James Murphy
@murphy-jm.bsky.social
13 followers 48 following 58 posts
Fan of science, tech, sport and humour. Interested in news, economics and evidence-based political discourse.
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
murphy-jm.bsky.social
For first time buyers, there's already no stamp duty up to £300,000 and only 5% from £300,000-£500,000. So the only young people this will help are twentysomething hedge fund managers or those being bankrolled by very wealthy parents.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Strangely, Robert failed to confirm how many residents of Tunbridge Wells and Wimborne St Giles he will be relocating to Handsworth, and vice versa. I'm sure this was just an unfortunate oversight.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Corbyn's always been excellent at protesting. Trouble is, that's all he knows how to do.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Exactly - Morgan McSweeney was hailed as a "strategic genius", but the seat landslide was all driven by the public in reality - determination to make the Tories lose coupled with greater awareness of how to vote tactically.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Absolutely - under Tim Davie, Robbie Gibb et al, the BBC cherrypicks whatever polling basis allows them to bias coverage in favour of right-wing commentary, at any given time.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Wonder how the hotel-protestor numbers compare with those attending the multi-cultural celebration of the Notting Hill Carnival ? Which is the real "silent majority", Nigel?
murphy-jm.bsky.social
That's funny, but somehow I doubt the team would find it terribly "helpful" - like when fans sing "how s**t must you be, it's only 3-0"!
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Good - we'll replace them with new directors who prioritise company performance and staff well-being ahead of personal greed.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
It's almost as if some sort of battery is in order.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
In a parallel universe, we'd have a statesmanlike Home Secretary who would defuse the risk of summer riots while rejecting the populism of May, Patel and Braverman. But we have Yvette, who needs deporting to a different political home in a white van.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Their business and property assets are what matter - and they often aren't mobile, so won't leave. The report suggesting an exodus was written by an "investment migration consultancy" with a vested interest. Changing your LinkedIn location to Dubai does not mean your business has left the UK.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
The PIP system is independent of employment status, and receiving it helps many disabled people *avoid* the scrapheap, by facilitating the adjustments they need to hold down jobs. Pretending otherwise was a big lie by Starmer, Reeves and Kendall, that the rebels rightly exposed.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Suspending a few welfare rebels while sparing others for reasons unknown, after effectively admitting that all of them were right. Inept doesn't even cover it!
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Starmer's concessions made it obvious that his welfare rebels were right, and now he removes the whip from three of them? Have fun explaining why the other rebels get to keep the whip, Prime Minister 😬 Once the "tough-guy" horse has bolted, don't try to put it back in the stable!
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Sharon Graham has no interest in supporting working class communities - her interventions are all about impressing the political ideologues who dominate Unite.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
I'm all for reducing wealth inequality, but a wealth tax on multi-millionaires won't be enough on its own, so pay restoration will take time. Most public sector workers accept the need for patience, given other urgent priorities such as alleviating poor housing conditions and food poverty.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
I don't think it's OK, but 15 years of accumulated Government debt can't be fixed overnight so pay restoration takes time. All public sector workers have suffered big cuts since ~2008, yet most accept the need for patience, given other urgent priorities like poor housing and food poverty.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Not a wise move - it took 15 years for the gap to build up so it isn't realistic to fix it in one fell swoop, given the state of public finances. Accept this year's above-inflation deal and continue negotiations for a phased restoration.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Existing PIP recipients have their claims reviewed 1 year before the award period finishes. Do we know whether future reviews would use the original points criteria, or the revised criteria to be introduced for new claimants? Either way, the Bill remains unfair mess!
murphy-jm.bsky.social
Airing real evidence from Gaza medics would create a perception of truth that would not meet the low standards that spineless British politicians wrongly expect.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
This stems from Starmer's belief that McSweeney is a strategic genius who won him the election. This is nonsense - it was the public's determination to make the Tories lose that led to Labour's distribution of votes and seats - they won *despite* their campaign, which was utterly underwhelming.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
His most precious resource is his sense of entitlement.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
We wondered whether Labour would react to the local election results by rejecting or imitating Reform's politics. We have a clear answer that will go down in history as a monumental own goal for Starmer and his front bench.
murphy-jm.bsky.social
If you want to be trusted, stop pretending that wealthy pensioners need winter fuel payments. You're no friend of the disadvantaged if you believe that.