Sean McGeever
@seanmated.bsky.social
University of Edinburgh, Physics and Astronomy, Computing Manager: https://www.ph.ed.ac.uk/
‘not big, not clever'
‘not big, not clever'
Reposted by Sean McGeever
"If I'd known I'd have to sit through an hour of Gianni Infantino I'd have just played a square ball" - Kieran Tierney
December 5, 2025 at 5:47 PM
"If I'd known I'd have to sit through an hour of Gianni Infantino I'd have just played a square ball" - Kieran Tierney
Reposted by Sean McGeever
So many aspects of the state where Labour in opposition convinced themselves that the fundamentals were fine, the Conservatives were just shit penny-pinching managers, and once good common-sense people were in charge and a wee bit more money everything would work fine. Alas, reality is more complex
December 4, 2025 at 4:58 PM
So many aspects of the state where Labour in opposition convinced themselves that the fundamentals were fine, the Conservatives were just shit penny-pinching managers, and once good common-sense people were in charge and a wee bit more money everything would work fine. Alas, reality is more complex
Reposted by Sean McGeever
RIP Steve Cropper - one of the greatest guitarists ever
December 3, 2025 at 10:20 PM
RIP Steve Cropper - one of the greatest guitarists ever
Reposted by Sean McGeever
The Labour Chancellor has delivered a Budget whose headroom is still small, and is based on a series of optimistic assumptions and tax rises in an election year, and your story is...litigating which one of the chess competitions in the 90s was the *real* under-14 champion? Really?
December 3, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The Labour Chancellor has delivered a Budget whose headroom is still small, and is based on a series of optimistic assumptions and tax rises in an election year, and your story is...litigating which one of the chess competitions in the 90s was the *real* under-14 champion? Really?
Reposted by Sean McGeever
Am enjoying Owen desperately trying to give her an out (in what - one assumes - is the most flattering clip of the interview) and her happily blazing past it and saying no, actually, Pol Pot is our model here
Zarah Sultana apparently wants to nationalise the entire economy including the Internet.
December 2, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Am enjoying Owen desperately trying to give her an out (in what - one assumes - is the most flattering clip of the interview) and her happily blazing past it and saying no, actually, Pol Pot is our model here
Exactly - in response to previous governments' decade+ of attritional attacks on UK fiscal capacity, which was repeatedly exposed by *real events*, RR created a tiny bit of fictional headroom for the end of this Parliament. That's the exact opposite of 'pessimism'.
Feel like I'm going mad. The Budget's 'headroom' is based on frankly irresponsible and wildly optimistic claims about what Labour will do in the final year of the forecast, and on ignoring a bunch of upward pressures on spending, and the claim is that she was being exaggeratedly *pessimistic*?
Suggestion Rachel Reeves exaggerated fiscal pressures is absurd
Chancellor was instead far too optimistic about public finances and government’s ability to secure cuts
www.ft.com
December 1, 2025 at 11:13 AM
Exactly - in response to previous governments' decade+ of attritional attacks on UK fiscal capacity, which was repeatedly exposed by *real events*, RR created a tiny bit of fictional headroom for the end of this Parliament. That's the exact opposite of 'pessimism'.
happy Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell Day, to all who celebrate: www.cam.ac.uk/stories/jour...
Journeys of discovery: Jocelyn Bell Burnell and pulsars
"On 28 November 1967, it came again, a string of pulses.” This was not the work of Little Green Men. Jocelyn Bell had discovered pulsars.
www.cam.ac.uk
November 28, 2025 at 8:29 AM
happy Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell Day, to all who celebrate: www.cam.ac.uk/stories/jour...
Reposted by Sean McGeever
Just occured to me that following the budget the government has now done five of the ten "quick wins" I suggested for their their first few months. Took them a little longer...
(Two child limit; processing asylum seekers; indexing tuition fees; increasing depts delegated authority; ethics rules)
(Two child limit; processing asylum seekers; indexing tuition fees; increasing depts delegated authority; ethics rules)
November 27, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Just occured to me that following the budget the government has now done five of the ten "quick wins" I suggested for their their first few months. Took them a little longer...
(Two child limit; processing asylum seekers; indexing tuition fees; increasing depts delegated authority; ethics rules)
(Two child limit; processing asylum seekers; indexing tuition fees; increasing depts delegated authority; ethics rules)
Reposted by Sean McGeever
"writing code to solve a problem" used to have "understanding the problem" as a prerequisite. but vibecoding allows solution-shaped objects to be produced without any of the hard-won understanding. beware of solution-shaped objects.
November 24, 2025 at 12:16 PM
"writing code to solve a problem" used to have "understanding the problem" as a prerequisite. but vibecoding allows solution-shaped objects to be produced without any of the hard-won understanding. beware of solution-shaped objects.
Reposted by Sean McGeever
Jimmy recording The Harder They Come with Leslie Kong in The Harder They Come is pretty breathtaking as is, but hits even harder when it follows one of cinema's grubbiest fight scenes which results in Jimmy's character wetting himself while being lashed by the police www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsXe...
Jimmy Cliff - harder they come
YouTube video by Jahmal77
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Jimmy recording The Harder They Come with Leslie Kong in The Harder They Come is pretty breathtaking as is, but hits even harder when it follows one of cinema's grubbiest fight scenes which results in Jimmy's character wetting himself while being lashed by the police www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsXe...
Reposted by Sean McGeever
And the political choices that would allow you to be indifferent to bond market sentiment are functionally identical to the ones people making these arguments are trying to reject
The bond market doesn't care if it was "elected" or not or if you think it's holding your political aspirations to ransom it just... exists.
November 24, 2025 at 10:10 AM
And the political choices that would allow you to be indifferent to bond market sentiment are functionally identical to the ones people making these arguments are trying to reject
Reposted by Sean McGeever
Here is @richardaljones.bsky.social basically telling us how it is. I’ve been thinking about this since listening to him say this stuff out loud at the @royalsociety.org
on Thursday.
softmachines.org?p=3192
on Thursday.
softmachines.org?p=3192
UK Science in a post-liberal world – Soft Machines, by Richard Jones
softmachines.org
November 22, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Here is @richardaljones.bsky.social basically telling us how it is. I’ve been thinking about this since listening to him say this stuff out loud at the @royalsociety.org
on Thursday.
softmachines.org?p=3192
on Thursday.
softmachines.org?p=3192
Reposted by Sean McGeever
I don’t really disagree. Feel like a proper reform of property tax/council tax could raise proper money.
Whereas this is a lot of burned political capital for maybe £600m a year. Essentially a public finances rounding error.
Whereas this is a lot of burned political capital for maybe £600m a year. Essentially a public finances rounding error.
November 20, 2025 at 1:17 PM
I don’t really disagree. Feel like a proper reform of property tax/council tax could raise proper money.
Whereas this is a lot of burned political capital for maybe £600m a year. Essentially a public finances rounding error.
Whereas this is a lot of burned political capital for maybe £600m a year. Essentially a public finances rounding error.
Reposted by Sean McGeever
Nice and clear explainer from the ONS on the changes made to their migration methods today:
blog.ons.gov.uk/2025/11/18/u...
blog.ons.gov.uk/2025/11/18/u...
Updating our methods to improve EU and British migration statistics
For the first time, UK long-term international migration statistics no longer rely on survey data but are, instead, produced using administrative data. While this is a landmark moment and gives us an
blog.ons.gov.uk
November 18, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Nice and clear explainer from the ONS on the changes made to their migration methods today:
blog.ons.gov.uk/2025/11/18/u...
blog.ons.gov.uk/2025/11/18/u...
Reposted by Sean McGeever
110 minutes of South Africa playing with 14 men:
Total score: 51-17 to the Springboks.
Only one try conceded.
They have somehow also scored 7 tries with a one man disadvantage.
V Italy today they only missed 8 tackles.
An absolutely generational side, it’s a privilege to watch them.
Total score: 51-17 to the Springboks.
Only one try conceded.
They have somehow also scored 7 tries with a one man disadvantage.
V Italy today they only missed 8 tackles.
An absolutely generational side, it’s a privilege to watch them.
November 15, 2025 at 2:36 PM
110 minutes of South Africa playing with 14 men:
Total score: 51-17 to the Springboks.
Only one try conceded.
They have somehow also scored 7 tries with a one man disadvantage.
V Italy today they only missed 8 tackles.
An absolutely generational side, it’s a privilege to watch them.
Total score: 51-17 to the Springboks.
Only one try conceded.
They have somehow also scored 7 tries with a one man disadvantage.
V Italy today they only missed 8 tackles.
An absolutely generational side, it’s a privilege to watch them.
Reposted by Sean McGeever
neither nice nor nasty, just reality. this is another reason why not raising income tax is a mistake, it means higher borrowing costs for investment and therefore lower growth. a simple truth that Starmer & Reeves are short-sightedly ignoring.
November 15, 2025 at 9:18 AM
neither nice nor nasty, just reality. this is another reason why not raising income tax is a mistake, it means higher borrowing costs for investment and therefore lower growth. a simple truth that Starmer & Reeves are short-sightedly ignoring.
Reposted by Sean McGeever
Imagine have an historic, unassailable majority and a five year runway and doing this?
November 14, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Imagine have an historic, unassailable majority and a five year runway and doing this?
Reposted by Sean McGeever
“We’re getting the Miliband back together”
November 14, 2025 at 9:01 AM
“We’re getting the Miliband back together”
Reposted by Sean McGeever
if it wasn't for the fact they can still make this worse, I'd be tempted by the 0.5% 2061 🚀, currently -3% on the day. but they definitely can still make this worse, just by being themselves. if you're a foreign investor in Gilts, why on earth would you step in now ahead of the Autumn Statement ?
November 14, 2025 at 8:39 AM
if it wasn't for the fact they can still make this worse, I'd be tempted by the 0.5% 2061 🚀, currently -3% on the day. but they definitely can still make this worse, just by being themselves. if you're a foreign investor in Gilts, why on earth would you step in now ahead of the Autumn Statement ?
Reposted by Sean McGeever
Turns out tax tapas is not quite as appetising as Reeves was imagining *shocked face*
November 14, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Turns out tax tapas is not quite as appetising as Reeves was imagining *shocked face*
Reposted by Sean McGeever
ooof this feels like most every university rn
November 12, 2025 at 3:28 AM
ooof this feels like most every university rn
possibly the best Rugby Update yet - well played from first to last by @ringo26.bsky.social
AUTUMN NATIONS SERIES - Round 2 Review
The Rugby Update:
Now with even more Saffa smugness and lack of self-awareness.
No doubt I'll be brought back to earth 3mins into the URC in a few weeks.
Pls watch, like, sub, share and bear with me.
youtu.be/7G_u3scvGXU
The Rugby Update:
Now with even more Saffa smugness and lack of self-awareness.
No doubt I'll be brought back to earth 3mins into the URC in a few weeks.
Pls watch, like, sub, share and bear with me.
youtu.be/7G_u3scvGXU
Autumn Nations Series - Round 2 Review
YouTube video by Riaan Louw
youtu.be
November 11, 2025 at 9:19 PM
possibly the best Rugby Update yet - well played from first to last by @ringo26.bsky.social
@ruthcurtice.bsky.social is exceptionally good at explaining clearly the economic factors driving us towards tax rises.
Ruth Curtice explains why tax rises are needed (tl;dw: to avoid more expensive borrowing).
This will need to be done carefully though, to avoid damaging growth, raising inflation or hitting households struggling most with the cost of living.
This will need to be done carefully though, to avoid damaging growth, raising inflation or hitting households struggling most with the cost of living.
November 11, 2025 at 11:34 AM
@ruthcurtice.bsky.social is exceptionally good at explaining clearly the economic factors driving us towards tax rises.
Reposted by Sean McGeever
Ruth Curtice explains why tax rises are needed (tl;dw: to avoid more expensive borrowing).
This will need to be done carefully though, to avoid damaging growth, raising inflation or hitting households struggling most with the cost of living.
This will need to be done carefully though, to avoid damaging growth, raising inflation or hitting households struggling most with the cost of living.
November 11, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Ruth Curtice explains why tax rises are needed (tl;dw: to avoid more expensive borrowing).
This will need to be done carefully though, to avoid damaging growth, raising inflation or hitting households struggling most with the cost of living.
This will need to be done carefully though, to avoid damaging growth, raising inflation or hitting households struggling most with the cost of living.
HT: France 14-13 South Africa
outrageous first 40' of world class rugby from both sides, 3 superb tries, 1 (slightly harsh imo) red card - no way these squads can keep this up for another 40?
outrageous first 40' of world class rugby from both sides, 3 superb tries, 1 (slightly harsh imo) red card - no way these squads can keep this up for another 40?
November 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
HT: France 14-13 South Africa
outrageous first 40' of world class rugby from both sides, 3 superb tries, 1 (slightly harsh imo) red card - no way these squads can keep this up for another 40?
outrageous first 40' of world class rugby from both sides, 3 superb tries, 1 (slightly harsh imo) red card - no way these squads can keep this up for another 40?