to do substantial economic damage to the UK.
Here's evidence of stunted growth, to add to what we already know about food prices, business costs, public services, and hospitality.
www.nber.org/papers/w34459
Here's evidence of stunted growth, to add to what we already know about food prices, business costs, public services, and hospitality.
www.nber.org/papers/w34459
The Economic Impact of Brexit
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
www.nber.org
November 27, 2025 at 9:19 AM
Brexit continues to do substantial economic damage to the UK.
Here's evidence of stunted growth, to add to what we already know about food prices, business costs, public services, and hospitality.
www.nber.org/papers/w34459
Here's evidence of stunted growth, to add to what we already know about food prices, business costs, public services, and hospitality.
www.nber.org/papers/w34459
Why the world is failing to deal with the unrelenting physics of the climate emergency
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Trump, war, absent media: five threats to climate progress that dogged Cop30
Did the talks succeed or fail? The verdict must take account of the geopolitical minefield they took place in
www.theguardian.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Why the world is failing to deal with the unrelenting physics of the climate emergency
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
I have some sympathy with this, in that a simple tax on wealth is unlikely to be simple, unlikely to raise all that much, unlikely to claw back much of the windfalls the rich have received over the 15 years, and unlikely to redress structural unfairnesses.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
What does the left want? A wealth tax. What will that accomplish? Very little | Aditya Chakrabortty
Imposing a 1% levy on the super-rich isn’t a policy, it’s pantomime. Tackling inequality in Britain will require much more far-reaching changes, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:19 PM
I have some sympathy with this, in that a simple tax on wealth is unlikely to be simple, unlikely to raise all that much, unlikely to claw back much of the windfalls the rich have received over the 15 years, and unlikely to redress structural unfairnesses.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Up to 50,000 nurses could quit the UK if the government’s immigration proposals are implemented.
Brilliant news for xenophobes. Not particularly great for patients and the elderly.
The NHS isn't safe under Labour, Tories or Farage.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Brilliant news for xenophobes. Not particularly great for patients and the elderly.
The NHS isn't safe under Labour, Tories or Farage.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Up to 50,000 nurses could quit UK over immigration plans, survey suggests
Exclusive: union leaders say proposed changes are immoral and could threaten patient safety if there is staff exodus
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Up to 50,000 nurses could quit the UK if the government’s immigration proposals are implemented.
Brilliant news for xenophobes. Not particularly great for patients and the elderly.
The NHS isn't safe under Labour, Tories or Farage.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Brilliant news for xenophobes. Not particularly great for patients and the elderly.
The NHS isn't safe under Labour, Tories or Farage.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Reposted by LonWon
I know it’s attributed speech but I can’t get over “an attempt to humanise… [humans]”
It’s the exclusive everyone wanted, the story that will win next year’s Pulitzer…
I can reveal London’s giant AI generated Christmas artwork, the subject of much online mockery, is being torn down - and I honestly *genuinely* think you’ll never guess why. www.londoncentric.media/p/ai-artwork...
I can reveal London’s giant AI generated Christmas artwork, the subject of much online mockery, is being torn down - and I honestly *genuinely* think you’ll never guess why. www.londoncentric.media/p/ai-artwork...
London's giant AI artwork to be torn down
The bizarre story of why a much-talked-about creation is being torn down. Plus: Docklands Light Railway extension, giant laser stalks the night sky, and more tales of Android phone theft rejection.
www.londoncentric.media
November 20, 2025 at 10:08 AM
I know it’s attributed speech but I can’t get over “an attempt to humanise… [humans]”
Reposted by LonWon
24 Labour MPs so far have publicly expressed opposition to Shabana Mahmood's asylum proposals, according to @labourlist.bsky.social ...
labourlist.org/2025/11/asyl...
labourlist.org/2025/11/asyl...
Asylum reform: Full list of MPs opposing government's immigration proposals - LabourList
Shabana Mahmood has proposed sweeping new reforms to the UK asylum system today, which has quickly led to a visceral backlash from many Labour figures.
labourlist.org
November 19, 2025 at 9:39 AM
24 Labour MPs so far have publicly expressed opposition to Shabana Mahmood's asylum proposals, according to @labourlist.bsky.social ...
labourlist.org/2025/11/asyl...
labourlist.org/2025/11/asyl...
Reposted by LonWon
A question to Labour's few remaining supporters.
Is kicking pensioners, disabled people and now asylum seekers what you voted for?
Really?
New column 👇
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Is kicking pensioners, disabled people and now asylum seekers what you voted for?
Really?
New column 👇
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A question to the few remaining Labour supporters: is this refugee-bashing what you voted for? | Owen Jones
The government’s callousness has won it respect – from Tommy Robinson and the hard right, says Guardian columnist Owen Jones
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:48 PM
A question to Labour's few remaining supporters.
Is kicking pensioners, disabled people and now asylum seekers what you voted for?
Really?
New column 👇
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Is kicking pensioners, disabled people and now asylum seekers what you voted for?
Really?
New column 👇
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A lot of this stuff - the Nazi salutes, the fascist politics, the Hitler Youth songs - are well known from Michael Crick's book
The zealous bullying of younger ethnic minority kids sounds really sick though.
www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-...
The zealous bullying of younger ethnic minority kids sounds really sick though.
www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-...
‘Deeply shocking’: Nigel Farage faces fresh claims of racism and antisemitism at school
Bafta-winning director among contemporaries urging contrition and apology from Reform UK leader, who denies the allegations
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:17 PM
A lot of this stuff - the Nazi salutes, the fascist politics, the Hitler Youth songs - are well known from Michael Crick's book
The zealous bullying of younger ethnic minority kids sounds really sick though.
www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-...
The zealous bullying of younger ethnic minority kids sounds really sick though.
www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-...
Jamaica, Mauritius and Cuba reiterate the life-or-death nature of cutting emissions, calling it ‘a moral duty’
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘This is survival’: Jamaica leads calls from vulnerable nations at Cop30
Countries including Mauritius and Cuba reiterate life-or-death nature of cutting emissions, calling it ‘a moral duty’
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Jamaica, Mauritius and Cuba reiterate the life-or-death nature of cutting emissions, calling it ‘a moral duty’
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
I think there's an argument for a General Strike to remove Starmer as PM.
We can't get rid of this government for over 3 years, and yet it has clearly been elected on the basis of lies.
Refugees, the sick, starving families, freezing pensioners, and desperate disabled people cannot wait that long.
We can't get rid of this government for over 3 years, and yet it has clearly been elected on the basis of lies.
Refugees, the sick, starving families, freezing pensioners, and desperate disabled people cannot wait that long.
Labour MP Brian Leishman: "The Government has surrendered to... the vile rhetoric of Reform. Does the Home Secretary not see that removing the legal obligation to support asylum seekers who will be otherwise destitute, is as far away from Labour Party principles and values as we can get?"
November 17, 2025 at 8:39 PM
I think there's an argument for a General Strike to remove Starmer as PM.
We can't get rid of this government for over 3 years, and yet it has clearly been elected on the basis of lies.
Refugees, the sick, starving families, freezing pensioners, and desperate disabled people cannot wait that long.
We can't get rid of this government for over 3 years, and yet it has clearly been elected on the basis of lies.
Refugees, the sick, starving families, freezing pensioners, and desperate disabled people cannot wait that long.
Reposted by LonWon
Labour’s asylum plans are horribly cruel – but they’re also a mix of hype, old policy and unachievable promises | Diane Taylor
Labour’s asylum plans are horribly cruel – but they’re also a mix of hype, old policy and unachievable promises | Diane Taylor
There is mounting disquiet among Labour MPs, while the vulnerable refugees at the heart of this story are living with a renewed sense of panic, says Diane Taylor, who writes on human rights, racism and civil liberties
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Labour’s asylum plans are horribly cruel – but they’re also a mix of hype, old policy and unachievable promises | Diane Taylor
Reposted by LonWon
My Dad escaped the Nazis in 1939 on the Kindertransport.
He went to night school then University, trained as a physicist. Married my mum, brought up 3 kids, all work in public sector.
Under these proposed rules, he would have been deported.
100% 'performatively cruel' @stellacreasy.bsky.social
He went to night school then University, trained as a physicist. Married my mum, brought up 3 kids, all work in public sector.
Under these proposed rules, he would have been deported.
100% 'performatively cruel' @stellacreasy.bsky.social
ICE-style raids on Britain's streets: that's all Labour's brutal asylum reforms will achieve | Stella Creasy
ICE-style raids on Britain's streets: that's all Labour's brutal asylum reforms will achieve | Stella Creasy
If we want to ‘stop the boats’, we need to stop the BS when it comes to what creates refugees, and how to respond to them, says Labour MP Stella Creasy
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:50 PM
My Dad escaped the Nazis in 1939 on the Kindertransport.
He went to night school then University, trained as a physicist. Married my mum, brought up 3 kids, all work in public sector.
Under these proposed rules, he would have been deported.
100% 'performatively cruel' @stellacreasy.bsky.social
He went to night school then University, trained as a physicist. Married my mum, brought up 3 kids, all work in public sector.
Under these proposed rules, he would have been deported.
100% 'performatively cruel' @stellacreasy.bsky.social
Reposted by LonWon
Asked if Keir Starmer believes British people want to "see refugee children pulled out of school and deported after 10 years in this country”, his spokesman says that “what the British public wants and what this government was elected on a mandate to deliver was to secure our borders"
November 17, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Asked if Keir Starmer believes British people want to "see refugee children pulled out of school and deported after 10 years in this country”, his spokesman says that “what the British public wants and what this government was elected on a mandate to deliver was to secure our borders"
Reposted by LonWon
Wes Streeting says striking NHS staff are “holding patients to ransom”.
Wrong! He’s the one holding patients and the NHS to ransom, by refusing to give doctors the pay and jobs they deserve.
To all our dedicated healthcare workers: thank you for all you do. Solidarity!
Wrong! He’s the one holding patients and the NHS to ransom, by refusing to give doctors the pay and jobs they deserve.
To all our dedicated healthcare workers: thank you for all you do. Solidarity!
November 17, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Wes Streeting says striking NHS staff are “holding patients to ransom”.
Wrong! He’s the one holding patients and the NHS to ransom, by refusing to give doctors the pay and jobs they deserve.
To all our dedicated healthcare workers: thank you for all you do. Solidarity!
Wrong! He’s the one holding patients and the NHS to ransom, by refusing to give doctors the pay and jobs they deserve.
To all our dedicated healthcare workers: thank you for all you do. Solidarity!
Reposted by LonWon
The Prime Minister said in September that we are at a fork in the road. These asylum proposals suggest we have taken the wrong turning.
The idea that recognised refugees need to be deported is wrong.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
The idea that recognised refugees need to be deported is wrong.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Asylum system in UK ‘out of control’ and dividing country, home secretary says
Shabana Mahmood to unveil new proposals modelled on Denmark’s controversial system
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 5:45 PM
The Prime Minister said in September that we are at a fork in the road. These asylum proposals suggest we have taken the wrong turning.
The idea that recognised refugees need to be deported is wrong.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
The idea that recognised refugees need to be deported is wrong.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Reposted by LonWon
This is what many of us have been saying. Part 3 of the Planning & Infrastructure Bill is based on a myth: that we don't have enough homes because wildlife and green spaces are protected. It will solve nothing, and inflict terrible harm on our remaining ecosystems
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Nature not a blocker to housing growth, inquiry finds
Commons committee report challenges ‘lazy narrative’ used by ministers that scapegoats wildlife and the environment
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 12:12 PM
This is what many of us have been saying. Part 3 of the Planning & Infrastructure Bill is based on a myth: that we don't have enough homes because wildlife and green spaces are protected. It will solve nothing, and inflict terrible harm on our remaining ecosystems
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...